Excerpt
No she isnt.
Is so.
Na-uh.
Uh-huh. My dad says so.
Cant be. There aint no such thing, I said, glancing toward the house. It was old and set way back off the street among a bunch of oak trees and bushes. The sidewalk that curved down a flower-lined path to a screened-in porch was cracked and broken. You could hardly see it from where we were hiding behind an oleander bush by the fence. I pulled back one of the branches to get a better view.
Oh, my gosh! There she is, Sally said, and we all crowded closer to the picket fence. Johnny Parker and his stupid friend, Harley Johnson, were trying to tell Sally Walker and me that the old woman living in the house was a witch. Well, Im almost ten, and will be going into the fifth grade next year. So, I just dont believe in such things. Besides, even if there were witches and goblins, I wouldnt be scared of them. Cause Im Debbie Folino, and Im not afraid of nothing.
Youre stupid. Shes just an old woman, I said peeking through the bush. The lady on the steps had long gray hair that fell across her face as she bent over to feed her cat. Her blue dress with small white dots flapped around her knees in the wind, and she pulled her sweater tight around her shoulders as she petted the cat.
See? I let the branch fly back against the fence. Shes got pets who like her. Witches dont like animals.
Its a black cat, Johnny said, pulling the branch back again. Witches like black cats. I saw it in a movie one time.
Yeah! Harleys eyes got real big when he spoke. Like the witch in the Dark Passages book Ive got at home. You ought to see it. The cat is just as mean as the old witch, and she eats kids.
Thats just an old comic book, Sally said with a giggle.
Well its true, Johnny said real loud. My dad says Sara Baker is a real witch and keeps kids locked in a room.
Shhhhh, not so loud. She might hear you, I said.
Oh, my gosh, Sally said, peeking though the bush. Shes coming this way.
We darted across the street and hid behind the mail box. I poked my head around one side in time to see her lean over the picket fence and pull one of the branches back. She studied the sidewalk where wed been, then looked across the street right at me. She smiled and I ducked back and sat down with a sigh.
Like I said. Shes just an old woman. I glared into Johnny Parkers freckled face. She smiled at me from across the street.
She saw you? His mouth dropped open.
Yep, I nodded. And nothing bad happened. Like I said, she smiled and sort of gave a little wave with her hand like this. I flapped my wrist.
Thats cause shes seen you and shes gonna eat you.
And the Boogie Mans gonna get you. I grabbed at his ribs. He got mad and jumped to his feet as Sally and I started laughing.
Na, it is true. My dad says its so, and hes a cop and doesnt lie. Youll see.
Well, he might be a police officer, but hes still telling you a story, because there aint no such things as witches and ghosts.
Is so. And my dad says that old witch had him and some other kids locked in a room one time, and he had a heck of a time escaping.
Really? Howd he get away? Sally said.
He snuck out of the room when she had her back turned.
And she didnt come after him, or cast an evil spell on him? I said, folding my arms.
Maybe she did cast an evil spell on him. Look how Johnny turned out, Sally said, and he got good and mad as we laughed at him.
Well I hope she does catch you both and eat you.
Yeah, Harley said. Id like to see you laugh after she cuts your heads off.
Well, it aint gonna happen. I put my hand on my hip and wagged my head. And youre just saying this cause youre scared of her yourself.
Yeah, Sally said, and stuck out her tongue.
Yeah? Well, you aint so brave yourself. You ran over here the same as the rest of us. Lets see you go over there and talk to her right now. Johnny pointed and smiled smugly. I looked across the street and the old woman was bending over pulling weeds in her flower bed. My mouth got suddenly dry and I shifted my feet.
Shes a scaredy-cat, Harley said.
Am not.
Are to.
She is not. Sally gave him a shove and got one back in return.
If youre not scared, then why dont you go over there and meet her? Johnny said. I dare you. Go ahead. Everyone stared at me. It was cold, standing there in the wind, but I started sweating. You aint gonna go are you. Cause youre a chicken. I double-dog-dare you, Chicken-liver. I wanted to punch him right in the nose, but my mama told me not to get into any more fights.
Okay, I said, pulling my stocking cap down over my ears. Ill go, but I want to see you go too.
Na-uh. The deal was for you to go by yourself. I dared you.
Ill go. But I triple-dog-dirty-hog dare you to go after I do. He got real scared then, cause you cant get out of one of those. Hed have to go after me, or hed never be able to go to school again, because everyone would laugh him sick.
In fact, I said feeling suddenly brave, Ill go Saturday night on Halloween, trick-or-treating. You meet us here at six oclock, when it gets good and dark.
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