Creative Storytelling Mystery Fiction Young Readers

Hi everyone! I\\\\\\\'m Linda, your octogenarian (that means I\\\\\\\'m in my 80s) storyteller. Won\\\\\\\'t you join me on the path to finding out \\\\\\\"Which Witch is Which?\\\\\\\" Throughout human history, storytellers have been the keepers of magic, wisdom, and wonder. Long before books existed, people would gather around fires or in village squares to listen to tales passed down through generations. These storytellers weren\\\\\\\'t just entertainers -- they were historians, teachers, and guardians of their culture\\\\\\\'s most important lessons. In ancient times, traveling storytellers would journey from town to town, carrying stories like precious treasures in their memories. They would share tales of heroes and adventures, teaching children about courage, kindness, and friendship along the way.

Even today, storytellers continue this ancient tradition, whether they\\\\\\\'re grandparents sharing bedtime stories, teachers reading to their classes, or authors writing books. Each storyteller adds their own special touch to the tales they share, keeping the ancient art of storytelling alive and helping young minds grow through the power of imagination.

Reading stories to and with young people has always brought me such joy. Over my forty years as a schoolteacher, I watched countless faces light up as we explored magical worlds together. Not a day goes by that I don\\\\\\\'t think about those bright eyes and eager minds – they made teaching the most rewarding career I could have imagined.

I’ll never forget the collective gasps when we reached surprising plot twists, or the thoughtful questions that showed how deeply my students engaged with each story. Even now in retirement, I still feel that spark of excitement when sharing a new tale.

And speaking of new tales, let me tell you about this book you\\\\\\\'re holding. Which Witch is Which? is a mystery where nothing is quite what it seems. Throughout the story, the true identities of our witchy characters remain hidden until the very end. While I\\\\\\\'ve scattered plenty of clues and hints along the way for sharp-eyed readers, you\\\\\\\'ll need to follow every twist and turn to uncover the truth of this witchy riddle.

What is the problem with “doppelwitches” (these are witches that look alike)? I’ll tell you what: you never know which witch is which. In today’s world, sadly, words have become weapons. A war of words is going on every day in our lives, and it is an actual battle, one that we must win. The old nursery rhyme adage \\\\\\\"Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you” is as archaic as the typewriter it was written on. The fact is words have power and they can harm you. They may not break your bones, but they will break your heart and spirit – if you let them. As you probably already know, even “good words” when miscommunicated can sometimes cause misunderstandings.

I have tried in Which Witch is Which? to use every kind of words I could think of -- rhyming words, funny words, long words, tongue twisters, puns, play on words, made-up words, descriptive words, and even a twist of Shakespeare, Elvis and Dr. Suess’s words of whimsical persuasion that words do matter (see if you can tell “which is which”). Likewise, there are many Bible verses that are applicable and come readily to mind here as the one I learned as a child: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And another version of the Golden Rule: “Treating other people with the concern and kindness you would like them to show toward you” is easy to recite but sometimes so hard to follow.

It takes for granted that everyone around you, is just like you and we all know that is not the reality. We may not always agree with the choices that other people make, but we must always respect their right to do so. So, all we can do is make a sincere effort to strive to look for compassion and empathy in our own lives as well as others. Then, perhaps, watch the St. Jude commercial of the precious child with the powder pink glasses, with her arms out, running to her Daddy...where no words are needed.

So gather \\\\\\\'round, dear readers! Let\\\\\\\'s embark on this magical adventure together. I can\\\\\\\'t wait to share this story with you, just as I shared so many others with my beloved students over the years.

First of all, my sincere and heartfelt thanks to all my family and friends who have supported me in this endeavor. It wasn’t easy, but it was enormously rewarding. To all those who’ve retired and said, “I’m going to write the Great American Novel or at least a book,” well, it took me many years after retiring from teaching amazing students but here it is. I like it and I hope you do too.

The satisfaction of accomplishment in finishing my book is far outweighed, though, by the thought that this story already brought to me in writing it as well as the hope that it will bring some fresh joy to readers of all ages in the years to come. My love and thanks to all the children I’ve known, whose wide-eyed wonder at story time inspired me to finally put pen to paper. Finally, to all future readers: thank you for joining me on this magical journey. May these pages spark your imagination just as so many beloved books have sparked mine throughout the years.

Which Witch is Which?

Once many witch decades ago, or maybe this decade or just last month (who really knows?), there were two witches who looked exactly alike. One was named Which, and the other named Who. When I say exact, I mean exact in the total meaning of the word, as in every minor detail, from the same location of their warts to the same number of hairs on their heads, not that I have counted them of course. Even their snaggled teeth were snaggled in the same location. Their appearance was just perfect for them and I am told they liked it a lot.

Although these doppelwitches looked identical, they were not twins. Even so, I think they could have been kin because of their green skin. They delighted in playing their tricky guessing games of which witch is Which and which witch is Who, and it looked like no one had a clue. That is until Bonnie Blue moved into the little quaint house with her grandma just below the cozy cave where Which and Who lived with their Grandhag and first covens. I never really knew why Bonnie Blue came to live with her grandma and at first, she seemed a little sad but it was not long before she seemed glad.

Looking back, this was probably because Bonnie quickly made new friends and met the awfully handsome, escapable irresistible, town barn owl, who had been a long-time branch manager and knew the talk of the town. The town barn owl was quite the remarkable fellow, with heart-shaped face as white as moonlight and feathers that looked like they\\\\\\\'d been dipped in caramel and cream. He was known throughout the village for his impeccable manners and his endless supply of interesting stories, which he\\\\\\\'d collected over years of perching in his favorite oak tree and quietly observing everything that happened below.

Unlike most barn owls who preferred to keep to themselves, this particular owl enjoyed nothing more than a good chat, especially if it involved sharing juicy town gossip or helping a new friend solve a mystery. His silent flight and keen hearing made him the perfect gatherer of secrets, though he was very particular about which ones he shared and with whom. He had a special fondness for watching Which and Who’s magical mix-ups from his cozy branch, and would often twist his head completely around (as owls do) to keep track of their zany identical antics.

This barn owl’s name was “Hootsirmesir” and he took Bonnie Blue under his wing, so to speak, and through his eyes, Bonnie Blue saw everything that happened in her little town. Bonnie Blue listened intently as he told her all about Which and Who and how all the local residents did not have a clue which witch was Which and which witch was Who. Hootsirmesir blinked his right, third eyelid that acted like a windshield wiper going back and forth which slyly let Bonnie Blue know that he knew which witch was Which and which witch was Who. This wink may have been lost on Bonnie, though, because she was fascinated by Hootsirmesir’s third eyelid, and she hoped he would do it again. Flapping his large wings, the owl simply grinned, took flight and hooted away.

