Heidi Heckelbeck and the Magic Puppy

by Wanda Coven

  Chapter 1: A DAY AT THE PARK

  Chapter 2: PUPPY LOVE

  Chapter 3: A PET OF MY OWN

  Chapter 4: GIVE ME A SIGN

  Chapter 5: UH-OH!

  Chapter 6: MERG-A-LATION!

  Chapter 7: GO, DOG! GO!

  Chapter 8: VAMOOSE!

  Chapter 9: GET A CLUE!

  Chapter 10: WIZARD

  About the Author and Illustrator

  Skippity skip!

  Hoppity hop!

  Jumpity jump!

  Heidi Heckelbeck, Lucy Lancaster, and Bruce Bickerson pranced along the path through Charmed Court Park. Bruce twirled a white Frisbee on the end of his pointer finger. Lucy hopped out of the way of two rollerbladers. Heidi stopped and pointed to a yoga class on the lawn.

  “Let’s see if we can do some of their poses!” she suggested.

  They watched the yoga instructor. Lucy bent over into a dolphin pose. Bruce wove himself into an eagle pose. And Heidi struck a lord of the dance pose. Then they dropped to the ground, laughing.

  “Now let’s play on the giant chessboard!” Lucy said, taking off. Heidi and Bruce followed close behind. They played hide-and-seek among the oversize chess pieces. Then they ran to the playground, slid down the slides, and swung on the monkey bars.

  “Let’s ride the zip line!” cried Heidi.

  Heidi climbed the ladder that led up to the wooden platform. Then she grabbed the cable and hopped onto the seat. The wire made a pleasing hum as she sailed through the air. She stuck out her feet, scrunched her knees, and pushed off the platform at the other end of the zip line, and away she went. Then Lucy and Bruce each had a turn.

  Heidi waited and watched a boy fly an orange dragon kite. She could also see picnickers on blankets in the shade of the trees. Bicyclists, joggers, and skateboarders paraded down the path. I love the park, she thought.

  Bruce zip-lined to the ground with a thud and picked up his disc. “Okay, can we please play Frisbee now?” he said, leading the girls to a grassy area.

  They spread out in a triangle. Bruce curled his wrist and snapped the Frisbee. The disc flew straight to Heidi’s open hand. Heidi gripped the Frisbee and threw it to Lucy—only the disc swerved away from her friend. Lucy ran after it, caught it, and hurled it to Bruce. This time Bruce snapped a fancy backhander. The Frisbee soared way up in the air and then swooped down into the bushes. Heidi went after it.

  She bent over and peered into the foliage. Then she jumped back suddenly and fell on her bottom. “Aaaaah!” she screamed.

  The Frisbee had jumped out of the bush all by itself. Well, not exactly all by itself. . . .

  “Whoa!” Heidi cried. “Take a look at THIS! It’s a puppy!”

  The puppy had a short, but shaggy brown coat with skinny legs. His tiny eyes stared back at them, and his ears stood out like two floppy handlebars. The puppy had the Frisbee in his mouth. Heidi held out her hand. The puppy went down on his front paws, sending his fluffy hind quarters and little tail up in the air. He growled playfully.

  Lucy and Bruce ran over and kneeled beside Heidi. Bruce grabbed ahold of his Frisbee and tugged it out of the puppy’s mouth.

  “Yip! Yap!” the puppy barked.

  Bruce inspected the surface of his Frisbee. “Hey, you got TEETH marks on it!” he scolded.

  “Yip! Yap!” the puppy responded.

  Heidi shook her head. “Isn’t he SO cute?” she said, ignoring the damage to the Frisbee.

  Bruce frowned. “Teeth marks are NOT cute,” he said. “I bought this Frisbee with my own money, you know.”

  Lucy looked at the Frisbee. “You can barely tell,” she said.

  Bruce sighed.

  “You have to admit, this puppy IS adorable,” Heidi repeated. “Even his little teeth chomps in your Frisbee are cute!”

  Lucy laughed. “He is pretty adorable,” she said.

  “And destructive,” Bruce added.

