The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star by Jill Murphy

now fifteen feet up and not expecting anyone to be there.
    ‘Ethel!’ she exclaimed. ‘Careful! You made me jump – what are you doing here?’
    ‘Following
you
,’ said Ethel unpleasantly, hovering next to Mildred and nudging the holdall with her foot. ‘You weren’t
quite
quick enough outside the gates yesterday. I was looking out of the window when the mist cleared, just in time to see you putting something in your bag. What was it, Mildred? A badger? A large hedgehog? It was definitely an animal, that’s for sure.’
     

     
    ‘It was only Tabby,’ said Mildred, feeling desperate, as the holdall was now noticeably beginning to judder. ‘He’s in there now, so I’d better get on, Ethel, if you don’t mind, or we’ll
both
be late for take-off.’
    Unfortunately, just at that moment Tabby (unmistakeable as he was the only tabby cat in the school) strolled underneath them and out into the yard through the communal cat flap set into the wall.
     

     
    ‘I think
not
,’ said Ethel. ‘So, what
have
you got in the bag, Mildred? Come on, show me!’
    Mildred had flipped open the lantern door and was poised with the candle-snuffer when Ethel made a dive for the zip on the holdall.
     

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
     

 
    verything happened at once. Ethel yanked the zip open and Star’s head sprang into view, barking. Ethel was thrown off balance and seized Mildred, who also overbalanced. Mildred tried to stop them all from falling by grabbing the lantern but, to her horror, she only succeeded in wrenching it clean out of the wall. They watched helplessly as it hurtled across the slate floor below, smashing open and setting light to the costumes.
     

     
    Dangling from both brooms, Ethel gripping Mildred’s holdall and Mildred hanging on to Star, they twirled down together like a helicopter with a broken rotor, fortunately cushioned by Ethel’s holdall as they hit the flagstones.
    ‘Quick, Ethel!’ yelled Mildred, jumping up and rummaging in her holdall. ‘Grab your fire extinguisher!’
    Star was bouncing up and down barking hysterically, but the only thing Mildred could think of was putting out the fire. She found her own fire extinguisher, stood back and aimed it at the base of the flames, which were roaring up all four costumes with heart-stopping speed. Ethel lay frozen with shock on top of the holdall where she had fallen, watching as clouds of foam enveloped the burning mass of clothing.
    ‘Ethel!’ bellowed Mildred, still frantically spraying foam up and down the flames. ‘
Do
something! Get your fire extinguisher
now
!’
    Ethel snapped out of her trance. She scrambled to her feet, pulled her fire extinguisher out of the bag and aimed it at the remaining shreds of the costumes until the flames were completely engulfed.
    The hallway was now a blackened mess, knee-deep in foam, with bits of charred material floating delicately through the air. Mildred aimed one last burst of foam into the broken lantern.
    ‘It’s OK, Ethel,’ she said, ‘it’s out.’
     

     
    Star had stopped barking and had tucked himself behind Mildred’s legs, looking shamefaced. Something was clearly wrong and he was rather worried that it might be his fault. Mildred and Ethel stood staring at each other in a state of shock. They were both covered in soot, their clothes drenched, the ballet costumes utterly ruined.
    ‘We are going to be in
such
trouble,’ murmured Mildred, glancing nervously towards the door.
    ‘You certainly
are
, Mildred Hubble,’ said Miss Hardbroom’s unwelcome voice as she materialized silently from a dark alcove. ‘This is quite unbelievable! You
do
realize that we now have absolutely
no
prospect of even
entering
the competition, let alone winning it – added to which, the two of you have almost burnt down the school.’
    ‘It was an accident, Miss Hardbroom,’ said Ethel, beginning to sob. ‘Mildred had a dog in her bag and I was investigating.’
    ‘It wasn’t
my
fault!’ protested Mildred.