One day, Grandma was told by Grandhag at their seniorcise class that Which and Who wanted to welcome Bonnie Blue to the neighborhood by bringing her a house warming gift. A house warming gift is such a thoughtful way to say we are glad you are here. Hootsirmesir decided to join them just in case he was needed and just because he was curious. There was a knock, knock at the door and Bonnie Blue said, “Who’s there?”

“It’s Who, who did you think it was...Boo?”

Confused, Bonnie Blue replied, “BooHoo?,” but Who quickly responded with yet another corny joke, “Boo-Hoo, don’t cry little baby,” said Who, “Gotcha – har har!”

The housewarming witches wouldn’t stop there, though. One of them asked, “What do you call two witches who share an apartment?” and the other immediately replied, “BROOM-mates!” and they both laughed uproariously and even Hootsirmesir grinned a beaky grin. Not to be outdone, the first witch asked, “What do you call a witch who teaches magic?” and her twin quickly shot back, “A SPELL-ementary teacher!” and again, they both laughed uncontrollably, holding their bellies and twisting about.

Groaning a bit, Hootsirmesir rolled his eyes at the corny jokes and Bonnie said, “Come on in,” and she took their hats and coats for it was a very cold day. After her guests were seated, Bonnie Blue introduced herself, “My name is Bonnie” and when she turned around from petting grandma’s dog, Which said “Blue?” “How did you know?,” said Bonnie Blue. “Well,” Which replied, “I call them like I see them, and Who said AWK-word.” Bonnie knew she was in for a fun time with these witches.

Bonnie asked her guests to sit down for tea. “I hope you like tea,” said Bonnie Blue, and “Who said, Yes! I love T, it is next to U and then comes V!” “Then WXY and Z,” said Which, and both of them laughed. Which and Who thought they were so funny. They continued, “When I was a baby my mummy told everyone I loved alphabetti soup! She was putting words in my mouth,” cackled Which. Who could not stop cackling and rolled on the floor break dancing because she wanted a break. Hootsirmesir just rolled his eyes at the witches’ bad jokes and silly antics.

Bonnie Blue smiled politely as the witches cackled away, their laughter echoing through her cozy living room like a gaggle of geese on a sugar rush. She poured tea carefully, hoping the soothing beverage might calm the whirlwind of silliness. As she handed Hootsirmesir his cup, Who blurted out, \\\\\\\"Oh, speaking of tea, did you hear about the witch who opened a tea shop?\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"She called it \\\\\\\'Spill the Tea-kettle!\\\\\\\' Har har!\\\\\\\" shouted Who, nearly tipping over the sugar bowl. Which doubled over, howling with laughter, and accidentally knocked her hat to the floor.

Bonnie picked it up and handed it back, muttering, “I should’ve expected this when I saw your broom parked sideways in my flowerbed.”

Which perked up, as though Bonnie’s comment had sparked a memory. “Oh! Speaking of brooms! Did you hear about the witch who tried to clean her floors with her broom?”

“No...” Bonnie answered cautiously.

“She got swept off her feet!” shrieked Which, and the twins cackled so loudly that the teacups rattled in their saucers.

Hootsirmesir, who was sipping his tea with impeccable owl dignity, groaned again and muttered under his breath, “Do they ever stop?”

Apparently not, because Who chimed in, “And did you know witches never get sick on airplanes?”

Bonnie, now caught in the whirlwind, couldn’t resist. “Why not?”

“Because they always have the best flying experience! Ha!”

Hootsirmesir let out a long, dramatic sigh and folded his wings. “Well, at least someone is enjoying themselves,” he said, glancing at Bonnie, who was valiantly trying not to giggle.

At last, Bonnie Blue decided it was time to rein in the chaos. “Okay, okay! Enough with the jokes—who’s ready for cookies?” Which and Who froze mid-cackle, their eyes twinkling with delight. “Cookies?” they asked in unison, as though she’d just promised them a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. “Yes, cookies,” Bonnie said, holding up a plate. “WITCH cookies?” asked Who hopefully. “No,” Bonnie replied, “just chocolate chip.” “Even better!” they cried, diving for the plate. For a brief, glorious moment, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of munching and happy sighs. Hootsirmesir looked at Bonnie and gave her a small, approving nod. \\\\\\\"Well played,\\\\\\\" he whispered, before grabbing a cookie for himself.

Next, Who said, “Let’s take a break, Do you have anymore T?” Bonnie Blue was not going to let them get the best of her so she said, “I can say the alphabet BACKwards in 10 seconds.” Which and Who said impossible, Bonnie Blue said if I do will you tell me which witch is Which and which witch is Who. They put their wands together and said okay, if you can say the alphabet backwards in 10 seconds we will tell you which witch is Which and witch Which is Who, Bonnie thought about it for a second and then said, “Sounds like a plan” Finally, she thought but tried to hide how thrilled she was. Hootsirmesir used his four right toes to time her. He said, Ready, Set Toe! I mean go! Bonnie quickly turned around BACKwards and said: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ...

Hootsirmesir who was keeping time with his right four toes said, “You did it in 8 seconds!” Bonnie Blue said, “Oh, that is great, now tell me which witch is Which and which witch is Who.” Which and Who were fuming so much that they had been tricked that the smoke detector went off. Bonnie Blue hollered over the beeping and turned around backward and said, “Are you going to tell me or go back on your word?”

Which and Who in ire put their wands together and then said assuredly, “We said that if you could say the alphabet BACKwards in 10 seconds that we would tell you which witch was Which and which witch was Who.” Bonnie replied, “I know and that is what I did! Just ask Hootsirmesir.” Perking up, Hootsirmesir responded, “Remember, Bonnie Blue did it in 8 seconds not 10!” Bonnie Blue jumped up and down shaking the whole house, but at least it stopped the smoke detector from beeping.

