‘Let me out!’ I shouted, bashing on the door. I heard Grizz’s footsteps retreating up the garden, then the loud slam of the kitchen door.
I climbed onto the pile of broomsticks to look out of the shed’s one and only window. It was a bit wobbly, but I could see the kitchen window and also hear what was going on.
Wormella bustled back into the kitchen.
‘Mrs Winkle,’ she announced.
Mrs Winkle strode into the middle of the room and gazed about her. Her eyes came to rest on the stove top, where the cauldron was bubbling.
‘My, my,’ she said. ‘What a beautiful cauldron.’
‘Yes, isn’t it,’ said Grizz. ‘May I help you?’
Mrs Winkle ignored Grizz’s question and stared hard at the purple steam billowing from the cauldron.
‘Do you use it for anything … interesting?’ she said.
Grizz frowned. I could tell it was a struggle for her to remain polite.
‘Not really,’ she said. ‘Just the odd herbal remedy.’
‘Such as?’ said Mrs Winkle.
‘Such as a treatment for baggy skin,’ said Grizz. ‘Can I offer you a cup – or perhaps a large mug might be more suitable in your case?’
‘Mrs Winkle!’ I shouted from the garden shed. ‘Don’t take anything from her!’
‘What’s that strange noise?’ said Mrs Winkle. ‘It sounded like banging or shouting.’
‘It’s mice,’ said Grizz. ‘Large ones. We’re infested.’
‘Really?’ How unfortunate,’ said Mrs Winkle. She looked out of the window and straight at me.
‘Mrs Winkle!’ I shouted. ‘It’s me! Let me out!’
I was sure that Mrs Winkle could see me jumping up and down. But if she did, she showed no sign. Instead she turned away to speak to Grizz again.
‘I’ll come straight to the point, Miss Mint,’ she said. ‘I believe Anna should be in St Munchin’s.’
‘But my sister and I are educating Anna at home,’ said Grizz, smiling and linking arms with Wormella. ‘Aren’t we, sister?’
Wormella’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, but no sound came out. Grizz pinched her hard on the elbow.
‘Ouch! Yes, sister,’ said Wormella.
Out in the shed, I leant my head against the window and closed my eyes.
‘Wormella,’ I groaned. ‘When are you going to grow a backbone?’
‘And what sort of education are you giving her?’ said Mrs Winkle, running her eye over the jars and bottles on the shelves.
‘The usual,’ said Grizz. ‘Maths, English, you know how it is.’
‘Has she shown talent in any … unusual areas?’ said Mrs Winkle.
‘Such as?’ said Grizz.
‘Your herbal preparations, for example,’ said Mrs Winkle. ‘Does she enjoy helping you with those?’
‘Dear me, no,’ said Grizz. ‘She’s no help whatever. The child is far too stupid to pick up anything.’
‘That remains to be seen,’ said Mrs Winkle. ‘In any case, we have one more place available this year. She has shown an interest and we’d love to have her.’
‘Tch tch. What a waste of your valuable time,’ said Grizz smoothly. ‘You see, it’s as I told you. Anna is far too headstrong to go to a big school. She needs … special handling.’
Grizz and Mrs Winkle both crossed their arms and stared at each other across the kitchen table. Then Mrs Winkle sighed.
‘There’s nothing I can do without the permission of at least one of you,’ she said. ‘May I have a word with her?’
‘She’s out,’ said Grizz. ‘At her friend’s house.’
Mrs Winkle sighed again.
‘Miss Mint,’ she said. ‘If you change your mind, please make sure Anna comes by the end of the week. If she doesn’t, I’m afraid I shall give her place to someone else.’
‘Please do, Mrs Winkle,’ said Grizz. ‘Please do give Anna’s place away to another little girl. She won’t be needing it.’
‘No!’ I shouted, banging on the window frame. ‘No, no, no!’
‘There’s that banging again,’ said Mrs Winkle. ‘Are you sure they’re mice? They sound enormous …’
Grizz took Mrs Winkle by the elbow and practically shoved her out of the kitchen.
‘So nice of you to call,’ she said. ‘Goodbye.’
Seconds later, Grizz stormed down the garden path and into the shed. She grabbed me by the hair.
‘Out, you minx!’ she screeched. ‘I’ll teach you to bring disgrace to the house!’
‘Bring disgrace!’ I said. ‘It wasn’t exactly a model household to start with! Ow!’
Grizz dragged me into the house, up the stairs and into my attic, followed by a wittering Wormella.
‘Don’t hurt her, Grizz dear,’ pleaded Wormella. ‘She’s so young … don’t hurt her.’
Grizz spun around to glare at Wormella and jabbed a finger in her face.
‘Whose side are you on, Wormella?’ she shouted.
Wormella shrank away from her sister.
I couldn’t stand it anymore. Someone had to stand up for Wormella.
‘Leave her alone!’ I shouted at Grizz. ‘You’re nothing but a bully!’
‘And as for you, girl,’ said Grizz, turning back to me. ‘We’ll soon put a stop to this running-away-to-school nonsense,’ She pushed me onto the bed and pointed her wand at the window.
‘Bindweed root and cactus petal
Cover this glass with bars of metal.’
Nothing happened. There was an embarrassing silence.
‘Rats!’ shouted Grizz. ‘Wormella, watch that girl!’
She stamped downstairs.
‘Wormella,’ I hissed. ‘Stand up to Grizz! You can do it! You don’t have to do everything she tells you.’
‘Yes, I do, dear …’ whispered Wormella.
‘If we banded together,’ I said. ‘We could have normal lives! We could eat normal food! We could have friends …’
‘No, no!’ moaned Wormella, pressing her hands to her ears. ‘Stop! I can’t! It’s all too late …’
It was no use. As soon as Grizz’s footstep sounded on the stair, Wormella scurried into a corner. Grizz entered, holding several planks of wood, a hammer and some nails. In five minutes, the wood was nailed over my window.
‘It’s bread and water for you tonight, my girl,’ said Grizz. ‘And no food for that fleabag feline friend of yours for a week!’
‘You can lock us up and starve us all you want!’ I shouted. ‘I’m not going to work for you any more!’
‘You will stay here until you go crazy,’ said Grizz. ‘Then we’ll see whether you’re willing to work or not. Come, Wormella.’
Grizz stamped out, followed by Wormella.
The tears started to fill my eyes as I crept to the boarded-up window. I blinked them away. Through a chink between the planks, I could just see Mary playing in her garden down the street.