The Tale of the Wicked Witch by Lyndsay of East Tilbury School

The dark, dark forest was darker than ever.  All who lived there lived in fear and misery.  The wicked old witch, as she got older, just got more and more wicked.  She would shake the trees to make the birds nests fall, she would block up the badgers holes so that they couldn't get out, she would leap out from behind trees at timid rabbits and frighten them near to death.  In other words she ruled the forest with evil.

The good witch, who lived on the edge of the forest had lost her wand and, try as she would, could do nothing to help.  She tried all sorts of spells (which she absolutely hated as it involve catching toads, newts and other slimy things) but nothing would work.  The animals from the forest would sit outside her cottage weeping and wailing until she could bear it no more.

She set off for the mountain next door to the forest to visit her friend, the old wise wizard.  Now, he had heard of the troubles in the dark, dark forest but had been, quite frankly, too busy setting up his new Trick or Treat shop (rather a nifty name don't you think?) and hadn't had the time to get involved.

However, when he saw the state of the good witch, he knew he would have to do something.

That night, he crept into the dark, dark forest armed with a cage of mice.  He crawled on his hands and knees up to the damp and musty door of the wicked old witch's cottage and squeaked.  What do you mean: "Why did he squeak?".  Don't be impatient, you will find out soon enough.  Nothing happened, so he squeaked again, a bit louder this time.  A window opened under the mouldy thatch and a bucket of water was emptied on his head.  "Don't you dare come a-squeaking round here, whoever you are!" screeched the wicked old witch, and the window slammed shut, sending a shower of rotten thatch onto the wizard's head - where it stuck for days.

He retreated a little and squeaked again.  This time a large black shadow came round the side of the house and a pair of bright green eyes looked straight at him.  The wizard shook the cage of mice gently and the shadow came closer.  The wizard opened the door of the cage and pushed a mouse out.  The shadow stopped, crouched and leaped.  A grisly chomping sound could be heard.  The wizard pushed another mouse out, and another, and another  and the shadow leaped closer, chomping as it went.  Finally the shadow leaped right into the cage and the wizard banged the door shut.  A loud yowl echoed around the forest and the cottage door flew open.

The wizard hot-footed it out through the trees back to his mountain, clutching the cage containing a VERY annoyed large black cat (Jasper was his name by the way), closely followed by the wicked old witch all done up to the nines in her flannelette floral flouncy nightie.

The wizard and Jasper made it up the mountain just in time for the wizard to collect his magic bits and pieces from Trick or Treat.  The wicked old witch cantered noisily up the last slope and skidded to a halt when she saw the wizard looming above her holding a potion bottle in one hand, and Jasper in the other.

The wizard shouted a very powerful magic phrase (NO I will NOT tell you what it was - far too dangerous for the likes of you) and launched the potion bottle at the wicked old witch.  It smashed satisfyingly on her greasy old head and drenched her in the potion.

For a minute she stood motionless, her face fixed in an evil grimace.  Then, gradually, her features relaxed.  Her eyes widened and brightened, her mouth curved up at the sides and her nose stopped twitching (pardon? Oh, sorry, had I not mentioned the twitching nose?  Oh well...).

She sat down on a tuffet and started to hum.  Not a pretty sound I have to say but so much better than the screeching and screaming.  The wizard let Jasper go, the old witch (please notice the lack of "wicked") picked him up, got up and made her way back down the mountain.

Life changed from then on in the dark, dark forest.  For a start, it was no longer dark but "lighter, lighter forest" doesn't quite have the same ring to it.  The animals relaxed and began to live their lives as they should.  The good witch found her wand and became best friends with the old witch (still no "wicked" you see) and they all lived happily ever after.  Well, except for the wizard - because everything was so blooming wonderful in the dark, dark forest no-one needed his magic potions any more and Trick or Treat went bankrupt!

 

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