Heidi Heckelbeck Is So Totally Grounded!

by Wanda Coven

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: THE MEAN CLEAN

  Chapter 2: COUCH TREASURE

  Chapter 3: HELLO, DUSTY!

  Chapter 4: THE DUSTBUSTER

  Chapter 5: SHATTERED

  Chapter 6: SOMETHING SNAPPED

  Chapter 7: DUSTY DESTRUCTO

  Chapter 8: MYSTERY MESS

  Chapter 9: SO MESSED UP

  Chapter 10: A FAMILY HEIRLOOM

  Lights! Camera! Awesome! Excerpt

  About the Author and Illustrator

  THE MEAN CLEAN

  Heidi circled Friday the tenth on her Baby Animals calendar. Only FIVE days until we get to see the movie, Tristan and the Magical Toy Factory! Heidi Heckelbeck and her friends Lucy Lancaster and Bruce Bickerson had waited for it to come out for months. They must have watched the trailer a hundred times.

  Heidi hung her calendar back on her bulletin board and went downstairs to see if anything fun was going on. As she passed the living room, she noticed the vacuum cleaner was out. Not a good sign. Then she stepped into the kitchen and saw a mop, a bucket, and Mom standing on a step stool, scrubbing the inside of a cupboard.

  Oh no, Heidi thought. It must be time for the Mean Clean! The Mean Clean was Heidi’s family’s special cleanup day—and it always came without warning. During the last Mean Clean, Heidi had found a wet bathing suit in her dirty clothes pile. It had been sitting there for a whole week, and her clothes had smelled super-duper gross. She had never left her dirty clothes in a pile again.

  Maybe I can sneak out of here before Mom sees me, Heidi thought. She turned around and began to tiptoe out of the kitchen. But Mom already knew she was there. It was like she had eyes in the back of her head.

  “And where do you think you’re going?” Mom asked.

  Heidi froze. “Um, nowhere?”

  Mom climbed down from the step stool. “Good!” she said. “Because today is the Mean Clean. And I’d like you to clean the den.”

  Heidi moaned. This wasn’t what she’d had in mind for her Sunday afternoon. Then she remembered one of the best rules of the Mean Clean: finders keepers. Hmm, she thought. Maybe I’ll find some lost treasure under the couch cushions.

  “Okay,” agreed Heidi as she rolled up her sleeves. She was ready to get to work.

  COUCH TREASURE

  Heidi grabbed a fistful of rags, along with some all-purpose cleaner, a feather duster, a lint roller, a pair of rubber gloves, and a trash bag.

  “Look out, dirty den—here I come!” she said, setting down her cleaning supplies. Then she got the vacuum from the living room and pulled it behind her. That’s when her little brother, Henry, showed up.

  “I get dibs on the den!” he said.

  “Oh no,” Heidi said as she pointed to the door. “Scramoosh! I got dibs FIRST. Mom’s orders.”

  But Henry wouldn’t leave. He ran to the couch and tugged on one of the cushions. Heidi pushed her brother aside and sat on the cushion.

  “HEYYYYYY!” Henry complained, reaching for the next cushion. “What do you think you’re DOING?”

  Mom heard them and appeared in the doorway.

  “Drop the cushion, Henry,” she said. “I asked Heidi to clean the den.”

  Henry let go of the cushion and looked at Mom. “But you gave her the den last time,” he complained.

  Heidi did a little victory wiggle.

  “That’s true, Henry, but your room is the messiest,” Mom said. “And I want you to clean it up.”

  Henry stuck out his lower lip. “But I already know what’s in my room,” he said. “And I’d much rather see what’s under the couch cushions.”

  Mom pointed to the second floor, and Henry trudged upstairs.

  After that, Heidi got right to work. She was anxious to see what was hidden in the couch cushions too. Some lost treasure, she hoped.

  As Heidi slowly removed the first seat cushion, she saw a quarter. Then she spied another! She also found a dime, two nickels, and three pennies. She counted seventy-three cents total. Jackpot!

