One day, the grey witch was pulling up weeds in her garden when she felt a summoning from her good friend, the scary seawitch.

  She got her broom and flew to the seaside cave where the seawitch lived.

  Outside the cave, there was a mermaid looking very unhappy, and the seawitch was standing on her doorstep with her arms folded, glaring at the mermaid.

  “What is the matter?” asked the witch.

  The seawitch pointed at the sorrowful mermaid. “That is the matter!” she said crossly. “That silly creature has been there all day and I don’t know what she wants.”

  “Have you asked her?” asked the witch.

  “Don’t be silly. Of course I asked, but the silly creature doesn’t answer,” said the seawitch.

  The witch went to the mermaid and asked, “What’s the matter, dear?”

  The mermaid pointed at the seawitch and then at her throat, and big drops of tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “That’s what the silly creature does every time I ask,” said the scary seawitch, grumpily.

  “Dear me,” said the witch. “Can you speak?” she asked the mermaid.

  The mermaid shook her head and pointed with emphasis at the seawitch.

  “What has the fact that she can’t speak got to do with me?” exclaimed the seawitch with a big frown.

  “I don’t know,” said the witch. She decided to call her friends, the glamorous sorceress and the gruff wizard, to help her solve this puzzle.

  The glamorous sorceress arrived on her golden phoenix and when she learned what the trouble was, she asked the mermaid, “Why do you keep pointing at the seawitch, dear?”

  “She can’t answer,” said the wizard, matter-of-factly.

  “Have you lost your voice?” asked the sorceress kindly.

  The mermaid nodded vigorously, and pointed at the seawitch.

  “And you are pointing at the seawitch because you think she has something to do with it?” enquired the sorceress.

  The mermaid nodded.

  “So, you think the seawitch has stolen your voice?” asked the wizard.

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  The mermaid nodded so hard, she almost nodded her head off.

  “Why, that little brat!” exclaimed the scary seawitch. “I never stole her voice. What would I want with her stupid squeaky voice?”

  The mermaid looked sadly at the seawitch, and enormous tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “Her voice must be somewhere,” said the grey witch kindly, “perhaps we should help her look for it.”

  “Oh, all right,” sighed the seawitch. “If only to get her off my back.”

  “Well, when I want to find something,” said the wizard, “I always think of the last place I was when I had it. So, since it is your voice that is missing, I would like to take a look at your throat, if that is all right with you, young missy.”

  The mermaid opened her mouth wide, and the wizard peered inside.

  “Ah yes,” said the wizard. “I see. I know exactly what has happened to your voice, and I can help you recover it, young missy. But in return, you must do something for me and my friends.”

  The mermaid nodded.

  “First, I would like you to fetch me one hundred perfect pearls,” said the wizard.

  The mermaid nodded, and dived into the sea. She returned in a little while with a small basket of pearls, which the wizard gave to the delighted sorceress.

  “Now, I would like you to fill this small jar with your scales,” said the wizard.

  The mermaid flicked her tail, and a shower of rainbow-coloured scales fell onto the sand. She picked them up and put them inside the small jar.

  The wizard gave the jar to the witch who was very delighted because mermaid scales help plants grow bigger and stronger.

  “Now, I would like some of your beautiful golden hair,” said the wizard.

  The mermaid was not happy about this, but she wanted her voice back, so she allowed the wizard to cut off a huge chunk of her hair with a pair of silver scissors.

  The wizard gave this to the seawitch who was delighted. Mermaid hair has the power to amplify certain spells.

  “Now,” said the wizard, “one last thing. I want a small bottle of your tears.” He held up a bottle the size of a football.

  This was the easiest task for the mermaid. She cried huge dollops of tears into the bottle, and very soon it was full.

  The wizard was very pleased. Mermaid tears had many magical properties.

  “Now, I shall tell you where your voice has gone and how to get it back,” said the wizard. “Have you heard of cold-bugs?”

  The mermaid shook her head.

  “Flu-bugs?”

  Again, the mermaid shook her head.

  “Well, cold and flu bugs are very mischievous creatures that love to steal voices, having none of their own. And they love to use the stolen voices to cause all sorts of trouble. I won’t bore you with the details. I shall make a potion for you to drink, and then you must rest for three days. The potion will have in it a powerful spell to confuse the bugs and restore your voice.”

  The wizard went inside the seawitch’s cave and made the potion with the seawitch’s help. He used a drop of the mermaid’s tears.

  Then he gave the potion to the mermaid who drank it eagerly, and then went under the sea to rest in bed for three days.

  The witch and the sorceress went home with their gifts while the wizard stayed to chat with the seawitch.

  Three days later, the mermaid turned up singing happily. Her voice was back. She thanked the wizard.

  The wizard smiled, and said, “The next time the bugs steal your voice, I am sure the seawitch will be happy to mix you a potion to get it back for you in exchange for more of your beautiful hair.”

  “Certainly,” said the scary seawitch with a snort and a cackle. “I know exactly what to do the next time you mope outside my cave with no voice.”

  “Jolly good,” said the wizard, “now I must be off, goodbye!” He stepped onto his magic rug and with a whoosh – he was gone.