Bonnie Blue said you are tricksters and Which and Who said you have to be one to know one. “You knew what I meant, Hootsirmesir,” said Bonnie Blue. Hootsirmesir who never took sides just reminded her that you must always say what you mean and mean what you say. Just ask Horton who was standing nearby, he learned you must say what you mean and mean what you say: “100%” said Horton. “You give me a headache 100%,” said Bonnie Blue,

Changing the subject 100% Hootsirmesir said, “What about the house warming gift you brought Bonnie Blue to welcome her to the neighborhood?” Which got the gift out of the broom closet where he had parked their very long broom. Who was so proud of herself said, \\\\\\\"I picked out your gift,\\\\\\\" she said with excitement, \\\\\\\"Grandhag was at lion dancing so she asked me to get a nice house warming gift for you.\\\\\\\" Bonnie Blue, again with reluctant acceptance said, \\\\\\\"Thanks\\\\\\\" and started unwrapping the gift. Bonnie Blue looked puzzled as she looked at the gift and said, \\\\\\\"You got me a... you got me a... heater?\\\\\\\" Grandma who was standing nearby broke the spell, sorta speak and said, \\\\\\\"What a nice surprise!\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Yes, it is a surprise,\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue as she put her head in the wrapping paper in disbelief.

Who said, \\\\\\\"Yes, I was just about to give up trying to find a house warming gift when I saw this on the top shelf at Ghostco and it said, \\\\\\\'It will warm your house up to 2500 square feet.\\\\\\\' But the salesclerk addressed my concern about the feet, shaking his head he said \\\\\\\'You really do not have to have square feet, any shape would do!\\\\\\\'\\\\\\\"

Bonnie Blue moaned and put more wrapping paper around her head and I believe the muffled sound that I heard was \\\\\\\"GET THEIR RECEIPT SO I CAN TAKE IT BACK!\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"It\\\\\\\'s getting late so maybe we should wrap this up,\\\\\\\" said Hootsirmesir. Grandma agreed without reluctance and got them their wraps and hats and of course their broom out of the broom closet. Grandma reminded them \\\\\\\"to wrap up because it was really cold outside,\\\\\\\" while moans were heard coming from the direction of the wrapping paper. Which and Who got on their broom but could not resist one last dig that they knew Bonnie Blue would not dig. Which and Who said in unison: \\\\\\\"We were going to tell you which witch is which and which witch is Who, but looks like you are all wrapped up!\\\\\\\"

All of sudden the wrapping paper started digging across the carpet like a centipede with 2500 square feet and 25,000 toes. All that was heard was a muffled sound saying \\\\\\\"I am going to...\\\\\\\" but we never knew what because those two doppelwitches flew out that door like a bat out of a boiling cauldron. Hootsirmesir offered to help put the centipede... I mean Bonnie Blue to bed but Grandma insisted that she would be fine when she was unwrapped and wrapped in her favorite blanket and drank a cup of warm tea – and she was.

Chapter Three: Song Time!

The next day, Bonnie Blue was still angry at the witches and said some muffled words that were very mean and not worthy of being repeated here, although Bonnie Blue kept repeating them -- words that seem meaningless... \\\\\\\"I do mean it, I mean what I say! I do mean it I mean what I say. I do mean it 100 percent ...\\\\\\\" Grandma consoled her granddaughter, which she loved very much by saying, \\\\\\\"Everything is going to be okay, for tomorrow is another day.\\\\\\\" So the next day Bonnie Blue woke up to a beautiful sunshiny day where she could hear Grandma singing her favorite song \\\\\\\"You are my Sunshine.\\\\\\\" This reminded Bonnie Blue of how her sweet grandma would rock her and sing that song to her:

Grandma pours her magic tea,

Warm and cozy, just for me.

In her rocker, soft and slow,

Singing songs from long ago.

Tea with Grandma, what a treat,

Every sip is calm and sweet!

Bonnie cherished those memories and wanted to make her grandma happy so she decided to let bygones be bygones. It is not often that you can plan the future by the past, but in this case she did. But she wasn’t completely a bygone girl because she still had images of three Ws Which, Who, and Wrapping paper. This made her want to continue her quest to find out more information from Hootsirmesir, so, Bonnie Blue begged the wise owl to tell her the secret of how to tell which witch was Which and witch which was Who.

“Don’t waste your time,” said Hootsirmesir, “Use your Bonnie Blue brain and be tirelessly energetic when looking beyond the surface and shadows, in observing these broommates, and you will see which witch is Which and which witch is Who. In the meantime, here’s a fun song that will help you remember:

Hootsirmesir had advice,

Wise and sound and true.

“Look beyond the shadows cast,

With a clue-clue here,

And a clue-clue there,

Here a clue, there a clue,

Everywhere a clue-clue,

Hootsirmesir had advice,

Wise and sound and true!

She followed Hootsirmesir’s advice and looked beyond the surface and the obvious literally. Bonnie Blue hid in the shadows of the bushes in hopes of finding any clue to which witch was Which and which witch was Who. She watched them closely as they flew down on their broom and took love symbols and used them to write across the sky: “Double, double toil and trouble: Fire Burn, and cauldron bubbl...but before they could write the last e, Grandhag sent them a signal by smoke Eak mail which read: “Double, double you are in trouble, get home on the double.”

But Which and Who continued their mischief day after day as Bonnie Blue watched them fly down together on their broom and get hats that were blowing in the breeze and watched them turn umbrellas upside down so locals would get wet from the showers. Which and Who would sneak up behind Bonnie Blue where she was hiding and wiggle their noses and puddles would splash all over her. Speaking of noses and roses and payback. One afternoon they even sang this silly song, teasing Bonnie even more:

“Fly, fly, fly your broom,

Through the starry night,

Who and Which with tricks to stitch,

Cause mischief left and right!

Zoom, zoom, zoom they go,

Over fields and streams,

Cackling loud, they’re mischief proud,

Bonnie actually liked their silly song and was about to ask the witches to sing it again to she could remember the words, but they just laughed, shook their heads and said, “Maybe next time, Bonnie Blue!” and flew away on their brooms.

One day Bonnie Blue gave Which and Who some beautiful flowers and put a rose in the middle of them. \\\\\\\"Which and Who, why the rose?\\\\\\\" And Bonnie Blue said, \\\\\\\"Smell it and you will see.\\\\\\\" Which and Who bent down to smell the rose, and Bonnie Blue squeezed the trick rose. Blue dye went all over their faces, making them blue. \\\\\\\"Let\\\\\\\'s get out of here, Who,\\\\\\\" Which said. \\\\\\\"Come on!\\\\\\\" Who was now blue. \\\\\\\"Eak,\\\\\\\" said Which. \\\\\\\"Did I just give Bonnie Blue a clue to which witch is Which and which witch is Who? Or is Bonnie Blue clueless?\\\\\\\"

Even though Bonnie Blue, I think, did not know for certain which witch was Which and which witch was Who, she said she did because she was so tired of their shenanigans and witchy, switchy, tricky tricks. She put on an air of secrecy and pretended to be in the know, and this infuriated Who and Which so much that they patted their head, rubbed their nose, stomped the ground, until smoke started coming out of their ears.

