Coincidence Or Not At Hilltop Reach

Walking down the lane with her best friend Minta, Maisy wonders about coincidence, particularly when she isn’t looking, but jumps over the mud puddle instinctually. “That’s handy, or my socks would have been full of slugs and mud if I hadn’t missed it.”

Minta rolls her eyes. “You’re lucky, that’s all. Many witches are these days.”

“I don’t think my dad dying while sneezing on a firework is lucky, actually quite the opposite. What about my mum getting her lower teeth wedged in her upper lip just because she ticked me after lunch last Saturday? She had six stitches and prods me with a stick all evening, holding up drawings of tea, cake or magic pain relief.”

“That sounds a pain…I mean yeah that’s rough all round.” Minta coughs.”Have you decided what university you are going to? Maggs Witch Academy is full already because of the huge top notch families being promised places. But the tiny Cauldron in Reading usually trains assassin witches, and polite witch party circles never hear of them again.”

Maisy stops in the middle of the empty lane to rub the back of her leg. “It’s too hot today to decide, but I know I need to talk to grandma about it. Poor mum is out of bounds until her mouth heals. Doc Brown has said.”

“Understandable really though, Maisy, right? Your mum trying to speak a hundred words a minute and you getting sprayed with spit from dried blood and disinfectant-drenched tape. That is seriously gross. Are you going to see your grandma later, after our lunchtime picnic?”

Rising from rubbing her leg, Maisy nods. “What food have you brought this time, Minta? I hope you have brought some Viennese whirls? So I can dip them in my tea as it will help me decide what to say to grandma later.”

“Oi, Miss scatterbrain, it is your turn to bring the food this time, but you brought the flask of tea instead. Come on, let’s go sit at the Black Cat Cafe and chat to Morty, the ghost. Miss Simms might have a list of Witch schools, as we sure can’t google them.”

Maisy links arms with her long-term bestie and they continue to chat while a pair of black eyes under a green hood watches them.

***

A cobbled path leads the pair in through the open door, past the sign of a huge curved black cat holding a black wipe-clean board. “I wonder what today’s specials are?”

Maisy looks behind her at the dark eyes peeking out of the nearby raised flower bed. “Morning Morty, your black cat shape is really believable now, so good job.” The black eyes grow to form a pale grey shape with huge black eyes. “Meow, meee-ooow!”

Flip flap sounds appear and legs extend from the moving sandals at the end of them. “Good morning girls, have you come for lunch as Maisy has forgotten her turn to bring a picnic again?”

Minta nods and tugs on her pal’s arm. “Yeah, Miss no brain here even forgot her money, so lunch is on me again. But we are going to her grans later and she makes a gorgeous farmhouse fruit cake with crunchy brown sugar.”

“Meee-ow.” Morty rubs his tail around the girls and moves on towards his favourite sun spot by the front door of the cafe.

Miss Simms moves between the two young women and ushers them inside with a gentle prod of their shoulders. “A nice cheesy omelet and a strawberry milkshake, then?”

“Yes please! We’ll sit by Morty and feed him tuna snacks while you cook. I want to ask you a question after you have a minute?” Maisy asks Miss Simms.

“Of course, dear. Is it about how to find a list of Witch Universities? It is tricky because you need a world map and a reveal spell at Hilltop Reach when the moon is full. Difficult to sort out when the full moon is in two days and Hilltop Reach attracts mosquitoes this time of year. So take your yellow spray can and your rubbing mozzie stick with you.” Miss Simms says, then enters her kitchen to sing while she cooks.

Two old wicker chairs creak under the strain of the two tall, healthy women. “I wonder if my grandma has a map and a reveal spell she can give me. Or at least tell me where to get it,” Maisy says, lifting the cat treat out of her pocket. “Here you go. Morty have this. My grandma taught me how to make these for you so you can enjoy them.”

Morty sniffs, then licks the small square and purrs as his mandible moves around. “Mee-ow, meee-owww!”

Maisy strokes his see through black tail. “There now, is that a pleasant surprise for our sweet, hungry cat ghost?” Morty purrs and raises his head to butt Maisy while dropping a tin whistle in her lap. “What’s this Morty? Is this a present just for me?” Maisy presses the tiny polished whistle to her slightly open lips and blows. No sound but lots of loud barking increase in bluster and turmoil as the crowd of dogs arrive to bark at the entrance to the Black Cat domain.