  She moved to the next cushion and found Henry’s yellow yo-yo, a pen, some lint, and a library card. Not bad, she thought. Under the next cushion she found a glob of homemade slime, which was as hard as a rock—and pretty gross. She slid a rubber glove on and peeled the slime away from the fabric. Then she picked the rest of it off with her fingers.

  One more cushion to go, Heidi said to herself. She stared at it hopefully. Maybe she’d find something great, like a twenty-dollar bill. But when she lifted the cushion, all she found was a smelly apple core, some stale popcorn, and—YUCK—somebody’s fingernail clippings!

  “EEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW!” Heidi screamed, and then she ran as fast as she could up to her room. Sometimes buried treasure should just stay buried.

  HELLO, DUSTY!

  Heidi shut her bedroom door. This cleaning job was way too big and too gross for her to do all by herself.

  I need a helper! Heidi thought as she pulled her Book of Spells out from under the bed. She found a spell for a little housekeeping help.

  How to Clean Everything!

  Have you ever found a rotten apple core underneath your couch cushions? Do you have an army of dust bunnies hiding beneath your bed? Perhaps you have a nasty ring of soap scum around your bathtub? If you’re tired of a dirty, messy house and could use a little housekeeping helper, this is the spell for you!

  Ingredients:

  1 dirty sock

  3 strands of hair

  1 paper towel

  1 pump of hand soap

  Place the ingredients in a bowl and squish them together five times. Hold your Witches of Westwick medallion in your hand, and place your other hand over the mix. Then chant the following words:

  DUSTER, MOPPER, SCRUBBER, SWEEPER!

  THAT’S WHAT MAKES A GOOD HOUSEKEEPER!

  LISTEN NOW TO MY COMMAND—

  PLEASE SEND ALONG A HELPING HAND!

  1. In a spell that calls for hair, a witch must always use her own hair—or it will cause magical mistakes. 2. A witch must also always thank the housekeeper for a job well done.

  Heidi went to collect the ingredients. A dirty sock was easy to find. It was also very stinky. Paper towels were everywhere, but Heidi’s hairbrush was nowhere to be seen in all the mess. So she snuck into the bathroom and borrowed Henry’s brush.

  What’s the big deal? Heidi thought. Hair is hair! She pulled three hairs from the brush and added them into the mix.

  After that Heidi squirted in the soap and squished the ingredients together five times. Then she held her medallion and put her hand over the bowl while she chanted the spell.

  POOF!

  There, standing before her, was a very unusual orange creature. It looked like an oversize fur ball with beady little eyes and a snaggletooth smile.

  Heidi gasped. “Wow! You don’t look anything like I thought you would!”

  “What were you expecting?” the creature asked. “Fairy wings? Not all helpers have magic wands, you know.”

  Heidi blushed. “Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t care what you look like. I’m just thrilled to have a helper. My name is Heidi. What’s your name?”

  The fluffy orange housekeeper smiled and spun in a circle. He was actually kind of adorable.

  “I’m Dusty!” he said. “And I’m here to help you clean. Do you have a job for me?”

  Heidi grinned from ear to ear. “Well, HELLO, Dusty!” she said. “Do I have a job for YOU!”

  THE DUSTBUSTER

  “How about you start with my bedroom?” Heidi said.

  Dusty got right to work and cleaned like a whirlwind. He folded Heidi’s clothes and
put them away. He lined up her shoes and dusted everything with his fuzzy fur! He shelved her books, including her Book of Spells, and used his hands to vacuum the rug and curtains.

  “All done!” Dusty said. “What should I clean next?”

  Heidi clapped her hands. This is FUN! she thought. I could get used to having a cleaning assistant.

  “Now I want you to clean the den,” she said, forgetting to say thank you for cleaning her room. “But let’s play a game and make sure nobody sees you.”

