The third world 1/10

Esmerelda and Dulcibella were going to try out a new sort of magic.

"One of them finger twiddles like that lot do up at the Gate"

A loose piece of paper had blown their way showing the various steps of the 'finger twiddle' to make a door. They didn't know what a 'door' was, but as it was magic from the witches who lived at the Gate they thought they'd give it a try.

Esmerelda was practising the twiddle while Dulcibella held the paper to stop it from blowing away. Occasionally Esme produced a pop or a crackling noise, but nothing else seemed to happen. They were just about to give up when they saw Jennifer Jane cross the drawbridge from the Gate and walk towards them.

"Morning ladies," she called as she came closer, "no fire today?"

"Observant ain't she," said Esmerelda, "takes brains to spot something like that"

"Yers" said Dulcibella with a laugh.

"We've got a finger spell here to make a door, but when we try it nothing happens. As usual," she added.

Dulcibella produced the paper. Jennifer Jane wiggled her fingers as illustrated and produced a slight pop.

"No better nor we've done" said Esmerelda.

"I think part of the problem must be that a door has to have a frame," said Jennifer Jane.

"Of course, daft of us not to think of it ourselves, told you she had brains," said Esmerelda digging Dulcibella in the ribs with her elbow.

"Yers, brains, owch,” said Dulcibella

The witches found three fallen branches in the woods and pushed two of them into the ground as upright as they could manage and about three feet apart. Then Esmerelda, who was the tallest, reached up and balanced the third across the top.

"Not much of a frame," she said, "but perhaps it'll do."

Looking carefully at the diagram she wiggled her fingers. This time there was a crackling noise and the branches started to emit sparks.

"Not much of a door eever," said Dulcibella with a grin. She walked through the frame, then turned round and came back again.

"Nuffink different there," she said.

"Can I have a go?" asked Jennifer Jane.

"'Course you can love," said Esmerelda.

The doorframe was crackling more loudly and beginning to smoke as Jennifer Jane walked through, she looked round but there seemed to be no change in the scenery. Then she glanced across at the Witches' Home. She looked back at Esmerelda and Dulcibella.

"That's funny," she said, "the Witches' Home has disappeared."

"Can't have," said Esmerelda, "I can see it from here" and began walking towards her.

Before she could reach the door, the branches crackled even more loudly, burst into flames and collapsed setting fire to the grass. Jennifer Jane stamped out the flames. Esmerelda and Dulcibella had both disappeared.

Esmerelda and Dulcibella ran to their cauldron and dipping a bucket of water, threw it over the burning branches.

"Where's the kid?" asked Dulcibella.

For once Esmerelda had nothing to say.