Not Just a Witch

At the bottom, curled in a heap, lay a boy. Blood had hardened on his forehead and his face; there was more blood on his hands where he had pounded the rough stone wall.

It was only when he tried to speak, muttering words that made no sense at all, that the wizard recognized Daniel.

Everyone had been worried about Heckie’s engagement to the furrier, but as the day of the wedding grew closer, Daniel became quite frantic. Though he knew that Heckie was a powerful witch, he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that some frightful harm would come to her through Mr Knacksap.

He had bought Heckie a present: a tea-making machine which dropped exactly the right number of bags into the pot. He was actually wrapping it up when he decided not to go to the party. Instead, he made his way to the furrier’s shop in Market Square. Perhaps even now he could still get proof of the furrier’s treachery.

Over the FOR SALE notice, another notice had been plastered, saying SOLD. The beaver cape had been taken from the window. But, to Daniel’s surprise, the door of the shop was ajar. Mr Knacksap’s cleaning lady, in a very nasty temper, was just leaving.

‘If you want him, you’d better come in and wait,’ she said. ‘I’m not hanging around any longer. If he doesn’t want to give me a bit of a farewell tip like any decent gentleman would, then good riddance to him.’

She left, and Daniel slipped in to the furrier’s office. It was stripped and bare. Beside the desk stood three leather suitcases with gaudy labels.

L. KNACKSAP, HOTEL SPLENDISSIMA, ALICANTE, SPAIN, read Daniel.

Spain? Why Spain? thought Daniel. Surely it was beside Lake Windermere that the furrier was going to marry Heckie?

At that moment he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. Mr Knacksap coming back for his luggage! There was a cupboard in the corner for coats and overalls. Daniel slipped inside, his heart pounding, and closed the door.

Mr Knacksap was whistling jauntily as he sat down at his desk. Then he picked up the telephone. ‘Flitchbody? It’s Knacksap here. I just wanted to make sure you’ve got everything sorted. The bodies should be with you by six this morning. Three hundred snow leopards. They’ll be dead and without a scratch on them – we’re going to use gas. All you’ve got to do is get them skinned.’

‘Where are you going to gas them for heaven’s sake?’

‘Hankley Hall – it’s about five miles from Wellbridge. Don’t worry, it’s a doddle.’

‘I still don’t know where you think you can get them from.’

‘Well, if I told you I’d found a witch who can turn people into leopards, you wouldn’t believe me. So just take it I’ve found someone who breeds them in secret and thinks I’m going to let them loose on the hills. And remember, Flitchbody, I want the money in cash or I’ll blow the lot to kingdom come.’

He put down the phone.

Oh, God, thought Daniel. What does it mean? What shall I do?

Then something awful happened. His foot slipped and bumped against one of Mr Knacksap’s walking sticks, propped in the corner of the cupboard. Daniel lunged, trying desperately to catch it – and missed. There was a frightful clatter. Then slowly . . . very slowly . . . the cupboard was opened by an unseen hand.

Heckie pulled the dragworm through the lamplit streets of Wellbridge, past Sumi’s shop, past Boris’s garage. Everything was shuttered; everyone slept. It was a long way to Fetlington, but the night was fresh and cool.

She was turning into Market Square when she saw, coming towards her, a furniture lorry which stopped suddenly with a squeal of brakes. Then a dumpy lady in a boiler suit got down from the cab.

It couldn’t be . . . But it was!

‘Dora!’ said Heckie – and waited for her friend to snub her and turn away.

‘Heckie!’ said Dora – and waited for her friend to shout rude things at her.

There was a pause while both witches looked at each other. Then:

‘Oh, Dora, I have missed you,’ said Heckie.

‘Oh, Heckie, I have missed you,’ said Dora.

And then they were hugging each other and talking both at once, explaining how miserable they had been and promising that they would never, never quarrel with each other again.

All this took a little while, but then Heckie said: ‘Why are you moving furniture at this time of night?’

‘Well, actually . . . I was coming to see you. I was going to have a last try at being friends and I wanted to ask you if you’d take my wardrobe. It’s haunted, you see, and I’m getting married and my fiancé doesn’t like ghosts.’

‘But of course I’ll take it. Only it’s so funny, Dora, because I was coming to see you! I wanted to have a last try at being friends and I wanted to ask you if you’d take my familiar because I’m getting married and my fiancé doesn’t like dragworms!’

So then they both laughed so much they nearly fell over and said wasn’t it amazing that both of them were going to get married, and then Dora opened the wardrobe and the thing came out looking white and vague and blinking worriedly – and as Dora had known she would, Heckie took to it at once.