Helen Speaks

Introduction: https://helenspeaks.wordpress.com/2025/04/06/lucy-skylarks-magical-year/

The garden gone wrong: https://helenspeaks.com/2025/05/10/lucy-skylark-entry-13-10th-may/

Dear Vera,

I hope you’re well. Thank you so much for sending down a care package – you were right, I did need it! You surprised me because I thought I’d find witchy things or at least gardening things, but the pens and paper were wonderful, much nicer than the supplies I have here. And I haven’t drawn in ages, so when your package arrived, I sat down and sketched Suki – who is now going in and out, most of the chicks have flown – and then Teddy posed for me, trying to look brash and confident.

Your package couldn’t have arrived at a better time. I was in a very low mood following Mrs Webfoot’s anger, and the next day Mrs Edgwood came around and they gossiped about me rather loudly, and Mrs Edgwood told me that Suniya had gone home in tears. I tried to phone her but she didn’t answer.

The next night I couldn’t sleep and I went down to watch the television in the communal room. There was an interview with a witch who worked in the city, talking about how she’d had to work more and more after local factories closed and she was beginning to lose her touch. She said that her spells started to go in strange directions, and it was like she was losing her connection. So she went out very early one morning and she asked nature to help her. Suddenly she’d been granted a vision of how she should proceed, and she found herelf filled with strength and purpose.

This sounded just what I needed. My weather sense seemed to indicate that it would be clear outside for several hours. I thought up a spell to ask nature what I needed – then I translated it into Latin, for effect. And I went up the cliff path. It was beautiful, clear with moon and stars shining. I sat down and started to chant, and…

Nothing. No vision, no strength, no purpose. I tried to show nature and magic that I was serious. But nothing happened. I wondered if I should be a witch at all.

I hope this doesn’t sound silly to you, Vera. I’m sure it looked silly to Olive Framley, the other witch, who walked in on me doing this.

I tried to brush her off, Vera, but she was sort of nice. She told me that she doesn’t want to do fortune telling anymore because people don’t want the truth. And she lent me a handkerchief and said that witches have to help each other. And like… I don’t know, Vera. She’s seemed like such a tricky character but she said that Mrs Webfoot is her aunt (but that I’ve known her longer? I don’t quite understand) and of course explained why Mrs Webfoot was hugging her. I felt so silly for feeling jealous.

Olive came by the house again today and I found the two of them having tea together. I wanted to go out to the garden to at least gently talk to the plants and warn them that Mrs Webfoot is planning on getting the weedkiller and a landscape gardener in. I’m wondering if Teddy could help me set things right before then. This seemed like the perfect time, given Mrs Webfoot was distracted, but it sounded like the two of them were arguing.

It sounded like Olive had just been very honest with Mrs Webfoot, which made me want to trust her more.

“You mean to tell me you’ve been lying to the people of the town? Ophelia would so disappointed! You’ve been given a magical gift and it’s your job to use it wisely… I thought at least we had one witch in town who could be trusted…”

“When it comes to that, you’ve been much too harsh with Lucy,” Olive said. “She’s just a kid and she’s really cut up that you’re freezing her out.”

“Lucy has nothing to do how I feel about this—” And as I rounded the corner, I saw the purple flash from her eyes. “Honestly, Jenny, I…”

(Jenny?!)

I tapped on the door, a bit tentatively. After all, Olive had done me a good turn, so I wanted to be able to do one back.

They turned.

“Um, morning,” I said. “Thanks for your… For the loan the other night, Olive, I’ve not washed it yet but…”

Mrs Webfoot rather forcefully dropped her cup into the saucer. “You two are friends now, then? No good can come of that.” Her eyes flashed purple again.

“You don’t think that, Aunty E,” Olive said placatingly. “I think I must get my pride from you because Mummy’s as timid as a mouse.”

She did melt a bit at that. I wondered how Olive could be so confident. I took heart from it and came in.

“We just want to help people,” I said, although not as confidently as Olive. “I’ve been – I’ve even been worried about you, Mrs Webfoot… Did you know about your eyes turning purple, sometimes? Maybe it’s the magic in you?”

Olive doesn’t show blushes easily, but her cheeks took on a slightly redder colour.

Mrs Webfoot looked at her piercingly. “What did you do, Jenny?”

“Ah. Well. I was getting onto that. You should probably know that I didn’t know anything about you when I did it…”

And this was when I started to back out again. They shouted a bit longer, and I went out for a walk. I took the pens with me, and sketched a beautiful view from the cliff path.

It’s been a strange few days, Vera!

Your friend,

Lucy.

Question: Have you had a “long dark night of the soul”? What happened afterwards?

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Next entry: https://helenspeaks.com/2025/05/16/lucy-skylark-entry-15-16th-may/