Broom Racing

Susan sat sulking in her room. Thinking to herself: "It's going to be the worst Autumn holiday ever! Why do I always get the short end of the stick? Linda has new clothes if she even bats her eyes at them, she goes riding once a week, and Dad drives a hundred miles or more to bring and fetch her from those silly parties. Well to be honest, he fetches me from parties as well, I just don't want to go to any. All I want is to spend my holiday at the Unicorn Farm. But no. Can't do. Heidi and her family even offered to put me up at their place. But no, and no, and more NO! I've got to stay at home, playing host to the terrible cousins, be friendly-looking when they invade my room and play with my stuff, even breaking it.  I can't even lock the door. I tried all the keys in Dad's big key ring from the cellar. None of them fits. Tomorrow they'll all be sitting exams and making preparations for the broom racing contest down at the Island and I'll just have to sit here, waiting for the invasion." Her anger gradually subsided, and gave way for a bout of crying. She felt lonely, unloved and lost.
She fell asleep, tucked into the corner, and awoke, disoriented when Mum called her down for lunch.
While they ate, Linda told that her friend Jeannet with whom she went riding each Wednesday, and who lived just around the corner, was going to a riding camp during the Autumn holidays. "And not long after she and her family will be moving far away. To Odense, or somewhere thereabout, I think." Linda said, surreptitiously drying her eyes. "Can I go to that riding camp as well. It'll be my last chance to be with Jeannet for a long time, maybe for ever." 
Susan secretly hoped, that Mum and Dad would say yes. Because then she might be able to go to Unicorn Farm as well.
"Well," Mum said, "I think we might be able to afford it, How much did you say it cost?"
"I did not," Linda said, "I'll go and ask Jeannet at once."
"No, don't." Mum said. "I'll 'phone her mum, maybe we can arrange for her dad to take you both, and Dad to drive you back here. Then we only have to drive one trip each."
Mum went to the telephone upstairs, and came back down smiling. "Yes it's a deal. Jeannets dad will pick you up at half past eight tomorrow morning, and Dad will fetch you both at the camp next Saturday."
"Oh," Susan said. "Can I go to Unicorn Farm then? It's not expensive, It'll only cost you the train ticket there and back again."
"Do you really think you can go there all alone?" Mum asked.
"Oh, Mum," Susan said with a tiny sigh. "You've sent me to the Central Station in Copenhagen to pick up Grandma a couple of times already, when she comes here for a stay. I think I can find the train going there just as easily as the one going back home bringing her with me. And when I phone Heidi's parents to tell I'm coming, I can ask them which bus to take to get out there. It's not as if I was going to a foreign country, If all else fails, people still speak Danish, and I can ask for help. I'll promise not to talk to strangers. only train crew, policemen and such. No-one else. I'll behave nicely, sit and read, wash my hands and eat my sandwiches. I can do it. I'm not a baby any longer."
"Yes, I can't see why not." Dad added. It would be kind of unfair to let Linda go to that riding camp, and then forcing Susan to stay at home with that boring old family of hers."
"Oh, Benny. Stop teasing. Yes, you can go, Susan. You've better both start packing,"she added.

Later Mum came into Susan's room. "I see that you've already packed. But why are you putting your books into the cupboard? And you still look sad. Aren't you happy?"
"Yes. I'm very happy, thank you," Susan said. "But I still have a problem. The terrible cousins will get into my things, and with me not being here, there's no telling what they'll do, break and ruin. You are not keeping a very good eye on them, and neither are their mum and dad. No, I'm not blaming you or anything. Those two are a handful, and I understand that you want to sit and talk rather than watching those two. They are rather spoiled, and ... well, you know them." 
Come and have some tea, then we can try to find a solution.
"Susan's been telling me that brother Frans' daughters are quite a pest." Mum said as she filled their cups. She turned to Susan: "Do they normally get into your things, Susan?" 
"Yes they do, or rather, they did," Susan answered. "Now, when you invite them I tie the door to the mullion in the window nearest the balcony. And then I climb from my window to the balcony and enter the house through your bedroom. And when they are gone again, I repeat the procedure, climbing from the balcony onto the cornice outside and in through the window. Then I untie the rope and everything is back to normal again. What a luck my door opens outwards." Susan smiled.
Mum did not smile. "But Susan. That's dangerous. What if you fell off the cornice. It's a long drop to the ground. Do you remember the boy at Linda's birthday party. He was lucky to break only an arm, when he fell from the balcony."
"I take care; of course I do. But I cannot leave my window open for a whole week. I need a key."
"There's a big ring of keys in the cellar, did you know?" Dad asked.
"Yes I know, And I've tried all of them. Some almost go in, but only almost. The key to my room must be missing. All the other doors have a key, and there's also some keys in that ring, that do not fit any doors."
"Is there a key for Linda's room as well.?" Mum asked, "she'll be away too, and as you said we're not keeping an eye on those two all the time."
"I sure hope there is a key to my room!" Linda said, "I'd hate to think of them trying to feed Snowwhite and her mate crumbs of birthday cake, or some such. They are quite a pain in the behind."
"Yes, of course there's a key to Linda's door," Susan said. "As I said. Once I was very bored I tried all keys and all locks in the whole house. All other doors than mine have a key, some share a key, some keys have no locks, but the only door I could not find a key for, was my own door."
"Now Susan," Dad said. "If you want to lock that door of yours, you have two choices. One with a great deal of fiddly work, one with not too much work, but it'll cost you some money. Option number one. You can take out the lock by unscrewing and pulling out the door handles. Then you can take the lock apart and make it fit one of the other keys by re-ordering the metal levers inside it. Option number two. Find out the number of the missing key and buy one."
"Thank you Dad," Susan said, "I'll try the one with buying a new key, I think. I tried making my wardrobe lock fit another key, and it was quite time-consuming and fiddly even with that simple lock." Privately Susan doubted that locks for Copenhagen keys worked the same way as the much simpler cupboard locks, but she saw no reason saying so and spoiling Dad's good tempers.
A quick perusal of the keys in the big key ring showed Susan that of the 64 keys in this series, Dad called Copenhagen keys, numbers 1 - 6, 11, 16, 31, 34 and 55 were missing.*
"That's maybe a bit many keys for you to buy," Dad said, as Susan told him the result. "You know, the number of the lock, and also the key to it is stamped into the lock. But of course it's hidden underneath a layer or four of old paint. Take this, and scrape off the paint. Then you'll know which key to buy." Susan hugged her Dad, ran upstairs clenching the tool and set to work. She prudently got an old newspaper to spread out to collect the flakes of paint. When the front of the lock was clear, she found a small, indented number "16" just beneath the latch.
She jumped on her bike and hurried down to the Mister Minit shop on the corner of the pedestrian street. The keys were not that expensive, so she bought more of the missing keys anyway after asking the man in the shop which were more common. When she returned home, she put her new key in the lock and tried to turn it. It went in smoothly, telling her it was indeed the right one, but try as she might, she could not make it turn.
Dad was still tinkering in the cellar, and as she described her problem, he extended a small red oil can. "Squirt a generous amount of oil into the lock - from both sides - and wait a bit. Wiggle the handle and the key now and then, The things inside the lock are all made of iron, and even if they're not rusted, they tend to grow together after so long a time."
  After dinner the key gave a bit, and later, just before bedtime it turned all the way. She locked and unlocked the door several times, and squirted some more oil in for good measure. The old oil, black and grimy, ran from the lock, and Susan had to clean the door. But the key turned more smoothly. She squirted in even more oil, wiping off the grimy oil as it ran out. After a bit, the oil was clearer and the key turned with ease. She wiped lock and surrounding thoroughly, put all the other keys in their place on the keyring and returned keyring and oil can to the basement. Then she found a key ring with a three coloured strand she had made at school, and put the key into it. She hung it just inside the door and went to bed.
___________________________
*Susan's dad called these keys Copenhagener keys. Their real name is Danziger keys. Susan's cupboard key was a simple Rex key with only three teeth.


***

Susan enjoyed the train ride to Grandma's train station. It was a long ride, each half took more than an hour, and then she had to change trains at the Central station in Copenhagen. During the trip from Elsinore to Copenhagen Susan ate all her sandwiches, and drank the juice. Then she went out into the narrow corridor, pulled down the window and put her face into the wind. She felt the regular heart-beat like rhythm of the train beneath her feet, saw fields being harvested, cows grazing and followed the dizzying up and down of the power lines along the track.

The second train, was the one going to Germany. It was exciting, because at least today some of the rail cars were German. Only one of those was second class without reserved seats. Susan climbed aboard. The ivory and red coloured trains were quite different from the normal Danish red ones, looking a bit like a circus caravan in Susan's eyes. In the German train she pulled up all the tiny tables hidden in armrests and under the windows as she was all alone in the compartment in all she found six small tables hidden in the compartment. One for each seat. She had fun folding them out and back again. At the next station a family of three entered her compartment. She sat down at the window, ant pulled out the tiny table by her seat. Then she wrote and drew in her diary until she reached her destination. She carried her suitcase down the corridor, hustling and bustling with strangers all trying to get on and off the train. Finally she succeeded in getting off the train by following closely in the wake of a very fat man getting off there as well. She found the bus to the island, it was not departing quite yet, so she sat down her suitcase next to the post with plans for departure, and walked around for a bit.

