The Worst Witch Strikes Again

by Jill Murphy

  Lying dazed on the floor amid shattered teacups and pools of milk, Mildred saw to her dismay that she had hurled herself into Miss Hardbroom’s private study. The pole was neatly broken in two with one half embedded in a portrait of Miss Hard-broom, and the other half in the cat basket, having just missed Miss Hardbroom’s cat, now snarling and spitting on top of a cupboard.

  It wasn’t very long before the door

  opened and Miss Hardbroom, Miss Cackle and Miss Drill all came bursting in through the door. The terrified cat leapt on to its owner’s shoulders with a yowl.

  ‘Nice of you to drop in, Mildred,’ sneered Miss Hardbroom. ‘However, it was hardly necessary to use such an unorthodox method of getting here. Everyone else seems to find the stairs perfectly adequate.’

  ‘I’m sure I do not have to remind you, Mildred,’ said Miss Drill, ‘that it is against the rules to use magic in any sporting event.’

  ‘I just cannot understand it,’ sighed Miss Cackle, removing a squashed jam tart from Mildred’s hair and absentmindedly feeding it to Miss Hardbroom’s cat.

  ‘I can hardly believe that one of my girls would cheat, and that poor new girl witnessing such an example. Shocking, shocking.’

  Mildred silently ground her teeth when she thought of the number of times ‘the poor new girl’ had got her into trouble since term began.

  ‘This must be positively the last time that anything of this sort happens,’ said Miss Cackle sternly. ‘You are disqualified from the rest of the events, and if I see you in trouble even once more this term then I shall have to disqualify you from the school itself.’

  Mildred gasped.

  ‘Yes, Mildred,’ Miss Cackle continued, ‘I shall be forced to expel you if this reckless behaviour continues. Now go to

  your room for the rest of the day and ponder upon all I have told you.’

  Mildred was only too glad to escape to her room. She curled up on her bed with the little cat and listened to the rest of the school laughing and cheering outside as Sports Day continued.

  ‘It’s impossible, Tabby,’ she said. ‘I shall never get right through to the end of term without anything happening.’

  There was a tap at the door and in came Enid.

  ‘What happened?’ she asked. ‘Where did you land?’

  ‘Oh, it was awful!’ said Mildred. ‘I ended up in Miss Hardbroom’s study. Miss Cackle said she’ll expel me if I do anything else this term. What about you? Did you go too high as well?’

  ‘Oh, no,’ said Enid. ‘I realized that I must have over-magicked the poles, so I pretended to faint and got sent off to the rest-room. I’ll have to nip back in a minute. Did you get hurt?’

  ‘Not much,’ said Mildred ruefully. ‘Just twisted my ankle a bit. I’m all right.’

  ‘Well, cheer up,’ said Enid brightly, opening the door. ‘At least nothing else can go wrong today. I’ll see you later.’

  Mildred managed a weak smile as Enid disappeared into the corridor.

  ‘Oh, Tabby,’ she said miserably to the little cat. ‘We’ve got one more chance, that’s all.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ILDRED had not felt so anxious about being expelled since the day when she had ruined the broomstick formation team at Hallowe’en. She remembered all the promises to her family about being good, and thought how dreadful it would be if she arrived home with her cat and suitcases to break the dreadful news to them. She looked at her calendar and decided to struggle through each day as it came, making every effort to reach the end of term without any more incidents.

  Enid tried to tempt her to every imaginable escapade during the weeks that followed, but with admirable strength of mind Mildred resisted. Ethel was being particularly provoking because Maud was still her friend, but Mildred withstood all teasing and managed to battle through to the last week of term without any more trouble at all.

  Miss Cackle’s birthday celebration was to be held as usual on the last day of term and each class had chosen a little chant or poem to be performed on the day. Maud had been chosen to represent Form One and Mildred was relieved not to be involved apart from having to sit and listen.

  ‘This is going to be awful,’ announced Enid as they sat in class waiting to be called to the Great Hall. ‘Why don’t we skip it? I don’t know if I can stand a whole morning of recitation.’

  ‘No,’ replied Mildred flatly.

  ‘Oh, go on, Mil,’ said Enid persuasively. ‘You aren’t any fun any more. No one is going to see if we sneak off. The whole school’s there. No one will notice if we aren’t.’

  ‘They will, and I’m not,’ said Mildred. ‘I’ve only got another three or four hours to get through, then I can go home for the holidays without being expelled. I just can’t risk it.’

  ‘Oh, all right,’ agreed Enid sounding very disgruntled.

