Chapter 2

When I was allowed to get out of bed I found that my wardrobe now had some of Suzettes’ old clothes in it. My mother told me that they had been saving the cast-offs for today and that there was new underwear and other items now in my drawers.

When I dressed I found that it all came naturally, able to do up my bra without a thought. In a blouse and skirt with open toed sandals I looked at myself in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised at how good I looked.

After lunch my mother said that she was taking my grandmother home and we had a group hug before she left. Suzette took me back up to my room and made me go through the contents of my wardrobe, trying everything on.

Over a period of about two hours we had discovered what fitted me and the ones that didn’t were put in a bag for charity. Of the ones that did fit me there were some that she said didn’t work on me and these were added to the bag.

By the time my mother came home I had discovered my starting style and was back in the blouse and skirt when she walked in.

“My, don’t you look the goods” she said when she saw me. I was told to add some tights that I would find in my drawer and that we would be going to Evensong, seeing that it was Sunday, and would meet up with the other members of the Meditation Group there. She said that we needed to let them know that everything was successful.

I queried the venue and was told that the church we would attend was Progressive and that we would be made welcome as it was a usual meeting place for the group on a Sunday evening.

When I questioned the relationship between witches and the church I was told that the church had, actually, picked up bits of the old gods to peddle their own brand of religion and that, while we got on with the Progressive crowd, I was to watch out for the Catholics as they tended to dislike our kind.

After I had put on the tights I was supervised while I did my make-up for the first time. It was a case of my mind knowing exactly what I wanted to do but the body still trying to catch up and Suzette gave me some tips on how I could support my arm to get an even line while putting on the liner.

In the end we all got into the Cruiser and drove to the church in Redhill. All of the group were there and we sat in the back, doing everything needed and singing loudly at the right times. We even gave generously when the plate came around.

After the service we all greeted the vicar and then it was time for me to properly meet the others who had been there for me last night. One by one I met Henrietta, Christine, Wendy, Margaret, Patricia and Roberta; the last three being a mother and two daughters.

Each one gave me a hug and welcomed me to the little group and I started to get a bit teary as I had never been so enveloped before. My time as a boy had been one of isolated competition with the other boys and a resistance to authority.

As a girl I was part of a bigger world of sisterhood and my heart was almost bursting with the love I felt for my sisters. I suddenly realised that, as we had been hugging, each one had passed a little magic my way and that it would take me a while to sort it out when I was alone.

Wendy had, I was told, the ability to see peoples auras and it came across to me as the ability to read peoples’ minds, but only if they were concentrating on one thing.

This became apparent when I hugged Collette.

She whispered, “Hey, Nutter, how they hanging?” I had the impression that she was more than interested.

I answered, “All good, Weedy, want to grab a bit?” and she giggled and blushed. As we all chatted I got the impression that the group, as a whole, was more like a sewing circle than they would admit to.

Discussion was centred on good deeds, cake stalls and charity drives. There was much talk of how long it would take me to be a productive member of the group. I held my peace as I was starting to realise that I had gained enough from them today to be the strongest one, other than my mother.

Before we broke up, Collette told me that I had a couple of appointments in Redhill on Monday and that she would pick me up at 8.30am to take me to my first, the Viva Hair and Beauty Salon where she worked.

Back at home I was shown the basic evening make-up removal ritual to bring it into my mind and I went to bed in a very relaxed state, considering what a momentous day it had been. Obviously, my pseudo memories as Amity were now strong enough for me to take it all in my stride.

Monday morning I was up, showered and dressed by 7.30am to tidy up after my mother and Suzette left for work. I didn’t do anything to my hair or face so that the Viva girls had a blank canvas.

Collette picked me up and she drove us into Redhill. The salon was in the Market area, just across the road from the Belfry shops. When Collette had parked and turned off the motor, she turned to me.

“Amity, I am so glad you have joined our little band. We are the youngest two and, as such, I think we should see more of each other.”

I knew what she had in mind so I leant over and kissed her cheek. “That’s my answer to that. It’s from Armand, who always liked you as Colin and Collette, as well as Amity, who likes you a lot as well.”

She asked me if I could read minds and I told her that Wendy had given me a little insight into peoples’ feelings, rather than thoughts.

“But, if you concentrate hard, I think I can see more detail. Think of a card, any card”.

She did so and I sat back and materialised the card she had been thinking of. She gasped. “But that’s tremendous. I’ve never seen that done before. I can’t wait to tell Mum.”

I asked her to keep it to herself as I was exploring all of the bits of magic I had been given on Sunday. I didn’t want those in the group to speculate on whether I now posed a threat to them. She promised to keep it quiet before we got out of the car and walked to the salon.

My first salon session was a whirlpool of thoughts and emotions as I had my hair washed again and then I had red highlights streaked in it before being given a very stylish cut and shape. My face was thoroughly cleansed and I was given a full make-up.

When I looked in the mirror I could not see any of the old me, not even the earlier me from the mirror this morning. They did my ears and I now had two studs each side. All the girls said I was beautiful and Collette gave me a big hug as I paid.

My next appointment was a couple of doors away at the Nail Boutique, where all my nails got attention and my fingers ended up sporting some quite long acrylics. After all this hectic beautification I walked over the road to the Belfry and strolled around looking into the shops.

I had made arrangements with Collette to meet her in the food court and, by the time she arrived, I had several bags from dress and underwear shops and a couple from shoe stores. We ate a light lunch and went to her car so she could drop me at home before going back to work.

When she pulled into my driveway and I had put all my bags on the grass, she got out of her car and came around to give me a hug before getting back in and backing out onto the road to drive back to work.

Going inside with my shopping I emptied the bags in the lounge and snipped all of the tags. I had been careful when trying everything on so was sure of the fittings. I took it all up to my room and put it away, making room by pulling out all of the old Armand things.

I knew that I was going to have to make a special shopping trip to get more shoes but I had enough inner and outer wear to get me by for now. As I did all this I thought of Collette.

As Armand she was so far out of my league it was unthinkable to have even thought about kissing her first, but now I felt that we were very well matched as friends. Back downstairs I tidied up the bags and tags and then took a garbage bag upstairs for my Armand clothes to go to the charity.

I then had a couple of hours to spare before the family came home so I went into my workshop for the first time as Amity. Standing there, I looked at the figures I had made.

There they were; Nelson, Napoleon, Montgomery, Rommel, all four Beatles, Neil Armstrong in his space suit, Wyatt Earp, Diana Rigg and Jayne Mansfield. Then there was the unfinished Stevie.

I had the sudden thought that, although I had considered myself to be pretty good at making the clothing, I was going to have to go back and work on all of them again. The fits were not right and the styling sucked.

I decided that all the men were on the second tier and that I would finish Stevie and rework Diana and Jayne first. I spent the rest of the afternoon sketching the new clothes for the three of them and thinking about who else I wanted to add to the collection.

All I could think of now were women. It then struck me that my sewing skills could be turned to making my own clothes and decided that I needed a tailor’s dummy and a full size sewing machine before anything else. I also spent some time exploring the extent of my powers.

We were sat down for breakfast on Tuesday morning and I had made myself a cup of tea when my mother asked, “Amity, why don’t you make your sister some toast?”

And I did – I materialised two pieces of toast on her plate, properly buttered and jammed as she liked them. We all gasped and I blushed, saying that it was a reflex action. They both had perplexed looks on their faces when they left for work.

When my mother and Suzette got home we had a good tea and cleaned up. Suzette went up to her room and I sat in the lounge with my mother.

I must have looked a bit serious as she asked, “Amity, there is something on your mind, can I help?”

“Mummy, I have been thrown into this and am just learning to swim but I feel that I have been given more than a lifebelt to keep me afloat. When all of the ladies hugged me Sunday I felt that they were giving me magic.”

She nodded and said that it was usual to impart a little bit of power to the new member to help them along.

“But I feel that I have been given more than a little. Think of a number, any number.”

When she did I told it what it was. I then asked her to think of any object and got it right every time. When I materialised the card she was thinking of she thought of a pack of cards so I materialised them as well.

“Yesterday I was told that you could not materialise anything bigger than a cricket ball so what about this?” I materialised a small portable television on the coffee table which was turned on to the BBC.

She gasped and leant forward to touch it.

“Go on, change channels, it is real and it works.”

She did so and sat back. “I’ve never seen anything like this. We had no idea you would soak up power like you have. Will this remain real?”

I said, “Not if we don’t want it,” and made it disappear.

I told her that I thought that we should keep my abilities quiet until I had mastered them and could then control my reactions. “Like this morning when you asked for a piece of toast, if I did that in public view I would be heading for the stake.”

She agreed and then asked if I was scared at what I could do.

“Yes, there are things that I have already done. Come to the workshop and I’ll show you.”

We went into the workshop where the figures usually stood on a shelf behind the work-bench but now were sitting around on the bench. When we walked in they stood up and waved to us.

“My God,” my mother said, “You’ve animated wooden figures. This is frightening, you could do terrible things with the right models.”

I told the figures to get back on the shelf and it was funny seeing them help each other to climb up. Once they were in place I de-animated them.

“Right, my girl! Tomorrow you can take the Cruiser and visit your grandmother for a few days, she can help you now.”

I told her I didn’t have a licence so she showed me hers and told me to produce one of my own. This I did.

I had a good night of deep sleep and, in the morning I showered, dressed and packed enough for a week, loading up the Cruiser. After I had tidied up the house I drove to my grandmothers’ house, my mother having rung her last night to warn her of my arrival.

When I arrived she welcomed me and showed me to the spare room to help me hang my clothes. She then told me that she had made an arrangement with some members of her group to meet for lunch and to spend the afternoon trying to figure out what had happened.

She said that she had only been told that I had gained more than expected but to wait until we were all together before I demonstrated anything.

Her group was an old fashioned coven with no thought of pandering to modern thinking so it was a hard-boiled group of women that I sat with after lunch. None had hugged me and I thought this was because they were afraid I may suck more out of them.

I was sat in front of six of the coven and asked to show what I could do. I started with materialising small items and they were impressed that someone so new could do this. I then moved on to mind reading and I sensed a level of discomfort in the group at this one.

We stopped for a drink and then I was asked if there was any more I could do. I materialised a plate of biscuits which everyone thought was a big move and then I materialised a television in the corner of the room already plugged into the wall and showing the afternoon show, which happened to be ‘Coronation Street’. This created a real sense of wonderment among the women.

I made the television disappear and then pulled a small doll out of my bag. I had bought it at a toy shop on the way over. I gave it to one of the women and told her to say hello to it.

When she did I animated the doll which said hello back and started squirming in her hands. She dropped it on the floor and the doll told her she was a clumsy bitch in a mechanical voice and walked off in a huff.

I de-animated her before she walked out of the door and my grandmother went over and picked her up, checking that it was a genuine store-bought doll and pulling the string in the back. The doll said Mamma in the mechanical voice. I was asked to go for a walk while they discussed me and I left the house and strolled around the block.

When I got back it had been decided that I would meet the rest of the coven in a full meeting and that we would have a group transfer to me in the hope that the combined knowledge and ethical sensibility would allow me to temper the powers I already had.

This happened the following evening in a glade in a nearby wood, a very atmospheric place. At the end of the evening I was almost full of magic but also full of the desire to keep it under control. No more animating inanimate objects.

I went home on Friday morning and was able to stay in the background on Friday evening at the meeting of my own coven. I sat next to Collette and I could sense that she was really happy I was here.

