model: Sayali Gove
The Witch in the Lighthouse
Once upon a time, there were three girls, Ashley, Berkeley, and Chelsea. They were sisters. Their friends called them the ABC girls. The ABC girls were always very good and never got into any kind of trouble. Or, at least, that’s what everybody thought. But there was one strange thing that happened only on nights when there was a full moon. Around midnight, they would sneak out of the house, quietly get on their bicycles, and go for a ride. Nobody ever knew; they never got caught. Sometimes, they would just ride around town and then go back home and sneak into bed again. Sometimes, they would go to a friend’s house where there was a swimming pool, and quietly get in the pool and swim. Now this was not safe and they should not have been doing that. Fortunately, they were all very good swimmers and nothing went wrong and, again, they never got caught.
One summer day, the family decided to take a vacation. They loaded a lot of stuff into their minivan. Then they loaded a lot more stuff, including the bicycles, into and on top of their minivan. Then they drove and drove and drove, all the way to South Carolina. They finally stopped at a state park, where they had reserved a cabin.
That night there was a full moon. Around midnight, the ABC girls crept out of bed and quietly got on their bicycles and went riding.
Ashley said, “There’s supposed to be an ocean around here. Let’s go find it.”
They rode around and around, looking for the ocean. But instead, they found a lighthouse. There was not actually a working light in this lighthouse. Many years earlier there really was a bright light to help ships at sea plot their position, but now, it was a historical landmark.
Now, normally, this lighthouse would have been locked up tight so no one could get in. But this was a very special occasion and someone or something had arranged for the lighthouse door to be unlocked for just this one evening.
They went in. It was very dark inside. They found a winding stairway. Around and around they went, and up and up. Finally, they were at the top. They looked around, or to be more exact, they felt their way around. They came to a window and looked out. With the full moon, they could see a little bit outside.
Berkeley said, “I thought there was an ocean. I still don’t see any ocean.”
Chelsea said, “It’s out there somewhere. We’ll find it.”
Suddenly, there was a voice behind them. “Well, now. Dear me. Three little sisters, ABC. I’ve been expecting you. You’re in my lighthouse and that means I’m going to eat you, all of you. Now let’s see, how shall I cook you?”
Ashley said, “We’re sorry if we disturbed you. We didn’t know there was anyone here.”
“Of course, you didn’t, dears. How could you? It’s quite all right. I’m not angry at all. But I’m still going to eat you. I have a really big pot here with boiling water in it. How does that sound? And I also have a nice oven, toasty warm. Maybe you’d like that better, hmmm??”
Ashley said, “I think I’d like the boiling water, please.”
Berkeley said, “For me, the hot oven is my favorite way of being cooked.”
Chelsea said, “What we really wouldn’t like, would be to get thrown into the ocean and then cooked.”
Ashley and Berkeley both said, “Oh no, that is our very least favorite way of getting cooked.”
The witch said, “You know what, I’ll need some salt on you for flavor, so I’m going to throw you all into the ocean, and then cook you.”
And that’s what happened. Or at least, the first part happened. The witch had a really strong throwing arm and hurled all three of them far out into the ocean.
As soon as they hit the water, the ABC girls started swimming for their lives. That’s when the witch realized her mistake. Quickly, she got on her broom and flew out over the ocean to recapture her supper. But the girls could swim fast and dive deep and they went in different directions. For a while, they were able to keep away and not get caught but soon they were getting tired.
Meanwhile, what had been a clear night with a full moon, was turning into a stormy night with rain and then thunder and lightning. Just as the ABC girls were about to get caught, a bolt of lightning stopped the witch in flight and sizzled her into ashes. All that was left was the charred broom, which fell into the water. The ABC girls grabbed what was left of the broom and that was enough to help them get back to land.
They rested a while, then quietly pedaled back to the cabin, and crawled back into bed. They never told anyone about their trip to the ocean.
The Witch in the Lighthouse
Once upon a time, there were three girls, Ashley, Berkeley, and Chelsea. They were sisters. Their friends called them the ABC girls. The ABC girls were always very good and never got into any kind of trouble. Or, at least, that’s what everybody thought. But there was one strange thing that happened only on nights when there was a full moon. Around midnight, they would sneak out of the house, quietly get on their bicycles, and go for a ride. Nobody ever knew; they never got caught. Sometimes, they would just ride around town and then go back home and sneak into bed again. Sometimes, they would go to a friend’s house where there was a swimming pool, and quietly get in the pool and swim. Now this was not safe and they should not have been doing that. Fortunately, they were all very good swimmers and nothing went wrong and, again, they never got caught.
One summer day, the family decided to take a vacation. They loaded a lot of stuff into their minivan. Then they loaded a lot more stuff, including the bicycles, into and on top of their minivan. Then they drove and drove and drove, all the way to South Carolina. They finally stopped at a state park, where they had reserved a cabin.
That night there was a full moon. Around midnight, the ABC girls crept out of bed and quietly got on their bicycles and went riding.
Ashley said, “There’s supposed to be an ocean around here. Let’s go find it.”
They rode around and around, looking for the ocean. But instead, they found a lighthouse. There was not actually a working light in this lighthouse. Many years earlier there really was a bright light to help ships at sea plot their position, but now, it was a historical landmark.
Now, normally, this lighthouse would have been locked up tight so no one could get in. But this was a very special occasion and someone or something had arranged for the lighthouse door to be unlocked for just this one evening.
They went in. It was very dark inside. They found a winding stairway. Around and around they went, and up and up. Finally, they were at the top. They looked around, or to be more exact, they felt their way around. They came to a window and looked out. With the full moon, they could see a little bit outside.
Berkeley said, “I thought there was an ocean. I still don’t see any ocean.”
Chelsea said, “It’s out there somewhere. We’ll find it.”
Suddenly, there was a voice behind them. “Well, now. Dear me. Three little sisters, ABC. I’ve been expecting you. You’re in my lighthouse and that means I’m going to eat you, all of you. Now let’s see, how shall I cook you?”
Ashley said, “We’re sorry if we disturbed you. We didn’t know there was anyone here.”
“Of course, you didn’t, dears. How could you? It’s quite all right. I’m not angry at all. But I’m still going to eat you. I have a really big pot here with boiling water in it. How does that sound? And I also have a nice oven, toasty warm. Maybe you’d like that better, hmmm??”
Ashley said, “I think I’d like the boiling water, please.”
Berkeley said, “For me, the hot oven is my favorite way of being cooked.”
Chelsea said, “What we really wouldn’t like, would be to get thrown into the ocean and then cooked.”
Ashley and Berkeley both said, “Oh no, that is our very least favorite way of getting cooked.”
The witch said, “You know what, I’ll need some salt on you for flavor, so I’m going to throw you all into the ocean, and then cook you.”
And that’s what happened. Or at least, the first part happened. The witch had a really strong throwing arm and hurled all three of them far out into the ocean.
As soon as they hit the water, the ABC girls started swimming for their lives. That’s when the witch realized her mistake. Quickly, she got on her broom and flew out over the ocean to recapture her supper. But the girls could swim fast and dive deep and they went in different directions. For a while, they were able to keep away and not get caught but soon they were getting tired.
Meanwhile, what had been a clear night with a full moon, was turning into a stormy night with rain and then thunder and lightning. Just as the ABC girls were about to get caught, a bolt of lightning stopped the witch in flight and sizzled her into ashes. All that was left was the charred broom, which fell into the water. The ABC girls grabbed what was left of the broom and that was enough to help them get back to land.
They rested a while, then quietly pedaled back to the cabin, and crawled back into bed. They never told anyone about their trip to the ocean.