Chapter 2: A Curious Encounter
Marcella, it's time to leave! We've got to get to the beach before a big crowd forms!"
"Coming, Mom!" Marcella scrambled to her feet from where she was sitting on the floor having a private conversation with her two favorite dolls, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy, and one of her favorite stuffed animals, Sunny Bunny. "I'll see you all next week when we get back from the beach," Marcella said to them, and then disappeared through the door with her suitcase, which was banging noisily against the wall as she headed down the hallway.
Raggedy Ann was the first to speak. "All right, everyone," she whispered. "Marcella's gone."
"It's about time," muttered Grouchy Bear from his position from underneath a mess of blankets in Marcella's unmade bed. "Do you know how long I've been here? My limbs are so stiff I can barely-"
Andy cut him off. "Barely," he giggled. "That's a good one!"
"Oh, shut up and help me out of this abomination!"
"Why are you always in such a bad mood?" Sunny leg all night long I don't normally feel very cheery the next day. Unlike you, Sunny Bunny, who is always much too happy it's sickening-"
"All right," Andy interrupted. "Stand aside! Maybe after I get Grouchy Bear out it will put him in a better frame of mind."
Andy approached the bed and took hold of Grouchy Bear's arms and had hardly started to pull him down when he hollered, "Ouch! What are you trying to do? Rip my arms off?"
Andy immediately let go and placed his hands on his hips. "For your information I was trying to get you down. But if you don't want my help it's just fine with me." Andy started to walk away when Grouchy Bear reached out one paw and called to Andy.
"Wait," Grouchy Bear said. "I.I didn't mean it, honest. I'm sorry I got mad."
Andy turned around. "All right, then. Ask me nicely and then maybe I'll consider."
"Will you please help me out from here, Andy?" Grouchy Bear said in his most surgery-sweet voice.
"Say I'm the best, most fun toy in the world," Andy said. Raggedy Ann rolled her eyes. "Oh, Andrew," she sighed.
"You are the best, most fun toy in the world," Grouchy Bear said.
"Say it like you mean it," Andy insisted.
"Raggedy Andy, you are the best, most fun toy in the world!"
"Okay, I guess I can settle for that." Once again, Andy went up to Grouchy Bear and, being careful not to pull his arms too hard, helped him down from the bed where he and Andy landed together in a heap on the floor.
Meanwhile, Sunny Bunny had begun to feel a strange warmth coming from within the pocket of his trousers. He reached inside and pulled out his magic pen, which was giving off a bright blue light. "Uh-oh," he said.
"What is it?" Ann asked, and then she too noticed the glowing of the pen. "Oh, my gosh!"
"It's never done this before. It could mean there's trouble."
Hearing this, Andy and Grouchy Bear collected themselves from the floor and came over to stand with Raggedy Ann and the others. "It could be Cracklen," Andy said.
Directly after Andy had suggested this, the pen leaped out of Sunny Bunny's paw and wrote in black ink on the wall, yes, go to his castle! There you will find the one who is in need of help!
"What do you think it means?" Sunny Bunny asked.
"I know what it means," Grouchy Bear said in a disgruntled voice. "As usual we'll go trekking around an unfamiliar place where who-knows-what could be lurking around a corner waiting to get us, probably get kidnapped by Cracklen, and who knows what else. Well, this time I'm putting my foot down. I absolutely refuse to take part in any more of your little misadventures."
"Don't listen to him, Sunny Bunny," Ann said. "What it means is that someone needs our help and our job is to make sure that we give it to them. Come on, you guys!" Ann climbed up to the windowsill, where Andy and Sunny Bunny then followed.
"Oh, do wait for me," Grouchy Bear called after them. Not wanting to be left alone, he was up and out the window in seconds and was racing down the path to catch up with the others.
"Uncle Cracklen will be so surprised when I show him these gloom brownies I bake," Sammie said as she poured three measures of milk into a small metal baking pan filled with chocolate powder. "Even though they're actually just regular brownies since the recipe calls for a clump of hair from a dog and there aren't any around here." As Sammie added three teaspoons of flour, she sang cheerfully to herself.
"The sun shines high in the sky, And the little cat purrs, As the light from the sun shines down on her, The little dog barks and says, 'Oh, isn't it a lark To have such a fine spring day!"
"At least singing is one thing I don't have to worry about making mistakes in," Sammie said with a sigh as she scooped up the pan and carried it over to the stove where she set it carefully down. "It's the only talent I have it seems." She switched on the stove and then took a seat at the kitchen table to wait for the alarm to sound, which would indicate that the brownies were finished baking.
While she waited, she laid her head in her arms that were crossed together along the table. Before she knew it, the sleep she had lost the night before caught up with her and she closed her eyes.