Bonnie Blue laughed and said, \\\\\\\"Look at you two, you are Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"What? How dare you call us Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!\\\\\\\" said Which and Who. They were outraged! \\\\\\\"I would rather be called that than have it on Friday\\\\\\\'s spelling test, wouldn\\\\\\\'t you?\\\\\\\" Bonnie Blue was puzzled by their reaction and said, \\\\\\\"That means you are wonderful,\\\\\\\" she explained. \\\\\\\"Wonderful? Who wants to be a wonderful witch?\\\\\\\" said Which, sitting on the broomstick. \\\\\\\"Did you say \\\\\\\'Who wants to be a wonderful witch\\\\\\\'?\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue.

\\\\\\\"No, I said, \\\\\\\'who wants to be a wonderful witch\\\\\\\'... not Who!\\\\\\\"

Bonnie Blue, Which, and Who were clearly confused, so Who called Bonnie Blue \\\\\\\"FLOCCINAUCINIHILLIPILIFICATION!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"I beg your pardon,\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue as she got bluer and bluer. \\\\\\\"Did you just call me the—\\\\\\\"

Which interrupted quickly and said, \\\\\\\"Who called you nothing.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"I heard him! He did call me something!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"He called you nothing,\\\\\\\" Which repeated. \\\\\\\"Isn\\\\\\\'t that right?\\\\\\\" he asked Webster, the duck, who was nearby. \\\\\\\"Well,\\\\\\\" said Webster, \\\\\\\"It does mean nothing, but that is the abridged—\\\\\\\" but before he could finish, Which said, \\\\\\\"Well, get off the bridge and tell Bonnie Blue what it means.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"I know what Supercalifragilistic means. It is atrocious,\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue, as she has always been very precocious.

\\\\\\\"Who called me nothing?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Well,\\\\\\\" said Which, who always tried to apply witchical thinking, \\\\\\\"Who called you nothing. Do you want to be called something?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"No,\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue, \\\\\\\"but who wants to be a nothing princess?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Why do you keep saying that?\\\\\\\" said Who. \\\\\\\"I do not want to be a nothing princess.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"I did not say that,\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue. \\\\\\\"I said \\\\\\\'who wants to be a nothing princess?\\\\\\\' Not you, Who!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Not again,\\\\\\\" said Which, who had a terrible headache and was for some reason craving a nothing burger.

\\\\\\\"Did you say a nothing burger?\\\\\\\" said Who. \\\\\\\"You mean a nothing burger with two all-feet patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles on a sesame seed bun?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s the one,\\\\\\\" said Which. \\\\\\\"I can smell them on the grill right now.\\\\\\\"

So Which told Who to hop on the broom, and Which put it in oversweep and up, up and away they went while Bonnie watched them carefully. Then Bonnie Blue got on her bike and she did ride—what a beautiful day to be outside.

From then on, it was all trick and no treat. Which and Who tried every trick in the witches\\\\\\\' manual on Bonnie Blue to try to trick her into telling them how she could tell which witch is Which and which witch was Who. They finally gave up because they kept falling short and decided to go about their witchy business, which included spreading all the leaves that were in the big piles on their way to their homecave. Living in a cave made them troglodytes, but they also became spelunkers when they explored their cave. The witches had a lot of fun with these names and even sang a song about them:

We’re the trog-lo-dytes,

We live in a cave,

In a cave, in a cave!

We’re the trog-lo-dytes,

We live in a cave,

And we’re spelunkers too!

We wiggle through the cracks,

And crawl through the holes,

Through the holes, through the holes!

We wiggle through the cracks,

And crawl through the holes,

Our cave is full of fun!

We echo with a shout,

Har-har, har-har!

We echo with a shout,

It’s our spooky cave tune!

We fly home on our brooms,

And laugh all the way,

All the way, all the way!

We fly home on our brooms,

And laugh all the way,

What a witchy, wacky day!

Looking back, it was probably their silly songs and jokes, because absence made her heart grow fonder—or maybe it was out of sight, out of mind—because Bonnie Blue decided she would tell them how she knew. So what better way than to invite them to her Princess birthday party, which happened to be on October 31st, which happens to be the most important day of the year for Which and Who.

COME AS YOU ARE. Or wear your costumes if you want to disguise who you are.

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!

RSVP

When they got the invitation, they at first said, “No way.” After all, this was the night they had looked forward to for so long; they just could not bear the thought of not scaring the pants off the scarecrows this year. But the more they thought about it, the more they just could not miss their one chance of finding out how she knew which witch was Which and which witch was Who. Besides, it\\\\\\\'s not every day that you have RSVP... Rat-tail Soup and Venom Punch!!!!!

So they decided to go to the party. They got their witches\\\\\\\' apparel to give to their Grandhag so she could make them even uglier and scarier. \\\\\\\"You two doppelwitches are really going all out for Halloween this year,\\\\\\\" Grandhag said.

Which looked at Who and Who looked at Which, and Which whispered in one ear, and Who whispered in the other grandhag\\\\\\\'s ear, \\\\\\\"We are going to a princess birthday party.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Princess BIRTHDAY PARTY?\\\\\\\" Grandhag said in surprise. \\\\\\\"Please, Grandhag, not so loud—no one knows.\\\\\\\" Grandhag said, \\\\\\\"You must be going to Bonnie Blue\\\\\\\'s 13th party. I saw her grandma the other day at Wal-Wart, and she was wearing a mask, because this is wart season.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Did you wear one?\\\\\\\" said Grandhag. \\\\\\\"Of course not,\\\\\\\" she replied. \\\\\\\"You can never be too warty around Halloween.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Anyway, Grandma told me all about Bonnie Blue\\\\\\\'s party. I am so glad you are going... you mean you are not mad at us?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Of course not! I am so glad—it is a chance to make new friends. I have an idea: instead of wearing your last decade witches\\\\\\\' dresses, why don\\\\\\\'t I take you doppelwitches to Cinderella\\\\\\\'s Bibbidi Bobbidi Bootique and let you pick out something there to wear to the party?\\\\\\\"

Not ever being in there, they said, \\\\\\\"Ok, I guess.\\\\\\\" After all, they knew lots of tricks they could do with cinders. Just think of the magical outfits you could find there!

