Creature Spell Book Part 1

McGinley III CreatureSpell

1

PROLOGUE

January – New York City, NY

20 years ago

“I can‟t believe I let you drag me down here,” the man with the

“Press” pass said as he put his notepad back into his overcoat pocket.

“Trust me. You‟ll never believe what this guy can do!”

The man and his reporter friend from the New York Gazette

walked into the Dolly Theatre beneath a flashing billboard that read

“Edward the Great.”

Halfway through the show Jasper, the reporter, leaned over to his

friend and whispered, “This guy is nothing special. I have seen all these

tricks before. Copperfield and David Blaine blow this guy out of the

water.”

Edward the Great had just finished sawing a woman in half when

the stage curtain fell. By this time, many people had left the theatre to

find a new source of entertainment.

“Well, I am sure they never did this last trick. No one ever has,”

the reporter‟s companion whispered back.

“Yeah sure, Benton. At least he could have gotten a good-looking

assistant so we would have something to look at during this boring show.”

“Yeah, she‟s old, but he doesn‟t need some flashy assistant to

distract the audience when he‟s got this last trick up his sleeve,” Benton

assured him as the red stage curtain rose from the floor to reveal the final

act. “No smoke and mirrors for this one Jaspo. It‟s all glass!”

Edward the Great was standing on a glass platform that was raised

five feet above the stage, supported by steel cables on each corner. The

stage swayed back and forth slowly from the weight of the magician and

his assistant, who stood next to a clear glass box the size of a coat closet.


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The slightly overweight assistant waved her hand and pointed towards the

door of the glass box. She raised her right hand to secure a rolled up black

curtain at the top of the box.

Edward the Great flung his top hat into the audience and threw his

wand up into the air a few feet before catching it in his left hand. With his

right hand he grasped the corner of his black silver beaded cape and

twisted his body around elegantly, strutting his six-foot frame around the

perimeter of the glass box. His hair was completely silver except for a

streak of black that ran down the back of his head. His assistant opened

the door of the glass box and waved her hand inside to prove there was

nothing there. All the while, the platform swung around in a 360 degree

circular motion allowing the audience to view the glass box from all

angles. After one complete rotation, Edward stepped into the glass box.

His assistant closed the door and dropped the black curtain over the glass

structure. Immediately after the curtain hit the glass floor of the stage, the

assistant began to lift it back up. The curtain rose ever so slowly as the

assistant tugged gently on a rope connected to a pulley above the box.

The audience caught a glimpse of something moving around inside

the glass box. When the assistant opened the glass door, a silver-haired

monkey stepped out. The audience gasped at the sight of the monkey.

Jasper quickly shifted his focus back to the glass box and saw only the

magician‟s wand and cape inside. Just as quickly as he had appeared, the

monkey turned around and walked back inside the glass box.

Just then, the assistant dropped the black curtain over the glass

box. Almost immediately, she lifted it to reveal a small silver mouse

standing on top of the magician‟s cape. As the assistant opened the glass

door, the mouse stepped out of the box standing up on its hind legs,

moving its hands back and forth. The audience was impressed by the

magician‟s ability to exchange the animals so quickly. Looking closely,

Jasper noticed a small black streak on the mouse‟s back as it turned

around and reentered the glass box.


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The curtain dropped for a final time, and without waiting for it to

rise, Edward the Great swung the door open pushing the curtain out of the

way with his wand and took a bow with his cape draped over his arm. The

audience came to life with a loud roar as everyone stood to applaud the

magician. As the audience continued to cheer, the glass platform was

lowered back onto the stage. Edward took his assistant‟s hand, exiting

stage right.

The audience couldn‟t believe what they had just witnessed, and

everyone started chatting about the magician‟s last trick. As Benton and

Jasper stood to leave, Jasper overheard some of the audience members‟

comments.

“That was amazing. I have never seen such a cool trick.”

“I‟m glad we stayed till the end. Those people who left really

missed out!”

“I have seen some animal changing tricks before, but never one so

fast and with back to back transformations. Amazing!”

“How did he get out of the box and get those animals in there so

fast? There couldn‟t be a trap door under that glass box or we would have

seen it, right?”

“Mom, can that magician transform into different animals?”

Benton turned to his reporter friend, “We have to go meet him. I

saw the show last night and told him I was going to bring you by tonight

to check it out. I also told him that if you liked it, you might do a story

about his act.”

Jasper made a face, squinting his eyes toward this last remark, “I‟ll

meet him, but I don‟t know about a story. It was a pretty good show, but

my readers want to read about something more interesting than a

magician‟s trick.”

“A trick!‟ Benton exclaimed. “Jasper, that was not a trick. That

man really can transform himself into different animals!”


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“What? Are you serious? Do you really believe that? If he could,

he wouldn‟t be a magician going around showing off his crazy super

power!” Jasper sneered at his friend‟s naivety.

“I‟m telling you, there is something different about this guy,” said

Benton.

“Alright, well I‟ll meet him for you, since you already told him I

would, but I‟m not committing to any stories just yet,” said Jasper.

Jasper followed Benton out the front of the theatre and snuck

around to the side alley. The street was covered with a thin layer of snow

and the alley was dimly lit by a few street lights that flickered as if they

were about to go out. They stopped at a door marked “Performer‟s

Entrance” and knocked. While they were waiting, Benton told his friend

that he had seen the show every night for the past four nights and every

time the magician had come out of the box as a different animal.

Just then, an older woman opened the door and asked what they

wanted. Jasper recognized her as the assistant from the show. She had

changed out of her stage clothes and was now wearing a more relaxed red

blouse. After Benton explained their situation, the woman disappeared to

find the magician.

“What are we doing out here? Couldn‟t we just go backstage to see

him?” Jasper asked as his breath revealed the cold temperature they were

enduring.

“He won‟t let us backstage,” said Benton. “I had to meet him out

here last night, too.”

Edward the Great opened the door, walked outside, and turned

around to assure that the door closed behind him. As he did, light from the

street lamp above reflected off his beaded cape and into Jasper‟s eyes.

Edward the Great turned back around to address Benton, “So, is

this the reporter friend who‟s going to write a story about me?”

“Well I‟m not sure about that just yet,” Jasper spoke up. “I need to

ask you a few questions about your trick first”


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“Questions!” Edward bellowed. “Didn‟t you see the performance?

It speaks for itself! I obviously can‟t give away any of my secrets!”

“I assumed not, but can you tell me where you keep all the animals

for the shows?” inquired Jasper as he retrieved a small notepad and pencil

from his back pocket.

“The animals, huh? So I guess I didn‟t fool you then?” Edward the

Great said, feigning to be hurt by this question.

Jasper scoffed, “Of course I knew. No one can really transform

into animals like that!”

“Well, I guess you don‟t know everything then because I don‟t use

any animals in my show,” Edward the Great said proudly.