  Heidi ruffled the puppy’s fur. Then she looked at its collar. “Hey,” she said. “This puppy doesn’t have a tag. Hmm, I wonder if the puppy is lost?”

  All three of them looked around. There didn’t seem to be anyone nearby.

  “Maybe we should try to find the owner,” Heidi suggested.

  The puppy barked and wagged his short, pointy tail.

  “I think we have ourselves a new mission!” declared Lucy.

  So they set off in search of the owner. The puppy followed Bruce because he had the Frisbee.

  First they went to the dog park.

  “Do you know the owner of this puppy?” Heidi asked a gray-haired man throwing a ball for his Labradoodle.

  “Sorry,” the man said as his dog raced after the ball. “I’ve never seen that cute little guy before.”

  Then they asked a lady wearing a skirt with daisies on it and a guy who was surrounded by tiny dogs that barked. No one knew this puppy or his owner. After the dog park they asked everyone at the picnic grounds and in the playground area. Nobody seemed to know anything about the lost puppy.

  “Now what?” asked Heidi.

  Lucy petted the puppy’s head. “You know, most dogs have microchips nowadays,” she said. “Maybe a vet can track down the owner.”

  “Frankie’s vet is right on the edge of the park,” Bruce said, pointing to one of the park entrances. Bruce had a dog named Benjamin Franklin. He called him Frankie for short.

  “What are we waiting for?” Heidi said. “Let’s go!”

  Bruce took off his belt and attached it to the puppy’s collar to create a makeshift leash. Then—“Yip! Yip! Yip! Yip!”—they walked to the vet.

  Bruce led the puppy to the front desk at the vet’s office. “We found a puppy at the park,” Bruce began.

  Heidi shook her head. “No, no, no—the puppy found US,” she corrected him.

  The receptionist raised one of her thin eyebrows. “Is the puppy lost?” she asked.

  All three children nodded.

  “We’d like to see if the puppy has a microchip,” Lucy said. “We’re trying to find the owner.”

  Heidi picked up the puppy and showed the receptionist.

  “Do you like the puppy’s leash?” Heidi asked. “It’s a belt.”

  The receptionist smiled. “That’s very clever,” she said. “Please have a seat. I’ll call when the doctor’s ready.”

  The waiting room was crowded. Heidi, Lucy, and Bruce had to sit separately. Bruce sat with the puppy. Heidi looked at the lady next to her. She had a golden retriever. The girl on the other side of her had a guinea pig. It had the name Mulch written on the carrier. Then the man across from her had a big birdcage with a red parrot inside, but the man didn’t look like a pirate.

  Heidi wanted to see all the animals, so she got up and walked around the waiting room. She met a chinchilla, a turtle, and three cats. She also learned that Brodie, the golden retriever, had eaten an entire birthday cake.

  All these pets made Heidi long for a pet too. She kneeled beside the puppy and rubbed the fringe above his eyes. Maybe you can be MY puppy, she thought.

  “It’s your turn, lost puppy,” called the receptionist.

  Bruce and Lucy jumped to their feet. Heidi sighed and hugged the dog. “I hope you don’t have an owner,” she whispered in the puppy’s ear.

  Then they followed the receptionist to a room in the back. The vet had on a lab coat and white rubber gloves. Bruce set the puppy on the metal table.

  The vet held the puppy gently but firmly. “What a cute pup!” she said. She waved something over the scruff of the puppy’s neck. “This is a scanner. It beeps if there’s a microchip,” said the vet. But it didn’t beep.

&nb
sp; “Well, I’m afraid this guy isn’t chipped,” she said. “I would be happy to take him to the animal shelter after work—that’s where most owners look for lost pets.”

  The puppy barked sharply. He didn’t seem to like that idea. Neither did Heidi. She scooped him up and held him close.

  “Thanks for the offer,” Heidi said, trying to sound agreeable. “We’ll take it from here.”

  Then she headed toward the door. Lucy and Bruce followed her, but not before looking at each other with wide eyes as if to say, What is that crazy girl up to NOW?

  Once they were back outside, Lucy and Bruce surrounded Heidi and held out their arms to stop her.

  “Heidi?” asked Lucy. “Why didn’t you let the vet take the puppy?”

  Heidi pushed past them and kept walking. “How was I supposed to let this POOR little puppy go to a shelter?” she cried. “What if he gets kennel cough or—worse—gets scared by a huge, mean dog?”

  “Or gets picked up by his OWNER!” Bruce pointed out as he caught up to his friend.

  Heidi stooped down and nuzzled the puppy. “I have a better idea,” she said, putting on the leash. “Let’s make Found Puppy signs and hang them up around the neighborhood.”

  Lucy and Bruce looked at each other.

  “Come on, guys, please? The puppy can stay at my house while we hang up the signs,” Heidi added. She stared longingly at her friends.

  “Okay,” Lucy agreed. “But I’m doing it for the puppy—not you.”

  “Me too,” Bruce agreed.

  Heidi hopped for joy.

  “Watch out, Heidi,” Lucy warned. “You’re falling for this puppy.”

  Heidi pointed to herself and pretended to look shocked. “Who, me?” she said innocently.

  “Yes, YOU!” Lucy and Bruce said at the same time.

  Heidi shrugged like it was no big deal. Then they headed for her house.

  “MOM!” Heidi shouted as soon as they tramped in the back door. “YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT!”

  Mom and Henry walked into the kitchen.

  “We found a lost PUPPY!”

  Henry ran straight for the furry visitor. “He’s so CUTE!”

  The puppy licked Henry on the nose. Mom folded her arms and shook her head.

  “Don’t worry!” Heidi said. “We are going to make lots of Found Puppy posters. Then we’ll put them ALL over the neighborhood!”

  Mom tapped her foot. “And if that doesn’t work?” she questioned.

  “Then we will KEEP HIM!” Heidi suggested.

  Henry pumped his fists. “YES!” he cried.

  “I am afraid not,” said Dad as he walked into the room from his lab. “Maybe we will get a pet someday, but today is not that day. You’ll need to find the owner or take him to the shelter. I’ll bet someone is looking for this little pup.”

  Heidi didn’t want to think about that, so she raced off with her friends to gather art supplies. They pulled out all the paper and markers they could find. Bruce took a picture of the puppy, and Dad printed several copies on his printer. Then they sat around the table and made signs:

  Heidi also made a secret sign for herself:

  Heidi carefully set a bowl of water on the floor. Her mom had made a safe place in the kitchen so the puppy wouldn’t get into any trouble while everyone was out hanging flyers.

  “You are a GOOD puppy, aren’t you? Yes, you are!” she said, petting the dog’s head. “You would never get in trouble, would you, boy?”

  The puppy cocked his head at her and raised one ear. He knew something was going on.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be back soon,” she reassured him. Then she whispered, “And hopefully nobody will claim you, and you’ll be ALL MINE!”

  Heidi, her family, and Lucy and Bruce hung the Found Puppy signs everywhere. They tacked them on telephone poles throughout the neighborhood. They posted them at all the entrances to the park. They even put signs up in the local coffee shop and at Scoops. Everyone got ice cream for the walk home.

  “Yip! Yap! Yip!” Heidi could hear the puppy barking and scratching at the back door.

  “It sounds like the puppy missed me!” she said over her shoulder to Lucy and Bruce.

  Then Heidi opened the door and gasped. “Oh no!” she cried, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “What’s the matter?” Lucy asked. She peeked inside the door too. Then, just like Heidi, she drew in a great breath. “Uh-oh,” she said.

  Bruce stood on tiptoe and peered inside. “Oh, wow!” he said.

  Henry squeezed in between them. “Oh, double wow,” he said. Then he turned to his sister. “You’re in BIG trouble.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Heckelbeck were the last to walk up the steps.

  “What’s going on?” Mom asked.

  The children silently stepped out of the way. Heidi’s parents walked in the door.

  “MY HOUSE!” cried Heidi’s mom. “IT’S A MESS!”

  The puppy barked happily. Dad quickly grabbed the puppy and handed him to Bruce. “Can you and Lucy please take the puppy into the backyard?” he said. “Heidi and Henry, you help us clean up.”

