Witch Spells Touble Read online

  Witch Spells Trouble

  Lori Woods

  Moonstone Press

  Copyright © 2017 by Lori Woods

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by Lori Woods

  Description

  Suzy Maycomber is looking forward to learning how to be a witch at the Academy.

  However, trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes. Suzy discovers one of the students is found murdered in the basement. With the help of an old ghost that speaks in riddles, Suzy is determined find the killer.

  Unfortunately, not is all as it appears. Things get even more complicated when nearly everyone Suzy knows, seems to be different. Suzy finds herself yet again in the midst of murder, attacks, kidnappings, and strange spells.

  Are you ready for Suzy’s next adventure? Buckle up, get ready and enjoy the (Broom Hilda) ride!

  Chapter 1

  “Why can’t we fly on Broom Hilda?” Alfie asks as I pull into the car park beside the train station.

  “Too much weight for Broom Hilda!” Snowball answers with a superior attitude.

  “As much as I hate to say it, she’s correct, Alfie,” I say with a sigh.

  “Broomsticks are more fun and faster,” the dwarf says in a pouting mood.

  “They probably have those little duck berry pies on the train,” I say as I open the boot of the car and glance down at the two large trunks—mine and Alfie’s.

  “He’s going to start quacking when he’s gassy,” Snowball warns.

  For Alfie’s benefit, I force myself not to laugh. “Snowball! Play nice!” I glance at the trunks again. “Alfie, do they have porters to help with luggage?”

  “Of course they do,” Alfie says.

  “So, get one!” Snowball orders.

  “If you don’t be nice, I’m going to accidently step on your tail,” Alfie says.

  “If…”

  “Snowball! Alfie! The next one that says something nasty to the other one stays in Nightshade,” I say, glancing from one to the other. “Now, Alfie, please be so kind as to get a porter to help with the trunks.”

  Snowball waits until Alfie is out of sight. “He started it!”

  “No. You did with the quack farts. Now behave.”

  Immediately, Snowball’s tail goes straight up into the air, which I choose to ignore even though I realize she is giving me her version of the finger.

  I am getting Broom Hilda out of the back seat of the car when I hear a frightened squeal from Snowball.

  “What now?” I say upon seeing Snowball’s arched back. I quickly glance toward the station house.

  A gorilla! A huge, black, hairy gorilla is following Alfie.

  “King Kong!” Snowball says as she darts under the car.

  “Alfie! Look behind you!” I shout.

  Alfie glances behind him and then shrugs. “What?”

  I start to respond when I see the gorilla is wearing one of those tiny little bellhop-style hats on his big head.

  “Oh my God! They have a gorilla for a porter!” I exclaim.

  “Who else is strong enough to carry several trunks at a time?” Alfie asks. “Gerry, the trunks are in boot of the car.”

  “Alright!”

  It talks. By now I shouldn’t be shocked by anything that I see or hear on this side of the cemetery, but I am.

  “Come out from under the car, Snowball. It’s just the porter.”

  Alfie glances down to see my black familiar peeking from under the car. “Are you scared of the porter?”

  “Of course not.”

  Alfie smiles. “Then why are you under the car?”

  “I was just checking the air pressure in the tires,” Snowball says as she comes out.

  “This way,” Alfie says. “We better hurry! Black smoke is coming from the smokestack of the train.

  “Here,” I say, handing Alfie some coins. “Could you be a dear and run ahead and buy our tickets?”

  “Tickets! Tickets!” I hear and glance at the train. A conductor is slowly approaching a group of young girls that look to be about eight years old. A woman dressed in black, but not wearing a witch’s hat, accompanies them. She hands the man the groups’ tickets. I see him punching each one and handing them back to the chaperon.

  Seems very normal except that the train is a relic from the past, I think, needing something on this side of the cemetery to be normal. And a nice train ride will do the trick.

  “Thank you, Madame,” the conductor says, tipping his head before turning and heading in my direction.

  “Here are your tickets. Go to your seats when I hand them to you,” the gray-haired woman with a crooked nose is telling the young witches.

  I watch as she hands a little girl with long black hair her ticket.

  Puff!

  The little girl disappears!

  Oh my God, what happened to her? I think.

  Puff! The moment the chaperon hands a ticket to the second girl, the child vanishes.

  I gather air to scream when suddenly I see through the train’s window that the two girls are sitting in their seats, waving at their classmates who are waiting for the chaperon to give them their tickets.

  “They are just popping onto the train,” I say to the conductor as he approaches.

  “Of course; they are witches,” the man says, gazing at me with a puzzled look on his face. “Ticket, please,” he says, holding out his hand.

  “I’m coming, I’m coming,” Alfie says, pumping his short dwarf legs as fast as they will go. “Here, conductor,” he says between gasps for air.

  The conductor takes the two tickets, glances down at Snowball. “How old is the cat?”