  Miss Hardbroom appeared in the doorway and signalled the class to march down to the Great Hall. As they filed down the corridor Enid suddenly grabbed Mildred’s arm.

  ‘Quick!’ she hissed. ‘In here!’

  They were passing a store cupboard at the time, and before Mildred knew what had happened Enid had dived inside, pulling Mildred with her.

  ‘What on earth are you doing?’ whispered Mildred as Enid hastily closed the door.

  ‘Shhh,’ said Enid. ‘All we have to do is to stay in here till they’re all in the Assembly Hall, then we can go off and spend the morning as we like.’

  ‘But — oh, Enid!’ said Mildred hopelessly. ‘We’re bound to get caught.’

  Meanwhile outside, Ethel’s eagle eye had seen Mildred and Enid vanishing into the cupboard; so had Maud, who secretly wished she had been with them. Life had been such fun with Mildred as her best friend, and a whole term in Ethel’s

  company had been very unpleasant indeed, especially as Ethel would keep going on about how dreadful Mildred was.

  As Maud and Ethel passed by the cupboard, Ethel turned the key and locked the door.

  ‘Ethel!’ said Maud as they marched on into the Assembly Hall. ‘That was mean. You’ll get them into trouble. Miss Cackle said she’d expel Mildred if she did anything else.’

  ‘Exactly,’ said Ethel triumphantly.

  ‘I think you’re a beast,’ said Maud. ‘I’m going to creep back and let them out.’

  But at that moment Miss Hardbroom swept along the corridor and escorted Maud’s section of the line into the hall, so there was no way in which she could get back to unlock the cupboard door.

  Inside the cupboard, the two young witches heard the key turn.

  ‘I knew it,’ said Mildred. ‘We can’t get out now and it’s the last day of term. We’ll

  have to bang on the door when they all come out of the hall or we’ll be in here for the whole of the holiday. They’ll open the door at the beginning of next term and all they’ll find will be a little heap of bones.’

  Mildred burst into tears at this distressing thought.

  ‘Oh, Mil, I am sorry,’ said Enid. ‘I’ll tell them it’s my fault. Don’t cry. You won’t be expelled, I promise.’

  CHAPTER NINE

  HEN their eyes had become accustomed to the dim light in the cupboard, Mildred and Enid looked around and saw that they were in a very large, high-ceilinged room which was obviously used for storing old furniture. The light was filtering in from an arched window high up in one corner.

  ‘We’re saved!’ shrieked Enid, snapping her fingers. ‘There’s a window. All we have to do is get up there.’

  ‘Oh, that’s easy,’ said Mildred sarcastically. ‘It’s only about ten feet up the wall. Why don’t we fly?’

  ‘Perhaps we could pile some of these things and climb up,’ said Enid desperately, rummaging through the old desks, broken benches and cardboard boxes full of rubbish. ‘Look, Mildred!’ she exclaimed. ‘It’s a broomstick!’

  She hauled from a wooden chest an ancient broomstick, almost snapped in two but for a few splinters of wood still holding it together. Enid took off he
r sash and bound it as tightly as possible.

  ‘There!’ she said. ‘Now we can fly up. The window looks big enough for us both to squeeze out of. Come on.’

  They commanded the broomstick to hover, which it did, and the two worst witches in the school balanced them selves on it. Enid sat in front and Mildred hung on round her waist. They made the broom rise like a helicopter which is done by saying, ‘Up, up, up!’ over and over again until you get as high as you want to go. It is a very jerky process and the two witches found it very hard to stay on, but at last they reached the window-sill.

  ‘What can you see on the other side?’

  asked Enid, concentrating on keeping the broom steady.

  Mildred peered through and saw a long indoor wall and part of a ceiling stretching away before her.

  ‘That’s odd,’ she said to Enid, ‘it isn’t an outside window. It seems to lead into a huge stone room.’

  ‘Well, we’d better go through before this broom gives up on us,’ said Enid sneezing from the dust and cobwebs draped all over them. ‘Duck your head as we go through.’

  ‘I wonder where we’ll come out?’ mused Mildred as they flew awkwardly through the window.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ILENGE had been called in the Great Hall. Maud, who was the first performer, stood on the stage with Miss Cackle and all the mistresses behind her and the rest of the school facing her in the lower part of the hall. She was so worried about Mildred being locked in the cupboard that she could not remember the beginning of the poem though she had been rehearsing it for weeks. As she stood there wildly searching her memory, there was a loud sneeze and a strange scuffling sound at the back of the hall, and suddenly from a high window in the far corner Mildred and Enid came sailing out, covered in dust and holding on for dear life. The pupils all turned to look, and the teachers froze.

