Traveling without a brushwood broom - Adventures with the Merry Cloverleaf E-Book

M. M. Schwab

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 607

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

My friend has very special abilities: When she tells me stories, she asks me to shake her hands and close my eyes - and then I experience everything for myself. This is how she "told" me the stories of the Merry Cloverleaf, about four witch students who are making their first clumsy attempts at magic and are supposed to grow up to become real witches despite all the mishaps and silliness. Each of the four dreams of a very special place for her future life as a witch, which she only has to discover. And that is an adventure in itself.

Leseprobe

Special thanks to Julia Errens for proofreading and correcting the English translation.

Prolog

Whenever a school year came to an end, I always looked forward to my trip to the seaside. However, this time it was a little different to previous years as I was now retired. But I didn't really know what to do with my time. I wanted to think about that during this vacation. Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention, my name is Carlotta Cheerful. But instead of just going on vacation, I bought a house. As it would have been far too big for me alone and I didn't want to sit around doing nothing all day, I opened a guesthouse for vacationers in it. Since then, I have hosted many an interesting guest. Most guests preferred to come in the summer months. But when the summer came to an end and the last guests had left, I was often visited by Amalia, a particularly lovely elderly lady. Although we quickly became friends, I only found out after a while that she was a teacher like me. However, unlike me, she didn't teach her students to read, write or do math, but magic. Well, even if I had thought it impossible until then, there are witches and my friend Amalia was one of them. And a fantastic one at that. By the way, most of the stories she told me were about four little witch girls called Anna, Neele, Lina and Emmy. Of course, no one is allowed to know that. Especially not that she didn't just tell me stories about herself and her school, but actually let me experience them. Surely you want to know what these girls experienced in their school days and afterwards? No? Well, even if you're someone who doesn't believe in the secret world of witches and wizards, you might still be interested in finding out what other secrets Amalia confided in me? Of course, you'll only find out if you read this book.

A mysterious guest

For a long time now, I've been going to the same seaside town every summer vacation. A few days ago, it was finally time again. The school year was over, the children had stormed off cheering and I closed the front door of my town school behind me. A few hours later, I was already on my way to the small town that I had grown really fond of over the past few years. This time, I had a strange feeling. I couldn't quite believe that I wouldn't be returning to school after this vacation. At least not to teach children. In the future, another teacher would take over this task. As I did no longer lack time after my retirement, I wondered whether I should stay at the seaside a little longer this time? Especially as the weather this summer was simply gorgeous.

As I walked along the promenade, I looked around. I spotted a sign a little way off on a small hill that read: "For sale" It was in the front yard of a rather nice-looking house. I stopped in surprise. I immediately wondered whether the sign had been there yesterday and if I could have missed it. Without giving it a second thought, I walked up the hill and rang the old bell next to the front door. After a few moments had passed and there was no movement in the house, I turned disappointedly towards the exit of the front yard. Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly heard footsteps in the house and went back. Just a moment later, an older woman with friendly eyes opened the door a little. I quickly asked her if the house was still available. She looked at me thoroughly through the narrow crack in the door for a few seconds, as if she was silently wondering whether I might be the right person for her house. Suddenly she nodded with satisfaction and invited me in. I quickly introduced myself. Carlotta Cheerful. As soon as I had done so, she led me through the house, all the way up to the attic. She hurriedly showed me room after room and told me stories about her family. The house was actually much bigger than I had expected and it was full of memories. It almost seemed as if you only had to close your eyes to bring to life the many pictures that were everywhere inside the house. Just as I was trying to imagine what it might look like if I ..., the nice lady asked me if I liked it and if I really wanted it. As I hesitated a little, she quickly added, that she would like to move in with her granddaughter soon. But before that, she really wanted to put this house into the hands of someone she liked. It wasn't the money that mattered to her. Sometimes even the most secret dreams come true. That same day, I became the owner of this house. I had always wanted a house by the sea. Admittedly, I had long since given up the belief that I would actually own one. That very evening, I took the train back home to my little town - but only to return quite quickly and then stay for good. The following summer, the first guests came to me, as I opened my own small guesthouse here. The house really did offer enough space for this. The initial fear that I might get bored in my retirement seemed absurd to me. Although even in the summer months you didn't meet quite as many strangers as you used to down at the beach or in the alleyways of the town, I never lacked for nice guests in the following years and therefore never lacked for things to do. I always had an incredible number of guests in the summer. But it was no less beautiful here in the other months of the year, just a little quieter. During the day, it was quite calm at any time of year. In the summer evenings, however, when the heat of the day was over, many people headed down to the beach. Some would watch the fishermen at work for a while. Others chatted with neighbors or friends they happened to meet, or simply sat down somewhere to watch the waves play. Occasionally, a few artists and musicians would come to the beach and delight passers-by with their performances. When the weather was especially nice, some people liked to take a longer walk up to the cliffs. As I often did myself in the evenings. The view out to the sea was spectacularly beautiful from up there. Yes, it had always been like that here and so I thought that nothing would change in the future. That was true for a long time. However, that changed when my doorbell rang unexpectedly one evening in late summer. The last guests for the summer had left that morning, and as there was nothing important left for me to do in the house, I had just decided to go down to the beach for a while. Then, as I said, my doorbell announced a guest. I wondered who it could be, as I wasn't expecting anyone. I quickly opened the door and was amazed to see a lady I didn't know at all standing there. Her clothes were a little out of fashion, as was the leather travel bag she was carrying. Nevertheless, she made a very elegant impression on me. "Did we have an appointment for today?" I asked her uncertainly. "No, no. We didn’t at all." She said and smiled charmingly at me. Immediately afterwards, she told me her name, Amalia. She then told me that she had just arrived and was now looking for accommodation. On her way through town, she had overheard a few people talking about this guesthouse and had heard that it was very nice and that the landlady was exceptionally friendly. Amalia smiled again, shrugged her shoulders and said: "Yes, and it looks like the people are absolutely right about what they say about this guesthouse. That's why I'd be very happy to stay here for a few days. Provided that you still have a free room for me?" You bet I still had a room for her! Amalia was even allowed to choose one because, as I mentioned earlier, my last summer guests had left that morning and I wasn't expecting any more this year. We liked each other from the very first moment. However, I only found out who Amalia was a few years later. Until then, she was a guest like any other, yet one that I always looked forward to from the moment we first met. By the way, Amalia never came until my other vacation guests had left. Even though I didn't know why she did this for a long time, it was of course very convenient for me. Because then there was less for me to do in my guesthouse and I could spend a lot of time with Amalia. So we quickly became friends.

