Caution: Witch In Progress (21 page)

    Gertie clapped in delight, then remembered where she was and
tried to shrink further into the shadows. This was good though!

    Bertha made the ride back and forth several more times, with a
cake or chocolate bar reaching her mouth each time. She seemed to be enjoying
herself, now she was chewing.

    After a while of watching Bertha go back and forth, Miss Wick
said, ‘Thank you, Bertha, I think we can see what you have achieved. Good
control by the way.’

    ‘Thank you, Miss,’ replied Bertha. ‘I can do it some more if you
like. There are cakes and bars left!’ She didn’t appear to be keen to stop now.

    ‘No, that’s fine, Bertha. Please rejoin the others,’ assured
Miss Wick.

    Bertha, looking a little disappointed, went to collect her
remaining goodies then waddled back to Gertie.

    Gertie beamed and hugged her ‘That was fantastic, Bertha!’ she
whispered with enthusiasm.

    Bertha looked quite pleased with herself.

    Gertie was too busy to notice Miss Wick reaching into the
cauldron again. She only knew that the teacher must have when her voice
announced, ‘FANG’

    Fang grimaced, and walked forward purposefully, his face proud
and confident. He had his speech all prepared. ‘What I am about to accomplish,
is something that will impress you all,’ he began; speaking like a showman at a
fair Gertie had once been taken to. ‘Not only impress you, but leave you in
awe, even.’

    ‘Just get on with it please, Fang,’ interrupted Miss Wick.

    Gertie was pleased. She suspected Fang would continue to go on,
and on.

    Fang nodded, but clearly not wanting to lose the atmosphere he
was producing, he continued. ‘Witches and warlocks, prepare to be amazed. I,
Fang Malign, am about to summon a Demon…’

A
shocked silence filled the room. Miss Wick finally broke it.

    ‘Are you sure it’s wise, Fang? You are, after all, only a first
term student. Have you made all the necessary preparations and precautions?’

    ‘Yes, yes,’ replied Fang with impatience. Clearly, this was his
big moment, and he didn’t want anyone delaying or spoiling it. ‘I know exactly
what I’m doing.’

    ‘Very well, young warlock,’ agreed Miss Wick, who seemed sure he
wouldn’t be able to accomplish it anyway. ‘Off you go.’

    Gertie watched Fang immediately begin to wave his arms and
mutter strange, old, arcane words of power.

    ‘Just a moment, Fang,’ interrupted the Head Witch again. ‘Don’t
you intend to draw a pentacle on the floor to contain the demon, place candles
at the points, and surround it all by an unbroken barrier of salt?’

    Fang frowned, then replied, ‘All that mumbo jumbo isn’t
necessary the way I do it. Trust me. I know what I’m doing.’

    Waving her hand with a confidence that nothing would happen while
Fang was not following any true procedures, Miss Wick bade him to continue. She
seemed to believe there was no danger involved.

    Fang began again, seriously speaking the ancient words in a very
commanding voice. He would get good marks for the voice at least, Gertie
thought. Some of the words, even Miss Wick didn’t seem to know, judging by her
expression. The young warlock had obviously done some deep study, much to his
credit.

    When the rumble began, no one looked more surprised than Miss
Wick. Her shocked expression said, surely not? Surely he couldn’t?

    Encouraged by the noise, Fang’s voice rose. His hands waved
madly as he faced the spot where the rumbling was coming from. The floor began
to shift and crack.

    ‘Enough, Fang!’ called Miss Wick ‘Stop now, boy. You have done
enough to impress us!’ There was a degree of fear in her voice.

    Fang was too far gone in his own power and importance to listen.
Still saying the ancient words louder and louder, he watched as the crack
became a hole, opening even wider. Soon, a sulphurous smell began to fill the
room.

    ‘It wasn’t me!’ called Ghoul, who was usually to blame for such
smells. No one found that amusing right now. They were too busy watching the
hole in the floor, dreading what might come out of it. Gertie wasn’t sure she
believed this was really happening. Was it a bad dream? She’d had a few of
those about Presentation Day. No, this was too real. Fang was actually going to
summon a demon!

    Before anyone had time to grab and gag Fang, run, or even faint,
there before them loomed an awesome sight.

    Fang had time to yell ‘Yes!’ and punch his fist into the air,
before he suddenly seemed to realise what he had done. He gulped as he stared
up at the demon rising high above him. His face then became smug again. ‘I have
no need to worry. I’m the Master, right?’ he said.

    The demon loomed as high as the ceiling, and indeed had to stoop
to climb out of the gaping hole it had smashed through the flagged floor. It
grinned. Well, it looked like a grin, in that its yellow slavering fangs showed
all too clearly. Stretching his rough, red arms wide (and knocking two holes in
the ceiling), the demon peered at the dumbstruck faces all around him, and
bellowed, ‘AT LAST!’

