The kids dispersed at lightning speed, no one even noticed Hanna. As she looked towards the corner of the garden, she saw a mysterious figure standing by the fence, a short, thin figure in long, baggy clothes and long, grey hair, her face was hidden by the brim of her tattered hat.
\n\u201cGet out of here!\u201d She shouted at Hanna in a hoarse voice. \u201cIf I see you here again, I’ll tell your parents and you\u2019ll be in big trouble!\u201d
\nScared out of her wits, Hanna ran to the other end of the street, towards her home. From the middle of the road, she looked back and saw the intimidating figure nailing a new sign to the gate:
\nDO NOT ENTER, OR YOU\u2019LL BE IN TROUBLE!
\nWhen she was done, she let the cat out of the car and started walking down the weed lined path towards the door of the unfinished house. The cat ran after her, and half way up the path, it looked back and seemed to wink at Hanna.
\nThe girl flinched.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t be stupid,\u201d she said to herself, \u201cIt didn\u2019t wink because cats can\u2019t wink!\u201d Then she shook her head and ran home.” “Early the next morning, the children gathered in front of the fence of the house and held a meeting.
\n\u201cDid he really say that?\u201d Patrick asked in disbelief after Hanna had told him about yesterday’s events. \u201cThat\u2019s preposterous! Who is this strange person? What is she doing here? So where will we play from now on?\u201d
\n\u201cI think we should go around the house and look in the window from the back terrace. She definitely doesn’t live here; she can’t live here; nobody has touched this house for years\u201d speculated Benny.
\n\u201cTrue. Hanna will find out who she is. And we’ll find out what she wants\u201d said Patrick, pushing Hanna towards the fence.
\n\u201cWhy don’t you go, you’re the boys! The commanders!\u201d
\n\u201cVery well\u201d said Patrick, not wanting seem cowardly. \u201cBenny, come with me!\u201d
\nThey started along the fence to get behind the house, but suddenly Benny shouted.
\n\u201cWow! Look at this! A whole forest has grown here since yesterday!\u201d
\nThe previously barren and weedy backyard was indeed full of trees: you couldn’t even see the back terrace for them.
\nBut the mysteries only multiplied as time passed.” “Barely two weeks later, the children were already afraid to go near the house. Inexplicable things happened one after the other: the garden was rapidly tidied up, the tiles on the roof got fixed, the terraces were paved, and the walls were plastered and painted, although no one had ever seen a single worker renovating the house.
\nSometimes the mysterious figure would show herself, working in the garden or calling her cat from the terrace. Sometimes she would go to the shop two streets away, but her basket would only contain canned cat food and milk.
\n\u201cI can’t believe we can never play there again. It\u2019s not fair! We have to get the house back from the witch.\u201d Patrick complained one August afternoon. The black cat was rubbing against the witch\u2019s legs, \u2018as the kids had started referring to the mysterious figure, and would often spend its time with the kids, only disappearing when his owner called for him.
\n\u201cKitty!\u201d The witch cried from far away; which was when the cat would take a big jump and head for home. A loud screeching of brakes scared the kids: there was a red car in the middle of the road, with the cat lying in front of it. It had hit the cat.” “Hanna was the first to run there, while the startled driver clambered out of the car.
\n\u201cI didn’t see it… I\u2019m so sorry… it all happened so quickly… Is it still alive?\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s alive, but we need to take him to the vet,\u201d Hanna said, trying to pick up the barely breathing cat.
\n\u201cKittyyyy!\u201d screamed the witch again, unable to see the accident from the terrace of her house.
\n\u201cHanna! The witch must not find out, or we are doomed! What do we do now?\u201d said Patrick in panic, who had reached the side of the car by then.
\n\u201cWe have to take him to the vet right away… Then once he’s treated, we’ll have to find a way to smuggle him back into the garden. It’s the only way,\u201d Hanna said resolutely.
\n\u201cOkay, but who will smuggle it back?\u201d Benny asked, and Patrick already had the answer:
\n\u201cWell, Hanna, of course.\u201d
\nHanna did not reply. She hugged the injured cat and walked towards her home with it.
\n\u201cKittyyyy! Where are you, stink face?\u201d cried the witch, who would wait in vain for her cat until the next day. ” “\u201cFortunately, he is not badly hurt, only his left hind leg is broken. He will be fine in a few weeks, but the waterproof layer on the plaster will need to be replaced every two days. Is the kitten yours?\u201d The vet asked Hanna.
\n\u201cNo, it’s not mine, but it lives on our street. We don\u2019t know his owner.\u201d
\n\u201cWe’ll read his chip in a minute, if he has one.\u201d Which fortunately, he did, although the doctor scratched his head in disbelief as the computer retrieved the data.
\n\u201cAll it says is Hexy, 58 Flower Street. Nothing else. That is the name of the owner, no family name. All rather strange. And the cat’s name is… Kitty.\u201d
\nSo many mysterious things had happened around the witch that the missing family name did not surprise Hanna for a moment.
\n\u201cI’ll take him home. Thank you for your help!\u201d
\n\u201cWait, I’ll give you another box of painkillers. He should have some of these every morning to relieve the pain. Tell his owner… Mr. Hexy\u2019 said the doctor as he handed over the medicine, and Hanna said goodbye with Kitty in her arms. She had no idea how she was going to get the cat back to Hexy’s house.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1074,"template":"","class_list":["post-1076","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n