An unusual journey

In the meantime, Amalia and I had become really good friends. Although we talked about all sorts of things, Amalia never said anything about herself. Nevertheless, I could well imagine her as a teacher. Why I never asked her if my assumption was correct, I honestly don't know. Maybe it was because, despite our long friendship, she still seemed strangely unapproachable from time to time. One day we were sitting on the cliffs outside the city, as we had done so many times before. It was already dusk. Still neither of us felt like going home yet. But we couldn't think of anything to talk about either. After we had sat next to each other in silence for a while and looked out over the sea, I asked her where she was from. Before she gave me an answer, she thought about it for a surprisingly long time. But then she began to talk and I listened to her words as if enchanted. In the hours that followed, I learned that she lived in a beautiful forest with ancient trees. She told me about the school located in the forest, where she had been living and teaching girls for many years. Surprisingly, time didn't seem to be very important to her. She didn't say a word about how long she had been a teacher there or how old she was. "Amalia, so I wasn't so far off to assume you could be a teacher like me," I said happily. "In a certain way, you're absolutely right," she replied somewhat hesitantly. Then she said with a meaningful expression that most of her students were especially gifted. "Oh Amalia, there are clever girls all over the world." I replied, somewhat disconcerted. "I don't doubt that for a moment." Amalia said. She seemed to be thinking about something for a moment longer. Then she said that she could also do a few "things" not everyone can do. Wondering I looked at her. So she smiled and said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, that witches had one or two special gifts. She herself could even do a bit more than most. At first, I didn't really know what to make of it. That's why I asked her if she had really just claimed to be a witch in all seriousness. "Yes, of course I was serious. You don't joke about things like that. Yes, and now that you know who or rather what I am, I could actually tell you a bit more about me and my students. Only if you're interested, of course." She replied and winked at me. Missing out on such a fantastic opportunity to learn about sorcery and magic from a real witch? That would never have occurred to me. Especially as I had always wondered if there was such a thing as magic. So I said that I would be very happy to find out. But why I should close my eyes beforehand and not open them again until she told me, I didn't understand at all. To be honest, it even seemed downright silly to me. Because I didn't immediately comply with her request, Amalia simply took my hands and my eyes closed as if by magic. No sooner had this happened than I found myself in a forest. In any case, I had the feeling that I was actually there, even though I knew it wasn’t possible. Then I heard Amalia say: "Look Carlotta, this path will take us straight to my girls."