“Me-me-meowwww, me-me-me-ow?” Morty discusses Maisy’s need for a magic school map and a reveal spell.

“Ruff-ruff-ruff.” A large black Labrador replies and wags his tail around in a circle.

“Miss Simmons, what are they saying please, as I don’t speak fine black cat or black Labrador?”

Miss Simmons leans out of her open kitchen door. “Put the whistle in your ear and you will understand, dear. By the way, do you want extra cheese and a third omelette for our dog visitors to share? I can add a handful of cooked sausages too?”

Maisy nods, “Yes, please. I think that will be a nice way to say thank you. Oh, please bring ice cold water as these lovelies look very thirsty.”

“Minta?”

“No problem, Miss Simmons, I’ll get the gorgeous helpers some fresh water from the stream outside, as it tastes better directly from Hilltop Reach mountain stream.”

***

Maisy and Minta wave goodbye to the Black Cat cafe occupants and walk up the hill, past the start of Hilltop stream to grandma’s house. “Knock knock, grandma, we’re here.”

A low cackle you expect to hear in a fairytale emanates from inside the rose edged cottage. “Come in, my dears, we have been expecting you. I hope you brought the whistle?”

“Afternoon, grandma, here are some flowers we picked from the end of your garden. They look bigger than unusual,” Maisy says, kissing her grandma on her cheek. Four tall black hats sit on nearby cushions on grandma’s table.

“I have some visitors, Maisy, who are here to meet you, but your special hooman friend Minta can stay as well.”

“Thanks Maisy’s gan, I love your fruit cake. Did you make it today?” Minta asks, looking around at the fine bone china blue periwinkle cake plates.

“Of course dear, and fresh salmon and cucumber sandwiches to start how I mean to go on.”

A high voice spoke next. “Quite right Hilly, we need to do all this properly and decide if this was all a coincidence or not. Knowing your granddaughter, probably not.”

Grandma raises her gnarled hand. “I Hilly Tiptop, former witch of Hilltop Reach Secret University for Lucky Ladies, declares this meeting open. We are here to decide if Maisy Tiptop here has enough coincidences in her life so far to attend our special leaders of the witch community gold standard establishment.”

Maisy leans over the nearby table set for tea and cakes and sniffs it. A salmon sandwich lifts itself into the air and taps on her lips. Opening her mouth to bite it, Maisy blushes as grandma taps her thick black stick against her rocking chair. “That won’t do in front of this annual university entrance exam meeting Maisy. But otherwise it’s fine to do it that way. Make sure you offer them around now so the bread corners don’t dry up in this heat.”

The small woman speaks again, “Yes please, I love Hilly’s sandwiches and her scrumptious finger buffet. How about we eat and drink first and talk later?”

“Good plan,” Grandma says, prodding Minta’s elbow. “Pass around the plates, please, dear.”

A knock on grandma’s round white door has Minta go turn the doorknob. “Hello Minta, I’m running late for Hilly’s annual get together. Pour me a cup of tea and cut me a slice of cake. There’s a sweet witch’s friend.”

“Happy too, Miss Simms, and thanks for that delicious cheese omelette earlier. This crumbly cake finishes my lunch nicely indeed. It’s unlikely I will need dinner until midnight tonight at this rate.”

The six women gathering around grandma laugh at Minta’s comment. “As a witch’s friend, you surprisingly know what we’ll be doing tonight to prepare for tomorrow’s full moon,” Miss Simmons says. “I have made a big black cauldron of sausage stew, which I’ll warm up in the moonlight.”

“Do you think all this is a coincidence or not, grandma?” Maisy asks.

“Of course not dear, you are a very lucky witch and will go to my old university and be our new coven leader in later years. I know because I had a premonition of your future when you were born. But your father wanted to move. Well, we know what happened to him. Unfortunately, men attracted to women witches often have a sticky end.”

“But in my father’s case, a very explosive end as he lit the bangers too close to his socks and went up into the sky with them. Very combustible, he was indeed. Most definitely not a coincidence there.”