behaving like herself at all."
"She seemed nice," I said, glancing back over my shoulder.
"Yes, she does, which isn't like her. Normally, she hates people and goes out of her way to let them know it."
"All the witches from the retirement community must be here. We should have asked Hennah where we could find Grandmother."
"There's another witch," said Eadric, pointing farther down the beach. "Let's ask her."
An old woman with curling white hair so long that it brushed the sand was bent double, collecting seashells. She looked up when our shadows crossed her path.
"Good day," said Grassina. "I was wondering if I might ask you a question. Do you know anyone named Olivene?"
The old woman straightened and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "I don't think so," she said in a husky sort of voice.
"Could you tell us your name?" I asked.
The old woman looked perplexed. "I can't seem to remember "
"That's all right," I hurried to tell her. "Sorry to have
troubled you."
The old woman held up her cupped hands, opening them to reveal an assortment of shells. "Would you like to see my seashells? I've found some lovely ones. Some of these must be the fairest in the sea!"
"Perhaps another time," said my aunt. "We have something we have to do first."
Since the witch was busy with her shells, it was easy to sneak away. I glanced at Grassina. The worried look on her face frightened me. "That was Cadmilia, one of the most devious witches around. Everyone knows that she tried to kill her stepdaughter."
"But she seemed nice, too!" I said.
Grassina shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense, does it? If even their personalities have changed—"
"They must have lost their memories altogether," said Eadric, digging the toe of his boot into the sand.
"Eadric!" I said, startled at his brilliance. "I bet that's it!"
"It makes sense, doesn't it? They can't even remember their own names, let alone who Grassina or Olivene are. If they can't remember that much, there's probably a lot they can't remember."
Shading my eyes with my hand, I glanced down the beach. "We'll just have to look for Grandmother. She must be around here somewhere."
We finally found my grandmother lying on a blanket, sound asleep. Her face was relaxed, without the cruel lines that usually etched her skin, and she looked kind of sweet lying there. I almost didn't recognize her.
"Do you think we should wake her?" I whispered to my aunt. "She looks so peaceful."
"What's all this noise about?" said my grandmother, turning her head to glare at us.
My aunt looked defiant, which was the way she usually acted around her mother. "We came to find you."
"Why? Do I know you? Doesn't matter. I'm taking a nap. Go bother someone else." My grandmother rolled onto her side, turning her back to us. Perhaps it was the curse, but even without her memory, Grandmother was the nastiest witch around.
Grassina shook her head and walked away, gesturing for me to follow. "This may take a while," she said once we were out of my grandmother's earshot. "Why don't you and Eadric see what else you can learn about the island? The more we know, the sooner we can get your grandmother's memory back and ask her to reverse the spell on Haywood."
"Will we take Grandmother with us when we go?" I asked.
"That depends on what we learn. Just be careful. There's more going on here than you might imagine."
Seven
Eadric and I headed down the beach in the only direction we had yet to explore. Although we fc didn't see anyone, we did spot a lone hut set off by itself. Larger than the others, it had the same cone-shaped thatched roof and stick-built walls, and it was situated on a small spit of land that overlooked the beach on one side and a tree-lined bay on the other.
As we got closer, we could tell that something was going on inside the hut. A shrill, scratchy voice was screaming, "Me too! Me too!" A deeper, less distinct voice answered.
Although it was broad daylight, with all the greenery we
"She seemed nice," I said, glancing back over my shoulder.
"Yes, she does, which isn't like her. Normally, she hates people and goes out of her way to let them know it."
"All the witches from the retirement community must be here. We should have asked Hennah where we could find Grandmother."
"There's another witch," said Eadric, pointing farther down the beach. "Let's ask her."
An old woman with curling white hair so long that it brushed the sand was bent double, collecting seashells. She looked up when our shadows crossed her path.
"Good day," said Grassina. "I was wondering if I might ask you a question. Do you know anyone named Olivene?"
The old woman straightened and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "I don't think so," she said in a husky sort of voice.
"Could you tell us your name?" I asked.
The old woman looked perplexed. "I can't seem to remember "
"That's all right," I hurried to tell her. "Sorry to have
troubled you."
The old woman held up her cupped hands, opening them to reveal an assortment of shells. "Would you like to see my seashells? I've found some lovely ones. Some of these must be the fairest in the sea!"
"Perhaps another time," said my aunt. "We have something we have to do first."
Since the witch was busy with her shells, it was easy to sneak away. I glanced at Grassina. The worried look on her face frightened me. "That was Cadmilia, one of the most devious witches around. Everyone knows that she tried to kill her stepdaughter."
"But she seemed nice, too!" I said.
Grassina shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense, does it? If even their personalities have changed—"
"They must have lost their memories altogether," said Eadric, digging the toe of his boot into the sand.
"Eadric!" I said, startled at his brilliance. "I bet that's it!"
"It makes sense, doesn't it? They can't even remember their own names, let alone who Grassina or Olivene are. If they can't remember that much, there's probably a lot they can't remember."
Shading my eyes with my hand, I glanced down the beach. "We'll just have to look for Grandmother. She must be around here somewhere."
We finally found my grandmother lying on a blanket, sound asleep. Her face was relaxed, without the cruel lines that usually etched her skin, and she looked kind of sweet lying there. I almost didn't recognize her.
"Do you think we should wake her?" I whispered to my aunt. "She looks so peaceful."
"What's all this noise about?" said my grandmother, turning her head to glare at us.
My aunt looked defiant, which was the way she usually acted around her mother. "We came to find you."
"Why? Do I know you? Doesn't matter. I'm taking a nap. Go bother someone else." My grandmother rolled onto her side, turning her back to us. Perhaps it was the curse, but even without her memory, Grandmother was the nastiest witch around.
Grassina shook her head and walked away, gesturing for me to follow. "This may take a while," she said once we were out of my grandmother's earshot. "Why don't you and Eadric see what else you can learn about the island? The more we know, the sooner we can get your grandmother's memory back and ask her to reverse the spell on Haywood."
"Will we take Grandmother with us when we go?" I asked.
"That depends on what we learn. Just be careful. There's more going on here than you might imagine."
Seven
Eadric and I headed down the beach in the only direction we had yet to explore. Although we fc didn't see anyone, we did spot a lone hut set off by itself. Larger than the others, it had the same cone-shaped thatched roof and stick-built walls, and it was situated on a small spit of land that overlooked the beach on one side and a tree-lined bay on the other.
As we got closer, we could tell that something was going on inside the hut. A shrill, scratchy voice was screaming, "Me too! Me too!" A deeper, less distinct voice answered.
Although it was broad daylight, with all the greenery we
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