The Shushing Spell

THETHE SHUSHING SHUSHING

SPELL SPELL David Aro David Aro

n 2019 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. t Street, New York, NY 10010

© 2019 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

dits: Cover Valadzionak Volha/Shutterstock.com; pp. 2, 6–7 Lilu330/ k.com; p. 3 tina.sova/Shutterstock.com; p. 4 Yoko Design/ k.com; p. 8 VectorShow/Shutterstock.com; pp. 10–11 Sunflowerr/ k.com; p. 11 Roi and Roi/Shutterstock.com; p. 12 Azuzl/ k.com; p. 15 Studio Ladybug/Shutterstock.com.

served. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

gn: Seth Hughes ie McAneney

725375666 N: 9781725375093

THE SHUSHING

SPELL David Aro

Published in 2019 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010 Copyright © 2019 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. Photo Credits: Cover Valadzionak Volha/Shutterstock.com; pp. 2, 6–7 Lilu330/ Shutterstock.com; p. 3 tina.sova/Shutterstock.com; p. 4 Yoko Design/ Shutterstock.com; p. 8 VectorShow/Shutterstock.com; pp. 10–11 Sunflowerr/ Shutterstock.com; p. 11 Roi and Roi/Shutterstock.com; p. 12 Azuzl/ Shutterstock.com; p. 15 Studio Ladybug/Shutterstock.com.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Book Design: Seth Hughes Editor: Caitie McAneney ISBN: 9781725375666 E-Book ISBN: 9781725375093

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Logan made room on the shelf in his closet for the unicorn horn (a birch tree branch) he found in the yard and jarred.

He organized all his magical ingredients in alphabetical order, from bee poison (mustard seeds he ground using his mortar and pestle) to worms. To be a proper magician, he needed to collect at least one ingredient for each letter of the alphabet.

Some letters were harder to find

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than others, like A. Logan did find a fancy word for spider that started with an A— arachn-a-something—but he wanted to find ingredients he could actually say. Other letters, like Z, seemed impossible.

Logan’s older sister, Sadie, barged into his room, despite the locked door: it wasn’t difficult for her to pick the push lock with one of her bobby pins. He was so focused on building his magic workshop, Logan was startled by the door banging into the wall. He bumped the black cat whiskers (pipe cleaners) with the back of his hand, and they tipped and knocked over an entire shelf of ingredients.

“Get out of my room!” Logan yelled as he tried to catch them.

Sadie ignored Logan’s demand and sat down on his bed. “No sense in getting

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all bent out of shape. You’ll be the one in trouble if Mom hears your yelling. Your door isn’t supposed to be locked in the first place.”

Logan adjusted the magpie tongue (sunflower seeds) back between the lavender and newt eyes (black and gold marbles). He tried not to pay attention to his sister in hopes she would just leave him in peace. But she smacked her gum in her mouth so loud he couldn’t even hear himself think.

Logan backed out of his closet, shutting the doors to keep his sister’s peering eyes out of his business. “What do you want?”

“It’s not what I want.” Sadie paused to blow a bubble.

Logan wished he could cast a spell

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with a flick of the wrist voiceand slowly popreturned. the bubble “What…next all over her face. spit out.

“It’s about what you Logan don’tfought want,”against Sadie the live

continued. “If you don’t ingredients go downstairs holding him and down, and

get me a glass of water, sisterI’ll flipped tell mom through you his book, try

stole my pen againto tofind write a spell. in your When dumb Sadie couldn’ potion book.”

one that made sense or make out L

“My potion book muffled is NOT screams, dumb!”she Logan tossed the bo made fists at his sides. side “And and looked I’m busy.” up.

“Have it your way.”Even Sadiethough took amy deep brother thin best,and breath with her big mouth knows wide open screamed, “MOM!”

and is always a pest, “Fine,” Logan agreed. Mom always took things will never be so grim, Sadie’s side because she was older. Plus, when hethe hasonly a big sis like me giving her what she wanted was way after him. to get her out of his room. command to go back w But this time, it justI so happenedthee to work you came from, in his favor. The cold creeping up the glass as I can giveinto myhis brother a gi he filled her cup with icesosent chills in the bum. hands, giving him a brilliant idea for a spell.

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Logan waited until his sister and mom were both asleep before opening the doors to his magic workshop. He couldn’t take any chances of being disturbed if his spell was going to work.

He poured some squid ink (molasses) into an empty jar. With a pair of tweezers, he pulled out a single magpie tongue and mixed it in. Then, he went downstairs and found one of Sadie’s wallet-sized school photos and stuffed it into the jar. After closing the jar tight, he focused on his words, hoping the right ones would come to him.

Sadie is loud and always in my way, this all comes to an end today.

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Her tongue will Sadiefreeze pushed with open thisthe door to Lo shushing spell, room. It was the first time he was happ makingsee her unable speak or yell. her come to into his room uninvited.

“Help!” Logan shouted.

