Edwina Pilkington's Computer School of Magic (7 page)

‘What are you looking at?' purred the black cat as he stroked his long, white whiskers. ‘My name is Mr Theodophlis. I am the Keeper of the Witchery Time, and I get very angry when new students stare at my two tails.'

‘I'm sorry, Mr Theodophlis, I didn't mean to stare, it's just that …'

‘Stop it, stop it, don't make excuses, you are all the same. I'm too busy to listen to dribble. I have a very important job to do and it's time I got back to work. You know the old saying: time waits for no one,' said Mr Theodophlis as he moved his tail onto five witchery hours.

At the same time as the clock struck five, there was a
squeak
,
squeak
,
squeaking
sound as Miss Prudence Pugwort, who is a robot, slowly squeaked her way into the classroom holding onto a small tin of oil.

‘I'd like you to meet Miss Prudence Pugwort,' Professor Goodspell said. ‘Miss Prudence Pugwort is in charge of new arrivals and administration. Any questions you may have, just ask her. Now, if you are both finished looking at the clock, the robot will show you to your rooms.

Edwina and Zack soon forgot about the clock as they looked at Miss Prudence Pugwort who was a very unusual looking robot, for she was made of rusty springs that bounced up and down each time she moved and her head looked like a square tin can. Her eyes rolled around each time she spoke and her eyelashes curled up to the sound of her voice.

‘Move it,' Miss Prudence Pugwort said to Edwina and Zack in a very squeaky female voice. ‘I need to get back to my room so I can finish oiling my rusty old springs.'

Edwina and Zack picked up their bags, trying hard not to giggle at Miss Prudence as they followed closely behind her bouncing springs.

‘I'm so hungry,' Zack said as he flopped down inside his room on a green, lumpy chair.

‘Dinner's at seven witchery hours,' Miss Prudence Pugwort said as she closed the door of Zack's room.

Miss Prudence Pugwort slowly squeaked her way across the hall with Edwina and knocked loudly on the door with a large silver star just above the doorknob. A girl with long black hair and a big smile answered the door.

‘Hi, I'm Harriet Kwan Yin, and you must be Edwina Pilkington.'

Edwina picked up her bags and entered the room with Harriet. Miss Prudence Pugwort told both girls that dinner was at seven witchery hours before she squeaked her way back down the hallway.

Edwina and Harriet found they had so much in common that they instantly became good friends.

'C
ome on, sleepyheads, you should be awake by now,'

Miss Prudence Pugwort said as she knocked loudly on their door with her large tin hands. ‘You'll be late for class and Professor Goodspell will be mad.'

Edwina opened the door and yawned. ‘You're looking well this morning, Miss Prudence Pugwort. No more squeaky springs,' said Edwina.

Harriet popped her head around the door and started giggling. Miss Prudence Pugwort marched off quickly down the hallway, followed closely by Edwina and Harriet. They both looked smart, dressed in their long, purple cloaks as they did a quick turn to the right and into the classroom.

Edwina and Harriet were definitely late. Everybody else was seated and looking quite furious at having to wait for them to arrive.

‘Over here Edwina,' Zack said, who was also looking very smart, dressed in his computer whiz uniform which was a purple blazer with gold pinstripes. On the pocket of his purple blazer was a golden dragon.

‘Good morning, students,' Professor Goodspell said. ‘I welcome you all to Professor Frogsley's School of Computer Magic. I would like to see all my students here promptly by nine witchery hours every morning,' she said as she looked directly at Edwina and Harriet.

‘First up this morning is a history lesson on our famous school which was named after a very, very powerful wizard. His name was Professor Frogsley, a wizard who kept many secret spells. Over the years, the Professor began to write his secret spells down in a journal. The only trouble was the Professor used invisible ink and only his most trusted friends knew the secret of how to read his journals.

‘As he grew older and much wiser, he decided it was time to pass his knowledge on to other witches and wizards so that the wonderful world of magic would live on. After many sleepless nights, he decided to put his magic into a ring. In each ring he placed a stone. Each stone was given different powers.

‘After making the rings, Professor Frogsley knew it was time to open a special magic school so he could educate all the witches and wizards who had been entrusted with a Magic Ring. The Professor began travelling the world on his birch broomstick, looking for the perfect place for a school, a place no mortal could enter. After many years of searching, the Professor accidentally landed on the Isle of No-Where-Else and came across an old Egyptian temple. It was perfect, just what he had been searching the world for.

