Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
by Grady Hendrix
Contents
Chapter 24
Overview
Hagar confronts Fern, Holly, and Zinnia about their witchcraft and forces them to confess the spells, including sickening Dr. Vincent and harming Miss Wellwood. She ends their “conjure days” by burning the witch book and making them help contain the unfinished storm in an ash-smeared, knotted bottle buried under the front steps.
Fern collapses into guilt and despair, but Zinnia takes control, arguing the bookmobile witch was exploiting them and that Hagar’s intervention was a rescue. Zinnia commits to facing Miss Parcae about the missing book and refocuses their goal on a practical plan to keep Holly from being sent home.
Summary
After Hagar breaks up the storm-working, Holly begs Fern to finish it for her, but Fern feels the storm dissolve; Holly had to pay the price herself, and she can’t. They return to the kitchen to find Zinnia and Hagar waiting. Fern shields Zinnia, but Hagar recognizes the “stink of witch work” on all three and demands the full truth.
Fern first minimizes it, then admits they got a witch book from the bookmobile, stole Miss Parcae’s real spellbook, and used it to dump Zinnia’s morning sickness onto Dr. Vincent. Hagar also accuses them of doing something to Miss Wellwood; she refuses details, says Sister is with Miss Wellwood, and confirms Miss Wellwood isn’t dead. Hagar warns that half-finished conjure draws attention and that witches get burned, then orders the girls to stop.
Hagar makes them hand over How to Be a Groovy Witch and burns it in the sink, extinguishing the remains under the tap. She reveals she has “bottled up” the half-made storm in a wax-sealed Nehi bottle tied with knotted string, and she forces the girls to help finish the cleanup.
Outside, Hagar has Holly smear ash from the burned book onto the bottle. She makes Zinnia and Fern dig a one-foot hole with teaspoons at the front steps, buries the bottle where feet will press it down, and has them stomp the earth eighteen times. Hagar explains the storm will stay trapped until someone someday opens it and releases only a harmless puff of breeze, then sends the girls to clean up and declares their witching finished.
The next day, Fern, exhausted and ashamed, hides in Rose’s attic room. Zinnia and Holly find her, and Fern apologizes for failing to save Holly. Zinnia insists the “witches” were only using Holly to make her hurt herself, argues Hagar saved them by stopping the spellbook obsession, and lays out a plan: when Miss Parcae returns for the last bookmobile visit, they will face her and say the book is gone. Zinnia then vows they will find a real way to keep Holly from being sent home; comforted by Zinnia’s certainty, Fern agrees to follow her lead.
Who Appears
- FernConfesses the witchcraft to Hagar, mourns failures, then yields leadership to Zinnia.
- HagarConfronts the girls, ends their witching, burns the book, and contains the storm in a buried bottle.
- ZinniaIs present for the confrontation; later steadies Fern and leads a new plan against Miss Parcae.
- HollyDesperate to escape being sent home; submits to Hagar and accepts Zinnia’s plan.
- Miss ParcaeBookmobile woman tied to the stolen spellbook; expected to return and be confronted.
- Miss WellwoodOff-page; confirmed alive but badly affected by the girls’ spell, watched by Sister.
- Dr. VincentReferenced victim of the spell that transferred Zinnia’s morning sickness onto him.
- SisterOff-page; staying with Miss Wellwood overnight to assess her condition.
- MiriamReferenced as present earlier with Hagar during the eel-creature incident.
- RoseReferenced; her loss and attic room underscore the girls’ fear and guilt.
- DianeDelivers a lecture in Miss Wellwood’s absence; Fern skips it while hiding upstairs.