Billie explains what’s happened and Jack listens carefully.

‘So I need you to come with me to get the basket back,’ she says. ‘I’m too scared to go on my own.’

‘All right,’ Jack says, packing away his Lego. ‘But no talking about witches or ghosts or anything else spooky like that, OK?’

‘OK,’ Billie promises. ‘Thanks, Jack. You’re the best.’

Jack and Billie hurry downstairs. ‘Billie and I are just taking Scraps for a walk,’ Jack calls out to his parents.

‘OK,’ his mum calls back. ‘But only for half an hour. We’re going to your grandma’s for lunch.’

Scraps jumps up and down excitedly when he sees the leash.

Billie and Jack walk him out the front door and along the footpath, towards the spooky house. Outside, lots of people are walking their dogs. Billie and Jack wave at Mr Ahmed from across the road with his tiny poodle. Scraps and Mr Ahmed’s poodle bark at each other.

As they get closer to the spooky house, Billie feels her heart begin to jump about. What if the witch sees us coming? she worries.

What if she catches us and eats us for dinner?

Soon they arrive. Billie looks up at the cracked window on the top floor glinting in the sunlight. It blinks back at her and she shivers.

Jack ties Scraps to the fence and he and Billie open the gate as quietly as they can. Screeeee!, it squeals. Billie freezes, looking up at the front door.

‘Oh no!’ she says. ‘The basket’s gone! The wi– I mean, the woman must have taken it!’

‘Well, I guess someone lives here after all,’ Jack says calmly. ‘Come on. We’ll just knock on the door and ask for the basket back.’ He grabs Billie’s hand and pulls her to the door.

‘No!’ says Billie, pulling away. She stands shaking beside Scraps at the gate. ‘Don’t worry about the basket, Jack. Let’s go home! I’ll just tell Mum and Dad I lost it!’

‘Billie,’ says Jack, shaking his head and looking a little annoyed.

‘There’s no such thing as witches, remember? You made that story up.’

‘I know!’ Billie says. ‘It’s just that…’ But before she can finish, Jack has begun rapping on the front door. Almost immediately, it swings open and the tall white-haired lady is there. She looks even scarier than she did the day before.

‘Hello again!’ she says to Billie. ‘You’ve come back, have you?’ She smiles her yellow-toothed smile.

‘Um, we left a basket on your doorstep,’ Jack explains. ‘We were just wondering if we could have it back? Billie’s parents need it for a picnic.’

‘Oh yes,’ says the woman, resting her hand on Jack’s shoulder.

Billie sees the horrible red splashes on her fingers.

‘I took it inside,’ the witchy woman continues. ‘Why don’t you come in? I’ve just got something in the oven that I need to check on.’

Billie feels all her blood drain down to her feet. Children, she thinks. I bet that’s what she has in her oven! She turns to run away, but then, to her surprise, Jack answers the scary old lady.

‘Sure!’ he says, without looking at Billie. Then he steps right into the woman’s dark hallway.

‘Jack!’ Billie calls out. Her voice comes out like a terrified squawk.

Jack turns and smiles curiously. ‘Can you watch Scraps for me?’ he says. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’

Billie’s mouth drops open in disbelief. Jack is going inside? she thinks. But he is the scarediest person, I know! Maybe the witch has cast a spell over him?

But before she can say or do anything, the woman closes her front door.

With Jack on the other side.