Gertie finds a Familiar:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day, Ma Grimthorpe explained to Gertie that she and Gran believed it would be best for her to have a familiar. \u201cYou\u2019re growing up now, Gertie, and at nine years of age you should have your first familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDoes it matter what I choose?\u201d the little witch asked. Gertie knew that most witches preferred a cat, but she had never liked them very much. Nor had they ever liked her really. She was positively allergic to them. \u201cI only have to see a cat to set me off in a fit of sneezing,\u201d she continued by way of explanation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gertie\u2019s nose gave a definite twitch if she even saw a picture of a cat. No, a cat was definitely out.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell no, it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d her mother agreed. \u201cBut it has to be something you feel comfortable and happy with. Something you believe will be able to help you with your spells.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gertie considered Wart, and then remembered he had been the result of a failed spell. Maybe it shouldn\u2019t be him. He hadn\u2019t exactly helped Gertie with that one. He did seem an amazing toad however, as he didn\u2019t look to have aged at all in the time Gertie had known him. Gertie didn\u2019t know much about the life spans of toads, but she knew Wart should have at least appeared older. She didn\u2019t dwell on the subject. She was trying to find a familiar, and Wart didn\u2019t fit the bill.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She went for a walk with her mother to think about it. Together, they wandered the wood bordering their village. Gertie pondered, and Ma left her to it while she picked herbs and weeds for her latest spell.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t wander far,\u201d called Ma.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t, Mummy. I\u2019ll keep in sight of you,\u201d agreed Gertie. She was then distracted by a loud, hollow, \u2018thunk\u2019. Looking up in surprise, the little girl was just in time to see a feathered shape sliding limply down the trunk of a nearby old oak tree. Being a kind soul, and also very curious, she hurried over to see what it was. This was to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, you poor thing!\u201d Gertie exclaimed, picking up the dazed owl. She took him to her mother. \u201cI\u2019ve found a familiar, Mum,\u201d she called excitedly, hurrying over.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ma Grimthorpe looked at the owl with its glazed expression. \u201cIs he alive, dear?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The bird gave a feathery owlish groan as if to prove he was. Just.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSee Mummy, he\u2019s so clever he even understands what you say!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ma Grimthorpe seemed to doubt that very much, but clearly didn\u2019t want to hurt Gertie\u2019s feelings.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure you think he will help with your spells?\u201d Ma asked.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh yes, I\u2019m very sure,\u201d replied Gertie. \u201cI feel all magical already.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAll right,\u201d agreed Ma, against her better judgement.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On the way home, Gertie explained how she had found the owl. She saw Ma begin to regret her agreement even more. What kind of owl would fly into a tree? Before too long, they were to find out the answer to that question was, a very short sighted one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gertie finds a Familiar:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The next day, Ma Grimthorpe explained to Gertie that she and Gran believed it would be best for her to have a familiar. \u201cYou\u2019re growing up now, Gertie, and at nine years of age you should have your first familiar.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDoes it matter what I choose?\u201d the little witch asked. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,7,10],"tags":[39,53,54,64,66,83],"class_list":["post-233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-promotion","category-childrens-books","category-fantasy","category-humour","tag-childrens-book","tag-excerpt","tag-fantasy","tag-humour","tag-kindle","tag-promotion"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}