The bus drove through the town, and doubled back after reaching the old paper mill, then it left the town, Shops and bigger houses gave way for farmhouses and smaller villages like the one Grandma lived in. Gradually all the other passengers got off and when they crossed the bridge to the Island, only Susan and two elder children, brother and sister were left in the bus. The two got off at the next stop after the bridge and Susan was all alone. The bus rode along over the dam, where Susan felt that the driver got very close to the water, driving another way than the one Dad normally chose. Susan felt a bit lost, but in the end the bus swung left into the known road, sand Susan recognized the place where she once brought a miniature grandfather clock for her home made doll house. Not much later the bus arrived at the last of the bus stops. Susan was happy, she was beginning to feel a bit green at the gills. The bus driver asked her if she was all right, as no-one was at the stop to pick her up. "Yes," Susan answered, "I've been here many times before. I know the way, but thanks a lot for asking."
She picked up her suitcase and began walking away from the bus stop towards The Magician's House. Where was Heidi? She had promised to be at the bus stop. True to her word Susan knew the way. and walked on in the balmy Autumn afternoon.
As she turned a corner in the road, she saw a small, dark moving figure at the end of the road. It quickly grew larger, split into three, and then Susan could recognize Heidi, Tage and Lis who came running towards her.
"I'm so sorry," Heidi gasped, "Aunt Jemima arrived, and she ... " Heidi had to stop and catch her breath. "She's intolerable," Tage continued, "going on about our family all the time. Her hypothesis is that the more ancestors you had, that were wizards or witches, the better you are."
"We're going to prove her wrong by having you call every mouse from two kilometres and more into her bed," Heidi said laughing so hard that she had to stop from lack of breath once again.
"I think it's hopeless!" Lis said. "Even if you called a calf right up to her in the middle of a big town she would still only see what she wanted to."
"And she kept us for so long. We had to dress properly, shoes and all for to pick you up at the bus stop," Heidi said indignantly. "We could not run around as peasants' children was her words. I don't give two hoots about my ancestors, or yours," she said, hugging Susan tightly. "Just you take care and do not let yourself be fazed by her attitudes."
"I won't," Susan promised. "But I won't take it lightly if I do not pass the exams given us the next days. Do you know any more about which subjects and when?"

***

"So you are Susan,"Aunt Jemima said  as Susan and the three wizard children arrived at the Magician's House.
"Yes," Susan replied, curtseying to the lady. She was sitting in a rocking chair, and was not nearly as imposing as Susan had imagined. She was small. Even smaller than Susan's grandmother, and then she was thin, beautiful, and completely white-haired. She was dressed in a black velvet dress with starched, white ruffles and mother of pearl buttons and looked more like an English queen or something from an old painting than an intimidating aunt. Susan had expected something in the style of her own aunt Cleo cheroot and all.
"Please tell me who in your family are the magicians," Aunt Jemima said as Susan had sat down in the sofa.
"My grandmother is, and quite a few others, too," Susan replied quite in accordance with the truth. "I do not know much about my family history. My aunt, who is not a witch because she is too sad, has dabbled in genealogy, but she did not get very far."
"How strange," said Aunt Jemeima. "A sad witch who is not a witch and has no forebears."
Susan whispered to Lis, "What kind of bears?"
Lis bit her lip so as not to laugh: "No, no bears at all ... it's just a fancy word for ancestors."
Thank you. "Susan whispered back.
"Yes, I have ancestors," Susan said. "Just not that many, or rather ..." Susan hesitated.
"Just speak freely, my child," Aunt Jemima urged her.
"Well, my aunt, and her genealogy. She did not get very far. For my grandfather's mother is a gypsy, born somewhere on a country road between Haparanda and Helsingborg. And my grandmother's family - these are the ones where the witchcraft comes from, and there she found my grandma's great-grandmother - and she was a witch. But then she did not get any further, because the parish registers were gone. The rectory had burned in that parish, and with it the registers. It was not long after that fire that it a law was introduced requiring all parish registers  to be kept in duplicate, which may not be kept under one roof."
"It's quite a story," said Aunt Jemima, shaking her white-haired head. "But it makes it a little hard to figure out what kind of witch you are."
"She's a super good witch, Auntie," Heidi said. "She can summon animals as easily as nothing. Susan, could you please summon a few mice so Aunt Jemima can see how good you are at it?"
"I think that would not be a good idea, my dear Heidi," Aunt Jemima said with a nervous glance in Susan's direction. "Cassandra and Kaithan probably wouldn't be thrilled to have the house filled with mice either."
"No problems,"Heidi assured her, "they are used to things like that. We are, after all, children of wizards."
Aunt Jemima took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, Kai came in and said that dinner was served.
The kids did not say very much during dinner. Susan mostly because Kai's full name, Kaithan, made her shake with pent-up laughter every time she looked over at him. Luckily, it eased off a bit during the meal. Heidi and the twins were used to her aunt's visit, and knew from experience that it was better to keep their mouth shut. Their parents did not agree with them on what were appropriate topics to discuss at a dinner table in Aunt Jemima's presence.
While sitting at the dessert, a glorious blackcurrant ice cream, Aunt Jemima asked, "You did not say anything about your father, sweet Susan. Is there no wizard's blood at all from that side?"
"My father, no I do not think so. Oh, yes. There is my aunt Cleo. She predicts peoples future, but never for any of her family, in both cards and coffee grounds." Aunt Jemima smiled indulgently. Susan continued: "But I'm not related to her at all. She's married to my father's ... cousin, or was it uncle? She probably doesn't count at all, even though she's very sweet and tough."
"Soon it will be bedtime for you kids," Sandra said. "You have to be wide awake tomorrow. Susan and Heidi, if you tag along, I can show you where Susan is going to sleep."

***

As they arrived at The Farm next morning you could almost feel the excitement in the air. Veronika's hair stood out from her head with statics, and everybody was terribly quiet. ML came in from the yard and asked them to follow her. They did, quietly and in small groups of three or four they entered the pale blue door to the east wing of the Unicorn Farm. She led them all to the corridor on second floor with the differently coloured doors. ML stopped outside the first door. It was blue with a white cauldron on it. She said: "Now, we're all ready for exams. The teachers are inside the rooms, you go in one at a time, do the task, answer their question, in short do what they ask you. When you're done, you continue to the next door, and place yourself at the end of the line. Is this clear?" As everybody nodded, she pulled a long list from a pocket and continued: We're doing this strictly after the alphabet. Fiona, Veronika , Bjørn, Heidi, Lis, Tage, and Monica you go here." They lined up outside the door and ML continued to the leaf green door: "Anna, Kalle, My, Bo, Britta, and Harald, you stay here." The next door was grey, one of the normal class rooms, that usually had a sign on it in either green, blue, red or yellow telling who had the use of that room for the day. Today all the grey and white doors were bare. ML called Lukas, Jan, Selma, David, Kirstin, Nata and Ingrid forth to be placed there. The next door was the sick bay, and at the white door with the red cross Susan was the last in line after Josta, Marja, Jouka, Terje and Helge Then at yet another another normal, grey door Sarah, Aamu, Astrid, Marit, Olav,  Sif and Elvin were placed. And the final group, composed of Rósa, Grani, Knud, Josh, Hilde and Finnbogi were lined up outside the biggest of the multicoloured library doors,
Then, with all the apprentices standing in neat lines, ML put back the list and drew her wand. "There'll be no talking, no cheating, no nothing in those lines. I'll put a silencing spell on this corridor, and I'll stay here to help, and watch over you until everybody is finished. When I have cast the spell, the first person in each line knock on the door in front of them to start the exams. Any questions before we start?" There wasn't any. ML cast her spell and as one Fiona, Anna, Lukas, Josta, Sarah and Rósa knocked at the doors in front of them. Susan saw Jon greet Rósa from inside the library and Thora and Sarah disappear behind the nondescript grey door. Of course Taavi was in the sick room, and Susan guessed that Täthi were examining the first group in Potion behind the blue door with the white cauldron. This left Martine, Birgitta, Gilvi and Torben. During her wait, while she came closer and closer to the sick bay, she saw that her guesses were mostly right. Tähti was indeed behind the blue cauldron-marked door, Gilvi was behind the leaf green door with the mouse symbol, surely examining the apprentices in the calling of animals.  Of course Martine was missing, they could not be examined in flying in a class room, but Birgitta's absence was more strange.
Then she was called into the sick bay. Taavi sat in a chair next to the couch, and bade Susan take a seat in the other chair. "Now," he said, "You're living in a small town in the country. People have come to the conclusion that you can cure their petty diseases and so on. Nobody knows you for a witch. You mean this situation to continue, but still you want to help. A mum is sitting in the chair in front of you and her son is playing with the toys in the basket. He's the problem. He's got warts, big ones, all over legs, arms and torso. What are you going to do? Think before you answer." Susan thought. She was a witch, she could remove those warts like this with a spell or a potion, but that would reveal her. Slow. That was it, that was the keyword. A potion then ... not a spell, but how? She thought a bit more, then she spoke up: "If I haven't got an anti-wart potion," she began, looking questioning at Taavi. He nodded, and said "You haven't."
"Then I'll ask them to return tomorrow, as I'm out of anti-wart band aids. Then I prepare a potion, put a little on some brightly coloured band aids and stick, oh the yellow ones at the arms, the blue ones at his legs, and the red ones on neck and torso. I tell him that these band aids have to sit there for as many days as he's years old - make that five, and then he'll have to put all the band aids into one bag and throw them out just before going to bed on the fifth day. That should work." Taavi wrote something in a small notebook, rose and followed her to the door. Susan was unable to guess whether he was satisfied or not.
The exams went fairly quickly actually, and after describing and naming plants for Täthi, Susan found herself entering the blue door where Gilvi set up a problem for her: "A young family, Mum, dad and a baby just moved into the neighbourhood. They have heard that you can sometimes help people with strange problems, and now the dad is at your door. The problem is squirrels. They pester the little family, eating their nuts, stealing the food away from the chicken feeders, scaring the baby. Imagine something like Donald Duck and the two chipmunks." Susan smiled. "Can you help them? You go with the dad to their house. Now you think, while I get a squirrel," Gilvi said and went to the cages in the back of the room.
Susan thought to herself. Squirrels are a pest generally, curious and inventive. Even if not really as bad as Chip and Dale, they still can drive a family nuts. Suddenly the terrible truth dawned on Susan. She did not know the Icelandic word for Squirrel. Then she thought back to the very first lesson in Icelandic. Pig Latin. Could she do it in pig Latin? She just had to try. Not to try was a sure fail. She composed a calling spell. ' Irrelsquay, irrelsquay. Omecay to emay, omecay to emay.' And later, if the squirrel reacted she could continue: 'Opstay opstay, do otnay esterpay histay ousehay, leasepay.'  She grasped some nuts from the plate at the table and was ready as Gilvi returned with the squirrel in a cage. Susan shook from sheer nerves, she drew big, shuddering  breath and began her incantation, very quietly and then a bit louder. Gilvi's head snapped up as he heard the words. But he did not speak. Slowly the squirrel turned to Susan, Gilvi opened the door and the small animal ran to Susan's hands. She offered him a nut and then she was one with the small animal. The nut was delicious, it was pure bliss eating it. Susan had an idea. She showed the squirrel the nuts in her hands, and spoke to it with the small voice inside her head: 'Squirrel, you're pestering this family. They do not like what you do to their chickens.' She showed the squirrel a hen to ensure its understanding. 'If you leave them alone, I'll give you more of these very good nuts.' The squirrel understood. It promised, but Susan sensed that its mischievous manners would not let it keep the promise for long. 'Squirrel,' she said earnestly. 'Every time, before I give you a nut, I'll go and ask the family if the chicken were really left alone You behave or no nuts.' Susan saw the little reddish animal hang its head. 'Promise.' it said clearly and Susan handed it another nut and released it from her spell.
"That was splendid," Gilvi said, "but why on earth did you jeopardize it all by speaking Pig Latin. You did not want to show off, now, did you?"
"No!" Susan said in an almost inaudible voice. "I had forgotten - or maybe never learnt - the Icelandic word for squirrel. I just had to do something. Not doing anything was not an option."
"No," Gilvi said, his face suddenly dark and sombre, "Not doing anything is never an option. Now you've better get on to the next place." 

The last exam for Susan was divination and fortune-telling with Torben. When this was over and done with she tried to escape via the blue door only to find a new line there. Only one of the waiting apprentices at a time were let through by ML. Susan's turn came soon, only Monica and Finnbogi waited before her. Behind the door and down a flight of stairs she went. Then, down on the landing Birgitta stood with a table filled with cards all showing only the backsides in front of her.
"This is the last test," she said. "You have to find the ace of Spades by sensing the cards."
"Yes," Susan said. "I understand."
"But can you do it?" Birgitta asked, her pretty face looking strangely twisted in the semi darkness of the staircase.
Susan extended her hands over the decks of cards. They all felt alike to her. Then one felt a bit hotter, and she flipped it. It was the ace of Hearts.
"Close, but not close enough," Birgitta said. "Try again." Susan tried some more, but it was not until she had turned over four more cards, that she suddenly was sure that this was it. and it was. With a heartfelt sigh she left the farmhouse behind her and ran out into the yard. Here she was met by Heidi and the twins.
"How did you do?" Heidi asked in an excited voice.
"I think I flunked chiromancy" Susan answered. "I said that Torben was going to have 8 children and die at the ripe, old age of 35. Which I think he has passed already. I might have mixed up the lines. 3-4 children and ripe old 80 sounds way better, don't you think?"
Heidi began laughing. "I had trouble with that one as well. But I transformed that old shoe no problems ... and I found the right card at first try. Heidi and Tage tried three times each."
"And I six," Susan smiled. "I wonder how many is still 'passed'."
"Oh all below ten is fine, I think" Tage said. "It was a lot of cards. Surely more than one deck."

Monica, Harald and Finnbogi also joined the apprentices in the yard and then the bell struck three times. "Wauw, it's three o'clock. No wonder I'm hungry!" Tage said. The professors all came down the stairs and out into the year as well. Martine came out from the Barn and spoke in a magically enhanced voice. "Dinner is served, Come in here everyone." It was a dinner fit for an examination day. Delicious soups, hot stews, still steaming bread of different kinds and forms, hot tea, coffee, cocoa and soda pops to drink. The tables were set in smaller groups, not the normal long table and while the professors all sat together at one table, the apprentices were free to seat themselves as they liked.

***

  "They're ruining everything!" Astrid shouted, as she came striding into the room, blankets trailing to the floor. "Sit down, and draw a deep breath!" Lis said, placing the book she was studying and her wand on a table. "Who is ruining what, and how do you know?"
Astrid pulled out a chair and sat down; she drew the blankets around her shivering form: "I was in the sick room, due to this fever, and I lay sleeping. The windows were not closed all the way and then I heard them talking about the competition. They are going to cheat, or jinx the broomsticks or something like that. I only awoke sluggishly so I did not hear the beginning. And I thought I was just hearing things, you know fever and all that. But then I realized they were talking about the broom race next Tuesday."
  "Now who was talking?" Lis wanted to know.
  "Some of the boys." Astrid answered. At least I could recognize that new fellow. He's a braggart and a pompous ass, I think."
  "Whoa there," Tage said. "He's a comparative newcomer. He's only been here for two weeks, I think, and you know all this already?"
  Susan put her notebook down as well, homework could wait. "I do not care much for him either," She added. "He's on the blue team same as My here, and he is a ... well I think pompous ass covers it. He always have done and tried everything, And not in a nice way. He's condescending. He always sounds as if he pities anybody who's not him."
 My nodded vigorously. "He's a bully!" she said, tears forming in her eyes.
  "Well being a bully is a minor crime compared to ruining the broom race! Tell us all you heard!" Tage said to Astrid.
  Astrid pulled herself together and continued: "David told that he was going to triumph in the race. He'd need their help - the other ones there with him that is. They were to stand guard while he, David, crept into the broom shed and did 'some hocus-pocus' - his words, not mine - to the brooms in there."
  "Some hocus-pocus!" Fiona shouted, "If he harms my broomstick I'll ..."
  "Quiet, Fiona," her sister Veronika said and pulled her down in the sofa again, "We're going to stop them, not tell on them, or what do you say?" she said, looking around on the assembled apprentices.
  "Yes of course," Marit, Astrid's sister said. "They are not going to ruin the race. But who were the rest of them, and how many?"
  "I don't know," Astrid said yawning, "More than one other boy, but I think they were mostly listening and nodding. I could not hear much."
  "This is a job for you, Tage," Lis said. You are a boy. You've got to try and get inside that group. Luckily you're not in the yellow group, and expected to take part in the racing."
  "Well ..." Tage said, slowly rising. "Yes I suppose, I could do it. But now, it's five to one. We better scatter before anybody comes here for lessons. Astrid, back to the sick room you go."
  The 10 apprentices went out of the room in small groups, just in time to hear the bell strike one as they all had left the room. Not that they were forbidden to use the room, everybody was allowed to go everywhere in the stable, the barn and the two adjacent living houses,. Only the teachers' quarters in the upper stories of the main building, and the sick bay and guest rooms - when occupied - were out of bounds. But the small group always felt they had no business doing their homework in the old maids' chamber.

***

Some days later Astrid was out of the hospital room and the usual suspects met in the tiny room on the second floor. They were bursting with curiosity. Tage had been as good as invisible those last days, but today he too entered the small room.
  "I can't stay for long, he told them. Listen to me. I had to bribe David and his cronies with pizza and tell a high tale to get anywhere, but Astrid's suspicion is sound. They're up to nothing good. Listen well. I've got to leave. We're meeting down by the old, derelict shed in the meadow in five minutes. See you." And Tage left in a hurry.
  "Now why did he tell us where and when they were going to meet," Lis asked. "It's not as if we could go down there and listen in. That would sure be nice, though."
  "Yes ... going there .. Heidi said. Being invisible maybe, or just having very long ears.  I've got it!" Heidi jumped up. "I'm sure he has the old walkie-talkie still in his pocket. Do you also  still have the other one, Lis?"
  "Yes," Lis said smiling, "I do. And I bet you're right. You can sure use that brain of yours, Heidi. Here it is. Don't touch. You know you've got to press that button for speaking, so if we do not touch it, we can listen without danger of detection. Lis placed the walkie-talkie on the table among half eaten buttery cookies an old vase and notebooks. The other apprentices hurriedly cleaned all the stuff out of the way. Lis switched on the walkie-talkie and they waited. After only a short wait they heard Tage's voice: "Hi all, Here's the pizzas I promised you."
  "Wonderful," David answered. "Hand over the ham, and sit down over there."
  A lot of noise from pizzas being unpacked, cut up and distributed streamed out of the small loudspeaker.
  Then David spoke again:  "We can't let the yellow team win the race. I want to win. I deserve to win, I'm older than the lot of them, and more than half of them had never sat on a broomstick until last month."
  "What about Sif and Elvin, the two older Icelandic ones?" a small voice said. The apprentices in the room looked questioning at one another.
  "Well," David said. "Those two are old, true, but they are very supercilious. They think that they fly better, not because they are older, but because they somehow deserve it for coming from long line of wizards. I'm sure Thora somehow protects them from Martine's wrath when they do something wrong. Everybody does something wrong now and again, Have a slice of pizza, little boy. Did you not complain that they always come first and then smirk at you for not being in their class?"
  "Yes, I did," the small boys voice said, "but"
  "No more but," David said sternly. "Are you in or not?"
  "Of course I'm in!" was the answer.
  "Well, then. Let's plan." David said. "Tage, you and Bjørn keep a look out while we other do the broomsticks in."
  "Yes, David," came Tage's voice, loud and clear through the mic. Bjørn's was only a murmur in the background. 
  "Josh, you and Lukas use the chainsaw to cut into some of the brooms just above the twigs. Then they'll break some time when people is turning sharply."
  "Won't it be too noisy?"  a third boy's voice asked.
  "Nope," David answered. "It's not as if we're going to stay down there for ever. And small bursts of a chainsaw will not be noticed. While you do that, I'll hex the lot of them with a Vinstri-hex. That'll make the brooms switch right for left and opposite too. I could also do a Rugla-hex. That should make them absolutely unsteerable. But I'll make it so that the hexes are activated by the word 'byrjið' only. That way they'll seem fine in the beginning, only to act up once the racing opens. Well. That's a deal then, we meet down here Monday after  the flying lessons are over. OK?"
  "Yes, David," a chorus of voices said.

