While Casey's Away......

Tessie will play..... Actually, she started playing before I left.

I went with all of the other Wednesday Witches to lunch downtown.

Judy, one of our members owns a restaurant down by the Tucson Museum of Art, called Cafe a la C'arte. Every once in a while she invites us down for really good food and conversation. Her son is a first class chef. Being hungry witches in good standing, we don't refuse the invitation.

Before I started getting ready to go, I put Zar to work painting the ceiling of his secret workroom. The silly man opened the bookcase to get more room and started painting.

When he did that, he broke the protection spell that he had on it....You know what is coming next, don't you?

Tessie saw an opening and jumped at the opportunity. I decided not to interfere. She seemed to have misplaced her new wand and was using a feather in it's place. I didn't think that anything terrible could happen with a feather...

She was waving it around frantically over Zar's head. Zero. Zilch. Nothing. Nada.....Zar just kept painting.

I went away and washed my hair and dried it.

I came back to see how much progress Zar was making. The workroom ceiling was finished.

He had moved on to the bathroom and was working on that ceiling.

Tessie had no problem remembering the bathroom. That room had never been a secret. There she was again, waving the feather. This time I heard her muttering spells to go with it.

I tip toed away. I felt that Zar was safe. What could happen with a feather? Muttering spells wasn't going to help.....I told myself that everything was going to be fine while I was away.

I left. It was a wonderful afternoon.

When I came home, I decided that the complete silence was either a really good sign or a really bad one. It turned out to be the latter.....

I looked into the Clockwork Cottage. There was Tessie, happily sitting on the bed, facing Beau.

Beau was looking very nervous....Then I saw why. Sitting on Tessie's lap, on a pillow in a basket was a rather strange looking flesh colored frog! She still had the feather tucked under her right arm.

"OK. Tessie you have had your fun. Turn Zar back into a person right now!" I said.

Tessie turned and looked me straight in the eye. She said, "Zar? What Zar? You mean this cute little frog? His name is Freddy." I haven't seen Zar since yesterday when he tried to steal my chairs."

I am hoping that she will tire of this game before tomorrow. I need Zar's help with the woodwork on the ceilings. I don't think he can do it by jumping up, sticking his tongue out and catching flies......Ribbit!

See you tomorrow.