  Heidi looked around the kitchen. She didn’t know where to begin.

  All the kitchen towels had been pulled out of the drawers. A bag of chewed pretzels lay on the ground. A box of cereal had toppled over and scattered everywhere. All the new seat cushions had been tugged off the chairs, and the stuffing had been completely pulled out of one. Clumps of fluff skittered around the floor.

  “Watch out for the puddle of PEE!” Henry called, pointing.

  Mom let out a long “Oh . . . my . . . goodness.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll get it,” Dad offered, grabbing a roll of paper towels.

  Heidi walked into the pantry to get a broom. A trail of uncooked tortellini crunched under her feet. She stared at the floor. Everything from the first shelf had been pulled out and torn open. She grabbed the broom.

  “OH NO-NO!” Henry called. “Dad! It looks like the puppy broke into your lab, too!”

  Dad dropped the paper towels and raced downstairs. Mom followed after him. Heidi heard more cries and howls from the lab.

  How could one little puppy cause so much damage? she wondered. She frowned. Now Mom and Dad will never let me keep him! Then she had another disturbing thought. If I don’t find the owner, that poor puppy WILL wind up in a shelter!

  Somebody knocked on the back door. Heidi leaned the broom against the wall and ran to the door. Lucy held out the puppy for Heidi.

  “Sorry to leave you like this, but my mom’s here,” Lucy said. “Bruce and I have to go.”

  Heidi took the puppy in her arms. He licked Heidi’s face. “Okay, I’ll see you later,” Heidi said.

  Once she was alone, Heidi looked in the puppy’s playful eyes. “What am I going to do with you?” she asked him.

  Then Heidi had an idea.

  Heidi raced to her room with the puppy in her arms. Once inside, she closed the door, set him down, and reached under her bed to pull out her Book of Spells. Heidi scanned the Contents page for a lost-and-found spell and put her finger right on one.

  Have you ever lost something dear to you? A piece of jewelry? A pair of glasses? A pet? Or perhaps the trouble is the other way around. Have you ever found a piece of jewelry, a pair of glasses, or a pet? Maybe you are the kind of witch who likes to find or restore lost items? Then this is the spell for you!

  Ingredients:

  1 map that includes the area in which the item was lost or found

  1 handful of dirt

  2 leaves, crumpled

  4 sour gummy worms

  1 picture of what is lost or found

  Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, except the picture of the lost or found item. Then hold your Witches of Westwick medallion in one hand and hold the picture over the mix with your other hand. Chant the following spell:

  Heidi quickly gathered the spell ingredients in a bowl and stirred the mix. The puppy watched closely. Heidi
clutched her medallion in one hand and held the picture of the puppy over the mix in the other. She began to chant the spell.

  “Yip! Yap!” The little dog barked right in the middle of her chant.

  “Shhh!” Heidi shushed as she continued the spell.

  Then the puppy leaped into her lap. Ker-splat! The ingredients flew everywhere!

  “Oh, MERG!” yelled Heidi, scooping everything back into the bowl.

  The puppy scampered under the bed. Heidi lay on her stomach and helped the puppy back out. Dirt from the spell was now all over Heidi, the puppy, and her room.

  “Oh, MERG-A-LATION!” Heidi cried. “Now the spell is RUINED—AND everything is covered in dirt!”

  Heidi’s whole day needed a do-over, but this crazy puppy needed a bath.

  Heidi filled the tub partway with water. Then she placed the wriggly puppy in the tub and squirted some shampoo onto his back. He relaxed as she lathered his fur.

  “No dirty pups in THIS house!” she told him.

  Then Heidi noticed something odd out of the corner of her eye. She slowly turned her head and let out a yelp. Her toilet had turned into a FIRE HYDRANT. She looked back at the puppy.

  “Arf!” he barked playfully.

  Then Heidi heard a splashing sound. All the tub toys had come to life. A rubber duck quacked and swam on its own. A tiny scuba person splashed in the water. Oh my gosh, Heidi thought. What’s going on?