The Witch's Apprentice 3/4

It was nearly dark inside but there was a small red lamp shining just inside the door. Jennifer Jane was surprised to see that in all other respects the room was fitted out very much like Mother's kitchen. Along one wall was a row of cupboards and there was a large table with a pair of scales and rows and rows of little pots stacked on it. In the corner was a very modern looking gas cooker.

Beside the cooker was a sink unit and draining board with cupboards underneath. Half of the remaining wall had lots of different sized saucepans and spoons hanging from hooks. The rest of it was covered with bookshelves, where there were row upon row of books, some of which looked very old.

Abigail got one of the books from a shelf and started looking up the spell she wanted.

"I really know this one off by heart," she said "but we're taught to check every time. If I did make a mistake, I might turn somebody into something nasty and that would never do."

As she spoke, she was weighing the right amounts from each of the packages of ingredients they had brought from the stores and Jennifer Jane put them into a large saucepan.

"I always thought witches cooked their spells in a cauldron over an open fire," said Jennifer Jane.

Abigail laughed. "We've never done that whilst I've been a witch. I'm sure they only did it in the old days because there was nothing better at the time. Now then, pour just enough water into the saucepan to cover the contents and put it on the cooker and we'll have something to eat while we're waiting for it to boil."

She opened a cupboard, got out two plates and put a small chocolate Swiss roll wrapped in silver paper on each one.

"Do you know," said Abigail between mouthfuls, "If somebody didn't already make chocolate Swiss rolls, I think I would have invented them myself."

When they had finished their snack, Jennifer Jane washed up the plates.

"That's part of being an apprentice," smiled Abigail, "Now then, that saucepan's boiling nicely, so you stir the pot seven times widdershins and say..."

"Excuse me, Abigail," said Jennifer Jane, "what's widdershins?"

"Stir it the other way round," explained Abigail "and on the seventh stir, say 'flim effup evi'."

Jennifer Jane did as she was told and just as she said "evi", Abigail wiggled her fingers in a peculiar way and pointed at the saucepan. A whooshing noise and a small puff of steam came from the pot.

"That's that," said Abigail. "Now you can pour it into these pots and let it set."

She pointed to the rows of little pots standing on the table. They looked like very small flowerpots and Jennifer Jane had wondered what they were for when she'd come into the room. She started to pour out the magic mixture.

"Are these pots magic as well?" she asked.

"Good heavens no," said Abigail, "they're just very small flower pots."

In a few minutes the magic mixture had set and Abigail showed Jennifer Jane how to empty each pot into a small box and seal the lid.

Then she wrote out a label for Jennifer Jane to copy in her best handwriting, 'Wind-puff. One (5 miles max.)' and they both worked hard until they had labelled all the boxes.

"Now we'll make a special delivery to the Wish Warehouse," said Abigail. "Usually we'd wait until we have a really big load of spells and send them all in one go, but as it's your first time we'll take them right away."

They put all the finished spells into two carrier bags and carrying one each, they went to the broom shed.

There were no fairies about when they arrived at the Wish Warehouse. Outside the door were two witches warming their hands over an open fire. They were sitting next to a large notice on which was written 'G.O.W. Official Picket'.

"It's all over," said Abigail, "the meeting decided to take no further action, so you can go home and start making spells to restock the warehouse."

"Thank goodness for that," said one of them, "It's jolly cold just sitting here and we've got tired of playing 'I Spy'."

The other witch wiggled her fingers and pointed at the fire, which disappeared.

"See you at teatime, Abigail," they both said and then got onto their brooms and flew off.