She sat in the corner of the classroom. She was the only one in there. She told herself she didn't care.
She hated them! She hated them all!
"Who do you hate, Sally?" said a voice from behind her.
Sally turned around. There was a woman there, tall, pretty, but a little scary. