Once upon a time, in the middle of the Earth, a small town began to grow.  It grew so big that all the world knew about it. It grew so big that all seemed to crowd around it. And it grew so big that the people inside it, always stayed besides it.  At the edge of this town, there lived an old hag, at least that’s what they said. Her name was Cecilia and she slept under the satin covers in the biggest bed, located in the biggest bedroom, swallowed whole by the biggest mansion.  Cecilia couldn’t walk or really go anywhere and although her eyesight was iffy, she invented. She tinkered and then tweaked, until she was satisfied. Because she didn’t ever set foot outside, the town’s people pegged her for a witch.

3 young boys especially thought this was the case. Their names were Axel, Bryson, and Cade.

These 3 boys believed if they could just sneak into Cecilia’s mansion, there would be proof of her witch side.  So they began to plan their mission.

“What are we looking for”, they all paused and thought.

Axel blurted out, “Oh what about a broomstick!”.

Bryson added his opinion, “Or a cauldron.”.

“And some strange black cat sulking around.”, said Cade.

Axel, Bryson, and Cade all agreed and that night as they climbed over the mansion’s front gate, they repeated their plan.  First, they would climb the gate and army crawl through her perfect green grass. Next, they would explore the windows until they found an open one and climb into the mansion.  After that, they would open all the doors, peak their heads under every bed, uncover any mysterious objects in drawers or cabinets, find any secret passages, lift up every jar’s lid, give the couches pat downs, and search under each rug.

So they began into the house, tip toeing onto the hardwood floor.  After enough quiet tip toeing, Axel, Bryson, and Cade found themselves standing in the kitchen.  In the middle, sitting crouched was the old lady. The three boys stared at her hair, which was gray with white accents.  They peered at her back which was positioned in a crooked pose. But, the boys didn’t notice Cecilia’s neck start to turn back and soon they were glaring into her eyes.  They were shaded a dull green color with purple at the rims. A witch’s eyes for sure, Axel, Bryson, and Cade thought. Cecilia stared back at the boys, scheming with an evil magic in her mind.

“Well, good evening boys.” She said a little too happy..

Axel, Bryson and Cade responded with shaky voices, “g..g good evening Ms.”

“I’m sorry but I have to ask, what are you doing in here?”, Cecilia spoke in a sweet tone,

“We are very sorry, we were just. Uhhhh looking around” Cade said nervously.

“Well, if you are looking for work, I am becoming too old and wrinkly to do any of my house’s chores.  Would you please do them for a fee?”

“How big a fee are we talking?”, Bryson asked with a look of greed.

“Lots of money. Lots and lots of money!” she finished with a toothy smile.

The three boys’ eyes light up like fireworks were enclosed in them.

The very next morning, the three boys jumped out of bed. Axel listened to some people singing outside.  They were harmonizing perfectly, he thought as he went to meet up with Bryson and Cade. Bryson was outside searching for pennies on the town’s sidewalks and Cade was looking in a car’s reflective window.  It was very shiny, he thought. The three walked through the small town to its edge where Cecilia lived. They had been offered to complete all of her chores for money. Now they were getting payed and searching for her witch stash at the same time.  It was a win win.

When Axel, Bryson, and Cade arrived, she was already waiting for them in her house with buckets of water, soap bars, rags, and towels.  Cecilia sent each boy into a different room. Axel ended up in the kitchen again while Bryson was stuck cleaning the bathroom. Cade found himself with up to hours of scrubbing a floor in the great, massive ballroom.

Bryson manned himself with seven rags and a bucket of soapy water to clean the mirror in the bathroom.  He started and finished quickly. Now, Bryson could find proof of the well undercover witch. He opened a drawer and a look of surprise spread across his face.  In the drawer sat a gold nugget. It must be so valuable, he thought. Bryson stuffed the nugget into his pocket. He couldn’t wait to show Cade.

Cade, by the way was beginning to tire himself out, scrubbing the ballroom floor.  Cecilia can’t even stand, why would she need a room made for dancing? Just as he was about to quit, he came across a small pearl with a beautiful shine to it on the floor.  It was small enough to put in his shirt pocket, so he did. Oh how he couldn’t wait to reveal his shiny possession to Axel, who wasn’t having the best experience cleaning the kitchen.