A little later, I saw an archway shimmering through the trees not far from us. I thought in amazement: "Why on earth is there an archway in the middle of this dense forest?" However, I was much more interested in where the school was located that my friend had mentioned. Because apart from this very lost-looking archway, there was nothing to be seen for miles around. At least no building. So I asked her: "Is it still very far to your school?" "No, Carlotta, we're actually almost there. By the way, I forgot to tell you earlier, that only real witches are allowed in my school!" That's exactly what Amalia said. Making such a serious face that I actually thought our journey was about to end. And of course I was disappointed. Then she asked me almost conspiratorially: "You don't think that's all I wanted to show you, do you?" Without saying another word, she led me exactly where she had just said a "non-witch" like me had no business being. Even the beginning of this journey seemed strange and unreal to me. But things got really exciting once my friend had led me through the stone archway. It was not even a whole meter deep and yet I could only see what was behind it when I stood on the other side. The sight of the old building and the tall tower nestled against it, and what was happening right in front of it, left me speechless. So, in one single day, I did not only get to know Amalia's secret, but also a real school of witchcraft. And yet I was one of the very people who were not supposed to know anything about this school, that was certainly not so well hidden for nothing. Nevertheless, I was allowed to have a look around not only that day, but also the next. And many days after that. In Amalia's way, of course. My friend had the ability to see everything she wanted from wherever she wanted without being there herself. For me, however, it always felt more like a dream and less like a journey when Amalia let me look into her world with the help of magic or sorcery. Not only could she show me anything she wanted, she could even show me things that had happened a long time ago. Just like what I was seeing in the schoolyard at that moment. People were chatting and giggling everywhere, pushing and shoving or calling for friends. It's just the way it is when girls meet again on the first day of school after the long summer vacation. Apart from the fact that everyone was wearing strange hats and long skirts or dresses and there was luggage everywhere, it looked like an ordinary school to me. Just as I was thinking this, Amalia said to me with a strange smile: "Believe me, this is anything but a normal school. As well as many useful things you need in life, the girls learn magic here. Sometimes things can go wrong. That's why one excitement follows the other in this house, from morning to night. However, it's especially exciting here when our youngest secretly try out their spells." Actually, I could hardly believe that the quite normal and nice-looking girls in the schoolyard were supposed to know about secret witchcraft. Nevertheless, it was probably true and it seemed like I was, at that exact moment, really looking into a world full of magic and sorcery. After looking around for a while, I said to my friend: "As cheerful as it is here, everyone must love being at this school?" "You're absolutely right, and yet many of these girls can hardly wait to grow up. Certainly, witch girls are no different from other girls in that respect. Or what do you think, Carlotta?" she asked me. "Maybe," I only said. Because in my mind I was busy imagining what these girls in the schoolyard could do with their magic powers. Suddenly I had to laugh out loud. "What are you thinking about?" Amalia asked me in surprise. "What do you think the old walls in front of us would tell us if they could?" I asked her. "We'd probably get to hear a lot of funny and certainly some very adventurous stories. Possibly even some quite mysterious ones. But luckily they can't spill the beans." When she said this, Amalia had a highly satisfied undertone in her voice. That and her rather vague reference to mysterious occurrences piqued my interest immediately. Just as I wanted to know a little more about these things and almost had the question on the tip of my tongue, my attention was drawn to a little girl. She was standing in front of the wide staircase leading up to the school entrance, surrounded by a group of older schoolgirls. Everyone seemed to be very excited. I began to wonder what could be causing the crowd around the little girl. As a result, I actually forgot to ask Amalia about the mysterious events she had mentioned earlier. Instead, I asked her: "Amalia, what are those girls in front of the stairs so excited about?" "Oh, you know," she said, "that's actually not unusual for the first day after the summer vacation. Usually, our girls go searching for their friends as soon as they arrive in order to talk to them about their vacation experiences. If thereby one of my students discovers a new face somewhere in the schoolyard among all the familiar ones, her friends are suddenly no longer quite that important. Because then there is only one thing for her to do, and that is to find out who the unknown witch is. But also, to give her a friendly welcome, as is customary here. However, this has always been more than a matter of honor for our 'old hands'. It was also a good opportunity to question the newcomer a bit. In recent years some of them are said to have gone a little overboard from time to time. Just to extract as many secrets as possible from the innocent little ones on their first day in the enchanted forest." Of course, I didn't think that was nice at all and I told Amalia so. "I can only agree with you. With their huge thirst for knowledge, some really do forget their manners! Perhaps I should have had a serious word with some of these young ladies a long time ago." Amalia did say this in a stern voice, but her mischievous smile told me, she didn't believe she could change the curiosity of the ’old hands‘, as she amusingly called her older students. Be that as it may. At least now I knew why the girls were so excited. And that every "new girl" not only had to shake a lot of hands as soon as she was discovered, but also had a lot of questions to answer. Just like the little girl standing in front of the stairs was doing right now. Her name was Anna, by the way.

"Well, that's really more than strange. I know for a fact that there must be two more little witches here," said Amalia in surprise, letting her gaze wander slowly across the schoolyard. But neither she nor I could see a girl as small as Anna anywhere. While Amalia continued to look around, I used the time to think a little about today. I remembered something that had been irritating me the whole time. "Amalia, is there actually a special reason why you called the forest you took me through earlier an enchanted forest?" I asked her. "Oh, did I?" she replied, looking quite surprised. "Yes, of course you did!" I said, nodding eagerly to emphasize my words. "All right, all right. But before I answer that question, let me tell you something about my youngest students from that year. Since we've only found Anna so far, I'd better start with her."

