Witch

There was a witch in the next yard! An ancient old woman in dilapidated rags. Lenya was absolutely sure of this. He had been watching her for several months now, perched on a retaining wall with a perfect view of her apartment. He met her by chance when he was walking home from school. She looked just like an illustration from a fairy tale. Well, right one-on-one! Having found out where this fabulous character lives, Anna decided not to tell his friends right away, so as not to look like a fool, but to take a closer look first. But the longer Megan watched, the more confirmation he found for his guesses!

―Oh, come on!

― I don't believe it! ― his friends responded.

Sasha scratched the back of his head thoughtfully:

"What makes you think that?" Maybe it's an ordinary grandmother. She lives by herself, doesn't touch anyone, and you're her witch!

― And you go look at her yourself! She has a crooked nose and a wart on her forehead!

"So what?"

― And the clothes are old, old! Even your grandmother doesn't have one!

― Does she have any abilities? Tolik asked curiously.

―Don't you understand?"

― Well, superpowers? If she's a witch, then she must have superpowers!

― There is! She can turn people into cats! ― Megan declared, goggling his eyes.

Tolik and Sasha burst out laughing.

―Oh, come on! You're lying! We don't believe you!

"Come on!" Take a look for yourself!

And Megan took his friends to an observation post.

― Do you see, she has different herbs on the balcony? So, I saw her pinching them off a little and throwing them into her big pot," he shared in a conspiratorial whisper.

"You've read too many fairy tales!" Tolik slapped him on the shoulder and was about to leave when a dark, dry figure appeared in the doorway of the balcony.

"There she is!" Megan whispered, glad that his friends would see everything for themselves now.

An old, old, hunched grandmother came up to one of the bunches of herbs, pinched off a piece, and carried it into the kitchen, where there was a huge black pot on the stove, from which steam was pouring.

― Have you seen it? I'm not lying! She really is a witch! He's brewing his own potion there!

―And what does she need it for?" Sasha asked, startled.

― To turn people into cats! I saw a tall man come to her, and a few minutes later a cat came out. And the man didn't come out anymore!

― I still don't believe it!

― You'll see tomorrow! He always comes to her at the same time, on Wednesdays!

The next day, the friends gathered in the same place again and, frozen, watched the apartment. Indeed, soon a man entered the entrance and, going up to the first floor, rang the doorbell. The witch opened it. A few minutes passed, and the door opened again, only a black cat came out of it.

― Wow! Sasha exclaimed, scratching his head with excitement. "She makes real potions!"

― Well, that's it! Tolik blinked.

― And that's what I'm telling you!

"Why would he turn into a cat?" Sasha asked thoughtfully and fearfully. ― Doesn't he turn back into a human after that, since he comes every Wednesday?

— I don't know. Maybe he likes it better that way," Megan replied.

― Who would like to be a black cat? Tolik objected.

― It's not completely black! He has a white spot on his paw!

"What else does she do?"

"I've heard her recite spells. He's standing on the balcony muttering something. And he's waving his hand around like that. I just don't really know what she's doing there. Maybe he's stirring his own potion? You can't see it from here.

― I wonder how!

― Yeah....

―Let's get in and see what she's got there." Well, if she's a real witch, there's probably a lot of witch stuff in there! Tolik suddenly suggested.

―Oh, well... don't.

"Are you afraid?"

- No! Sasha flared up.

"What about you, Megan ?"

― Yes, I'm not afraid at all! I've been following her for a long time! ― Megan answered smartly, and he bit his lip. Climbing into the witch's lair was scary after all. But then Tolik will joke about him all the time.

― And Sasha got cold feet!

― So you didn't get scared! ― He answered with a frown. "Come on!"

― Not now! We have to wait for her to leave.

― Exactly!

The boys sat in ambush for a long time, watching the apartment and wondering how to get into it. The balcony was open, and there was a thin cherry tree nearby, which was gradually shedding its leaves. Anna and Tolik argued for a long time about which of them would climb first, and Sasha listened in silence. He was very afraid to climb into the terrible dwelling, but he did not want his friends to think that he was a coward.

"I can climb!" I even know how! Tolik declared.

- No! I'm going to climb first! ― Anna objected.

"Why is that?" I'm older!

― Hey! For a month? I showed it to you, so I'll go first!

In their heated arguments, they almost missed how a dry, hunched figure quietly closed the apartment door and slowly left the entrance.

― Look at this! Sasha exclaimed.

As soon as the witch disappeared from the courtyard, the boys rushed into the front garden, which stretched in front of the balcony. They ran around the cherry tree this way and that, but its trunk was so smooth and the branches were so high that even the three experts, who had already torn a lot of pants, could not climb it.

"Let me give you a lift, and then you can let us in through the door!" Tolik suggested.

― Come on!

And Megan , standing on his friend's shoulders, managed to reach the bottom branch and swing his leg over the balcony.