I could feel that a couple of the older members had sensed that I was different but did not know how to broach the subject during the meeting. Afterwards Wendy asked me if I had absorbed the knack of reading auras and I told her that it had changed for me in that I could now sense happiness or worry.

I told her who, in the group, was worried about what they had created in me. She agreed with the names I gave her and commented that I may have picked up more tricks along the way than I was letting on.

I told her I would show her a few when the time was right. She then told me that a previous member of the group, Donna, had not been known as Donner just because of her sparkling spells.

“Donna and her sister Bessie were both great witches and their aura was blue with yellow flashes. Yours was a light blue last week after we had created you; darker after we had hugged on Sunday. Now, your aura is very dark blue with vivid flashes which shows that you now possess a greater power than I have ever seen before. Like Donner and Blitzen, I will keep it secret as long as you want me to. Now, just show me one thing that you can do.”

I asked her to join me outside and to look at the driveway to the house. I materialised a motorcycle for her, made it start and then made it disappear. She gasped and said that this surely needed to be kept quiet as she had never seen something so large created out of nothing.

I gave he a hug and felt a little of my power pass to her and her eyes grew wide.

“I can read minds as well as auras!” she cried. ”It‘s a terrible thing to have. Please take it away.”

I held her hand and took it back. She gulped and said that she could never be able to control that sort of power and that I must be very careful in future.

At the end of the evening Collette asked me if I was available on Saturday evening to go and see a movie in Redhill. I said that I would love it. As I walked home with my mother and Suzette I told them that Wendy had told me my aura had darkened to deep blue with flashes.

“Oh my,” my mother gasped, “That is very interesting, Suzette has never been anything more than a light blue and she was born into the sisterhood.”

Suzette asked what this meant and my mother told her that I was growing to be a very powerful witch and had to work hard at controlling my powers. Suzette, ever the precocious one, demanded, “Show me, then.”

We had just turned into our own driveway and I quickly looked around to make sure we were not being watched and materialised a small dragon on the path in front of us.

As Suzette froze in place with her eyes wide and mouth open (as usual). I got it to incinerate a plastic gnome that I had never liked and then made it disappear.

The gnome was now a pool of melted plastic with a wisp of smoke rising from it. My mother and I caught Suzette as she passed out and carried her into the house to lay her on the settee.

My mother laughed. “I never liked that gnome but was too lazy to throw it out. That was even more amazing than anything else you have demonstrated. I gather that my mothers’ coven gave you their own combined magic.”

When Suzette came round we gave her a drink of water. I sat on one of the chairs and she looked at me in a mixture of wonderment and fear.

“Never let me have a dig at you ever again. It’s just too dangerous. How on earth do you control that power?”

I told her that it was a work in progress but could pass some to her if she wanted it.

My mother said that it may be an opportunity to see if I could, indeed, pass anything on. I knew I could but didn’t tell her that.

We stood in the centre of the room and I said, “If you feel it is too much, just break the hug.”

We came together in a group hug and I tried to filter what I passed over, keeping the ability for animation to myself but giving them a smaller dose of mind reading and manifestation powers. I knew I had other powers I had not even tested and kept them back as well.

When I felt that they had as much as they could control I broke the hug myself. They both stood there with looks of amazement on their faces.

My mother just said “Wow!” and Suzette told us that up to this point, she had considered the group as an interesting thing to play with but now realised that the playtime was well and truly over.

I sat them on the settee and made them practise their manifestation powers, starting with small items and moving into bigger ones. They both could materialise a portable television but my mothers’ wouldn’t work.

Suzette got excited about what she could now do and we stopped to have a hot, milky drink to calm everyone down. They could both easily read a concentrated thought and Suzette even had the power now to see auras.

My mother finally told us it was well over our time for bed and to get a good night in as we were going into London tomorrow to get me some more shoes and clothes.

It had been another big day and I wondered how much more strange my life could become.

Once we were all snuggled down I cast a small spell to the others to get them sleeping soundly and then dropped off myself.

Marianne Gregory © 2022