The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol

Author:James Nicol
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chicken House

Chapter 22

RETURN TO THE GREAT WOOD

t was nearly a week later before Arianwyn had a chance to speak to Miss Delafield. The moon hare had made a full recovery from its injuries and she and Miss Delafield had decided to return it to the Great Wood.

It was early afternoon, and Arianwyn heard the now-familiar sound of Miss Delafield’s silver-green motorcar pulling up in Kettle Lane. A few seconds later she charged through the door, twirling her driving goggles round her fingers and whistling a bright tune. ‘Afternoon, Arianwyn!’ She grinned. ‘Everything OK? All ready for a trip back into the Great Wood?’ She cast her usual cautious glance about the Spellorium.

‘Yes,’ Arianwyn muttered. The encounter with Gimma was still playing on her mind, even though she hadn’t seen her since that night, thankfully. Presumably she was still ‘resting’.

The thought of returning the moon hare to the wild was not filling her with enthusiasm, either. She’d become used to having the spirit creature around. It stared at her now, bright blue eyes expectant. Arianwyn felt a twist of guilt inside her. She bent to lift it up and it purred loudly as she stroked its long silvery ears. ‘Come on then, little one,’ she said, heading out into Kettle Lane. She clambered into the car beside Miss Delafield, making sure to fasten her seatbelt tightly.

The drive to the Great Wood was mostly silent. It was hard to have a conversation over the engine’s roar and Arianwyn wasn’t feeling talkative. She held tightly to the moon hare as the line of trees grew larger, Miss Delafield occasionally glancing in her direction.

They didn’t drive in as far as they had done before. Miss Delafield stopped in a small clearing full of yellow-green dappled light. ‘This should do, I think. Let the little thing find its own way back. Probably doesn’t want to go back to that clearing, anyway . . . I say, is everything quite all right, dear?’

‘Not really,’Arianwyn said as she clambered down from the car. She placed the moon hare into the soft grass and watched it scamper happily about for a few moments. ‘It’s about Gimma Alverston.’

‘Ah. I thought as much.’ Miss Delafield sighed. ‘Well, dear, what’s the bother?’

‘I can’t work with her, it’s not possible. I’m sorry, but I just can’t!’

Miss Delafield didn’t look surprised but still she asked, ‘Why?’

What could Arianwyn say? She hates me? She’s a bully? I don’t like her? It all sounded childish and silly in Arianwyn’s head. ‘We don’t . . . get on!’ she eventually muttered to the trees and the grass.

‘Speak up, dear. You know I can’t abide mumblers!’ Miss Delafield said. Then she suddenly wandered off to study a nearby tree.

‘We don’t get on very well!’Arianwyn said it all in a rush and loudly as she followed Miss Delafield across the clearing.

The moon hare had hopped off to the edge of the trees and was scraping in the earth, chewing on long blades of grass. It seemed entirely relaxed and at home.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.