The Worst Witch All at Sea (5 page)

‘What’s up, Mil?’ asked Maud. ‘Aren’t you even a
bit
thrilled about the holiday? Miss Hardbroom’s already sent off for our regulation swimming-costumes and bathing-hats. I think it’s the most exciting thing that’s happened for years.’

‘Sorry to be a wet blanket, Maud,’ said Mildred. ‘I’m just a bit fed up at the moment, that’s all.’

‘Don’t worry, Mil,’ said Enid. ‘I’m sure you’ll be just as glad as everyone else by the time we actually set off to – where is it? What’s the name of the place where the magician lives?’

‘Gloom Castle, Grim Cove,’ said Mildred.

‘What a terrible name!’ said Enid.

‘You’re joking!’ exclaimed Maud.

‘No I’m not,’ said Mildred. ‘I saw it at the top of the letter on Miss Hardbroom’s desk. Sounds brilliant, doesn’t it? I can just see us all frozen to death,

doing broomstick practice up and down 500-foot sheer cliffs in our swimming-costumes – anyway, just imagine what the swimming-costumes will be like! If Miss Hardbroom thought our black and grey checked dresses were frivolous, goodness knows what she’ll come up with for swimwear. Anyway, I’m bound to get everything wrong. Ethel’s right really – I
do
mess everything up. I
am
the worst witch in the school.’

Maud and Enid felt awful. Mildred was truly down in the dumps, and nothing they could say seemed to cheer her up. What they didn’t know was that she had another secret fear – like her embarrassing fear of the dark. Mildred couldn’t swim. She had never learned how to, and even with armbands or a ring around her middle she was as terrified as Tabby on the back of the broomstick.

Tabby was the other problem. She missed Tabby so dreadfully that nothing could make her feel better – nothing except having Tabby back again—and she didn’t know how to work out a plan to rescue him.

Ebony, Fenella’s cat was a first-rate cat, almost as good as Ethel’s. Mildred felt a twinge of disloyalty as she zoomed around the playground during broomstick practice with the perfectly

trained Ebony bolt upright behind her. It really
was
a help to have a cat which was a credit to you. But at night, Ebony would set off through the window and along the school wall for a night of hunting, whereas dear, scruffy old Tabby had always spent the night curled up either on Mildred’s chest or round the top of her head like a fur hat. Enid gave Mildred a rather nice furry tabby-cat hot-water bottle,

but it only made her feel worse.

If only someone had invented a hot-water bottle that purred, thought Mildred sadly, as she curled up under the bedclothes in the dark.

very so often, Mildred made secret trips to the kitchen in an attempt to visit her abandoned pet. However, the kitchen was always bustling with cooks and dinner-ladies, and so far she had only caught one glimpse of Tabby, looking rather thin and even more moth-eaten than usual, curled up on top of a tall cupboard in a dark corner. Each time, someone had noticed Mildred skulking in the shadows, and shooed her away.

Meanwhile, the holiday at Grim Cove loomed nearer. One morning, Miss Hardbroom strode into the classroom with a large box containing the swimwear so eagerly awaited by Mildred’s class.

Their spirits sank as Miss Hardbroom held up one of the costumes for their inspection. It was like one of those old-fashioned Victorian bathing-costumes, in black and grey stripes, with elbow-length sleeves and knee-length legs. The school badge, depicting a black cat on a yellow moon, was embroidered across the chest, and to crown this outfit was a close-fitting black swimming-hat.

Miss Hardbroom narrowed her eyes as her glance darted around the room.

‘Well, girls,’ she said coldly, ‘I
had
hoped for slightly more enthusiasm from all of you. Miss Cackle has gone to considerable trouble and expense to

kit you out with these superb garments. In fact, Miss Cackle has decided to join us for our exciting week on holiday. Isn’t that wonderful? The remainder of the lesson will be spent making cards for Miss Cackle, to thank her for your marvellous swimming outfits.’

A faint groan of general disappointment rumbled around the classroom like distant thunder, as they all heaved open their desk-lids and rummaged around for their coloured pencils.

That evening, the members of Form Two all tried on their swimming-costumes in the wash-room before they got into their night-clothes. Mildred’s

was slightly too large and rather baggy, and Maud’s was unfortunately a little too tight, so that the school badge was stretched sideways across her front. Needless to say, Ethel’s fitted like a glove and even managed to look quite smart.

‘I have four cups for swimming from the first school I attended,’ said Ethel. ‘We had a huge swimming-pool there and I won cups for everything – diving, life-saving, relay racing and broomstick water-skiing.’

‘Gosh,’ said Mildred. ‘What’s broomstick water-skiing?’

‘Don’t you know
anything
, Mildred Hubble?’ said Ethel in her infuriatingly superior tone. ‘It’s easy-peasy. You have skis on both feet, like ordinary skis, then you tie a piece of rope to the back of your broom, and off you zoom, holding on to the rope so the broomstick pulls you along like a boat. We can have races at Grim Cove. Of course,
I’ll
win, but it’s jolly good fun, even for all the losers.’