Three Witch Tales

by Ruth Chew

  Susan ran to get the trowel. She set to work to help Josh dig out the stones. They were several inches under the ground. Josh pushed the fork down and wiggled it next to a stone. Susan used the trowel to scrape the dirt away. Together they dug up the first stone.

  After that it was a little easier. One by one they took the stones out of the dirt. They made a pile of them beside the bush.

  Mrs. Muldoon walked around her garden. She stopped to talk to some of the plants.

  “The stones are in circles, Josh,” Susan said. “Somebody put them here on purpose—”

  “So nobody could dig up the bush!” Josh looked at the ground. “Maybe there’s a treasure buried here.”

  Susan shoved the trowel down as hard as she could. Josh stamped on the fork to push it into the dirt.

  Mrs. Muldoon was singing. “The flowers that bloom in the Spring, tra-la—”

  The pile of stones grew bigger and bigger. At last Josh was able to dig the fork down deep. Mrs. Muldoon came over. “Be careful of the tap root,” she said. “That’s the big one in the middle.”

  The bush was wobbly now. Josh pushed the fork right under it. The witch took hold of the main stem and gently lifted the bush out of the ground. She laid it on the garden path. “It won’t be long now, dearie,” she said to the bush.

  “Where are you going to plant it?” Susan asked.

  “Oh dear. I forgot. We should have made a new hole to put the bush in before we dug it up.” Mrs. Muldoon began to trot around the garden, looking for just the right sunny place.

  Josh grabbed Susan’s arm. He pointed to the hole in the ground where the bush had been.

  Susan saw that dirt was falling from the sides of the hole into the middle. But it didn’t fill up the hole. Instead the hole was getting bigger. And it was deep. They couldn’t see the bottom.

  Now Josh and Susan saw that there were steps in the hole.

  “How about planting the bush over here?” the witch called from the other side of the garden. “There’s plenty of sun.” She looked at Josh and Susan. They were still staring into the hole in the ground. Mrs. Muldoon walked over and peered down into the hole too. She stroked her long chin and said nothing.

  “Josh thinks there’s a treasure down there,” Susan told the witch. “If we find it you could pay your electric bill.”

  “We’ll need a candle to explore the underground cave. There’s one on your kitchen table.” Josh ran to the back door.

  Mrs. Muldoon leaned over the hole and sniffed with her long nose. Then she stood up straight and looked at Susan. “I haven’t had a really exciting adventure in years. This ought to be fun.”

  Josh came running back with the candle and some kitchen matches.

  The witch took them from him. She struck a match and lit the candle. Then she put her bony hand over the little flame. “I don’t want the breeze to blow it out,” Mrs. Muldoon said.

  She lifted the skirt of her rusty brown dress above the tops of her shoes and stepped down into the hole. Josh came after her. Susan was last.

  The steps were made of rough stones, like the stones they had dug out of the garden. Susan and Josh had a hard time to keep from tripping. But the witch walked down with no trouble. She held the candle high to light the way.

  The sides of the hole were made of stones too. Here and there a little stream of water ran down over them. As they went deeper into the earth the air began to feel damp and cold.

  Mrs. Muldoon walked more quickly than Josh and Susan had thought she could. She almost danced down the stairs ahead of them. Every so often she lifted her long pointed nose and sniffed the air. Twice she stopped to put her hand to her ear. She seemed to be listening for something.

  At the bottom of the steps they walked into a tunnel. The walls of this too were made of stones. Now the air became warmer. Soon it was much too warm. Even the stones under their feet began to feel hot.

  The tunnel led to an iron door. Mrs. Muldoon touched the door handle with her bony finger. “Hot!”

  She handed the candle to Josh. “Hold this a minute, dearie.” She wrapped several folds of her baggy brown skirt around the door handle and tried to turn it. “Locked,” the witch said.

  Susan saw something lying between two stones on the ground at her feet. She picked it up.

  It was a rusty iron key.

  Susan tried the key in the door. The key fitted. But Susan couldn’t get it to turn. She wiggled it. Still it didn’t turn. Then, just as Susan was about to give up, the lock clicked. Mrs. Muldoon pulled the door open.

  A blast of hot air hit them. All three jumped back.

  Josh stared into the room on the other side of the door. “It’s like an oven in there.”

  At first there seemed to be no light in the room. Then they could see a red glow in the darkness. It began to get brighter. And it came nearer.

  Suddenly it was blazing. They saw a huge slimy creature. It had bulging eyes, sharp claws, and a long tail.