A loud, earsplitting buzzing dragged Sammie out of slumber some twenty minutes later, and she sat up in alarm to see thick smoke discharging from the oven. In a panic she was up and running toward the stove; she flung open the door and received a face full of smoke, causing her to cough and sputter. She reached in and pulled out the pan of brownies, which were burned to a thick crisp, and threw them into the sink. She turned on the tap and flooded the pan with just enough water to put out the smoke. After that, she ran around the castle opening all of the windows that weren't too high for her to reach in order to rid the premises of as much smoke as possible.
Meanwhile, Cracklen was less than half a mile from the castle on his way back from town after purchasing some items to use for his potions when he noticed the smoke rising from behind the trees. "That looks like smoke," he said. "And it appears as though it's coming not too far from my castle.oh my gosh! Sammie!" He dropped the bags he had been carrying and tore madly down the path to the castle.
Sammie was standing on a stool over the sink washing the soot from her face when she heard the front door fling open and turned to see Cracklen as appeared in the entranceway.
"Sammie," he gasped, "are you all right?"
She nodded. "Uh.uh-huh."
"What happened? Why is there smoke coming out of every window? And what happened to your face?"
"It's kind of a long story." Sammie's voice was hesitant.
"Out with it. I want to know everything that went on here while I was gone."
"Okay." Sammie sat down on the stool on which she had been standing and looked up at her uncle. "It's like this: I was trying to make gloom brownies-not real ones, since I couldn't find any dog hair-and I guess I sort of fell asleep. Then the stove started buzzing and I woke up to find all this smoke coming out of the oven. It was an accident. I wanted to surprise you and I guess it sort of.well.backfired."
"I'll ignore that last pun," Cracklen replied, a hint of aggravation lurking throughout his voice. "You know I don't want you using any electronic devices when I'm not home. What if you had gotten hurt? I wouldn't have been here. Unless I'm around I don't want you anywhere near the stove. Is that clear?"
"What about Tic and Tac? They're grown-ups."
Cracklen rubbed his temples. "Please, dear. Let's not even go there."
"Yes, Uncle Cracklen." Sammie hung her head in shame. "Are.are you mad at me?"
"No. I'm just glad you're safe." Cracklen advanced through the kitchen entrance and over to where Sammie was sitting on the stool staring down at the floor.
"I feel like such an idiot," she said. "I can't do anything right. I can't even make a simple batch of brownies without nearly burning down the castle." Then, lifting her head brusquely, she shouted, "What's wrong with me?"
Cracklen stared at his niece, the expression on his face one of such bewilderment that Sammie's voice actually carried such a brutal tone. "Listen, Sammie," Cracklen said as he knelt down before her, "believe me when I say that there's absolutely nothing wrong with you. Sure you make a mistake or two once in a while, but doesn't everyone? That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you."
"Then what does it mean?"
"It means that you're human. If we all went around being perfect, then the world would be a pretty boring place wouldn't it?" "I guess so. But all I want is to be a great wizard one day, like you, and show everyone that I can cast magnificent spells. Maybe even put curses on those stupid villagers who talk bad about you and the kids at school who are always laughing at me."
Cracklen beamed brightly. "Those are all wonderful expectations, and I have great faith in you, but you shouldn't feel like you have to be exactly like me. Just be yourself."
"Myself? I've been myself for ten years and I've never gained anything from it-all I've gotten in return are people making fun of me and blowing stuff up in class because I can't even make a simple potion work. Face it, Uncle Cracklen: I'm pathetic."
"Oh, Sammie. You're much too hard on yourself. Do your parents ever tell you that?"
She shook her head. "No. They just tell me to study harder and not to concentrate so much on what people think of me. But it's so hard because when you hear somebody say your name in school you know they're making fun of you." She sighed heavily. "I thought if I could concentrate on being exactly like you then I wouldn't have to worry about what people think of me so much. Sometimes I.I just hate the way I am. I wish I could be anyone else in the whole world instead of myself." She let out a small whimper, and once more focused her eyes on the floor. A single tear trickled down her right cheek and Cracklen reached out his thumb, gently wiping the tear away.
"Well, I don't," he said gently. "Who would you be if you weren't Sammie De Spell? I would have no niece to call my favorite."
"I'm your favorite?" A smile spread across Sammim's face as she looked up at her uncle. "For real?"
Cracklen nodded. "For real."
"Uncle Cracklen?"
"Yes?"
"Will you teach me to make gloom brownies one day? Real ones?"
"Of course I will. Nothing in this world would make me more happy than to share my secret recipe with my favorite little witch."
"Are we there yet? How much further?"
"Oh, Grouchy Bear," Andy said in irritation, "stop complaining. You're giving me a headache." "Don't worry," Sunny Bunny said patiently. "We'll know we've reached our destination the moment my magic pen begins to glow its brightest."
