seventeen

Bright sunlight covered the street. But, April was the only one outside at 7am on a Saturday morning. Just before the corner, there was a small park.

“Austin . . .” she said, breathing heavily, “we’re here!” She took the book bag off and put it on the ground. She quickly unzipped it and took the little white dog out. She placed him on the grass and looked in the bag.

“All clear—no pee or poo.”

He trotted a few steps and started to go to the bathroom.

“Wow, you really did have to go. It sounds like a hose,” she said.

He looked up at her and growled.

“Sorry . . . sorry,” she said. “I’ll give you privacy.” April looked up at the white, puffy clouds. The morning sun warmed her cheeks and made her close her eyes.

Austin is fluffy like those clouds. Ha ha. I could just imagine him floating off like a cloud . . .

“ARRRR! ARRRR!”

Austin let out a loud whine—almost a scream. She opened her eyes to find him two feet off the ground and floating higher, just like the clouds she was imagining. She wrapped both of her hands firmly around him and pulled him close to her chest. I just made him float. He floated like a cloud like my daydream. I am a witch. Wow. I am . . . a . . . witch.

“Oh my, Austin, I am so sorry!”

He grumbled.

“I’ll let you finish what you were doing. I promise I won’t think about you floating into the sky anymore. I won’t interrupt you again . . .” She looked back at the morning sky and closed her eyes.

OMG . . . Am I a witch? Maybe I do have a gift. But, is this a blessing or a curse? What if mean people try to make me do mean spells like in the movies? Geez, what if I hadn’t opened my eyes? Poor Austin would have floated to heaven. April took a deep breath. But, hmmm . . . what else I can do?

“Ewwwww!” April wrinkled her nose. “Austin I think I smell what you are doing now.”

“Grrr . . .”

“I’m not looking. I’m not looking.” She kept her eyes closed.

Maybe this is a blessing. Maybe Grace is right. Eve’s book may help. Then, I won’t make any more messes. Gee, we really could do some great stuff. She laughed as she imagined Ms. Meanie with clown face paint. And, I could save that worm that Jimmie was poking with a stick. I could make the worm wiggle away too fast for Jimmie to catch it. Or better yet, she could make it jump into his nose. She laughed again.

“Hey! Sleeping Beauty!”

April opened her eyes. She saw Grace looking at her from the sidewalk at the edge of the park.

“Austin and I were waiting for you to wake up,” Grace said, pointing to the dog. Austin sat, with his head titled to the side, looking at April.

Grace held her cell phone up. “Eve said she is on her way.”

“Oh my goodness, we’d better get back now. I was, uh, daydreaming.”

In a rush, April scooped up Austin and placed him in the backpack, giving him one last pet before she zipped it up.

Grace pinched her nose. “Oh my! He really did have to go.”

April put on the backpack and stood up.

“What about that?” Grace said, pointing to Austin’s pile of poo.

“I didn’t bring a bag,” April said, walking toward her house.

“But—”

April turned and talked to Grace while walking backward. “I’ll come back later and get it. We have to go. I have to tell you what just—whoa.” April tripped but caught herself before she fell. “That was close.”

As they walked in the door of April’s house, they saw her mom watching the news.

“Hi girls,” she said, looking at the clock. “Wow! You’re up and out early.”

“Yes . . . um . . .” April said, looking at Grace.

“Yeah, we want to finish our project with our new friend, Eve,” Grace said.

“I thought it was an essay,” April’s mom said.

“Oh, yeah, it is. It’s a group project that’s an essay on the president,” April said, bumping Grace.

April’s heart pounded. Her mouth was open, but no words were coming out.

“We took some books out of the school library,” Grace said, looking at the backpack.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“That must be Eve,” Grace said. April glanced at the clock and she opened the door.

Perfect timing, Eve. Thank you.