She then told me, among other very interesting things about the girl, that Anna came from one of the oldest witch families in the area. And that her parents' house wasn't even particularly far from the enchanted forest. Nevertheless, she had never been to school before that day. Just like the two other girls, who were called Neele and Emmy and whom Amalia, as already mentioned, had not yet been able to discover. "That’s kind of strange. These two must have been here already at this time," said Amalia thoughtfully. And immediately afterwards she said: "Well, until I find them and can show them to you, I'll just tell you about the magic of the forest that everyone has to go through if they want to go to school." So I learned that this forest could, among other things, make sounds that would indicate the presence of witches simply disappear. Whereas something completely normal like the rustling of leaves in the wind or the chirping of birds could always be heard. Only Emmy, Neele and Anna hadn't noticed anything at all on their very first flight through the forest, as Amalia found out a little later. "Why didn't they notice?" I asked in surprise. "Well, maybe they were just too excited or maybe their minds were somewhere else?" "What do you think, Amalia, what were the girls thinking about as they flew through the enchanted forest that day?" "Oh Carlotta, I really do know a lot, but not everything. However, I could imagine that they were thinking about all the new things they were about to experience. Maybe even about me, the supposedly strictest teacher at this school so far," she said, smiling to herself. "However," she continued, "they will probably have paid particular attention to the path and their companions flying ahead. It's very easy to get lost in this forest. You have to know that there are an incredible number of paths in here, and they hardly differ from one another. If, just for the sake of argument, one of our students were to choose a different path instead of the right one for some reason, she could end up back at the edge of the forest in the best-case scenario. With a bit of luck, she might even end up in the same place where she entered the forest before. Apart from the fact that she has lost a lot of time and still hasn't come any closer to the school, there's really nothing to be annoyed about in this case. After all, she can set off again straight away, if she wants to. However, it would be a different matter if, having chosen the wrong path, she were lured into a part of the forest that was completely unknown to her by a nasty spell. Finding her way out of the forest afterwards or discovering a path that leads directly to the school is not that easy." Amalia told me this and much more in a completely calm manner. I, on the other hand, felt quite strange at the thought that I might actually be in an enchanted forest. The idea even gave me the creeps a little. I therefore assumed that no little witch would dare to travel to school all alone through this beautiful, yet eerie forest. At least not on her very first day of school. As far as that was concerned, Amalia agreed with me without hesitation. However, she didn't do this because, like me, she thought it might be too dangerous for the little ones or that they would be frightened. In fact, the forest wasn't actually that dangerous. At least not for the students of this school. After all, it was its job to protect them and not get them into trouble. But Amalia also knew of strangers who had gotten close to the school despite all the forest's cunning. However, not one of them would have been able to see the school. And of course, certainly none of them would have been able to get in. When I asked her if it was that difficult, Amalia looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. But then she told me that there was only one entrance to the school that was very difficult to find. She even told me its name. At first, I found the name "Hidden Gate" a little strange. After Amalia confirmed that this gate would indeed be invisible, just as the name suggested, I actually found it very accurate. Of course, I wanted to know how the witches would find the entrance to the school if it was invisible. My friend really struggled with the answer to this question. "Carlotta, nobody is allowed to know about what I'm about to tell you, really nobody. Listen, you have to promise me that!" she said very seriously. "Oh no. What nonsense am I talking about!" she said immediately afterwards. "Why would you talk about these things with some stranger?" "Yes, what do you think of me? I would never do something like that!" I replied, almost a little offended. "It's okay, it's okay, I know that!" Amalia relented. Then she told me about the magical words that made the gate, which was neither a door nor anything similar, but a rather unusual tree, appear for a short time. "So it's not quite as difficult to get into the school as I first thought?" I asked. Amalia then told me that even when the Hidden Gate was visible, no one could simply walk through. "What do you have to do to be let into the school? Amalia, is there a hidden door opener somewhere or is it perhaps enough to knock in a special way?" She couldn’t help laughing out loud. "But no," she said when she had calmed down again. "Neither one nor the other applies. You can only get in, if you know the right spell. This gate won't even let me in without it." I looked at her eagerly, thinking that I was about to find out the words. But instead of telling me the words, Amalia told me that magic things are sometimes very finicky and that this gate was probably the most finicky magic thing in the entire enchanted forest. It cannot be tricked, nor does it tolerate the slightest mistake when reciting the spell. If even a single sound is wrong, it disappears on the spot without leaving the slightest shadow. Of course, Anna, Neele and Emmy didn't want to embarrass themselves on their first day at school. That's why they practiced the words until they could have said them in their sleep. However, they wouldn't have been the first for the gate to literally leave standing in the forest, as Amalia reported. The gate had always been completely indifferent to whether a student had blabbed a little or been a single second late. Nothing had changed in this respect over the years. Of course, neither the "scatterbrains" nor the "dilly-dallyers" needed to spend the night sleeping on the cool forest floor instead of in their bed at school. When I said, "Oh, so the Hidden Gate let them through after all?" Amalia shook her head and told me that the guardian of the school would always come to the aid of such girls. Naturally, I wanted to know how she knew when a girl is in distress. So I learned that the guardian of the school would always supervise the departure of the schoolgirls for vacation and their return to school. To do this, however, she has to climb up the tower. From up there, she can see all the way to the Hidden Gate and open it for the girls or, when everyone is there, close it. The next question came to me and I hurried to ask it. "Amalia, I would really like to know if a little witch could find her way through the forest on her own if she had to?" Amalia thought for a moment. Then she replied to my question: "Maybe yes, but maybe not?" But she wouldn't know for sure herself. No school starter had ever come up with such a strange idea before. "Why not?" I asked my friend. "Come on, Amalia! Why don't you think anyone would do that?" I asked her again because she didn't answer straight away. "You tell me, why would they?" Without waiting for my answer, however, she explained that such a thing was simply not usual. After all, since the beginning of the school's existence, it had been customary for every first-year student to choose a companion for their first journey through the enchanted forest. "I really can't think of a single reason why anyone should do without one and set off on their own instead." "Hm, admittedly a nice custom. But why is only one person allowed to go to school? Surely this is a particularly important day in the life of a little witch and her family?" I asked in surprise. To be honest, I couldn't understand that at all. So I described to Amalia how things used to be in my village on such a day. Most of the children starting school there were escorted by pretty much the whole family. She laughed softly and asked me if I could imagine what would happen on the way to the enchanted forest if every girl arrived with her whole family, just like the children in my old town school. "Even if there are only as few as there were that year when Anna, Neele and Emmy came to school?" I objected cautiously. "Oh, Carlotta," Amalia said in response. "You have no idea how big witch families can be. And don't think that even one person from such a family would voluntarily stay at home if this rule didn't exist in our school!" I then tried to imagine what it would be like if an excited swarm of witches suddenly flew over the rooftops of my dreamy little town, and I couldn't help but laugh. "You're certainly right! Something like that wouldn't go completely unnoticed." "You bet I'm right," said Amalia, adding that what she wanted to tell me wasn't really about these things, but mainly about her youngest witches that year. "Well, first of all, there's little Anna," Amalia skillfully drew my attention back to the girl who was talking to a couple of older students just outside the stairs to the school building. She then explained to me that the adult witch next to her was Anna's sister Mara, who used to go to the same school. Naturally, Anna wanted to hear all about the enchanted forest and the school of witchcraft from her. She had to keep telling her about her first day there in particular. In addition to many other things, Mara also told her about the custom described earlier that day. No sooner had she done this, she had to promise and even give Anna her sister witch's word of honor that she would fly to the enchanted forest with her. "Believe me, Carlotta," said Amalia and sighed, "Anna has always been a very headstrong little person. Once she has set her mind on something, she rarely lets anything stop her. Who knows, maybe this day in the enchanted forest would have been very different if Anna hadn't insisted."