"But when will that be?" Grouchy Bear moaned.
Raggedy Ann and the others, all except Grouchy Bear, came to a sudden halt where they had been trekking through the dark woods and shouted at him, "Grouchy Bear! Hush!"
An immediate silence fell over them all; from his place at the head of the row, Sunny Bunny gasped. "Everyone," he said. "Come, and look at this."
They all crowded around him, and their eyes widened at the sight of the magic pen that he clutched tightly in his paws. The pen had written another message on the ground, which read: You're close. Keep going!
"It says we're close," Sunny Bunny concluded. "Come on. We've got to keep going." With intense determination, he led the others deeper into the forest.
Unexpectedly, a shrill cry of a crow echoed from somewhere up above, and before the four friends knew what they were doing, they went tearing through the woods in absolute terror.
In the meantime, someone else was heading down in the same direction that they were racing toward, except at a much slower pace.
Sunny Bunny, still in the lead, suddenly felt himself crash painfully into an unknown form, which caused him to be thrown back several feet. As for whatever he had met with, it too was flung into the rear of the forest.
"Ouch," Sunny Bunny said, rubbing his head.
"Ouch is right," answered an unfamiliar voice. "You almost trampled me!"
"Who.who's there?" Sunny Bunny's own voice was filled with fear.
"I am," the voice replied. "Me."
"But who are you?" "Who am I? Why-" There was a crackling of leaves as the form rose up and revealed itself to Sunny Bunny, who leaped up and ran to hide behind Raggedy Ann. The form was a skinny little girl with brown hair and enormous hazel eyes, dressed in a long blue cloak and matching wizard's hat. "-I'm Sammie De Spell, ten years old, witch in training, and student at the Blue Mountain School for Wizards and Witches. Now that I've introduced myself, who might you all be?"
"My name is Raggedy Ann," she said, then, holding up one hand to Andy, "And this is my brother Andy. And these are our friends Groucy Bear and- "
"I'm Sunny Bunny," he answered shyly from where he was hiding his face in Ann's dress.
"Don't mind him," Grouchy Bear put in, "he's genuinely rude."
"I am not!" Sunny Bunny said.
"He's just a little shy," explained Raggedy Ann. "Don't worry, give him a few minutes and he'll come around."
Sammie smiled and proceeded to Sunny Bunny's side and knelt down before him where he still shielded his face within the soft cloth of Raggedy Ann's dress. "Hi there, Sunny Bunny," Sammie said. "I'm uh.I'm really sorry about running into you like that. It was dark and I couldn't see where I was going."
"Say," Andy spoke up, and everyone looked at him, "what's a little girl like you doing out in these parts so late at night?"
"My uncle's allergies are especially bad tonight, with spring coming and all, and I was on my way into town to pick up some medicine for him." Sammie's smile quickly faded, and she looked at Andy and the others sadly. "My uncle means a lot to me, and every year when the plants and pollen from the trees begin to bloom, it gives him a very difficult time. I just wish I could do more for him, but with going to school and studying for my exams I don't actually have all the time in the world. It isn't so much those things that are preventing me from doing less for him than I should be able to. It's that I just don't seem to be on the same level of learning as everyone else in my class. I can't even do the simplest spells or even fly a broomstick properly. One of the reasons I want to learn to use magic so desperately is so I can concoct a potion that will rid my uncle of his allergies. I'm not training to become a real witch for my parents or even myself-I'm doing it for my uncle."
"You must be an awfully autonomous person to take such a big step to help him," Grouchy Bear commented.
Sammie, along with the others, looked at him in confusion. "Yeah," she replied. "That and I've learned to be very independent."
Grouchy Bear smiled slightly. "That's what I mean."
"Listen," Sammie said. "It was very nice meeting all of you, but I really have to get going. I'm sure we'll meet again though. Good-bye." Sammie granted them one last smile before continuing on her way in the direction that they had come from.
"What an.unusual girl," Ann said after Sammie had gone.
"Everyone," Sunny Bunny said. "Look at this."
Ann, Andy and Grouchy Bear came over to Sunny Bunny's side and stared at another of the pen's messages that had been written on a rock: Follow the little girl.
"Aaaahhh-chooo!" Cracklen sneezed violently as he stood in front of the open window of his bedroom, his eyes red and watery while his nose remained congested. "Darn it!" He banged a fist down on the sill. "She's been gone for nearly two hours. Where on earth can she be?" He hollered for his henchmen, Tic and Tac, and at once two short men appeared in the doorway.
"Yes, sir?" they said in unison.
