The third world 4/10

Frosty tapped on the window at Jennifer Jane's house and Abigail went outside to speak to him, then she turned and beckoned to Mary and Dave to come out and join her.

"I think Frosty has a good idea, he'll take us all to the Witches' Home and we can follow events from there without any unnecessary to-ing and fro-ing."

"I'd better lock up first," said Dave.
"No need," replied Abigail and she wiggled her fingers. All the house lights went out and the doors closed with a click as the locks operated. Dave was most impressed.

"Just by wiggling your fingers?"

"Well it takes a lot of training to get everything just right, but yes in principle that's all it is. Jennifer Jane has learned how to make jolly good chocolate swiss rolls."

"Do stop nattering you two," said Frosty, "I'm getting hot and we'll never find your daughter if we don't hurry up."

Abigail held Jennifer Jane's parents by the hand and walked into the mist. Dave was never quite sure how it happened, but they found themselves sitting on top of the cloud behind Frosty, flying over the ground at high speed. After a while the cloud started to descend and with Abigail again holding their hands, they walked down through the mist onto the lawn in front of the Witches' Home. A witch hurried over to meet them.

"Any progress yet?" asked Abigail.

"Yes, come through to the other world and meet Esmerelda and Dulcibella. It seems they're responsible and we think we can find Jennifer Jane if we recreate the spell those two were attempting."

Dave was fascinated by all the activity and the change from half timbered mansion, to massive castle ramparts as they all walked over the drawbridge. Mary just wanted to see where Jennifer Jane had disappeared and kept dragging him along instead of letting him stop to ask questions.

However it didn’t take too long to reach the spot where Esmerelda was miserably trying to explain the morning's events to several witches from the Gate.

"It weren't our fault, it was one of your spells and the kid just walked off."

Abigail looked at the paper which described the spell. She wiggled her fingers and produced a loud bang. Mary and Dave both jumped in surprise.

"That's all we got at first" said Esmerelda, "then the kid suggested that a door needs a frame and it worked proper."

"'Sright," agreed Dulcibella.

"This sort of spell has been obsolete for years," said Abigail, "it's far too random, a foot or so in either direction and you could open a door to any one of half a dozen different worlds."

"Here's where we were Ma'am," said Esmerelda, "you can see the burnt grass where the frame caught fire."

Abigail wiggled her fingers and pointed to the spot. A beautifully varnished mahogany doorframe appeared.

"How do you do that?" asked Dave in admiration.

"Oh do be quiet dear, just let her get on with it, I want to find our daughter," replied Mary.

Abigail repeated the sign for a door and the frame crackled into life, but before any one had time to look through, it burst into flames. It burnt for quite a while before the fire was put out and the burnt area on the ground became a good bit larger.

"Could you keep the wood damp to prevent the frame from catching fire?" suggested Dave.

Abigail repeated her spells and this time the door gently crackled in its own small patch of mist.

"Stand back everyone," said Abigail, "I'll go through and see what I can find."

She walked through the door and had a look round. The landscape seemed to have twisted sideways and she found herself standing in a small pond beside a road.

"Bother!" she said and stepping out of the water she signed for dry clothes. Nothing happened.

"Bother again!" she repeated, as she walked back into the pond and returned through the door.

"That's no good," she said as soon as she was dry again. "I'll move the door frame about an inch this way. Now let's have another go."

This time she arrived about fifty yards from the pond. A small boy was just putting a model speedboat in the water. Abigail walked over.

"That's a nice boat," she said.

"Yes I made it myself from a kit. Pity about the pond today though, it's all mucky, you'd think someone had been jumping up and down in the water."

Abigail smiled, "Have you seen a little girl with pigtails dressed in a sort of boiler suit recently?"

"No fear," said the boy, "girls don't come here very often, they get worried about splashing their nice clean dresses."

As Abigail returned to the door she saw Jennifer Jane's parents looking anxiously through the frame. Then she realised that there was no burnt grass on her side of the door.