Amalia had just said that when Anna suddenly turned to us and looked straight over at me. Although I knew by now that no one could see us, including little Anna, I opened my eyes in shock. In an instant, the pictures of the school of witchcraft had disappeared and I found myself - well, where? Exactly where I had been before, of course, on the cliffs outside my town, directly opposite my friend Amalia. "Shall we travel to the enchanted forest again or have you seen enough for today?" she asked me. "I'd like to see the other two little witches too, if that's possible?" I said uncertainly. Then I asked her: "Amalia, what's it like when you can look into the past and possibly even meet yourself?" "A little strange, but also kind of exciting," she replied after a moment's hesitation and smiled. "So all you have to do is think about the place you want to see, choose a day and an hour and you can see what happened there at that time? Is that right, Amalia?" But she didn't tell me whether what I thought I knew about it was true. Instead, she said: "Oh Carlotta, magic is one of those things that even I can't explain." Even if she supposedly couldn't explain it to me, Amalia was obviously a particularly clever witch. "Well, Carlotta," I suddenly heard her say. "What do you say? Can we get going again?" She smiled mischievously at me. "Yes, of course!" I replied, closing my eyes without her having to ask me to and letting my friend and her words cast their spell on me again. In no time at all, I felt like I was dreaming again and Amalia took me back into her world. A world that, at least until that day, I had never even remotely believed could really exist.

By now, most of the witches had gathered in the schoolyard near the stairs. They seemed to be waiting for something or someone. Anyway, they kept looking up at the school entrance. Of course, I wanted to know why, so I asked Amalia straight away. Then I found out that they were of course waiting for the guardian of the school, namely ... for her. "Well, look at that," I said in amazement. "So my dear friend is not just the supposedly strictest teacher here, as she has led me to believe until now." "No, she's not, she's also been the guardian of this school and the Hidden Gate for many years, and in fact of the whole enchanted forest," she said, not without pride.

"Yes, and where is she now, the guardian that everyone has been waiting for so impatiently?" I asked curiously. I was really looking forward to seeing Amalia in a witch's hat. "Well, where have I been?" she replied to my question, reminding me that she had told me long ago that the guardian would always be at the top of the school tower on a day like this. After all, she had to monitor the arrival of the witches and the best place to do that was up there. "Do you have to stay up there from morning till night on a day like that?" I asked Amalia. "No, of course I don't. The entrance to the school is only open for a very short time," she replied. Then she looked around the schoolyard with a scrutinizing gaze. "It looks like my older students are all here. We've already seen Anna and Mara, so all who are missing are the other two 'newcomers' and their companions. They are probably somewhere in the schoolyard and I just don't see them. If I'm right, then I could have been busy at the time making sure that no strangers could find their way into the school. I may even have been on my way down. I don't know exactly, because it was far too long ago. However, I think I still have enough time to show you the other two first-year students and perhaps tell you a bit more about them. Of course, I'd have to find them first. But where the heck are they?" Amalia added quietly as she continued to look around.

On the second trip to the school of witchcraft with my friend, I honestly felt even stranger than on our first trip just before. Amalia wasn't just sitting next to me on the cliffs outside my town, holding my hands and watching the hustle and bustle in the courtyard outside her school from afar. That alone had already felt strange to me. Now, in just a few moments, she was going to step through the school door in person to welcome the ’newcomers‘ and their companions as well as the ’old hands’, as she always does at the start of the school year. Naturally, this had to be done with an impressive speech. Just as has always been tradition at this school on such an important occasion. As no one had ever dared to shake this or any other tradition at this school, Amalia had no doubt that this would continue to be the case in the future. Of course, I was interested to know whether something like this had never actually happened before. But before I got around to asking, I heard Amalia say: "Finally. I think I've at least found one." However, she hadn't discovered the little witch herself, but her companion Hedda. She was closely watching a small group of girls who were chatting with each other nearby. As anxiously as Hedda looked over at them, Amalia suspected that Neele might be with them. Only a few moments later, just as Amalia had hoped, a gap opened up between the girls, who had been standing close together until then. "Carlotta, do you see that little witch there? That's Neele." However, she didn't seem to feel really comfortable between the strange girls. At least she looked rather anxiously over at Hedda. It almost seemed as if she was afraid that she might suddenly disappear while she was talking to the girls. A moment later, Neele took advantage of the gap that had opened up between the other girls and deftly darted through to return to her companion.