  Veronika looked incredulously at the walkie-talkie. Then she spoke: "Can he really do this?"
  "If he really can pull this off," Astrid said, "then he's a very good wizard indeed. Rugla - chaos that is - is a second level hex, and my parents always warned be against those time or word gated hexes, they're prone to backfiring, and are quite easy to detect for anyone looking for them."
  "Yes, but will anyone be looking?" Fiona asked. "The brooms are checked after each lesson, never before. This means that all the brooms will be thoroughly checked Monday after our lessons. not Tuesday before the race." 
  "There must be a way ... we have some days yet. Let's meet again tomorrow. And meanwhile let's think!"

***

They met the very next day. Tage had told Lis who was part of David's team. They had all heard some of the names through the walkie-talkie: Josh, Bjørn and Lukas, but to their surprise, Britta, Lukas' smaller sister, both of them cousins of Helge, had joined in. Even more surprising was the news that Kalle and Anna Berggren had joined in as well, Those two were Swedes and Susan were good friends of them both.
  "We're so not going to tell on them," Susan said, as Lis revealed the participants in David's racing team. "I don't know how Kalle and Anna ended up as part of the team, and Britta and Lukas too. We're going to have to teach them a lesson, getting only David, and maybe Josh and Bjørn in trouble. I'm sure  that Anna and Kalle have no idea what David is doing, and why."
  "Do you know?" Heidi asked. "I mean why David is doing what he does."
  "No, do not know. Neither do I understand or condone it, but I think he's evil, and I do not want many people to suffer because of his scheming. I'm sure that he has somehow lured the youngest Swedes into joining him. Maybe promising them fame and glory and what not. I'm not sure they know about the cheating and hexing."
  "Tage was not very explicit," Lis said. "He was afraid that David somehow suspected him of foul play, maybe even held an eye on him or something. He only told me who was in the team, as this is going to be common knowledge tomorrow morning, it cannot hurt."
  "It's not like Tage to be so timid," Heidi said. "David must have scared him in some way."
  "I know, I'm stupid or slow here," Susan said, "But this broom racing stuff eludes me, could someone please tell me how, who and why?"
  Fiona stood up: "First of all, we have three racing teams. The Yellow team: Me, Marit and Astrid here, Nata from Finland and the two big Icelanders, Sif and Elwin. Then we have David's team:  David of course, Josh and Bjørn, then Lukas and Britta, Kalle and Anna. I suppose Tage is not racing for David," she said with a wry smile. "And one of the others got to abstain as well. A team is six flyers, seven is one too many. I'd guess Anna is left out, she's not good on a broom, and she is apt to overestimate her own skills." Fiona drew a deep breath. "Then there's 'The competition' This was their own name for the team when it was only them and us. It consists of the good flyers not on the yellow team: Hilde, who's good at flying, really good. Josta, the eldest of the Birch-sisters also good, but a bit heavy. Finnbogi and Grani, two Icelanders more and as good as they all are. They have all sat on a broom form before they could walk." Fiona said with a big envious sigh. "Then there's Ingrid and Harald from Sweden, and yes he's Kalle and Anna's bigger brother."
  "That might explain why Kalle and Anna is teaming with David, Those siblings are always trying to prove themselves better," Lis said.
  "And what are the rules, once again?" Susan asked.
  "All start at the same time," Fiona explained. "The course is laid out partway as an obstacle race and partway with straight laps where speed counts. You have to go through, over or under the obstacles, points subtracted if you fail an obstacle or go over where you're supposed to go under and so. Getting home first also counts, normally the one to cross the finishing line first is the winner, but if that person has failed many obstacles, it can happen that another one wins the race. There's a prize for the best team too. All points of the five best team members are added and a winner found that way. Then there's a banquet and general festivities. Parents are discouraged from participating."
  "Discouraged?" Susan exclaimed,  But why! Don't they want to cheer on their children?"
  "Yes, and that's the problem. Just imagine all our parents, and maybe half or more of them known wizards, casting minor hexes, jinxes and helping spells to aid their offspring win. Parents, that want to come, are confined to the Barn, under strict supervision."
  "Oh, I see. Utter chaos!" Susan said. 
  The big bell stroke one, and the conspiring apprentices  scattered. "Meet again after school's out." Lis said as they left the small room.

***

  In the end the apprentices came up with a suitable plan.
    My pulled a big book from her worn bag, It had several differently colored bookmarks sticking out of it. "This is not harder than the Sunshine potion, and we made that one together, we can do this too." She opened the book at the red bookmark and began reading: "1 vial clear spring water, 1 scoop dandelion fluff and a pinch of cobweb ... " They went into the potion room and began searching the cabinets and shelves as Susan took over the reading.
    After more than an hour of hard, concentrated work a red, foaming concoction sat in the small cauldron. The vapours stung their eyes and made them snuffle, but that was a small price to pay. My put a lid on the small cauldron, and returned the book to her bag, while Susan and Lis washed the utensils and Marit, Olav and Astrid put everything back the way it had been. Fiona and Veronika were still standing outside in the corridor, ready to intercept passers by, but no one passed. It was a lovely summers evening, and everybody was out somewhere enjoying it.
  Finally in the twilight they slipped out one by one, or in pairs and gathered in the small grove on the far side of the broomshed. From there they could watch the broomshed, but if they were just a bit careful no one would notice them. This was essential for their espionage to work. And yes, there they came. David in front, swaggering, leading his cronies, Josh the small Icelandic boy, Bjørn from Norway, Lukas, Britta, Kalle and Anna from Sweden and of course Tage.
  They tried turning on the walkie-talkie, but no sounds came from it. Either Tage was not sure that it was safe to use it, he had forgot, or maybe the battery in one or both of the receivers had run dry. But they could still look and listen from their hiding place, and they did.
  They saw them enter the broomshed, saw Anna come out again and go to the back of the shed, they could see Tage and Bjørn keeping watch. They heard the saw biting its way through the brooms, and even heard a word or two of David's hexes. Then David and his team left the shed, picking up Anna  on the way back. They waited, counting slowly to one hundred before they dared move. No one had returned, no one had left the farm buildings, everything was quiet.
  The moon rose, small and waning, it did not give off much ligth. They walked quietly up to the broomshed. The door was locked.
  "What now?" My whispered. "David must have pinched the key somehow."
  "Let me try, I have an idea," Olav said. He picked up a branch from the ground: "grein vertu lykill!" he whispered.
  "Oh," Heidi breathed, as the branch in Olav's hand shifted into a keyshape. "Can you really use that?"
  "We'll see," Olav answered in a whisper and stuck his wooden key into the keyhole.   "Luckily this is a very simple lock," he said smiling, as the key turned. With a loud snick the door opened and they were inside the broomshed.

 ***

First they looked for the brooms that had been sawed partway through. It was hard to see in the dwindling daylight, until Heidi suggested they began looking for sawdust on the ground. Susan called a small sphere of green handfire. The sickly glow helped a bit. Then they unshackled the brooms, and put one of the almost sawed through brooms in Tage's slot. They exchanged the other ruined brooms with their own broomsticks, only not Fiona, Marit and Astrid's as they were going to race tomorrow. Then they smeared the red potion on the tails of all the broomsticks. It stunk, but My assured them all that colour and stench would be gone by tomorrow.
  "This potion sucks up all hexes and jinks," she explained, "Doing so it disperses. We have to use enough so that all the jinxes and hexes are countered. I think this means that we do not need to put any on the brooms belonging to David's team. Or possibly not to the ones belonging to all those not participating in the race. Only the brooms of the Yellow team and the Competition," My said, as Heidi expressed doubt that the contents of the cauldron would be enough for all the apprentices' brooms. After some thinking and testing, they had most of them down, and with the remainder of the portion they smeared a couple of brooms they were unsure of for good measure.
  They left the broomshed, locked it and hurried home. My promised to wash the cauldron and put it back. "I'm staying in one of the small cubicles for boarders since yesterday. We're moving, and my parents thought it would be easier for me to stay at Unicorn Farm instead of going home to an almost deserted place to sleep. And I agree, only it's a bit lonely up there."
  "Oh, I wish I could stay here too," Susan said. "Maybe I could at some later time."
  "I did not know there were room for boarders," Lis said.
  "Yes," Astrid said, "They are above the teachers' rooms, just below the roof in the oldest house. When I was ill, I slept there together with Marit for some nights until Thora deemed me healthy enough for going through portals again."
  "Nice," Heidi said. "Now let's get on home before somebody returns from somewhere. Good night, My.
  "Good night," My answered ad slipped in through the door to the farmhouse.