Cracklen blew his nose into his handkerchief, and then spoke to them: "This is very important, so you two bumbling fools had better listen good. My niece is missing. She is only a child so I'm appointing you to find her, and if you dare return without her I guarantee that you'll be sorry. I'd do it myself, except my allergies are.are-" Cracklen sneezed loudly into his handkerchief. When he lifted his head and saw that Tic and Tac were still standing in the doorway and staring at him he screamed, "What are you idiots looking at? Go and find Sammie, now!"
"Yes, sir!" Without another word, Tic and Tac turned, bumped into each other and fell clumsily to the floor, and then raced down the hallway before Cracklen could find another reason to yell at them.
"Oh, Sammie," Cracklen whispered after they had gone. "Wherever you are, please. Be safe."
"What do you mean you're all out of eye root and nasal irrigate?" Sammie practically screamed at the manager where he stood behind the counter staring at her in shock, stunned that such an innocent-looking girl could be so obstinate. "My uncle needs them to control his allergies."
"I'm sorry," the manager replied calmly as he leaned across the counter, "but I sold the last two bottles this morning. But if you want we're getting a new shipment of eye root and nasal irrigate tomorrow. If you could come in before ten a.m.-"
"But his allergies are really bad! I have to get him his medicine tonight!"
The manager sighed impatiently. "Listen, sweetheart. Since the warm weather has been rolling in a lot of people have been suffering, and I'm sure some of them are a lot worse off than your uncle."
"Oh yeah? Do you even know who my uncle is?"
The manager simply looked at her inanely.
"He's the wizard known as Cracklen!"
The manager's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Him? He's your uncle? Wow, kid, I pity you."
Sammie glared angrily at the manager. "For your information, I'm more than proud to be his niece. And if you have a problem understanding that then I guess your just too dense." She flung around in a huff, and marched furiously out the door.
"Come back tomorrow," the manager called after her, but Sammie didn't turn around. "By then we should have the shelves stocked full of eye root and nasal irrigate!"
"I wouldn't bet on it," she mumbled underneath her breath as she headed down the path leading back to Cracklen's castle.
When Sammie returned an hour later, she was greeted by the same fierce sneezing that had driven her out of the castle right before she had met up with Raggedy Ann and her friends. Sammie stood frozen in the hallway, shaking and at the same time trying desperately to drive away the tears that were rolling fast into her eyes. "Uncle Cracklen?" she said at last, and raced down the hall to his chambers where she flung open the door.
He was lying face-up in bed, the covers pulled up to his chin. When he saw Sammie, he sat up instantly and wiped his eyes and nose with his handkerchief. "Sammie, you're back. I was worried sick. Where have you been for the past several hours?"
"I went to the pharmacy to try and get you some medicine," she explained as she entered the room, "but the manager said they were all out of eye root and nasal irrigate, and I guess I didn't want to believe it. I stood in line for an hour and then argued with him for half an hour. Then when I told him who you were he said that he pitied me for some reason. Can you believe that? Isn't that the biggest bunch of hooey you've ever heard?"
For a moment, Cracklen stared at his niece blankly. Then he replied in a dismal voice, "You know, Sammie, in a way he's right."
"What?" Her response was filled with astonishment. "Says who? I'll have you know that this guy is a complete and total fool! He had no right to talk about you like he did. If anyone ever says something as horrible as what he did regarding you then I swear I'll break both their arms off and beat the them with them-"
"Sammie!" Cracklen held up one hand, and at once Sammie was quiet. "Stop shouting for two minutes and listen to what I have to say. Because of my allergies I am not always able to do the things that parents do with and for their children-such as taking you on walks and all those other outdoor activities. As soon as you've finished up your semester I think it would be better if you returned home to your parents."
"What?" Sammie stared at her uncle in shock. "No! I won't go! I don't want to! I only want to stay here with you!" She bounded across the room and in one quick leap she landed on top of Cracklen and was clinging tightly to him as she buried her face in his chest. "I don't mind one bit if your allergies keep you from doing certain things. Besides, you make the best gloom brownies there ever were! You're the best uncle in the whole wide world! You can't make me go back home, and if you do I'll run away!"
At that moment, Cracklen gently slid his hand underneath Sammie's small pointed chin and lifted her head so that their eyes met. "You remind me so much of myself when I was your age," he said with a smile. "I was always so determined to set things right, I refused to give up. I was so stubborn, but sometimes a little stubbornness is a good thing."
Sammie sniffled. "Do I really have to go back home? Please don't make me, Uncle Cracklen. I'll study really really hard for my final exam and I promise that I'll pass it. Just let me stay."
"How can I resist that expression of yours?" Cracklen pulled the little girl close to him. "Sammie, you're all I've got in this world."
"I love you, Uncle Cracklen," Sammie said, her face buried in his chest.
"I love you, too," he replied. "Don't ever forget that."
