by Adele Abbott
“She’s certainly enthusiastic, and seems quite knowledgeable—except when it comes to moles.”
After we’d finished our drinks, Peter took out his phone.
“I’m going to see if I can get hold of Kathy. Would you look in on Lizzie to see if she’s okay?”
“Sure.”
I knocked on Lizzie’s door.
“Come in,” a little voice squeaked.
Lizzie was lying on the bed, holding her teddy bear to her chest.
“Lizzie, are you okay?”
“Hello, Auntie Jill. Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Are you sure? You look a little sad.”
“I am a little bit, yes.”
“Why is that?”
“My best friend, Katie, said she doesn’t want to be my best friend anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because she wants to be best friends with Bethany.”
“Couldn’t she be best friends with both of you?”
“You can only have one best friend, Auntie Jill. Didn’t you know that?”
“Yeah, sorry, of course. I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure there are plenty of other people who you can be friends with.”
“I do have other friends. I just don’t have a best friend now, except for Joe.”
“Who’s Joe? Is he a boy in your class?”
“No.” She managed a smile. “This is Joe—Joe Bear.” She held up a tiny teddy bear, which looked like it had seen better days.
“I see.”
“Joe has to be my best friend now because no one else wants to be.”
I felt so sorry for Lizzie that I could have cried. It reminded me of my schooldays. I didn’t have many friends, at least not compared to Kathy, who always had loads of friends around her.
Then, I had an idea. If Joe Bear was going to be Lizzie’s best friend, then he should be able to talk to her. Since my visit to Aunt Lucy’s, I’d been swotting up on ‘enchantment’ spells. This was my chance to put what I’d learned into action. When Lizzie wasn’t looking, I cast the ‘enchantment’ spell which, if it worked properly, should mean that Joe Bear would be able to talk to her, but only her. No one else would know.
Peter and I watched TV, but neither of us could focus. We kept speculating on what might be happening with Kathy. Every time he’d tried to call her, it had gone to voicemail.
“I wouldn’t worry.” I tried to reassure him. “Kathy will be fine. She’ll get in touch as soon as she can.”
“I know.”
About an hour later, Lizzie came out of her room, carrying Joe Bear. She had a broad smile on her face.
“I didn’t know you were still here, Auntie Jill.”
“I’m going to wait until your mummy gets home.”
“Where is Mummy, Daddy?”
“She’s had to work late tonight.”
“Me and Joe would like something to eat, wouldn’t we, Joe?” She looked lovingly at the bear. I was sure that he’d been talking to her, but he wouldn’t do it now—not in front of other people.
“We’d like crisps and pop, please, Daddy.”
“Okay. I’ll bring it through to you.”
“I don’t know what you said to her,” Peter said, after he’d taken Lizzie’s crisps and drink through to her bedroom. “But you certainly managed to cheer her up.”
Moments later, Kathy walked in. She looked tired and drawn.
“What’s happened?” Peter took her hand.
“The police have confirmed that it’s definitely murder. Poison, apparently.” She took a seat on the sofa next to Peter.
“Do they have any idea who might have done it?” I said.
“I don’t think so. I didn’t like the policeman who was in charge.”
“Was it Leo Riley?”
“Yeah, that’s him. Is he Jack’s replacement?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s a horrible man. I wish Jack was still over here. They took everyone’s names and addresses, and said they’ll be interviewing all of us in due course.”
“What happens to Wool TV in the meantime?”
“I don’t know. The station manager said he’d phone everyone tomorrow morning to let us know what’s happening. All the programmes for the rest of the evening have been cancelled. I’m not sure whether we’ll be on air tomorrow or not.”
“They might ask you to read the news,” I said.
“I don’t know if I’d want to. I know I said I’d like Lucinda’s job, but not this way. It just doesn’t seem right.”
Lizzie came rushing into the room. “Mummy! Mummy! I thought I heard you.” She threw herself at Kathy. Kathy gave her a big hug, and a kiss on top of her head.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t home earlier, pumpkin. I had to work late.”
“That’s okay, Mummy.”
“How was your day at school?”
“Katie doesn’t want to be my best friend anymore.”
“Oh dear. How do you feel about that, pumpkin?”
“I don’t mind. Katie’s got a new best friend now, but I have too.”
“That’s good. Who’s your new best friend?”
“Joe Bear.”
“Oh?” Kathy looked surprised. “That’s nice.”
“Joe can talk to me now.”
“The bear talks to you?”
“Yes. He’s been telling me stories.”
“You’d better get off back to bed now. I’ll come and kiss you goodnight in a few minutes.”
“Okay, Mummy.” Lizzie ran back to her bedroom.
“Oh dear.” Kathy sighed. “She and Katie were such good friends.”
“She seems to have taken it well,” I said.
“I know. I thought she’d be more upset.”
“The bear seems to have cheered her up.”
“I guess so, but I’m not sure how I feel about her having a teddy bear as a best friend. It’s a bit sad, isn’t it?”
Chapter 6
It was the next morning, and the house felt empty without Jack. I hadn’t slept particularly well, but at least I hadn’t had a repeat of that horrible nightmare where I’d been chasing Aunt Lucy along corridors.