***

Tuesday morning nobody was late for school, even Helge was on time and dressed with the rest of them. As the bell sounded everybody left the buildings and gathered behind the stables. 
  The three racing teams stood in small groups, fidgety and jumpy, until the Yellow team was called forth by Martine. Their names were checked against the list and they were handed sashes in all yellow. They all looked to Sif and Elwin, the only ones ever to have flown a race before, to see how to put them on. Only Elwin's sash had tassels, On Susan's hurried whisper, Lis explained, that the tasseled sash was given to the leader of the team.
  As David's team was called forth, everybody, and most certainly the conspiring apprentices were all ears: "David Hansen!" David stepped forth and accepted the black and red striped sash which he slipped over the left shoulder and under his right arm, the tassels dangling just below the hem of his T-shirt. "Josh Traustason, Lukas Eklund, Britta Eklund, Kalle Berggren and Bjørn Anderson!" Martine called in rapid succession. They all stepped forwards and were handed their sashes.  
  "Fiona was right, they left out Anna. She'll be furious" Susan whispered to Veronika and Lis, who stood just behind her. "Or maybe not," Lis whispered back. "Why did she leave the broomshed yesterday. to only join the group as they left? For that matter where is she?"
  "She's over there, together with Helge and Bo," Olav said.

  Martine picked up the last batch of sashes, these were blue and white. "And 'The Competition'!" she called. "Finnbogi Yngvason, Grani Starrason, Harald Eklund, Ingrid Karlsson, Hilde Westvold and Josta Koivu."
  Each of them also walked up to Martine to receive the blue-white sashes.
  "And who is the leader of 'The Competition'?" Martine asked.
  "I am," Finnbogi, the tallest Icelandic boy answered. 
  "Here's your leader's sash, then," Martine said and handed him the tasseled sash. They all received the sashes, and draped them over their shoulders so as not to hamper their movements. "And now, Martine said, "you'll all hand in your wands. There'll be no hexing or jinxing one another in this race."

  "Let's go over and join the Swedes," Lis said. "If Anna is up to something, we've got to stop her. We do not want anybody to find out anything at least until the race has been run, and hopefully not ever."
  They slowly made their way to where Anna, Bo and Helge stood.
  "Who are you cheering for?" Susan asked.
  "I'm somewhat in two minds," Helge answered. "I think the Yellow team have the best chances of winning."
  "Yes they do!" Bo said emphatically.
  "But then there's the Competition. Well I like their name, and that they want to fight the Yellow team even though they are clearly inferior," Helge interrupted.
  "But," Bo said, "it's not always the most skilled flyers that win. Luck and pure chance play a part as well. I think the Competition stands a fair chance of winning. At least I hope they do. Harald is good. I don't like that Lukas and Britta are flying. They are not as good as they think. I don't really like what David did. I know anyone is free to put together a team and race, but ... It was done all secret like. He persuaded them ... oh I don't know." Bo ended with a despondent movement of his shoulders.
  With a grim mien Anna said: "I'm cheering for the Yellow team, or for The Competition, David is a cheater and a traitor."
  "Shh!" Lis said, "Don't spoil the race. It has been taken care of."
  Anna looked at her with surprise etched on her face: "Really. But you don't know ..."
  "Yes we do and yes we did. And now please shut up. Everything  ... we'll explain everything later, after the race. But for pity's sake no scenes, and not a word more. We do not want to involve the professors if it can be helped." Lis whispered in a sizzling tone.
Anna nodded: "I'll hold you to it, but if something happens, I'll squeal. Deal?"
 "Deal." Lis said, and Heidi, Veronika, Tage and Susan nodded vigorously.

Meanwhile the racing team members, now adorned with sashes in team colours, went over to where Gilvi and Thora, stood on either side of a curtain like thing with lots and lots of long, slim pockets on it. They stood quietly in line, and handed their wands to Thora. Gilvi then checked the wand with the book, and even had the green box with Lirfan at the ready to resolve any doubt. The flyer looked on as he slid their wand into one of the numbered pocket and was given a string with a pendant in the form of a slip of bark with their number in silvery letters. This they put around their neck, and tucked the pendant inside their shirt. The flyer then walked to the broomshed and took his or her broomstick from its assigned parking space.
  The flyers from the yellow team looked critically at their brooms. It was all the same school model, Quaker made, with a flat head held together with green and red stitches in nice patterns, but they had traces of wear and tear that made them slightly different. Fiona, Marit and Astrid, who knew that some of their broomsticks were indeed not the same, and that some of them were hexed, jinxed and contra-jinxed hurried the others along, and ascribed the different feel of the brooms to their excitement and the extra thorough general check up from the day before.
  David's team of course had no problems, they had not jinxed or ruined their own brooms, so none of them were touched.
The Competitors were  last, so even though Hilde, Ingrid and Grani eyed their broomsticks with suspicion, Finnbogi asked them not so kindly to move along, as they were holding up the race.

All 18 flyers stood on a line leaders to the left of their team. And all in the ready position, broomsticks held upright in their right hand, knees slightly bent and left hand hanging loosely at their side. All were tight as springs.
  The race began. And at the word "Byrjið" 18  arms grasped at brooms, 18 legs swung up and over, 18 flyers kicked off with perfect synchronicity and soared up and away. David was leading down the first straight part stretch, racing towards the first obstacle, Susan saw his face go pale as he realized that none of the competitors were thrown off by their broomsticks' antics. He kept looking behind him, shaking his head and urging his broom onward. He soared over and through the bewildering maze of coloured bars and strings making a perfect pass.
  Martine, Jon, Taavi, Tähti, Birgitta and Torben were at their brooms along the racing course. They all had notebooks, lists and sticks in team colours ready. Susan was not sure how the rules worked, but she saw  Britta failing an obstacle and Torben throwing a red and black striped stick to the ground, where it turned to dust.
  "I could have done better," Anna said tearfully. "Britta sits like a sack of potatoes on that broom."
  "I'm sure you could." Lis said comforting. "Do you want to race me after the race is done. The obstacles are staying up until Friday I think, We could all have a try."
  "Oh, yes. Let's!" Tage said. "You're coming as well Bo, Helge, Veronika and Susan?" Bo and Helge nodded, then looked at Veronika until she, too nodded.
  Susan answered with a teasing smile: "Oh you need someone to triumph over. Well I'm game. Even though I don't really care for flying, racing sounds fun."

David was leading all of the first lap, then he failed an obstacle, flying directly into one of the red- white- and blue-striped posts holding everything together. He and the obstacle tumbled to the ground, and Martine threw four red and black sticks to the ground. David extricated himself from the obstacle, which promptly lifted from the ground and placed itself in the correct place ready for the race to continue.
  While he has been busy doing this, several of the other flyers with Sif and Erwin in the lead had been waved on to the next obstacle by Martine. Now David had another chance and flew slowly and carefully through the obstacle. Fiona was waiting for him to finish, flying in small, tight circles while waiting. As soon as David cleared the last bar, she flew full speed at it, cleared it in record breaking speed and raced David to the next obstacle. She made it, and flew headfirst into the tunnel of red and black bars. Susan gasped, as she saw Fiona flying first head down and then spinning around on her broom.
  "Oh! An anti-gravity well," Anna said. They're taxing your sense of balance to the utmost." As Fiona came out from the other end of the bars still spinning, and nearly crashed into the water outside, Susan understood. Fiona pulled up, sat straight on her broom and continued only slightly zigzagging towards the next one. David flew once again slowly through the obstacle, He was not dizzy and disoriented as he came out, and lay flat over his broomstick to coax every ounce of speed from it. But even though he flew as fast as he could towards the looming grey-green construction ahead, he did not catch up with Fiona's swift form. He only reached it as Fiona was already half inside it. He leaned even more forwards, trying to grasp her broom by the bristles, but a sharp whistle from Jon, who threw yet another red black stick to the ground, made him sit up and give up on impeding Fiona's flight.
  They would have needed many eyes to follow all the flyers through all laps and obstacles. But as the flyers entered the last lap, Sif and Elwin from the Yellow team was in front, closely followed by Grani and Finnbogi from the Competition, and Josh and David. Some of the others were almost a lap behind. It was hard to see who was going to win. 

"Look!" Bo said, "Something's happening." And something surely was. Fiona came sailing through the last of the obstacles, overtaking David, Josh, Finnbogi and Grani.
  "Go go Fiona!" they yelled.
  Fiona took an extra good grip on the handle of the broom and twisted it so that the bristles were at an angle to the ground and almost laid down on the broom. She was whispering something to the broom it seemed, and slowly but surely she caught up with and overtook Elwin, Sif more felt than saw her coming and urged her broom to even higher speed, also laying down and clutching at the handle. Fiona's unorthodox broom position seemed to do the trick, she inched upon Sif, they flew next to one another, Fiona was in front! crossing the finishing line with the end of her broom handle maybe 10 centimeters in front of Sif's.
  Fiona was rapturous as she stretched her hand into the air, righted her broom and landed with a sweeping motion in front of the Barn, sharply follower by Sif  and Elvin.
An almighty jubilant sound rose from the onlookers and continued while the flyers landed one after another first in rapid succession, then at greater intervals with Britta and Kalle limping over the line almost ten minutes later.

***

In the late afternoon everybody gathered in the meadow. Professors, apprentices, parents and friends. The Nisser carried laden trays to the rickety tables that threatened to crumble under the weight.
Martine and Torben rose from their places at the professors' table and mounted a small platform. They faced the congregated wizards and Martine spoke: "Good evening wizards and witches, apprentices and adepts, guests and family. It is my pleasant job to announce the winner of this mornings broom race. First the individual prizes. Third place: Elvin Reynisson, please come up here and receive your prize."
  Elvin rose from his place between Sif and a gigantic man looking just like him only twice as broad and half again as tall.
  "That man, Sif and Elvin's father, he's just so big I would not believe it if I had not sen him." Heidi said 
  "Yes he's truly gigantic," Susan said. He's even bigger than my father, and he's one of the biggest persons I ever met. By the way he's called Reynir."
  "Do you know him?," Veronika asked, "I have never seen him before."
  "No, I have never seen him before either, but Sif is Reynisdottir and Elvin is Reynisson, so he must me Reynir." Susan said smiling. "Did you forget our lessons of names and  patronymics in Icelandic?"
  "Oh man you're such a show off, Susan,"  Veronika laughed. "I am so hoping we'll all beat you at the race track tomorrow."

