The business empire 3/10

Eve was following Jennifer Jane as closely as she dared without letting herself be seen. “I’m blessed if I let her get away with it this time, I’ll find out what she’s actually up to or my name’s not Eve Gardener!”

She could hear footsteps just a few yards in front of her and kept following, carefully making sure that the child was round the next bend before hurrying on. She was just beginning to think that she was walking much further than usual, when she suddenly came out of the bushes onto the top of a small cliff.

There didn’t seem to be an obvious way down, but she could see Jennifer Jane crossing the ground below her, at the level of the abandoned motorway workings. She watched curiously as the child went just inside the old ring of standing stones and began walking round in circles.

Eve suddenly understood! “She’s trying to raise another stone, the same way that our group did a few weeks ago!”

Jennifer Jane had arrived at the cliff edge well before Eve and had plenty of time to float down to the ground below before she arrived. She walked slowly across to the site of the standing stones before having a careful look at the cliff top to make sure Eve could see her.

Once she was sure that Eve was there, she began walking round inside the stone circle, mumbling to herself.

“This is a load of rubbish, may the earth be fruitful and multiply and any other daft phrases that I can think of.”

She kept going until she’d been round seven times widdershins, before heading back to the foot of the cliff. She didn’t think Eve would be able to see her, but just in case, she lightened herself just enough to be able to climb the cliff easily, then put her weight back on before heading for home.

It seemed that she needn’t have worried. Eve must have left as soon as she saw Jennifer Jane walk out of the circle. By the time she arrived back at the wishing clearing she could see Eve waiting for her to appear, so she shuffled along looking miserably at the ground muttering to herself as she did so.

“If Eve can do it then why can’t I? She can’t be a real witch, there’s no such thing. Perhaps if I wore my cloak and hat it might make a difference, I don’t know. . Oh hello Eve, I didn’t see you there, are you enjoying your walk?”

“Yes thank you dear, I was hoping I’d bump into you, I wanted to have a word about your friend George.”