Marcella, it's time to leave! We've got to get to the beach before a big crowd forms!"
"Coming, Mom!" Marcella scrambled to her feet from where she was sitting on the floor having a private conversation with her two favorite dolls, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy, and one of her favorite stuffed animals, Sunny Bunny. "I'll see you all next week when we get back from the beach," Marcella said to them, and then disappeared through the door with her suitcase, which was banging noisily against the wall as she headed down the hallway.
Raggedy Ann was the first to speak. "All right, everyone," she whispered. "Marcella's gone."
"It's about time," muttered Grouchy Bear from his position from underneath a mess of blankets in Marcella's unmade bed. "Do you know how long I've been here? My limbs are so stiff I can barely-"
Andy cut him off. "Barely," he giggled. "That's a good one!"
"Oh, shut up and help me out of this abomination!"
"Why are you always in such a bad mood?" Sunny leg all night long I don't normally feel very cheery the next day. Unlike you, Sunny Bunny, who is always much too happy it's sickening-"
"All right," Andy interrupted. "Stand aside! Maybe after I get Grouchy Bear out it will put him in a better frame of mind."
Andy approached the bed and took hold of Grouchy Bear's arms and had hardly started to pull him down when he hollered, "Ouch! What are you trying to do? Rip my arms off?"
Andy immediately let go and placed his hands on his hips. "For your information I was trying to get you down. But if you don't want my help it's just fine with me." Andy started to walk away when Grouchy Bear reached out one paw and called to Andy.
"Wait," Grouchy Bear said. "I.I didn't mean it, honest. I'm sorry I got mad."
Andy turned around. "All right, then. Ask me nicely and then maybe I'll consider."
"Will you please help me out from here, Andy?" Grouchy Bear said in his most surgery-sweet voice.
"Say I'm the best, most fun toy in the world," Andy said. Raggedy Ann rolled her eyes. "Oh, Andrew," she sighed.
"You are the best, most fun toy in the world," Grouchy Bear said.
"Say it like you mean it," Andy insisted.
"Raggedy Andy, you are the best, most fun toy in the world!"
"Okay, I guess I can settle for that." Once again, Andy went up to Grouchy Bear and, being careful not to pull his arms too hard, helped him down from the bed where he and Andy landed together in a heap on the floor.
Meanwhile, Sunny Bunny had begun to feel a strange warmth coming from within the pocket of his trousers. He reached inside and pulled out his magic pen, which was giving off a bright blue light. "Uh-oh," he said.
"What is it?" Ann asked, and then she too noticed the glowing of the pen. "Oh, my gosh!"
"It's never done this before. It could mean there's trouble."
Hearing this, Andy and Grouchy Bear collected themselves from the floor and came over to stand with Raggedy Ann and the others. "It could be Cracklen," Andy said.
Directly after Andy had suggested this, the pen leaped out of Sunny Bunny's paw and wrote in black ink on the wall, yes, go to his castle! There you will find the one who is in need of help!
"What do you think it means?" Sunny Bunny asked.
"I know what it means," Grouchy Bear said in a disgruntled voice. "As usual we'll go trekking around an unfamiliar place where who-knows-what could be lurking around a corner waiting to get us, probably get kidnapped by Cracklen, and who knows what else. Well, this time I'm putting my foot down. I absolutely refuse to take part in any more of your little misadventures."
"Don't listen to him, Sunny Bunny," Ann said. "What it means is that someone needs our help and our job is to make sure that we give it to them. Come on, you guys!" Ann climbed up to the windowsill, where Andy and Sunny Bunny then followed.
"Oh, do wait for me," Grouchy Bear called after them. Not wanting to be left alone, he was up and out the window in seconds and was racing down the path to catch up with the others.
"Uncle Cracklen will be so surprised when I show him these gloom brownies I bake," Sammie said as she poured three measures of milk into a small metal baking pan filled with chocolate powder. "Even though they're actually just regular brownies since the recipe calls for a clump of hair from a dog and there aren't any around here." As Sammie added three teaspoons of flour, she sang cheerfully to herself.
"The sun shines high in the sky, And the little cat purrs, As the light from the sun shines down on her, The little dog barks and says, 'Oh, isn't it a lark To have such a fine spring day!"
"At least singing is one thing I don't have to worry about making mistakes in," Sammie said with a sigh as she scooped up the pan and carried it over to the stove where she set it carefully down. "It's the only talent I have it seems." She switched on the stove and then took a seat at the kitchen table to wait for the alarm to sound, which would indicate that the brownies were finished baking.
While she waited, she laid her head in her arms that were crossed together along the table. Before she knew it, the sleep she had lost the night before caught up with her and she closed her eyes.
