Helen Speaks

Introduction to Olive: https://helenspeaks.wordpress.com/2025/04/07/olive-framleys-magical-year/

Previous encounter at Dune House: https://helenspeaks.com/2025/04/25/olive-framley-entry-5-25th-april/

Characters: https://helenspeaks.com/characters/

Dear Talia,

You will not have even read my previous letter as I write this, but I lay awake tossing and turning last night and worrying about this woman, this Mrs Webfoot. She seems to know about me and even know when I’m lying… so I realised I could go one better. Why do years of work into psychology and body language when you have magic? I remembered a witch I’d heard about in Grenswick who shamed a local politician by making his eyes flash whenever he lied. I went to the Barkmouth library that morning to see if I could find out more and I found a messageboard discussing it. They suggested a short incantation and I gave it a try on the librarian, striking up a conversation. When I asked if she enjoyed busy days at the library – she looked bored of me bothering her by now – she said she did, and her eyes turned purple!

Well, this seemed like the perfect way of getting the upper hand with the mysterious Mrs Webfoot, and possibly even finding out more about the little witch Lucy Skylark. So I set off back to Dune House, my most polite smile plastered on, and hoped the spell would work.

She was outside tidying the garden. “Oh, hello again Olive! Come for another cup of tea? Lucy’s upstairs but I’m sure she’ll want to join us…”

“Oh, that’s quite all right,” I said. “It was you that I wanted to talk to.” I muttered the incantation, and hoped that it worked.

“What’s that, dear?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.”

I stepped inside and took a deep breath.

She made some tea and we both sat down. Was there an obvious lie I could get her to make, something that would show my spell had worked? Something polite.

“Does it ever get annoying, having lodgers?”

She smiled. “Oh, yes, sometimes dear. But we learn to make do.”

“How do you like Barkmouth? Do you think it’s a lovely town?”

“It’s perfectly fine, my dear, although I do wish it had fewer chain shops and they would sort out the public transport.”

Nothing yet. But she was probably being honest.

“Do you like my haircut?” People are always politely dishonest about how they feel about people’s hair.

But not Mrs Webfoot. “Oh no, dear, it’s quite hideous on you. I think you’d look better with softer lines, but young people will do what they must do.”

I had to admit, I felt a grudging respect.

Then she poured me more tea, and said, with a knowing smile, “Why don’t you just ask what you want to ask, Olive? There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

I didn’t feel afraid, Talia. Well, I perhaps felt nervous. Because this was strange. Why was she being so nice to me?

“Why are you being so nice to me, Mrs Webfoot?”

Her face softened. “Oh, Olive dear. That’s just how we are in Barkmouth…” And her eyes flashed purple!

I jumped on this. “No, no it isn’t. You’re being especially nice to me… and you could see me even in my silver coat. Your witch lodger couldn’t do that!”

She shuffled, guiltily. “Ophelia insisted that I shouldn’t tell you.” No purple flash this time.

“Mummy insisted? How do you know my mother?”

She patted my hand. “Well, I’m rather the black sheep of the family. Aunty Ermingarde who went to the coast, who didn’t marry well and who dabbled in the odd bit of magic. I knew it wasn’t done. And I didn’t keep up with the magic. I don’t think I was really called. Not like Lucy – or you.”

“Aunty – oh, Grandmama’s younger sister!”

She smiled sadly. “Veronica hated me even talking to Ophelia – she was so intent on making her just another version of her. But I let her know that she could always write, and she could always stay here if she wanted. I’m delighted you came – though I’m sure your name was…”

“Genevieve,” I said. “Or Jenny. Olive’s my middle name.”

She smiled, her eyes crinkling. “My great niece, Jenny.”

I felt… well, surprisingly emotional, Talia. She hadn’t been inviting me in as a trick. She just wanted to be kind to me, because she’s my great aunt. And I never knew. Grandmama had made her sound like a wild soul, but she was so very ordinary.

“I think you do have some power,” I said. “No one else can see past the silver coat…”

“It’s all in the past,” she said. “But I’m glad you’re following the path. Witches can do a great deal of good in the world.”

Please don’t tell Mummy, Talia. Definitely don’t tell her that I let Aunty Ermingarde give me a hug and tell me I was always welcome to the herbs in the garden if I needed them. I know she couldn’t stop us from talking, but I don’t want to cause any more of a scene when I see my parents next.

I didn’t tell Hatty what had happened either, of course. But I did save the spell. If it works well, this might be my first proper spellbook entry.

Be well Talia!

Yours sincerely,

Olive.

Question: Have you ever met a long lost relative by chance?

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Next entry (Lucy’s next letter): https://helenspeaks.com/2025/04/27/lucy-skylark-entry-10-5-27th-april/

Olive’s next letter: https://helenspeaks.com/2025/05/09/olive-framley-entry-7-9th-may/