The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams

by Rhonda Hayter

  Suddenly, there was so much pink smoke puffing out of my Dad’s ears that Mom had to apply one of her smoke-clearing spells again.

  Then Tom turned to Mom and his voice started quivering. “And M . . . M . . . Mrs. Adams. You were just as good to me as my own mother, and . . . and . . .” He didn’t have to finish because my mom just gathered him up in a big hug that said everything he was trying to say.

  Finally, he turned to Munch and picked him up, and Munch grew four more arms to give him the biggest hug of all. Then there were more hugs all around and more handshaking and stuff.

  At last, Mrs. Drake, who was to do the honors, stepped up and said, “Now, Tom dear, I think it’s time we got you back to your mother.”

  She put one of her thin, wrinkly hands on each of his cheeks, whispered a quiet little incantation, and just like that . . . he was gone.

  Mom had a surprise for us though. Just as quickly as Tom disappeared from the room, Munch and I found ourselves disguised as fence posts, joined to a fence where I could sense Mom and Dad were also present. We were right next to a window in a makeshift lab, at the back of an old-fashioned house. Inside, Tom had just popped into view.

  He looked dizzy, just for a second, and then he went happily back to the chemistry experiment he had laid out on his table, just as if he’d never been gone at all.

  Later that morning, I sat in my room missing Tom and thinking about how I’d never turn on another light without remembering him.

  Just then, there was a terrific BOOM! and a lot of smoke from across the hall.

  Apparently, Munch had decided to start a little chemistry lab of his own.