  “Ah, three years old,” I say.

  “How old are you, Bozo?” Snowball suddenly asks.

  “Okay, okay, I didn’t know you are a witch’s familiar,” he says. “Familiars ride for free when accompanying a witch.” He glances at me as though doubtful that I’m a real witch.

  “She’s the librarian of Nightshade!” Alfie says, coming to my defense.

  “Oh, the witch from the other side that they are sending to the Academy. Hmm, you’re kind of old to be going to the Academy.”

  I glance at the little witches that are still popping from the platform and into their assigned seats. He’s right! I’m too old to be going to the Academy!”

  Snowball sticks her tail up.

  Alfie shuffles his feet.

  “I’ll be in the graduation class,” I mumble.

  “Right!” he says and hands me back our tickets. “Go ahead and pop on the train.”

  “Ah... pop on the train?”

  “You don’t know how to pop onto the train?”

  “I know how to pop your kneecap,” Alfie says as he puts his hands on his hips defiantly.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean any offense. Just that I never met a witch who couldn’t pop onto the train.” He nods his head at the go
rilla who is holding both trunks under his arm like they’re feathers. “Gerry will take you through the baggage entrance.”

  “Come with me,” the gorilla says in a voice that is as slow as molasses.

  “Alfie, this is humiliating. Because I can’t pop us into our seats we have to go in through the baggage entrance. And all those little girls know how to pop into their seats.”

  “True, but you defeated Night Shadow!” Alfie reminds me.

  “Yeah, you kicked butt! Kicked butt!” Snowball agrees.

  “Anyway, all passengers who aren’t witches have to enter through the baggage entrance so you aren’t alone,” Alfie says.

  Yeah, but I’m a witch and I should know how to pop into my seat! I think as I follow Gerry up the steps and into the train. At least the inside looks normal. I just want to get in my seat and relax and enjoy the train ride. Please, no more surprises. Suddenly I remember that the train has to go through Werewoods.

  “Alfie,” I call out as I watch the dwarf struggling to get up into his seat. “Does the train go through Werewoods?”

  “Don’t worry. Before leaving the station, the warlock station manager always casts a cloaking spell over the train. We will chug through Werewoods with hardly anyone noticing,” he says.

  “Hardly anyone?” I ask.

  “Don’t worry; we’ll be fine,” Alfie says.

  “If we get boarded,” Snowball says in her purring tone, “Alfie can repel them with duck berry farts!” She wrinkles her nose.

  “Snowball!” I exclaim.

  “I’m just saying!” Snowball counters. “It’s going to be a long time in h—”

  “Just say a long time before I scratch you behind your ears, Snowball,” Alfie mumbles.

  “Please, you two, relax and enjoy the train ride. Or at least let me enjoy it. I’m all stressed about going to the Academy,” I remind them as I lean back and close my eyes.

  “Berserker! Berserker!”

  The cry snaps me awake. I see Alfie staring out the window of the moving train, as I hear the group of little witches screaming the name berserker.

  “What’s going on, Alfie?”

  “Trouble! Big trouble,” he answers, looking pale as he strokes his red beard nervously.

  I look out the window. What I see is a strange creature that reminds me of the Tasmanian devil in the old Buggy Bunny cartoons. It has long, spiny legs and a bloated body that is mostly mouth. Berserker is keeping pace with the train as it snarls at the screaming little witches.

  “But it can’t get inside!” I tell Alfie just as the creature reaches out and takes a bite of the train. “How?” I shout in shock as I glance back at Alfie, who has jumped out of his seat and is trying to crawl under it. “The train is made of metal!”

  “A berserker can bite through anything! Do something, Suzy. It will eat us all!”

  Still not believing that the creature can actually bite completely through the side of the car we are riding in, I glance out the window again. The thing is eating the metal as though it were a pretzel. “Oh no!” I shout, suddenly afraid, having never even imagined a creature that could eat metal.

  Suddenly the creature leaps and grabs hold of the train below where the group of little witches is sitting. I watch in horror as it tears a hole in the side of the train as the chaperon herds the little witches past my seat and into the rear of the car.

  I snatch Broom Hilda and step into the aisle to meet the beast.

  “Suzy, it will eat Broom Hilda!” Alfie pokes his head up from the floor to shout.

  “Rats!” I say. Just got to be careful! I think as the creature charges me like an enraged bull. I’m ready! I smack him beside the head so hard it knocks him to the front of the car.

  “Oh no!” I call out as the berserker pops back up like a Whack-A-Mole. This time it charges with its mouth so wide open that I can’t take a chance of going for a headshot again. I adjust my swing at the last possible second and bring Broom Hilda up from the floor and hit the creature in an upward blow between it spiny legs.

  Broom Hilda hits the berserker so hard he ping-pongs off the ceiling and bounces back to the front of the car. It pauses. Gee, I was hoping it wasn’t totally stupid! But that doesn’t seem to be the case, as this time the growling creature walks toward me, licking its lips with a tongue like a long flat rope.

