Eldric took ill. He took ill on Blackberry Night, and kept to his bed. How do you suppose this witch reacted? Can you guess what she might have thought? Such a relief! That’s what she thought. The very sight of Eldric would curl the witch into a shriveled pea of embarrassment. A witch does not make a good friend. Let’s remind ourselves how this particular witch works: She is near a person, she is jealous of that person, that person falls from a swing and bashes her head. The witch meets a person on Blackberry Night. There ensues a shriveled-pea of a situation, and that person falls ill. How is it that I am always surprised? I was alone at breakfast the first day, save for the Brownie. I was relieved. I began a new story for Rose. I declined to answer a letter from Cecil.
