The Writers' Circle

Jennifer Curton lived quite a distance away from town, but it was only five minutes walk around the corner to her school, which meant that she arrived at school long before anyone else.
She amused herself, whilst she was waiting for her friends to arrive at the school, Jennifer would run to the old tree at the far end of the playground and play all sorts of pretend games. Like being a 'horse riding champion' or a 'captain', on a sailing ship.
One particular morning she had run across to the old tree, when suddenly, she heard a loud sound coming from the old tree.
"Meow, Meow".
Jennifer looked all around her and then lifted her head up when, low and behold, there, sat up in the branches of the old tree, was a cat, a rather large cat. It wasn't your average coloured cat, in actual fact; it looked like it had been dipped in lots of different paint pots, all at the same time!
"Hello pussy", Jennifer said "I'm Jennifer".
With that Jennifer climbed the tree and sat on the thick branch. The cat came close to her and nuzzled her arm.
"Meow", it said, rubbing itself against her and purring.
Jennifer looked for it's collar to see whom it belonged to, but there wasn't one, at all, except for a gold ribbon tied into a neat bow around her neck. "I wonder whom you belong to dear pussy?" she asked.
"I tell you what," Jennifer said, as she stroked the cat and thinking, "I think I will call you, 'Smoggie', if that's alright with you?" Jennifer smiled.
"Meow, Meow", came the reply.
"Oh you do like that name", Jennifer giggled, "Alright then, that's what I shall call you", Jennifer agreed.
"Oh but, I can only see you here", Jennifer continued, "I cannot take you home, as much as I would like to, you see my Mum is allergic to animals!"
"Meow, meow", Smoggie replied rubbing against her.
Jennifer thought how intelligent Smoggie seemed to be; she seemed to know exactly what Jennifer was talking about.
"You are very intelligent Smoggie, aren't you?" Jennifer stroked Smoggie's fluffy coat and with that, Smoggie sat cleaning herself.
"Jennifer, Jennifer!" came a call from across the playground. It was her school friends, Sammy and Julie.
"I have to go now", Jennifer explained and kissed her newfound friend, then climbed down the tree. "Bye Smoggie", she called from the bottom of it, where her friends caught up with her.
"Hiya, Sam and Julie", Jennifer said to her friends, grinning like a Cheshire cat!
"Hiya, err, who were you talking to?" Sammy asked in puzzlement.
"Smoggie, the cat I found in the tree," Jennifer pointed up to where Smoggie was.
"What cat?" exclaimed Julie.
"Why that one", cried Jennifer pointing to the branch, "Oh, she's gone!" announced Jennifer surprised. "Strange she was there a moment ago!"
They heard the bell ring for school and ran across the playground and went into class.
At dinnertime, Jennifer rushed her meal and then ran across the playground to the old tree in search of Smoggie. But, Smoggie was nowhere to be found.
'Perhaps I'll see her after School', Jennifer thought to herself. With that she went off to play Hopscotch with her friends, Sammy and Julie.
After School, Jennifer collected her school bag and coat as quickly as she could and rushed out to the playground and headed straight for the old tree again.
"Smoggie! Smoggie!", she called out. She looked high and low for Smoggie, but she didn't find her. Their parents were collecting all the other school children. 
"Perhaps I'll see you tomorrow?" she said, as she went to go home.
Suddenly it all went quiet around her. No longer could she hear the children laughing and playing, or the parents' cars driving them home. It was as though time had stood still. Then as Jennifer looked up into the branches, she saw Smoggie, cleaning herself.
"Smoggie!" Jennifer cried out with a sigh of relief.
"Meow, Meow," she purred and then jumped down and went through the school gate. Jennifer followed her.
"Smoggie, slow down, where are you going?" Called Jennifer ,nearly out of breath.
Jennifer followed Smoggie through a small gap in a fence, nearly falling on her bottom. As she stumbled on, following Smoggie, her hair got caught on some brambles, she tugged at it to free her hair, and "Ouch" she cried out. She pushed through the overgrown garden in front of them. Smoggie suddenly leapt up onto a windowsill. The window was broken and old, and then Smoggie disappeared through the broken window.