    The room was strangely silent. Everyone was too amazed to make a
sound. More to the point, they didn’t want to draw the demon’s attention to
themselves.

    Miss Wick obviously decided it was time to take the situation in
hand a little. At least while the walls were still intact.

    ‘Uh, hm.’ She cleared her throat rather nervously. ‘Yes, Fang.
Very good. Now, could you send him back please, my boy?’

    Fang stopped grinning at the demon, and asked, ‘Back?’ His
yellow skin flushed to an orange colour.

    ‘Yes Fang, back,’ replied Miss Wick, looking as calm as anyone
could be when a demon was laughing in a deep, rumbling, echoing chortle. He
must have been in a good mood. A very good mood actually. Everyone was still
alive.

    Fang stared at the demon again, and the demon stared back.
Somehow, for some strange reason, Fang didn’t look quite in control of him.
This clearly wasn’t going as planned. He seemed to be waiting for the demon to
bow to him and offer him wishes or something. Or was that a Genie?

    Fang screwed up his face in deepest concentration, then his
expression changed to pure panic. ‘I’ve done my bit’ he said. ‘I summoned the
demon. The proof is right there in front of you, ripping chunks out of the
ceiling. Isn’t it someone else’s problem to send him back?’

    The demon was in the process of demolishing the ceiling
completely, probably so he could straighten up fully and get a better view.
Dust and debris flew all over, but no one dared to sneeze. Fang looked at Mr
Wolfsbane, anxiety etching his face. The teacher appeared as alarmed as
everyone else. What could they do? Bits of plaster and wood showered down on
the young witches and warlocks.

    Gertie watched them all try to hide behind one another. Bertha
was the obvious favourite to try to hide behind. Though she probably didn’t
realise it, she was already sheltering three of them.

    The only door out of the room was at the other side of the
demon. Fang was eyeing it, ready to make a dash. It looked like everyone else
felt the same. Right now, it was likely they were all wishing they had put
their energies into learning a good disappearing spell. Everyone looked to Miss
Wick to save them. She stared at Fang.

    ‘Come along, boy, don’t be shy,’ encouraged the Head. She had
stood up and walked around the table as soon as the demon had launched itself
from the floor. So had Mr Wolfsbane and Miss Hemlock.

    Gertie watched all three bravely put themselves between the
other pupils and the demon.

    Fang was still in front.

    Miss Wick gave him a push towards the creature. ‘Banish him at
once,’ she insisted more sternly. ‘I don’t think we’re insured against demon
damage.’

    Fang obviously knew he had to try something, but Gertie doubted
he had paid much attention to what the books said about what to do once the
demon arrived. He raised himself to his full height, which wasn’t very tall. In
fact, he looked particularly miniscule next to the towering, slavering, red
demon. Clearly making it up as he went along, and hoping no one noticed
(especially the demon), Fang began in the boldest voice he could muster.

    ‘Begone ye,’ It came out as a barely audible whisper.

    Fang closed his eyes, and then began again.

    ‘Begone Ye.’ (That sounded better.)

    ‘Begone Ye Demon of Hell,

    Ye Devil Spawn,

    Ye Creature from the Depths,

    Ye Stinking, Slimy Horror from…’

    ‘NO NEED TO GET PERSONAL!’ interrupted the demon, now turning
his gaze towards the voice. He focused his full attention on Fang, who couldn’t
control his shaking.

    ‘I KNOW I SMELL OF SULPHUR AND BRIMSTONE. ALL DEMON’S DO, I’LL
HAVE YOU KNOW. YOU’D BETTER NOT BE SAYING I HAVE AN ODOUR PROBLEM TOO.’

    ‘Sorry,’ whispered Fang, trying to shrink out of the demon’s
line of vision. ‘I didn’t realise I’d summoned a sensitive demon with a phobia
about smelling bad.’

    ‘Don’t upset him!’ hissed Miss Wick from behind Fang. ‘Just
banish him. He doesn’t look to be the wisest demon ever summoned. Indeed, he
can’t be to have responded to your poorly made attempt. Get rid of him!’

    ‘Okay,’ whispered the young warlock, not looking very happy about
the Head’s opinion of his summoning skills.

    ‘Begone Ye,’ began Fang again. ‘Oh, I’ve already said that,’ he
muttered to himself.

    The demon watched him with quite an amused expression. It was
unnerving. Fang tried to continue.

    ‘Begone to the Fiery Halls of Hell,

    Get Ye back to the Devil’s Left Hand,

    Fall into the Slime Pits of Hades,

    Go Ye to the burning pools of Sulphur,

    Begone Ye to Forever Night,

    BEGONE!’

