Helen Speaks

Olive Framley Entry 18, 13^th August

Dear Talia,

I want to

I feel that

I’m so ashamed

I made a mistake

I am going to need you to send me some advice. It seems that there was something about young Maksym’s powers that neither Lucy nor his father thought to tell me.

We had a booking for our magic show at a beautiful house in Oakstone – I think the chancellor’s mansion – and the show was going well except Maksym seemed agitated. I kept hearing all these rolls of thunder that seemed to be coming from him and he didn’t seem to listen when I told him to calm down or that we could do weather magic when we got home. He doesn’t normally need babysitting, Talia, though he’s so young.

It was a beautiful day and there were lots of children there, all playing outside in the garden, and there was meant to be a firework display later. I kept telling Maksym to focus and he kept not focusing. I said if he wasn’t going to help me he could run off and play with the other children, which he seemed to take as a punishment, clinging to my skirt like an infant and squeezing Pompom so hard she squealed. She’s a tolerant kitten, but he was being too much even for her!

Then he started digging around in his bag.

“What are you doing?” I suppose I could have been more patient but we had a show to do and he was being no help at all.

“I want my bands,” he said. “My bands Lucy gave me.”

I thought we had gone through this, Talia. Lucy was being overprotective. Maksym doesn’t need his powers suppressing. They are a gift!

“You don’t need them,” I said. “If you don’t want to do magic, just don’t.”

“But Olive…”

And then someone let off a firework. It was early. Much too light.

Then the sky cracked. Or he did. It was seconds later that the downpour started. All of the children screamed and ran into a marquee or into the house. The adults grabbed anything valuable and rushed for shelter.

And I looked at Maksym. He was frozen, staring heavenward, his eyes glowing gold.

He was doing this.

In the moment, I feel embarrassed to say, I felt a little scared of him.

Don’t worry Talia. I didn’t let it get the better of me. In fact, I scooped him up – and made a swipe for Pompom, who dashed off to the bushes – and ran into the trees.

This could have been very foolish, given there was actual lightning and I was holding the source of the storm. But it seemed the only way to de-escalate… just take Maksym away and give him time to regroup.

Eventually the storm subsided. Maksym collapsed, weeping, into my arms. I tried to look brave. Honestly Talia, I didn’t realise that was so hard. Are all adults faking it?

“I ruined everything,” he sobbed.

I didn’t know what had happened or why.

“It’s all right,” I told him. “Every witch has this, sometimes,” I added. “Let’s go find Pompom.”

The party was in tatters when we returned and the host was apologetic. That helped – I tried not to look guilty while he said that he’d pay me anyway, even though the party had been so thoroughly rained off.

Maksym finally found the bracelets, where they’d dropped, forgotten about, at the bottom of his rucksack. He put them on and sat silently for a while, and eventually I had to coax him to come back to the station with me. I wonder if Firenze and I could come to some kind of arrangement for taking us home. I know he’s so fond of Maksym.

Maksym’s father was understanding, which made it worse. He said that fireworks remind Maksym of gunshots and bombs, and once he was better, his father would remind him that he should be wearing his bracelets at all times. Then he apologised to me, and it was too much. It was all I could do not to break down like a silly child.

I tried to take the levitating spell off his shoes, Talia. But you know, that spell doesn’t work without honesty. And I couldn’t bear to tell Maksym’s father the whole truth. I ended up just taking them with me. I’ve pushed him too far, Talia.

Can I make it better, Talia? I never meant to hurt him.

Yours sincerely,

Olive.