How to Catch a Witch

by Abie Longstaff

  Charlie picked up Witches of Broomwood and flicked through the pages. It was filled with photographs of women said to be witches. So many of them! She remembered what Agatha had said – one by one they had disappeared, hidden away so as not to be discovered. It was so sad.

  She turned a page. There was a photo of a cottage… Hang on… Charlie pulled the book closer. The cottage had little stars carved around the chimney. Yes … it was Charlie’s cottage! Puzzled she began to read the caption under the photograph:

  WITCH’S COTTAGE, CIRCA 1700.

  “What’s wrong?” Kat whispered. “You’ve gone all pale!”

  Charlie couldn’t speak. She stared dumbly ahead, shaking her head from side to side in disbelief. Her house used to be a witch’s cottage! That was why she felt the strange buzzing when she touched its walls.

  She looked at the book again and nearly dropped it in shock. The caption carried on in the line below. The whole thing read:

  WITCH’S COTTAGE, CIRCA 1700.

  SUSPECTED AKELARRE (MEETING PLACE FOR THE

  BROOMWOOD COVEN).

  Charlie sat down on the floor with a bump.

  “What? What is it?” Kat was staring at her.

  “That’s my house.” Charlie pointed at the photo and Kat leaned in closer.

  “Cool! You live in a witch’s cottage!”

  “Yes but … but…”

  Agatha… What had she said… ? Eliza’s cottage used to be the Akelarre.

  “It’s not j-just any cottage. I-I think it-it’s Eliza’s c-c-cottage.”

  “Wow!”

  Charlie’s mind was a fog of confusion. Did Great-Aunt Bess buy it from Eliza? When? How? Eliza was living in it seventeen years ago, when she put the curse on Suzy. Did Bess buy it after that? It didn’t make sense.

  “I need to ask my mum sssomething,” she told Kat.

  “OK. Let’s go to yours. We can make the bottle there.”

  Charlie was quiet all the way home, puzzling it through. She found Mum the second they walked in. She was sitting on the lounge floor with Annie, building a tower out of blocks.

  “Hello!” Mum looked up in surprise.

  “Mum, this is Kat.”

  “Nice to meet you, Kat. I’m Dawn and this is Annie. Say ‘hello’, Annie.” Annie waved. “But what’s happened here?” said Mum, pointing at Charlie’s head.

  Oh yes! The haircut!

  “I love it!” said Mum.

  Dad walked in and did a double-take. “You look beautiful, sweetheart!” he said and gave her a big hug. Charlie blushed.

  “Thanks. This is Kat.”

  “Hi, Kat.”

  “Charlie hair!” cried Annie and Charlie scooped her up.

  “Do you like it?” she asked her little sister.

  Annie nodded and then, taking advantage of the happy mood, added, “Biscuit?” in a hopeful tone.

  Dad laughed and took her. “Come on, Munchkin, we’ll find you an apple.”

  “Mum,” Charlie sat down on the rug, “Can you remember anything about B-B-Bess?”

  “Who?”

  “Great-Aunt Bess. The one you got the c-c-cottage from.”

  “Let me see… Bess had lived here for years, the lawyers said. But she didn’t have children, so they had to track down her next of kin.” Mum frowned. “I don’t know exactly how I’m related to her, but it’s through my cousin Harry I think. He died years ago so I guess that left me.”

  “Do you know who Bess b-b-bought the house from?”

  “No. But I know she’d lived here for a long time before she died. What is it? You look all puzzled.”

  Charlie shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “Well … I could ask the lawyers more about Elizabeth if you want.”

  “What?”

  “I could ask them about Bess.”

  “You-you-you said Elizabeth.”

  “Yes. Bess is short for Elizabeth.”

  For a moment Charlie’s heart stopped beating. Elizabeth. Eliza was short for Elizabeth too. And Eliza had changed her name – Agatha said so.

  Charlie glanced at Kat. Her face was drained of colour. Elizabeth. Bess. Eliza. They were the same person. Somewhere down the family line, Eliza was Charlie’s relative.

  Charlie pulled Kat by the hand. “Thanks, Mum. We’re fine. Just off to my room.”

  Upstairs Charlie sat on her bed in shock.

