Rebecca and the Wicked Witch: Wingless Fairy, #3

By Margaret Pearce

Rebecca--once upon a time a fairy princess--has a new teacher: Sneaky, meanie Miss Baroom. The new teacher is actually a powerful and wicked witch who prowls the district after dark riding a bewitched human. Rebecca sets out to discover how a powerful wicked witch got into their quiet district. With the help of the house goblins and her owl, Rebecca must stop Miss Baroom before dreadful things happen to everyone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Writers Exchange E-Publishing
• Release date: Oct 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781922066558

Margaret Pearce

Margaret Pearce was born when the population of Australia was seven million – now it is some twenty-two million. Like many Australians, her forebears immigrated in the 1850's to find a better life for their children, part of the largest diaspora of the times.At seven when she found a lurid science fiction magazine, her unsupervised reading started. The cover had an almost naked female in a large wine glass and an interesting alien drinking her blood from a tap below. She has since been hooked on science fiction and fantasy. She completed a commercial course before being launched on an unsuspecting business world as a typist, stenographer and secretary before falling into copywriting. When she married, she commenced writing and even while raising children, found time to publish. When children grew, she decided to study for a arts degree as a mature age student and become a teacher, but writing continued to dominate her life.The Author lives in an underground house in the Australian bush, where she maintains her love of writing.

Book preview

The Wingless Fairy Series,

Book 3:

Rebecca and the Wicked Witch

By Margaret Pearce

http://www.writers-exchange.com/

The Wingless Fairy Series Book 3: Rebecca and the Wicked Witch

Copyright 2012, 2015 Margaret Pearce

Writers Exchange E-Publishing

PO Box 372

ATHERTON  QLD  4883

Cover Art by: Laura Shinn

Published by Writers Exchange E-Publishing

http://www.writers-exchange.com

ISBN 978-1-922066-55-8  

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

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Rebecca ran into the cottage, tears streaming down her face. She flung her school satchel across the room. The white owl sleeping up in the corner opened its eyes, ruffled its feathers and stared down at her.

I hate school, and I hate our new teacher that sneaky meanie Miss Baroom.

Hang up your wet cloak and satchel, Miranda ordered. Did you rub Sally down?

And fed her and left her in the barn, Rebecca said.

This was one of the good things about school. She was allowed to ride Sally the family horse there and back. Rebecca had loved school when she started. Old Madam Friton was a wonderful teacher. She was pleased with Rebecca's standard of reading and writing. She had helped her learn the multiplication tables and praised her sketching. Then she had suddenly collapsed and died.

It was the first day with the new teacher. Rebecca had taken a strong dislike to Miss Baroom even before she introduced herself to the one room school. She was tall and thin, with red hair curling in ringlets that looked like snakes. She had mean eyes nearly as red as her hair, a long nose and a thin nasty mouth.

She failed everyone on everything, Rebecca burst out. She sneered at my writing. She jeered at Tam's spelling, and used the cane on Janine Friton for stuttering. She was still crying when school closed. It's been the most horrible day of my life.

Miranda stood up, sliced some bread and jam and reached for the kettle to make hot cocoa. Rebecca sat at the table and drank hot cocoa and ate slices of bread and blackberry jam. She started to feel better.

Rain poured down outside, but the cottage was cosy. The savoury odour of stew rose from the pot over the fire. Willyum, her baby brother, played in the playpen George had made before leaving. Rebecca decided that she missed her father George. He had left at the start of the bad weather to work in some far off mines.

Don't know why the Fritons board her when Miss Baroom is so mean to everybody, Rebecca grumbled.

It is the only place with room to board her, Miranda said. You wouldn't like her boarding here?

No, Rebecca agreed with a shudder. Guess she is welcome to stay at the Friton place.

Well, she is the new teacher, so try not to upset her, Miranda warned. Try to learn all she can teach you. She has come very highly recommended.

That was on Monday. After that the school week only got worse. Miss Baroom realizing that Tam and Janine were the Friton children, favoured them disgracefully. They no longer got bad marks, caning or the sharp edge of her tongue.

The rest of the class chanted multiplication tables, wrote out endless spelling lists and copied out texts about geography. They also started being nasty to each other. The bigger children thumped into smaller children, and the smaller children lied, sneaked and told tales. The pleasant atmosphere of the small one room school was completely gone.

At last it was Friday. The rain had cleared, and it was a sunny cold afternoon. Sally's bare back was warm and comfortable as she ambled along the track that led back to the cottage.

She is so mean, Rebecca fumed. She's even mean to her pony. I saw her kick it hard when she rode in this morning, and the poor pony hadn't done anything.

Poor Emmaline, Sally agreed.

Rebecca nodded. She understood the language of animals. Funny name for a pony though, Rebecca said. She was warm and comfortable and a bit sleepy as she swayed to Sally's slow amble.

She isn't a pony, Sally said.

Rebecca sat bolt upright, suddenly very wide-awake.

What do you mean she isn't a pony? What is she?

Some sort of bewitched human, Sally said. Her memory is gone, so she doesn't know.

Rebecca started to shiver despite the warm cloak she was wearing. Not only was the new teacher a nasty mean person, but she must also be a witch! How nasty could you get, bewitching a human to use as your steed? Also she had a whole classroom of unprotected children to work her spells on!

Rebecca sat up straighter. Life was suddenly going to get very difficult. Everyone thought Miss Baroom was a teacher who was most highly recommended! Also no one in the district believed in witches!

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"So why didn't you tell me?" Rebecca scolded.

You didn't ask, Sally sounded touchy. Are you going to make me a hot bran mash again this afternoon?

No, because I made you one last night.

It was very nice, Sally said wistfully.

That nasty Miss Baroom certainly acts like a witch! Rebecca brooded.

She had to discuss this dreadful fact with someone, but who? It was no good asking Miranda. She would just keep repeating what wonderful references the new teacher had. Would any of the house goblins have heard anything?

Rebecca turned Sally into the barn, rubbed her down, put out some straw and a few oats for her, checked the water bucket was full, and rushed into the cottage. Something was roasting in the big lidded pot over the fire. Willyum slept peacefully in his cot. There was a white cloth over the table, and several white clothed bundles sitting in basins on top of it.

I've been making goat cheese, Miranda said. They are for Mrs. Friton. Tomorrow you can deliver them.

Um, Rebecca said as she hung up her cloak and satchel. She sat at the end of the table and bolted down her hot cocoa and slices of bread and jam.

What's the hurry? Miranda asked.

Thought I would get the milking finished before dark, Rebecca said.

You are a good girl, Rebecca, Miranda said with a smile. I don't know how I would manage without your help.

Rebecca washed her hands and picked up the clean buckets waiting by the hearth. The white owl opened its eyes and dived down to sit on her shoulder as she opened the door.

Rebecca trudged down to where the cow waited. The two house goblins appeared and took a bucket.

We'll milk the goats, princess, Golly said.

Indeed yes, said Billy, the younger goblin, shyly.

The cow is going dry so you won't get much milk out of her, Golly advised.

Rebecca swung out the milking stool and sat on it. "There's a problem! That meanie new teacher Miss Baroom is riding a bewitched human called Emmaline. You've got to find out what she's up to and