A Hat Full Of Sky

having to remember that they were birds.

‘And?’ she said.

‘We can get intae dreams, ye see… And what’s a mind but another world o’ dreamin’?’

‘No, I must forbid that!’ said Miss Level. ‘I can’t have you running around inside a young girl’s head! I mean, look at you! You’re fully-grow… well, you’re men! It’d be like, like… well, it’d be like you looking at her diary!’

Rob Anybody looked puzzled. ‘Oh, aye?’ he said. ‘We looked at her diary loads o’ times. Nae harm done.’

‘You looked at her diary?’ said Miss Level, horrified. ‘Why?’

Really, she thought later, she should have expected the answer.

‘ ‘Cuz it wuz locked,’ said Daft Wullie. ‘If she didnae want anyone tae look at it, why’d she keep it at the back o’ her sock drawer? Anyway, all there wuz wuz a load o’ words we couldnae unnerstan’ an’ wee drawings o’ hearts and flowers an’ that.’

‘Hearts? Tiffany?’ said Miss Level. ‘Really?’ She shook herself. ‘But you shouldn’t have done that! And going into someone’s mind is even worse!’

‘The hiver is in there, mistress,’ said Awf’ly Wee Billy meekly.

‘But you said you can’t do anything about it!’

‘She might. If we can track her doon,’ said the gonnagle. ‘If we can find the wee bitty bit o’ her that’s still her. She’s a bonny fighter when she’s roused. Ye see, mistress, a mind’s like a world itself. She’ll be hidin’ in it somewhere, lookin’ oot through her own eyes, listenin’ wi’ her own ears, tryin’ to make people hear, tryin’ no’ to let yon beast find her… and it’ll be hunting her all the time, trying tae break her doon…’

Miss Level began to look hunted herself. Fifty small faces, full of worry and hope and broken noses, looked up at her. And she knew she didn’t have a better plan. Or even a PLN.

‘All right,’ she said. ‘But at least you ought to have a bath. I know that’s silly, but it will make me feel better about the whole thing.’

There was a general groan.

‘A bath? But we a’ had one no’ a year ago,’ said Rob Anybody. ‘Up at the big dew pond for the ships!’

‘Ach, crivens!’ said Big Yan. ‘Ye cannae ask a man tae take a bath again this soon, mistress! There’ll be nothin’ left o’ us!’

‘With hot water and soap!’ said Miss Level. ‘I mean it! I’ll run the water and I… I’ll put some rope over the edge so you can climb in and out, but you will get clean. I’m a wi—a hag, and you’d better do what I say!’

‘Oh, all reet!’ said Rob. ‘We’ll do it for the big wee hag. But ye’re no’ tae peek, OK?’

‘Peek?’ said Miss Level. She pointed a trembling finger. ‘Get into that bathroom now!’

Miss Level did, however, listen at the door. It’s the sort of thing a witch does.

There was nothing to hear at first but the gentle splash of water, and then:

‘This is no’ as bad as I thought!’

‘Aye, very pleasiri.’

‘Hey, there’s a big yellow duck here. Who’re ye pointin’ that beak at, yer scunner–’

There was a wet quack and some bubbling noises as the rubber duck sank.

‘Rob, we oughtae get one o’ these put in back in the mound. Verra warmin’ in the winter time.’

‘Aye, it’s no’ that good for the ship, havin’ tae drink oot o’ that pond after we’ve been bathin’. It’s terrible, hearin’ a ship try tae spit.’

‘Ach, it’ll make us softies! It’s nae a guid wash if ye dinnae ha’ the ice formin’ on yer heid! ’

‘Who’re you callin’ a softie?’

There followed a lot more splashing and water started to seep under the door.

Miss Level knocked. ‘Come on out now, and dry yourselves off!’ she commanded. ‘She could be back at any minute!’

In fact it wasn’t for another two hours, by which time Miss Level had got so nervous that her necklaces jingled all the time.

She’d come to witching later than most, being naturally qualified by reason of the two bodies, but she’d never been very happy about magic. In truth, most witches could get through their whole life without having to do serious, undeniable magic (making shambles and curse-nets and dreamcatchers didn’t really count, being rather more like arts-and-crafts, and most of the rest of it was practical medicine, common sense and the ability to look stern in a pointy hat). But being a witch and wearing the big black hat was like being a policeman. People saw the uniform, not you. When the mad axeman was running down the street you weren’t allowed to back away muttering, ‘Could you find someone else? Actually, I mostly just do, you know, stray dogs and road safety…’ You were there, you had the hat, you did the job. That was a basic rule of witchery: It’s up to you.

She was two bags of nerves when Tiffany arrived back, and stood side by side holding hands with herself to give herself confidence.

‘Where have you been, dear?’

‘Out,’ said Tiffany.

‘And what have you been doing?’

‘Nothing.’

‘I see you’ve been shopping.’

‘Yes.’

‘Who with?’

‘Nobody.’

‘Ah, yes,’ Miss Level trilled, completely adrift. ‘I remember when I used to go out and do nothing. Sometimes you can be your own worst company. Believe me, I know—’

But Tiffany had already swept upstairs.

Without anyone actually seeming to move, Feegles started to appear everywhere in the room.

‘Well, that could ha’ gone better,’ said Rob Anybody.

‘She looked so different!’ Miss Level burst out. ‘She moved differently! I just didn’t know what to do! And those clothes!’

‘Aye. Sparklin’ like a young raven,’ said Rob.

‘Did you see all those bags? Where could she have got the money? ‘I certainly don’t have that kind of—’

She stopped, and both of Miss Level spoke at once.

‘Oh, no—’

‘—surely not! She wouldn’t—’

‘—have, would she?’

‘I dinnae ken whut ye’re talkin’ aboot,’ said Awf’ly Wee Billy, ‘but whut she would dae isnae the point. That’s the hiver doin’ the thinkin’!’

Miss Level clasped all four hands together in distress. ‘Oh dear… I must go down to the village and check!’

One of her ran towards the door.

‘Well, at least she’s brought the broomstick back,’ muttered the Miss Level who stayed. She started to wear the slightly unfocused expression she got when both her bodies weren’t in the same place.

They could hear noises from upstairs.

‘I vote we just tap her gently on the heid,’ said Big Yan. ‘It cannae give us any trouble if it’s gone sleepies, aye?’