One day, the grey witch decided to invite her friends round to her lovely Sunflower Cottage for tea.

  The first to arrive was the gruff wizard. There was a bang, a great cloud of smoke, and he appeared next to the chimney place. Soot went everywhere.

  Mr Twitch-whiskers sat up in his basket, sneezed and swished his tail with a huff.

  “Dear me,” said the grey witch, and ran to get her broom, but the gruff wizard waved his magic wand and in a twinkle of his eye, everything was spotless again.

  They had a cup of tea while they waited for the other friend to arrive. They had a scone … and another cup of tea … and another scone …

  Then, just as tea-time was nearly over, there was a squawk outside the cottage.

  The glamorous sorceress had arrived on her golden phoenix. It flew off with another squawk as soon as her mistress was on the ground.

  “I do not know what is the matter with her,” sighed the sorceress. “I am so sorry for being late. Phobik is so bad-tempered these days.”

  “Not to worry,” said the witch. “Come inside and have some tea and cake.”

  After tea, the three friends decided to do some shopping.

  The gruff wizard wanted to buy more spell components.

  The witch wanted to buy more pumpkins and candles for her garden.

  The glamorous sorceress wanted to buy more birdseed and a tiara.

  The witch’s broomstick was too small to carry all three of them, so they decided the wizard would transport them together.

  So, with a wave of his magic wand, a loud bang, and a cloud of sooty smoke, the three friends disappeared from the cottage and reappeared in the middle of the High Street.

  “Goodness!” exclaimed the sorceress and sneezed. “Aaahhh-tissue-ooo!”

  The wizard waved his magic wand and magicked the soot away.

  “There must be a better way to travel than this!” said the sorceress, shaking her silvery gown.

  The witch finished coughing, and said, “There is!” pointing to the magic carpet shop in front of them.

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  They saw that the shop was having a closing down clearance sale. Everything was half-price!

  They rushed into the shop. There was only one carpet left. The wizard grabbed it at one end. The sorceress grabbed it at the other end.

  “Mine!” shouted the wizard.

  “I saw it first!” shrieked the sorceress. She threw a power globe at the wizard. It shattered into a thousand twinkly stars. It made him lose his grip on the carpet, and threw him against the shop wall.

  The shopkeeper came running.

  “Stop!” he cried. “What’s going on?”

  “I want to buy this carpet, please,” said the sorceress. “Ouch!”

  She was hit by a spell from the wizard, which threw her against the other wall.

  “Never mind the silly overgrown fairy,” said the wizard. “Half-price magic carpet for me, please.”

  The shopkeeper was no fool. He looked at the glamorous sorceress.

  “I will pay the full price!” she shrieked.

  “I’ll double it!” said the wizard, waving his hands excitedly.

  Everyone ducked as lightning-bolts shot from his magic wand.

  The sorceress magicked a pile of gold in front of the shopkeeper. “I’ll triple it!” she screamed.

  The wizard pointed his magic wand, and a larger pile of gold appeared next to the first pile. “I quadruple it!”

  The two piles of gold got bigger and bigger. The shopkeeper rubbed his hands with glee.

  “Stop!” shouted the witch. “Put your gold away! Think of your bank goblin! This is madness!”

  The wizard glared and the sorceress sulked. The shopkeeper looked at one, then the other, and said softly, “Any more bids?”

  “No,” said the witch firmly, “I am the only one who will buy this magic carpet, and I am going to pay the advertised price!”

  “Don’t be daft, madam,” said the shopkeeper smoothly, “I am not going to sell it to you!”

  “It is going to be a present for my best friend!” said the witch.

  “That’s me!” said the wizard happily.

  “Me!” exclaimed the sorceress beaming.

  “Don’t be daft, madam,” the shopkeeper repeated. “I was just offered a huge pile of gold by the gentleman.”

  “Not me,” said the wizard, shaking his head.

  “A humongous pile of gold by the lovely lady –”

  “Not me,” said the sorceress sweetly.

  The shopkeeper knew when he was beat, and sold his last magic carpet to the witch.

  The three friends stepped out, and the shop vanished.

  “Is it for me?” asked the wizard admiring the carpet.

  “Is it for me?” asked the sorceress, simpering.

  “I will tell you when we get home, but first, more shopping,” said the witch.

  So, they went on shopping. They visited all the shops in the High Street.

  The wizard got his spell components. The sorceress got her birdseed and tiara. The witch got her pumpkins and candles, and pots of herbs and flowers.

  Then the witch laid out the magic carpet, and with a whoosh – the carpet carried them back to Sunflower Cottage.

  At home, the witch got out a huge shiny pair of scissors and began to cut the magic carpet into two halves.

  “What are you doing?” exclaimed the wizard. “That will destroy the magic!”

  But it did not destroy the magic. The ragged edges of each new piece of carpet knitted themselves neatly behind the cut. The scissors were magic!

  “There! Finished!” said the witch. “Two magic rugs for my two best friends!”

  “Fantastic!” shouted the wizard jumping onto his new magic rug. “Now I can go home without getting soot everywhere! Yay!” And with a whoosh – he was gone.

  “Splendid!” trilled the sorceress stepping onto her new magic rug. “Now I can go wherever I want whenever I want. You are a clever witch. Goodbye!” And with a whoosh – she was gone.

  The witch smiled, pleased with herself. She laid out a dish of fish for Mr Twitch-whiskers, and then settled down for a lovely evening of pumpkin carving.