“Okay, then how is the trick done?” sneered Jasper.

“That is one question I cannot answer. I‟ll be glad to discuss things

about myself, but just not about the trick‟s specifics,” said Edward the

Great.

“My readers aren‟t interested in the life story of some old

magician. They want to know how the trick is done, and I‟m still not

convinced whether they‟ll even want to know that much.”

Edward the Great was now getting agitated, “Then why waste my

time?” He turned to Benton with a scornful look, “You told me he would

be writing a story!”

Benton turned to Jasper, “What else do you need to know? What

do you want to see?”

“I‟m sorry, but if I‟m not convinced, how can I expect my readers

to be?” responded Jasper.

“Not convinced!” said Edward in shock. “Fine then, I shall

perform my trick right here, right now, in this back alley.”

“But don‟t you need your glass platform and box?”questioned

Jasper.

“No, I do not,” the magician paused to let this sink in. “but before I

do anything, you must promise me that you will write a story about me


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and my act and meet me tomorrow to discuss it before it goes to print. Is

that clear?”

“Crystal!” said Jasper getting agitated by this old magician

nobody.

“Okay, then. Close your eyes.” Edward the Great demanded.

Jasper and Benton did as they were told. Jasper heard Edward

whisper something, but could not make out the words. Just then, he felt a

cool breeze blow by his legs. He quickly opened his eyes and looked

around. However, the magician was nowhere to be seen. The only thing in

his place was his black cape, lying on the snow-covered street. Jasper

nudged Benton to open his eyes.

“What in the….Where did he go?” Benton asked as he looked

around.

Benton and Jasper searched everywhere in the alley, including a

big green dumpster that was directly behind them. Then Jasper noticed a

small lump under the cloak lying in the snow. Jasper turned to his friend

with a horrified look on his face.

“Pick up the cape,” Jasper told Benton with fear on his breath.

Benton picked up the end of the cape and bent over looking

underneath. His eyes practically shot out of his head in shock like an old

fashioned cartoon character as his mouth dropped open.

“What is it?” Jasper asked frantically. “A rat? A cat?” The

suspense was killing him.

Benton‟s eyes slowly rolled sideways rising toward Jasper.

Jasper grabbed a hold of the cape and threw it aside revealing a

smiley face that was drawn in the snow. Next to the symbol were some

small animal tracks headed back toward the “Performers Entrance” door.

Benton smeared the image with his foot in frustration. He frantically

stomped on top of the spot looking for a trap door.

“There must be something here! How could a man disappear right

in front of our eyes? And even without a trick stage or anything else?”

Jasper questioned aloud while searching for answers.


7

The street lights that had been flickering earlier now went

completely dark. Benton started to feel a cold shiver down his spine. The

alley seemed much more mysterious now.

Benton patted Jasper on the shoulder, “Well, was that convincing

enough for you!”

“I‟m not sure what to think,” Jasper said as he started to scribble in

his notepad. “All I know is I better get to work on that story!”


8

Part I Josh

&

Jackie


9

1

Coming Home

Present Day – Pocono Mountains, P.A.

“Nope. That‟s seventeen. Dad, it‟s your turn. You guys have three

left and then your guess,” Jackie announced.

“Does it have whiskers?” Mr. Callaway asked.

“Yes, that‟s eighteen. You‟re up, mom.”

Mrs. Callaway looked out the passenger side window of their

silver sedan as they left route 109. “How about yellowish fur,

Jacqueline?”

“Yeah,” moaned Jackie. “One more question.”

“I got it already, but I guess I‟ll ask the dumb question anyway,”

said her twin brother Josh.

“Okay Smarty Pants, go ahead!” Mother projected from the front

seat of the car.

“Does it have black spots? Wait…Don‟t even answer. I know it

does,” Josh quickly added.

“Yes, it does have black spots. So what? There are a lot of animals

with spots,” Jackie replied.

Before anyone could even speak another word Josh yelled out,

“It‟s a stupid cheetah!”

Turning around in her seat with a sour look on her face Mrs.

Callaway looked directly at Josh. He was an average-looking ten year old,

but he wore special box framed glasses that vastly improved his eyesight.

When he was a baby, his parents assumed he was just very clumsy, but

discovered that he needed glasses after he began walking into everything.

Josh would bump into every object around the house. His parents had to

put foam around all the sharp edges of their furniture so he wouldn‟t hurt


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himself. Now he was skinny and tall for his age. He had red hair that was

cut short with a small wave in the front. His nose and cheeks were

covered with freckles, and he couldn‟t be mistaken for anything other than

Irish. Josh loved to read and draw, especially if it involved animals.

Mrs. Callaway reached out a hand to the back seat and placed it on

her son‟s knee, “Joshua, do you have to be so mean about it?”

“Your mother‟s right, Josh, you need to speak nicer to your sister.

Apologize for that comment,” Mr. Callaway chimed in while looking in

the rear view mirror.

“Fine, I‟m sorry. Could it be a cheetah, Jacqueline?” he asked in a

sarcastically spiteful British accent.

Jackie resembled her brother with her freckles and hair color, but

she had bluish grey eyes with perfect eyesight. As Josh could hardly get

down a flight of stairs without falling, she was the total opposite, a superb

athlete who excelled in almost all sports. Not only did she compete in

sports, she also loved to cheer for them. Jackie was on the competition

cheerleading squad and was the team‟s best flyer. She had been in

gymnastics since the age of six and had helped the cheerleading squad win

multiple titles.

She had shoulder length hair which was often pulled back in a

ponytail to avoid any interference with her activities. She was short and a

little overweight for her age, but that didn‟t slow her down one bit. She

would always beat all the girls and boys in races at recess time.

Her favorite thing to do was watch the way animals moved and try

to mimic them. Once, her mother had found her practicing backbends

one afternoon in their front yard. She said she was trying to copy the

caterpillars in a nearby tree.

Furrowing her brow, Jackie stared right at her brother, “Yes, it is a

cheetah, Sherlock Holmes.”

“You two know the game‟s called twenty questions, right? And

you can pick other things besides animals?” asked Mrs. Callaway.


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Josh responded in a whiney voice, “We know mom, but we love

animals.”

His sister backed him up, “And there are so many different ones to

choose from.”

Shaking his head from side to side, Josh shouted, “Then how come

you always pick a cheetah!”

“I don‟t know. I guess I just like „em,” Jackie yelped.

The family was almost home from their trip to the cemetery where

they were visiting the kids‟ grandparents‟ graves. The Callaways always

went to the little cemetery every year on the wedding anniversary of

Grandpa and Grandma Bailey. Louisa Bailey passed away about thirteen

years ago, one year before her husband went missing. A year later the

state declared Edward Bailey officially deceased, although the twin‟s

mother never really believed her father was dead. She still thought he was

out there somewhere and hoped he would come home one day.

