Helen Speaks

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

Olive meets Maksym: https://helenspeaks.com/2025/05/27/olive-framley-entry-12-27th-may/

Witch’s apprentice: https://helenspeaks.com/2025/05/31/olive-framley-entry-14-31st-may/

Dear Talia,

I needed some new clothes last week and so I took the train into Swalebeck, which has some more up-market shops, and I ended up spending what was left of my fortune-telling money on a new suit and some decent shoes.

I still have my very paltry allowance, but of course now I have three
mouths to feed. Kitten food is surprisingly expensive. And Hatty is not best pleased about having to clean litter trays.

I tried to call home but Daddy refused to come to the phone, and I ended up sitting a little glumly with Firenze, eating the last of my cupcakes, which were a little stale, when I had an idea.

I knew it was a good idea because it seemed to neatly tie a few things together. It would involve Maksym, socialise little Pompom, give us both the chance to practise magic and, most importantly, make me some money.

While I was in Swalebeck I ran into an old friend of Mummy’s – Marguerite Forester-Hawes. She said she’d heard I’d been sent to the sea “for my health” – honestly, am I someone from a Jane Austen novel? But she told me I could call by, and it was going to be her son’s birthday party soon. They had a wonderful entertainer – it’s so hard, she said, to find good party organisers nowadays.

I called her and said I had a “friend” who was just starting out in party planning. “Catering, decorations, and even a magic show – obviously it’s a little late for your son, but perhaps you could let his friends know?”

“Oh my dear, naturally! What’s your friend called?”

“Oh – Olive. Olive… Frenville?” (She would only guess if I’d said Framley.) “Do let me know… bookings are filling up quickly.” I smiled to myself. Now to call upon my apprentice, and tell him he could earn his familiar’s keep.

The plan is this – I’ll get the food and some games for the party. This is fairly simple. Little sandwiches, my cupcakes, and maybe some carrot sticks or something. I’ve had a look at magic tricks, and the vast majority I’ll do without real magic – pulling Pompom out of a hat, card tricks and the like – children are very credulous. And the finale will be levitating a child. This I needed to practise on Maksym.

His father seemed happy for him to come over after school, so we talked through the plans. He contributed lots of ideas, most of which were fairly awful. “You could make storybooks real” “You could turn their house into a zoo” “You could do pass the parcel” (Honestly, he thinks that is a very thrilling game. Poor sheltered child.)

But when I said I was going to levitate a child and practise on him, he looked at me and said seriously, “I don’t want to fly away, Olive. Maybe you should levinate my shoes.”

“Levitate.”

“Levelate.”

“Levitate.”

“Elevenate.”

He wasn’t wrong, though. The thought of casting that spell on a child did seem risky. But a child’s shoes, well, if it went wrong they could just take them off.

So we practised for a while – it turns out that it’s pretty hard to keep your balance in flying shoes. And it took me some time to take the spell off again – but Maksym loved it, of course, and asked to try again.

We practised having him hold a bar, and that seemed a bit better – I found a rail that he found, with great delight, that he could use to spin around in midair.

I heard the town clock chime in the distance.

“Right, I think it’s time for you to go home,” I told him. I packed up a few sandwiches and more cakes to keep his father sweet. “And I’d better…”

He giggled, as I reached for his shoes to disenchant them, and quickly stuffed them into his dufflebag on top of the food, snapping the top down quickly while they strained to fly out. “I can practise. Make you look good. A witch needs her prentice, you know.”

“I’m not sure that’s…” He petted Pompom, lovingly, and then Firenze
– who carried him home through a portal.

I was still fuming when Firenze casually sauntered back and started
playing in his little waterbath.

“You little traitor,” I said, but I was impressed with his skill.

Pompom curled up on my shoulder as I made business plans. I’m still not keen on her – yes, the Barkmouth vet (more expense) confirmed she is a girl and will need an operation soon if I want to avoid having a whole house of Pompoms. But Maksym can help me earn her keep. I’ll tell the parents I did something clever with wires.

And Marguerite Forester-Hawes rang me back – apparently a friend had an entertainer cancel on her and would like to book “The Amazing Olive” for next week. I hadn’t been sure of pricing, but when she told me how much the friend paid, I became quite excited.

Hopefully I won’t have long to wait before I can go shopping again. I have so many more things I’d like for the cottage.

Yours sincerely,

Olive.

Question: Did you like birthday parties as a child? What were some memorable experiences?

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Olive’s next letter: https://helenspeaks.com/2025/06/13/olive-framley-entry-16-13th-june/