Heidi Heckelbeck and the Cookie Contest

by Wanda Coven

  TEXTURE:

  CHECK ONE:

  EXCELLENT FAIR POOR

  Heidi took another bite of her cookie and thought about the feeling of the cookie. Then she wrote:

  This cookie is not rubbery or slimy or anything gross. It’s crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside with little bursts of chocolate.

  See, Heidi said to herself, I’m being fair and honest. I found something good to say about this cookie.

  The last question was the hardest.

  CREATIVITY:

  CHECK ONE:

  EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR

  Heidi stared at what was left of her cookie. Then she wrote:

  This cookie lacks pizzazz. Where are all the wow-ee colors? Where are the zany ingredients? It’s not even a fun shape. What this cookie needs is a touch of magic.

  Suddenly Heidi’s eyes lit up.

  “THAT’S IT!” she shouted. “All my cookie needs is a magic touch!”

  THE COOKIE CHARM

  Zip!

  Zap!

  Zing!

  Heidi pulled her Book of Spells out from under her bed. She flipped through the pages and found a chapter called “Zesty Recipe Makeovers.” “NOW we’re talking,” said Heidi. Then she noticed the perfect spell. It was called The Cookie Charm.

  She read it over.

  Are your cookies ho-hum? Do they have the look and feel of a hockey puck? Are you the kind of witch who burns your cookies to a crisp? Then this is the spell for you! No ovens! No pans! No mess! No fuss!

  Ingredients:

  Your baked cookies

  Your favorite additional cookie ingredients

  1 cup vegetable oil

  2 teaspoons pure vanilla

  A dash of nutmeg

  Put your baked cookies in an empty container. Add the vegetable oil, vanilla, nutmeg, and favorite cookie ingredients. Hold your Witches of Westwick medallion in your left hand.

  Place your right hand over the mix. Chant the following words:

  Cover and let sit for 12 hours. Enjoy!

  Heidi shoved her Book of Spells under her pillow. Then she cracked open the door. She could hear Mom helping Henry in the tub.

  She crept downstairs and peeked around the corner. Dad was reading by the fire. She snuck into the kitchen and pulled a shopping bag from the cupboard. Heidi placed the tin of chocolate chunk cookies in the bag. Then she tiptoed into the pantry and grabbed the jelly beans and mini marshmallows. Next she gathered the other spell ingredients, along with a teaspoon and a measuring cup. She dumped everything in the shopping bag.

  Now what else can I add? Heidi wondered. I know! She opened the fridge and grabbed a chunk of cheese. Now, THIS is what I call zing, she thought as she dropped it into her bag.

  “Ahem!”

  Heidi froze.

  Oh no! she thought. I’m SO busted!

  But no one was there. It had only been Dad clearing his throat in the other room. Phew, thought Heidi. Then she zoomed to her room and locked the door.

  Heidi laid her spell ingredients on the floor. She opened the tin of chocolate chunk cookies. Then she poured the spell ingredients on top. They look more colorful already! thought Heidi. My cookies are going to blow Smell-a-nie’s cookies away!

  Heidi put on her medallion. She held it in her left hand and put her right hand over the mix. Then she chanted the spell. The cookies began to bubble. Heidi covered them and looked at the clock. It was nine p.m. The cookies would be done in twelve hours—that would make it nine in the morning. Perfect, thought Heidi. The contest is at eleven. Heidi snuck into the kitchen and put back the tin of cookies, teaspoon, and measuring cup. She was ready for the contest. Now she had to get ready for bed.

  P.U.

  Heidi’s eyes popped open. It was nine o’clock on the dot! That meant her spell was all done! She hopped out of bed and ran to the kitchen in her kitty cat pajamas. She pulled the lid off of the cookie tin and peeked at her cookies.

  Wow! she thought. It WORKED!

  Heidi’s cookies had a beautiful shape—round and plump. The jelly beans, marshmallows, and chocolate looked like they had been perfectly placed. The swirls of cheese added a nice touch. There was only one thing that was a little odd: the smell.

  “P.U.,” said Heidi, waving her hand in front of her nose.

