Hallie and Naveen’s mysterious Halloween potion

By Sarah Beauregard and Johannie Dufour
Translated by Jasmine Heesaker

Today is Halloween, but Naveen is sad. He broke his leg in gym class and won’t be able to go trick-or-treating tonight!

As he starts his homework, his best friend Hallie knocks on the door and enters the kitchen.

“You’ll never guess what I’ve just found in my grandmother’s attic,” she says excitedly. “I was looking for a witch’s hat for my costume, and I found a grimoire of magic potions! One of them gave me a great idea!”

“A potion to fix a broken leg?” asks Naveen, intrigued.

“No, unfortunately not… but look at this!” Hallie replies, handing Naveen the open book.

Temporary cloning potion

• 1 red maple leaf

• 10 pumpkin seeds

• 4 flat stones

• 1 blackbird feather

• 2 apple cores

• 2 cups rainwater

Mix everything in a cauldron for 10 minutes, then repeat the phrase “Magic potion, clone me for two hours” three times. Drink one glass of the potion in a single gulp.

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“Hmm… assuming it works, I’ll get cloned but still have a broken leg,” says Naveen.

“Yes, but if I clone myself,” says Hallie, “I’ll be able to trick or treat at twice as many homes, and we’ll have twice as much candy to share. I already picked up the maple leaf, the stones and the feather on the way here.”

“Okay, let’s give it a try!” exclaims Naveen. “There are pumpkin seeds in the pantry, and you can get some water from the rain barrel in the garden.”

“Perfect, I’ll get it,” replies Hallie. “Then, we’ll eat some apples, and we’ll have everything we need!”

Once they gather all the ingredients, the two friends prepare the recipe. Next, they repeat the magic formula in chorus. Suddenly, the contents of the cauldron begin to glow, transforming into a strange green potion.

“Wow!” they exclaim, wide-eyed.

Hallie pours herself a glass and drinks it in one gulp.

“Yuck! It tastes like rotten apples!” she says, grimacing.

Then, they hear a loud “POOF,” and a second little girl in a witch costume appears.

“Oh, that’s so cool!” marvels Hallie.

“Ha, ha, and very weird,” laughs Naveen. “I can’t tell which one is really you!”

“Okay,” say both Hallies at the same time. “Let’s get going before we run out of candy to collect — or your mother sees us and thinks she’s gone crazy. See you soon!”

Left alone, Naveen gets back to doing his homework. When the girls finally return, they’re carrying the biggest candy haul Naveen has ever seen! As the friends happily divide up the treats, the clone suddenly disappears with another “POOF.”

“Thanks, Hallie, you’re the best friend ever!”

“You’re welcome! We should keep the grimoire... we might need it again!” she says.

Together, they smile at each other as they eat a few tasty sweets. It’s a Halloween they won’t soon forget!

THE END