"We're finished!" Sasha suddenly whispered, white with fear. He was watching the entrance from behind the bushes, but was distracted by his friends and missed the moment when the mistress of the terrible lair returned home. She was shuffling up the steps, leaning on the railing, hunched over something black and moving. "She's back!" Let's run!

The door lock clicked.

― How did you get back? Tolik gasped, looking at Lenka hanging on the frame. "Jump back in!" We must run!

"Where to?"

"She's back!"

At that very moment, Anna turned around and saw through the kitchen how the old woman entered the hallway. When she saw the boy hanging from the frame with one foot on this side of the balcony, she frowned menacingly and went straight to him.

"Run!" Megan shouted and wanted to jump to the ground, but unsuccessfully caught his sleeve on the handle of the window frame and crashed into the apartment with a crash. ― Ayayayayaaaaay! ― it came from there.

My friends, fearing that they had the strength, rushed away.

― What should I do now? What about Megan ? Sasha whispered through his labored breath when they reached the shelter and lay down on the ground to watch what was happening in the apartment. "She's going to kill him!"

"Look!"

They could see how a wizened old woman in rags clung to Sasha and, muttering something, dragged him into the room.

― What will happen now?

― We should tell his parents! Tolik exclaimed, and they rushed headlong to their rooms.

No one was at home, no matter how much the guys banged on the door, and none of them knew the phone. Finally, Sasha thought of calling his father. He told about the witch, about the surveillance, about the potion, and that Megan had fallen onto her balcony, and the old woman had dragged him away.

When the boys came running back, they saw a wizened figure in black rags struggling to climb inside the car with a flashing light. The door closed, and, turning on the siren, the car took off.

At home, each of them received a scolding from their parents.

― And what about Lena? Sasha asked, looking at the floor, after listening to an angry tirade from his father and enduring his mother's sobs about what a terrible person he, Sasha, was growing up to be.

"You're not supposed to know now!" Not only did he climb into someone else's apartment, but he also left a friend in trouble! My father snapped.

The next day, and then Megan did not come to school. He disappeared altogether. He stopped contacting me and did not walk in the yard. He wasn't at school either. Sasha felt guilty, and he and Tolik decided to go to his homeroom teacher to find out something. He knew that Maria was harmful, even though she was young, so he was afraid to approach her, remaining stuck on the threshold of the classroom. But Tolik briskly approached the teacher.:

"Why would you want to know?" "What is it?" she asked sternly, looking over the top of her glasses.

"He's my friend!"

"So you're a bad friend if you don't know why he's not at school!" ― she replied, and the boys had to leave with nothing.

"She must have bewitched him." Or boiled and eaten! Sasha said.

Rumors quickly spread among the school kids, and soon everyone knew about the witch story and why Anna had disappeared.

And then suddenly he appeared. I came to class as if nothing had happened. He sat and smiled, and everyone stared at him. There was such excitement in the class that the teacher was barely able to finish the lesson. As soon as the bell rang, everyone took off and ran up to Lena. He was smiling mysteriously and limping.

"Where have you been?" Where have you been? What happened to you? Why are you limping? It rained down on him from all sides.

Megan , like a hero after being wounded in battle, climbed with difficulty onto the low windowsill of the school corridor, looking at the children who surrounded him from all sides. Sasha and Tolik sat next to him, mouths hanging open in surprise, and expected to hear the story in great detail.

"We thought she cooked you!"

"Who?"

―The witch!

Megan burst out laughing.

"She's not a witch!"

"How?"

― And that's it!

"What happened to you?"

― After I climbed onto the balcony and fell, it hurt terribly. They told me later in the hospital that I had broken my leg. So, grandma Natalia helped me get up, called an ambulance and took me to the hospital. I stayed at home for a month because the doctors wouldn't let me walk. And she visited me.

"Why didn't you call?"

― My parents took my phone as a punishment! ― Anna slapped his knee with annoyance in his voice and immediately winced. ― It still hurts…

"So she's not a witch?" Sasha asked cautiously.

"Then who is it?" Tolik intervened.

― An ordinary grandmother. It just looks intimidating. That's because she's very poor, and she doesn't have anyone. I'm ashamed now that I called her a witch. She turned out to be very kind.

"What about the man she turns into a cat on Wednesdays?"

― This is a special employee who helps lonely old people.

"Well, what about the transformation?" Adam interrupted impatiently.

― There is no transformation! It's just that the cat doesn't like this person, and when he comes, the cat asks to go outside. And baba Natalia lets him out. And then he takes it back when the employee leaves. The cat is very affectionate. I became friends with him," Megan added proudly. "His name is Blackie!"

― That's a story! So you became friends with a witch?

― Stop! Her name is granny Natalia! She's very nice. And my parents said they would help her from now on," Anna said with a frown.

"Maybe we can help her, too."