‘It makes me very proud to be head professor of this very special school and to be able to follow in the footsteps of the great Professor Frogsley and all the other witches and wizards who have studied here over the past 500 years, for they have made our school what it is today, a powerful school of Computer Magic.

‘Now, I hope all students understand the importance of their Magic Rings and are proud to be part of this amazing school of Computer Magic.

‘It is now time for all students to place their Magic Rings on their fingers , all except for Zack, our apprentice computer whiz who will be busy making spells to put into our computers. There are three types of coloured stones found in your Magic Rings – yellow, green and red – and they all have different powers.

‘Would all students who have the yellow stone please raise your hands,' said Professor Goodspell in a loud voice.

‘The yellow stone is called “amber” and has the least power of the three stones. All students who have the green stones in their rings, please raise your hands.'

Harriet raised her hand.

‘The green stone is called “emerald” and has more power than the yellow stone. That leaves us with the red stone which is called “tiger eye” and it is the most powerful stone of all. This very powerful ring has been with the Pilkington family from the very beginning and it has been quite a few years since we have had the honour of it being back here at Frogsley. Edwina, please raise your hand.'

Edwina raised her hand slowly, showing the sparkling red tiger eye ring.

‘So, you're the one,' said Zack, looking at the red stone on her finger.

‘What do you mean by that?' snapped Edwina. ‘I … I mean … I've heard all about the tiger eye ring. It has powers like no others in the world.'

‘Please be quiet,' said Professor Goodspell as she looked directly at Zack. ‘On your desk, you will find your “Witches Cozmos”, or as mortals call it, a notebook computer.

‘Next I would like to introduce you all to Professor Cornelius who is an expert in the study of computer spells and potions,' said Professor Goodspell as she pointed her wand at a piece of corn. A puff of smoke and the corn turned into an old man with a beard that nearly touched the floor.

‘Wow, that was awesome,' said Edwina.

‘Thank you, young lady,' said Professor Cornelius.

‘I will now leave you in the capable hands of Professor Cornelius,' said Professor Goodspell as she waved her wand and disappeared.

Professor Cornelius stroked his long, white beard and looked around the classroom at all his new students. ‘Good morning, brave little students,' he said.

‘Good morning, Professor Cornelius,' said the students.

‘Now, would every student please turn on their Witches Cozmos and we will start your first computer lesson. Your first spell will be the Truth Potion. All students please type the following ingredients into their Witches Cozmos:

4 puffs of dragon fire

2 drops of fairy dust

1 lizard tail

2 eagle feathers

3 drops of cloud dust

‘Press your witchery input button, which is the yellow button, to mix all the ingredients together. The Truth Potion is now complete. Press your save button which is the blue button on your Witches Cozmos.'

‘Wow, this is great, but how do we get the Truth Potion off the Witches Cozmo?' said Edwina.

‘That's so easy. That's where I come in handy,' Zack said. ‘Place your Magic Ring on the red key button on your Witches Cozmo. The Truth Potion will be transferred into your Magic Ring.'

‘For your homework, please study the witchery information sheet on your Witchery Cozmos,' said Professor Cornelius. ‘Class dismissed.'

E
dwina was back in her room when she thought she heard a noise.
Squeak, squeak, squeak.
Edwina looked up from doing her witchery homework and saw Miss Prudence Pugwort coming towards her, looking very wobbly on her tin feet. ‘What's wrong, Miss Prudence Pugwort?' Edwina asked.

‘It's my old tin body; it's all rusty.'

Suddenly, Miss Prudence Pugwort's nuts and bolts started popping out in all directions. ‘Whoops! I'm in big trouble now.'

‘I think you need my help.' Edwina waved her Magic Ring and quickly put all Miss Prudence Pugwort's nuts and bolts back together again.

Two weeks went by very quickly. Edwina kept her word and wrote a letter to Gabriella and Thirty-four every night and posted it with the Witchery Mail Service every morning before class.

‘I wish we had longer than a week left,' Edwina said to Harriet as they were sitting in class making up another potion with Professor Cornelius.

‘Look,' Zack said, ‘we have a witches email from the Witches Council on our Cozmos: ‘Witches alert! The Sand Dragons have attacked the Valley of the Kings and stolen the Bloodstones of Courage and Strength .

‘The Valley of the Kings is not far from here,' Zack said. ‘That means the Sand Dragons will be heading towards Frogsley and now have the courage and strength to destroy the Ancient City of Temples.'