The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star (2 page)

ildred couldn’t help feeling secretly thrilled that
she
wasn’t the one squelching and dripping up the stairs as they made their way from the cloakrooms to the Great Hall. If anyone made a dramatic entrance to Miss Cackle’s on the first day of term it was usually Mildred, and she felt grateful for her perfect landing, especially in front of all those juniors, blowing around the playground like dustbin lids on a windy rubbish day.

‘Do you think anyone saw?’ asked Enid anxiously, wringing the last drops of water from her long, thick plait.

‘I don’t honestly think it matters too much,’ said Maud kindly. ‘People were plummeting into puddles all over the place, especially the younger ones – they can’t give the entire school a detention in the first five minutes!’

‘Maud’s right,’ agreed Mildred, feeling happy to be in the unusual position of offering comfort to someone else. ‘It’s not
our
fault that the school’s on top of a mountain; the weather’s nearly always doing something horrible up here – do you remember once when there was a blizzard on the first day of Summer Term?’

‘And it was a day like this,’ continued Maud, ‘when Mildred rescued her tortoise from the top of the pine tree outside the school gates. Gales and rain are part of the deal up here, Enid, no one will give a hoot about anyone in particular on such a ghastly first day.’

‘Did you notice anything unusual in the playground?’ asked Mildred, changing the subject. ‘We were all so busy trying not to crash that it’s only just dawned on me.’

‘Not really,’ said Maud. ‘Everything looked the same as ever. What was it?’

‘I’ve just realized that Miss Drill wasn’t there,’ continued Mildred. ‘She’s always the first person you see when you arrive, standing there in her gym kit, bossing everyone about and shepherding the new arrivals, but this time it was Miss Bat and Mouldy.’ (Mouldy was the girls’ nickname for Miss Mould, the art mistress.)

‘Perhaps she’s not well,’ suggested Enid. ‘Or she might have retired – she looks quite old.’

‘They
all
look quite old,’ commented Mildred. ‘I don’t think Miss Drill is older than anyone else – anyway, it doesn’t really matter
where
she is. We only have her for gym three or four times a week – all those broomstick exercise routines and cross-country runs, euch!’

‘Perhaps we’ll get a new gym mistress,’ said Enid.

‘A new one might be worse!’ said Maud. ‘She might be young and keen.’

‘Or older and more crotchety!’ laughed Mildred.

They had reached the doors of the Great Hall, which were propped open so that the girls could pass inside more quickly.

Mildred linked arms with her two best friends. ‘Here we go again,’ she said. ‘Time to find out what’s in store for us
this
year.’

he first thing that Mildred noticed as the new Form Four shuffled into line and glanced up at the teachers’ platform was Miss Drill, dressed in a grey tweed suit and a purple blouse, her wavy grey hair scragged into an untidy French pleat instead of her usual jaunty ponytail.

‘Look at Miss Drill!’ whispered Mildred to Maud. ‘I’ve never seen her out of shorts – doesn’t it look strange to see her in a proper outfit?’

‘Enough chatting, girls!’ warned Miss Hardbroom. ‘Get into your places at once! You’ve had long enough to greet each other and calm down after your
extremely
disorderly arrival – don’t think I didn’t notice the
puddle
incident, Enid Nightshade –
not
a very good start, even if the weather
has
been a trifle extreme.’

Enid closed her eyes as if in pain.

‘Welcome back, girls,’ beamed Miss Cackle, taking over hastily from her second-in-command before the whole school was plunged into a state of terrified misery. ‘I’m sure the dreadful weather hasn’t been much help to any of us! Not to worry, there are many exciting new announcements to warm your hearts on this first day of the Winter Term, including a brilliant opportunity for one lucky witches’ school – and I sincerely hope it will be
this
one – to win a new
indoor
swimming pool.’

There were gasps of delighted amazement from the girls.

‘There now!’ continued Miss Cackle, clapping her hands together gleefully, like a little girl. ‘I
knew
that would cheer you all up!’

‘I thought we were saving that piece of information until the end of all the other announcements!’ muttered Miss Hardbroom.

