feathers. It would take hours to
pull them all off.
“I—CLUUUUCK—I’m so scared,” Cole stammered.
“Me, too,” I confessed. I pecked at a big chunk of lint.
“Crystal, what are we going to do?” Cole asked softly.
I started to say, “I don’t know.”
But I suddenly knew exactly what we had to do.
19
We crept out into a cool, windy night. The swirling wind ruffled my feathers.
Up above, a pale half-moon kept sliding behind wispy clouds.
Cole and I walked along the street that led to town. We tried to hurry. But
our legs felt stiff, and our knees were hard to bend.
Car headlights swept over the street toward us. We slipped behind a low hedge
and hid, clucking softly. We didn’t want anyone to see us like this. And we
didn’t want anyone to ask us where we were going.
We passed through town, making our way along the backs of stores. Trees
hissed and shook as the wind picked up. The air grew heavy and moist. I felt a
few raindrops on my forehead.
A sweet aroma made me take a deep breath. It came from the bakery. I realized
that Mrs. Wagner must be baking doughnuts for tomorrow morning.
A sad cry escaped my beak. Would I ever be able to taste a doughnut again? Or would I spend the rest of my life pecking
my food off the ground?
Cole and I turned onto the dirt path that led to Vanessa’s old farmhouse. The
night grew darker—and colder—as soon as we moved away from town.
Our shoes plodded heavily over the hard dirt path. A few minutes later, I
could see the black outline of Vanessa’s house against the gray sky.
“What are we CLUUUCK going to say to her?” Cole demanded softly.
I brushed a raindrop off my eyebrow. My hand felt rough and scratchy, my
fingers hard as bone.
“I’m going to BLUUUCK tell her how sorry we are,” I replied. “I’m going to
tell her we didn’t mean to knock over her groceries. That it was all a big
accident. And we’re sorry we didn’t stay and help her pick them up. CLUUUUCK.”
We stepped up to Vanessa’s wooden fence. The gate had been left open. It
banged in the wind.
I raised my eyes to the house. It hung over the tall grass like a low, dark
creature. No lights on anywhere.
Had she already gone to sleep?
“I—I don’t bluuuck think she’s home,” Cole whispered.
“Of course she’s home,” I replied sharply. “Where else would she cluuuuck be?
There’s nowhere to go at night in Goshen Falls.”
We stepped through the gate. I tried to latch it behind us to stop it from
banging. But the latch was broken.
“What do we say after we apologize?” Cole asked, hanging back.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him along with me to the front
door.
“Then we beg her to remove the spell,” I clucked. “We beg her to change us
back to the way we were.”
“Do you think she’ll do it?” he asked in a tiny voice.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “But we’ll soon find out.”
I knocked on the front door.
20
No answer.
The gate banged behind us. Startled, Cole and I both jumped.
I took a deep breath and pounded my scraggly fist on the door again.
We waited, staring straight ahead. Listening to the harsh whisper of the
trees, and to the banging gate.
Silence in the house.
I uttered a sigh of disappointment and turned to my brother. “You were right.
Vanessa isn’t home.”
We backed away from the house. Clouds floated away from the moon. The front
window glinted with silvery moonlight.
“Let’s peek inside,” I urged.
We made our way to the window. Standing on tiptoes, we peered into the living
room.
In the silvery light, I stared at the dark shapes of furniture.
Old-fashioned, high-back chairs. A long couch covered with pillows. Bookshelves from floor to ceiling.
Everything was very old-looking. But I didn’t see anything strange or
frightening.
Then a stack of books caught my eye. They were piled on a small, square table
beside the couch. The books were big and thick.
pull them all off.
“I—CLUUUUCK—I’m so scared,” Cole stammered.
“Me, too,” I confessed. I pecked at a big chunk of lint.
“Crystal, what are we going to do?” Cole asked softly.
I started to say, “I don’t know.”
But I suddenly knew exactly what we had to do.
19
We crept out into a cool, windy night. The swirling wind ruffled my feathers.
Up above, a pale half-moon kept sliding behind wispy clouds.
Cole and I walked along the street that led to town. We tried to hurry. But
our legs felt stiff, and our knees were hard to bend.
Car headlights swept over the street toward us. We slipped behind a low hedge
and hid, clucking softly. We didn’t want anyone to see us like this. And we
didn’t want anyone to ask us where we were going.
We passed through town, making our way along the backs of stores. Trees
hissed and shook as the wind picked up. The air grew heavy and moist. I felt a
few raindrops on my forehead.
A sweet aroma made me take a deep breath. It came from the bakery. I realized
that Mrs. Wagner must be baking doughnuts for tomorrow morning.
A sad cry escaped my beak. Would I ever be able to taste a doughnut again? Or would I spend the rest of my life pecking
my food off the ground?
Cole and I turned onto the dirt path that led to Vanessa’s old farmhouse. The
night grew darker—and colder—as soon as we moved away from town.
Our shoes plodded heavily over the hard dirt path. A few minutes later, I
could see the black outline of Vanessa’s house against the gray sky.
“What are we CLUUUCK going to say to her?” Cole demanded softly.
I brushed a raindrop off my eyebrow. My hand felt rough and scratchy, my
fingers hard as bone.
“I’m going to BLUUUCK tell her how sorry we are,” I replied. “I’m going to
tell her we didn’t mean to knock over her groceries. That it was all a big
accident. And we’re sorry we didn’t stay and help her pick them up. CLUUUUCK.”
We stepped up to Vanessa’s wooden fence. The gate had been left open. It
banged in the wind.
I raised my eyes to the house. It hung over the tall grass like a low, dark
creature. No lights on anywhere.
Had she already gone to sleep?
“I—I don’t bluuuck think she’s home,” Cole whispered.
“Of course she’s home,” I replied sharply. “Where else would she cluuuuck be?
There’s nowhere to go at night in Goshen Falls.”
We stepped through the gate. I tried to latch it behind us to stop it from
banging. But the latch was broken.
“What do we say after we apologize?” Cole asked, hanging back.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him along with me to the front
door.
“Then we beg her to remove the spell,” I clucked. “We beg her to change us
back to the way we were.”
“Do you think she’ll do it?” he asked in a tiny voice.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “But we’ll soon find out.”
I knocked on the front door.
20
No answer.
The gate banged behind us. Startled, Cole and I both jumped.
I took a deep breath and pounded my scraggly fist on the door again.
We waited, staring straight ahead. Listening to the harsh whisper of the
trees, and to the banging gate.
Silence in the house.
I uttered a sigh of disappointment and turned to my brother. “You were right.
Vanessa isn’t home.”
We backed away from the house. Clouds floated away from the moon. The front
window glinted with silvery moonlight.
“Let’s peek inside,” I urged.
We made our way to the window. Standing on tiptoes, we peered into the living
room.
In the silvery light, I stared at the dark shapes of furniture.
Old-fashioned, high-back chairs. A long couch covered with pillows. Bookshelves from floor to ceiling.
Everything was very old-looking. But I didn’t see anything strange or
frightening.
Then a stack of books caught my eye. They were piled on a small, square table
beside the couch. The books were big and thick.
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