Aunty Astrid

Astrid is a character in As The Orb Turns. She is Susie Platzner's aunt and she lives in Norway.

Bio
Aunty Astrid is a sweet, charming Norwegian lady who, when Susie was 7, came to look after her while Mr. and Mrs. Platzner went on their second honeymoon. At this time, Christine and Vivian come over, and Astrid says that they are welcome to stay as well, provided that their parents permit it (they do).

During the stay, Astrid treats the girls very lovingly and gives them many fun things to do, as well as cooking delicious treats for them.

It is never stated where in Norway she lives, nor if she is Mr. or Mrs. Platzner's sibling. However, she speaks with an accent, implying she is a native-born Norwegian.

She is also one of the only characters in the series whose last name is has not been revealed to the reader.

A witch?
Upon first seeing her, Vivian instantly concludes that because of her mysterious nature, black dress, and a few other odd things, Aunty Astrid must be a witch. Christine immediately refutes this, insisting that witches "only exist in story books." However, Vivian points to various strange things connected to Astird, such as the fact that the amount of things she carries in her suitcase seem too large to fit, she produces three sleeping bags seemingly out of thin-air when the girls have their backs turned, and, most shockingly: the weather said that it would rain for the next two weeks, but Astrid told the girls that it would be sunny the next day, and the following day, and for the duration of the stay, the weather was perfect for playing outside.

Despite the evidence, Christine insists that Aunty Astrid is just a normal Norwegian lady who happens to be wearing black. Christine does indeed have a point, as Astrid could have simply gotten the sleeping bags out of a closet at the Platzners' house; she might simply know how to pack things tightly; and perhaps she simply knew the weather would be good and the weatherman was wrong.

Through all this, Susie never takes a side on in the is-Aunty-Astrid-a-with debate; instead opting to simply have fun with her friends and her aunty.

Whether or not Astrid actually is a witch is never stated.