The Witch Who Lost Her Broom

At the edge of a small village, where the houses had red roofs and flowers in the windows, there lived a little witch. Her name was Tilda. Tilda was not scary at all. She was kind, and she wore a purple hat that was a tiny bit too big.

Tilda lived in a little cottage with a crooked chimney. On the wall, above the door, there was a hook. That was where her broom hung. The broom was old and a little bit cheeky. It could fly all by itself whenever it liked. And sometimes, when Tilda wasn't looking, that is just what it did.

One evening, Tilda was hanging up her laundry. She had socks and a blue skirt and a little yellow hat to dry. She leaned the broom against the wall and began to hum. The wind was soft. The sun was sinking slowly behind the village trees.

Then something funny happened. The broom began to wobble a little. Then it lifted away from the wall and floated in the air. It turned around, as if it was looking at Tilda. And then off it flew, over the fence, straight toward the village.

'Oh, my broom!' said Tilda, with a little smile. She put on her purple hat and set off walking. The broom was cheeky sometimes, but never mean. Tilda walked along the little path, past her garden, and into the village. The lanterns were just beginning to glow.

The first place she came to was the bakery. The baker stood in the doorway, drying his hands on his apron. 'Tilda!' he called cheerfully. 'Do you know what? Your broom was here! It swept all the autumn leaves off my steps. Then it flew away again. Such a friendly broom!'

Tilda smiled and thanked the baker. 'What a kind broom,' she said. The baker handed her a little cinnamon bun, freshly baked and warm. Tilda tucked it into her pocket and walked on. The smell of cinnamon followed her all the way down the lane, soft and sweet.

Soon she came to the schoolhouse. It was closed for the evening, but the front steps were shining. Miss Mira stood there, watering a flower. 'Tilda, can you believe it?' she said. 'Your broom was here. It swept every one of my steps. I think it wanted to help.'