Afterwards, I learned that Amalia didn't know much more about Neele at first than that she, like Hedda, was at home in the town by the lake. Over the course of the afternoon, of course, she told her a lot more. For example, why Neele was now living with her and that she had had the feeling from the very first moment that she was a witch girl. As we all know, suspecting and knowing are two completely different things. Before Hedda was absolutely sure that Neele really did have witchcraft powers, a lot of time passed in which she didn't dare tell her about Amalia and the school of witchcraft. In the little time she had left before she had to travel to the enchanted forest with her, she could only explain or teach Neele the most important things. That's why she asked Amalia not to be too strict with her if she didn't get something right straight away. The most interesting thing about the story of Hedda and Neele was, by the way, that it wasn't Hedda who discovered the little witch, as you might think. It was Neele who simply came to her in the store one day and looked at her with wide, questioning eyes. Hedda was a little surprised at first, but she was also very happy to see the little girl. She had often seen her standing outside the store and had been looking for an opportunity to get to know her better. The girl herself didn't know what had prompted Neele to go into the grocer's store that day. That's probably why she didn't utter another word apart from a quiet "Hello". Hedda returned the greeting and introduced herself to the girl. In passing, she thought about how she could gain the girl's trust. Suddenly she had an idea. As she knew that Neele always looked at the books in the shop window first, she made a suggestion, which Neele happily accepted. After that, the two quickly became good friends. However, for a long time the girl did not realize that Hedda was anything but an ordinary shopkeeper. Nevertheless, from the very first day, Hedda was exactly the kind of special friend that every witch girl needs when there is no one in her family who is familiar with the "strange world of witches and wizards". After all, also to a girl like that someone needs to explain the secrets of this world to which she belongs. Hedda liked the little girl from the very first moment. And Neele? Well, in the time that followed, she hardly missed an opportunity to be with Hedda. Amalia gradually learned all this and much more over the course of the day. In just a few hours, so much was about to change in little Neele's life. It was not difficult to guess what she and Hedda thought of the impending separation. You only had to look at their faces to see what was going on inside them. The way Hedda looked, she was really worried about her little friend. There was no mistaking the sad look on her face. Apparently she didn't even know at that moment whether she should laugh and look forward to her school days with girls like her or cry with sorrow at Hedda's imminent departure. Considering that she had only made a real friend a few weeks ago and was now to part with her again, surely everyone can understand that Neele was a little anxious about it.

By the way, not only Hedda and Mara, but also Thea, the companion of the third little witch, were once students at this school and were not only in the enchanted forest that day because they had promised to be. All three were also looking forward to finally seeing their former teacher Amalia again. If the commotion in the courtyard was anything to go by, they would probably get the chance very soon. Amalia still hadn't discovered her third new student, but she was keen to tell me a bit about her in the few remaining minutes. I learned that Emmy was a particularly cheerful child and had always enjoyed playing pranks on others, especially her twin brothers Tim and Max, but both rarely found it funny. Emmy caused quite a stir in her parents' house often enough. But things got even more exciting. Shortly before she was due to start school, her witch powers awoke. But neither Emmy nor her parents had any idea. But things had long since stopped going according to plan at home. Of course, Emmy's aunt Thea found out the reason for the strange occurrences in her sister Dora's house before Emmy could get herself and others into real trouble. However, even after Thea had taken Emmy under her wing, things were still pretty adventurous there from time to time. After all, Emmy's brothers were no pushovers either. But what happened after Emmy no longer lived there had nothing to do with magic. Although she could no longer play tricks on her brothers, she never had a single day of boredom. In fact, every day she spent with her aunt Thea was incredibly exciting. But I'll find out what these two experienced together another time, when there's more time.

Just as Amalia had told me this, we heard Hedda whisper to Neele: "Come on, let's walk around a bit, because there must be another little girl around here just like you. I'd like to introduce you to her." Thea suddenly stood in front of them. Hedda hadn't expected to meet her here, however. Of course, Thea wasn't here alone, but with her little niece Emmy. At least that's what Hedda assumed, because the resemblance between the two of them was hard to miss. But before she got around to asking her friend about it, they spotted Mara in front of the stairs to the entrance of the school building. Naturally, they headed straight for her. It seemed as if Mara had just sensed the eyes of her friends, because she suddenly turned around. Not being very tall, Mara, practical as she was, quickly climbed a few steps up the stairs. To her astonishment, she saw not just one, but two of her closest school friends coming towards her. Unlike these two, who knew fully well that Mara would be accompanying her little sister to school, she hadn't even remotely expected to see someone from her own school days here. Of course, she wondered why they hadn't told her that they would also be at the school that day. "Well, if they wanted to surprise me, then they've done a fantastic job," thought Mara, just as Hedda and Thea and their little witches reched her.