A loud, earsplitting buzzing dragged Sammie out of slumber some twenty minutes later, and she sat up in alarm to see thick smoke discharging from the oven. In a panic she was up and running toward the stove; she flung open the door and received a face full of smoke, causing her to cough and sputter. She reached in and pulled out the pan of brownies, which were burned to a thick crisp, and threw them into the sink. She turned on the tap and flooded the pan with just enough water to put out the smoke. After that, she ran around the castle opening all of the windows that weren't too high for her to reach in order to rid the premises of as much smoke as possible.
Meanwhile, Cracklen was less than half a mile from the castle on his way back from town after purchasing some items to use for his potions when he noticed the smoke rising from behind the trees. "That looks like smoke," he said. "And it appears as though it's coming not too far from my castle.oh my gosh! Sammie!" He dropped the bags he had been carrying and tore madly down the path to the castle.
Sammie was standing on a stool over the sink washing the soot from her face when she heard the front door fling open and turned to see Cracklen as appeared in the entranceway.
"Sammie," he gasped, "are you all right?"
She nodded. "Uh.uh-huh."
"What happened? Why is there smoke coming out of every window? And what happened to your face?"
"It's kind of a long story." Sammie's voice was hesitant.
"Out with it. I want to know everything that went on here while I was gone."
"Okay." Sammie sat down on the stool on which she had been standing and looked up at her uncle. "It's like this: I was trying to make gloom brownies-not real ones, since I couldn't find any dog hair-and I guess I sort of fell asleep. Then the stove started buzzing and I woke up to find all this smoke coming out of the oven. It was an accident. I wanted to surprise you and I guess it sort of.well.backfired."
"I'll ignore that last pun," Cracklen replied, a hint of aggravation lurking throughout his voice. "You know I don't want you using any electronic devices when I'm not home. What if you had gotten hurt? I wouldn't have been here. Unless I'm around I don't want you anywhere near the stove. Is that clear?"
"What about Tic and Tac? They're grown-ups."
Cracklen rubbed his temples. "Please, dear. Let's not even go there."
"Yes, Uncle Cracklen." Sammie hung her head in shame. "Are.are you mad at me?"
"No. I'm just glad you're safe." Cracklen advanced through the kitchen entrance and over to where Sammie was sitting on the stool staring down at the floor.
"I feel like such an idiot," she said. "I can't do anything right. I can't even make a simple batch of brownies without nearly burning down the castle." Then, lifting her head brusquely, she shouted, "What's wrong with me?"
Cracklen stared at his niece, the expression on his face one of such bewilderment that Sammie's voice actually carried such a brutal tone. "Listen, Sammie," Cracklen said as he knelt down before her, "believe me when I say that there's absolutely nothing wrong with you. Sure you make a mistake or two once in a while, but doesn't everyone? That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you."
"Then what does it mean?"
"It means that you're human. If we all went around being perfect, then the world would be a pretty boring place wouldn't it?" "I guess so. But all I want is to be a great wizard one day, like you, and show everyone that I can cast magnificent spells. Maybe even put curses on those stupid villagers who talk bad about you and the kids at school who are always laughing at me."
Cracklen beamed brightly. "Those are all wonderful expectations, and I have great faith in you, but you shouldn't feel like you have to be exactly like me. Just be yourself."
"Myself? I've been myself for ten years and I've never gained anything from it-all I've gotten in return are people making fun of me and blowing stuff up in class because I can't even make a simple potion work. Face it, Uncle Cracklen: I'm pathetic."
"Oh, Sammie. You're much too hard on yourself. Do your parents ever tell you that?"
She shook her head. "No. They just tell me to study harder and not to concentrate so much on what people think of me. But it's so hard because when you hear somebody say your name in school you know they're making fun of you." She sighed heavily. "I thought if I could concentrate on being exactly like you then I wouldn't have to worry about what people think of me so much. Sometimes I.I just hate the way I am. I wish I could be anyone else in the whole world instead of myself." She let out a small whimper, and once more focused her eyes on the floor. A single tear trickled down her right cheek and Cracklen reached out his thumb, gently wiping the tear away.
"Well, I don't," he said gently. "Who would you be if you weren't Sammie De Spell? I would have no niece to call my favorite."
"I'm your favorite?" A smile spread across Sammim's face as she looked up at her uncle. "For real?"
Cracklen nodded. "For real."
"Uncle Cracklen?"
"Yes?"
"Will you teach me to make gloom brownies one day? Real ones?"
"Of course I will. Nothing in this world would make me more happy than to share my secret recipe with my favorite little witch."
"Are we there yet? How much further?"
"Oh, Grouchy Bear," Andy said in irritation, "stop complaining. You're giving me a headache." "Don't worry," Sunny Bunny said patiently. "We'll know we've reached our destination the moment my magic pen begins to glow its brightest."
