The Imposter 1/9

It was Mary Bell’s turn to have a coffee morning. Her next door neighbour was sitting in her kitchen chatting away happily.

“You remember I told you that I’d lost weight very suddenly after my fall in the woods,” Eve was saying, “well two days ago I went back to normal overnight. I’m beginning to wonder if I should buy a new set of scales!”

Mary smiled to herself, “Have some more coffee,” she said, refilling Eve's cup.

Jennifer Jane had rescued Eve from a fall in the woods and had to make her light enough to carry up a cliff. Mary knew perfectly well that her daughter had only just learned the proper cancelling spell, so that she could correct Eve’s weight.

“Where is your daughter today? I thought she might be at home for the holiday?”

“She’s out for the day attending special classes, I think today’s lesson is about self defence.” Mary replied.

‘And when she gets home I must ask her to learn how to apply corrections gradually in future,’ she thought to herself.

Meanwhile Jennifer Jane was enjoying her combat training at the Witches’ Home. This was only her second lesson and today the class was learning how to protect themselves against another witch, who might use a fireball to attack her opponent.

The previous lesson had been about methods of shielding against physical attack, such as a blow using a fist, or even a club or sword. The class were taught to protect themselves with a left hand ‘twiddle’, whilst making an attack of their own with the other hand.

After the theory and a session with the teacher coming round to correct the pupils, they all went on to practice the moves they’d just been taught. The teacher arranged for all the attacks to result in a thrown cupful of water, so that no one would get hurt, but the defence would only be successful if the correct twiddle was used against the supposed threat.

The students were lined up in two rows and told to attack the person opposite until one of them got wet. The teacher dried off the losers with a quick twiddle in case anyone caught a cold, then the rows moved along one place so that they could all had another attempt against a new opponent.

There were eight pupils in the class and Jennifer Jane had got soaked six times. Even so, she felt she was getting better and finally on her very last try she managed to hit the person opposite with her cupful of water.

There was quick break for a drink and then the class reassembled for more practice. This time either of the methods of defence that had been taught could be used and only the correct protection would work.

If someone used a fireball defence against a blow from a club, then they’d get wet. One line of pupils was told to attack, while the others defended. The water was coloured red when used as a flame, so that the type of attack would only be known when the intended victim saw it.

It was great fun, but Jennifer Jane ended up getting soaked every time.

The other apprentices had been playing these types of games almost as soon as they could walk and one of them was so good that she actually managed to avoid getting wet at all.

At last the teacher dismissed the class, but asked Jennifer Jane to stay behind for a moment.

She presented her with a parchment scroll tied with a red ribbon. “Abigail asked me to give you this,” she said with a grin, as she twiddled the fingers of her other hand and dried her out for the twentieth time that day.