Mara had told Amalia this a little later, but also what had been going through the three friends' minds afterwards. That's why Amalia knew that all three of them would not only have been really happy about their reunion, but also about the fact that they could spend Anna, Emmy and Neele's first day at school together in the enchanted forest. As the three of them had never met before and only knew the names of the other girls' companions, they naturally got to know each other first. As soon as they had done so, they put their heads together to find out who they would be spending the next few hours with. To be honest, the little witches were in no way inferior to the older girls at this school when it came to ’curiosity’. So it wasn't long before they knew a lot more about each other than just their names and where they came from. Naturally, Mara was also interested in finding out everything about Neele and Emmy. But with the noise around her, she would probably only have understood half of what her friends were telling her. So she decided to save her questions until after Amalia's speech. Thea and Hedda probably felt the same way, because they also made little attempt to converse. Instead, they each pursued their own thoughts while they waited together for the ceremony to begin. Hedda, for example, had been worried for a while that Neele wouldn't like it here. But now that she had also met Emmy, as she already knew Mara's sister Anna, her fears had suddenly disappeared. Anna and Emmy were two very likeable and, above all, cheerful girls. With these two by her side, even her shy Neele couldn't possibly be sad or homesick for long. At least that's what Hedda hoped with all her heart. In fact, she even hoped that the three of them would become friends. Hedda wasn't the only one who felt this way when she saw how light-heartedly the girls chatted to each other. Thea was also thinking about the three little ones in her midst at the same time. She also came to the conclusion that school couldn't have started any better for the girls. Of course, Thea still feared, and not without reason, that her niece might get herself into trouble in some way, sooner or later. However, she knew from her own school days that the Keeper hardly missed anything in her house and that she never let witch girls like Emmy out of her sight for long. Then we heard Hedda say to Neele: "You'll see, you'll definitely like it here and you'll soon be on vacation. Now that you can fly, we can go on weekend trips to the seaside together. Only if you feel like it, of course." Although Neele only nodded, there was no doubt that she was incredibly happy about this suggestion. Unbelievable, but from the sound of it, Hedda was already thinking about what she could do with Neele during her first vacation - and that was before the little witch had even stuck her nose into a school book. Afterwards, Amalia told me that, unlike her two friends, Mara's thoughts had wandered back to her own past. More precisely, to the day they, Hedda and Thea, met here. Back then, they were probably standing in almost the same place in the schoolyard, looking at each other with no less curiosity than the three little witches in their midst were doing. But immediately afterwards, Mara wondered, just as Thea and Hedda had done, whether her Anna and the other two girls, Neele and Emmy, would become good friends one day. Of course, she didn't know the answer to this question at the time. But it looked to her as if the three little witches liked each other, which she quite rightly thought was a good sign, as it soon turned out. Suddenly, a loud creaking drew the attention of the assembled crowd of witches. The large double doors of the schoolhouse opened and Amalia, the guardian of the school of witchcraft, appeared. Naturally, she was greeted by everyone with enthusiastic applause. When the applause had died down and the schoolyard had fallen silent, she began her welcoming speech. She hadn't even finished the first sentence of her speech when she interrupted it again. Puzzled, I asked her: "Amalia, why did you stop talking? Did something happen?" "Wait a moment, then you'll see why I did that." Just then, I saw the guardian hurrying down the stairs and making her way through the crowds of schoolgirls in the schoolyard.

She stopped in front of a little girl. After introducing herself to the girl, she learned her name. Lina. As the guardian couldn't make out any adult witches near little Lina, she asked the girl where her companion was. Lina looked at her in complete astonishment. She obviously had no idea what the woman she didn't know was talking about. Instead, she wanted to know what this huge house was and why all the other girls were here. Naturally, Amalia had to get to the bottom of the matter. After all, she was the guardian of the school and should know about everything that was going on anywhere in this house or in the enchanted forest. But this was not the right time to clear up the strange story about the little girl. So, without further ado, she took Lina to Hedda, Mara and Thea and asked them to keep an eye on the girl until she had made her speech. She then hurried back up the stairs as quickly as she could to continue the speech she had begun, but to her surprise, no one seemed to care. In fact, the excitement caused by the sudden appearance of the little witch in the schoolyard was not only quite great but, to Amalia's displeasure, could not be ignored. However, she was neither used to nor willing to tolerate such behavior from her students. So she quieted things down with a few words and a small hand gesture. Then, without further ado, she warmly welcomed the witches present and asked the ’newcomers’ to join her on the stairs. Turning to the assembled witches in the schoolyard, she then said: "We were actually only expecting Anna, Neele and Emmy today, who most of you have probably already met. But to my delight, another little witch has joined us, namely Lina." She then wished everyone a wonderful day and made her way to the banquet table.

Amalia then told me that she had never given such a short speech on such a significant day as she had that year. Of course, this had only happened because she really wanted to find out more about Lina. However, she didn't get any answers to her questions, which she understandably had, either on that Sunday or in the time that followed. So Lina's mysterious appearance at the school remained a mystery, much to the little girl's distress and Amalia's bewilderment. Regardless of this, Amalia naturally wanted Lina to feel at home at the school of witchcraft. She therefore thought that this would be quickest in the company of girls as small as Lina herself. Therefore, after she had given her speech, she had a fourth bed placed in the tower room. It was big enough, even for four girls. After she had told me this, I asked her if I could have a look at the girls' room. "Yes, of course you can." She looked at me strangely for a moment, but then she said: "Well, what is it, Carlotta? Do you want to have a look at the room or not?" It was only then that I realized I had opened my eyes. "Oh, Amalia, I'm sorry, I was so lost in thought, of course I want to see the room," I replied. Then I quickly closed my eyes. Immediately afterwards, I saw the school in front of me again.

