What the Witch Left Read Online Free

said Tad. “I was the one who swiped the extra pieces.”
    Nora didn’t really want to eat the fudge. It had been in Tad’s pants pocketfor several hours. “All right,” she said, “but promise you won’t let Skipper talk you into anything stupid. And don’t forget to ask him about my slipper.”
    Tad took all three pieces of fudge out of his pocket. It was sticky and soft now, but it still tasted better than any other fudge he’d ever had. Tad ate two pieces.
    “That’s enough,” said Nora. But the fudge tasted so good that Tad couldn’t stop eating it. He put the third piece in his mouth.
    “Now go find Skipper,” said Nora, “and ask him what he did with the slipper.”
    Tad didn’t seem to hear. He stretched his neck. Then he carefully licked the stickiness off his hands. He got down on the floor and tried to touch his chin with his foot. After that he put his nose to the crack under Nora’s closet door and sniffed.
    “That mouse is in there again,” hesaid in a whisper. “Mousie, would you like some bacon?” Tad put his fingers under the closet door and pulled it open.
    The fat gray mouse sat in the doorway. He squeaked something, but Nora couldn’t understand it. She wished Tad hadn’t eaten all his fudge. It would be nice to know what the mouse was saying.
    Nora opened her dresser drawer and took out her fudge. It was a very big piece. Maybe it would work like two pieces. She was just going to put the fudge in her mouth when Tad reached up and batted it out of her hand.
    The next second Tad put his mouth down to the floor and gobbled up the fudge.
    “Tad! What are you doing?”
    “Meow!”
    A big yellow striped cat was in the place where Tad had been a second ago.
    The mouse jumped right over the cat’shead and ran out the door. The cat turned and streaked after him. Nora heard them go chasing down the stairs. A moment later she heard her mother scream.

    Nora ran downstairs. Her father was rushing from the living room to the dining room, trying to swat the cat with his newspaper. A vase had fallen. The flowers were scattered, and a pool of water was soaking into the carpet.
    Nora’s mother stood in the kitchen doorway waving a dishcloth. The yellow cat raced around in circles after the mouse. Suddenly the mouse ducked under the dining room radiator and disappeared.
    The cat tried to hide under the buffet.
    Mr. Cooper put down the newspaper. “Who let that cat in, Nora? Take it out of here at once. You remember what I told you the last time!”
    “Here, kitty, kitty.” Mrs. Cooper was trying to get the cat to come out from under the buffet. The cat moved farther back against the wall.

    Skipper was barking in the yard. Mr. Cooper opened the door. Skipper rushed into the dining room and over to the buffet, still barking. The cat meowed loudly. Skipper stopped barking and backed away. All the fuzzy hair on his back stood on end.
    “Where is Tad?” said Mr. Cooper. “He’ll get the cat out of here. He doesn’t like cats any more than I do.”
    Nora’s brain was working again. Things had been happening so fastthat she hadn’t had time to think. Now she was beginning to understand what was going on. That fourth piece of fudge had turned Tad into a cat.
    “I’ll get the cat, Daddy,” said Nora. She lay on her stomach and pulled the cat out from under the buffet. “Mother,” she said, “isn’t he a beautiful cat? He must belong to somebody.” Nora knew her mother liked cats.
    Mrs. Cooper came over and stroked the cat’s soft fur. The cat looked at her with big yellow eyes. “Poor thing,” said Nora’s mother. “I wish we could keep him, but your father hates cats. You’ll have to put him outside, Nora. I’m sure he’ll find his way home.”
    “Maybe he’s lost, Mother.” Nora knew the magic would wear off by morning. “Just let me keep him tonight, and tomorrow we can ask if anybody knows where he belongs.”
    Nora’s mother looked at her father. “Please, John,”