The Worst Wish

Chapter 4- Once a pig...

"Miss Hardbroom! Miss Hardbroom!" Maud's terrified scream filled the woods, shaking trees. She had been successful in finding Mildred- right next to Indigo. She has been flying above when she saw the statues, landing out of curiosity. She had been unable to suppress her screams when she noticed the striking resemblance to Mildred that one statue had.
Enid arrived first after hearing Maud's cry- not even able to speak.
Miss Hardbroom soon appeared beside Maud in a cloud of smoke. "What is it, Maud?" She asked quietly.
"That's her, isn't it, Miss Hardbroom?" Maud mumbled. Hecate followed the girl's gaze, sucking in a deep breath as she saw Indigo and Mildred together.
"I- I believe it is, girls." Hecate confirmed.
"Who would do this to her?" Enid cried out, walking up to the statues. "And- who is this? You don't think Mildred did this one, do you?"
"No, girls, Mildred did not. I did." Hecate admitted, walking up to Indigo.
"Miss Hardbroom?" Maud inquired, staring at Indigo. That statue had a few cracks, covered in moss. The Mildred statue was shiny, like it had just been made, or rather, transformed.
"When I was a girl, I made the same mistake as Mildred. The girl you are looking at is my best friend, Indigo." Hecate explained, her voice breaking. "I told Mildred this yesterday, before her mother-" She couldn't hide it anymore. Scattered teardrops left her eyes as she stared at the two girls she'd let down the most.
Maud nervously approached her head teacher, placing a hand on her shoulder. Hecate jumped at the touch, but did not reprimand the girl, so Maud spoke, "it's alright, Miss Hardbroom."
"I don't understand," Enid spoke up. "If you inadvertently changed Indigo, who changed Mildred?"
"I had initially assumed Mildred was trying to restore her mother with the book of forbidden spells," Hecate explained. "However, I think Mildred did this to herself."
"Can we undo it?" Maud pleaded, staring at her best friend. She had been so cross with Mildred the last time she had seen her, insisting that Mildred's mum might be the one turning people to stone. Of course, she had been correct. By the time she saw Mildred again, Julie Hubble was stone, and Mildred hadn't talked much. Mildred had spent the night in her bedroom but it had been quiet, not filled with their usual chatter.
"I believe so," Hecate reluctantly admitted, not wanting to get the girls' hopes up. "But we'd need a potion much like the one Mildred tried, and we would need the book to find the spell she casted."
Enid and Maud started walking around, searching for Mildred's bag and the book. As Enid walked, her boots hit something that cracked beneath her, causing her to jump back suddenly.
"Miss Hardbroom, Maud, what's this?" Enid cried out, brushing grass off of the now-crushed bottle.
Hecate knelt down beside the bottle, picking it up. A small glass shard caught her finger, causing her blood to drip out, which she ignored. She cradled the broken pieces in her hands, watching as the last of the potion slipped into the grass below.
"I'm so sorry," Enid began frantically apologizing. "I didn't mean to- I was-" Maud wrapped her arms around Enid tightly. "It's not your fault." She assured her.
"Indeed it is not," Hecate agreed, standing up. She still held the glass in her hand. "It appears as if Mildred was trying to prevent restoration and was hiding it."
"Now what?" Maud whined.
"Worry not, girls. Spilled potion is the least of our concerns. Mirabel Hubble gave us a list of ingredients. What we really need is the book."
The girls walked around a bit more until they stumbled upon Mildred's backpack, book tucked inside.
"Mildred never was the best at hiding things," Enid teased in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood.
Maud handed it to Hecate, who flipped through the pages quickly.
"Just as I suspected- a stone spell."
"Why would anybody want to turn to stone?" Enid asked.
"It's typically for witches on the run." Hecate explained hastily, knowing it was useless to ignore their questions. "However, they typically notify other witches if they might use the spell, so they can be changed back. I'm guessing Mildred was reliant that her potion might change her back. But this spell is rather difficult, because it requires a plea, and plea spells are the hardest to break as we do not know the plea."
"So... Mildred's stuck as a stone?" Maud cried out, sitting on the ground. Enid sat next to her, placing an arm around her shoulder. The two huddled together as their head teacher paced the space frantically, trying to piece together an idea.
"Has Mildred said anything to you? Any form of plea? Any hint that she might do this?" Hecate asked.
"No, Millie was quiet." Maud sighed.
The three of them remained silent for a moment, letting the cool air dance across their skin. For the first time, they had the chance to process the previous day's events without any distraction. There was some comfort in the silence- Hecate even found some form of comfort in knowing that Mildred wasn't alone and that she was with Indigo, even if Mildred didn't know it. She knew if Mildred managed to save her mother, she would have gone back and saved Indigo. That was just the type of witch Mildred Hubble was. Hecate used to be very much like her- full of energy and excitement regarding being a witch. She had been kind, but foolish- foolish in the exact way Mildred was. Hecate was from a witching family, although she hadn't known them much- especially after she turned Indigo to stone and was confined to Cackles. She had only been thirteen and wasn't permitted to leave, even on Holiday. Her parents hadn't wanted her back anyways. She figured that's why she resented Mildred so much, even Miss Hubble. Julie was a kind, compassionate and understanding mother to Mildred- everything Hecate wanted. How did I turn into this?