  It took a split second for Maud to realize that she was not imagining things and that the window must face into the cupboard. Quick as a flash she cleared her throat.

  ‘Miss Cackle and staff!’ she announced importantly, her voice trembling. ‘I am proud to announce a surprise item from Mildred Hubble and Enid Nightshade. A double broomstick display on a solo broomstick!’

  She waved an arm in the direction of Mildred and Enid who looked positively thunderstruck when they realized exactly what they had flown into.

  ‘I don’t believe it,’ muttered Mildred,

  as every pair of eyes in the school turned on the unlucky pair.

  ‘If we manage to get out of this one, we deserve a medal,’ said Enid.

  ‘Let’s at least have a try, and do as Maud said,’ whispered Mildred. ‘Hold the broomstick steady and fly about a bit, and I’ll do some fancy-work if I can.’

  Enid started to fly the broom slowly round the hall and Mildred clambered up on to the back of it. Clinging on to Enid’s shoulders, she managed to do an extremely wobbly arabesque. In fact she had never even stood up on a broomstick before and was rather pleased with herself. She did one with the other leg, and then got very daring and raised one arm up at the same time. Enid, who was not good at steering at the best of times, was not looking where she was going and saw the chandelier approaching just above her head.

  ‘Mildred!’ she exclaimed, but it was too late. Mildred crashed straight into it and Enid flew on leaving her friend dangling from the vast chandelier by one arm. She turned the broom and came back to pick Mildred up.

  ‘That was a narrow squeak,’ gasped Mildred, settling on to the broom. ‘For

  goodness’ sake watch where you’re going!’

  ‘What?’ said Enid, turning her head.

  ‘I said watch out!’ yelled Mildred as a wall came looming up in front of them.

  Enid swerved violently and Mildred fell off just catching the broom by her fingertips and swinging in the air. At that moment, the long-suffering broomstick began to creak ominously in the middle where the sash was loosening.

  ‘Quick, Enid!’ said Mildred in despair. ‘Take it in to land before it falls to bits!’

  Enid guided the broom on to the stage next to Maud who, with great presence of mind began applauding, joined heartily by the rest of the school.

  Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom stepped forward. Miss Cackle had a slightly puzzled expression on her face, but Miss Hardbroom had one eyebrow raised like a dagger.

  ‘Mildred Hubble,’ she began in her most terrifying tone of voice, but before she could launch into the attack Miss Cackle put an arm around both Mildred’s and Enid’s shoulders.

  ‘Thank you, children,’ she said, smiling

  short-sightedly through her horn-rimmed spectacles. ‘Not very well executed, and the state of your clothing leaves much to be desired, but it was a good try. This is what we like to see in the Academy. Team spirit, initiative, but above all, effort.’

  ‘Thank you, Miss Cackle,’ said Mildred and Enid, not daring to look up in case they caught Miss Hardbroom’s eye.

  Miss Cackle smiled mistily and motioned the girls back to their seats. Of course there weren’t any seats for Mildred and Enid who hadn’t been there in the first place, but luckily benches had been used, so Maud squashed up and Enid and Mildred crammed in next to her.

  As they filed out of the hall into the yard to wait for the bell which signalled the end of term, Maud told them about Ethel turning the key and the following events, and suddenly they all saw the funny side of it.

  ‘Thanks, Maud,’ giggled Mildred.

  ‘It’s all right,’ said Maud awkwardly. ‘Can we be friends again, Mildred?’

  ‘We already are,’ said Mildred, feeling a bit embarrassed. ‘You’ve just saved us from a fate worse than death. Did you see her face?’

  ‘Whose face, Mildred?’ asked Miss Hard-broom’s voice.

  The three girls jumped in alarm as Miss

  Hardbroom materialized in the doorway.

  ‘I — I was just saying,’ said Mildred, ‘that we didn’t do our surprise item very well and you didn’t look too pleased.’

  ‘I wasn’t,’ snapped Miss Hardbroom. ‘However, I do think that the prize for initiative should go to Maud here. You have her to thank for saving you from a fate worse than death, whatever that may have been!’

  She stood aside and waved a hand towards the sunny yard and the girls dived gratefully outside.

  ‘She can see through walls,’ whispered Maud.

  ‘Shhh!’ said Enid, glancing round. ‘She really can.’

  The bell rang out across the school telling the pupils that it was time to go and collect their cases. Mildred let out a cry of delight and danced her two friends round in a circle.

  ‘I’ve done it!’ she announced. ‘It’s the last day of term and I’m not expelled!’