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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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
2
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
3
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!”
McGinley III CreatureSpell
4
“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”
McGinley III CreatureSpell
5
“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
McGinley III CreatureSpell
6
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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!”
McGinley III CreatureSpell
8
Part I Josh
&
Jackie
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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
McGinley III CreatureSpell
10
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
11
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
12
“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
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.”
McGinley III CreatureSpell
14
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.”
McGinley III CreatureSpell
17
“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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
18
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
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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?”
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.”
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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?
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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!”
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
“claochlaigh me isteach an nathair ainmhi is mian lion saoranacht
naisiuin eile a thogail”
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!”
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.
“claochlaigh me isteach an nathair ainmhi is mian lion saoranacht
naisiuin eile a thogail”
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.
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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.
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“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.
McGinley III CreatureSpell
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.