Jennifer stood still for a moment, then gazed up at the very neglected house, 'the sort you see in old ghostly films', she thought to herself as she made her way to some steps. There were three in all, an iron rail stood proud of them. She could see that at one time, in the past, it had been boarded up, but time had rotted these away too. As she peered through a crack in the door, 'it seemed really creepy in there!' she thought to herself as she moved some cobwebs away.
"Smoggie! Smoggie!," she called out, "Where are you?".
As she pulled and tugged at the old wooden door, she managed to open it though, just enough to squeeze inside. 
"Well here goes!" she said bravely going inside. She felt she had to investigate further and find Smoggie.
She stood in an old kitchen and nearly went through one of the floorboards as she looked around.
She slowly made her way through a hallway calling out for Smoggie. Pictures still hung on the walls. The house seemed to creak, dust and cobwebs were everywhere. She reached a door that was slightly open, as she pushed it, it slowly creaked open. She stood in the doorway for a moment, looking around the room, a clock in the distance caught her eye, and it was still ticking, on top of an old sideboard. 
'Strange!' she thought, and then she spotted Smoggie. 
"Oh thank goodness, there you are, I was so worried about you," Jennifer announced, thrilled that Smoggie was all right. By now, Smoggie was quite comfortably sat on an old armchair. 
"You silly girl, I was calling you, why did you bring me here?" exclaimed Jennifer as she went over to Smoggie, sat down in the old armchair, picked her up and sat her on her lap.
"Meow, Meow," Smoggie purred and continued cleaning herself, as Jennifer stroked her, Smoggie glanced over to a small side table. On it was a book, it was leather-bound and looked very old, as she picked it up, it was full of dust, which made her cough. She noticed the writing on the cover read 'It's a Witch's Life'. She jerked back, the book fell to the floor and fell open. As if she wasn't scared enough! As she glanced down at the open book, Smoggie perched on the arm of the chair looking at Jennifer and then back at the book. Jennifer picked up the book. 
"What is it Smoggie?" Jennifer asked her.
"Meow! Meow!," Smoggie cried louder this time. Jennifer just knew, somehow, that Smoggie was trying to tell her something, but what?
Jennifer turned the pages carefully and began to read it. The words all seemed to be in a code of some kind. As she studied the writing, all of a sudden, the words on the pages seemed to jumble around. Jennifer blinked, she couldn't believe her eyes. 
"Look at this Smoggie!" Jennifer exclaimed, looking hard to read the words.
    'Take a rat, then take it back,'
    'Take a fish, and then fill the dish.'
She looked up from the page, puzzled, but inquisitive, she read on.
    'Make a wish and fill my dish'.
Suddenly she shuddered, as she felt a draught. 
"Well Smoggie, it must be a recipe, but for what?" Jennifer asked looking round for Smoggie.
Smoggie was waiting by the door, so Jennifer followed her.
"Smoggie, where are you going now?" Jennifer asked with a sigh.
Smoggie entered the kitchen part of the house, and perched on the worktop, her paw was scratching at a dish, on which was lots of dust.
"Ah, I see, Smoggie, you are clever!" Jennifer announced as she went over to where Smoggie was perched. 
"You want something to eat, don't you?" Jennifer said as she started looking inside all the cupboards. There wasn't anything in them!
"Surely this is where you live, isn't it Smoggie?" Jennifer asked her, "After all, you seem to think it's your home anyway!"
As Jennifer turned around she gasped, for there, right in front of her, was the book, and it was opened at the same page as before!  Her heart was beating faster, as she tried to make sense of it all. She began reading it again.
"I know maybe it means.." she began then paused, looked at Smoggie, then back at the book. The dish then suddenly moved across in front of her.
"Of course, silly me!" Jennifer exclaimed, as it suddenly dawned on her. "It's your recipe, Smoggie!" Jennifer turned and looked at Smoggie, who seemed to be smiling back at her.