“Okay that‟s enough from you two. You do know why we went to

the cemetery today, right?” dad asked reverently.

“We aren‟t little kids anymore, dad,” said Jackie.

“Yeah, Pop. We just turned ten a few weeks ago. You didn‟t

forget did you? July sixteenth,” chimed in her brother.

“No, he didn‟t forget Joshua. And we also don‟t forget that you

are two minutes younger than your sister!” Mrs. Callaway said defending

her husband in a playful manner.

Their family was always taking shots at each other, testing each

other in a teasing sort of verbal battle. It was usually lighthearted, and

they defended each other at times, not allowing one person to take too

much abuse. Outsiders may have thought the children were being

disrespectful, but it was just their way to show affection toward one

another. If someone outside the family tried to get in on the action, the

whole family would pool their resources and bombard him all at once,

working as a fine-tuned “smack talking” machine. If there was a

competition for comebacks, the Callaway family would win hands down.


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“Okay,” said Mr. Callaway. “I was just checking that you weren‟t

forgetting where our family comes from.”

“We know Dad. We love Grandpa and Grandma Bailey.”

announced Jackie before leaning over to whisper in her brother‟s ear,

“Even though we never even met them.”

Grandma and Grandpa Bailey were the only grandparents the twins

had. Their father had been an orphan and never knew his parents. The

twins never had any grandparents around to spoil them like their best

friend Shamus. His grandparents would take him on trips to Florida where

he would swim in their indoor pool. Shamus was always showing off his

birthday cards he received from them filled with money every year.

Mrs. Callaway stared out the passenger window, with a tear

forming in her eye. “I love them too,” she whispered.

Mr. Callaway turned on the car blinker as they approached the

unpaved rock covered dirt road leading to their house. The twins knew

they were almost home because they saw the restaurant that was directly

across from their access road. The Pocono Lodge was a one-hundred and

fifty-year old Renaissance house. It was painted green and white to

represent the Irish owners that had been there for the last seventy –five

years. They had “the Best Cheeseburgers in the Pocono Mountains”

according to Josh. He would always order the same thing every time his

dad would take them there. “The usual?” the little old lady that owned the

place would say to Josh when they sat down in the dining room.

Josh and Jacqueline loved to borrow a few quarters from their dad

and go into the bar area to play pool before dinner. The restaurant had two

sections, one for the bar and the other for the dining room. Usually they

did not allow kids in the bar section during the evening hours. That is,

except for the Callaway twins, who were allowed to go in and play one

game of pool before their meal because everybody knew them.

The bartenders were very nice, especially Peabody, the owner‟s

son. He would even give Jackie and Josh free soda while they were

playing billiards. Peabody had two cats that lived at the restaurant with


13

him. He would let the twins pet and feed the cats after they were done

eating.

Jackie and Josh loved being around animals, which is why they

loved living in the woods. Animals could be found very easily just by

walking out their front door. The Callaways owned five acres of densely-

wooded land across the street from the restaurant. Many times they asked

their parents if they could have pets, but they would always get the same

answer, “We have plenty of animals that live all around our house. We

don‟t need any inside it.”

As the car turned right onto their access road, Josh overheard Mr.

Callaway whisper to their mother, “We may have to call the exterminator

soon. I found another dead one in the basement.”


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2

Best Friends

Before reaching their home they passed their friend Shamus‟s house.

It was the only other house on their access road; if you could even call it

that. It was more like a wide dirt path. When the kids were younger, their

mother said that a street was not official until it had its own name and

sign. So about two years ago the twins took an old broom handle and a

piece of tree bark and made their own. They decided to name it “Creature

Lane” because of all the animals that lived in their woods. Mrs. Callaway

helped them write it on the sign in red magic marker. Every year the sign

would deteriorate from the weather and the twins would put up a new

piece of tree bark and rewrite the name.

Shamus was the twin‟s best and only real friend. Of course they

had friends at school, but none of them lived nearby. Shamus only lived

two hundred yards away and was the same age as the twins. His family

moved in when the twins were two years old. Shamus‟s house was an old

log cabin-style home just like the Callaway‟s used to be, until they

decided to remodel it to make it appear more modern. The twins‟ parents

inherited the home from Grandpa Bailey after he was admitted to a

psychiatric hospital. That was about six months after their grandma died

of cancer. The twins were not even born at the time.

“Dad, can you drop us off at Shamus‟s house?” asked Jackie.

“It‟s kind of early Jackie. It‟s only ten o‟clock. Are you sure the

Sherman‟s want you to visit this early in the morning?” Dad questioned.

“Sure, Pop,” said Josh. “I bet they‟re making their famous

chocolate chip pancakes right now. They said we‟re allowed to stop by

and have some anytime we want.”

“They were probably just trying to be nice, Joshua. I am not sure

they really meant it,” cautioned their mother.


15

“No, really Mom, Mrs. Sherman said that since we always help

Shamus take care of his animals, they owe us,” explained Jackie.

Their parents agreed to let them go and stopped the car. The twins

jumped out of the car faster than two hamsters running around in a cage

wheel. They ran up onto Shamus‟s porch and knocked on the door.

Shamus came to the door with a fork in one hand and a bottle of maple

syrup in the other.

“Hey guys you‟re just in time for my mom‟s special pancakes.

What‟s with the suit and dress. It isn‟t Sunday, is it?” asked Shamus.

“Extra visit to church or something?”

“No, we had to go visit the cemetery this morning and see our

grandparents,” Jackie elaborated.

Josh looked directly at his sister with a puzzled look, “Actually,

our grandparent,” Joshua paused looking back to Shamus. “Just our

grandmother to be precise.”

“I thought both of your grandparents passed away a long time

ago?”

“Well our grandmother did, but our grandfather went missing,”

Josh continued.

“Wow, you never told me that before. Was he taken away by some

mysterious alien beings or something?” Shamus asked half-kiddingly as

his eyes widened. “Hold on. My pancakes are getting cold. Come in and

tell me while we eat. There‟s enough for everyone!” he exclaimed licking

the syrup dripping from the bottom of the upheld fork.

Shamus turned around and walked back to the table. He was a

large ten year old that was a bit taller than Jackie but slightly smaller than

Josh. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were grey. He was wearing

camouflage pajama pants and a stretched out white t-shirt. His hair was

usually gelled in a straight spike, but it looked like he just got out of bed

and was sticking straight out to the side of his head. You might have

thought he was outside in a tornado and the wind blew his hair off to the

left. He sneezed constantly and seemed to always have a stuffy nose. He


16

said it was because he was allergic to the woods. So why his parents

moved to the Pocono Mountains was a mystery to the Callaway twins.

They didn‟t care why though. They were just happy to have a great friend

like Shamus living so close.

