Eve 7/8

Afterwards when she tried to remember all her adventures in the alternate world, she couldn’t think what started the conversation. It seemed that Tasmin was talking without a stop for the whole of the afternoon, yet it couldn’t really have been more than half an hour.

Talk about talking dragons! This one never seemed to stop long enough to draw breath. Tasmin retold the whole of the Jennifer Jane story that Eve had already heard from all the other people she had met, as well as one or two new ones. One story in particular concerned the death of a troll called Lurgin. Apparently for ages after the event, everyone who didn’t know her personally thought she was nine feet tall, had a pet dragon she kept on a lead and always ate a troll before breakfast.

“Have you ever met my son Cyril? He lives in your world in a place called Wales with his auntie Megan. He sometimes comes home to see us all but he doesn’t really like it over here. When he was little we used to have roast peasant for dinner sometimes and he was always worried in case he recognised one of them. I don’t think he’s ever got over it.”

Eve finally managed to get a word in. “You mean pheasants don’t you, I’m sure you never really ate people.

“Of course we did, how else do you suppose we got enough crunchy bits to produce a proper flame? The tooth fairies never managed to get enough to keep us all properly up to strength. Then Cyril ate some coal on board Barnacle Bill’s steamboat and produced his first ever flame as a result. He was ever so young at the time,” she added proudly. That’s what gave Jennifer Jane the idea to get us all to eat coal instead of teeth or people.

Tasmin looked set to carry on for much longer, but Eve felt she ought to leave as soon as she could in case the dragon started feeling the need to remember what it was like to eat people again. She was completely convinced now that whatever any one told her was absolutely true and waved her hand before hurrying out of the cave and running down the road.

“Must hurry back,” she called as she left, “lots more to do today.”

She could hear the dragon’s rumbles slowly getting fainter as she left the cave behind, but she was still talking about the old days for as long as Eve could hear her.

She kept running until she reached the road at the bottom of the hill, then she turned right and began to retrace the route that the giant had brought her along that morning.

“Hey aren’t you the one who calls herself a witch that lives near Jennifer Jane?”

One of the old ladies who worked in the shop was waving at her as she hurried along.

“Yes I am, but I had to open a door today to get here because I wanted to see what this place was really like all by myself.”

“Coo you must be quite good then, ain’t she Dulce? We had a bit of trouble opening a door ourselves some time ago and Jennifer Jane got lost in another world as a result. I think them over at the Gate were a bit unkind about it though, after all it was one of their spells that we tried.”

Eve looked at the front of the shop which had no notices at all for souvenirs ice cream or anything else.

“What happened to all the adverts?

“They was only there to try and get you to keep away from this world. Over at the Gate they’ll be a bit upset if they find out that you’ve managed to come back here on your own.”

“I thought there were three of you when I was here before?”

“Yes dear, Ermintrude’s just flown a bunch of spells down to Lurbridge; she should be back in a minute. I bet you didn’t know she was the one who pretended to be Jennifer Jane when she was supposed to be nine feet high. She’s not really all that good as a witch, her speciality is fireballs. She’s very good at them, that’s what started our business going really, we could never light the fire under our cauldron properly before, could we Dulce? Then the kid gave us the idea of taking her in and we’ve been going from strength to strength ever since.”

“Yers, right,” said the shorter plump lady, who so far had just been watching Eve with a silly smile on her face, but had hardly said a word.

Eve hardly blinked at all, when a younger lady flew towards the shop on a broomstick and landed just by the counter. She was sure that nothing would surprise her now.

“Hey Erm, this lady was really a witch all the time. She had to open a door to get here, so what they were thinking of over at the Witches’ Home when they asked us to do all that stuff with the shop I don’t know!”

Ermintrude shook Eve’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, any friend of Jennifer Jane’s is a friend of mine. I’ve managed to settle down nicely since she suggested I join Esmerelda and Dulcibella and I’m very comfortable here. Much better than walking on stilts and having to keep a pet dragon I can tell you!”

Eve shook her head to try and clear it from the effects of all the strange stories she was hearing about her next door neighbour’s child. She had thought nothing else could surprise her, but then Dulce said more than two words for the first time.

“If you keep yer eyes open around Lurbridge you might be lucky enough to see Jennifer Jane’s dad flying around. Bet you didn’t know that one didjer?”

“Dave Bell flying about on a broomstick?”

“Nah, he’s got wings, he flies like a bird!”

Eve laughed. “Now that I can’t believe!”

“’Strue, Robert over at the Gate made ’em for him, you sometimes see the whole family flying about just for fun like!”

Eve laughed. “Must be getting along now,” she said and waved goodbye.

“No tellin’ some people is there,” said the older lady as Eve left, “now then young Erm, are you sure you got all the money this time?”