Nataliya Bogoluibova - The Button Witch. Part Two

"Two cats in a day! I can't believe my eyes. Now I feel that fortune is on our side!" Ron exclaimed. "The witch is known to hate cats. She turns them into ice sculptures. Surviving here is a challenge! What's the lucky cat's name?"

"I'm Sunny," said the cat, in a sing-song manner. "I've been through worse. The most dangerous thing about this town is falling asleep at night."

"Why?" asked Olivia, furrowing her brows.

"Oh, that's a long story."

"It will be great to hear it. We have very little survival experience in this town or in the woods." Dean barked and gave Fargo a warning look. "This place is full of troublemakers. The more we learn, the better off we are."

"All right. Listen." Sunny blinked and exhaled sharply. A slight grimace crossed his features like a shadow. His voice lowered as he began to speak.

"The witch's nightly prey is her sleeping victims. The main thing in this place is to stay awake at night and not be seen by the witch during the day, especially if you're a cat. I'm lucky, I suffer from insomnia.

I sleep during the day and I can't get a wink of sleep at night. Once I went out when it was getting dark.

There was a rabbit crawling around in the snowdrift, bleeding. He told me his name was Hopper. He had been playing hockey and stepped on a rusty nail. I made a sled out of twigs and took the rabbit to the abandoned witch's hut. I knew she had left it many years ago. It was the perfect place to hide from her. I took care of Hopper, fed him carrots, and bandaged his paw. Within a week, he had completely recovered and left. One day, he came back and brought me a strange hat. It had big, fluffy rabbit ears attached to it. There was no doubt that the ears were fake, but they were so masterfully made! From a distance and in the dusk, I could pass for a rabbit."

CHAPTER FIVE

Hopper the Rabbit

Outside, they could hear the engine revving, tires scraping against the ice, a car sliding in the snow. Dean and the cats ran out of the hut. Olivia and Ron rushed out after them.

"Hopper, we were just thinking about you!" Sunny said.

Hopper cried out, "Pulling the car out of the snow was a great workout. I needed to get my blood pumping." He followed Dean’s amazed gaze, proudly straightened his back and said, "This car is the fastest one in the woods! Do you like it?"

"It’s gorgeous!" Dean exclaimed as he leaned forward with interest. "I love this car! Is snow drifting dangerous?"

"I think it's dangerous for beginners." Hopper replied, rubbing his neck. "To tell you the truth, it's rather unpredictable. There are rules I always follow to be safe."

"What rules?" Dean the dog barked.

The rabbit said, "I avoid moving in a hurry." Then he looked at Sunny and added, "I've come to invite you to Molly's carrot pie. Introduce me to your friends. And have them join in, too."

Soon they drove up to a big, beautiful house with a roof that looked like rabbit ears. Dean wagged his tail in delight.

Fargo smiled and said, "I see you have bunny ears everywhere. On your hats and on your house. How did you manage to build a roof like that?"

"It wasn't hard. I'm an artist and a builder at heart."

"Who is it?" Olivia heard the curious voices of the cats. "We've already set the table. Come in!"

Hopper said, "Polly and Molly are staying with me. It's dangerous for the cats to be alone when the witch is around."

"We’re pretty much night owls," Molly said. "We sleep during the day and cook or read at night. But the witch has learned new tricks and figured out how to prey on us. She can cast spells that put your soul inside a button. And once you fall asleep, day or night, you'll be her prisoner forever."

“How would you know that the witch has cast a spell on you?” Dean asked, wincing in confusion at the thought.

Molly said, "Your image will appear on the smooth surface of all buttons wherever you can see them. It is the sign that the evil witch will appear at dusk and choke you with nightmares."

Polly the cat added, "No one feels safe here. We're afraid of the witch! There must be something to stop her, right?"

"Have you ever seen the Button witch?" asked the dog.

"Yes, it was so scary," Polly whispered.

"Tell us all about it, will you?" Dean said.

She looked at Dean with cautious hope and said, "All right. If it can help." Worry creased her lips. The cat continued, "I was already asleep when I felt someone leaning over my bed."

Ron the hedgehog was frightened and shouted, "Wait, no! Don't tell me. Sometimes it's better not to know. I'll cover my ears with my paws." He gave Dean a sheepish look.

Fargo the cat snorted. "Hedgehogs are brave creatures, aren't they?" Ron immediately reconsidered covering his ears.

"When I opened my eyes, I saw a huge creepy shadow!" Polly whispered, her paws shaking at her sides.

"Did you put a button under your pillow?" Dean the dog said.

"Of course. I saw the creature fumbling under the pillow with her crooked fingers." Polly whispered.

"What happened next?" Dean asked impatiently.

"I must have woken up, I don't remember."

"Did you get a good look at the witch?" Fargo said.

Polly shrugged in disgust and said, "I don’t think so. Wait a minute! I remember the creature smelled like rotten eggs!"

"That's not surprising when you know what treats she has!" Olivia mentioned with a smirk. She remembered the jar of booger jam in the hut.

"What do you know about the dragon the witch tamed? Is he furious?" Fargo the cat asked the rabbit.

Hopper replied, "The dragon is said to be evil. The witch feeds it buttons, and the dragon hates them and gets angrier every day. The dragon never leaves the witch's side, and she only comes out to hunt at dusk. We have nothing to fear now. Let me show you the town, Olivia! And on the way back, we'll stop in the woods for a picnic!"

"Wait a minute! I'll make some salad sandwiches and hot carrot tea for you," Molly the cat added.

Ron said quietly, "I'm not going. It's unwise to leave Polly and Molly all alone. I'll stay here and appreciate Sunny keeping me company. Will you, Sunny?"

"Sure," said Sunny the cat. "Fargo, you can have my hat with the fake rabbit ears. It will help you feel safer in this town."

"In our company, time flies, Sunny. We know lots of amazing stories!" Polly giggled. "This will be fun! I'll bake an apple pie!"

Ron tried to warn Hopper. He said, "Beware of the nasty golems on the way. They use ice cubes to block the road."

CHAPTER SIX

A golem’s attack

The road was rough. The car swayed and slid as they drove up and down the snowdrifts. Olivia felt dizzy and sleepy. The girl looked out the window and saw a strange creature. It gave Olivia a mischievous grin and moaned. Its only eye burned with dark flames. The frightened girl recoiled and screamed, "It seems we've met a troublemaker! A golem is on our way."