Smoggie repeatedly kept meowing, as if to say 'of course you silly girl!'
Jennifer looked in the cupboard below her, and strangely enough, she found the items she needed from the book. She read aloud, from the book, as she mixed all of the ingredients together, and crossed her fingers. 
"I hope this works Smoggie!" she said nervously. Then closing her eyes and crossing her fingers, she said the last line.
A flash of blue light filled the kitchen with a thunderous sound. 
"Oh no, what have I done?" Jennifer let out a scream. She looked around the room.
"Where are you Smoggie?" she exclaimed, when suddenly, there, to Jennifer's amazement, stood a woman, who had long grey hair, and wearing a long black dress and she was clutching a multicoloured blanket!
Well, Jennifer nearly fainted!
 "Who are you? and where's Smoggie?" Jennifer asked nervously.
"It's me, Jennifer, don't you recognise me?" the woman announced as if she knew her.
"No, I've never seen you before!" Jennifer replied taking a deep breath.
"Don't be frightened, Jennifer, it's me, Smoggie!" announced the woman, "Or you can call me by my real name of Delucia!"
"Smo.og.gie?"Jennifer stumbled over her words, she went as white as a sheet like she had just seen a ghost or something!
"Thank you my dear, you've broken the spell, thank you" Delucia replied smiling as she reassured her.
"Delucia?" Jennifer gulped, "But, where's Smoggie?" Jennifer insisted.
"Don't you see Jennifer?" replied Delucia, holding out her hands to Jennifer. "You've broken the spell that had left me as a cat for all eternity!"
"You were put under a spell?" asked Jennifer, "By who and why?"
"Yes, it was my sister Acacia's dirty doings, which she did!" replied Delucia smiling. "And now you've freed me, how can I ever repay you my dear?" Delucia said gratefully.
"Well, I think I understand now." Jennifer started to come to her senses after the shock.
"Listen my dear"Delucia began, "Acacia did this, all because I wouldn't go with her on a wild goose chase, across Africa, I might add!" Delucia continued. "Just so that she could weave her nasty spells. I refused point blank," she insisted. "Then within a cats whisker (err.so-to-speak!), there I was a cat! Although, I think I had more than nine lives actually, you know!" she continued. "Well I have never been able to do anything about it. That is, until, I met you!"
"Well, lucky you did then, isn't it!" Jennifer replied taking a deep breath. "But, I really liked you as a cat!"
"Times ticking by," Delucia announced, and with that she had collected up her book and headed off towards the front room.
You're a real witch then?" Jennifer followed her and eagerly wanted to know more.
"Oh yes dear," Delucia replied sitting down in the chair,"But, a good and fair one, mind you! no Evil-doings here!".
"So you can really cast spells and things?" Jennifer asked her excitedly.
"Quite dear, quite," Delucia replied, with her head in her spell book.
"So that is your spell book and not a recipe book, as I thought it was then and that this is your house too?" Jennifer asked sitting down and glancing in amazement at the witch, she had so many questions floating around in her head that  Jennifer didn't realise that the time seemed to be slipping by.
"Well, It's certainly been an experience today!" Jennifer said as she got up to leave. "I really must be going now, before my parents miss me".
"Oh you don't need to worry, my dear," Delucia said as calm as anything, as she pointed to the clock.
'That's funny', thought Jennifer, 'a moment ago it said six O'clock, and now it says three thirty!' Jennifer mused over this for a moment. 
"It's you, you've changed time, haven't you?" she announced to Delucia.
"Oh you have no need to worry anymore, not now your 'Aunt Delucia' can watch over you, my dear!" Delucia certainly knew her witchcraft.
"Would it be alright if I come and visit you again, Delucia?" Jennifer asked now full of excitement at her new friend.
"Of course dear, you will, you will, and don't forget, anything you want, just ask!"
With that Jennifer skipped happily home, it was, of course, the usual time that she would normally arrive home too! Except now, she had a special reason to be home late, even if the clock didn't agree with that!