They followed Shamus through the foyer, past the kitchen and into

the dining room. It was attached to the kitchen and connected by old

wooden flooring that ran through the entire house. The table was big

enough to fit eight people comfortably and was very old. It was left there

by the previous residents. It rested on a large red and black area rug that

traveled in swirls. The twins said hello to Mrs. Sherman as they walked

through the kitchen, and she told them to have a seat and get their

appetites ready.

The twins sat across from Shamus, and before they could even get

their pancakes, Shamus was quickly shoveling the rest of his into his

mouth. He finished the plate just as Mrs. Sherman was serving the twins

theirs.

“Ey mum wht abot meee,” said Shamus with a mouth full of

pancakes. Josh could barely understand him.

“I‟ll give you what‟s left after the twins have their portions. You

just had two plates full!” said his mother raising her eyebrows in a

disapproving manner.

After Shamus got his pancakes and the twins ate most of theirs,

Shamus asked about their grandfather and what happened with him going

missing.

Josh was the first to answer, “Well, we only know what we were

told by our parents over the past few years. They told us that Grandpa got

sick after our grandmother died a few years before we were born. She had

lung cancer and after she passed away, Grandpa stopped performing his

act and just sat around the house telling crazy stories. Our parents said

they had to eventually take him to a special hospital that could help him

get better.”


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“Performing? What did he do?” Shamus asked now giving his

undivided attention.

Jackie chimed in, “He was a magician, but not just any magician.

He was very talented and traveled all over the world performing for

hundreds of thousands of people. He even performed in New York in

front of celebrities!” Jackie smiled with pride when she said this last part.

“Wow, that sounds cool. What kind of tricks did he do?” said

Shamus sticking another huge forkful of pancakes in his mouth.

“I am not sure about all of them, but I think the usual ones like

rings, cards, and sawing people in half,” Jackie said nonchalantly.

Josh looked at her like she was crazy and said, “Remember the

trick which made him famous? The one Dad told us that mom didn‟t like

to think about.”

“Oh yeah. Dad said that Grandpa could do this one trick where he

would go inside a box and come out as an animal!” Jackie wrinkled her

eyebrows.

“WOW! Really? Why would your mom not want to think about

that trick? It sounds like the coolest one I‟ve ever heard of.” Shamus said

swallowing the last bite of pancakes in his mouth.

“I‟m not sure why she doesn‟t like to talk about it,” Jackie turned

up her arms and shrugged. “Maybe because she didn‟t like how the

animals were treated. You know, like how poorly people treat animals at

the zoo!”

“Of course I know. I am the animal king!” Shamus poked out his

chest as he placed his fork onto his empty plate. “Speaking of animals,

let‟s go to my room and check on my pets. I just got two more rodents

yesterday. I was thinking about using them as food for the snakes!”

The children put their plates into the sink following Shamus as fast

as possible. The twins loved to hang out in Shamus‟s room with all his

pets. They would occasionally help Shamus take care of them by feeding

them and cleaning their cages.


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Entering his room the twins heard a familiar voice. “Rrrhhhaaa,

Marcy wants a pancake. Rrrhhhaaa, Marcy wants a pancake.”

Shamus had a pet parrot named Marcy, which he trained to say

different things and do tricks. Instead of having her say, “Marcy wants a

cracker”, he trained her to say “pancake”.

Josh turned to Marcy and held up his hand in the shape of a gun.

“Marcy, Stick-em up!” he said.

Marcy put up her wings and said, “Don‟t shoot. Rrrhhhaaa. Don‟t

shoot. Rrrhhhaaa Don‟t shoot. Rrrhhhaaa.”

Josh squeezed the imaginary trigger, “Bang. You‟re dead!” he told

her.

Marcy fell off her perch landing in the bottom of her cage. She laid

there for a full ten seconds before opening her eyes and peaking to see if

Josh was still there. She would always wait until the person who shot her

was not looking. Then she would get up and sit back on her perch saying,

“You missed. Rrrhhhaaa. You missed. Rrrhhhaaa. You missed.

Rrrhhhaaa”

The twins were used to the Marcy routine when they entered

Shamus‟s room. One of them had been shooting her ever since he got the

parrot ten months ago. After they were finished playing with Marcy, Josh

noticed the two new animals that Shamus was talking about. He had an

old hamster cage on his dresser and there were two small mice inside.

One was bigger than the other and they both had brown fur with white

bellies.

Eventually, Josh turned his attention to the reptile cages on the

other wall. Shamus‟s room was really two smaller rooms, a bedroom and

an old enclosed porch with a door leading to the back deck. His parents

knocked down the wall in between them to give Shamus more space. His

bedroom furniture was on one side, while the other side looked like a mini

pet store.

One wall was completely covered with fish tanks. Shamus had

over twenty different species of fish. Some of them were just the usual


19

fish you find in the local waterways around their houses, but he also had a

few exotic ones that required special care. He had Beta fish, Paradise fish,

a Swordtail, a Lionhead, and a Fantail. Shamus‟s favorite was his

saltwater collection. He had an eel and a clown fish, which he named

Omen. That was Nemo, the Disney character, spelled backwards.

The other wall was covered with glass cases of all sizes, full of

different types of reptiles and amphibians. He had four types of frogs; a

white tree, a white-lipped tree, a red eyed tree, and a yellow poison dart.

He also had many lizards, such as a bearded dragon, two different

chameleons, a green iguana and Jackie‟s favorite, a green gecko. Jackie

said it reminded her of the one from the television commercials.

Josh was observing the snake section which used to have seven

snakes, but now only had three. Shamus said that sometimes they died

from being held captive or they escaped and were probably off in the

woods nearby. The three snakes that he had left were a Desert Kingsnake,

a Banded Watersnake, and the one Josh was fascinated with, an Albino

Ball Python. It was white with yellow eyes.

The three kids would often huddle in Shamus‟s room talking about

animals. Shamus described his animals‟ special traits and all the different

accommodations he had to make to keep them alive. Most of his animals

were not the ones you would find around the Pocono Mountains. He had

to order them from a special exotic animal dealer on the Internet. Once he

tried to get a King Cobra snake, but his parents found out and put a stop to

the order.

Sometimes the twins and Shamus would spend hours talking about

what it would be like to be an animal. Shamus had more experience with

animals in captivity and never wanted to be a classic pet animal. He said

it was because most pets were not treated correctly. Many parents got

their children pets, but didn‟t teach them the proper way to take care of

them. Pets are not toys for children to play with; they are real live animals

with feelings and needs, he would explain to them.


20

Jackie always wondered what it would be like to be an animal.

Although she loved cheetahs the most, she also admired mice. She said

they were like great performing acrobats, which could jump very high and

were extremely athletic. Josh on the other hand was more interested in

flying. He thought that being a bird and being able to fly wherever he

wanted, would be the best feeling ever.

Jackie noticed something about Shamus‟s new collection. “These

aren‟t your typical exotic pets, Shamus. Aren‟t they basic field mice like

we have around here? What‟s so special about „em?”

