<Introduction> When William, Susie, and Martha cook a witch's brew in the old barn, they don't really expect anything to happen. Witches are just superstition, William says. Nobody believes in them today.
But there are stories in the village that the barn was once a witch's home. And then the children see old Miss Hepplewhite standing in the doorway. She tells them that there is a witch. Her name is Morgan le Fay, and she comes from a much older time, when knights rode into battle on horseback, and everybody believed in witches. "There has been no sign of her for many, many years," Miss Hepplewhite says. "But she's always here somewhere. She's the bad side of things, you see."
A cool wind has begun to blow, and in the shadowy places in the barn there are strange little noises. The three children, even calm, sensible Susie, suddenly feel very cold, icy cold....