Adele Abbott [Abbott - Witch is How Bells Were Saved

Witch Is How Bells Were Saved Published by Implode Publishing Ltd Implode Publishing Ltd 2019 The right of Adele Abbott to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved, worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, dead or alive, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Chapter 1 Morning, Jill.

Britt was doing press-ups on their back lawn. What was the matter with that woman? Didnt she realise it was seven-thirty in the morning? I barely had the energy to open the dustbin. Morning. Did you know Lovely was back? Yes, I saw her over the weekend. You must be really pleased. I am, but She hesitated.

Shes okay, isnt she? Yeah, she doesnt seem to be any worse for wear. Whats wrong, then? I thought youd be happy now shes returned. Im pleased to have her back, obviously, but she seems to have taken up with that ruffian across the road. Those two are always together now. He even tried to follow her into our house yesterday. I suppose thats better than having them fighting.

I guess so. Its just that my Lovely is a little princess, and Bruiser is a thug. Youd better not let Kimmy hear you say that about her Fluffykins . By the way, Jill, how are you getting on with your instrument? Was it the tuba you went for in the end? No, I couldnt get along with that, so I swapped it for the penny whistle. Have you managed to put in much practice? Of course. Every spare minute I get, I lied.

Good for you. Kit and I put aside an hour every evening. If youre going to do something, you may as well do it properly, dont you think? My philosophy exactly. When I got back into the house, Jack was tapping his watch. Come on, youd better get a move on if you want me to give you a lift to the breakers yard. Sorry, Britt kept me talking out there.

Did she have anything interesting to say? Not really. She was asking if Id managed to put in much practice on the penny whistle. What did you tell her? That I had, of course. So you lied? No. I have been practising. I havent seen you.

I prefer to do it when Im in the house alone. You realise the next meeting is on Wednesday, dont you? That soon? Im looking forward to seeing how everyone else has progressed. Youll be the only one there whos bothered to practise. No, I wont. Kit told me that he and Britt spend an hour practising every day. Okay, no one except for you and the Liveleys, but theyre crazy.

Youre wrong. Everyone seemed really enthused on the night. Thats what people do. They get all excited about something, but when it comes down to putting in the hours, they flake out. I assume youre talking about yourself. My case is different.

Im too busy with work. What about yesterday when you spent all evening watching that awful box set on Netflix? It was educational. It was a comedy western, and you fell asleep while you were watching it. I thought you said we were running late. *** Jack pulled up outside Washbridge Breakers Yard. Shall I come in with you? Theres no need.

Youd better get going or youll be late. Tell me again how much you have to pay to get your car back? He smirked. Bye, Jack. I slammed the car door. The spotty young man behind the counter was covered in oil. Or grease.

Or maybe it was some new wonder acne cream. He was staring at his phone and he didnt seem to register my presence. Are you Wally Bridge? Me? No, Im Rodney. Is Mr Bridge in? Hes cleaning out the meerkats. Theres no need to be sarky. Im not.

He is cleaning them out. He pointed to a large wood and glass structure across the yard. Wallys into meerkats, big time. Hes got half a dozen of em. I cant see the appeal myself. All they do is stand on their back legs and look around.

Could you ask him to come over here? He wont come until hes done with the meerkats. How long will that take? Another half-hour, at least. I cant wait that long. Maybe you can help. Its about a car that you picked up on Saturday by mistake. I spoke to Mr Bridge about it on the phone yesterday.

Im just the labourer. Im only in here until Wally comes back. Can I go over there to speak to him? I suppose. Bridge, an overweight, red-faced man in his fifties, was sweeping out the meerkat enclosure while the occupants peered out of various man-made tunnels. Mr Bridge. I knocked on the glass.

He turned to me, shrugged, and mouthed, What? Im Jill Maxwell. I called He shook his head and pointed to the door. He surely didnt expect me to go inside, did he? When I hesitated, he walked over to the door. If you want to talk to me, youll have to come in here. Couldnt you come outside for a minute? No, I have to finish what Im doing here first. Are you coming in or not? What choice did I have? I couldnt afford to hang around there all day.

Do they bite? Not usually. Very reassuring. Im Jill Maxwell. I rang yesterday. Oh yeah. He grinned.

Youre the one who asked us to collect your car by mistake . I thought Id explained that yesterday. There was a mix-up over which day my new car will be delivered. It isnt going to come for a few weeks now. Like I said on the phone, itll be fifty quid if you want it back. Youre lucky to have caught us before it was crushed.

Thats outrageous. I paid you a tenner to take it away because you said it wasnt worth anything. It wasnt then, but now its worth fifty quid. How about twenty? Fifty quid, take it or leave it. He stared at me. Where do I know you from? IerrI dont I remember.

You were the one who won the Washbridge lottery, werent you? I saw it on TV. That was me. What a great prize. I love clownsalways have. Really? In that case, I have a proposition to put to you. *** Mrs V was at her desk, holding an umbrella over her head.

We have a leak, Jill. She gestured to a damp patch on the ceiling. Ive called the landlord. He said hed get someone over here this morning. You cant sit there holding an umbrella all day. Lets move your desk out of the way.

Can you take that end? After wed moved it, Mrs V placed the metal waste bin under the drip. Did you get your new car on Saturday, Jill? Whats it like? No, there was a bit of a mix-up with the prizes. I didnt win a car after all. What did you win? A voucher for a course at Clown. Oh dear, that must have been disappointing. Not really.

I never actually believed it would be a new car. You seemed so sure. I was just joking. Anyway, Id better make a start. New week, new challenges. Winky was looking through his telescope.

Jill, quick! Come and look at this! What is it? If Im not mistaken, its a brand new Jag coming up the road. He laughed. Youve heard, I take it? I saw the presentation on YouTube. Your face! It was a picture. I didnt actually think Id won a Jag. Of course you did.

You might be able to fool the old bag lady, but you cant fool me. When they announced what youd won, you looked like someone had just stabbed you through the heart. Rubbish. Still, you do have the consolation of a course of clown lessons. Oh, wait. Youre scared of clowns.

Im not scared of them. Thats just a vicious rumour. When will you be taking the lessons, then? As it happens, Ive swapped the Clown voucher. For what? Thats none of your business. *** Just when I thought that Winky couldnt get any more annoying, he started making a weird brum, brum sound. Do you have to make that noise? Brum, brum.

What are you doing, anyway? I stood up to get a better look. Is that a toy car? Not just any toy car. Its a Jag. He ducked just in time to avoid the stapler. Hey, that could have hit me! It was supposed to. How come you always kick me when Im down? Why not try to be supportive for a change? Where would be the fun in that? Mrs V came through the door.