A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch (10 page)

‘You’ll be all right there for a while,’ she told him, tying on the lid with a piece of string. ‘You mustn’t worry. It’ll be all right I promise.’

The next step was to find and kidnap a suitable victim. Of course, the easiest thing to do would have been to change someone into a frog or snail or some other small creature which could easily be kept hidden in a box until she returned. But, to be honest, Mildred felt that there had been quite enough animal enchantments in the school to last a lifetime, and it seemed a less desperate measure to do a nice, straightforward kidnap where at least you could see exactly what was happening.

As she came out of her room, Mildred saw a third-year witch named Griselda Blackwood approaching down the corridor, carrying her cat.

‘Excuse me!’ gasped Mildred. ‘Er – I was wondering if you could just come and help me for a moment?’

‘Whatever for?’ asked Griselda. ‘What’s the matter, Mildred. You look quite pale.’

‘There’s something horrible under my bed!’ exclaimed Mildred. ‘Could you come and help me get it out?’

‘Something horrible?’ repeated Griselda, drawing back in alarm. ‘Why, what do you mean
something horrible
? You can’t really expect me to go fishing about underneath your bed if I don’t even know what I might find under it. now can you?’

‘It’s a er – beetle!’ replied Mildred triumphantly. ‘I’ve got this
thing
about beetles. A horrid brown one with pincers ran up my pyjama leg once and I’ve never got over it. Please help me, Griselda. I won’t get a wink of sleep otherwise.’

‘A beetle!’ laughed Griselda. ‘Is that all? I thought it must be a tarantula at least with all the fuss you’re making. Come on, then.’

While Griselda was half under the bed, feeling about, Mildred very stealthily tied her bootlaces together.

‘I can’t seem to find anything,’ said Griselda, shuffling out and sitting back on her heels.

As quick as a flash, Mildred pulled out a lasso of rope which she had hidden in a drawer and slipped it over the astonished girl’s head and shoulders, yanking it tightly enough to bind her arms to her sides. Before the poor victim had a chance to scream, Mildred had tied a gag around her mouth. As a last resort, Griselda tried to run for it, but of course her bootlaces were tied together so she fell flat on her back.

‘I’m really ever so sorry to do this to you,’ apologized Mildred humbly, as she tied Griselda’s ankles together with her sash. ‘It’s really in a very good cause and I’ll explain everything to you later when I get back. I’m so sorry, I really am. I don’t usually go around doing this sort of thing. I hope you don’t mind
too
dreadfully.’

Griselda stared up at Mildred from the floor with horror.

‘Mmmmmmmm!’ she raged through the gag, ‘mm-mmm, mmmm-mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mmmm!’

Mildred pulled some bedclothes from her bed and covered Griselda tenderly.

‘There really isn’t any point in shouting,’ said Mildred, putting a pillow underneath the victim’s head. ‘No one can hear you. They’re all getting ready in the playground. I’ll borrow your cat if you don’t mind. Mine’s awful on a broom and anyway it’s too easy to recognize.’

Mildred changed from her ordinary school uniform to the best robes which the girls always wore for special occasions. She unplaited her hair and shook it out loose. (The whole school, including the teachers, always wore their hair loose when they dressed in their best robes.) She put on her cape and turned up the collar and pulled her hat low over her eyes.

There was a soft ‘meeow’ from the top of the wardrobe, and Mildred saw her little tabby cat watching reproachfully as she prepared to go without it.

‘Oh Tabby,’ said Mildred, reaching up and tickling its chin, ‘I can’t take you or the whole school will recognize us.’

She picked up the box with the frog-magician in it and wedged it into her cape pocket. Then she slung Griselda’s cat around her shoulders and took her broomstick from its place against the wall.

‘Good-bye, Griselda,’ said Mildred, slinking out of the room feeling like a criminal. ‘I won’t be long and then I’ll explain everything and you won’t be cross any more.’

ut of the window, as she hastened down the spiral staircase, Mildred saw the fires which were being lit in the ruins of the old castle where the celebrations were always held. Her heart pounded as she joined the throng of girls in the gloomy yard, all looking most dramatic with their hair loose and their long black robes and witches’ hats.

‘Thank goodness, it’s almost dark,’ thought Mildred, tagging on to the end of form three as their form-mistress counted them all.

‘Is everyone accounted for?’ asked Miss Cackle.

All the form-mistresses answered ‘yes’ in turn, and the pupils began their flight to the castle.

The school receded into the distance as the pupils skimmed above the treetops, and Mildred was grateful that no talking was allowed in flight, so nobody could ask her any awkward questions. The borrowed cat was a wonderful balancer, and Mildred felt rather disloyal as she found herself thinking how nice it would be to have a well-behaved sleek black cat which she could feel proud of.

Back at the academy, Ethel sat fuming in bed and watched from her window as the pupils rose like a flock of bats into the twilight and sailed away without her. She picked up her candle and decided to go along to Mildred’s room and have a grumble at her.