Sadie's Story (9 page)
Authors: Christine Heppermann
“R
eady for Taco Night?” Sadie asked Wilson, who was sprawled out next to her on the window seat. “I wish Onyx was here. Ms. M says refried beans are his favorite.”
She put down
Birds of Lore and Legend
. It was a good book, but she couldn't concentrate, not with the yummy smell of onions and
chili powder wafting over from the playhouse.
In the backyard, a jittery wren landed on the feeder Sadie had bought that morning at the garden supply store with some of her yard sale money. She liked knowing that it was a wren and not a sparrow or a nuthatch. She liked watching birds closely and noticing their differences. They didn't all look the same, and they didn't all act the same, either. Some were shy. Some were bold. Some were show-offs. Some were copycats.
She petted Wilson. “If you could read, you'd love
Birds of Lore and Legend
. It would be like a menu to you and Onyx.”
Wilson's eyes closed completely. He
arched his back more deeply under her hand.
“Onyx,” Sadie said, her gaze following the ribbon of smoke that meant dinner was almost ready. “Ms. M really misses you. Please come back. Please.”
Her hand began to tingle as if it were falling asleep. Then, suddenly, sparks! Crackling between her fingertips and Wilson's fur. Instantly awake, the cat shot out through the open window. He hated static electricity. Which was all that was, wasn't it?
Except that when Wilson reached the hydrangea at the edge of the garden, he stopped. Crouched. Flattened his ears.
The hydrangea swayed. Swayed more. A small black nose parted the thick stems and quickly retreated.
The nose might belong to any neighborhood cat. It might belong to a rabbit or to a raccoon. Or it might . . .
Sadie raced through the kitchen, clattered out the back door, and sped to the playhouse.
She knocked, and there was Ms. M, a brightly colored Mexican serape draped over her shoulders and spilling down the front of her black dress.
“There's something in the bushes,” Sadie said, panting. “It might be Onyx.”
“Wonderful! Wait just a moment.” She returned with her wooden spoon coated in refried beans.
Sadie tossed the hissing Wilson back indoors, and together she and Ms. M advanced toward the hydrangea, Ms. M wielding the crusty spoon like a magic wand. Together they kneeled in the grass.
“See anything?” Ms. M whispered.
“Just leaves. And dirt.” Her hopes sank as she examined the shadows beneath the
branches. Maybe she'd imagined the nose after all.
But then one of the shadows began to move.
The shadow sprouted sleek black fur and whiskers.
The shadow blinked its golden eyes.
The shadow stuck out its small pink tongue and lapped at the witch's spoon.
“Hello, my dear boy.” Ms. M waited until he was finished, handed Sadie the spoon, and gathered Onyx into her arms. She kissed his small black nose. She kissed it again.
Sadie reached to pet Onyx. The witch intercepted her hand. Held it tight. “Thank you, Sadie. You found my cat for me.”
“I didn't do anything. He just came back.”
“Really?” Ms. M pressed her fingertips against Sadie's. The connection between them was warm. Electric. “If I opened my field guide, would you be listed as solitary, drab, shy, and retiring? I don't think so.”
“L
et's get into the spirit of things!” From her bag, the witch pulled a sombrero with gold tassels and plunked it onto Sadie's head. “A perfect fit.”
Next she grabbed her broomstick, spun around twice, and lightly tapped the goldfish-shaped piñata hanging in the corner. “For after supper,” she said, teetering a bit before regaining
her balance. “If the cats are interested.”
“Onyx likes candy?” asked Sadie.
“Oh, yes. Especially M&Ms. Which in this case means Mackerel and Mahi-Mahi. But for us, right now, some savory
carne asada
.”
“It looks really good.”
“It
is
really good! Hold out your bowl.”
Sadie and Ms. M sat against the sturdy walls and ate. After a few cautious sniffs and growls, Wilson and Onyx had settled down and wereâmiracle of miraclesâside by side, sharing a small red saucer of beans. Sadie wished she had a camera. She could show the picture to Jess and Maya and say, “Sorry you
missed our fiesta. It was so much fun.” Maybe she could convince Ms. M to leave the chili pepper lights wrapped around the rim of the cauldron for one more day so Jess and Maya could see them.
Tomorrow. Her friends would be home tomorrow. How had four whole days gone by?
Time was such a shifty thing. Like the great horned owl at the park yesterday. When Sadie had turned away to watch a gaggle of Canada geese totter across the bike path and then almost immediately turned back, the owl was gone. As if it had never been there.
“More guacamole?” Ms. M passed her the
bowl. “I got the recipe from a
bruja
who lives just outside Puerto Vallarta. Carmelita will be so excited to see Onyx again! We used to spend every winter with her, but it's been a while.”
Wilson jumped up onto a black suitcase and began cleaning himself. A suitcase? That meant . . . Sadie dropped her taco. “You're leaving.”
Ms. M nodded. “I dreamed Ethel was in Mexico. And even if she's not,
El Gato Grande
deserves a little fun in the sun after all he's been through, don't you agree?”
“But you can't!”
“Why not?”
“Well, because . . . I mean . . . you just can't.”
“You'll be fine. I'll write to you.”
“That's what Jess and Maya said.” Sadie blinked back tears. The walls tilted and spun as if the playhouse were a carnival ride.
“I'm sure their postcards are in the mail.” Ms. M squeezed Sadie's hand. Then she reached down beside her for the field guide. “Hold on to this for me while I'm gone. You watch for Ethel here. I'll watch for her there.
I have a good feeling she'll turn up.”
The weight of the book in Sadie's lap felt solid. Steady. “So you're really going.”
“I really am. But that doesn't mean I won't be back.” The witch smiled. She had a green speck of jalapeño stuck between her front teeth. “Keep an eye on Bob and Lois, will you? If Lois's cough gets worse, you might try letting her perch in the bathroom while you shower. The steam will ease her congestion.”
Sadie managed a small grin. “Sure. I'll lend her a sweatshirt and a baseball cap. My parents will think she's my new friend from the park. It worked for you.”
Cackling, Ms. M stood up and opened a cat carrier that sat beside the battered roll-on suitcase. Onyx walked right in.
“Can I go with you?” asked Sadie. “Just to the street?”
“You know what would be best? If you would check the cauldron to make sure I turned it off. Fire safety is important. Also, would you mind getting the door for me, please?”
Without thinking, Sadie opened the door. Ms. M staggered through with her belongings and bumped it closed behind her. Sadie stood with Wilson in the playhouse for a second before she cried, “Wait!” and rushed out into the yard.
Deserted. There was the lawn in all its greenness. The sky in all its blueness. The house in its houseness. But no tiny woman. No giant suitcase. No cat carrier.
Poof.
A dark, speckled bird landed on the feeder.
A grackle? Before she could open the field guide, her mother stepped onto the back patio holding the white phone. “Sadie? I just talked to Jess's mom. The girls can't wait to see you tomorrow.” She started back inside and stopped. “Honey? Why are you wearing a sombrero?”