  “Eliza is your great-aunt…” Kat was repeating it to herself, trying to get her head around it.

  Charlie fiddled with the corner of her duvet. “If-if-if my great-aunt p-p-put that curse on,” she began hesitantly, “then ssssomewhere, sssomehow, my f-f-family is responsible for what’s happened to Suzy.” She set her jaw. “I have to fix it.”

  Kat took her hand. “Let’s make this Witch Bottle,” she said.

  They spent the rest of the morning making the Witch Bottle.

  Charlie found one of Eliza’s old glass bottles, like the one she’d used to put the powder in. It was a little squat one made of clear glass, with a narrow neck and a cork in the top.

  Agatha had given Charlie a list of items and they were set out now on a tray on her bed. Every time she added something, Charlie was supposed to focus on the item and what it was meant to do.

  Charlie took a deep breath and concentrated hard on the words. “Hair of the victim” – she brushed out Suzy’s golden hairs until they shone and put them inside the bottle – “to tempt the c-c-curse in.”

  “Honey,” she said, adding a squeeze, “to make the c-c-curse stick.

  “Salt” – she sprinkled a pinch – “to purify.”

  She pushed the cork in tight.

  After lunch the girls took turns to paint markings on the side. They added musical notes, a drawing of a cat and a rainbow. Kat added a sigil she’d seen in the book at the library; it was a kind of wiggly lion inside a jagged circle.

  “That’s great,” said Charlie warmly. “Now let’s go!” She was desperate to get to Agatha’s. She couldn’t wait to tell her about their new discovery!

  They hurried through the garden and into the woods.

  “Agatha!” Charlie burst into the cottage. “Agatha!”

  The witch waved her in. “What happened to your hair?”

  Charlie ignored that for the moment. “I l-l-l-live in Eliza’s house,” she burst out breathlessly.

  “I know,” said Agatha. “You had one of her bottles for your powder.”

  “You knew?”

  “Yes,” Agatha waved her hand. “But it doesn’t matter. Someone has to live there.”

  “No, you-you don’t under … understand. There’s m-m-m-more.” Charlie stopped speaking to draw a long breath in. “Mum got the c-c-c-cottage from my great-aunt. We’re her only relatives. Her name was B-B-B-Bess.”

  It was Agatha’s turn to look shocked. She held on to the mantelpiece, her knuckles white. “Eliza was Bess,” she said weakly.

  Charlie grinned at Kat. She was right! They were the same person.

  “She changed her name over and over to hide. She was sometimes Beth, sometimes Lizzie, sometimes Liz and finally Bess.”

  “Eliza was my great-aunt,” said Charlie, “or something like that.”

  Tears filled Agatha’s eyes. “That’s wonderful,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. She wiped her eyes and forced her voice back to normal. “We can use that link to Eliza. Because you share blood with the curse-giver, you have a better chance of tempting the curse out. Now let’s get moving,” she said in a rush. “Did you make the bottle? Did you get the hair?”

  Charlie pulled the bottle from her pocket. “The h-hair is inside.”

  Agatha turned the bottle round and round. “I see you have chosen the lion sigil,” she said, looking at Kat’s painting.

  “Yes,” said Kat, hesitantly.

  “A good choice.” Agatha nodded at her. “He represents strength. Now I need you both to concentrate,” she continued. “You will need to cast the spell at exactly midnight,
and you have to be as close as you can to Suzy.”

  Charlie and Kat nodded.

  “I know where Suzy lives,” said Charlie. “We can go to her house.”

  Agatha continued:

  “You each have an important role to play and we only have until tonight to study. This won’t be easy. You haven’t trained long enough.”

  Charlie and Kat looked at each other, pale with fright.

  “Even so, you are Suzy’s only hope.” Agatha said firmly. “Together, you’ll be more powerful. With both of you, and with your link to Eliza, the Witch Bottle could work. But” – Agatha took a deep breath – “it might not. You have to be prepared. If you feel the curse fighting, if the curse starts to come for you, you stop, OK, Charlie? You stop and RUN.”

  Charlie swallowed hard and nodded. A heavy feeling grew in the pit of her tummy.

  They practised all afternoon.

  Charlie had lines to learn. She had to picture Suzy in her head. Then she had to imagine the curse being pulled out of Suzy.

