by Wanda Coven
Henry flipped open the skull latch on his wooden pirate chest and emptied the contents onto the playroom floor. Heidi and Henry combed through the silver and gold plastic coins and beaded necklaces. Heidi spied a fake ring and a plastic hotdog in the pile, but there wasn’t a wedding ring.
“I can’t believe you really lost the ring,” Heidi said.
“I didn’t mean to,” said Henry.
“Maybe it’s in the toy chest,” suggested Heidi.
She ran to the toy chest and flung open the lid. Then she began to toss puppets, dodge balls, and plastic army men over her shoulder. Henry found a kaleidoscope. He peeked in the lens and twisted the end of it.
Heidi glared at Henry. “Put that down!” she shouted. “Don’t you know that you’re in HUGE trouble?”
Henry dropped the kaleidoscope and began searching through the trunk. But there was no ring.
Heidi tipped over a tub full of sports equipment. Super Balls and tennis balls rolled across the floor.
“What if we don’t find the ring?” asked Henry.
“Then there really won’t be a wedding,” said Heidi.
“And if there isn’t a wedding, then what?”
“Then I won’t have to wear this dumb dress,” said Heidi.
“Hey, that’s mean,” Henry said. “Besides, you look kind of pretty in that dress.”
Heidi stopped searching and looked at her brother. “Thanks, little man,” she said.
Then they carefully sorted through the sports equipment on the floor, but they still didn’t find the ring.
They looked upstairs, downstairs, and under all the sofas and chairs. But the wedding ring was nowhere to be found.
“Let’s face it,” said Henry. “I’m dead.”
“Pretty much,” Heidi said. “But I have an idea.”
“What’s your idea?” asked Henry hopefully.
“Follow me,” Heidi said.
They zoomed down the hall to Heidi’s room.
“Shut the door,” said Heidi.
Henry closed the door behind them. Then Heidi knelt on the floor and pulled her Book of Spells and her Witches of Westwick medallion from under the bed.
“It’s a good thing I’m a witch,” said Heidi.
“You’re not kidding,” said Henry.
Heidi ran her finger down the Contents page and found the chapter called “Jewelry.” She flipped through the pages to a spell called “Ring Replacer.”
“What does it say?” Henry asked.
Heidi read the spell out loud.
Has your favorite ring fallen down the drain? Perhaps you’re a ring bearer in a wedding and you have no ring to bear? If you’re a witch in need of a ring, then the Ring Replacer is the spell for you!
Henry pumped his fist. “I’m SAVED!” he cried.
“You’re not saved yet,” said Heidi as she looked at her clock radio. “The wedding starts in thirty minutes.”
Heidi read the spell ingredients and directions out loud. “One paper clip, one teaspoon of sugar, one rhinestone. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Hold your Witches of Westwick medallion in one hand. Place your other hand over the mix and chant the following words: ‘Razzle-dazzle, bling, bling, bling—turn this mix into a ring!’ ”
Heidi put down the Book of Spells.
“Get a paper clip from my desk,” said Heidi.
“Okay,” said Henry.
“I’m going to get the sugar and the rhinestone. Be right back!”
Heidi raced downstairs. She quickly measured a teaspoon of sugar and placed it in a small bowl. Then she ran back to her room and opened her dresser drawer. She pulled out her DANCE DIVA T-shirt and picked off a pink rhinestone. Then she dropped the rhine-stone into the bowl.
Henry added the paper clip.
“We’re all ready,” said Heidi.
She slipped the medallion around her neck and held it in one hand. She placed her other hand over the mix and chanted the spell. Heidi uncovered the bowl, and they both looked inside. A ring with a huge pink stone in a clawlike setting sat at the bottom of the bowl. Heidi picked it up.
“Whoa,” she said. “It’s big.”
“And bold,” added Henry.
“And all wrong,” declared Heidi. “It doesn’t look anything like Aunt Sophie’s wedding ring.”
“NOW what are we going to do?” asked Henry.
“There’s only one thing left TO do,” Heidi said.
“What?” Henry asked.
“Fess up,” said Heidi.
Heidi pushed Henry into his bedroom. She watched from the door to see what would happen. Uncle Ned smiled at Henry and did a deep knee bend in his tuxedo. Dad tied his bow tie.
“Ready to roll?” asked Dad. “We have to be in our places in fifteen minutes.”
Henry stood still in front of Dad.
“Is something the matter?” asked Dad.
Henry looked at the floor. “Well, sort of,” he began. “It’s about Aunt Sophie’s ring.”
“The ring!” exclaimed Dad. “I almost forgot.” Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out Aunt Sophie’s ring!
Henry’s jaw dropped. “Where did you find it?”
“Nowhere,” said Dad. “I’ve had it all along.”
Henry blinked in disbelief.
“You didn’t think I’d give you the real ring?” asked Dad with a wink.
“It wasn’t real?” Henry asked.
“No,” said Dad. “It was just for practice. Now let’s get your ring pillow ready.”
Henry grabbed the ring pillow from on top of his dresser. Then Dad snapped the ring in place. Uncle Ned attached his wedding band beside it.
“Can you take care of the real rings until we exchange vows?” asked Uncle Ned.
“Definitely!” said Henry. “And I promise not to take my eyes off them!”
“Great! Then let’s have ourselves a wedding!” said Dad.
Heidi stepped into the backyard and gasped. At one end of the yard stood a white garden archway swirled with pale pink roses. White folding chairs had been set up in rows in front of the archway, with a path down the middle.
Two of Heidi’s cousins played guitars as the guests took their seats. On another side of the yard were tables decorated with white linens, daisies, and votive candles. White paper lanterns had been strung from the tree branches. Next to the tables was a great white tent with tables, a dance floor, and a live band.
