What The Wicked Witch Wanted Written By: Heather Wain Illustrated By: Heather Wain Created By: Heather Wain

Once upon a time, in a land so far away that you would not believe it existed, lived a witch. As in any good story, the wicked old witch sat in her house all day long, plotting and scheming about how to trick young children to come to her house and work all day.

She wanted them to help her clean, cook, and scrub her dirty feet. You see, this old witch was a lazy one, who wanted nothing more than to get someone else to do her chores and take care of her every need so that all she would have to do all day long is read Witches Weekly.

A Witch Weekly, of course, was the local newspaper circulated for all enchantresses. One day, as she sat scheming and thinking, she decided to run an ad in her Witches Weekly that called for any young witch children who would like an extra dollar or two to spend on candy and toys, to please contact her at (932) She wrote in the advertisement that the work would be very light, and the money would be so much fun to spend.

For one week, the wicked old witch sat by her phone waiting for a call from some eager young witchling. Alas, the phone never rang. Disgruntled, and mumbling about the laziness that so many young witches had suffered from, she got up from her chair and began throwing her dishes in the dishwasher, vigorously began sweeping her floors, and vacuumed until the carpets were spotless.

While throwing the clothes in the laundry, the old witch realized that she still had time to bake a pie for Mr. McAttitude down the road. He was always sad and grouchy, and the old witch thought that if he had something good to eat he would stop yelling at her every time she passed his house. She could easily find the dishes she needed when her kitchen was clean. The freshly washed dish towel lay by the sink, ready to be used. With surprise, the puzzled witch realized how much easier things were, to do for others and herself, when she took the time to stay on top of her chores.

It took so much less time to get up and clean around the house than to apply for help in Witches Weekly. With a cry, she ran to the newspaper and told them to stop running her ad, that she was going to start doing her own work. She felt so much better after that.

One more house, in the land so far away that you would not even believe it, is infinitely cleaner and smells like freshly baked pies. Boys and girls carried on playing hopscotch in the nearby playground. Meanwhile, in a small cottage on a faraway hill, a little old witch stood with a dust mop in one hand and a bottle of disinfectant in the other, happily at work.