Outside the sun is shining and makes the leaves of the trees around the little witch's cottage glow. Among the thick moss cushions on the ground many white star-flowers have grown over the last few days. Witch Holterpolter loves those most, but at the moment she can't enjoy the star-flowers at all. She is sitting at the kitchen table and staring into space. Holterpolter has only been at witch school for a year, but she has already learned a great deal: she can brew the simple magic potions from the thick book of Forest Witches and, with the help of the magic crystal ball, she can see things in the near future.

At the beginning she couldn't fly on the broomstick at all, but by now she can take off and fly a metre above the ground. The other witch pupils don't get everything right straight away either, but their teacher Hannihopp explains things clearly and helps them where she can. But today everything simply went wrong! "Oh dear, oh dear, oh my!" Holterpolter wails and pulls at her hair. "What's the matter with you?" asks a delicate little voice. From the lamp above the kitchen table a little spider lets herself down on her thread and swings back and forth in front of Holterpolter's face. Holterpolter sighs: "Oh, it was terrible, simply awful!" she tells her little friend. "When Head Witch Ruckelbuckel, the headmistress of the school, came into our class today and wanted to see what we had already learned, I got really nervous. The crystal ball slipped from my hands and rolled onto the floor. Then I completely forgot the ingredients for the wart-away potion and in the end the cough syrup in the cooking pot even exploded!" "What?" cries Sinni the spider. "How did that happen?" Holterpolter groans: "I don't really know exactly. I think I mixed up the thyme with the witch powder Toximoxi. We're not even allowed to take the Toximoxi jar off the shelf yet. I can't explain any of it. But of all times, just as Head Witch Ruckelbuckel looked into the pot, it began to bubble and boil … and then there was a bang and the Head Witch was covered from head to toe in green slime." "Really?" asks Sinni. "Yes, really! Unfortunately …" replies Holterpolter. "I'm so embarrassed," she says and pulls at her hair again. By now it's completely messed up and knotted into nests. "And what did Ruckelbuckel say? Or your teacher Hannihopp?" asks Sinni. "No idea! I ran straight home," answers Holterpolter, sniffling. "Oh my goodness!" exclaims the little spider. "You didn't apologise?" Holterpolter shakes her head. "No, no, no, that's simply not on!" scolds Sinni at the witch pupil. "I know," replies Holterpolter, "but I'm too afraid. I'm sure I'll have so many punishment tasks that I won't know where to start."

"You still have to apologise!" says Sinni in a firm voice. "I'll come with you and then you'll manage it," she offers her friend. Holterpolter sighs, but then she stands up. She puts on her witch's hat and ties her witch's cloak round her. "Yes, you're right. Come, sit on my shoulder, Sinni, then perhaps I'll dare after all." So the two friends leave the little witch's cottage and set off back to witch school. When they arrive, the witch pupil timidly knocks on the headmistress's door, gently presses the handle down and peeks into the room. Head Witch Ruckelbuckel and her teacher Hannihopp are sitting together. Holterpolter's heart sinks into her witch's dress. "Did you want to speak with us?" asks the headmistress. The witch pupil nods timidly and stammers: "Yes, well I … um … wanted to … apologise for … well … I'm sorry that the cough syrup …" Holterpolter breaks off and goes bright red. She cannot continue. "Oh, little witch pupil, it's not so bad!" Ruckelbuckel reassures her. "You know, when we were pupils we had plenty of accidents too." "That's true!" confirms Hannihopp and tells: "I once slipped off my broom and my teacher had to rescue me from the top of a tall fir tree." "And once a potion exploded for me too," adds Ruckelbuckel. "Really?" asks Holterpolter and already feels much better. "During my exam to become a witch teacher I didn't control the temperature under the cauldron properly and soon afterwards everything vanished in a reeking blue cloud. My goodness, I smelt awful for days afterwards," Ruckelbuckel recounts. "I'm fortunate your cough syrup didn't smell odd, only green and slimy. But you must promise to be more careful when assembling the ingredients in future," adds the Head Witch, smiling at Holterpolter. "I'm glad you found the courage to apologise. Things can't always go smoothly, but you must be able to admit mistakes and learn from them," says Hannihopp to her witch pupil. "See?" Sinni whispers into her friend's ear. Holterpolter nods and says goodbye, relieved. "What a crazy day at school!" she says outside to Sinni. "I need a large cup of chamomile tea first." "Maybe you need glasses if you can't read the labels on the jars properly," suggests the little spider. "That's probably not necessary, I'll just be more careful next time," says Holterpolter, and she goes out into the witch forest with her friend on her shoulder. "Because I can see those beautiful star-flowers up ahead really well!" she says, laughing.