Wow, thought Heidi. This looks like something out of a fairy tale! Then it dawned on her. That must be why I’m dressed like a princess! Heidi felt a tingle of wedding magic.
“Here,” said Mom, handing Heidi her flower girl basket.
Heidi lifted the basket to her nose. Mmm, she thought. The roses smell so sweet! Then she took her place next to Henry, who held his ring pillow proudly.
When the guests had all been seated, the wedding music began. Henry went down the aisle first.
“Good luck!” Heidi whispered.
“You too!” Henry whispered back before walking down the aisle.
Heidi followed behind Henry. She felt beautiful as she tossed the petals all along the aisle. All the guests smiled at Heidi, and she smiled back. Being in the spotlight isn’t so bad, Heidi thought. Then the wedding march began. Aunt Sophie walked down the aisle. She held a bouquet of freshly cut white roses in her hands. She took her place next to Uncle Ned.
The bride and groom exchanged wedding vows and rings. Then they kissed.
“Eww!” Henry said a little too loudly.
Everyone laughed and clapped for the bride and groom.
Then the party began. Heidi and Henry danced on the lawn. They ate grilled chicken, hamburgers, and a double-fudge cake with vanilla cream-cheese frosting. Everyone laughed and clapped again when Henry caught the bride’s bouquet.
Later on Heidi and Henry blew bubbles at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Ned as they left for their honeymoon.
Heidi sighed dreamily. “I love weddings,” she said.
>
“What?” questioned Henry. “But I thought you HATED weddings.”
“Not anymore,” said Heidi.
The next day Heidi and Aunt Trudy went to Harvest Moon to buy some ingredients for Aunt Trudy’s brews. Harvest Moon had regular grocery store items, but they also sold hard-to-find products that witches used in brews. Heidi got a shopping cart and steered it into the store.
“So, how did you like being a flower girl?” asked Aunt Trudy as she pulled out her shopping list.
“It was so much better than I thought,” Heidi said. “I actually had a great time.”
“Wow,” said Aunt Trudy. “What changed your thinking?”
Heidi shrugged. “I dunno,” she said. “It was different from what I expected.”
“How so?” asked Aunt Trudy.
“Well, I thought it was going to be embarrassing to wear a fancy dress and walk down the aisle in front of that many people. But it wasn’t. It was completely magical.”
Aunt Trudy smiled.
“I thought it was magical too. I’m so glad you had a good time.”
“Me too,” agreed Heidi. “I had the wrong idea about flower girls.”
“Well, sometimes things are not always what we expect,” Aunt Trudy said.
“No kidding,” said Heidi.
They high-fived. Then Aunt Trudy pulled a jar of bee pollen from the shelf and placed it into the cart. She checked her list.
“Heidi, would you find the bay leaves?” she asked. “I’ll get the pickled ginger. Then we can meet at the checkout line.”
“Sure,” said Heidi.
Heidi walked down a few rows and found the spice aisle. When she was partway down she saw a man duck around the corner into the next aisle. He was bald except for a tuft of hair above each ear.
Hey! thought Heidi. Is that Principal Pennypacker? She ran down the aisle and peeked around the corner. But when she looked, he was gone. That’s weird. It must’ve just been my imagination.
Or was it?
If only I could get rid of this stupid cold, thought Heidi, then I could go to the festival. She flopped onto her bed. It could take days to get better, and by then the festival will be long gone. Heidi threw her stuffed owl against the wall. It bounced off and rolled under her dust ruffle. She reached over to pick it up and noticed her Book of Spells under the bed. Wait a second, she thought. Maybe I CAN get better faster. She pulled the book out.
“There has to be a spell to cure a cold,” she said to herself.
Heidi looked at the Contents page and found a whole chapter on health. There were remedies for everything from rashes to back pain. Then she found a spell called “No More Sickness!”
“Bingo!” said Heidi as she began to read the spell.
Do you have an upset stomach? Are you the kind of witch who has a tendency to get tonsillitis? Or perhaps you’ve just come down with a rotten cold. If anything ails you, then this is the spell for you!
The mix of ingredients sounded one hundred percent disgusting, but it wasn’t as bad as feeling sick. Heidi bookmarked the page. Then she slid into her fuzzy blue bunny slippers and headed downstairs. She paused on the bottom stair and listened. Mom was on the phone. Heidi tiptoed past her office and into the kitchen. . . .
WANDA COVEN has always loved magic. When she was little, she used to make secret potions from smooshed shells and acorns. Then she would pretend to transport herself and her friends to enchanted places. Now she’s able to visit other worlds through writing. Wanda lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and son. They have three cats: Hilda, Agnes, and Claw-dia.
PRISCILLA BURRIS has illustrated numerous books and materials for children, parents, and teachers. She enjoys painting cakes and creating art for products, which include murals, greeting cards, and rubber stamps! Priscilla lives with her family in Southern California.
Little Simon
Simon & Schuster
New York
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Coven, Wanda.
Heidi Heckelbeck is a flower girl / by Wanda Coven ; illustrated by Priscilla Burris. — First edition.
pages cm. — (Heidi Heckelbeck ; 11)
Summary: Unlike her brother, Henry, who is excited to be the ring bearer in Aunt Sophie’s wedding, Heidi is not looking forward to walking down the aisle in a fancy flower girl dress, but when Henry loses the ring, Heidi must stir up a spell to create a new one before the big day.
ISBN 978-1-4814-0498-3 (pbk : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4814-0499-0 (hc : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4814-0500-3 (ebook) [1. Witches—Fiction. 2. Weddings—Fiction. 3. Flower girls—Fiction.] I. Burris, Priscilla, illustrator. II. Title.
PZ7.C83393Hi 2014
[Fic]—dc23
2013037335
