Woodlington

Chapter 12 - Rebecca Blackmore

They talked for what seemed ages – Alex, bursting with questions, interrupting Jessie every few seconds.

To her surprise, it turned out Woodlington had tons of witches, male and female, most living on Peddlers Hill.

("I knew it!")

That they were magic, was the one secret every witch had to keep from regular people (or Normals, as they were called). Only if, and this hardly ever happened, someone made it known they were truly wanting to learn magic, could the secret be shared.

("And that was me?"

"That was you.")

To her dismay, Alex learnt that anyone was able to do magic. Having thought she was special, this deflated her slightly, but she soon bucked up when Jessie told her just how many witches she'd been going to school with.

("You'll be going too though, won't you?")

The Circle was completely unique, a place separate from the world around them. No-one had the faintest idea where it had come from, but it was there for anyone to use.

There were two things to remember though.

Firstly, The Circle took you on your own. Even if a large group entered, each would have it to themselves. The only exception was for those physically touching as they went in.

("That's why you took my hand!")

And secondly, in The Circle there was no time. It simply didn't exist. You could stay for hours, days even, and you'd leave at the exact minute you entered.

This took some thinking about.

Then there were the general rules of witchcraft - what witches could and couldn't do. One thing Alex was surprised to discover, was that magic couldn't be done in graveyards.

No witch, unless given permission, would perform magic in the house of another. Nor would they use magic on a familiar, except their own of course.

Jessie's familiar (which Alex guessed straight away) was Gypsy. He'd found her when he was a puppy, and they'd been inseparable ever since.

When Jessie mentioned some of the other familiars she knew, Alex nodded at the description of a huge black cat.

("I think I've seen him. He belongs to Mr Wilson.")

There were other rules, some finicky (wands carried in public must be no longer than ten inches), others downright bizarre (witches could only eat cheese under a full moon).

The rules seemed endless, and Alex wondered how she'd ever remember them all. She burst out laughing when Jessie told her how any adult witches shorter than five feet, had to leave three turnips outside their back door at night.

("It's not that funny!")

She learnt about the folklore and superstition the witches adhered to. When Jessie mentioned how natural things could be carried to ward off negative energies or attract positive ones, Alex smiled.

("So that's why you look like a walking tree most of the time.")

Then there were the lessons she'd be learning.

New witches had to be taught:

The nature of magic.

The limitations of magic.

How to interact with Normals.

How to gather energy.

How to balance the elements.