The Grimbriar Gazette | Issue No. XII
Weather
The weatherstone is dry and warm, therefore it is sunny. Three toads are sunbathing on the weatherstone's flattest side, so the sun should stay with us through Friday. A single orange leaf is stuck to the stone's East side, so expect a sudden chill in the evenings.
Lost & Found
Found: A quill that only writes compliments. Tried to sign my name with it and it wrote "lovely penmanship." Left in the Arts classroom.
Lost: A small jar of fireflies. They glow purple when they're hungry. Please return to Teddy Ashgrove in the East Dormitories.
Found: A shoe, very small, with a bell on the toe. Jingles when no one is wearing it. Found on the North Lawn near the fountain.
Gossip
A Ghost in Need of a Fright
If you've walked the halls after supper this week, you may have noticed things getting rather dim. Candles throughout the castle have been snuffed out one by one, leaving students to stumble through the corridors in the dark. The surge of stubbed toes and busted noses can be blamed on none other than Cuthbert Mallow, a round-cheeked ghost who has haunted Grimbriar for over three hundred years without frightening a single soul.
"I'm tired of being called sweet," Cuthbert told the Gazette, his arms crossed. "I'm a ghost. I should be at least a little frightening. I hoped the dark would help."
Unfortunately for Cuthbert, the plan has not gone as hoped. Students have simply taken to carrying their own lanterns and candles, and several first-years now follow him from hall to hall, relighting each candle behind him and thanking him for the "fun game." Last Tuesday, he blew out every candle in the West Hall and let out his most fearsome wail. A passing student offered him a throat lozenge.
"I didn't mean to insult him," said fourth-year Mabel Finch. "I thought he'd been struck with a strange and awful cough."
Headmistress Hennenthorpe has kindly asked Cuthbert to leave the stairwell candles lit for safety. He has agreed, though he has since started practicing his worst faces in the hallway mirrors, one of which laughed in return.
Rumors
The Voice in the Wall
There is a voice living in the wall of the West Stairwell, just beneath the third landing. Students who pass by late in the evening report hearing a raspy whisper through the cracks in the stone: "Homework done. Any subject. Very cheap." The price, it seems, is a few bits of ham and some fingernail clippings, shoved through the gap at the base of the wall. Students who have taken the deal say their essays are returned by morning, perfectly written but smelling like sulphur. Professor Brundell has noticed this sudden rise in excellent marks, as well as the odd smell accompanying the stack of homework. Students are strongly advised not to feed the walls, and essays smelling of sulphur will no longer be accepted as original work.
Familiar Faces
Meet Felix Puddleby, Grimbriar's Unluckiest Student
Felix Puddleby is never hard to find. Simply look for the small raincloud drifting through the halls on a perfectly sunny day, and you'll find him standing beneath it, soaked to the bone. The second-year student has been followed by misfortune since the day he arrived at Grimbriar. His potions bubble over, his inkwells tip onto his finished essays, and he trips over absolutely nothing at least twice a day. Last week, a pigeon flew directly into his face and left a beak-shaped imprint on his forehead.
"It's alright, really," Felix says, "I've gotten very good at ignoring it."
Students have done their best to help. Felix has rubbed the shell of Bingwit the II, the good luck snail, more times than he can count, though Bingwit did fall off the wall the last time he tried. Ella Handerell has wished on no fewer than six of his eyelashes. Each wish seems to work for about an hour before the raincloud returns.
Despite it all, Felix remains the cheeriest student in his year. He holds doors for professors, shares his umbrella with fellow students, and even takes his leftovers to the stray rats outside the greenhouse.
"My nanna always said bad luck just means good luck is saving up for something big," he explains. "I reckon I'm due for something enormous!"
Word Search
This Week’s Menu at Grimbriar Hall
As always, every meal can be altered to meet the dietary needs of any student upon request.
Monday
Breakfast: Maple pecan oatmeal, sliced bananas, warm honey milk
Lunch: Creamy tomato soup, grilled cheddar toasties, sparkling apple fizz
Dinner: Crispy breaded pork cutlets, rich curry sauce over steamed rice, iced barley tea
Tuesday
Breakfast: Buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy, stewed pears, black tea
Lunch: Fragrant beef noodle soup with fresh herbs and lime, crisp spring rolls, ginger lemonade
Dinner: Roast chicken with thyme, buttered carrots and parsnips, spiced cranberry fizz
Wednesday
Breakfast: Eggs poached in spiced tomato and pepper sauce, warm flatbread, mint tea
Lunch: Ham and swiss on rye, crisp apple slices, chilled pear cider
Dinner: Beef and ale pie, creamy mashed potatoes, warm blackberry tonic
Thursday
Breakfast: Pumpkin waffles, whipped cinnamon butter, hot chai
Lunch: Butternut squash soup, seeded bread rolls, sparkling cranberry fizz
Dinner: Green chile chicken tamales, seasoned black beans, chilled hibiscus punch
Friday
Breakfast: Blueberry muffins, vanilla yogurt, warm orange tea
Lunch: Vinegar braised chicken, fried rice, iced mango juice
Dinner: Lemon-herb baked cod, roasted potatoes, sparkling elderflower tonic
Saturday
Breakfast: Cinnamon raisin French toast, crisp bacon strips, warm spiced cider
Lunch: Turkey and cranberry sandwiches, roasted sweet potato wedges, peach iced tea
Dinner: Chicken and apricot stew with warm spices, herby couscous, sweet mint tea
Sunday
Breakfast: Sticky cinnamon buns, fresh berries, hot cocoa with whipped cream
Lunch: Roasted vegetable quiche, mixed greens, lavender lemonade
Dinner: Slow-roasted pork shoulder, apple and sage stuffing, warm mulled cider
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