The Midnight Spell

There was once a Witch, called Drucinda, who was getting very old but she had read in her witches book of spells that if she could get a young woman to drink a magic potion at midnight then she would steal the girls youth.
And it just so happened that on that New Years Eve, a pretty young maid called Melissa was passing by the cottage of the old witch and, seizing the opportunity, the witch said to her,
"Oh Its so miserable having to spend New Years Eve all alone but I'm an old widow, my husband has passed on and my children have all left home. Won't you come and spend New Years Eve with me, young miss? It would be so good to have some company for a change".
Now the young girl was kind hearted and gentle natured and so she took pity upon the old woman.
"Yes", she said, "I'd be happy to spend New Year's Eve with you and I'm sure we'll have lots of fun, just the two of us".
But nearby, sitting in the branch of an old tree, a Robin over heard the young girl talking to the witch and, because the Robin knew the witches plans, he started to speak, trying to warn the girl.
"Young girl", he said, twittering loudly, "Listen to me, please, I beg you".
But the witch heard the Robin speaking and, guessing its intention, waggled her bony finger and cast a spell that stole away the Robins voice so that it couldn't speak.
Oh the poor Robin! Without its voice it didn't know what to do but just then it remembered that there was a school mistress who lived in a cottage nearby who, when it looked through her window, was often writing letters and, flying to the house of the school mistress, and entering the house, like Santa Clause, through the chimney, the bird found the inkwell in which the school mistress always dipped her pen and, dipping its beak in the inkwell, started to write a letter to warn the young girl about the witch.
Then, when it had finished the letter, the Robin took hold of it in its beak and flew back to the house of the witch to give it to the girl.
But, sadly, before it could reach the house, the Witch saw the bird approaching through the window and, waggling her pointy nose, cast a spell upon it, conjuring up a wind that blew it miles away.
Then, thinking that she would not be bothered by the bird again and seeing that it was getting close to 12 the witch started to brew up the potion that she intended the young girl to drink.
"An old family recipe for Mulled Wine, my dear", she told the young girl as she stirred her bubbling pot with her ladel, "I thought we could have a glass since it is getting near to midnight".
"Oh yes", said the girl with a friendly smile, "I would love some, thank you".
Then, just as the clock upon the wall was seconds from midnight, the witch poured her evil potion into a cup and gave some to the young girl then she pretended to pour some into her own goblet.
And then, suddenly, the girl heard the sound of the clock on the wall begin to chime and as it did, the witch raised her glass.
"Heres to a Happy New Year", she said with a sly grin.
Then the girl raised her goblet aswell and she was just about to put it to her lips when she heard, from outside the witch's cottage, what sounded like a horse galloping nearer then, before the girl could take a drop of the potion, the door of the witch's cottage burst open and a handsome prince rushed in with a drawn sword, killing the evil witch.
Seeing what the Prince had done, the young girl was horrified.
"How could you do such a thing?", she shouted at the Prince, "Killing that poor innocent old woman".
"Please, hear me out", said the Prince, putting his sword back into his sheathe, "I was miles down the road from here when, suddenly, out of nowhere, would you believe, the wind blew this robin towards me and, even stranger than that, it was carrying a letter in its claws".
Then the Prince showed the girl the letter that the robin had written with its beak.
Well, ofcourse the young girl found it hard to believe the Princes story but, just at that moment the robin came flapping in, landing upon the Princes shoulder and, because the witch was dead and all her magic had died with her, the bird could speak again and he confirmed all that the prince had told her.
The young girl cried thinking about how close she had come to drinking the witch's potion and calling herself a fool for being so trusting.
But then the Prince asked the girl if she would like to spend New Year with him at his palace.
"It is too late to spend New Years Eve together but we can still celebrate the first day of a Happy New year".
And so the Prince, upon his white horse, rode with the Princess back to his palace and they spent New Year's Day together and, so charmed was she by the young prince that they soon fell in love and were married, living happily ever after.