  "And second place, Sif Reynisdottir!" Martine's magically augmented voice sounded over the small talk and sounds of eating in the meadow. Everybody applauded, some more than other. "Come up here and get your prize."
  "What are those prizes?" Veronika asked, and Susan listened in as well.
  "I don't know," Tage said. Lis looked just as blank, and even Heidi, who normally was curious for four had not been able to find out.
  "Well we're about to find out. I suppose," Veronika said, smiling fondly at her little sister sitting silently and pale next to her. Their parents had not come, same as Susan's and most other non-wizarding parents.
  Sif joined her family, and Martine said: "Finally first place in the individual race: Fiona Andersen. Come here Fiona, you truly deserve your prize!" And followed by generous applause from almost everybody, Fiona walked up to the platform, shakily mounting the four low steps and walked over to Martine. She was given a burlap sack, just like Sif and Elvin had gotten.
  She sat down, and looked into the sack. "Wow! Books, and money and ... oh lots of things. We can look later, lets follow the happenings now," she said, closed the sack and handed it to Veronika. "Here. You keep it safe for me, I suppose I have to go up there again."

"And the team winners." Martine announced as everyone had fallen quiet again. "Third place with 456 points. David's team." They came forward, David looking more angry than thankful, Josh downcast, and like Bjørn he held his eyes glued to the ground. The three young Swedes looked as if they wished to be anywhere but at the Unicorn Farm. Martine and Torben hung red and black bands with small bronze medals around their necks. They took their place on the right side of the platform.
  "Second place goes to The Competition with 499 points. Please come up here too." Finnbogi led his team to where Martine stood, and they proudly accepted their silver medals in blue and white bands. They all stood in front of, and slightly to the left of David's team.
  "And finally first with a blazing 604 points! The Yellow team!" Martine announced, and under thundering applause Elwin and Sif led the Yellow team to the platform, where they received small gold medals hung in yellow bands. They then placed themselves at the edge of the platform and received the applause with varying degrees of happiness, apprehension and bashfulness. The three teams walked to their places at the tables under renewed applause and shouts.
  Torben then spoke: "And now it is a time for celebration, friendship and fun. Bon appetit."
  This was the keywords for celebrations to begin, All the food and drinks were delicious as usual, and nobody dared spoil the evening, not least owing to the sheer number of grown up wizards and witches present.

***

Next morning they had only one short lesson, then the apprentices were let lose to try the racetrack if they wanted to. Most of them gathered in small groups waiting for their turn to race friends, group-mates and maybe even foes. Sif and Elwin opened the day by racing one another in a race as good as any could have wanted. Sif won, but only because a dove flew up just as Elwin, in the lead reached the farthest part of the course. David, still angry looking challenged Fiona to race him. She accepted, but asked for them to wait until everybody else had had a chance of trying. It was not fair for yesterday's flyers to hog the race, she said. David grudgingly accepted. 

Tage, Lis Anna, Bo, Helge, Veronika and Susan gathered at the starting line and stood at the ready as the flyers had done yesterday. Martine, who liked broom racing too much to stay away, counted to ten, and off they flew. Tage in the lead. But as he reached the first obstacle, and rose sharply his broomstick broke in two, the bristles falling to the ground and Tage and stick continuing head over heels into the obstacle. Susan put her hand to her mouth and looked at her co-conspirators with wide eyes. "We forgot ... " she said. "Tage's broom was one of the ruined ones." Lis called out: " Vero! Let's get David!" and she and Veronika turned sharply around, only to half collide with Susan, whose broom also broke at the impact. Luckily she was not high up, and landed on the grass. She had all the air beaten out of her lungs, but after a dizzying while, she got up and looked at the ensuing chaos. Anna was white as a sheet and only managed to land her broom using all her willpower. Veronika, Lis and Helge flew after David, who had jumped on his broom as he understood what had happened.
Martine was on her broom as well and after helping Tage out of the obstacle and sending him to the sick room to Thora, she inspecting his broom.
  "This is not funny stuff, this is vandalism!" Martine said harshly. "Did you know that someone had sabotaged the brooms?"
  "Yes, yes we did," Anna said. "But ... I think we forgot."
  "You forgot!" Martine roared. "Who did this ... oh, I see." She said, turning around:  "Lis, Helge, Veronika and David, Come down here! Now!"
  As none of them complied, she pulled out her wand: "Kústar hættið!" The brooms of Lis, Veronika and David stopped as if they had hit a wall, but Helge's broom just shook a little and continued. He only avoided flying into David by some very fine flying. But Martine was not admiring his skills. She was livid with rage: "Helge," she yelled. "Come down here immediately." 
  Helge found that obeying was the better part of wisdom and landed in front of her. "And why could I not hex your broom?"
  Torben, Jon, Birgitta and the Finnish twin professors came running. "What's this yelling all about?" Jon asked.
  "Grab those three up there." Martine ordered, "and Tähti, please take care of these apprentices. Something is quite fishy here. Just how fishy we have to find out."
  Martine took Helge's broom, and the four other also supplied themselves with brooms and got the three and their brooms down to the ground.

  Tage was fetched from the sick room, together with Thora, who had bandaged his arms.
  Martine faced the apprentices. "Can anyone tell me what has gotten into you? Someone has sawed at least two brooms partway through, just above the bristles, and then Helge's broom here seems immune to hexes. I need an explanation. And I need it now!"
  "Stop!" Thora said. "I think we have to interrogate all the apprentices here. And maybe some of their friends too," she said, looking around in the meadow, where all the other apprentices and professors seemed to have gathered. "But we do not need them to listen to one another and have nice ideas about what to say. A short discussion among the professors ensued, and Thora spoke again: "You are all to keep quiet! Split up in language groups as if for lunch, and go sit at the tables in the barn in the same way. And I want the names of anyone not present." 
  Susan, Anna, David, Heidi, Lis and Tage went over to Torben, where they met with Fiona, Sarah and Knud.
  "We forgot!" Veronika said to Fiona.
  "Shh, not a word, Torben said. "Or I'll have to hex you." 
  They waited for a long time sitting quietly, and despondently at the tables in the stable. Torben sat at the head of the table, eyes resting on his small flock with unending vigilance. The nisser served tea, soft drinks and open sandwiches, but nobody was able to eat much. The silence and apprehension in the stable was almost palpable.
  Susan turned her head away from Torben. She dared not look at Gilvi, who sat in his usual place, just a short way from Susan. Jon sat at the other end of the long table, grimly he watched all the Norwegian apprentices alone, as Martine was with Thora somewhere interrogating the apprentices one by one. She wondered if they were going to use some kind of potion on them, or magic, maybe.

Fiona returned to her place, and Martine called her name. Susan got up. She felt the eyes of all the apprentices follow her as she walked to the small door in the back. Martine led her to the Room where tables and chairs were stored. There Thora and Taavi sat behind a table. "Sit!" Thora said, pointing at a chair in front of the table. Martine stayed behind her. She locked the door. and went to stand behind Susan.
  Thora spoke. "Do you know who sabotaged the brooms?"
  Susan nodded, she was not sure of her voice.
  "Was there more than one involved in the deed?"
  Again Susan nodded.
  But the next question was not so easily answered: "Why did you not tell me?"
  Susan swallowed. "Because, A ... Because I did not want to squeal on somebody. I did not think they were ... evil is such a strong word. I thought we could handle it ourselves. But then we forgot .. I was so happy the race went well, I forgot all about the brooms being sawn into." Susan fell silent again
  Martine asked  from behind her: "Do you also know why Helge's broom did not stop when I hexed it?"
  Susan nodded again.
  "WHY?" Martine said loudly.
  "Because we made an anti-hex potion and put on the brooms. Helge's broom, I think it was really Anna's broom, we exchanged some of them for good measure as well, must not have been hexed by ..." Susan stopped, realizing she was about to tell anyway.
  "You made an anti-hex potion?" Taavi asked.
  Again Susan only nodded.
  "And you did it together like with the Sunshine potion. I dare bet that you read once again."
  Susan nodded again. She felt totally transparent.
  "What did you say about Anna?" Thora asked.
  "I did not," Susan answered. "But she's innocent."
  "We decide who's innocent and who's not." Thora said sternly. Look at me.
  Susan met Thora's eyes, she felt small and transparent and very guilty.
  "Do you understand what you have done?" Thora asked in a kind voice.
  "We stopped the race from being ruined," Susan said, "we did not ask for help or squealed on that other group. If it is so very wrong, I am awfully sorry. I did not want to get those other in bad standing or expelled or whatever the punishment would be."
  "Who were you protecting?" Thora asked. "I  hope I know already, but I want you to tell."
  "The Swedes," Susan said, desperately trying to avoid naming them.
  "Yes, Susan? All the Swedes or only some of them?"
  "No, only those in David's group ... Oh!" Susan gasped. "Now I did it. Anna of course, and Kalle, Lukas and Britta."
  "Thank you." Thora said. "To ease your conscience, you have told me nothing new, but I like to be sure, totally sure."
  "Martine, would you follow Susan back to the barn, and bring Lis and Tage here, please?"

