LISA PREZIOSI the children’s weight giving the unsettling feeling that at any moment the kids would crash right through the old wood Mrs Kinder’s house slumped against itself like all the wood was resting and being held up only by the wispy cobwebs in its corners The paint was peeling and chipped the windows dark and covered with heavy drapes Dangling from the sagging porch beams were rusted baskets so grimy the flowers had long since abandoned them The baskets blew in the wind giving out a long whiny sound that sent spidery shiv ers down Johanna’s neck Why why do we have to go whined Casper Because Mom said we do answered Johanna pulling Casper along But why Did Mom finally decided to kill us Casper exclaimed his eyes narrowing at Johanna Casper Johanna’s annoying nine-year-old brother was frequently suspicious of others He had brown hair and green eyes that narrowed whenever he thought someone was trying to trick him which of course was most of the time It’s only for a couple hours Hours Casper whined But I hate it there her house smells like mothballs and basement and and wet cat 10
THE ICE MAIDEN’S TALE Johanna sighed Casper you know Mrs Kinder doesn’t have a cat Exactly Casper answered raising an eyebrow What does that tell you Johanna let out another sigh and used her sternest I’m-your-big-sister-and-Mom-left-me-in-charge-so you-have-to-listen-to-me voice This isn’t my favorite way to spend an afternoon either but we have to do what Mom says Now hurry up before someone sees us going inside As they stepped on the old creaky porch a bolt of lightning cracked the sky like an egg Rain poured out Johanna screamed Yeah right replied Casper This house doesn’t bother you at all You’re not even a little bit scared He punctuated his sentence by sticking out his tongue The lightning just surprised me okay Now let’s get this over with Johanna approached the front door It must have been painted red once but now all that was left were grimy patches of paint on the old wood Just above Johanna’s eyes was a rusted door knocker She guessed that it was supposed to be an an gelic face like those cute golden cherubs you see scat tered inside Christmas trees but time and weather had battered it making it look ill and ghostly Johanna took a deep breath and grabbed the knocker trying not to look at the haunting face 11
LISA PREZIOSI Quickly she rapped it against the door It let out a sur prisingly loud boom Why can’t she get a doorbell like a normal per son Johanna grumbled Because she’s a witch Casper replied smacking himself in the forehead How many times do I have to tell you And how many times do I have to tell you that she’s just a strange old lady With that the door creaked open and in the door way stood the aforementioned Mrs Kinder She was one of the tiniest and most ancient looking people Jo hanna had ever seen She couldn’t have been more than four and a half feet tall Her hair was wound in two braids on top of her head like a gray crown and perched on her nose were oddly small spectacles Peer ing over them were blue eyes that seemed ghostly bright against her skin Her mouth broke into a smile that seemed almost too large for her little wrinkled face Welcome dearies Come right in I’ve made you some apricot cookies When Mrs Kinder turned her back Casper mouthed to Johanna Don’t eat the cookies Then he grabbed his throat and faked choking Stop Johanna mouthed back and followed Mrs Kinder into the house Johanna would never admit it out loud but Casper was right about the smell in Mrs 12
THE ICE MAIDEN’S TALE Kinder’s house exactly like wet cat and moth balls The entryway had an old oriental rug the color of dried blood and covered in black swirls There was a narrow winding staircase ahead with stained glass windows op posite its twisted railing We’re not going up there Casper exclaimed in horror Johanna glowered at him Of course not Casper I thought we’d go into the sitting room for a story answered Mrs Kinder in her high-pitched voice Story Casper eeked out his eyes narrowing once again Can’t we just watch TV I don’t own a television Mrs Kinder replied and Casper gasped But but how How do you live Casper asked incredulously If you mean how I pass the time dearie I have lots of hobbies At that Johanna gulped a bit The word hobbies seemed so ominous Knitting and reading were not the first things that came to Johanna’s mind Instead she pictured the witch from Hansel and Gretel fattening up the children in sweet anticipation of eating them Cas per gave Johanna an I-told-you-she-was a-witch-but you-didn’t-believe-me-and-now-we’re-going-to-die glare 13