  She closed the lid. Well, no big deal, she thought. My nose isn’t used to smelling cookies first thing in the morning. Plus I’m still sleepy. I’m sure my cookies are okay. They definitely LOOK amazing! They might even win!

  “Hey, missy,” said Mom, who had just walked into the kitchen with Henry. “Are you sneaking cookies before breakfast?”

  Heidi jumped. “No way. I was just making sure Henry hadn’t snuck any.”

  “Are you calling me a thief?” asked Henry.

  “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time,” said Heidi.

  “Cool it, you two,” said Mom. “Or there won’t be any surprise.”

  “Surprise?” questioned Heidi.

  “What surprise?” asked Henry.

  “Dad got doughnuts for breakfast,” said Mom.

  Heidi and Henry looked around the kitchen and spotted a pink box on the counter.

  “I get the rainbow sprinkles one!” said Heidi, running for the box.

  “I get the twisty kind!” said Henry, right behind her.

  “I’ll get the plates!” said Mom.

  Mom put plates on the table. She also brought over an empty silver tray and a doily.

  “What’s that for?” asked Heidi.

  “It’s for your cookie display,” said Mom.

  “Fancy,” said Heidi as she sank her teeth into a soft, sweet doughnut.

  “We can set up the cookies on the tray when we get there,” said Mom.

  “When can we leave?” asked Heidi.

  “As soon as everyone’s ready,” said Mom.

  After breakfast Heidi put on her green skirt and her T-shirt with silver stars. Then she pulled on her black-and-white-striped tights and black sneakers. Heidi looked in the mirror. She wondered what it would feel like to win first place. She practiced a winning smile in the mirror.

  “Time to go!” called Dad.

  Heidi thundered down the stairs, grabbed her tin of blue-ribbon cookies, and jumped into the car.

  STINK! STANK! STUNK!

  A large white party tent had been set up in the middle of Brewster Elementary’s playing field. There were also two smaller tents—one for sign-in and another to sell drinks. All the tents had balloons hanging inside and out. A banner across the front of the big tent read BREWSTER ELEMENTARY COOKIE CONTEST.

  Heidi could see the judges’ table underneath the big tent. It had a red-and-white-checked tablecloth with ruffles around the bottom. There were three chairs behind the table—one for each judge. On either side of the judges’ table were the display tables. Wow, thought Heidi. This is a BIG deal.

  Heidi ran to the sign-in tent. She got entry number twelve. Heidi slipped the ticket with her number into her pocket. Then she skipped to the display table with her family close behind. Mom set the silver tray on the table and placed the doily on top. Heidi opened her cookie tin. A funky smell floated from the container.

  Henry pinched his nose. “Ew. What’s that smell?”

  “It’s the smell of blue-ribbon cookies,” said Heidi proudly.

  “It smells more like dog poop,” said Henry.

  “That’s so funny I forgot to laugh,” said Heidi as she began to place the cookies on the tray.

  Heidi’s mom and dad also took a step back from the cookies. Dad fanned his nose with his hand.

  “What happened to the cookies?” asked Dad.

  “I snazzed them up,” said Heidi.

  Mom raised an eyebrow. “Heiii-di,” she said slowly. “Just how did you snazz them up?”

  “Oh, you know,” said Heidi, avoiding the question.

  Unfortunately, Mom did know.

  “Heidi, you know the rule,” Mom said firmly. “No witching s
kills in your everyday life.”

  Heidi sighed loudly. “But how else was I going to make my cookies better?”

  Dad rolled his eyes. “You still don’t get it, do you?” he said.

  “Get what?” asked Heidi.

  “Never mind,” said Dad.

  “All right, we’ll talk about this later,” said Mom. Then she changed the subject. “So, what kind of cheese did you use?”

  “The one with the blue spots,” said Heidi.

  “The stinky cheese?” asked Dad.

  “You mean the dog poop cheese!” said Henry.

  “Stop it!” said Heidi. “I think my cookies look great.”

  “They do look great,” said Mom. Then in a much lower voice she said, “But they stink to high heaven.”