***

It was a long afternoon, My, Marja, Josta and Kirstin began crying at some time, and Nata fell asleep and almost fell from the bench where she sat. Susan followed the sun cross the skies and reach the trees west of the farm before the three interrogators finally reappeared in the barn.
  "We have had an instance of inappropriate use of magic and counter-magic on Unicorn farm," Thora said. "The guilty will be punished, and the wrong repaired. David, Josh, Lukas, Britta, Kalle, Anna, Helge, Harald, Bo, Bjørn, Susan, Fiona, Veronika, My, Marit, Astrid, Olav, Heidi, Tage, and Lis you stay here. The rest of you are free to go outside, or stay somewhere inside and read, play or whatever you like. But please do not try to leave the Farm until you're allowed to. The portals are deactivated, and I'm afraid teleporting won't be a possibility either."

When all the apprentices, Thora had not mentioned, had left the Barn she turned to face the guilty apprentices: "Now you listen, and listen carefully. You have all been using magic in ways not condoned by the professors of the Unicorn Farm. We could have you all expelled from here, or have you suffer solitary confinement on the top of Eyjafjallajökull until its next eruption. But I think a more harsh punishment is on its place today. Torben and Jon are taking David, Josh, Lukas, Britta, Kalle, and Bjørn on an expedition down to the bog where we found the Kelpie. You are going to see if it is possible to retrieve the bodies of the slain children. Magical body bags are in the pantry.
Torben led the 6 apprentices out through the small door leading to the kitchen, Jon trailing behind. As the door closed, Lis, Susan, Anna and Heidi exploded.
  "You can't do that. It's cruel, They're not more than children themselves," Lis said.
  "What, You're sending them to a place you would not go yourself!" Susan erupted. "It's way too harsh. Worse than solitary incarceration in whats-its-name-jökull."
  "Poor Britta," Heidi said, "She was so afraid when we went scouting that swamp. I feel sorry for all of them. Well maybe not so much for David."
  "I should be out there with them," Anna said. "I did not succeed in stopping them. I only got myself expelled from the racing team," she continued furiously. "But going out there, for Heaven's sake they did not commit murder or anything. They were jealous of their elder siblings snatching all the fun. That's not ... well maybe it is. But still that bog is not a place for apprentices." Anna ended on a more subdued tone.
  Thora eyed them all with suspicion. "Do the rest of you agree? Harald and Bo they're your brothers as well. What do you say?"
  "It's too harsh," Bo said. "They do not deserve this." Harald nodded agreement.
David set us up to it," Anna said slowly. And she continued partly to the others, partly to Thora: "This is not tattling, I think. It is telling the truth when truth is the only way out. He was there all the time, behind us, next to us, fanning the embers of resentment, as my granny would say it. I don't know who did what inside the broomshed, but I'm sure David was the sole responsible for those hexes."
  "Who sawed into the brooms?" Thora asked.
  "Not Bjørn or Tage," Astrid said, "Bjørn was outside with Tage, and Anna had left. I think she stayed nearby. And David did the hexing. He said so."
  "We know, who did it then," Thora said. "Josh and Lukas were doing the sawing. They are the ones left in the equation. Whether they really did it or David took over himself nobody can prove." Thora looked at each of the 14  apprentices and continued. "You are all loyal, fiercely so. And this is as it should be. We never planned sending them into the bog, or at least not to look for bodies in there. It was part of the punishment, the thinking they were going to experience gruesome things. In reality they flew low over the bog, through the woods and landed on the beach. Now I suppose they are all sitting on a boulder scrubbing away at all the brooms with toothbrushes and fresh sand and salt water. Afterwards ... well I wont tell." 
  A collective sigh went through them all.
  "Now come and sit down," Thora continued. "I do understand that you wanted to protect your friends and co-apprentices. But inappropriate use of magic is not something you are able to handle on your own for quite a few years yet. I suppose you have been thinking over what you did and what you did not do in the Barn during the interrogation." Everybody nodded. They sat around one of the smaller round tables, Thora called for Gilvi and Martine and strangely Rósa and Aamu, the quiet Finnish girl to join them.

"Now I am going to tell you what happened, you listen, you correct me when I'm wrong, you supply what I am missing, because I suspect I am missing something crucial here."
Thora begun the tale at the first days at Unicorn Farm. She recalled the first Easter fire, and a lot of other instances where smaller siblings had been slighted, made fun of, belittled or let out. "But," she said, "the culprit is not normal sibling rivalries, or suchlike. It is the resentment and jealousy. David fed those feelings, he made you all remember how it was to be left out, All of David's minions were younger sisters or brothers. Yes also Josh, his elder sisters and brothers are much older than him, they are already working, or at least in the final years of education, and none of them have any magic. But he still feels left out, you see." She retold Astrid's overhearing of David and his group, he even knew what Tage had told to get into David's group. "No no one told me in clear text, but I'm good at adding two and two," she said. She complimented them on the use of a walkie-talkie, and whipped them once again verbally for not having sought adult aid upon discovering David's plans. "And you smeared the anti-hex potions on all the brooms, and exchanged some of them?"
  "No, not on all the brooms," My said. "We had not made enough for that. First we exchanged the sawn-into brooms for some of our own, we chanced that the brooms were either sawn through or hexed, not both. We put the potion on all the brooms belonging to members of the Yellow team and the Competition, and what was left, we used on random brooms where we were not sure of the owners."
  "And at least one of them, Helge's was not hexed," Martine said. This explain the unstopability I experienced."
  "Will it be removed by one hex?" My asked.
  "It depends on the strength of the hex and the strength of the potion. You brewed well, very well indeed. Taavi said." The small Finnish professor had arrived some time during Thora's recapitulation.

"I still miss one detail." Martine said. "How did you get into the broomshed? I locked it, and I still had the key the next morning.
  "David stole it," Anna said. He copied it somehow, and then stole it back again."
  "And Olav made a key from a branch," Heidi said. "He transformed it! I have never seen that done before. And it worked," she added still with awe in her voice.
  "I'll have to do something about that lock. And I think I have a job down at the beach soon." Martine said, standing up.
  "If you see Tähti on your way, could you please ask her to join us?" Gilvi said.

"And one last question," Thora said: "Anna why did you try to stop them in the broomshed, why not earlier or later?"
  "I suddenly realized that somebody might get hurt, even badly, during the race. David said I was free to leave, but I did not feel free. I could not leave. I tried dissuading them all the way back. In the end David threatened me, after the others had left, that he would hex Kalle's broom tomorrow just before the race if I tattled. I dared not. And when I finally got myself pulled together, Lis and all those others here stopped me. Now I see why."
  "Well, yes I see." Thora said. "It all makes sense now."
  "No it does not!" Susan said. "Who was David trying to get on top of? He's as far as I know an only child. He has no siblings to be jealous of."
  "People in general," Anna said. "and particularly Fiona He think he's better, or at least deserves better than most of us because he's older and because he can trace his family back in time to Merlin and some other famous witches and wizards."
  "Bosh!" Tage and Lis said simultaneously. Lis continued "Our parents and their parents and their parents' parents and so on forever - or at least all the way back to the old Greeks and the Celts were wizards and witches. That does not make us one jot better at flying than Fiona or Sif and Elwin." 
  "Exactly," Thora said. "And now to your punishment. Extra lessons. As the brooms are all out of commission, you can't race one another. I hope all the brooms will be mended cleaned and de-jinxed by Tuesday. So extra lessons for all of you. We begin now. Susan, My, Anna, Aamu and Rósa! You come with me and Tähti, The rest of you will go to the potion room with Taavi and Gilvi"

***

Tähti and Thora led the 5 apprentices down to the row of trees separating the Unicorn Farm from the rest of the island.
  "I'm sure you all remember the day you got your wand," Thora said. "Wand-singing is a special branch of magic. And you are chosen to learn this."
  Susan felt warm and happy inside. She clearly remembered the tree's song and she had looked longingly at the Japanese cherry tree each time she arrived at or left Unicorn Farm.

