The End

The End could occur in a book of stories that all ended TO BE CONTINUED only if there was a miracle. You know, something bigger than magic. Well, all the magic in the TO BE CONTINUED stories have led up to this story. We'll see if it could be called miracle.

Would you call it a miracle if someone who felt ugly, was always mad, and filty becoming sweet, gentle, and clean? You know, someone who felt like a witch becoming a pretty girl.

Whether it's a miracle or not, changing is not as easy as simply saying the words. It takes two other things: to have the people you've been around realize that you no longer belong with them, and the people you want to become friends with accept you.

Well, the old Head Witch was willing to get rid of Witchy-Boo. She knew the two thousand year-ole didn't have her black heart into being a witch anymore. Also, Jeanie wanted Witchy to be her best friend. And Witchy herself wanted to change. So everyone agreed: a change should happen.

With all that it would still take one other person: the one who could actually make the change. In this case that person was Johnny Carmel.

Remember that Witchy-Boo dressed as the little girl Bou and

left Johnny's birthday party saying, "I'll see you soon"?Aftergiving him the magic ring, Carl? And saying that the ring could bring about change? What Witchydidn'tsay was that she was giving the boy permission to change her.

Well, when Johnny realized this he had to think about it. It was a pretty heavy thing because he knew that once he changed her she couldn't go back to being a witch. To make his thinking easier he made sure that Boo REALLY wanted to become Bou, and that Jeanie REALLY wanted to be close friends with her. Once Johnny was satisfied about them he could act. And here's what he did.

"Crystal Ball, Crystal Ball, get bigger. Crystal Ball, Crystal Ball, give me Carl the magic ring."

Poof, and a cloud of white smoke filled the room. And the familiar "Okee dokee" echoed off the walls.

Then the boy looked at Carl. He spoke. "Carl, I've never used you because I was afraid. But now I'm okay. So let's do this thing and get it over with.

Just then Johnny heard the engine of a truck. He peeked out the window. A moving van was backing up to the for sale house next door.

"I don't know what effect that'll have on anything," and he turned back to the ring. "You sure don'tseemto be magic. Well, we'll see."

Johnny held the ring and said, "Because everyone agrees that Witchy-Boo should change to a little girl Bou, I hereby wish that it happens."

Nothing happened.

"Oh, I forgot to put my hand over it." So Johnny said it again.

"I hereby wish that Witchy-Boo change from the ugly, two thousand year-old, wart-nosed hag, into the sweet little girl Bou." And he put his hand on top of the ring.

Again nothing happened.

Johnny was distracted by the moving men next door. He heard them say, "And what's your name, little girl?"

He heard his sister answer, "Jeanie."

"Do you live next door?"

"Yes. Can you tell me who'smoving in here?"

A workman said, "The Campbells. And they have a little girl just about your age. I think she's nine."

Johnny hoped Jeanie wouldn't be disappointed when she found that it wouldn't be Bou. After all, she wasn't even a girl yet. And Johnny knew Witchy-Boo well enough to know that she'd never move in when she was only under a spell. Besides, what did Boo OR Bou have to do with the Campbell family anyway?

Johnny returned to the ring. "Maybe you did do your magic, Carl. It's just that I don't know about it yet. Maybe there was a puff of smoke in the cave. And the gargoyles and trolls heard "Okee dokee." And for all I know Witchy-Boo is dead forever and there's a little girl named Bou walking around somewhere. To top that, MAYBE her name is Bou Campbell. But I don't know it."

Johnny heard his sister ask the moving men, "When will the Campbells move in?"

"Tomorrow. Maybe the next day. Depends on how long it takes to drive here."

"Where are they coming from?"

Johnny didn't hear the answer. Wht he heard was the engine of a car back into the driveway.

At that momnent Johnny Carmel looked at his Crystal Ball. Many thoughs passed through his mind. And every time he thought he saw it in his ball.

Thre he was finding Banjo, the magic broomstick, in the Vacant Lot. Now his first ride. Then, as if it were a reply on a VCR, he watched how he took the pencil-small broomstick to Show and Tell and zoomed from ione end of the room to the other.

Johnny was fascinated. He'd never seen anything like this. Especially inside Crystal Ball. Oh, there he goes into Witchy-Boo's cave. He's snatching the ball from her hands. Oh, that was great!

Now he's playing with Zobie, the magic wand. Why, this is the best thing he'd ever seen!

Onb and on ran the events, the things the boy had done with his magic. Thre was Jeanie wishing for candy and the Hershey with Allmonds and M & M's appearing.

And there is Head Witch giving Boo the business for losing her powers. Oh, there Johnny was again, slippinginto Boo's head, and getter her magic stuff back. Oh, this is fun!

Soon little Bou appeared in the ball. First at Jeanie's birthday, then at his. She was very pretty. And how close she and Jeanie were. The wish flashed through his mind that the witch would change so that the two could be friends forever.

Johnny stared into Crystal Ball. There he was. The boy watched the vision with great interest. The wish, rubbing Carl ring.

The nest thing he saw was a puff of white smoke in Witchy-Boo's cave. She disappeared. And in her place stood the little girl Bou.

Now Johnny saw a moving van back into a driveway.

"Oh, that's next door!" he said. "Yes, there's Jeanie." And then the backing of a car. A father and mother stepped out. Then, from the rear door, a little girl. But only her back showed. Johnny couldn't see who she was. At that point the Crystal Ball went blank.

Johnny ran to the window. And, as he had hoped, he saw two little girls hugging. And, as you must know, they were Jeanie and little Bou.

Little Bou Campbell who had miraculously changed from an ugly ole witch -- two thousand years old to be exact -- the one with the hair coming our of the wrt on the end of her crooked nose. The very witch that cackled and shrieked and screached and yelled at the ugly trolls and gargoyles in the filthy cave around the bubbling caldron.

Was this a miracle? If not, it certainly was a lot of powerful magic!

But some would say not. Some might say that when we feel ugly inside we don't need all that magic and miracle stuff to change. That all we need is towantto change.

Whatever you call it, these stories have come to an end. So now we can't say in order to hear how things turn out this has TO BE CONTINUED.

Now we have to say something like everything turned out beautifully so THE END