Puddlebrain

Chapter Sixteen

"I'm sure there's an echo in here somewhere," said Billy impatiently. "And it's about dingle-dangle time too!"

"How?" asked Edna.

Normally she'd be well on her way to shaking an explanation out of Billy by now, but she was too dazed from the enormity of what was happening to even think about it.

"How? It's so simple, I just don't see how you missed it. How did you lose your magic in the first place?"

There was a guilty silence from Edna, so Puddlebrain raised her hand slowly, as if she were still at school and wanted to go to the toilet.

"Yes?" prompted Billy.

Puddlebrain looked nervously at her older sister.

"Edna had an... erm... accident while she was arguing with that Mayor Harper person."

"Edna had an accident. That's right, if a little short of the real truth. Edna – Mayor – finger – silverfish, am I correct? I mean, I'm only a lonely gnome who you dragged into your lives to give them more... life! You haven't told me any of this, but from the odds and sods you've mentioned, that's about the size of it isn't it? Edna – Mayor – finger – silverfish. Oh, and frog."

"That's about it," said Puddlebrain meekly. She avoided Edna's glaring stare. Why should she feel guilty when it was, really, Edna's fault anyway?

"Right," said Billy. "And you can get that look off your face Miss SnootyBritches."

Edna gasped. How dare he! Billy took no notice.

"Sneers and snorts are all well and good, but they don't change the fact that your young sister there is actually correct. You had an accident, and you've spent the last seven decades getting over it. That's quite funny when you think that it would have only taken a couple of weeks, and that's only because you were still catching flies for a fortnight afterwards!"

Edna spluttered in response. Her face was going the colour of pomegranates. Her eyes were beginning to bulge.

"I...! I...! You...!" was all she could manage.

"Be still, Edna," hissed Puddlebrain. "Billy's right. I don't know how, but he is. Calm down and just listen instead of ploughing in."

Being attacked from two sides at once, and one of those being her sister, was too much for the older witch. She crossed her arms and sullenly fumed on her own. Gemini wasn't used to the mighty Edna being treated like this and couldn't help but smirk. A glare from the other quickly made her realise that perhaps it wasn't as funny as she thought, though she'd possibly disagree – to herself, in her mind, at night in the dark.

Puddlebrain nodded to the gnome to carry on. Billy was glad that there was at least one semi-rational person in the room, apart from himself that was.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Don't you know? Isn't it obvious?" Billy looked at the blank faces of the witches. They didn't know, and it was obviously as obvious as how it could be thirteen o'clock three times a day for Gemini when a clock only went up to twelve. Billy sighed. "It took anger and thoughtlessness to block your magic, not take it away as you thought, so it took anger and thoughtlessness to unblock it! Qualities you three have in ample measure."

"And that was it?" Puddlebrain asked.

"That was it. Even I, a lowly gnome, could figure that one out. You were just trying too hard. All your chanting and huddling around the big soup dish over the years was a complete waste of time." He smiled. "Quite funny when you think about it, don't you think?"

"FUNNY!" cried Edna.

Her face was crimson now. If she'd been a kettle she would have been boiling, splashing scalding water hither and thither.

"Funny, is it?"

Her arms were waving in the air. Billy ducked to make sure he wasn't hit by a stray bolt of magic – that was, after all, how the witches 'lost' their powers in the first place.

"Edna!" snapped Puddlebrain. "Be quiet! Billy was helping us, yet again. Remember he just saved our lives? Leave him be and stop being so pompous!"

Edna stared at her sister and Gemini curled up into a ball and started giggling. Billy was impressed. He'd never heard either of the younger witches stand up to Edna. It was quite refreshing.

"Look," he said finally. "You just had to... recreate what happened back then, more or less. It took three simultaneous hits to lose your magic, and it needed three to get it back again. You had to not think about it and just do. Anyway, if all I'm going to get is mouth and hassle, I'll leave you to your happy little band of marauders and be on my way!"

He turned and made to go to the door but Edna grabbed his leg. She looked sheepish, which, as it wasn't an expression she wore that often, didn't suit her. She much preferred being the wolf.

"Sorry," she croaked. It was the best she could manage.

"Haven't you three enjoyed having no magic to help you?" Billy asked.

Gemini had recovered from her giggles and had become more focused, a feat and a half for the witch.

"Enjoyed not having magic?" she said. "Are you mad?"

"Well, your house pretty much looks after itself, and you, but what about cooking meals and sweeping up and walking and all that normal stuff. Hasn't it been fun, or at least a worthwhile experience?"

All three witches frowned. Why would walking be fun? What was worthwhile about having to wait hours for a simple broth to be bubbling happily away? The gnome had obviously been nice for too long and it was having an adverse effect on him. He was going crazy.

"No," said Gemini simply. "It was not fun."

"Oh well," sighed Billy. "It was just a thought. I wondered if you might have learned anything from your experience."

"Only to aim better next time!" said Edna.

"And to duck quicker," mumbled Puddlebrain.

"Anyway," said Edna, reverting back to her normal I'm-in-charge attitude. "Thanks."

Billy smiled, then remembered himself. He'd become a little lost in the moment and had softened. Can't be having that! "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Just watch yourself there witch! Don't think you can be nice to me all of a sudden!"

"As if I would," Edna smiled. "Not a chance."

Puddlebrain smiled too. They had their powers again. It meant they could face the villagers if they came back.

The villagers...

"Erm..." she began.