“Great observation, Jackie!” said Shamus. “There isn‟t anything

special about them at all. They‟re from right in our back woods. I found

them yesterday when I was walking back from the pond. I grabbed them

thinking they would be great food for my snakes.”

Jackie immediately jumped in, “Are you kidding me! They are so

cute, and you‟re gonna just make them pet food. Remember all the times

we imagined being animals? What do you think it would be like to be

eaten by a snake? OOOhhhh, it gives me the chilly willies.”

“Yeah, well in the animal world that‟s what happens. Animals eat

other animals. They can‟t just go to McDonalds,” said Shamus. “Anyway,

I found my old hamster cage supplies, and they‟ll be safe in there for now.

I‟m gonna let them live it up for their last few days on Earth. I plan on

feeding them a lot and making them plump and juicy for the snakes.”

“It‟s amazing that this simple cage door can keep them locked up.

You would think that they could figure out a way to escape,” Josh noted

while analyzing the cage.

“You‟re right. All they have to do is stick their arm through the

bars and lift up the latch,” said Jackie.

“That would work,” Shamus interrupted, “if they had longer arms!

Even if they knew how to lift that latch, their arms are way too short. I

think the snakes are actually the smartest animals I have because two of

them figured out some way to escape.”

“Weren‟t those two the same kind?” Josh asked Shamus.


21

“That‟s right. They were both Pygmy Rattlers. So if you hear a

rattling sound, let me know. I have been looking for them for about a

month now. They‟re probably far off into the woods, but you never

know.”

Josh began looking around the room again and noticed a

transparent orange ball on the ground. “Wow, I never saw your hamster

ball before! Did you put them in it yet!” asked Josh excitedly.

“Yeah, I did. They didn‟t seem to like it though. Every time I put

them in, they just sit there,” replied Shamus.

Josh laughed, “Maybe you found two lazy ones!” In Josh‟s mind

he pictured two mice sitting on the couch eating chips and watching TV

all day.

“Well, I think it would be fun to run around in one of those balls. It

would be like that old show, “American Gladiators,” when they had to run

around and get their ball on the platform. If we had one big enough, I

would take it for a ride,” said Jackie.

For a minute the room was still, each of them engrossed in their

own thoughts.

“So finish telling me about your grandfather and his famous trick.

Did he have a cool magician name like Shamus the Magnificent?” asked

Shamus with a gaping smile.

“Well, his stage name was Edward the Great, and like I said

before, he made the audience think he transformed into animals. My dad

told us more about it when my mom wasn‟t around. You know how most

magicians usually use the same animals for their tricks? Well, Dad said

that the most impressive part of Grandpa‟s trick was that he would

transform into two different animals each show. And he hardly ever used

two of the same.”

“Wow, that must mean he had a big collection of animals. Where

did he keep them all?” Shamus asked, thinking of the great collection that

their grandfather must have had. “Have you ever see any of his magician

equipment?”


22

“No, but I know that my mom saved all his stuff when he went into

the hospital. “In fact…” Josh paused, “I think she put it in our attic.”

“Maybe it‟s still up there! Maybe the animals are there too!”

Shamus exclaimed.

Josh rolled his eyes, “For someone who knows so much about

animals, you really don‟t think before you speak, Shamus. How could they

survive up there? And even if they could survive, I think we would have

heard a few hundred animals running around in our attic! But…,” his tone

softened, “his magic equipment might still be up there.”

“We could sneak up there and check it out. What do you think?”

asked Jackie, excited for a little adventure.

“Well, if there aren‟t any animals then I think I‟ll pass. Magic is

interesting, but I want to keep observing these mice for a while before I go

fishing back at the pond later today,” explained Shamus. “But if you find

anything cool, let me know. Maybe your grandfather will have a few

animal books lying around with his stuff. He probably knew a lot about

animals if he used so many different kinds in his shows.”

The twins started to head towards the back door in Shamus‟s room.

“Wait a minute. Before you guys leave, I thought you said your

grandfather went missing. What happened to him?” Shamus asked.

“Oh, I forgot about that part,” said Jackie. “Our grandfather was

allowed to visit our parents every once in a while when the hospital said it

was okay. One weekend, about a year before we were born, he was

visiting Mom and Dad. My mom said he was rummaging around in the

attic, and then the next thing she knew, he was gone. They think he may

have run off into the woods, because the back door was standing wide

open when they searched the house.”

Josh added, “Dad thinks he went for a walk, following the stream

behind our house down to the pond. He said that Grandma and Grandpa

use to take walks there all the time when she was alive. They sent out

search parties for two full days, but never found him.”


23

Shamus‟s voice grew solemn, “Well, I‟m sorry to hear that. At

least they had a pretty good life together. Being a magician was probably a

lot of fun, especially working with all those animals in his acts.”

“Yeah, at least they weren‟t animals trapped in cages all day,

right?” asked Josh, as he looked around Shamus‟s room.

“Well, we‟d better get going,” said Jackie. “Maybe we‟ll meet up

with you later.”

“Okay, maybe you can meet me at the pond,” invited Shamus.

“I‟ll be fishing down there later.”

The twins left Shamus in his room tending to his animals. They

walked out the back door that led out to the Sherman‟s back deck. They

walked down the steps and onto a small path. On the way down the steps,

Josh tripped and almost fell. He regained his balance just in time to jump

down to the ground, skipping over the last step.

“That never gets old!” said Jackie with a chuckle.

“Shut up, Jackie!” Josh yelled back.

The twins followed the path down to a stream that ran behind their

houses. After hitting the stream they turned left down a path leading

towards their backyard. Along the way, Jackie and Josh played a game of

twenty questions. It only took Josh three questions to figure out Jackie‟s

animal. It was a cheetah.


24

3

The Discovery

Josh and Jackie approached their backyard from the path that

followed the stream behind their home. The Callaway house was about a

half-mile off the main road where the Pocono Lodge sat. It had a kitchen,

family room, living room, and a porch on the first floor. The upstairs

contained one room for each of the twins, a small spare room, and a

master bedroom for their parents. The house had only one bathroom on the

second floor, which often caused fights when it came time for showering

and everyday use. The third floor was one large room that was used as an

attic. An old staircase, accessible through a door on the second floor, led

up to the attic. This room contained most of their grandparents‟

belongings.

The Callaways inherited the home from Debbie Callaway‟s

parents, who in turn inherited it from her grandparents. All together the

house had been in the family since the 1920‟s. The Callaways moved into

the home after the twins‟ grandfather was put into a psychiatric hospital.

The house looked the same as it did when it was first built, except for a

few modern updates that the family made to the interior.

Mr. Callaway was in the backyard cleaning the porch screens when

he spotted the kids walking along the stream. He was equipped with a

long handled brush and a garden hose. During this time of year, the

screens accumulated a lot of dust and pollen that needed to be cleaned off.