I was halfway through breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Who on earth was it at that time of day?
The man was quite obviously a wizard. He was dressed in a most unusual blue uniform. On his hat and breast pocket, he had identical badges—the letters CSD with an arrow through them.
“Are you Jill Gooder?”
“I am.”
“Good. I have the right address. I’m Laurence Waters, but all my friends call me Puddle. I work for Candlefield Special Delivery.” He tapped the badge on his breast pocket.
“You’re a postman?”
“Kind of, I suppose. We deliver letters and parcels from the sup world to the human world.” He pulled a letter out of the small bag he was carrying. “This is for you.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Have a good day.” And with that, he hurried back down the drive.
A special delivery from Candlefield? Who could that be from? Perhaps the Combined Sup Council had sent it, but then they usually left messages with Aunt Lucy. I went back into the kitchen, took a sip of my coffee, and opened the envelope which had a watermark on it: the letters CASS. The sheet of paper inside had the same watermark, and a letterhead which read: ‘Candlefield Academy of Supernatural Studies.’
The letter, which was handwritten, was from a Desdemona Nightowl, headmistress at Candlefield Academy of Supernatural Studies. It was an invitation for me to give a talk at the school. The gist of it was that the school was keen for their pupils to learn as much about humans as possible. I was the closest thing to a human they were likely to get because humans could never go to Candlefield.
I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I could understand why they’d chosen me because, although I wasn’t a human, I’d lived as one for over twenty years. It was an honour to be asked, but also a little scary.
There was a cut-off slip at the bottom, so that I could RSVP. I didn’t want to make any snap decisions because it was a big responsibility. I knew absolutely nothing about Candlefield Academy of Supernatural Studies, but it occurred to me that Aunt Lucy might, so after breakfast, I magicked myself over there.
Much to my surprise, Aunt Lucy was standing in front of her house, looking up and down the street. She looked distraught.
“Aunt Lucy? What’s the matter?”
“It’s Matilda.”
“Matilda? Oh, yes, your lawnmower. What about her?”
“The ‘enchantment’ spell must have been too strong. It appears to have given her an insatiable appetite for grass.”
“How do you mean?”
“It seems she needs a regular intake of it. My small lawn isn’t enough to satisfy her. She’s mown it five times in the last two days; there’s barely a blade of grass left on there. Now she’s gone in search of other grass. I don’t know where she is, Jill. She just disappeared down the street.”
“Couldn’t you get Grandma or another level six witch to reverse the enchantment?”
“I’ve tried contacting your grandmother, but as always, whenever you need her, she’s nowhere to be found. Can’t you do something?”
“But I’m still only on level four. I’m not sure I could reverse a level six enchantment.”
“You’re the most powerful witch in Candlefield. If anyone can do it, you can. Look! There she is. Do you see her? Down there on the left! She’s mowing Teresa Bodangle’s lawn.”
A woman, who I took to be the aforementioned Teresa Bodangle, was standing in the doorway staring at the lawnmower, and no doubt wondering what was going on. It didn’t take Matilda long to finish up. After she had, she came charging out of the garden, onto the pavement, and down to the next house where she started on that lawn. This was getting out of hand.
“Please, Jill, you need to stop her.” Aunt Lucy sounded desperate. “What will my neighbours think if Matilda ruins their lawns?”
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”
I set off in pursuit of the errant lawnmower, but had only gone a few paces when I saw her come out of the second garden. She’d finished already, and was headed off down the road. A few moments later, she disappeared through yet another gateway. I crossed the road, and as I got closer, I realised she was now in Candlefield Bowling Club. If she ruined their bowling green, there’d be hell to pay. I reached the gate just as Matilda was about to jump onto the grass.
I’d never had to reverse an ‘enchantment’ spell before, so I was going to have to improvise with a spell of my own. If it didn’t work, the bowling green would be ruined.
I cast the spell, and hoped for the best.
Matilda stopped dead in her tracks.
“What’s going on?” It was a wizard with a long moustache. “What’s this lawnmower doing in here?”
“Sorry. It was a bit of a misunderstanding. There’s no harm done. See, it hasn’t started to cut the grass.”
He glanced down. “A good job too. Do you know how much it costs us to keep this bowling green in this condition?”
“An awful lot, I imagine.”
“Indeed. Is this your mower?”
“Kind of.”
“In that case, I would suggest you get it out of here immediately.”
I pushed Matilda out of the gate, and up the road. By the time I got back to Aunt Lucy’s, I was exhausted.
“Thanks, Jill. When I saw Matilda go into the bowling club, I thought we were in real trouble. Did you manage to stop her in time?”
“Yes. She didn’t do any damage. I’m sorry, but I had to override the ‘enchantment’ spell. Matilda’s never going to be able to mow your lawn unaided again.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll do it the hard way from now on. It’s not worth all this aggravation.” Aunt Lucy put Matilda back into the shed, and we went inside for a cup of tea.