Their imagining of all the possibilities disappeared when the door opened and they saw girls dressed in sequins and crowns and big, shiny, flowing dresses and capes. They would have liked the pretty capes if they had not been pink, a cheerful color that didn’t fit with their idea about the season. In fact, they both wanted to hop on their broomstick and fly out of there. But Grandhag said, “Bonnie Blue wants to be your friend, and that is what friends do for one another.” So they willingly-reluctantly agreed because they were thinking in the back of their minds, they could add their own magical witchy touch. And maybe, just maybe, Bonnie Blue would keep her promise to reveal which witch is Which and which witch is Who, and that would make it all worthwhile.

Grandhags and Grandmas think alike—or do they plot alike? — because at the same time, Bonnie Blue and her friends were in The Weird Sisters Boo-tique on the corner of Shakespeare and MacBeth\\\\\\\'s Boulevard, trying on ugly witch\\\\\\\'s dresses because her grandma thought Bonnie Blue and her friends should dress like Which and Who to make them feel welcome at the party. Bonnie Blue agreed as long as she could design it with a little princess flair.

Chapter Five: Party Time!

When Halloween and Bonnie Blue\\\\\\\'s party came, all the witch covens were getting ready for their magnificent scary night. Peggy witch said, \\\\\\\"I can hardly wait until I can tap on the windows and make horrible faces at the little trick-or-treaters.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"That will be easy for you to do,\\\\\\\" witch Frances said. \\\\\\\"You look horrible without making faces.\\\\\\\" She continued, \\\\\\\"You are so ugly you give Freddy Krueger nightmares.\\\\\\\" Then Martha witch put her two scents in and said, \\\\\\\"You are so ugly you could scare all the fleas off Bonnie Blue\\\\\\\'s grandma\\\\\\\'s dog.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Thank you,\\\\\\\" said Peggy. \\\\\\\"You sweet covens say the nicest things.\\\\\\\"

As the witches cackled and chattered, Frances added, \\\\\\\"I’m working on my costume for tonight. I want to go as something really scary.\\\\\\\" Peggy smirked and said, \\\\\\\"Oh, so you’re just going as yourself?\\\\\\\" Frances shot back, \\\\\\\"Oh please, Peggy. You’re so scary the mirror screams when you look into it!\\\\\\\"

The witches all burst out laughing, and even Hootsirmesir, perched in the corner, gave a small hoot of amusement. Martha chimed in, “Speaking of scary things, do you know why modern witches never get lost?” The room fell quiet as the witches waited. “Because they have GPS on their broomsticks!” Peggy groaned, “Martha, that joke is older than Grandhag’s cauldron!” “Maybe so,” Martha said with a grin, “but it still stirs up laughs!”

Concerned CeCe witch abruptly interrupted the conversation and said, \\\\\\\"I thought Bonnie Blue\\\\\\\'s dog was a friend of yours and was helping you with your magic act of pulling rabbits out of your hat.\\\\\\\" Peggy said, \\\\\\\"He was, but that Hound Dog can\\\\\\\'t even catch one rabbit, and I told him he\\\\\\\'s no friend of mine.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Peggy Witch,\\\\\\\" said, \\\\\\\"How did he take it?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Crying. Crying! Crying all the time.\\\\\\\"

Another witch, Concerned CeCe, looked concerned – naturally -- and reminded them that it was not Grandma\\\\\\\'s dog—it was Grandma\\\\\\\'s cousin\\\\\\\'s dog once removed and Bonnie Blue\\\\\\\'s cousin twice removed. Peggy witch scratched her head (and a suspicious bump under her hat). \\\\\\\"Once removed? Twice removed? What does that even mean? Did the dog get kicked out of the family twice?\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"No, no!\\\\\\\" Concerned CeCe said, exasperated. \\\\\\\"It means the dog is related, but through generations! Honestly, sometimes I think I’m the only one around here who’s read the Witch’s Guide to Genealogy!\\\\\\\"

Frances witch squinted suspiciously at the dog, who was now wagging its tail and sniffing around for crumbs. \\\\\\\"So... does that mean the dog is magical too?\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Of course!\\\\\\\" CeCe said, throwing her arms wide. \\\\\\\"Every family member in a witch\\\\\\\'s lineage has a touch of magic, even if it’s just enough to make biscuits vanish off the counter. And this dog? He\\\\\\\'s got the power of puppy-dog eyes. One look and you’ll give him all your treats!\\\\\\\"

The witches all leaned down to inspect the dog, who, realizing he had an audience, gave them the biggest, most pitiful eyes ever seen in the history of dogs. Immediately, Frances handed over her candy stash, Peggy gave up her prized pumpkin cookies, and even Concerned CeCe reluctantly parted with her emergency licorice wand.

The dog happily trotted off, leaving the witches in a state of bewildered generosity. \\\\\\\"Well,\\\\\\\" said CeCe, brushing off crumbs, \\\\\\\"that settles it. This dog may be twice removed, but he’s twice as clever as any of us!\\\\\\\"

They all agreed that Hound Dog was fine as long as he wore his blue suede shoes before they are were also twice removed.... then they all cackled! Grandhag was about to call them on the flying carpet for being haggish to CeCe, but I have to admit that CeCe is often prudish—she even refuses to scare the pants off the scarecrows and she— \\\\\\\"Look,\\\\\\\" said Frances, \\\\\\\"Do you see it?\\\\\\\"

The light of the silvery moon shone on the darkness where Which and Who were hiding, wearing their new fashionable princess dresses and crowns with a witchy touch. Their hair was all in curls and their warts looked like beauty marks. When the witches saw them, they could not believe their eyes and Hazel witch almost choked on her frog tongues that she was eating.

Before you feel sorry for the frogs, you need to know that these frog tongues are made with ingredients that are natural and gut-ten free. After all, Hazel is a witchetarian, and she will not give you any of her recipes because she is writing a cookbook featuring enchanting recipes that can be prepared in ovens (but not recommended) or just by wiggling your nose.

\\\\\\\"Where are you going dressed like that?\\\\\\\" the coven witches asked.

Who said softly, \\\\\\\"We are going to a princess birthday party.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Princess BIRTHDAY PARTY on Halloween?\\\\\\\" The witches\\\\\\\' coven howled so loudly that they began to circle Which and Who, singing \\\\\\\"Ring Around the Rosies, Pocketful of Toesies.\\\\\\\" Grandhag was close by making a big cauldron of slumgullion stew. She could see what was happening, so she came to their rescue by saying, \\\\\\\"They are going to celebrate Halloween a new way this year,\\\\\\\" and before they could respond with some cackle quack, she said, \\\\\\\"Now come get you a sandwitch and a big bowl of slumgullion stew so you will have plenty energy for witchcraft tonight and apologize to Which and Who.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Thank you,\\\\\\\" said Which and Who, \\\\\\\"and so do you!\\\\\\\"

Bonnie Blue was waiting tirelessly-energetically, as the owl had told her to do, for the broommates to fly down on their broomstick because she had to make sure her theory was right about which witch was Which and which witch was Who, even if it took her all night. So, she watched them carefully as they arrived at the party, and when they swished in, one witch jumped off, and the other witch parked—or, should I say, put their broom in the broom closet.

Now, finally, Bonnie Blue knew as sure as the wind blew which witch was Which and which witch was Who. But no one had a clue why Which and Who were dressed like Bonnie Blue and Bonnie Blue was dressed like Which and Who. But Which and Who did not want to cause a stir because this was their only chance to find out how Bonnie Blue knew which witch was Which and which witch was Who.

Bonnie Blue had everything ready for them: a lacy tablecloth, a beautiful birthday cake, chocolate ice cream, even birthday hats. It was time for the party to begin, so Bonnie Blue cut the cake and gave Which and Who a piece. They tasted the cake and nearly choked. When they tasted the ice cream, they decided it was even worse. The witches thought, who could possibly eat something so sweet? Who did not want to be witchy or impolite, so she ate the candles, and they were lit. Which tried to eat her cake but ate one bite and then asked for a toadie bag. She thought it would be much better when it became old and moldy.

Which thought how nice it would be to be in her own little hollow eating some good barbecue charcoal chips. \\\\\\\"Well look who is here,\\\\\\\" said Hooty—that is what Flossie calls Hootsirmesir. \\\\\\\"Hey, Flossie, why you Heifer, when did you get back? Didn\\\\\\\'t expect you back so soon. I heard you went to look for greener pastures. Did you find any?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Yes, we found lots of green pastures.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s good,\\\\\\\" said Hooty. \\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s bad,\\\\\\\" said Flossie. \\\\\\\"We ate and ate until we got the hic-burps—not to be confused with hiccups.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s good,\\\\\\\" he said. \\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s bad,\\\\\\\" she said. \\\\\\\"We hic-burped so much we polluted the air.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s bad,\\\\\\\" he said.

\\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s good,\\\\\\\" she said. \\\\\\\"We held our breath and counted to 10, rubbed our stomach and patted our head and we finally got rid of the hic-burps.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s good,\\\\\\\" he said.

\\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s bad,\\\\\\\" she said, \\\\\\\"because if we ate the greener grass again then we would get the hic-burps again.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s bad,\\\\\\\" he said. \\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s good,\\\\\\\" she said, \\\\\\\"because we\\\\\\\'re starving to death and could not eat the grass that we thought was greener.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s bad,\\\\\\\" he said.

\\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s good,\\\\\\\" she said, \\\\\\\"because we went to the beach.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s good,\\\\\\\" he said.

\\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s bad,\\\\\\\" she said. \\\\\\\"We ate and ate and ate seaweed.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s bad.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s good because it cured the hic-burps.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s good.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s bad because the climate changed and we were freezing.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s bad,\\\\\\\" he said. \\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s good,\\\\\\\" she said, \\\\\\\"because we decided it was time for the cows to come home and here I am.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s BAD,\\\\\\\" said Who, who was listening nearby. \\\\\\\"No, that\\\\\\\'s good,\\\\\\\" said Flossie. \\\\\\\"You know you are glad I\\\\\\\'m back, we can play.\\\\\\\" Who says, \\\\\\\"Who says turn around.\\\\\\\"

Flossie turned around. \\\\\\\"Who says touch your tail to your nose.\\\\\\\" It was a struggle but she did it. \\\\\\\"Who says stick your tongue out,\\\\\\\" and she did it. \\\\\\\"Now say the alphabet backwards.\\\\\\\"

Flossie said, \\\\\\\"Z Y X W—\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"No, you lose, I did not say \\\\\\\'Who says.\\\\\\\' And besides that is not how you say the alphabet backwards. Do you want me to show you how to do it in 8 seconds?\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"No, we need to get back to the party, but before we do tell me what is new around here.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Well,\\\\\\\" said Who, and she began to tell Flossie how Bonnie Blue had discovered which witch was Which and which witch was Who. Flossie said in disbelief, \\\\\\\"Get out of here!\\\\\\\" So Who left, and Flossie said, \\\\\\\"Nothing new around here!\\\\\\\"

Finally, it was time to play games. They tried playing pin the tail on the donkey. Bonnie Blue got both the witches turned around and dizzy and handed them the tails, but it took so long to explain the game that the bats, by this time, had flown by and taken their blindfolds off. So Which and Who, who are some of the best wand wavers around, decided to help. They waved their wands and got their own doppeldonkeys with separate tails, but when they tried to pin the tail on them, they started loud braying and biting, so they took them to bob for apples where they were very successful.

Miss Pinky Promise asked everyone to join in wishing Bonnie Blue a happy birthday. Raising her arms up like an orchestra director, Pinky started singing in pig Latin:

\\\\\\\"Appy-hay Irthday-bay o-tay ou-yay,

Appy-hay Irthday-bay o-tay ou-yay,

Appy-hay Irthday-bay ear-day Bonnie,

It was such a fun party with so many interesting guests. You really could not tell who was who because the invitation said they could wear costumes or come as you are. Looks like Flossie is wagging her tongue to what looks like the Little Red Hen. Let\\\\\\\'s see what they are saying—you know they have been on the outs since Flossie would not help her bake bread.

You remember that story, don\\\\\\\'t you? Little Red Hen got her feathers ruffled—it was the talk of the barnyard. It became a farmyard feud. Shh, let\\\\\\\'s listen—the stakes are high.

\\\\\\\"Well, look who is here,\\\\\\\" said Flossie. \\\\\\\"It\\\\\\\'s Red, long time no KFC.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Well, I haven\\\\\\\'t seen you since you would not help me bake my bread. I just ate it all myself.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"I can see that,\\\\\\\" said Flossie.

\\\\\\\"Why you, Heifer,\\\\\\\" said Red. \\\\\\\"At least I did not just move on and leave my BFF to do all the hard work,\\\\\\\" said the Little Red Hen. \\\\\\\"Hard work is good work,\\\\\\\" said Who. \\\\\\\"Hush,\\\\\\\" said Flossie, \\\\\\\"I am not in mo-ood!\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"I\\\\\\\'ve heard enough,\\\\\\\" said Flossie. \\\\\\\"You went around like a chicken with your head cut off, and would not let us udder a word about why we could not help you. We went to your hen house and you were not there.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"I left you a note,\\\\\\\" said Red, \\\\\\\"telling you that I would appreciate your help.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Do you really think we could read that chicken scratch?\\\\\\\" said Flossie. \\\\\\\"We were dealing with a crisis with Henny Penny.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s right,\\\\\\\" said Henny Penny, who was dressed like Foxy Loxy who was dressed in sheep\\\\\\\'s clothing.

\\\\\\\"I agree,\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue. \\\\\\\"It looks like to me you were taking your friends for granted—you only called on them when you needed help.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Yes, I was wrong,\\\\\\\" said Red.

\\\\\\\"And we were too,\\\\\\\" said Flossie. \\\\\\\"We should have explained to you why we could not help you because we thought the sky was falling. We were frightened and just didn’t think the problem through before we reacted.”

\\\\\\\"Well, it is a moot point now. Holy Cow, we have so much more in common than divides us,\\\\\\\" said Flossie Heifer.

\\\\\\\"Yes, think of all the good times we had in the past and all the times in the future we will have strutting our stuff,\\\\\\\" clucked Red!

\\\\\\\"Yes, let\\\\\\\'s do lunch, I will take you to my favorite place,\\\\\\\" said Flossie.

\\\\\\\"My pleasure,\\\\\\\" said Red.

\\\\\\\"Eat more chicken,\\\\\\\" said Who quietly.

So Which and Who thought it was time to go. They knew if they left now, they would have plenty of time to celebrate Halloween. So Which and Who told Bonnie Blue and all her friends, \\\\\\\"Thank you, thank you, thank you very much... until we meet again,\\\\\\\" said Who.

\\\\\\\"It was such a bittersweet time,\\\\\\\" said Which, and then witch Who and witch Which paused so Bonnie Blue could reveal which witch was Which and which witch was Who.... But Bonnie Blue said, \\\\\\\"Before I tell you how I know which witch is Which and which witch is Who, I want to thank you for coming, and I want you to know how both of you look like cutie pies in your princess costumes,\\\\\\\" and everyone clapped and agreed.

Which and Who just could not let this go. They had taken all that they could take. After all, they had given up their Halloween and dressed like pukey princesses, eaten sugary cake, and played silly games and were starving to death because they never got the RSVP—Rattail Soup and Venom Punch—they were promised.

It was their only choice, so the doppelwitches squawked, \\\\\\\"Did you say cutie pies?\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Yes,\\\\\\\" was Bonnie Blue\\\\\\\'s reply, \\\\\\\"just two little chickadees.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"How dare you call us sweet cutie pies? We are not sweet cutie pies; we are nasty and proud of it!\\\\\\\"

They all started yelling and name calling and the words were flying everywhere: \\\\\\\"You silly sausage!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Meatball!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Cupcake!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Poopy potato head!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Pumpkin!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Tattletales!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Crybaby!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Tootsie!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Pizza face!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Bogger head!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Jelly bean!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Pickle head!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Sugar baby!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Snot buns!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Tomato twit!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Kisses!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Sweet tarts!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Milky hay!\\\\\\\" And even the donkeys who had apple seeds in their teeth came back to join in. It was like a food fight in the reference section of your local library.

This friendly fight turned pretty ugly, though, and it looked like it was headed toward a war of words. The coven witches saw it and joined them and sent a signal to Grandhag, who was with Grandma enjoying hocus pocus pudding and strawberry shortcake at Lily\\\\\\\'s Pad. So they asked their waiter Jeremiah to take them to the birthday party to see what was going on, and Jeremiah jumped at the chance.

When they got there, it was a beautiful mess. It was a Kerfuffle. So Grandhag and Grandma pulled Bonnie Blue out of all the commotion and asked what happened. And they all started talking at the same time and no one could understand a word.

\\\\\\\"Well, it all boils down to this,\\\\\\\" Which and Who said. \\\\\\\"Bonnie Blue used ugly words to describe us.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"What words?\\\\\\\" said Grandhag.

Grandma looked confused as she thought that would be a compliment. \\\\\\\"It really made us mad,\\\\\\\" explained Who. \\\\\\\"But we decided since it was her birthday,\\\\\\\" said Which, \\\\\\\"and we still did not know how she knew which was which, we would just be nice to her, so we called her and her friends pickle face and poopy potato head.\\\\\\\"

Now Grandhag looked confused because those were fine witchy words. And if you are confused, don\\\\\\\'t feel like The Lone Ranger, I am too! The way I explain it is Different Strokes for Different Folks! Or Different Words for Different Nerds! Nerds are experts in so many things and sometimes their smart words are so above my head that I don\\\\\\\'t understand. But the good thing is Nerds don\\\\\\\'t act like you are dumb, they will always help you and you in turn can help them appreciate your words.

I hear Who coming hollering something about doppelwords. Hurry, let\\\\\\\'s get back to story. So Which said, \\\\\\\"We thought she liked what we called her because she hollered as loud as she could, \\\\\\\'Oh I just love being called a pickleface and poopy potato head!\\\\\\\'\\\\\\\"

Grandhag and Grandma started laughing because of all the irony.

\\\\\\\"Who said ironing? Like ironing something that is wrinkled?\\\\\\\" and she cut her eyes toward Grandhag and Grandma. \\\\\\\"Don\\\\\\\'t even think about it,\\\\\\\" said Grandhag, \\\\\\\"or you will be a wrinkle in time... Out!\\\\\\\"

Bonnie Blue and Which said, \\\\\\\"Seems like everything we say we put our foot in our mouths.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"That\\\\\\\'s called toe=ga,\\\\\\\" said Who. Bonnie Blue blurted out, \\\\\\\"I wish you would shut your big mo—\\\\\\\"

Grandma interrupted quickly and whispered something in Bonnie Blue\\\\\\\'s ear. Bonnie Blue grudgingly said, \\\\\\\"Yes, Ma\\\\\\\'am.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Wait, we need to be calmala and not angry,\\\\\\\" said Grandhag and Grandma. \\\\\\\"I mean no disrespect,\\\\\\\" said Which and Bonnie Blue. \\\\\\\"But it was you, Grandhag, that told us to dress like Bonnie Blue and it was you, Grandma, that told us to dress like Which and Who and it was you, Grandhag, that told us to walk in Bonnie Blue\\\\\\\'s shoes and I got blisters,\\\\\\\" said Who.

\\\\\\\"But we have to admit it really did not go the way we had planned,\\\\\\\" said Grandhag.

