Daniel and the 'Old Witch"
Illustration © 2023 Susan Fleming
Daniel is going to the village shop for his Mummy. On his way he passes a house with an overgrown garden. It looks just like a jungle. On the doorstep of the house is a little old lady hitting some of the weeds with a stick. She looks up and sees Daniel at the gate.
“What do you want?” she says very gruffly.
“What are you doing?” asks Daniel, “Have you lost something?”
“I am just trying to get rid of some of these weeds from my front door,” says the little old lady, who looks rather like a witch to Daniel.
“I am going to the shops for my Mummy, but when I have taken the things home I will come and help you,” says Daniel.
Later Daniel goes back to the “Witch’s House” but he cannot see her, so he starts to pull up all the weeds in the path. By teatime he has cleared the path and as “The Witch’ has not come out he goes home.
Next day he meets his friend Matthew and tells him about the “Witch”.
“Will you come with me and clear the weeds from the rest of her garden,” asks Daniel.
So together they start to clear the rest of the garden. During the day they see the little old lady looking out from a window. They go back the next day and this time the little old lady brings them out a biscuit and a drink. Daniel thinks that she does not look quite so old as he first thought.
When Daniel tells his Mummy about the little old lady his Mummy says that she has to tell them a very sad story. The “little old lady”, who is called Mrs. Millburn, was married and had a young daughter. Two years ago both her husband and daughter died in a car accident, and she has shut herself away ever since. She will not let anyone help her. She orders her food on the Internet and never talks to anyone.
The two boys go back the next day and the lady comes out to help with the weeding. With all three working hard the weeds are soon pulled up. The lady then asks them what their names are and where they live. She says that she wants to see their mothers. Daniel asks if they have done anything wrong.
“Oh no,” says the lady “just the opposite.” She smiles, and Daniel suddenly realises the “the little old lady” is no older than his mother.
She goes with Daniel and Matthew, and has a long chat with their mothers.
When she has gone Daniel’s mother says to the boys, “You have helped that lady in more ways than just weeding her garden. I am very proud of you. She has invited all of us to her garden on November 5th to burn the weeds on a bonfire.”
The bonfire is great fun, with fireworks. They cook potatoes in the hot ashes, and Mrs Millburn has made toffee apples, treacle toffee and parkin. They all have a Bonfire Night to remember.