  Mrs. Muldoon backed away from the open door. “Run, dearies,” she said. “It’s a dragon!”

  Josh dropped the candle.

  Susan raced back through the dark tunnel. She could hear Josh pounding along behind her. Mrs. Muldoon came after Josh. The heels of her shoes tapped on the stone floor.

  The dragon made no noise. But Susan knew he was not far away. She could feel the hot blast of his breath as he slid through the tunnel in back of them.

  It seemed forever before she reached the bottom of the steps. Susan turned around to see if Josh and Mrs. Muldoon were still coming. She couldn’t be sure of anything except that the dragon was getting closer. He was like a fire in the darkness.

  Someone crashed into Susan. She fell to the ground.

  “Are you all right, Sue?” Josh pulled her to her feet.

  “Yes.” Susan started up the steps.

  A faint light came from overhead. Susan climbed as fast as she could. She was out of breath. And her heart was thumping so hard it hurt. But she kept going.

  Twice Susan fell on the slippery steps. She scraped her knee on the rough stones. Up and up she went. At last she climbed out of the hole and into the open air.

  A few seconds later Josh came up into the sunshine too.

  Susan blinked in the bright light. She turned around to look at the hole in the ground. “We’d better get ready to close this up as soon as Mrs. Muldoon comes out.”

  “The hole is too big now for that bush we dug out of it.” Josh looked around for something to block up the hole.

  “What’s taking Mrs. Muldoon so long? I thought she was right behind us.” Susan leaned over and looked down the steps. “It’s dark in there. I don’t see the glow from the dragon.”

  Susan felt a chill run down her back. She looked at Josh. His face was white.

  “Sue,” he said, “we have to do something. The dragon must have caught Mrs. Muldoon!”

  “We’ll need a light to get down those steps,” Josh said. “I’ll see if I can find another candle.” He ran over to the house and went into the kitchen.

  Susan looked around the garden. The watering can was on the cement path where Mrs. Muldoon had left it.

  Susan walked over to the can and looked in. It was half-full of something.

  Josh opened the back door. “I found a candle and matches but no candlestick.”

  Susan ran to the stone step. She handed Josh one of the plates they had used for the cake. He lit the candle and dripped wax onto the plate. Then he stuck the candle into the wax.

  Susan went back and picked up the watering can.

  “Careful, Sue!” Josh yelled. “You’d better not fool with that!”

  “It’s our only chance,” Susan said. “Come on, Josh.” She walked over to the hole and started down the steps.

  Josh came after her with the candle. “Maybe I ought to go first.”

  “No,” Susan told him. “If I spilled this stuff on you the candle would shrink.”

  “So would I,” Josh s
aid. He thought for a minute. “Sue, don’t you think we ought to go back and get some of the magic mint leaves?”

  “We’ve wasted enough time already. I just hope we’re not too late now.” Susan began to walk faster.

  The steps were slippery. Susan kept telling herself, “I won’t fall. I won’t fall.”

  It seemed a very long time before they came to the bottom. Josh cupped his hand over the flame of the candle. “If the light’s not too bright,” he whispered, “maybe the dragon won’t see it.”

  At the foot of the steps Susan felt something soft under her feet. She bent down and picked it up. “Josh, look!”

  Josh held the candle close to Susan’s hand. She was holding a burned piece of brown cloth.

  “That’s Mrs. Muldoon’s dress,” Josh said.

  “All that’s left of it.” Susan tried to keep her voice calm. She felt sick. She put the piece of cloth in her pocket and started down the tunnel.

  The air got warmer and warmer.

  “We must be getting close to the dragon,” Josh said.

  They came to the iron door. The key was still in the lock. Susan tried the handle. It was too hot to hold. Susan pulled the piece of cloth out of her pocket and used it like a pot holder. Now she could get a firm grip on the door handle. Susan turned it.

  The door swung open.

  Susan and Josh walked into the room. It was so bright they could hardly keep their eyes open. And it was hotter than any place they had ever known.

  The light and the heat were coming from the dragon. He was facing one corner of the room. His back was to the door. And he didn’t see Susan and Josh.

  Someone was talking. Susan’s heart gave a jump. She couldn’t believe her ears. Josh put his finger to his lips.

  It was Mrs. Muldoon’s voice they heard. She must be in the corner the dragon was facing.

  The witch was talking very fast. “Look at me,” she said. “Can’t you see I’m not the one who locked you up down here?”