\\\\\\\"You mean schemed,\\\\\\\" said Which. \\\\\\\"We admit it—no one is right all the time.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Yes,\\\\\\\" said Who, \\\\\\\"sometimes you have to go left.\\\\\\\" Grandhag said, \\\\\\\"You need to face each other and go left, left, left and then go right, right, right. And where do you both end up? Right in the middle.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Yes, we ended up in the middle of a Kerfuffle and it was all our fault,\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue, Which, and Who. \\\\\\\"No one needs to play the blame game. But if you want to blame someone, it was all because of miscommunication and misunderstanding.\\\\\\\"

Who said, \\\\\\\"Where is that Miss Communication? I will send the bird of paradise right up her nose, and where is that Miss Understanding? I will make an elephant step on her big, giant toe.\\\\\\\" Horton, the elephant, heard Who and said, \\\\\\\"Don\\\\\\\'t bring me into this. I like all toes, big and little, 100 percent.\\\\\\\" Bonnie Blue laughed and said, \\\\\\\"Who is so seriously funny and he needs to chill out.\\\\\\\"

That made everyone laugh and forget this twaddle. Everyone was having fun and giggling. \\\\\\\"Don\\\\\\\'t you just love to giggle, Who? But where is Who?\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue.

\\\\\\\"Why?\\\\\\\" said the Bird of Paradise. \\\\\\\"Because he was told to chill out and got too chilled standing with the refrigerator door open!\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Oh me,\\\\\\\" giggled Horton, \\\\\\\"that\\\\\\\'s my Who. We are both from Whoville and he was selected Most Likely to Succeed.\\\\\\\"

And Bonnie Blue said \\\\\\\"WHAT?\\\\\\\" and then everyone started giggling again because sometimes when you start giggling you cannot stop. Has that ever happened to you? Okay, stop giggling and let\\\\\\\'s get on with the story.

Then all of a sudden, an apple that seemed to come from nowhere—maybe from someone\\\\\\\'s eye—landed right in Jeremiah the bullfrog\\\\\\\'s snoring mouth. It seems he had gone to sleep counting flies by night. Poor Jeremiah, he was lifeless. He did not move. There was a deafening silence—not even the sound of a cricket could be heard. Sadly, it was announced Jeremiah had croaked. \\\\\\\"Now look what we have done,\\\\\\\" said Bonnie Blue.

Which said, \\\\\\\"He was a friend of mine,\\\\\\\" and Who said, \\\\\\\"He was just an innocent bysitter.\\\\\\\"

Everyone hung their head except Grandma and Grandhag, and they surrounded him and joined hands and gave him the Froglich maneuver, named after its inventor, Dr. Bull Froglich. They were just about to give up when Grandma and Grandhag yelled, \\\\\\\"We need some love, hope, and charity if Jeremiah is going to live successfully! Just think what it would be like if you were a frog!\\\\\\\"

Then they all gathered around Jeremiah to help. Well, it must have worked because all of a sudden, everyone heard the start of a ribbit and it grew and grew until a trill was heard around the pond. When abruptly, the biggest red bobbin apple you ever saw popped out of Jeremiah\\\\\\\'s throat. Jeremiah was alive! He was up and croaking, ribbiting, hopping, to the music: \\\\\\\"Joy to the world, all the boys and girls, joy to the witches in the willow trees... Joy to you and me.\\\\\\\"

Everyone was singing and dancing and having a terribly nice time without any words needed. So you thought... until you hear what happens next.

It was rumored throughout the party that there may be someone special there. So Who decided he would find out who it was, but this was going to be very hard. (\\\\\\\"I know hard work is good work.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"I got it, don\\\\\\\'t you.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"How many times are you going to say that?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Until you listen!\\\\\\\") It was not going to be easy because they could be disguised in costumes or came as they are! But you won\\\\\\\'t believe this—he found a clue. But Who needed help, so who better to help him but Bonnie Blue? No—Flossie!

So she went to Flossie and Who whispered in her ear who she thought it was. Flossie gasped in disbelief, \\\\\\\"Get out of here!\\\\\\\" Who said \\\\\\\"Okay,\\\\\\\" but Flossie lassoed Who with her tail and said, \\\\\\\"You are going to help, but we are going to do it my way. We have got to find out whether this special guest is wearing a costume or not. If this guest is not wearing a costume then you raise your right hand, but if this guest is wearing a costume you raise your left hand and I will come and rip the costume off.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"What?\\\\\\\" said Who. \\\\\\\"You are going to rip the costume off?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Do you have a beef with that?\\\\\\\" said Flossie. \\\\\\\"Are you sure you know your right from your left?\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"Positive,\\\\\\\" said Who. \\\\\\\"And if I forget, I wear my skull ring on my right hand.\\\\\\\"

\\\\\\\"Numbskull,\\\\\\\" thought Flossie, but she held her tongue. So Who approached the guest and said, \\\\\\\"I like your costume.\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"It\\\\\\\'s not a costume but thank you, thank you very much.\\\\\\\"

“He was very polite,” thought Who. “Oh, I have got to signal Flossie that it is not a costume,” Who noted. “Okay,” he thought, “it was left if no costume and right if it is costume—or is it the other way around?” He was so nervous he could not even remember which was which. Then he remembered about the ring, but when he looked there was no ring. Who had left it in the cavehome when dressing for the birthday party. Grandhag did not think it looked good with a Princess dress!

Flossie was standing with her back arched, her head was shaking with protruding eyeballs, and Who did not know what to do so she just threw up both hands in surrender. When she did that, Flossie exploded out of there like a bull in a China shop. But before Who could stop her, she was pushed to the floor by Grandma\\\\\\\'s dog—the one with the blue suede shoes. He was so happy to see his master.

But his master said, \\\\\\\"I am glad to see you too, Old Shep, but look, you knocked this nice heifer to the ground. What should we do?\\\\\\\" Who said, \\\\\\\"I know—get her out of here!\\\\\\\" Old Shep\\\\\\\'s master curled his lip, said \\\\\\\"Don\\\\\\\'t be cruel,\\\\\\\" and smiled, then helped Flossie get up. Flossie was in awe and just about everybody else in the room was too—even Grandhag was swooning.

Old Shep\\\\\\\'s master thanked Grandma, who was his cousin once removed, for giving Old Shep such TLC while he was on the road. Then Old Shep and his master waved farewell, threw a few scarves, and left the building.

If you wonder why everyone was wonderstruck, just ask your mama, your grandma, your great-grandma, and possibly your great-great-grandma, and they will tell you why you \\\\\\\"Can\\\\\\\'t Help Falling in Love.\\\\\\\"