Chapter 1: A New Witch in Town

The bell above the door inside the Good Cooking Pan Bakery rang as Tombo burst in. "Kiki! Hey, Kiki! Guess what?" the boy called excitedly as he hurried to the counter. He had grown some since Kiki's arrival in Corico nearly one year ago; but he still sported the same style of striped shirt with jeans and hair spikey in the front. And he was still very much a boy. Kiki looked up from the magazine she was reading while she manned the shop. The afternoon had been quiet with only a trickle of customers.

"Tombo! What is it?" Kiki said with a hint of shock.

"I was testing out my new glider in one of the fields north of town," Tombo said as he leaned on the counter, "and from the west I saw a witch fly by on her broomstick. It looked like she might have landed near one of the ponds."

Kiki's eyes widened at the word, and she gasped: "Another witch?!"

"Yeah, I know. Isn't it wonderful? I hope she stays. Having two witches in town at the same time… Oh," Tombo paused. "Have you decided if you're going to stay in Corico? Now that your year of witches training is up."

Kiki turned her eyes down towards the counter and made a sound like that of a hum and a groan combined. She had not yet made up her mind whether she would remain in the beautiful seaside city, or if she would return to her little old hometown to live closer to her parents; or if she would seek out a new city altogether. "Well… I am going to visit my parents back home…" she began before pausing for a moment to ponder the issue. "But I still have one week before my year is up. And I'll definitely come back after my visit home. And…" she was interrupted by the ring of the telephone beside the cash register. "Um, one second," she said before answering. "Good Cooking Pan Bakery… Yes… A pickup? Sure… 58 Seaside Street." She held the phone between her shoulder and ear as she wrote down the address in the small notebook she used for work. "And when would you like… Um, sure. I can be there in 20 minutes. Okay, thank you." She hung up the phone with a click. "I have a delivery to pick up by the pier." The two looked at each other for a few seconds in silence. "Oh, Tombo. I haven't made up my mind yet," Kiki said, returning to the question of her leaving. "I've met so many wonderful people here, and I really love this city…"

"Ahh," Tombo interjected, sounding like his old self again. "You'll make the right decision, I'm sure, after you've seen your parents. But hey," he said backing away from the counter, "you've got a delivery to make. Don't let me keep you. I'll stop by tomorrow. Hey! Maybe you'll see that new witch on your way."

"Delivery? yes! I have to go. It was nice to see you, Tombo. Maybe I'll see her. Bye!"

"Okay, bye now," Tombo waved as he exited the bakery.

Kiki took off on her broomstick from the ledge in front of the bakery, just as she had done on her first day in town, the day she met Osono, and as she had done a hundred times since. Her flight to the pier would take no more than five to ten minutes, and she held a comfortable altitude, not too high above the numerous orange-tiled rooftops. Like Tombo, and the other kids her age, Kiki had grown physically over the past year, and had begun to take on some of the appearance of a young lady; although her large bright eyes, full cheeks, and baby-soft skin remained unchanged. She had experimented with the new styles and trends that the other girls wore. But today, as with most days, she wore a purple dress very much like the old dark dress she had worn when she left home. Her shoes were new too, a rich crimson, purchased with her own money, as with the dress. The large red bow which tied back her hair was the same one as a year ago. She loved the old bow, which her mother had given her, and she would not part with it until it became unwearable – and maybe not even then. But the bulky old bloomers had to go.

Jiji did not accompany Kiki on this flight, he rarely did anymore. He was busy spending time with, and watching over, his family with his mate, Lily. Though Jiji has changed and no longer speaks, and behaves more like his feline kin, he will never just be an ordinary cat. Still, Kiki truly missed the old Jiji, his sarcasm, his mannerisms, his usefulness as a companion – she would never again be able to get him to pretend to be a stuffed doll as he once did, or even to turn on the radio – that Jiji was gone forever. And Kiki missed that special, magical, relationship they shared in childhood.

The afternoon was growing late, giving way to evening. The sun warmed her face. And a breeze from the south brought with it the fresh scent of the ocean, and the sound of seagulls. Kiki knew that this would be the last job of the day and that it would be getting dark on her way back. But she kept her eyes wide and scanned the horizon and the sky in hopes that she would spot the witch that Tombo had seen.

The man on Seaside Street had a small, but "very important," parcel to be delivered to a home on the northern edge of the city. Kiki would have to fly back over the entirety of Corico before tracking back south again to the bakery and home. Twenty more minutes of flying, and Kiki descended on the parcel's destination, a large, stately home, with a blue roof, similar in size and style to Madame's estate – Kiki cared dearly for that kind old woman, who made such wonderful pies. But this house was isolated, far from the hustle and bustle of the city center. A finely dressed gentleman answered the door when Kiki rang. He took charge of the parcel, signed the receipt, and disappeared back inside with no more than a "Thank you" and "Good evening." Grave and proper, Kiki thought. But by no means rude, few people in Corico were.

