Chloe Slipperslide’s Secret

Chapter Three The Wicked Spell

Snippit flew around in circles, cawing with delight as Jess, Lily, and Goldie rushed to Chloe. The purple sparks died away, and the little otter blinked up at them, her eyes wide with worry.

“It’s okay,” Lily said, picking Chloe up and cuddling her. “We’ll stop the spell.”

Then Jess spotted an orb of yellow-green light floating toward Agatha’s shop. “Oh, no!” she said with a groan. “Look! Grizelda’s coming!”

With a flash of smelly sparks, the orb transformed into the witch. She wore a purple tunic over tight black pants and high-heeled boots, and her green hair swirled wildly around her bony face. Snippit landed on her shoulder.

Grizelda stroked Snippit’s scruffy head. “Well done,” she told him. “That otter will soon start being messy, too. Then you can spoil the forest together—and the meddling cat and the interfering girls won’t be able to stop you! Ha-ha!”

“Yes we will, Grizelda!” Jess shouted. “We stopped Peep’s spell, and Masha’s, and we’ll stop Snippit’s, too!”

“Snippit’s much smarter than those two.” Grizelda sneered. “You won’t win this time!” She threw back her head and laughed, her locks of green hair twisting and swirling about her head. Then she snapped her fingers and vanished in a splatter of stinky sparks. Snippit landed next to the other three Witchy Waste creatures.

Lily turned and called to the animals, “Grizelda’s gone!”

They all crept out slowly from their hiding places. Lily glanced at Chloe, who was still in her arms. The tiny otter had a dazed look in her eyes.

“Will she be okay?” Violet Flippershell asked tearfully.

Goldie knelt down next to her. But before she could answer Violet, Snippit swooped over and pecked at a ribbon.

“Leave that alone!” squawked Agatha the magpie. “You’ve made enough of a mess already!”

“I’m just getting started,” Snippit told her, gleefully turning over a basket of ribbons. Then he picked up a little pair of scissors in his beak and stuffed them into his waistcoat pocket!

Agatha’s feathers all stood up on end. “That’s stealing!” she told him furiously.

Chloe suddenly wriggled out from Lily’s arms. She ran to Sophie Flufftail and snatched the seed bracelet the squirrel had been making. Then she flapped her front legs and hopped away into the trees as if she was trying to fly.

“Oh, no!” said Goldie. “The magic’s starting to work. Chloe’s already behaving just like Snippit!”

“Poor Chloe!” Violet wailed, her head and legs disappearing into her shell.

“We have to do something!” squawked Agatha, her wings flapping madly.

Jess pulled her little sketchbook from her pocket. “Don’t worry,” she said. “We know exactly what to do! We need the spell we found in Mrs. Taptree’s library.”

Lily nodded. “It worked for Olivia Nibblesqueak and Evie Scruffypup. Let’s hope it works for Chloe!”

Jess flipped to a page in her sketchbook and read aloud. “A spell to turn you back into yourself again:

“Right,” said Lily, “we have to find out Chloe’s favorite hobby, her favorite food, and her secret.”

“Then put them in her favorite place to break the spell!” Jess added. She turned to Goldie. “Let’s go and talk to Chloe’s family. They’ll know what her favorite things are.”

“Good idea,” said Goldie, “but I’m not sure where they live.”

“Should we ask Violet?” suggested Lily. “She’s friends with Chloe.”

Poor Violet was so upset about Chloe that she was still in her shell. Jess knelt down and whispered to the little turtle. “We need to find the Slipperslides so we can help Chloe. Can you tell us where they live?”

There was a sniff from inside the shell, then the little violet swimming cap appeared, and the tiny turtle peeped out.

“They live on the Wide Lake,” she said, shakily.

“Thanks!” said Jess. “Come on, we’ve got to lift that spell—before Chloe turns into a naughty crow like Snippit!”