The challenge rules as set by Grace –
Title: The Forgotten Spell
Characters: Fenella & Griselda
Object: Ashes & an Hourglass
Word: Deeply
Length: 550 words (1464, erm, oops)
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It was late one Friday afternoon at Cackle's Academy and Fenella Feverfew and Griselda Blackwood were cleaning the Staffroom. This in itself wasn't entirely unusual except that on this particular day they were the only people left in the School. Everyone else had gone on a field trip to 'Madam Grub's Museum of Witchcraft", as a special treat since it was nearing the end of term. Fenny and Gris, however, were being punished for causing some mishap or other and were told by Miss Hardbroom that not only were they not allowed to go, but they had to stay at the Academy with various chores and cleaning tasks, which were to be completed by the time everyone returned. So far they had cleaned the windows (what few Cackle's had anyway), Stacked all the chairs in the Great Hall, swept through all the classrooms and hallways, scoured the floors in the Kitchens and tidied up the Library. Now if they could just get the Staffroom tidied in the next 30 minutes they'd be in the clear.
"Hey Fen, look at this." Griselda beckoned her friend over to where she was standing.
"What is it?"
"Hmmm, I'm not entirely sure. Looks like an Urn or something. Like the kind you keep someone's ashes in."
"That's weird, what on earth would they be doing with that in here?"
"I don't know, I certainly haven't seen it before though and we're always in here for some reason or other. Must be new whatever it is."
"Perhaps we should open it up and find out?" Griselda hesitated.
"I don't know, there could be anything in it."
"Exactly. It might be something really cool."
"Or it might be nothing. Or worse, something really not cool."
"Oh don't be such a wuss. Here." Fenella snatched the Urn out of Griselda's hands and tried to turn the lid. It twisted a centimetre either way but showed no sign of coming off. "It must be stuck or have a lock, was there a key?" She went over to the open window to get a better look. Everywhere in Cackle's was so gloomy people were always taking things to the windows just to see them properly. "Aha, here it is. You've got to jiggle it a bit like this, then twist, then pres... Oh shi-" Unfortunately Fenella's plan worked a little to well, and the lid came off quickly, upsetting the entire contents of the Urn out the window and away into the breeze.
"No!" Griselda ran to the window. "You idiot! You just lost a dead person!"
"Hey, I didn't know there would actually be someone in there did I!"
"It's an Urn, what did you think would be in there? A cup of tea?!"
"For Hera's sake Gris calm down! I'm sorry okay. Jeez, what the Hell were they doing with someone's ashes in here anyway?"
"I don't know, but we better find something to put in here before they get back, or else we're in big trouble." She paused. "Well, more then usual." Fenella nodded.
"Okay, I don't know about you, but I personally don't have any dead bodies lying around that I can quickly stick in a furnace."
"Stop being sarcastic, this is your fault remember. No, we just need to burn something to make some ashes and stuff. I mean, who can tell the difference between types of burnt things anyway?"
"Erm, okay then. Well, how about we get some of the stuff already in the fireplace?" Fenella put the Urn down in the middle of the table and moved to the old fireplace. She rooted around a bit and made a small pile of the few ashes that were lying around. "Okay, this stuff looks kind of convincing."
"Yeah, excellent. But we're going to need loads more; there was a lot in there."
"I'll try the kitchen. There's bound to be loads of stuff in the furnace down there."
"Good. I'll see what I can find up here." Fenella jumped up and left for the kitchen while Griselda hunted for something to top up the Urn with. Finding nothing of value in the Staffroom, she went to the Potions lab to see if there was anything of use in there. Finding nothing of use in the fireplace, of course, Miss Hardbroom didn't believe in warmth. The fire must have not been used in the last 20 years or so. She turned to leave when she noticed a stack of blank papers on the side. She smiled to herself.
Fenny meanwhile was having a rather successful time in the kitchen. From the looks of it Mrs Tapioca didn't know the meaning of the word 'clean' and there were ashes all over the place. For possibly the first time she began to appreciate that the school dinners were always burnt. Collecting all she could into a bowl, she made her way back up to the Staffroom.
"Look, I found loads in the Kitchen."
"Excellent, we're nearly there. I'm just burning these papers to make up the rest of it."
"Awesome, then we're in the clear."
"Uh-oh!"
"Uh-oh?? Why uh-oh?"
"Look!" Gris pointed to the window where the returning shapes of their class mates could clearly be seen.
"Okay, you're right, Uh-oh! Quick put the fire out! Just shove what you can into the Urn."
"I can't! I can't remember the spell to cool it down! If I just grab it I'll burn my hands off!"
"Urgh, why is everything so hard!? Erm, spell to cool stuff down... Dammit, I can't remember it either!"
"Well, we've got to do something to add some more weight to the Urn if nothing else. They might not look in it, but they'll probably pick it up at some point. Okay… coolus, hotus... Damn, that's not it, hotus coolos firus... No, uhh... burnus nottus..."
"Quickly! They're landing!"
"Ah, dammit. Puffify!" The fire and paper vanished.
"What did you do that for? Now we'll never fill it up!"
"Yeah, but think of how much trouble we'd be in if HB caught us making a fire in here. She'd skin us alive."
"That's true, but what about the urn?"
"Erm..." Looking around the room, Griselda's eyed landed upon the school's Hourglass. It used to be used to keep time in relay races and such on sports day, but now Miss Drill had a Stopwatch it was never used anymore. "That'll do!" She jumped up and grabbed it from the top shelf and quickly pulled as hard as she could on the base which came off with surprising ease.
"What are you going to do with that?"
"The sand. It's heavy and will add the extra weight." She quickly poured half the black sand into the Urn, and put the end back on the Hourglass. Footsteps could be heard fast approaching the room. "Quick, put the Urn back in the cupboard!"
Fenella grabbed the Urn and fixed the lid back on before shoving it back in the cupboard, while Griselda placed the rather depleted Hourglass back on its shelf. At that moment the door handle turned and Miss Hardbroom, Miss Cackle, Miss Drill and Miss Bat all stormed in.
"Hello girls." Miss Cackle greeted. "I see that your chores went well." Fenny and Gris exchanged glances.
"Erm, yes Miss Cackle. Very... Well."
"Good. Well I suppose you may go and see your friends now. Off you go."
"Thank you Miss Cackle." They practically ran out of the room.
"Well, I must say I'm pleasantly surprised with those two." Miss Hardbroom said. "It seems our list of chores and punishments have finally had the desired effect."
"Yes." Miss Bat added. "Now if only it would work on those second years."
"Ergh, I know." Miss Cackle sighed and slumped into a nearby chair. "Really, I don't know why we bother sometimes. I am deeply disappointed in all of them. You just can't take those girls anywhere."
"Oh, they're not so bad." Miss Drill Offered. HB snorted and went to the cupboard, removing the Urn and placing it in the middle of the table. She then pulled a small tin from inside her cloak.
"Honestly Imogen, you only encourage them by sticking up for them. You make them think they're always right, and are perfectly entitled to misbehave."
"Oh yes, because you're always right aren't you Miss Hardbroom?" HB gave her a withering look and opened the tin, taking out a Spliff and sparking up. Imogen grinned like a Cheshire cat as HB sat next to her. "And you never ever misbehave."
"Are you complaining?" She arched an eyebrow and Imogen winked.
"Never."
Miss Hardbroom passed the Joint, and Miss Cackle flicked the ashes into the Urn they used as an Ashtray. "Hmmm, that's good Skunk." She said.
"Indeed." Constance concurred.