  “Big witch first. Then little witches; makes no difference which,” the berserker startles me by speaking.

  “I’m a powerful white witch!” I shout, realizing as I do that I sound silly.

  “White witch, chocolate witch, makes no difference which,” the creature says and makes a sound like laughter.

  “Wrong, buddy. It makes a big difference!” I say, suddenly mad. I point my finger at it.

  “Finger-licking good!” the berserker says.

  “That’s it!” I say coldly. I take a deep breath and shout at the top of my lungs, “Eamus Hinc,” while still pointing my finger at the berserker.

  A white light blinds me! The moment my sight returns, I search for the berserker. It is gone.

  “Suzy! Suzy!” Alfie shouts, running toward me. “You can’t pop into your seat on the train, but you sure can pop a berserker off a train!”

  Chapter 2

  I need a lot of training before I can think of myself as real witch. I’m just playing at being one now, I think as I emerge from the baggage car. Red Sumac is standing at the car we were riding in, waiting for Alfie, Snowball, and me, while also watching the little witches pop out of the train and onto the platform.

  I see her glancing in the direction of the baggage car and wave. I feel conspicuous as I walk toward her. I bet she thinks I should be down in first level training class instead of the finishing year where I’m being placed.

  “You can fly rings around me, zap Night Shadow into obliteration, but you can’t pop out of or into a train. Have I got it right?”

  “And I feel like a dunce!” I admit.

  “She saved us from the berserker! It was going to eat all the children!” Snowball’s soft purring voice comes to my defense.

  “You should have heard him,” Alfie speaks up. “White witches, chocolate witches it makes no difference which witch! Then POW! He’s history! It was something, Red. Of course, if I had my axe I would have chopped him in half.”

  “Uh . . . of course you would have, little guy. That was one lucky berserker!”

  I force myself to keep from laughing as I nod my head at Red Sumac. “Were you able to find us a flat? I know our budget isn’t very much . . .”

  “No problem, Suzy. I got you a very big flat only a block from the Academy,” Red says as she glances at Gerry. The gorilla is carrying our two heavy trunks under one long arm. “Here comes your luggage,” she says.

  What isn’t she telling me? Is there some loud kid next door blowing a saxophone? I don’t say anything because with the low budget I have for accommodation, I can only expect something like that or being next to the railroad tracks. Beggars can’t be choosers!

  “I’ll take it from here, big guy,” Red says.

  Gerry drops the trunks to the train platform with a bang and turns to walk away.

  “Wait,” I say, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a coin. “Here. And thanks.”

  Gerry pops the coin in his mouth and swallows it.

  I glance at Red.

  “People usually give the gorillas peanuts or candy.”

  “Would you give me a coin?” Snowball asks in better-than-thou voice.

  “Okay, my bad!” I say. Gee, it just isn’t my day! I look at the two enormous trunks. “Red, we can’t carry the trunks. I can hardly lift one. And each one is bigger than Alfie.”

  “But I’m strong!” Alfie says, flexing his muscle with his right arm. Unfortunately, his little bicep is about the size of a plum but I refrain from telling him that.

  “Suzy, don’t be silly,” Red says as she speaks a simple word spell while pointing her finger at the two trunks. Suddenl
y they levitate.

  “Oh yeah, the luggage spell. Why didn’t I think of that one?” I say, slightly annoyed as I watch the luggage following Red as though they are on a cart.

  “Going to witches’ school so you don’t want be a fool,” Snowball says in a low purring voice that only I can hear.

  “Gee, I wish that berserker had never said that which witch nonsense!”

  Snowball’s tail goes straight up into the air.

  This day can’t end soon enough!

  “I hope there’s a shop for duck berry pie near the flat!” Alfie calls out.

  “There’s one on the corner,” Red answers as she stops and points at a building that should have been starring in a haunted house movie! “That’s it, folks!”

  I hear a hiss and look down. Snowball’s back is arched.

  “Wow, it’s big, Red,” is the best I can say. “Uh . . . which floor is our flat on?”

  “That’s the marvelous thing. You have the entire fourth floor.”

  “Elevator?” Alfie asks pleadingly.

  “Climbing stairs is good exercise, little guy. You’ll lose those extra pounds in no time.” Red says as she smiles down at Alfie.

  Knowing immediately that Alfie is going to say something nasty, I speak up. “Great, let’s see it!”

  “Will climbing stairs make him taller?” Snowball asks in the most innocent tone she can muster and then darts ahead of us.

  “She didn’t mean it, Alfie,” I say. We follow Red Sumac to the huge wood door with an iron knocker big enough to moor a ship to.

  When Red lifts the iron ring of the door knocker and lets it drop, I fear the loud sound will shatter the windowpanes.

  The door creaks as someone opens it.