  Heidi knew that Mom and Dad would not be happy if they found out she was using her witching powers to get out of the Mean Clean.

  Then he bobbed his head and raced downstairs to the den. Heidi was right behind him. As he went to work she sat in Dad’s easy chair and put her feet up to relax.

  This is the life, she thought. Heidi imagined all the jobs she could give Dusty to do. Why didn’t I get a magical helper sooner?

  Just as she was getting excited about her new future with Dusty, a loud noise rattled Heidi back to reality.

  Clickety-clickety click vroom! Dusty’s vacuum arms roared to life and sucked up Henry’s marble collection, followed by Mom’s knitting yarn and Dad’s socks. He even sucked up all of Heidi’s precious loot that she’d found in the couch cushions.

  “HEY! WAIT!” Heidi warned. “Take it easy!”

  But something was wrong. Dusty did not slow down at all. Instead, he was speeding up! He began to throw away all the wrong things. He tossed Henry’s favorite comic books into the wastebasket with a klunk. He threw Mom’s favorite throw pillows into the fireplace. He even chucked Dad’s deck of cards out the window.

  Heidi covered her mouth as she watched the cards scatter into the yard. Dusty’s gone BONKERS! I’d better fix this, and FAST!

  She grabbed the comic books out of the wastebasket and put them back on the shelves. Then she rescued Mom’s throw pillows from the fireplace, which, thankfully, was clean! She ran outside and picked up all the playing cards too.

  “Merg!” Heidi cried as she came back into the room. “What are you doing NOW?”

  Dusty held a paintbrush and was about to zigzag it up and down the walls.

  “No! Don’t paint anything, Dusty!” Heidi grabbed the paintbrush. It was covered in bright pink paint. “Maybe just keep vacuuming, but please be careful.”

  Dusty nodded and said, “Okay.”

  Heidi snuck into the kitchen to hide Dusty’s paintbrush before it dripped on the floor. If Mom and Dad see this, I will be in so much trouble! she thought. Luckily, her parents were downstairs, cleaning the basement.

  Just as Heidi put the paintbrush in the trash, she heard Dusty’s arm vacuum start again.

  When she came back into the den, she couldn’t see Dusty anywhere. Then she looked up, and there was Dusty—vacuuming the ceiling.

  Heidi chased the little orange helper back and forth. Finally she grabbed ahold of his legs and yanked.

  Kabonk! Dusty tumbled onto the floor and instantly coughed out everything he had vacuumed up! The marbles rolled around the room. Dad’s socks stuck to the ceiling fan. Worst of all, Mom’s yarn softly bumped into a glass vase. Heidi watched as the vase wobbled in slow motion on the side table, then tipped over.

  CRASH!

  And everything in the house went quiet.

  SHATTERED

  Heidi stared helplessly at the broken glass. The rest of the room was a mess too. Dirt, lint, hair, and crumbs were everywhere. Heidi even spied one of the quarters that Dusty’s vacuum had eaten. Then she heard footsteps pounding up the basement stairs.

  “What’s going on?” Mom called out. Dusty disappeared at the sound of Mom’s voice.

  “Everything’s fine,” Heidi answered. “Except for this vase.”

  “Oooooh!” Mom cried when she saw the room. Then she put her hands against her cheeks. “My beautiful hand-blown vase! It’s ruined!”

  Heidi didn’t know what to do, so she dropped to her knees and tried to fit some of the shards together, like a puzzle.

  “Heidi, stop!” Mom snapped. “You might cut yourself!”

  Heidi dropped the pieces of glass, and they shattered even more.

  “I’m so sorry, Mom.” The tears welled up in Heidi’s eyes. “I was cleaning and things got a little out of control.”

  Mom sighed and shook her head. “Did you know that vase was an antique? It’s been in the family for two generations. I was going to hand it down to you one day.”

  Heidi stared at the splintered remains of the vase on the floor. “I’m really sorry . . . ,” she said. Her sniffles grew louder.

