The Motorway Protest 6/7

Jennifer Jane couldn't wait until the following weekend, but at last it was Saturday. She went right through the wood to see for herself how the work was progressing. The new machines had started and were only about fifty yards away from where she was standing. She also noticed that the rain had stopped.

Her Dad was reading the paper when she got back again.

"I think that's your last walk in the wood," he said as she came into the room. "It says here that they'll be through all the trees in a week and ready to start laying the road surface."

"Don't worry about it, Dad," said Jennifer Jane, "I've got a feeling something's going to happen soon and the motorway will have to go round the wood after all."

Dad laughed. "Well, I hope you're right but I'm afraid it's going to take more than a funny feeling on your part to move that road."

Jennifer Jane sat quietly for the rest of the day, trying to read a book. Every now and then she practised saying 'Am te, Rov he' in a whisper but it seemed ages before it was bedtime.

At last it was midnight. She got out of bed, dressed and leaving the house, started off along the garden. There was a full moon, so she could see quite well but everything seemed to be very quiet and still. There was no wind, no owls hooting, none of the ordinary noises you can usually hear at night.

As she reached the far side of the wood, she heard some rustling noises and several voices saying, "Here she comes," as she stepped out of the wood into the open.

There was a large crowd standing in a semi-circle facing the wood and in the space inside the crowd were the seven witches.

Abigail hurried to meet her.

"Hello, Jennifer Jane, I'm glad you've come. Now we're only waiting for Clarence and then we can begin."

While they were waiting, Jennifer Jane looked round the crowd. The first person she recognised was the giant. He was right at the back sitting down but even so, he could see right over the heads of everyone in front of him. He looked rather strange out in the open; Jennifer Jane was used to seeing him in the woods surrounded by trees.

Barnacle Bill was sitting on the giant's shoulder and he waved to Jennifer Jane. All the goblins were there and Lieutenant Moonshine with most of the fairies from the Wish Warehouse. Right in the front was the Clerk of the Weather. The only people missing seemed to be the snowmen. Then she remembered and looked up. Sure enough there were rows and rows of little clouds and on each one was a snowman sitting with his feet dangling over the edge.

"Wough, wough."

Jennifer Jane recognised that noise. "Here comes Clarence," she said to Abigail.

It was the first time she'd seen him flying and he looked absolutely huge as he circled lower and lower, landing at last with a bit of an awkward run. He folded his wings and came towards Abigail and Jennifer Jane.

"Didn't leave a chap much room for a landing," he grumbled. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just wait until we've done the magic bit," said Abigail "and then we'll want you to melt down the machinery."

The witches all lined up and faced the wood.

"Right Jennifer Jane, start chanting and keep going until I tell you to stop."

"Am TE, Rov HE; Am TE, Rov HE," began Jennifer Jane.

The witches pointed at the ground in front of the wood and as Jennifer Jane said 'TE' and 'HE', they all wiggled their fingers at exactly the same time. It was certainly a complicated wiggle, not at all like the one Abigail had used to make puffs of wind.

All the witches were looking very serious and concentrating hard. Nobody in the crowd made a sound. Except for Jennifer Jane's chanting, everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

In front of the wood, things slowly started to move. Rocks rose from the ground, carrying up the earth on the side of the wood with them but leaving the ground where the witches were standing perfectly flat. The rocks were rising up just like a cliff at the seaside.

Everyone stayed perfectly still. Jennifer Jane kept on chanting, the witches wiggled their fingers and the cliff face rose higher and higher. At last the new cliff ran all along the length of the wood, as high as a house. A very tired looking Abigail turned to Jennifer Jane.

"Thank you Jennifer Jane, you can stop now, you held us together beautifully."

Everybody cheered and stamped their feet.

"Won't somebody hear the noise and come to see what's happening?" asked Jennifer Jane.

"Oh no," replied Abigail, "we've put a general spell on this area, stopping time for an hour or so, before we left the Witches' Home. You're the only human who isn't affected."

"That's why it seemed so quiet on the way here," thought Jennifer Jane.

Abigail waved to the giant. "Could you come and help us, please?" she asked.