Mr. Callaway enjoyed being outside and always tried to keep up with the

usual outdoor maintenance.

When the kids got within an earshot Mr. Callaway thundered out,

“HOW WERE THE PANCAKES?”

“GREAT!” The twins yelled back at the same time.


25

“And how about Shamus and his zoo?” asked Dad as the twins

came closer.

“Shamus and his animals are fine. He found two field mice and is

going to feed them to his snakes,” responded Jackie, while looking toward

Josh, wondering why their father was so interested.

“Sounds exciting,” their dad said while rolling his eyes

sarcastically.

“It actually is!” Josh was quick to respond. “He is trying to

convince his parents to let him get another snake, too!”

Just as the kids were about to go in the back door Dad yelled, “Not

as exciting as this!” and started spraying them with the garden hose.

Jackie, being the better athlete of the two, avoided a direct hit and

grabbed Josh as a shield. Josh fought her off and tried to return the favor.

Jackie easily avoided his grasp and jumped over the three steps that led to

the porch door, throwing it open. Josh followed her into the house as

quickly as possible, but slipped on the top step and fell. He picked himself

up and chased after his sister.

They could hear their dad‟s laugh as they crossed through the open

sliding door into the kitchen. The slider into the porch was always open in

the summer time so air could flow through the home. The house didn‟t

have central air conditioning and the Callaways didn‟t see the need to use

window AC units. The forest trees were a natural umbrella, shading their

home from the harsh sun, so it never became uncomfortably hot inside the

house.

Every year one of the window screens would develop a hole and

let in flying insects. The twins‟ job was to seek out and destroy the flying

pests. They would run around the house with fly swatters pretending they

were on a secret army mission to eliminate the enemy. Josh always wore

his bike helmet, imagining he was a foot soldier on duty. Jackie usually

put on Josh‟s spare glasses and pretended that she had super vision which

helped her spot the bugs.


26

On their way up the stairs, the twins ran past their mom who was

stirring something in a big pot on the stove. As they buzzed by, she turned

toward them, “Where are you two guys going in such a hurry?”

“Nowhere….Dad was spraying us with the hose again and we‟re

JUST GOING UP TO OUR ROOMS TO PLAY,” yelled Josh from the

next room as they started up the stairs.

“I MAY HAVE A NEW MISSION FOR MY TWO FAVORITE

SOLDIERS. I FOUND A NEW HOLE IN THE LIVING ROOM

SCREEN.” Mrs. Callaway yelled back.

“OKAY. WE‟LL HELP YOU OUT LATER,” Jackie shot back.

Mrs. Callaway was surprised by her children‟s response. The

twins always loved to help rid the house of bugs. Secretly, she thought

they may even have been putting the holes in the screens on purpose in

order to get new missions.

“They must have found something very interesting to do, and I‟ll

bet it has to do with animals,” she mumbled to herself.

“WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BE READY FOR YOUR

MISSION?” she called out one last time in the direction of the stairs.

Jackie ran halfway down the stairs and stuck her head over the

banister to respond, “WE ARE GOING TO GO WITH SHAMUS DOWN

TO THE POND FIRST. PROBABLY WHEN WE GET BACK.”

“OKAY, BUT YOU BETTER BE HOME FOR DINNER.

WE‟RE HAVING THE USUAL!” their mom yelled in return. The

children weren‟t really going to their rooms, but they didn‟t want to tell

their mom about going up to the attic. Jackie remembered that their

grandparents‟ stuff was tucked away in one of the attic corners. She

thought she had seen a few old trunks up there, like the ones people use as

suitcases in old movies. Their mother didn‟t want them going in the attic.

She said it was too dusty and they would get sick. The kids never really

believed her and snuck up there anyway.

The twins quietly snuck over to the attic door. Jackie slowly

opened the door to reveal the staircase and a dumbwaiter that allowed the


27

family to transport things to and from the attic. It was very hard to carry

things up the narrow staircase, so their great-grandparents installed the

dumbwaiter to make it easier to bring things up and down. The kids

always wanted to try the apparatus, but hesitated to do so because it made

a loud scraping noise.

Josh followed Jackie as she slowly ascending the staircase. The

steps were covered with a thin layer of dust which scattered as the twins

made their way up. As Jackie‟s head popped up above the floor level she

got a clear view of the attic layout. At this time of the day, the light was

shining in through two windows on either side of the big open space, one

facing the front yard and the other facing the back. Each was cracked

open one quarter inch. The attic was full of old junk. Two old couches

and a wicker rocking chair with a big hole in the seat stood off to one side.

A long pipe suspended near the top of the ceiling held dozens of old

clothes and empty hangers. In one corner there was an old weightlifting

set with a bench, a bar, but no weights on it. A dusty crate held the

circular weights which were covered in plastic. Jackie could see the

forgotten weights, cracked open to reveal a crumbly concrete core.

Josh was almost to the top of the stairs when he tripped on the last

step and came crashing down onto the floor, sending a cloud of dust into

the air. It didn‟t matter if there were three or fifteen steps, Josh always

seemed to trip and fall whenever he encountered them. Jackie was

accustomed to his clumsiness; she actually began expecting it to happen.

Jackie waved her hand in front of her face shooing the dust cloud away.

“Shhhhh,” Jackie put her finger up to her mouth. “Your clumsiness

is going to get us caught.”

“Sorry,” said Josh looking around the room as Jackie helped him

up. The floor was totally covered with dust, except for the small section

where the kids had always found their Christmas presents. They walked

over to the window that looked out into their backyard. Josh could see the

top of his father‟s head as he continued cleaning the screens. It kept


28

popping in and out of view from behind the back porch. Every once in a

while the sound of the water hitting the house became really loud.

Across the room from the weights sat three old clothing trunks.

Jackie walked over and found an old rag to brush away the dust. Two of

the trunks were brown with gold trimming. Each had a family crest on the

top. The crest was faded, but resembled the same one that their parents

had hanging on the wall in their bedroom. It had a shield with a knight‟s

helmet sitting on top. The shield was surrounded by intertwined green and

yellow ribbons. On the shield itself were three crescent-shaped moons. In

the middle of the shield was a lion standing sideways with its front legs in

the air. It had a small flame shooting out of its mouth.

The other chest was black and had silver trimming around the

outside. Instead of the family crest there was a weird-looking symbol.

“Wow, look at this symbol. Have you ever seen this before?”

Jackie said to Josh.

“No, but I‟ve seen the coat of arms of the other trunks in Mom and

Dad‟s room,” Josh replied.

“Yeah, that‟s our family crest from Mom‟s side of the family. But

I never saw this symbol before.” Jackie was stumped by it.

“Maybe it‟s the family crest from Dad‟s side,” replied Josh.