    Fang ended with a flourish, and a wave of his bony little yellow
hand. He seemed to think it sounded quite good. He had obviously added bits
from every book he could remember reading. Surely that would do the trick?

    ‘ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?’ asked the demon, rather menacingly.

    ‘Er, yes, I, I think so…’ whispered Fang.

    ‘YOU MUST BE JOKING!’ the demon continued to boom. ‘I’M ON HOLIDAY. I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF FIERY HALLS AND SLIME PITS. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE. I
COULD GROW TO QUITE LIKE IT HERE. BEGONE YOURSELF…AND DON’T CALL ME SMELLY!’ he
added as an afterthought, waving a huge, scaly, taloned hand. He caught Fang
with what was little more than a light tap, but it was enough to send the young
warlock flying backwards through the air. He landed heavily against the far
wall. With the breath slightly knocked out of him, there Fang remained.

    It was clear to Gertie that he hoped they would all think he was
unconscious, or dead, and leave him alone.

    ‘Oh dear,’ said Miss Wick, looking around anxiously.

    ‘You know that only the summoner can banish his or her demon,’ Gertie
heard Mr Wolfsbane whisper in her ear. ‘If it was MY demon, I would banish it
in a flash!’

    ‘Yes, I know,’ replied Miss Wick quietly. ‘We have a problem.
There must be another way to make him leave.’

    Suddenly Miss Wick seemed to realise that everyone was looking
at her and expecting her to do something, after all she was the Head Witch. She
encouraged more loudly. ‘Come along witches and warlocks. All together now!
Let’s see what you’ve learned. Let’s get rid of this nasty demon!’

    ‘ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT I SMELL TOO?’ asked the demon in anger.

    ‘Er, no, no of course not,’ replied the Head, now completely out
of her depths. ‘Think of something,’ she hissed at the other two teachers.

    Mr Wolfsbane looked at Miss Hemlock. Miss Hemlock looked at
Malicia, who stared at Hexa. Hexa quickly passed the glance to Gertie. Gertie
rapidly looked at Ghoul, who was too dumbstruck staring up at the demon to
notice. The demon was beginning to eat the ceiling he was in the process of
demolishing.

    Gertie saw that everyone else was trying to look anywhere rather
than at the demon. Only Ghoul was actually still eyeballing the huge creature
in action.

    Miss Wick noticed too, and sighed in relief. At least Ghoul was
staring in the right direction to do something. Miss Wick said, ‘Right, Ghoul!
Off you go then, boy!’

    ‘Uh?’ asked Ghoul, suddenly hearing his name and coming back
down to earth. Everyone was staring at him, making him realise something was
expected of him. ‘Why me?’ he wailed loudly. ‘I didn’t ask it to come here! It
isn’t fair. Fang should get rid of it!’

    ‘I’ve done my bit!’ Fang’s voice exploded from the dark corner.
It was obvious he had forgotten he was pretending to be dead. ‘Now it’s someone
else’s turn!’

    ‘Well, if you hadn’t been so stupid in the first place, this
would never have happened!’ shouted Ghoul, who was clearly much more afraid of
the demon than he had ever been of Fang.

    Gertie could tell he was even less afraid of Fang now he could
see him cowering against the wall.

    ‘Who are you calling stupid, you ugly, toad faced, slimeball!’
retorted Fang, looking close to tears. ‘How dare you speak to me like that!’

    ‘Boys, boys,’ interrupted Miss Wick. ‘This is getting us
nowhere. Come along now, we need a volunteer.’

    ‘COULD ANYONE TELL ME THE WAY TO THE NEAREST CASTLE?’ the none
too smart demon asked. His voice boomed around the room as he bent his head
back inside. ‘I’VE ALWAYS FANCIED LIVING IN A CASTLE,’ he added, more to
himself than to anyone in particular.

    Gertie watched the pupils once again go into a huddle rather
like a rugby scrum when the demon spoke. It just so happened that when all the
pushing and shoving was over, Hexa was standing further forward than the
others. And probably further forward than she intended.

    ‘Good girl, Hexa!’ said Miss Wick with enthusiasm. ‘This can
count for your Presentation. I’ll even give you a Demerit to go with your pass!
Watch carefully class. You might learn something.’

    ‘But, but,’ stammered Hexa, ‘I’d planned on a broomstick flying
spell, Miss!’

    ‘Oh well, we’ve already seen one of those. This will be much
better,’ encouraged the Head. ‘And think how proud you’ll be to pass with
Demerit!’ Seeing Hexa didn’t look entirely convinced, Miss Wick quickly added, ‘I’ll
even throw in the Golden Spider Award!’

    Despite the situation, the fear, and any sense whatsoever, Gertie
knew Malicia wouldn’t resist that. As she had told them all, she had to win the
Golden Spider Award. She deserved it, she had earned it and she was going to
have it.