  Heidi filled out a card with the name of her cookies and her entry number. She put it in front of her tray.

  MAGICAL CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

  A Chocolate-y Chees-y Marshmallow and Jelly Bean Delight

  ENTRY NUMBER 12

  “You forgot your name,” said Henry.

  “Did not,” said Heidi. “The judges only allow entry numbers.”

  “Lucky for you!” said Henry.

  “Why?” asked Heidi.

  “Then no one will know that YOU brought the stinky cookies,” said Henry. I don’t give one hoot what my family thinks about my cookies, thought Heidi as she looked for Lucy. Heidi spotted her setting up her cookies at another table. Melanie Maplethorpe was working right next to her.

  “Hey, Lucy!” said Heidi.

  “Hey,” said Lucy.

  “Where are the Fruity Polka Dots?” asked Heidi, looking over Lucy’s cookies.

  “I decided not to use them,” said Lucy. “They tasted better plain.”

  “You made plain sugar cookies?” said Heidi.

  “Yup,” said Lucy. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” said Melanie Maplethorpe, butting in. “They sound positively BOR-ing!”

  Lucy looked crushed.

  Heidi felt sorry for Lucy, but this time she kind of agreed with Melanie. Plain sugar cookies did sound dull. The Fruity Polka Dots cereal would have put her cookies over the top. Now Lucy had no chance of winning. But Heidi didn’t dare say anything. She didn’t want to hurt Lucy’s feelings.

  “Come on, Lucy,” said Heidi. “Let’s check out some of the other cookies.”

  Heidi and Lucy linked arms, and off they went.

  COUGH DROPS

  Heidi and Lucy waved at Bruce. He was standing beside Brewster’s school bell. The bell ringer started the contest, and this year Bruce had been chosen to ring the bell. Principal Pennypacker’s assistant, Mrs. Crosby, gave him the signal. Bruce pulled the string.

  Bong!

  Bong!

  Bong!

  The judges quickly took their seats. Mrs. Crosby tapped the top of the microphone.

  “Hello and good morning, everyone,” she began. “Welcome to the annual Brewster Elementary Cookie Contest. Here are this year’s superstar judges: Jennifer Childs, our town newspaper’s food editor! Brewster Elementary’s Principal Pennypacker! And Lou Billings, Brewster’s mayor! Now, let the judging begin!”

  Everyone clapped and whistled. Heidi grabbed Lucy’s hand and squeezed it. They watched as the judges sampled cookies and made notes on the scorecards. The judges kept straight faces when they tasted the cookies—even when they tasted Melanie’s yummy-sounding cinnamon swirl cookies with toffee bits.

  But when they got to Heidi’s cookies, the judges began to make funny faces.

  Suddenly the principal’s eyes bugged out and he grabbed his throat.

  The food editor from the Brewster Daily looked like she had eaten rat poison.

  And the mayor of Brewster began to have a coughing fit.

  It got so bad that Mrs. Crosby had to run and get a jug of water. The mayor gulped the water straight from the jug.

  “Heidi, did you put pepper in your cookies?” asked Lucy.

  “No,” said Heidi.

  “Then what’s going on?”

  “I dunno,” said Heidi. “They kind of have a funny smell.…”

  “Like what?” asked Lucy.

  “Like stinky gym socks,” said Heidi.

  “How come your cookies smell like gym socks?” asked Lucy.

  “Maybe it’s the cheese,” said Heidi. “I added cheese to the recipe.”

  “Oh, Heidi,” said Lucy. “Why didn’t you just stick with plain chocolate chunk?”

  Heidi looked at the mayor. He was still gulping down water.

  “I wanted my cookies to stand out,” she said.

  “Oh, they stand out all right,” said Lucy.

  The mayor finally stopped coughing. His face had turned bright red, but he looked okay. Mrs. Crosby gave him a cough drop. Phew, thought Heidi. Then she told herself that it was no big deal. Anyone could choke on a cookie.

  Right?

  WOOF!

  The judges took FOREVER.

  “I’m going bonkers,” said Heidi.