  The dragon moved closer to the corner of the room. Susan raced up behind him.

  Suddenly she stopped. An awful thought hit her. Suppose it was only water in the watering can? Then the dragon would kill her and Josh as well as the witch.

  “You’re a clever dragon,” Mrs. Muldoon said. “Think of all the magic we could do together. Why can’t we be friends?”

  The dragon gave a snarl. He bent his terrible head over the witch.

  Susan swallowed hard. She held out the watering can and sprinkled the dragon’s blazing tail.

  There was a hissing sound. The fire in the tail went out. Then all the fire in the dragon died down. Susan smelled something like wet leaves burning.

  Now the room was dark except for the light from the candle.

  “Look.” Josh pointed to the dragon.

  He was only as big as a baby alligator.

  Susan sprinkled him again. The dragon shrank to the size of a lizard.

  Susan poured what was left in the watering can on the lizard.

  A moment later a little red salamander streaked out of the room.

  The witch stepped out of the corner. Her dress was torn and blackened. Her white hair was streaming down. But her wrinkled cheeks looked very pink in the candlelight. And her green eyes were shining.

  “There now,” she said, “wasn’t that fun?” Mrs. Muldoon looked at the watering can. “So that’s what that brew does. I wasn’t sure.”

  Mrs. Muldoon was in a hurry to get back to her garden. “We have to plant that bush,” she said. “It’s been out of the ground too long already.”

  Josh dug a hole near the sunflowers. Mrs. Muldoon took the watering can into the house. She brought it out again to fill the hole before she planted the bush.

  The witch stroked her chin. She looked up at the sunflowers and smiled. “You’re a friendly bunch,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll cheer up this unhappy bush. You might even teach her a trick or two.” She tipped the watering can.

  Josh and Susan jumped back so as not to be splashed.

  The witch laughed. “This is only water, dearies. I don’t want to risk having the bush shrink. Not after all it’s been through.” She thought a minute. “But maybe the brew doesn’t shrink bushes. Oh, dear, I wish I could remember what I put in it.”

  Just then Patchwork jumped off the fence into the witch’s garden. She raced over to the big hole that had the steps inside it.

  “Stay out of there!” Susan ran to grab the cat. She stumbled over the pile of stones. One stone fell into the hole.

  Susan rubbed her eyes. “Look!” she said. “The hole is gone!”

  Josh and Mrs. Muldoon had finished planting the bush. They came over to see. The ground was as hard and firm as if there never had been a hole there. The place was covered with a thick patch of weeds.

  The witch frowned. “This is just one more of Aunt Martha’s sloppy spells. What a mess she made of this garden!”

  Susan heard her mother’s voice.

  “Susan! Josh! Lunchtime! Don’t you want a piece of cake?” Mrs. Allen was calling from the other side of the fence.

  Mrs. Muldoon tried to cover a yawn. “Run along, dearies,” she said. “I could do with a nap.”

  Josh picked up the garden fork. Susan looked around for the trowel. It was over by the pile of stones. She put Patchwork on the ground. The cat poked at one of the stones. A little red salamander ran out into the open. Patchwork chased it across the garden.

  Josh looked after them. “I just hope the dragon doesn’t find the magic mint leaves.”

  Mrs. Muldoon smiled. “They won’t do him any good. They’re another one of Aunt Martha’s sloppy spells. Those leaves won’t work for anyone over the age of fifteen.” The witch clicked her tongue. “They never did me any good,” she said.

  Mrs. Muldoon yawned again. “Come along, dearies.” She held the back door open.

  Josh and Susan walked into the big kitchen. The fire on the stove was lit. And the big pot was bubbling away.

  When they went through the shadowy dining room Susan looked for the bat. He was sitting in the same place on the narrow shelf above the paneling. This time he unfolded his leathery wings and stretched them.

  “Go back to sleep, Herbert,” the witch said. “These are friends of mine.”

  Susan and Josh left the house by the front door. At the bottom of the witch’s steps, Susan stopped.

  “Josh,” she said, “my mother’s clothesline is still tied to the apple tree.”

  Josh grinned. “Maybe tonight we’ll go and get it.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Ruth Chew was born in Minneapolis and studied at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC.

  Working as a fashion artist, she started writing stories about witches for the youngest of her five children. The first of these, The Wednesday Witch, was a big hit, and her new career was born. Ruth Chew went on to write twenty-nine tales of magic and fantasy that have enchanted generations of readers.