Logan repeated the spell three times Vines emerged from one of the jar and hid the jar in the back of the freezer. and wrapped around his wrists and ank He then snuck back to his room and drifted Sadie frantically shook her hands off to the sweet, silent sound of success. the air like she was trying to say someth When no words came out, she held her hand over her throat.

“Get me my potion book!” he The next day, Logan’s mom made him said. a sandwich before she left for the store.

Octopus arms flopped “Sadie’s in charge when I’m gone,” she said. across the room and blocked Sadie was still in bed, which was fine

by Logan. He ate his sandwich in silence before heading back to his magic workshop.

Logan pulled out his potion book and added the unicorn horn to his list of ingredients. He still needed to find six

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more letters of magical ingredients—A, E, O, S, V, and Z—to complete his workshop.

He looked through all his books and wandered around the yard. He found helicopters from the maple tree, a few insects crawling around the mulch, but nothing potion-worthy.

When he searched the kitchen drawer of herbs, the freezer kicked on. His sister was always so loud he never noticed its light hum before.

Of course! If he silenced his sister with a spell, he could create one to make the remaining six ingredients he needed appear.

Logan rushed back to his workshop.

He made a giant circle on the floor with

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all his ingredients all hisand ingredients placed six and empty placed six empty

containers incontainers the middle.inHe theknelt middle. beside He knelt besid

the circle with the hiscircle potions withbook. his potions With itbook. With it so quiet, he scribbled so quiet, down he scribbled three spell down three spell variations in variations a matter ofinminutes. a matter of minutes.

He looked everything He lookedover everything one last over one las time to maketime sureto things makewere sureevenly things were evenly

spaced. Whenspaced. satisfied, When he raised satisfied, his he hands raised his ha

in the air andinsaid the the air and spellsaid he liked the spell best.he liked bes Let these words Let plant these words the seed, plant the seed,

for the six remaining for the six ingredients remainingI need. ingredients I n A, E, O, S, V,A, and E, Z, O, S, V, and Z, give them ALL give TOthem ME!ALL TO ME!

Logan waitedLogan on hiswaited toes for onsomething his toes for somet

to happen. When to happen. nothingWhen did, he nothing repeated did,the he repeated

spell over andspell over. over Heand saidover. it in He a whisper said it in a whis

and then in as and deep then a voice in as deep as he acould. voice as he could.

Suddenly, theSuddenly, floor rumbled, the floor therumbled, the

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dresser drawers shook open, and wind blew through the windows and knocked over the six containers in the middle of the circle.

They spun on their sides and lifted in the air like a tornado.

The powerful gusts blew Logan on his backside. He froze as things shot out of the six once-empty bottles.

Angel wings floated up and flapped in the air, causing the bottles to spin faster and faster. Snail slime oozed all over the room, holding Logan to the floor like glue. Eagle talons clawed across the floor, their nails scraping a high screech as they moved.

A stench so bad seeped through the room it made Logan’s sandwich do somersaults in his stomach. He had never smelled something so awful before, and the only thought that came to mind of what it could be was zombie breath.

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Sadie pushed open the door to Logan’s room. It was the first time he was happy to see her come into his room uninvited.

“Help!” Logan shouted.

Vines emerged from one of the jars and wrapped around his wrists and ankles.

Sadie frantically shook her hands in the air like she was trying to say something.

When no words came out, she held her hand over her throat.

“Get me my potion book!” he said.

Octopus arms flopped across the room and blocked

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Sadie’s path to him. Without his book, he couldn’t read the spells. Sadie would have to do it. But she couldn’t talk. The shushing spell had worked too well!

Logan squirmed from side to side, dodging octopus arms leaping towards his face. “In the back of the freezer is a container with your picture in it. Take it out and unthaw it as quick as you can.” That’s all Logan could spit out before one of the arms suctioned over his mouth.

Sadie rushed out of the room and returned with the container and her blow dryer. It was taking too long, but as she held her blow dryer up to the container on high, her

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voice slowly returned. “What…next?” she spit out.

Logan fought against the live ingredients holding him down, and his sister flipped through his book, trying to find a spell. When Sadie couldn’t find one that made sense or make out Logan’s muffled screams, she tossed the book to the side and looked up.

Even though my brother thinks he knows best, and is always a pest, things will never be so grim, when he has a big sis like me to look after him.

I command thee to go back where you came from, so I can give my brother a giant kick in the bum.

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As soon as she finished her spell, the angel wings, snail slime, eagle talons, vines, and octopus arms disappeared in a poof. The zombie breath mostly vanished, but it was so strong it left an aroma that reminded him of the night he had horrible gas after eating too many BBQ beans with dinner.

Logan gave his sister a rare hug.

“Thank you for saving me,” he said. “And I’m sorry for my shushing spell. It’s just, sometimes it’s hard to focus with you watching over me.”

Sadie looked her brother in the eyes.

“That’s what big sisters do. They look out for their younger brothers.”

Even after casting a shushing spell on Sadie, she still helped him out. Maybe she wasn’t as bad as he thought.

“Wanna help me clean up my room

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ISBN: 9781725375666 ISBN: 9781725375666