Angora was sitting in her favourite place. Her favourite sitting place is on top of a pile of old stones at the bottom of the garden. Mother of course called the pile of stones a “Rockery” but because Angora kept sitting there nothing but weeds sprouted in it.
As they were growing beans and they were between the hut and the pile of stones Angora could not be seen by her mother. Not being seen by mother meant she was not likely to be asked to do jobs. She was in fact speaking to her mother’s cat ‘Footprint!’ Footprint was a black and white cat who liked to be talked to. I don’t know if he ever understood anything except “dinner!” “milk!” and “NO!” but as Angora and her mother were witches they both said the cats understood them and they understood cats.
“So I have all these pouches and I have found out one way to use pepper and I can think of why I may need some of the others but I really, really cannot think of what use soot will be and I should have figured it out by now don’t you think?” Angora didn’t like full stops so often spoke this way! Footprint looked intelligently at her and may have been thinking of what she said. More likely he was thinking about how it should be dinnertime (even though he had just had lunch).
From the hut there was a sudden “Ploof!”
noise, the parrot sounded off in alarm and then mothers voice, “ANGORA!!!”
As the voice sounded more alarmed than angry and more worried than demanding,
Angora hurried to the hut. She pushed open the leather doorway cover and
peered inside. It was gloomy in there but she could not see her mother.
She was just going to look around outside when her mother’s voice
said, “Now do not panic!” It came from the area where mother
made her potions.
“Where are you?” asked Angora.
“Over here by the potions,” said mother, “I don’t
know what I look like but I cannot see a thing!”
“I don’t know what you look like either,” said Angora,
“as I cannot see you! You are invisible!”
“Oh!” said her mother.
“Well you cannot see anything because your eyes are invisible.”
Said Angora. She was rather pleased to have remembered that from her lessons.
“It will help if I can see you so close your eyes mother!”
Angora took some handfuls of flour and tossed them over where she thought
her mother was. Soon the grains of flour settled on her mother and she
could see where she was and her shape.
“How did you do it?” asked Angora, secretly hoping she would
be told how to make herself invisible.
“I don’t know!” replied mother, “I was mixing
a potion to calm my heartburn and went to take it when I was interrupted
by Old Jonah.” Old Jonah is a friendly ghost that keeps an eye on
Angora’s mother’s patients and then lets her know when she
is needed. “I turned round and heard what he had to say. Mrs Teak
is going to have her baby. When I turned back I picked up the potion and
drank it and just as I finished I saw my heartburn potion was on the table.
Then it all went black. I don’t even know what it is I have taken!”
“Euckh!” said Angora “You have drunk your slops!”
(The slops is all the bits of too much or gone wrong potions tipped in
together). “Unless you can remember what went in we will never know
how to make an invisibility potion!”
“Well it is useless anyway if you cannot see!” said her mother
who went on to say, “Lead me to my chair and make me a cup of tea
dear! I will sit here until the potion wears off.
“What about Mrs. Teak?” asked Angora.
“You will have to go!” replied her mother.
“But I am only 10 and I have never delivered a baby!”
“Don’t be silly! I was 10 when I first delivered one and you
have been with me a lot of times! You wrap yourself up warm as it is snow
all year round in the High Pass!”
Angora made her mother a pot of tea, cleaned up the extra mess footprint was making by walking back and forth through the flour. Wrapped herself up. Took two long distance teleport rune sticks and her mother’s midwifery bag. Stepped outside and teleported to the High Pass.
A while later Angora teleported back home. She was very, very pleased. There was now a baby girl and she was to be named Angie after Angora! She went in and started to tell her mother who eventually managed to say, “Well I knew you could do it! Now! Are you pleased to see me?”
Angora suddenly remembered why she had gone in the first place and actually was pleased to be able to see her mother again. “Good!” said her mother, “There are eggs over there and mushrooms. As you are late for lunch you can do your own omelette and then all of the washing up. Then this afternoon you can go to the chalk quarry with your brother. They are having a problem there. You should be able to sort it out.”