  “That’s the most dangerous stage,” Agatha warned her. “The curse will be floating around and it won’t be contained. Remember,” she said, waving her little half-finger, “get it into the bottle as fast as you can.”

  “How?” Charlie’s heart was beating fast at the thought of it.

  “You have to draw it in. It won’t want to come. It will want to stay with Suzy. You have to picture the hair. Make the curse think the hair is Suzy. Tempt it into the bottle. Then think of the honey. Concentrate until you can almost taste it. Let the honey stick it. When you have it, stopper the bottle.”

  “What do I do?” Kat asked.

  “You need to give Charlie strength. It will be a long time before you properly learn to harness the energy of the earth, but we can try some exercises now. Maybe you’ll be able to draw some strength to pass to Charlie. Come.”

  Agatha led the way outside. The light was beginning to fade and the air had grown misty.

  “Sit with me here – you too, Charlie. Take my hands. Now close your eyes. Empty your mind.” Agatha’s voice grew soft and rhythmic. “Picture the grass lush and green; picture the soil rich and dark; travel down with me, down under the earth, into the heart of the world. Feel the warmth of the centre, the very core of the world.”

  Charlie could sense a bit of heat, but Kat gasped and Charlie could feel her friend’s hand growing hot.

  “I feel it!” Kat cried. “It’s glowing all around me.”

  “Focus on Charlie,” said Agatha. “Send the heat to her. Can you do it?”

  “I … I think so.”

  Kat’s hand tightened and Charlie could feel a gentle warmth spread from her palm across her body. All at once she felt more awake, more alive. The buzzing feeling filled her body with its force, stirring her up inside. Her eyes shot open. “You d-d-did it!” she cried.

  “A bit.” Kat blushed.

  “You will get stronger,” Agatha told them. “Both of you. The more you do it, the more powerful you’ll become.”

  Charlie and Kat stayed outside for a long time practising, until it grew too dark to see.

  “It’s time to go back to your families,” said Agatha.

  Charlie looked at her watch: it was nearly seven p.m.! Five hours till midnight! She looked at Agatha anxiously. Agatha put her hands on Charlie’s shoulders. “You can do this,” she said. “It’s meant to be. I feel it.”

  Charlie nodded.

  “Good luck,” Agatha whispered. “Blessed be.” She mumbled something Charlie didn’t catch, and then she leaned in and gave Charlie a kiss on her forehead. “That kiss,” she said lightly, “is the first bit of magic I’ve done in a long time.” Agatha tucked her hair behind her ears self-consciously and lifted her hand to wave goodbye.

  Charlie and Kat ran back through the woods.

  “I’ll meet you at eleven-thirty,” Kat said, her voice trembling with excitement.

  “At the top of Wood Street,” Charlie agreed.

  Dinner that night was the family’s first meal in the new kitchen and everyone wanted to celebrate.

  Charlie’s mind was dancing around. She couldn’t stop picturing what was to come, and her stomach was flip-flopping over and over. She took her place at the table, sitting on her fingers to stop them shaking.

  The telephone rang for Dad. A few minutes later he came back, rubbing his head. He sat down hard in his chair. “You know that job I didn’t get? The one I went up for London for last week?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Well, the guy they chose didn’t turn up for work. That was the boss calling me to say they’re offering it to me. I start on Monday.”

  “Hey! That’s fantastic!” said Mum.

  “Well done, Dad!” said Matt.

  Annie banged her spoon.

  Charlie smiled. It was the lucky heather! It was making everyone lucky, not just her!

  Dad closed his eyes. He didn’t look like someone who was having a lucky day.

  “What is it?” asked Mum.

  “I don’t know,” Dad said, lifting his head. “I mean, I thought I wanted to go back to computer programming. I thought I was desperate to get that job. But…” He waved his hand around the kitchen. “I’ve loved doing up this house,” he said, “and I can’t bear the thought of going back to work!”

  There was a long silence. Then Mum said, “Darling, you should do what you want to do.”

  “But how can we afford it?” Dad said in despair. “I’ll never find a job as a builder!”

  “Wait!” It came back to Charlie in a flash. “They’re d-d-doing up the old c-c-cottages on Broom Hill,” she said. “You could get a job there!”