‘Oh dear, Miss Hardbroom,’ mumbled Miss Cackle. ‘You’re quite right – as usual. I’m afraid I got a bit carried away – I’ve been longing to tell the girls all about it. Perhaps you could take over and –’

‘Certainly,’ said Miss Hardbroom crisply. ‘Now then, girls, there are several new things to tell you about. First of all, Miss Drill has decided to give up her position as gym mistress, due to a knee injury sustained during her annual rock-climbing summer holiday. Not wishing to lose such a dedicated teacher, we have persuaded Miss Drill to stay on as class teacher to this year’s Form Four. We are trying hard to find a new gym mistress for later in the term, so Form Four can count themselves lucky that Miss Drill will be able to keep them fit and healthy until gym classes are up and running again.’

Maud and Enid glanced sideways at Mildred, who was looking desperate.

‘During the holidays,’ said Miss Hardbroom, ‘there have been exciting improvements in all the bedrooms. Glass has been fitted in every pupil’s window.’

There were whoops of joy from the entire school, except the bewildered first-years, who had no idea that their bedrooms would not have had proper windows in the first place; but there was great rejoicing from all the old hands as they imagined snuggling up in a cosy bed, without rain and wind blowing on to their pillows. In particularly bad weather, they had all had to move their beds away from the open stone windows.

‘Settle down now, girls!’ barked Miss Hardbroom. ‘What is it, Mildred?’

Mildred had put up her hand.

‘Excuse me, Miss Hardbroom,’ she began shyly, as everyone turned to look at her. ‘I was just wondering how the bats are going to get in and out.’

Miss Cackle smiled and put a staying hand on Miss Hardbroom’s arm to show that she would answer the question.

‘I
knew
you’d be anxious about that, Mildred,’ said Miss Cackle. ‘Don’t worry, my dear, we’ve put a small swinging flap on each window – a sort of bat flap, you might say – we’ve already checked and they’ve obviously got used to the idea. The usual furry flock was huddled along your picture rail when I last looked.’

‘Thank you, Miss Cackle,’ said Mildred, breathing a sigh of relief.

‘Would you like to carry on with the final announcement, Miss Cackle?’ asked Miss Hardbroom, sounding a little tetchy. ‘Or shall I?’

‘Actually, Miss Hardbroom,’ said Miss Cackle, feeling braver than usual, ‘I think
I
will, if you don’t mind.’

‘Of course I don’t,’ said Miss Hardbroom primly. ‘You
are
the headmistress, Miss Cackle.’

‘Well then, girls!’ said Miss Cackle, looking quite radiant. ‘This brings me to the swimming-pool competition, and not just
any
old outdoor, freezing-cold swimming pool but an
in
door one, to be used all year round. Such a magnificent prize – goodness me, we will all be
so
fit –’

‘We have to actually
win
the competition first, Miss Cackle,’ said Miss Hardbroom sourly, ‘which will mean
weeks
of diligent practice, not to mention coming up with a prize-winning idea in the first place.’

‘Yes, of course, Miss Hardbroom,’ said Miss Cackle. ‘I was coming to that in a moment.’

‘Not a moment too soon, if you ask
me
!’ said Miss Hardbroom, her piercing gaze managing to convince every pupil that she was looking into their very soul. ‘There will be a
great
deal of extra work involved in getting the competing pupils up to scratch if we are to be in the running for such a prize.’

‘Thank you, Miss Hardbroom,’ said Miss Cackle tactfully. ‘I hope you were listening, girls! The competition is between all the witches’ schools in the country and we have some
very
stiff competition, especially as there seem to be new schools for sorcery popping up like mushrooms these days. Miss Pentangle’s Academy is a strong contender and Moonridge High School is also doing rather well. The details of the competition are to be found on the noticeboard in the passageway next to the cloakrooms, to be discussed with your form teachers tomorrow. Also there, you will find the lists giving certain selected pupils their form tasks. Read them well – we expect any pupil lucky enough to have been chosen, to take her task seriously, to ensure the smooth running of everyday life at Miss Cackle’s Academy, the best witches’ academy in the land!’

Miss Cackle smiled happily down at her girls, who all realized that they could risk cheering and looking happy for a brief moment, before Miss Hardbroom brought them back down to earth.

‘To conclude!’ said Miss Hardbroom, motioning to the girls to be silent. ‘You may spend the next few hours drying out your clothes and tending to your cats in your rooms. First-years, stay behind and I will explain the rules so that you will know where you cannot go and what you are not allowed to do. Miss Bat?’

Miss Bat the chanting mistress, who was beginning to look more scruffily vague with each passing year, seated herself at the ancient piano and began to play a stirring piece of music. Mildred would never have admitted it but the strident rhythm of the piano lifted her spirits as she marched her way out of the Great Hall and into the new term.