“I don‟t think so. Remember Dad was an orphan. I don‟t think we

have any of his parents‟ stuff. Plus, this symbol doesn‟t really have all the

usual things you find on a family crest,” explained Jackie as she examined

the trunk.

The center of the symbol had an interlaced clover. The clover was

made of lines with no beginning or end. Inside the lines were different

animal shapes. The trunk had a padlock with an unusual three-slotted key

hole.

Jackie turned to Josh, “This has to be Grandpa‟s magic stuff. But,

it‟s locked. How are we going to get it open?”

“I‟ve never seen a lock like that before. The key must have three

prongs,” assumed Josh.


29

“Well, we can‟t stay up here all day trying to figure it out. If

Mom and Dad catch us in here, we‟ll be grounded for sure,” said Jackie

walking over to the weight set. She grabbed a ten pound weight and

carried it across the attic, placing it on top of the black trunk.

“Be careful, Jackie. Don‟t let mom hear you hitting the lock. Do

you want me to help you?” Josh asked.

“NO!” Jackie hissed. She knew that her clumsy brother would

probably drop it on his foot or something and definitely get them caught.

She waited until she heard her father using the hose and took a whack at

the lock. The smashing sound was masked by the noise of the water

hitting the side of the house. She managed to hit it two times while her

dad was spraying the hose, but the lock didn‟t budge.

“Wait,” Josh told her as he heard the water stop.

Jackie‟s face was beginning to turn red from holding up the

weight, when she heard the hose turn on.

“Okay, now!” Josh whispered loudly.

This time she swung as hard as she could. The lock broke off and

flung across the room, hitting a jacket that hung on one of the hangers. It

landed on the ground with a low thud. Jackie put the weight down next to

the trunk and Josh reached for the latch. They looked at each other,

nodded, and grabbed the lid of the trunk together. It made a loud

squeaking sound that prevented them from hearing the porch door

slamming shut as their father came in from outside.

Looking inside the trunk they found all of their grandfather‟s old

magician items: a black top hat, a small bird cage, a black tablecloth, a

white tipped wand, and a black cape with silver beads. Josh tried on the

top hat, and it fell down past his eyes. He lifted it up and watched his

sister take out the black tablecloth and lay it down on the dusty planks

next to the trunk. Josh reached in and grabbed the magic wand. He

swung it around in the air.

“Hocus Pocus! Allakhazam!” Josh exclaimed playfully.


30

Jackie removed the cape from the trunk and held it up in the air.

The sun light glistened off of the silver beads making shiny spots on the

attic ceiling. If she held it up over her head she might have thought she

was looking up at the stars during a clear night. Josh‟s eyes widened as he

looked at what was still lying on the bottom of the trunk. Two very old

looking books were sitting on top of one another. Josh put down the hat

and wand and grabbed the book on top. It had a faded leather cover with

two shredded corners.

“What is it?” Jackie asked as Josh fingered through some of the

pages.

“I think it‟s a diary or something,” said Josh.

Jackie was looking over his shoulder at the book. “A diary?” she

repeated.

“It has dates on the top of the pages and is written in first person,”

Josh told her.

“Holy cheetah spots!” Jackie exclaimed in excitement. “It probably

was Grandpa‟s. Let me see it.” She closed the trunk‟s lid and put the cloak

down on top of it. She grabbed the book out of her brother‟s hand and

began reading the first page.

“Hey, I was looking at that first,” Josh protested.

“There‟s another one in the trunk. Get that one.” Jackie told him.

Josh moved the cloak out of the way, picked up the trunk‟s lid, and

lifted it out of the trunk. Turning it over in his hand he began to smile

slightly. He closed the lid and the cloak fell back over the front of the

trunk.

“What are you smirkin‟ about?” Jackie whispered curiously.

“This one has that cool symbol on the front!” Josh snickered back.

The book reminded Josh of his math textbook from school. He

almost needed two hands to hold such a large, heavy book. The cover was

solid with black and green checkers. Josh sat on one of the other brown

trunks with the book, while his sister sat on the other one looking at the

journal.


31

The twins took a few minutes to peruse through each book. Josh

saw that his first page had a title written in fancy cursive writing:

Creature Spells He was already interested in the book just from the way it looked,

but the fact that it said something about creatures made him want to read it

even more.

“Maybe Shamus was right about Grandpa having a book about

animals!” he whispered excitedly.

Jackie was moving very quickly through the pages of the journal

and found a newspaper clipping in the middle. Josh looked over her

shoulder as she began reading the article:

Magic Man Is More than Just Smoke and

Mirrors If you asked me yesterday if I

believed in magic, I mean real magic,

you would have gotten a resounding NO.

That has all changed after seeing

Edward the Great’s show. Edward has

been performing his show here for the

past week in front of a steadily

increasing crowd. Word of his amazing

trick has spread, and his attendance

has doubled in size. The theatre has

been selling “standing room only”

tickets for the last two nights.

What’s all the excitement about?

Well, this is no ordinary performance.

Of course you will see traditional

tricks, such as metal rings, a woman

being sawed in half, and classic card

tricks, but the climax alone is worth

the ticket price. Somehow Edward the


32

Great has discovered the ability to

transform himself into different

animals. With the help of his lovely

assistant, his wife, he dazzles all

while performing the trick on a raised

glass stage. He admits that the stage

is just for show, because there is no

way he could possibly……………

Jasper Gale

New York Gazette

The article went on to mention the many places around the world

Edward the Great performed his act. The reporter stated that he had proof

that the tricks were real. He said he was not allowed to tell how he knew

about the truth of the tricks, but that he believed Edward the Great actually

had magical powers. The article did not offer a lot of criticism toward

their grandfather, but instead praised him for everything that he had

accomplished in the field of magic. As soon as Josh finished reading, he looked at his sister with a

skeptical eye. His sister took a few extra minutes to finish and then saw

the look on his face.

“What‟s that look for?” Jackie questioned. “This is saying that

Grandpa was a great magician.”

“Yeah, but it also says that he really could do magic. That‟s a little

strange, especially for a journalist from an established paper in New York.

Those reporters aren‟t allowed to just make stuff up,” explained Josh.

“Then it must be true. Maybe Grandpa really could do magic! The

article said that he changed into two different animals every night, just like

Dad told us,” Jackie spat back.

“Yeah, but it‟s strange that the whole article is saying good things.

It doesn‟t have one piece of criticism in it. I read the newspaper every

morning after Dad is done with it. How many times have you read it?


33

Usually reporters add their own opinions, but they still give points from

both sides of the story,” said Josh.

Jackie couldn‟t argue with him about how much she read the

newspaper. He definitely read three times as much as she did, and she

never read newspapers. Still she wanted to argue something, “Why can‟t

you just believe that there is a possibility that Grandpa really could do

magic? His journal seemed to talk a lot about it. It even said something

about that book in your hands. He said that he used it to help him in his

act.”

