what could have caused Henry to grow roots and…?” Rowena began. Then she started trembling and shaking all over as she finally understood the thing she’d done to Henry Piper.
Roots! Rowena had said the word before, just a short time ago. Last night on the porch—she’dpressed her thumb onto the spot on the wish card and wished…wished that…
…Henry Piper would put down roots here in Coven Tree and never leave again!
“Oh, Sam!” Rowena cried as tears filled her eyes. “Ooohh, Saaam!”
“ A nd…and then I wished on the card that Henry’d put down roots here in Coven Tree. But all I meant was for him to stay put and not be a traveling man anymore. Instead he’s got real roots, and he’s stuck !”
Rowena barely finished telling Sam and Henry about Thaddeus Blinn’s magic before she burst into bitter tears. “Oh, Sam, what am I going to do?”
But neither Sam nor Henry was listening. Sam was looking at Henry like he was seeing a dragon or an ogre or some other mystical beast. And Henry was staring with fear and trembling at his own bark-covered ankles.
“Henry did put down roots. Real ones, just like you asked for,” said the awestruck Sam.“Magic—that’s the only thing that could have done this.”
“Just like Polly Kemp’s croaking,” said Rowena. “She got one of the cards too, and it must be the same magic that—”
“Never mind Polly Kemp.” Henry’s voice was like the rustle of wind through leafy branches. “What about me ? I’m the one who’s stuck here. And it’s getting worse all the time. Bark’s creeping up my legs. I’m getting stiffer and stiffer. Food seems to be coming up to me from the roots growing out of my feet. And now it’s getting hard for me to talk.”
“Sam,” Rowena moaned. “He’s turning into a…a…”
“A tree,” said Sam.
“Rowena, do something!” Henry yelled hoarsely.
“Calm down, Henry,” said Sam. “None of us have had much experience with magic. It may take a bit of time to figure something out.”
“But I haven’t got time,” Henry said. “I’m changing…changing….”
“Maybe I should go looking for Thaddeus Blinn,” said Rowena. “Maybe he’d come backand revoke the wish. He’s only been gone two days. He can’t have gotten far.”
“No,” said Sam with a shake of his head. “A human couldn’t go far. But Blinn seems to be a creature of magic. He could be on the far side of the moon by now.”
“Then maybe Daddy or Mama could think of something.”
“Most likely you’d just start ’em worrying, and they’d spread word about Henry all over town,” Sam replied. “Then we’d have people milling around out here and either laughing at Henry or else giving advice that isn’t worth a hill of beans. I say we keep this to ourselves. Rowena, you were the one who took the card from Thaddeus Blinn, and you made the wish on it. So you’ll have to find a way to release Henry from the spell. Nobody else can do it for you.”
“And hurry!” Henry added.
“But I can’t think of anything,” said Rowena.
“Then the least we can do is make Henry comfortable until you come up with an idea,” said Sam. “Maybe if we pulled up the weeds around his feet, it’d help.” Sam Walked in a circle aboutHenry. Then he bent down and picked up a leather case from a clump of weeds. “What’s this?”
“That’s what I keep my catalog and order blanks in,” Henry said. “Don’t you go opening that, Sam Waxman.”
“All right, Henry. I’ll just put it in the barn where it won’t get wet. Rowena, you start pulling those weeds.”
As Sam left the clearing, Rowena began yanking at the weeds. Henry started giving orders like a slave driver. “Don’t get too close to my feet, Rowena…. Take bigger handfuls, Rowena…. Pile ’em over there, Rowena…. There’s one you missed, Rowena….”
“Henry Piper, you shut your face!” Rowena snapped suddenly. “I’m doing the best I can. Don’t you think
Roots! Rowena had said the word before, just a short time ago. Last night on the porch—she’dpressed her thumb onto the spot on the wish card and wished…wished that…
…Henry Piper would put down roots here in Coven Tree and never leave again!
“Oh, Sam!” Rowena cried as tears filled her eyes. “Ooohh, Saaam!”
“ A nd…and then I wished on the card that Henry’d put down roots here in Coven Tree. But all I meant was for him to stay put and not be a traveling man anymore. Instead he’s got real roots, and he’s stuck !”
Rowena barely finished telling Sam and Henry about Thaddeus Blinn’s magic before she burst into bitter tears. “Oh, Sam, what am I going to do?”
But neither Sam nor Henry was listening. Sam was looking at Henry like he was seeing a dragon or an ogre or some other mystical beast. And Henry was staring with fear and trembling at his own bark-covered ankles.
“Henry did put down roots. Real ones, just like you asked for,” said the awestruck Sam.“Magic—that’s the only thing that could have done this.”
“Just like Polly Kemp’s croaking,” said Rowena. “She got one of the cards too, and it must be the same magic that—”
“Never mind Polly Kemp.” Henry’s voice was like the rustle of wind through leafy branches. “What about me ? I’m the one who’s stuck here. And it’s getting worse all the time. Bark’s creeping up my legs. I’m getting stiffer and stiffer. Food seems to be coming up to me from the roots growing out of my feet. And now it’s getting hard for me to talk.”
“Sam,” Rowena moaned. “He’s turning into a…a…”
“A tree,” said Sam.
“Rowena, do something!” Henry yelled hoarsely.
“Calm down, Henry,” said Sam. “None of us have had much experience with magic. It may take a bit of time to figure something out.”
“But I haven’t got time,” Henry said. “I’m changing…changing….”
“Maybe I should go looking for Thaddeus Blinn,” said Rowena. “Maybe he’d come backand revoke the wish. He’s only been gone two days. He can’t have gotten far.”
“No,” said Sam with a shake of his head. “A human couldn’t go far. But Blinn seems to be a creature of magic. He could be on the far side of the moon by now.”
“Then maybe Daddy or Mama could think of something.”
“Most likely you’d just start ’em worrying, and they’d spread word about Henry all over town,” Sam replied. “Then we’d have people milling around out here and either laughing at Henry or else giving advice that isn’t worth a hill of beans. I say we keep this to ourselves. Rowena, you were the one who took the card from Thaddeus Blinn, and you made the wish on it. So you’ll have to find a way to release Henry from the spell. Nobody else can do it for you.”
“And hurry!” Henry added.
“But I can’t think of anything,” said Rowena.
“Then the least we can do is make Henry comfortable until you come up with an idea,” said Sam. “Maybe if we pulled up the weeds around his feet, it’d help.” Sam Walked in a circle aboutHenry. Then he bent down and picked up a leather case from a clump of weeds. “What’s this?”
“That’s what I keep my catalog and order blanks in,” Henry said. “Don’t you go opening that, Sam Waxman.”
“All right, Henry. I’ll just put it in the barn where it won’t get wet. Rowena, you start pulling those weeds.”
As Sam left the clearing, Rowena began yanking at the weeds. Henry started giving orders like a slave driver. “Don’t get too close to my feet, Rowena…. Take bigger handfuls, Rowena…. Pile ’em over there, Rowena…. There’s one you missed, Rowena….”
“Henry Piper, you shut your face!” Rowena snapped suddenly. “I’m doing the best I can. Don’t you think
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