  Mom knelt on the floor beside Heidi. “That vase meant a lot to me,” she said. “You should’ve been more careful.”

  Heidi rubbed the tears from her cheek. “But I didn’t mean to.”

  Mom nodded her head sadly. “I know you didn’t mean to, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ground you for the next two weeks. Now please go to your room.”

  Heidi moaned and left the den without another word.

  SOMETHING SNAPPED

  Henry popped out of his bedroom and followed Heidi down the hall.

  “I heard everything,” he said. “You’re in SO much trouble.”

  Heidi muttered something not nice under her breath.

  “What did you just say?” Henry asked. “I couldn’t hear you!”

  Heidi whipped around and faced her brother. “I said, I hope your room NEVER gets clean!”

  No sooner had the words come out of her mouth than Heidi saw an orange, furry blur dash into Henry’s room. Uh-oh, she thought. Dusty!

  “That’s a GOOD ONE!” Henry said to his sister. “Because—FOR YOUR INFORMATION—my room is ALREADY spotless.”

  Heidi sniffed and walked away from her brother, but Henry followed her down the hall.

  “Don’t you wanna see my perfectly clean room?” he asked.

  Heidi stopped and turned around. “No,” she said nervously. She didn’t want to imagine what Dusty might have done to Henry’s room.

  “You’re just jealous because I’m better at cleaning than you!” Henry bragged.

  “Okay then,” Heidi said with a knowing smirk. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  They walked back to her brother’s room. Henry opened the door and gasped.

  “WHAT HAPPENED?” he cried, falling to his knees. Heidi had to admit, Henry’s room looked a lot worse than she had expected.

  His clothes hung out of open dresser drawers. A pair of underwear drooped from his bedpost. Toys, books, smashed potato chips, and stuffed animals had been flung every which way. And, of course, Dusty was nowhere to be seen.

  “Nice work!” Heidi told her brother. “But I gotta go!” Then she bolted back to her room while poor Henry sat on the floor with his head in his hands.

  I have to reverse this Dusty spell before he destroys the whole house! Heidi thought. She opened her Book of Spells.

  “Ahem,” someone said behind her. Heidi looked up to see Mom, arms folded, standing in the doorway.

  “Hand it over.” Mom extended one hand. “Magic isn’t going to get you out of this one.”

  Heidi reluctantly gave the book to Mom.

  “Wait, Mom,” Heidi complained. “You don’t understand. . . .”

  Mom tucked the Book of Spells under her arm. “No magic. You’re grounded—remember?”

  Heidi rolled her eyes. Like, how could she forget?

  “I know. I know,” Heidi mumbled.

  Mom leaned against the doorframe and asked, “Do you understand what being grounded means?”

  Heidi had never been grounded before, so she wasn’t exactly an expert. She shook her head.

  “It means no magic, no friends, no screens, and no leaving the house for two weeks except to go to school. Do you understand?”

  Heidi nodded.

  “Now you have my permission to leave your room and get back to cleaning,” Mom said as she turned to go. “And why don’t you help your broth
er? He seems to be having some trouble cleaning his room.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Heidi said.

  As soon as her mom walked away, Dusty burst out of the closet. Heidi fixed her eyes on the little helper.

  “There you are,” she said angrily. “I have NO THANKS for you.”

  Dusty took two steps back. The words “no thanks” hit him like a punch in the stomach.

  “Furthermore,” Heidi went on, “you’re a BAD helper. You’ve done nothing but get me in trouble!”

  As she spoke, Dusty furrowed his brows. He narrowed his eyes and balled his fists.

  And then something inside him SNAPPED.

  DUSTY DESTRUCTO

  There was no other way to describe it: Dusty went wild. He zoomed to the bathroom and made a monstrous mess. He squirted toothpaste on the mirror, poured bubble bath in the toilet, and pumped hand soap all over the sink.

  Then Dusty grabbed a roll of toilet paper and ran down the hall, leaving a long ribbon behind him.