"But when will that be?" Grouchy Bear moaned.
Raggedy Ann and the others, all except Grouchy Bear, came to a sudden halt where they had been trekking through the dark woods and shouted at him, "Grouchy Bear! Hush!"
An immediate silence fell over them all; from his place at the head of the row, Sunny Bunny gasped. "Everyone," he said. "Come, and look at this."
They all crowded around him, and their eyes widened at the sight of the magic pen that he clutched tightly in his paws. The pen had written another message on the ground, which read: You're close. Keep going!
"It says we're close," Sunny Bunny concluded. "Come on. We've got to keep going." With intense determination, he led the others deeper into the forest.
Unexpectedly, a shrill cry of a crow echoed from somewhere up above, and before the four friends knew what they were doing, they went tearing through the woods in absolute terror.
In the meantime, someone else was heading down in the same direction that they were racing toward, except at a much slower pace.
Sunny Bunny, still in the lead, suddenly felt himself crash painfully into an unknown form, which caused him to be thrown back several feet. As for whatever he had met with, it too was flung into the rear of the forest.
"Ouch," Sunny Bunny said, rubbing his head.
"Ouch is right," answered an unfamiliar voice. "You almost trampled me!"
"Who.who's there?" Sunny Bunny's own voice was filled with fear.
"I am," the voice replied. "Me."
"But who are you?" "Who am I? Why-" There was a crackling of leaves as the form rose up and revealed itself to Sunny Bunny, who leaped up and ran to hide behind Raggedy Ann. The form was a skinny little girl with brown hair and enormous hazel eyes, dressed in a long blue cloak and matching wizard's hat. "-I'm Sammie De Spell, ten years old, witch in training, and student at the Blue Mountain School for Wizards and Witches. Now that I've introduced myself, who might you all be?"
"My name is Raggedy Ann," she said, then, holding up one hand to Andy, "And this is my brother Andy. And these are our friends Groucy Bear and- "
"I'm Sunny Bunny," he answered shyly from where he was hiding his face in Ann's dress.
"Don't mind him," Grouchy Bear put in, "he's genuinely rude."
"I am not!" Sunny Bunny said.
"He's just a little shy," explained Raggedy Ann. "Don't worry, give him a few minutes and he'll come around."
Sammie smiled and proceeded to Sunny Bunny's side and knelt down before him where he still shielded his face within the soft cloth of Raggedy Ann's dress. "Hi there, Sunny Bunny," Sammie said. "I'm uh.I'm really sorry about running into you like that. It was dark and I couldn't see where I was going."
"Say," Andy spoke up, and everyone looked at him, "what's a little girl like you doing out in these parts so late at night?"
"My uncle's allergies are especially bad tonight, with spring coming and all, and I was on my way into town to pick up some medicine for him." Sammie's smile quickly faded, and she looked at Andy and the others sadly. "My uncle means a lot to me, and every year when the plants and pollen from the trees begin to bloom, it gives him a very difficult time. I just wish I could do more for him, but with going to school and studying for my exams I don't actually have all the time in the world. It isn't so much those things that are preventing me from doing less for him than I should be able to. It's that I just don't seem to be on the same level of learning as everyone else in my class. I can't even do the simplest spells or even fly a broomstick properly. One of the reasons I want to learn to use magic so desperately is so I can concoct a potion that will rid my uncle of his allergies. I'm not training to become a real witch for my parents or even myself-I'm doing it for my uncle."
"You must be an awfully autonomous person to take such a big step to help him," Grouchy Bear commented.
Sammie, along with the others, looked at him in confusion. "Yeah," she replied. "That and I've learned to be very independent."
Grouchy Bear smiled slightly. "That's what I mean."
"Listen," Sammie said. "It was very nice meeting all of you, but I really have to get going. I'm sure we'll meet again though. Good-bye." Sammie granted them one last smile before continuing on her way in the direction that they had come from.
"What an.unusual girl," Ann said after Sammie had gone.
"Everyone," Sunny Bunny said. "Look at this."
Ann, Andy and Grouchy Bear came over to Sunny Bunny's side and stared at another of the pen's messages that had been written on a rock: Follow the little girl.
"Aaaahhh-chooo!" Cracklen sneezed violently as he stood in front of the open window of his bedroom, his eyes red and watery while his nose remained congested. "Darn it!" He banged a fist down on the sill. "She's been gone for nearly two hours. Where on earth can she be?" He hollered for his henchmen, Tic and Tac, and at once two short men appeared in the doorway.
"Yes, sir?" they said in unison.
