The Little Sister

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23181, 29 October 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

The Little Sister

By Pamela Grenville

THREE witches went flying over the moon. One was tall and black and her voice was like the whine of the wind in a ship's rigging. The second was grey and bad-tenipered. She never did anything that was very wicked, nor very good either, for that matter. She loved making cakes fall flat, nibs splutter, fires pop and all the irksome things that happen to everybody at one time or another. The third witch was small and dreamy.

Her cloak was purp]e as the dusk and her eyes glittered merrily like little stars. Her sisters regarded her with disdain for there was nothing left for her when the Black Witch had done all the very wicked deeds and the Grey Witch had finished all the moderately wicked ones. There were only good deeds left and though she wanted to do these, the Little Witch was afraid lest her broom-

They whispered and chuckled together and seemed overcome with impatience for dusk to fall. Down toward the earth they darted, and back to the stars. Their mad flights made the Little Witch quite dizzy. Soon the first twilight wrapped itself around the world and the witches sank down through its misty folds. The Little Witch followed curiously. Down in a wide garden blazed a fire. Its flames waved against the darkness like a scarlet fringe or like fiery fingers reaching to tear the stars from their settings. A wild scene it was, for around the fire danced witches and wizards, gnomes and elves. The Black and Grey Witches joined the circle and the dancers caught hands with them, too merry to notice strangers. The Littlest Witch did not know what to do. She shrank into the shadow of a tree and wondered what mischief her two sisters were planning. Soon she knew. Her eldest sister broke from the circle and, (.lancing into the darkness across the lawn, called the children to follow hor. Up between the branches of a tall tree she rose like a great bat. The boys laughed gleefully and tried to climb after her but in the darkness they skinned their knees and scratched their hands. Then away again she led to the lily pond. Over the leaves she skimmed, her black cloak flying, and the children, following, found themselves knee-deep in the icy water. This brought a group of angry grownups out into the garden, calling threateningly, warningl.v, to the merry children who only ran on laughing, trampling the flower-beds and spreading havoc. Then came the Grey Witch and out .of her cloak .she set free a horde of stinging gnats. They flew about among the grown-ups, biting plump cheeks and bald heads, adding to the anger and confusion. The Little Witch woke to life. With a cry of furv she darted here and there beating the gnats off with her broomstick. Her sisters, who did not know she had followed them, made off in alarm, and the children suddenly lost their mischievous spirit and went quietly into the house. The Littlest Witch then passed gently among the broken branches and the flowers, using all the magic she knew to restore them

so that in the morning the grown-ups found scarcely any damage at all. At last she had finished her work, and it was then that she made the frightening discovery. Her broomstick would not leave the ground. Try as she might to make it swoop over the treetops as before, it would not rise an inch. She had performed good deeds so her witch's magic had been taken from her. She wandered about the garden and was just about to call to her sisters in despair, when she found the dearest little house among the trees. It had rose-red curtains at its latticed windows, and its door was ajar. Inside there was a tiny table and chairs, cups and sancers, shelve% gay picture-books, and cupboards of toy dolls and teddy bears. Over the door, in little green letters, was "The Playhouse," and on its door "No. 1 Joy Street." The Little Witch's eyes shone with delight. She would stay in this little house and keep it tidy, play with the toys, and read the hooks. And she did. Whenever the children came in she hid behind the curtains and watched them

at play. She became the* guardian of the garden, and every year when the grandparents gave a Hallowe'en party, she put on her tall hat and joined in the revels. Nobody ever knew, ancj neither the Grey nor the Black Witch ever came back to the garden.