"We have chosen one apprentice from each country," Tähti continued. "Actually Sweden and in particular Norway could use two, considering the length of the countries, but none were found, maybe later well try to  teach some more apprentices, as it is a necessary ability to have." Thora directed the apprentices to leave their own wands at the big bales of hay and go to their own trees: "You all remember the tree, that gave you your wand. Go to them, place your hand on them and thank them."
  Susan walked slowly towards the Japanese cherry tree, she remembered the song, and was excited to hear it again. She placed her hand on the trunk and said: "Thank you, tree. I am very grateful for your gift. It has served me well so far. I hope you do not feel any pain where the wand left you." Susan was surprised by the tree's answer. It shook its branches, as if shaken by a gust of wind and then stood still. Simultaneously a melody spread through Susan's hands, up her arms and from there into her ears and brain. It was such a lovely, harmonious tune, that Susan closed her eyes and let herself be swept away by the harmonies. Suddenly she was the tree, She was a cherry pit in the ground, stretching towards the light, drinking deeply from earth, sunlight and rain. She grew, extending her branches towards the sky. She felt the exquisite taste of sunlight on green leaves in spring, the sap returning from the leaves to the branches, down the stem in Autumn, and the opposite feeling of the sap raising, flowers and leaves unfolding in early spring. She felt frost bite the opening flowers and as a sustained bitter note the frustration over not bearing fruit. Once again she told the tree how much happiness it brought with its wonderful pink clouds of flowers. The tree thanked her and the song ended. Susan opened her eyes slowly to the sunlit world again. Still holding lightly to the tree she walked round it, looking at the tree and at all the other trees around her.
  Thora called the five apprentices to her. "Now you've heard your own tree, you need to be acquainted with other trees. Find one as different from your own tree as you can, not necessarily one, you do not like, but a different one. Think, look at the trees, or do both. Go and put your hands on the new tree. Tell them your name, and ask the tree to tell you theirs."
  Susan thought. A Japanese cherry was a tree of dreams and clouds. The opposite ... well a serious, fruit-bearing tree, or an ugly one? Serious, that would be an apple tree, and for ugly Susan remembered the Devil's walking stick in Grandma's garden. Did such a one give any wands, and grow here? Susan looked at the closest trees. A big apple-tree stood near her, and she went to that one. As Thora had told her, she put her hands on the tree and said: "Good day, apple tree. I am Susan, an apprentice witch and wand-singer. How are you today?"
  Susan did not really expect an answer, but the tree sang to her. A welcoming, plain song of happy summers, busy bees and branches laden with fruits. Then it told her that  it was pleased to make wands for any needing it, but would Susan please remove some of the apples, because they were growing wrong?
  "Growing wrong?" Susan asked, and the tree sang of badly pollinated flowers, apples growing too close to one another and bugs. Susan stroked the tree and promised to remove the troublesome small apples. To reach the topmost apples, she had to climb, but she felt it impolite to just climb up a tree she had spoken to only minutes before.
  She considered asking the tree, but Thora saw her plight and came over. "Oh, the tree asked you a favour, that's just fine. The Snow magic can be used here, you just have to substitute sunrays for snowflakes. I think the other were taught in the first days of the holidays, while you were still with your family elsewhere." Susan tried the variation, and soared skywards on the sunrays to pick the bad apples from the tree. 
  "Now, Thora said, as the five apprentices once again stood around her. "Now you have to learn to sing the wand-song. Draw a deep breath, all the way down to your toes and sing with me."
  After an hour of singing, humming, breathing and standing on tiptoe to reach the highest notes, the five apprentices felt totally drained.
  "Oh, yes," Thora said with a tiny smile. "Wand-singing is hard work. Dinner is ready in a few minutes, you can all wash at the trough outside the barn." Not one of the girls had it in them to run there, they walked slowly towards the pump and trough to wash sweaty faces and hands in the refreshingly cool water. Thora manned the pump.

 ***

The five apprentice wand-singers. Susan, My, Anna, Aamu and Rósa were very tired after the dinner had been eaten. They sat together with Thora near the lower end of the table.
  "Are you still sleeping in that small room in the attic?" Rósa asked My. " I envy you. The road home feels terribly long tonight. I'm so tired."
  "Why don't you all go up there and see if you can find a room?" Thora suggested, "but don't try to blame me for anything that might happen. We are at the Unicorn Farm after all."
 The five girls dragged themselves out of their chairs, and yawning broadly slipped out through the door to the yard, over it, in through the blue door and then they followed My up the narrow, worn stairs. My opened the door to her room with a small, silver key. Then she turned to the sunshine yellow door at the opposite side of the stairs. "There might be another guest room behind that door," My said. "Let's have a look."
  Susan tried the handle. "It's locked." she said, sounding very tired and disappointed.
  "Let me try." My said and put the small, silver key in the simple keyhole. It turned with a loud snick and the door opened. Inside was a lovely room, two bunk beds stood opposite them on each side of an open window with friendly blue curtains billowing slightly in the wind caused by their opening of the door. The all went in and looked around. At the right end wall a single poster bed with gossamer thin hangings in silver and white greeted them. All the bunk beds had different covers and trappings. And at the left hand wall stood five small cupboards with matching trappings, a water pitcher and a soap dish. They drew a collective sigh.
   "Oh, look!" My said, "I always dreamt of sleeping in a poster bed, and it looks so like it's made out of snow and cob webs. Just right for me!"
  Susan smiled: "And that green upper bunk to the right looks like it was made for me! It even has small trees and branches cut out on the headpiece. It's beyond lovely."
  And "Oh!" Aamu exclaimed, "look at the bunk below. It's made out of willows, even the covers have willow patterns. It's for me!"
  Rósa went and sat on the lower bunk bed to the left. The golden sheen of the covers shone as she sat slightly bouncing up and down. "It's so soft!" Rósa whispered. "It feels more like an evening cloud than a bed."
  "And that last one is obviously for me," Anna said. "Red was always my colour, and the bed looks so inviting."
  "This room is so made for us, that I get suspicious," My said.
  "Oh, bosh," Anna said. "It was Thora, that suggested we go here. She would not let something bad happen to us."
  "No, nothing bad," Susan said slowly, "but she might put us to a test. Aamu, you're one of those strange red divination ones. Could you somehow check the room's disposition ... or something," she added hesitantly.
  "I see what you mean," Aamu said. "And yes I can." She drew her wand and spoke a sentence in Finnish, very quickly. Two silver-green sparks left her wand, soared upwards and chased one another out through the open window. "This room is filled with magic, big, big magic," Aamu said, "But as far as I can tell, it 's nothing malevolent, only strange. And now, I want to sleep." She pulled off her red tunic and striped skirt and discovered a night gown with red wands and stars in the tiny cupboard.
  For each of the girls there was a nightdress to their liking in the cupboard - and a toothbrush. Susan found green panamas in her cupboard. "Just what I always wanted," she thought, "cotton, and not a long night dress that crawls up an bundle under my arms."
They all dressed in the wondrous nightwear, brushed their teeth and crept under the covers. After good night wishes were exchanged, it lasted  all of five minutes until everybody slept well and long.

***

In the morning they arose refreshed and hungry. They dressed, left the beds to air and went down to get some breakfast in the small dining room below.
  "Ugh," Aamu said. "I forgot my pencil case up there. I'll go get it immediately." She got up and left before any of the others could say something.
  "She did not get my key," My said. "You did not lock the door, did you?"
  Nobody remembered locking the door. Aamu came running down the stairs even faster than she had left. "Hey, come and help me. I think I'm going crazy or something. It's not there!"
  "What's not there?" Anna asked. "Your pencil case? Are you sure you had it with you?"
  "No, not the pencil case. The room! It's gone!"
  "Nonsense!" Rósa said. "A room can't just disappear."
  "Come and see," Aamu said. "True, the room is there," she said heading up the stairs once again, "and yet it is not."
  She unlocked the door, using her own key and opened the door. They all looked surprised. An ordinary school room was behind the yellow door, where they had slept.
  "And we are in the right place?" Susan asked, rather stupidly, but she could not seem to grasp what has happened.
  "Yes we are." My said. "My room is right there," and she pointed to the green door across the corridor.
  A draught slammed the door to the strange room. My grasped the handle. "It's locked once again," she said and pulled out her small, silver key. As she opened the door, the room they had slept in, was back.
  "It's back!" Aamu said, "and there's my pencil case, at the nigthstand, where I left it!"
  "The key," Aamu said slowly. "It's the  key that decides what's inside. I have heard of such rooms, but I never ever dreamed of seeing one." She shook her head. "Now it's almost time for lessons, and we have to leave. But we've got to explore this further when we get a chance. Let's collect all the keys, we can get our hands on and meet up here sometimes later."
  They all agreed, as they went down to the classrooms one flight of stairs lower.

***

A  small group of apprentices were gathered in the broomshed. Their brooms lay on the floor, or leaned against stalls and walls. In the middle of the group, Susan sat, wet and shivering, with a blanket around her dripping, wet body.
  "I don't belong here!" Susan said in a miserable voice. "Never in living memory has anybody made such a disaster of themself," Susan said with a quiver in her voice.
  "Maybe not in living memory," but what about the memories of a ghost?" Percy said, walking in through the wall.
  Susan pulled the coarsely woven blanket tighter around her wet figure with a shiver.
  "Do tell!" Veronika encouraged the ghost.
  "Maybe you fell into the water obstacle upon exiting the gravity well," Percy said, getting less and less translucent, as she spoke. "And maybe you failed every other obstacle at least once. But you never gave up. You finished the broom race, even though you knew you would end up last."
  "Last!" Susan exclaimed. "I dare say. All the others waited for me at the finishing line for almost half an hour!"
  "Yes," Percy said. "They waited for you. Doesn't that tell you something?"
Percy looked at Susan, who stopped sobbing and looked at her.
"Now listen to my story," Percy continued. "It was one of the older ghosts, who told me this. It dates back from the days when schools for magic were like ordinary boarding schools. When they held a broom race -- it was not held every year then -- one of the boys in third year -- let's call him Allan --  bragged continuously about his prowess on a broomstick. Well, none of the racing teams -- and they even had four of them -- wanted him on their team, but the very next day he challenged every apprentice to race him -- just like now it was customary to leave the race track up for everyone to have a go at it. Every apprentice in the whole school accepted the challenge, and every single one of them, even the first years, outflew him. But Allan did not give up, he stubbornly stayed at the school. He was very quiet for a long time after the broom race. Allan did not say a word to anybody for at lest a month -- the professors thought he was ill, and some even considered exorcising him or de-hexing him or something. Then Allan spoke in one or two word sentences for very long, but he still practised flying, and he also diligently practised all the other forms of magic. And this man, Allan -- it is not his real name by the way -- ended up one of the finest wizards of his year."

  Susan drew a shivering breath and smiled tentatively at the others. Veronika smiled back, one of her flashing smiles: "You know, Susan, you can't be best, or even good at everything."
  "We all wanted so much to finally beat you," Tage said. Lis, Bo, Helge, and Heidi smiled warmly at her and nodded.
  "Well," Heidi said. "I know I'm better than you at transformations, but that's about it. You sure belong here. Just as much as the rest of us."
  "You just have to practise flying those obstacles a bit more," Fiona said. "I'll teach you how. if you care."
  "Do I?" Susan said smiling broadly, "Let me get some dry stuff, then I'm ready!"

As the apprentices walked together out in the sunshine, Susan almost did not feel the ground beneath her feet.

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