Josh took another look at the large book, “Well, the book

apparently contains some sort of creature spells so I could understand that.

And every page does have a different spell on it based on different

animals. But I still find it very hard to believe that Grandpa could do real

magic. In fact, you‟re not only saying that he could do real magic, but

perform transformations!”

“Well, if you don‟t believe it, then why don‟t we read through his

journal? Maybe you can find some answers in here, with your awesome

reading skills!” Jackie was taking a shot at him, but actually wanted Josh

to read it and let her know what he thought too.

Jackie opened the journal to a random page in the middle and they

began reading through the entries together. Each one had a date at the top

and talked about Grandpa transforming into a different animal. He spoke

of his experiences while he was different animals and some extremely rare

encounters. Josh insisted that his Grandpa was probably making it all up.

After they read the third entry, Jackie turned to Josh and said,

“Why don‟t you believe him? Why would he make this stuff up?”

“Did you forget that Mom and Dad had to take him to a psychiatric

hospital? You only do that if a person is crazy. Obviously he must have

really been losing his marbles if he thought the spells in this book were

real!” Josh said cold-heartedly.

“But Dad said he didn‟t get sick until after Grandma died and these

dates are way before that. I bet Grandpa found that book somehow and


34

really could do those tricks in his act.” Jackie was getting excited again.

“Wow, I think our Grandpa could do real magic. This is awesome!”

Josh opened up the Creature Spell book and flipped through a few

pages. “If that‟s true, then I should be able to say any of these spells and

transform right now!” He kept leafing through the pages until he found an

animal he liked. “Ha, here we go….A snake spell!”


35

4

The Transformation

Josh spotted a picture of a snake on the page in the large book they

found in their grandfather‟s trunk. Each page he had flipped through had a

sketch of an animal at the top. The page he read now contained a snake

sketch with a phrase underneath it. The letters in the phrase looked like

English, but it seemed to be a different language. Some of the letters even

had strange symbols over top of them. Handwritten in English was the

word “Spell” above the phrase. Josh decided to give the spell a try. He

read the spell out loud, but it sounded choppy as if he was young boy

learning how to read. He was usually a very good reader, but these words

contained letter blends he was not used to saying. He took another look at

the spell and gave it another try. This time it sounded more fluent.

“claochlaigh me isteach an nathair ainmhi is mian lion saoranacht

naisiuin eile a thogail”

When he finished reading the phrase, he looked down at himself

and held up one hand in front of his face. “I told you it wouldn‟t work.

Here, I‟ll even try another one.”

He looked at the next page which had a picture of a hawk and

repeated the phrase listed below the picture.



Once again he held up his hand to prove that nothing happened.

“See, I told you; nothing happened. I knew it. Grandpa was just making it

all up. He really was crazy!”


36

“Let me see the book,” said Jackie grabbing it out of his hand. “It

isn‟t working because you don‟t believe in it. Don‟t you know how magic

is supposed to work? You need to believe for the spells to work right.

Plus, you probably have to use a magical object. Here, give me that

wand.”

Jackie placed the book down on top of the cloak-covered trunk.

She flipped through the book until she found an animal she liked, a sketch

of a small rodent. She picked up the book and thrust it into her brother‟s

arms so he could hold it up for her to read. She climbed up on top of the

trunk. Josh had to lift the book up in front of his face, blocking his view,

so she could read the writing. The only thing he could see was her shoes

standing on top of the cloak. She lifted the wand up in the air and

pronounced the words under the picture.



Immediately after she said the last word, Josh felt a gust of wind

ruffle his hair and something hit his foot. With the book still raised, he

looked down at his feet to see the wand sitting between them. He brought

the book slowly down to his chest, looking at the spot where his sister‟s

head had been a second before. Each inch the book dropped, he kept

anticipating to see her. As he brought the book down all the way to his

waist his mouth opened wide with shock. He knew his sister was athletic

and quick, but jumping off that trunk and hiding somewhere in the room

that fast was almost impossible. He scanned the room looking for some

sort of movement, but there was nothing.

He put the book down on top of his grandfather‟s journal which

was resting on one of the brown trunks. He began to panic as he looked

around the room again. Then he got an idea and yelled out, “That was

pretty fast, but I know where you are.” He looked around the room again,

but still saw no sign of his sister.


37

He picked up the cloak from the black trunk and threw it overtop

of the books. Opening the trunk, he expected to see his sister inside, but

again she was not there. He didn‟t want his sister to think that she got the

better of him, so he began picking up all of his grandfather‟s things off the

floor. He put them back into the black trunk as he kept scanning the room.

“Okay, you got me, great one. Where are ya hidin?” Josh tried not

to sound scared.

Finally, he heard a noise and looked back behind the black trunk.

As his eyes cleared the trunk he heard a squeal. To his surprise he saw a

little mouse with red fur and bluish grey eyes. It winked repeatedly at him

and made a waving motion with its arm. As he got down on his knees to

inspect the animal he saw black spots around its nose and eyes.

“No way! It can‟t be!” he said as he realized that his sister was not

hiding, but instead was now a three-inch high mouse. He shook his head

and looked again. The mouse was still there and it appeared to be trying

to talk to him.

Jackie was indeed a mouse and she had been trying to get her

brother‟s attention for the last minute or so. As soon as she had said the

spell, she felt a strange twirling sensation and then only remembered

falling and hitting her head. The transformation into a mouse had knocked

her off the trunk, banging her head on the ground. She was knocked

unconscious for a few moments while her brother thought she was hiding.

Her clothes had vanished into thin air just as her normal human body did.

She looked like an ordinary reddish furred mouse.

She had been screaming excitedly at her brother, “Holy cheetah

spots! It worked! Can you believe it! It worked! I am a mouse! This is

crazy! Look Josh, I‟m a mouse! How about you go get me some cheese,”

she laughed at her own joke, “Hooolllllyyyy cheetah spots!”

Her brother could not understand a single thing she was saying.

Not because she was talking too fast, but because she wasn‟t speaking

English. He saw her mouth moving a mile a minute, but the only thing he

could hear was a bunch of squealing and squeaking.


38

“Wow, this is great,” said Jackie. “I‟m going to go over and show

Shamus right now. He‟ll never believe this! Come on Josh, I‟ll race you.

You probably still can‟t beat me even if I am just a little mouse!” Jackie

ran towards the attic stairs without looking back, as her brother watched

her trying to figure out what was going on.


39

Dear Reader, The time has come for you to make your decision

and follow the directions closely.

Who will you follow?

To follow Jackie as a mouse and go with her as she tells her best friend Shamus their

discovery, flip the book over to Jackie Part II on page 40.

Or

To follow Josh as he transforms and tries to get to Shamus before his sister does, keep the book as is and continue reading

Josh Part II on page 40.

Date post:	21-Apr-2015
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Creature Spell Book Part 1

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