Chapter 24

Octavia sent Bruce Dinkum, Bruce Bockschecker and her Dad home but she couldn’t get Gaspode, Gula, and Mesquite to leave (as Gula said “I ai aw ik oo” which caused Gaspode to start howling in sorrow again) so she lived on the porch. Many folk come to see the witch, but they had to walk away disappointed. They needed a witch, not an enchantress, which added to Octavia’s depression.

A couple showed up with their crying daughter. The tiny thing had been bitten by something and her little arm was red and swollen and it hurt. Octavia lit the candle next to the rocking chair and Nana Partridge appeared, but she apologized and said, “I’m sorry dearie, but I’m retired now, after all, I died ten years ago, I need my rest. When Nick gets back, he can help you, but until then, Octavia darling, can you make up a salve for them? It’s in my cookbook, page eighty three.”

“Nana wait! When is he coming back? Nana?” but the ghost of Nana Partridge had blown out her own candle and disappeared, leaving Octavia to make the salve herself.

It gets chilly in the mountains so one evening Octavia piled up some wood in the fireplace, pointed her finger at the wood, and nothing happened. She tried several different spells to light the fire but none of them worked, in fact none of her spells worked, so she lit Nana Partridge’s candle with a match and when Nana appeared Octavia was angry. “Why isn’t my magic working?”

“For that you need to speak to the wizard, Nick will answer “why” when he gets back, but it was Besingger Floyd who took your magic away.”

“What do you mean when you said, “when he gets back?” demanded Octavia.

Nana whooped as if Octavia had told the greatest joke ever written. She finally said, “If Nick had died, that book which you hid under me would be a bunch of blank pages, wouldn’t it...” she smiled that little smile that angers Octavia the most, but she realized it was an older experienced witch trying to enlighten a young, grieving wizard. “What does your book say little one?” Nana asked.