  Dad lifted his eyebrows, “Maybe I could…” he said slowly.

  “And, you know,” Mum added, “I’m really enjoying my job.”

  “Are you?”

  “Yes! I felt bad about saying it while you couldn’t find a job of your own, but,” she confessed, “I love it!”

  Dad gave a broad grin. “Then I’m not going back to computing!” he said, his eyes shining with excitement. “I’ll ask about a job on the Broom Hill project and, even if I don’t get that, something will come along. I’m feeling lucky!”

  “We’ve all got something to celebrate then,” said Mum, raising a glass. “Matt’s finally finished that science project.”

  “Did the last bit today!” said Matt, mouthing his thanks at Charlie.

  “Charlie’s made a new friend,” Dad continued. She was pleased he’d glossed over the whole candle/exclusion thing.

  “And Annie’s wearing big-girl pants,” said Mum.

  In her highchair, Annie pulled up her dress to show Charlie.

  “Th-that’s great, Annie!” she said.

  “Princess pants,” said Annie, pointing at Snow White.

  “I sssee!” Charlie stroked her sister’s hair and grinned. Dad would be a builder. Mum would carry on being a nurse and their daughter would be a witch. Well, if she could get this spell to work tonight.

  And if she didn’t get injured in the process.

  At eleven o’clock Charlie pulled her covers back and slid out of bed. She was still wearing the jeans and top she’d had on earlier and she tied her shoelaces as quickly as she could.

  In her bag were:

  One torch.

  One Witch Bottle.

  One piece of notepaper with the words of the spell.

  One bandage (just in case).

  Charlie gave a shiver as she pictured Agatha’s little finger.

  She opened her door, tiptoed across the hall and down the stairs. She closed the front door slowly behind her, turning the catch gently so it didn’t bang. She’d left a note for Mum and Dad on her desk in case they noticed she was out. It just said:

  Gone for a midnight walk with Kat.

  She waved to Hopfoot, who was sitting on the wall. As soon as he saw her, he took off and circled above her. Charlie smiled. It was good to have company.

&
nbsp; As she walked, she remembered what Agatha had said about drawing the curse out. “It’s like tug of war,” were her words. What would it feel like? She’d practised saying the chant over and over, but she had no idea what would happen when she actually used it. Would she be able to control the curse? Tempt it into the bottle?

  Charlie clenched her fists. Tonight she’d find out whether Agatha was right: whether she really did have the gift.

  “Hey!” Kat whispered to her from the start of Wood Street. She was bouncing on her tiptoes, desperate to get going.

  “Hi!” Charlie giggled in excitement.

  They linked arms and walked up the road as quietly as they could. Their footsteps echoed on the concrete as they crept past the sleeping houses.

  Soon they reached Castle House. It looked like a real castle in the moonlight, the turrets casting strange, eerie shadows across the ground. Hopfoot flew up and landed on the roof.

  “That’s Suzy’s w-w-window,” Charlie said under her breath. She pointed to where she’d seen Suzy singing two weeks earlier.

  “How do we get closer?” Kat whispered back. She wiggled a drainpipe and it groaned.

  Both girls froze.

  “Sorry,” Kat murmured.

  There was a Caw! and Hopfoot swooped down and landed in the side passage. Charlie crept along the side of the house after the crow. He was perched on top of a ladder.

  “Clever you,” Charlie whispered, and Hopfoot lifted his black head higher.

  Together, Charlie and Kat carried the ladder over to Suzy’s window. Charlie crossed her fingers that no one would walk past and ask them what they were doing! Hopfoot flew up to the turret as if to keep watch.

  Carefully they placed the ladder against the wall. Charlie’s heart was beating so fast it was threatening to burst out of her chest. She looked at her watch: ten to midnight. It was nearly time. She could feel her tongue growing thick and her throat closing up at the thought of chanting the spell. She swallowed again and again, but it still felt like her mouth was filled with cotton wool.

  Kat took a flask out of her bag. “It’s lemon tea,” she said. “Agatha said it would help.”

  Charlie smiled at her gratefully and took a sip. The warm liquid ran down the back of her throat and she felt the blockage easing. She took a deep breath in and out. Her voice was an asset. It would help her focus, she told herself.