Mumbersons and The Blood Secret, The by Mike Crowl, Celia Crowl Page B

have arrived, Necessita,’ said Ligula. She grabbed Billy so tightly by the front of his shirt that he could neither speak nor wriggle free. Her grip was stronger than Lavitch’s had been, which gave Billy a shock.
     
    At the same time, Necessita had taken hold of Olivia, who struggled like a fish on a hook. It didn’t help in the slightest.
     
    Ligula adroitly flicked her wand out of her sleeve, caught it in her free hand, and waved it at the revolving doors. The doors - which were as solid as you’d expect any oak-framed revolving doors would be - warped and twisted for a moment then flattened out into two large glass sliding doors, which shuddered before shooting open with a clunk. The Sisters shoved the children through the open space. The doors instantly shut behind them, and then, with what seemed a bit of an effort, turned back into solid revolving doors again.
     
    ‘Don’t even think about running away,’ said Ligula.
     
    Olivia tried to kick Necessita, but with a snigger she skipped out of the way, and gave Olivia a sharp tap on her head with her wand. The tap stung because sparks flew out of the end of the wand.
     
    ‘Stop showing off, Necessita!’ said Ligula. Billy thought it was hardly showing off on Necessita’s part after Ligula had turned the revolving doors into sliding ones.
     
    ‘We knew you were witches all along,’ said Olivia, stretching the truth somewhat, and wishing she could rub her head where she’d been hit.
     
    ‘Really?’ said Ligula, not believing her in the slightest. By this time the two witches were pushing them along the same corridor Venska had led her procession down. ‘Forget the whizz-bang electronics your father and his fellow-workers play around with,’ said Ligula. ‘You’re going to see what’s really important about this Factory.’
     
    ‘Down in the dungeon,’ said Necessita, showing her teeth .
     
    ‘Be quiet, Necessita. Always have to put your oar in, don’t you?’
     
    They came to a stretch of wall between two doors on which there was nothing but a large calendar with a picture of a diamond ring, a ring rather like the one Venska wore. The calendar was well out of date, Billy noticed, which seemed odd for a Factory that was known for its efficiency and was proud of its reputation.
     
    It turned out to be not quite what it seemed. Ligula waved her wand at the calendar. First it stretched out until it was as wide as a door, and then it stretched up and down until it actually was a door. It looked nothing like the modern doors on either side of it; it had a wooden frame and a large wooden doorknob. Neither of the witches touched the doorknob, however, because the door opened inwards by itself. Inside it was dark - at least until Ligula waved her wand again and old-fashioned gas lights sputtered and gradually brightened. They made a hissing noise, and left a smell in the already stale air that made the children’s teeth taste funny.
     
    There was a narrow stone landing inside the door, about a metre long. Stone steps, worn smooth by thousands of feet, led down into the darkness. Because of the faint lighting, it was impossible to see how far down.
     
    Ligula pushed the children ahead of her. They struggled not to slip and tumble; it was difficult to keep their balance with the witches shoving them every few seconds. The further down they went the more lights appeared, flickering on, hissing, brightening. Beyond their meagre light it was very dark. Billy thought he heard Olivia sniffle, though it didn’t seem likely.
     
    Finally their long descent came to an end. A huge door barred them from going any further. Necessita took a long metal key out of her pocket, and unlocked the door. The lock worked smoothly, but the hinges groaned with the massive weight. The door swung wearily aside. Necessita locked it after they’d gone through, and pocketed the key again.
     
    The witches, keeping a tight hold on Billy and Olivia, pushed them into an