nothing happened. You have to do something!"
"What do you mean nothing happened?" I exclaimed. "I turned into a frog, too! I think that's a pretty big something!"
"This is Princess Emeralda. She's the one who kissed me."
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" I said. "You must have done something wrong when you cast the spell."
"Shh! Emma!" whispered Eadric. "Don't make her mad! And you told me to be discreet!"
"But I—"
Eadric cleared his throat and turned back to the witch. "We didn't come to accuse anyone of anything. We just need your help fixing it."
"Really? And how would I do that?" the witch asked in a friendly voice.
Encouraged, I couldn't keep the words from tumbling out. "Just turn us back into humans and I'll see that you're handsomely rewarded. My parents will do anything to get me back."
"Is that so? And I'm the lucky witch you chose to talk to! My, oh, my," she said, her voice losing its sweet tone. "You picked the wrong one tonight, froggies! Or should I call you Your Royal Highnesses?" In one swift motion, the woman dropped the sack she'd been carrying and swooped down on us, snatching us off the ground and raising us to eye level. She studied us intently, turning us over and examining us from top to bottom. "Such nice, strong specimens! You two will do just fine."
For the first time we could see the woman's face. She was young. Her long, frizzy hair had been dyed black and showed mouse-brown roots. Her eyes were dark and sunken, her cheeks gaunt, and her skin pale. Everything she wore was black, from her long, threadbare dress and ratty shawl to her worn leather shoes.
"Emma," Eadric whispered in a horrified voice, "it's not her! This isn't the witch who did it!"
"You are a smart froggy, aren't you, Prince? I've never turned anyone into a frog, but I've been looking for two frogs like you. Your bad luck is my good fortune! Two talking frogs in one night. My luck has finally changed." The witch hummed happily as she opened the sack and dropped us in.
I landed on my back. Wiggling and twisting, I tried to turn myself over. It was dark inside the sack, with an overwhelming musty smell. I scrabbled for a handhold on the coarse cloth, wishing I had my bracelet with me. Even the small amount of light it gave off would have been helpful. A moment later the woman lifted the sack and we tumbled to the bottom, where we lay in a tangled heap.
"Ow!" moaned Eadric, rubbing the side of his head. "Watch your elbow, will you?"
"Sorry," I said, "but I didn't hit you on purpose. Maybe if we sat up ..."
I kicked the sack, the weight of our bodies making the fabric taut, but my leg bounced off and caught Eadric squarely in the stomach.
"Oof," he said, doubling over.
"Sorry," I said again. "Are you all right?"
I'd knocked the breath out of him, so it took a moment for him to answer. When he did, he was wheezing and I felt awful. "I'll be just fine ... if you'll hold still!" he said.
I inched away, trying to put some space between us, but being inside a sack didn't make it easy.
The sack began to move, swaying like a pendulum with each of the witch's steps. As she walked, she muttered to herself in a voice too low for me to understand. Suddenly, she stopped and set the sack roughly on the ground. Eadric and I could hear her trudge away, although she didn't go far.
"Quick!" I said. "See if you can open the top of the bag. Maybe we can get out while she's gone."
Eadric shifted his weight beside me. I tensed, trying to keep out of his way while he reached toward the top of the sack. "It's no use," he said a moment later. "She's tied the top shut."
"Never mind. The way our luck has been running, she'll probably be back soon anyway. Can you believe that witch? She doesn't care who we are. It looks like we're more valuable to her as talking frogs than we are as royalty. What are we going to do, Eadric?"
"I really am sorry about this," began Eadric. "If I hadn't tried to get you to kiss me ..."
"I never would have
"What do you mean nothing happened?" I exclaimed. "I turned into a frog, too! I think that's a pretty big something!"
"This is Princess Emeralda. She's the one who kissed me."
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" I said. "You must have done something wrong when you cast the spell."
"Shh! Emma!" whispered Eadric. "Don't make her mad! And you told me to be discreet!"
"But I—"
Eadric cleared his throat and turned back to the witch. "We didn't come to accuse anyone of anything. We just need your help fixing it."
"Really? And how would I do that?" the witch asked in a friendly voice.
Encouraged, I couldn't keep the words from tumbling out. "Just turn us back into humans and I'll see that you're handsomely rewarded. My parents will do anything to get me back."
"Is that so? And I'm the lucky witch you chose to talk to! My, oh, my," she said, her voice losing its sweet tone. "You picked the wrong one tonight, froggies! Or should I call you Your Royal Highnesses?" In one swift motion, the woman dropped the sack she'd been carrying and swooped down on us, snatching us off the ground and raising us to eye level. She studied us intently, turning us over and examining us from top to bottom. "Such nice, strong specimens! You two will do just fine."
For the first time we could see the woman's face. She was young. Her long, frizzy hair had been dyed black and showed mouse-brown roots. Her eyes were dark and sunken, her cheeks gaunt, and her skin pale. Everything she wore was black, from her long, threadbare dress and ratty shawl to her worn leather shoes.
"Emma," Eadric whispered in a horrified voice, "it's not her! This isn't the witch who did it!"
"You are a smart froggy, aren't you, Prince? I've never turned anyone into a frog, but I've been looking for two frogs like you. Your bad luck is my good fortune! Two talking frogs in one night. My luck has finally changed." The witch hummed happily as she opened the sack and dropped us in.
I landed on my back. Wiggling and twisting, I tried to turn myself over. It was dark inside the sack, with an overwhelming musty smell. I scrabbled for a handhold on the coarse cloth, wishing I had my bracelet with me. Even the small amount of light it gave off would have been helpful. A moment later the woman lifted the sack and we tumbled to the bottom, where we lay in a tangled heap.
"Ow!" moaned Eadric, rubbing the side of his head. "Watch your elbow, will you?"
"Sorry," I said, "but I didn't hit you on purpose. Maybe if we sat up ..."
I kicked the sack, the weight of our bodies making the fabric taut, but my leg bounced off and caught Eadric squarely in the stomach.
"Oof," he said, doubling over.
"Sorry," I said again. "Are you all right?"
I'd knocked the breath out of him, so it took a moment for him to answer. When he did, he was wheezing and I felt awful. "I'll be just fine ... if you'll hold still!" he said.
I inched away, trying to put some space between us, but being inside a sack didn't make it easy.
The sack began to move, swaying like a pendulum with each of the witch's steps. As she walked, she muttered to herself in a voice too low for me to understand. Suddenly, she stopped and set the sack roughly on the ground. Eadric and I could hear her trudge away, although she didn't go far.
"Quick!" I said. "See if you can open the top of the bag. Maybe we can get out while she's gone."
Eadric shifted his weight beside me. I tensed, trying to keep out of his way while he reached toward the top of the sack. "It's no use," he said a moment later. "She's tied the top shut."
"Never mind. The way our luck has been running, she'll probably be back soon anyway. Can you believe that witch? She doesn't care who we are. It looks like we're more valuable to her as talking frogs than we are as royalty. What are we going to do, Eadric?"
"I really am sorry about this," began Eadric. "If I hadn't tried to get you to kiss me ..."
"I never would have
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