Cracklen blew his nose into his handkerchief, and then spoke to them: "This is very important, so you two bumbling fools had better listen good. My niece is missing. She is only a child so I'm appointing you to find her, and if you dare return without her I guarantee that you'll be sorry. I'd do it myself, except my allergies are.are-" Cracklen sneezed loudly into his handkerchief. When he lifted his head and saw that Tic and Tac were still standing in the doorway and staring at him he screamed, "What are you idiots looking at? Go and find Sammie, now!"
"Yes, sir!" Without another word, Tic and Tac turned, bumped into each other and fell clumsily to the floor, and then raced down the hallway before Cracklen could find another reason to yell at them.
"Oh, Sammie," Cracklen whispered after they had gone. "Wherever you are, please. Be safe."
"What do you mean you're all out of eye root and nasal irrigate?" Sammie practically screamed at the manager where he stood behind the counter staring at her in shock, stunned that such an innocent-looking girl could be so obstinate. "My uncle needs them to control his allergies."
"I'm sorry," the manager replied calmly as he leaned across the counter, "but I sold the last two bottles this morning. But if you want we're getting a new shipment of eye root and nasal irrigate tomorrow. If you could come in before ten a.m.-"
"But his allergies are really bad! I have to get him his medicine tonight!"
The manager sighed impatiently. "Listen, sweetheart. Since the warm weather has been rolling in a lot of people have been suffering, and I'm sure some of them are a lot worse off than your uncle."
"Oh yeah? Do you even know who my uncle is?"
The manager simply looked at her inanely.
"He's the wizard known as Cracklen!"
The manager's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Him? He's your uncle? Wow, kid, I pity you."
Sammie glared angrily at the manager. "For your information, I'm more than proud to be his niece. And if you have a problem understanding that then I guess your just too dense." She flung around in a huff, and marched furiously out the door.
"Come back tomorrow," the manager called after her, but Sammie didn't turn around. "By then we should have the shelves stocked full of eye root and nasal irrigate!"
"I wouldn't bet on it," she mumbled underneath her breath as she headed down the path leading back to Cracklen's castle.
When Sammie returned an hour later, she was greeted by the same fierce sneezing that had driven her out of the castle right before she had met up with Raggedy Ann and her friends. Sammie stood frozen in the hallway, shaking and at the same time trying desperately to drive away the tears that were rolling fast into her eyes. "Uncle Cracklen?" she said at last, and raced down the hall to his chambers where she flung open the door.
He was lying face-up in bed, the covers pulled up to his chin. When he saw Sammie, he sat up instantly and wiped his eyes and nose with his handkerchief. "Sammie, you're back. I was worried sick. Where have you been for the past several hours?"
"I went to the pharmacy to try and get you some medicine," she explained as she entered the room, "but the manager said they were all out of eye root and nasal irrigate, and I guess I didn't want to believe it. I stood in line for an hour and then argued with him for half an hour. Then when I told him who you were he said that he pitied me for some reason. Can you believe that? Isn't that the biggest bunch of hooey you've ever heard?"
For a moment, Cracklen stared at his niece blankly. Then he replied in a dismal voice, "You know, Sammie, in a way he's right."
"What?" Her response was filled with astonishment. "Says who? I'll have you know that this guy is a complete and total fool! He had no right to talk about you like he did. If anyone ever says something as horrible as what he did regarding you then I swear I'll break both their arms off and beat the them with them-"
"Sammie!" Cracklen held up one hand, and at once Sammie was quiet. "Stop shouting for two minutes and listen to what I have to say. Because of my allergies I am not always able to do the things that parents do with and for their children-such as taking you on walks and all those other outdoor activities. As soon as you've finished up your semester I think it would be better if you returned home to your parents."
"What?" Sammie stared at her uncle in shock. "No! I won't go! I don't want to! I only want to stay here with you!" She bounded across the room and in one quick leap she landed on top of Cracklen and was clinging tightly to him as she buried her face in his chest. "I don't mind one bit if your allergies keep you from doing certain things. Besides, you make the best gloom brownies there ever were! You're the best uncle in the whole wide world! You can't make me go back home, and if you do I'll run away!"
At that moment, Cracklen gently slid his hand underneath Sammie's small pointed chin and lifted her head so that their eyes met. "You remind me so much of myself when I was your age," he said with a smile. "I was always so determined to set things right, I refused to give up. I was so stubborn, but sometimes a little stubbornness is a good thing."
Sammie sniffled. "Do I really have to go back home? Please don't make me, Uncle Cracklen. I'll study really really hard for my final exam and I promise that I'll pass it. Just let me stay."
"How can I resist that expression of yours?" Cracklen pulled the little girl close to him. "Sammie, you're all I've got in this world."
"I love you, Uncle Cracklen," Sammie said, her face buried in his chest.
"I love you, too," he replied. "Don't ever forget that."