  “Me too,” said Lucy.

  “Do you think Melanie will win?”

  “Probably,” said Lucy.

  “Hey, look!” said Heidi, pointing at one of the display tables.

  “Oh my gosh!” said Lucy.

  Bruce’s dog, Frankie, had grabbed a tablecloth in his teeth. He tugged on it. The cookie trays inched toward the edge. He tugged again. A tray fell on the ground. Cookies scattered across the grass, and a girl screamed. It was Melanie. Melanie tried to rescue her cookies, but Frankie was too fast. He scarfed them all down. Bruce grabbed Frankie and put him on his leash.

  Heidi and Lucy burst out laughing and slapped each other five.

  Then Mrs. Crosby stepped up with the microphone. She waved a big white envelope in the air.

  “We have a winner!” she said.

  Everyone clapped and cheered.

  Mrs. Crosby opened the envelope and pulled out the winning name.

  “The winner of this year’s cookie contest is …” She squinted at the name. “Lucy Lancaster!”

  “WHAT?” cried Lucy.

  The crowd burst into cheers.

  Heidi almost fell over. Not Lucy! How can plain sugar cookies win the contest? What is going on? she wondered.

  “Will Lucy please come forward?” asked Mrs. Crosby.

  Heidi was still in shock, but she gave Lucy a great big hug. “Wow,” she said. “Congratulations!”

  “Thanks, Heidi!” said Lucy. “I can’t believe it!”

  Neither can I, thought Heidi.

  Lucy walked to the judges’ table. The judges were standing in front of the table with Mrs. Crosby. They took turns praising Lucy’s first-place cookies.

  “Simple, yet extraordinary,” said Principal Pennypacker.

  “A pleasing blend of ingredients,” said the food editor.

  “Crisp on the outside and tender on the inside,” said the mayor. “I must have the recipe!”

  Mrs. Crosby pinned a beautiful blue ribbon on Lucy’s shirt.

  Lucy posed with the principal and the mayor. A photographer snapped their picture. Heidi stared in disbelief. Her shoulders slumped. She felt like such a loser. Lucy had stuck with a simple recipe and come out on top. Heidi had gone overboard and made the mayor gag. Mom, Dad, and Henry walked over and patted Heidi on the back.

  Heidi moaned. “You were right,” she said.

  “You had to find out for yourself,” said Dad.

  “Boy, did I stink up your recipe,” said Heidi.

  “You certainly did,” said Dad.

  “They smelled like gym socks,” said Heidi.

  “Dog poop,” said Henry.

  “Moldy cheese,” said Mom.

  Heidi smiled. “Next year I won’t change a thing.”

  “Hallelujah!” said Dad. Then he rubbed his hands together. “So, who wants to sample some cookies?”

  “I do!” said Heidi.

  “Me too!�
� said Mom.

  “Let’s go!” said Henry.

  And then the Heckelbecks tasted the cookies—all of them except for Melanie’s because, of course, they were all gone.

  Woof!

  HERE’S A SNEAK PEEK!

  Heidi wanted to scream a million mean things in Melanie’s face, but she felt totally tongue-tied. Heidi made her meanest face ever instead. But Melanie kept right on talking.

  “So, Miss Weirdo, have you picked out a Halloween costume?”

  “None of your business,” said Heidi, trying to sound tough.

  “Well, no need to bother,” said Melanie. “Be what you are—a total NUT!”

  “Melanie Maplethorpe!” said Lucy, with her hands on her hips. “If I looked up ‘evil’ in the dictionary, I’d find a picture of you.”

  “Why, thank you!” said Melanie. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all day. And by the way,” she added, turning to Heidi, “as long as we’re playing Dictionary, we all know the definition of ‘weirdo’ is Heidi.”

  Heidi scrunched her fingers like the claws of a cat and swiped the air in front of her. “Rrrear! Siss! Phtt! Phtt! Phtt!”

  “Wow,” said Melanie. “You really ARE a weirdo!”

  “Okay, that does it!” said Heidi. “Halloween is BACK ON!”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Melanie.

  “You’ll see,” said Heidi.