Kiki mounted her broomstick in the driveway of the manor and took to the air. She flew up high to get a good view of the landscape below, a view of the fields and small scatterings of bodies of water. She was hoping to spot the witch, or the pond that Tombo had mentioned. "I wonder where she is," Kiki said aloud. She flew a large loop of the area but saw no sign of the visitor. Maybe she found a place to stay in town, Kiki thought. Or maybe she moved on to another city altogether. The sun was beginning to set as she pointed her broomstick to the south and flew over the familiar cityscape. Bright golden rays stretched from the setting sun in the west, which warmed the right side of Kiki's face and neck but caused her to direct her gaze to the east. And there, flying briskly, low over the trees, was the new witch she had been looking for. "Oh! There she is!" Kiki gasped and steered her broomstick to intercept. The new witch dropped altitude and descended into the park. Kiki followed and put down in the clearing where the new witch had landed.

The long shadows cast by the trees and the buildings merged into one, covering the ground where Kiki had landed. The park was quiet that evening, with only the faint background hum and chirp of cicadas and crickets. Kiki looked around and quickly set eyes on a young girl in a plum-colored dress sitting on a bench – a broomstick was propped against the bench on one side of her, and on the other side sat a black cat. And turning her own broomstick bristle end up, Kiki headed towards the bench.

Outwardly, the girl appeared not much different from Kiki when she had first arrived, with similarities in complexion, build, and dress. She had auburn hair, Kiki observed drawing nearer, which was chin-length in a choppy bob-cut. The black cat which sat beside her, upon closer inspection, was actually quite scruffy looking and had many grey hairs in its coat. And the girl retrieved something from the tan messenger bag by her feet as Kiki approached. "Hi! Good evening!" Kiki said. The girl turned her attention up from the small bundle of biscuits she was unwrapping and looked, virtually glared, at Kiki with hazel eyes. Kiki stepped closer to the bench: "My name's Kiki, and I'm a witch, too!"

"Great…" the girl said slowly in a raspy voice. "Another witch."

Kiki stood smiling, and rocked on her heels for several seconds before continuing: "What's your name? Did you just leave home for your year of training?"

The girl stared at Kiki for a moment before answering: "Terry. And yeah, training… if that's what you want to call it." She rewrapped the biscuits, and standing up, stuffed them into her bag.

"Oh," said Kiki, unsure what exactly the girl meant. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Terry." Terry did not respond. "And this must be your black cat," Kiki said crouching down and looking into the round face of the long-haired feline. "What's your name?"

"Oh… that's Dan," said Terry unenthusiastically.

"Dan…" Kiki said, stretching the word and trying to sound friendly and upbeat; but was really thinking, what kind of a witch names her cat Dan? "That's a nice name!"

"No," said Terry, "It's not."

Kiki's jaw dropped a bit in surprise and confusion, and she looked up at Terry, who was rummaging through her bag and did not look back. Then she turned back to Dan, who had not moved since she got there, and who only frowned and stared at her with tired and judgmental eyes. "Well, I think it's a fine name for such a handsome cat," Kiki said before standing up. Dan continued to frown. "Next week will mark my one year of training and I'll be returning home to visit my parents. But this is a wonderful city, I like it so much! Are you going to stay?" she asked Terry.

Terry put the strap of her bag diagonally across her body and picked up her broom: "Probably not. Come on, Dan."

"Oh, but you just got here, and it's getting so late. You don't want to fly into a new city at night. Hey! You can spend the night at my place, I have a room next to the bakery. I'll introduce you to Osono, the owner, she's such a nice lady. I'm sure she'll let you spend the night in my room. Yeah! We'll have hot cocoa, or tea, and pastries. I haven't seen another witch since I left home."

Terry stood studying Kiki for a few seconds. Then Dan meowed several times in rapid succession. Terry looked down at him: "Yeah, me too. But I don't know." Dan meowed again and Terry hummed in contemplation.

"Oh, is Dan talking to you? I can't understand him," Kiki said. Dan looked at her and meowed again. Kiki glanced down at him and smiled awkwardly. Terry and Dan shared an understanding look.

"Alright," Terry said, "I guess we can spend one night with you."

"Great!" said Kiki.

"And you better not be lying about those pastries," Terry added.

Kiki responded with a chuckle and thought, she's joking, right?

The two witches mounted their broomsticks, Dan leaped lazily on behind Terry, and took to the air with Kiki in the lead.

From inside his patrol car one hundred yards away, the traffic cop looked quickly up from his coffee at the sight of the pair rising swiftly from the park: "Great, another witch."