The girls' room was high up in the tower of the school and could only be reached via a seemingly endless spiral staircase. "Oh, it looks like it's quite a hike up there," I exclaimed when I saw the many steps. "Yes, but it's also the most beautiful room in the whole school. Besides, the four little witches still have very young legs," Amalia remarked with a grin. What I liked best about the room at the top of the tower was the view from the windows. You could look straight down onto the enchanted forest. "It's hard to believe, Amalia, that this beautiful forest is supposed to be so treacherous. It looks so peaceful from up here!" "Yes, it really is very beautiful from up here. I have to agree with you and, apart from a few small peculiarities, that's exactly what it is. By the way, there, on the middle windowsill, that's now Lina's favorite spot. At least that's what I've been told," Amalia remarked, deep in thought. After saying this, she was silent for a moment. Then she said: "Since that day, I've often wondered whether such a small witch could have found the difficult path through the enchanted forest to the school all by herself? But that seemed just as unlikely to me then as it does now. Before you can enter the school, you not only have to go through the forest, but also through the Hidden Gate. But Lina couldn't describe the way through the forest to me, nor did she know the words without which she wouldn't have been able to get through the gate. So I came to the conclusion that she couldn't possibly have gotten to the school on her own. No matter whether she could remember it or not. Well, be that as it may and whoever may have brought her to this school, in any case, Lina has been here ever since and she's doing well and that's all that really matters to me. But that doesn't mean that I don't still want to know how she got here. But what interests me even more is why someone entrusted me with the girl in such a strange way. Apparently, this person must have been very sure that I would take good care of the little girl. Knowing this made me proud on the one hand, but also a little offended on the other - but above all it awakened my curiosity and the desire to solve this mystery. Fortunately, the other little witches liked Lina straight away and so they all spent the holiday together. Anna, Emmy and Neele probably wouldn't even have needed Lina's name to like her. You simply have to like Lina. Yes, and although she could hardly tell anything herself and therefore mostly just listened or asked questions, neither she nor any of the other girls got bored that afternoon. After all, Anna and Neele, but especially Emmy, had experienced more than enough in the last few weeks to be able to talk non-stop. Incidentally, it didn't take long before these four girls not only knew a lot about each other, but also became the very best of friends, just as Hedda, Mara and Thea had secretly hoped." Amalia then went on to say that Lina was often sad at first, which the other three girls didn't like at all. That's why they swore to her every time they noticed that they didn't care where the number four of the Funny Clovers came from. Even if it had floated down to them on a cloud from the moon or the stars, it wouldn't matter to them. After such assurances, Lina's sadness usually disappeared immediately. Especially when Emmy then said "Witch's word of honor". She raised her fingers to swear and grinned happily at Lina. Maybe that's why it didn't take too long and Lina hardly thought about the past. That was just as well, because apart from the fact that all children in the world should be happy, which of course also applies to little witches in a school of witchcraft, Lina didn't have time to spend hours thinking sad thoughts. After all, she should and wanted to learn magic just like her three friends, and as quickly as possible. Well, and as Amalia told me, that wouldn't be so easy and that's why her students' first attempts at magic would often end up being quite unusual and sometimes even downright adventurous. Naturally, I wanted to know from Amalia whether anything funny had ever happened to Anna, Emmy, Lina or Neele. Amalia smiled and said: "Oh yes! Quite a few things have happened to these four! After all, as soon as they arrived at school, their classmates called them the Funny Clovers for a reason. Carlotta, I don't know what these four confided in each other over the next few years. Nevertheless, I know many stories about these girls. Some of them were told to me by the little witches themselves. Some Mara, Hedda or Thea told me over the years when they visited the school, and quite a few I found out, well, let's call it 'witch by witch'. If you feel like it, we can visit the enchanted forest again tomorrow and if you like, I can tell you one of these stories. But now I would like to go home." We set off for home straight away. As long as we had to walk behind each other like goslings, we couldn't talk, of course. But even down on the promenade, when we were able to walk side by side again, neither of us said a word for minutes. Suddenly I remembered that Amalia had mentioned a wizard called Baryzur, even calling him the "patron saint of the school". I immediately asked her quietly if he had also been at school that day and if I had just missed him. "No, that's exactly what I thought was a bit strange at the time," Amalia replied thoughtfully. She then told me that he had never before missed the chance to welcome the ’newcomers’ to school in person. But that year, he didn't come back to the witch school until a few weeks later. "You know, Carlotta," said Amalia, "I really can't tell you much about our wizard. Only that there are many secrets surrounding him. For example, he can appear and disappear without anyone seeing him come or go. Some of my students have wanted to find out about this secret in particular. But none of them have succeeded yet." That wasn't exactly what I had hoped to hear at that moment. In the light of the lanterns, I saw Amalia smiling mischievously to herself after she said that. Last but not least, she also said that there were many secrets in her world and that some were better left undiscovered. By now we had reached the end of the promenade. Amalia hung on to me and we climbed the few steps up to my guesthouse. The following days were incredibly exciting. During the day I spoiled Amalia with my cooking skills and in the evening she whisked me away into the wondrous world of witches with her stories. However, if I had to say where this world could be found, I couldn't for the life of me.