Before I had the chance to ask her about the invitation I’d received, the twins arrived. As soon as they walked through the door, it was obvious that something was wrong. They weren’t their usual bubbly selves. In fact, they seemed very subdued.
“What’s the matter with you two?” Aunt Lucy said. “I hope you haven’t been falling out with your husbands again.”
“No, of course we haven’t, Mum.” Amber joined me at the kitchen table.
“Why do you always think that?” Pearl took the seat next to Amber. “If you must know, we seem to be losing customers at Cuppy C.”
“How do you mean, losing them?” I asked.
“The numbers are down. Dramatically down,” Amber said. “We’re only getting about half the number of people through the door that we normally get.”
Aunt Lucy poured them both a cup of tea, and then joined us at the table.
“Have there been any complaints or problems?”
“No. That’s just it.” Amber took a sip of tea. “Nothing like that. Everything seems to be fine, but the numbers are definitely down. We have a lot of regulars, who usually come in once or twice a week, but we haven’t seen them for ages. I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Presumably, the takings are down too?” Aunt Lucy said.
“That’s what we don’t understand.” Pearl shook her head. “Although we’re definitely getting fewer people through the door, the takings are as good as ever. In fact, a couple of days have been better than average.”
“You mentioned that the other day when I came in,” I said. “You thought Amber had miscounted.”
“She did say that, didn’t she?” Amber chimed in. “And had I, Pearl?”
“No, I was wrong,” Pearl admitted. “Her figures were correct, and it’s happened again since then. The money’s holding up, and yet we’re losing customers. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Could I have some toast, Mum?” Amber said.
“I suppose so. Do you all want some?”
We all nodded.
While we were all eating toast and strawberry jam, I took the opportunity to ask about the invitation I’d received.
“Do any of you know about Candlefield Academy of Supernatural Studies?”
“CASS? It’s Candlefield’s most prestigious school,” Aunt Lucy said.
“Prestigious how? Do you mean expensive?”
“No, it’s actually free to attend, but admission is by invitation only. The very best wizards and witches are invited to attend. You can’t apply, and there are no entrance exams.”
“How do they know which kids will turn out to be the best witches or wizards?”
“Nobody knows how they determine who to invite, but their track record suggests they get it right more often than not.”
“We didn’t get an invite.” Amber sounded quite indignant.
“No, we didn’t,” Pearl said. “But I wouldn’t have wanted to go there anyway. It’s a boarding school. Ugh! Can you imagine having to live at your school? I wouldn’t have liked that. I was always glad to come home after school had finished for the day.”
“Me too.” Amber nodded.
“If you’d been living in Candlefield as a child, Jill, I’m absolutely convinced that you would have been invited to attend CASS,” Aunt Lucy said.
“Definitely,” Pearl agreed. “But would you have wanted to go there, Jill? How would you have felt about being a boarder?”
“I don’t know. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about. Where I grew up, everyone went to the local school. There was no other choice. Boarding schools are always made to seem exciting in books and movies, but I’m not sure they would be in real life. Can you imagine, when you were a kid, not getting to see your mum and dad until the end of each term?”
“What made you ask about CASS, anyway?” Aunt Lucy said.
I took the invitation out of my pocket. “This came this morning by Candlefield Special Delivery. It’s an invitation for me to give a talk there. They want
someone to talk about what it’s like to be a human, but for obvious reasons, they can’t actually invite a human.”
“You should definitely do it,” Aunt Lucy said. “It would do them good to get your perspective on what humans are like. Some sups have absolutely no idea.”
“You don’t for a start, Mum,” Amber said. “You’ve hardly ever been to the human world.”
“I know, but I read a lot.”
“That hardly counts.” Pearl snatched half a slice of toast from Amber’s plate.
“So, are you going to do it, Jill?” Amber snatched it back.
“I don’t know. Where is the school, anyway? I’ve never noticed it when I’ve been walking around Candlefield.”
“It’s hardly surprising you haven’t seen it,” Aunt Lucy said. “It’s way up north; on the very edge of the sup world. The only way to get there is by air-ship.”
“Seriously? I’ve never seen an air-ship in the skies above Candlefield.”
“They only fly back and forth to CASS. And the only time they run is at the start and end of the school term.”
“Couldn’t I just magic myself there?”
“You could try, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The school is surrounded by thick forests and mountains. Trying to get a ‘lock’ on the school would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Even if you only got it slightly wrong, you could end up stuck high in a giant tree, or land smack bang in a raging river. You might even end up in a dragon’s nest. That wouldn’t be fun.”
“Dragon? The only dragon I’ve ever seen was at the Levels Competition.”
“The Destroyer Dragon?”
“Yeah. That was it. Horrible thing.”
“Where do you think that came from?”
“I seem to remember someone mentioned that it normally lived on the very edge of the sup world.”
“That’s right. And it has lots of friends up there.”
“How come I haven’t seen any more of them down here?”
“Those creatures have always lived in the far north. The habitat there suits them. Why do you think sups chose to live in the south?”
“No scary creatures?”
“Precisely.”
“This is sounding less and less appealing. I don’t know what to do.”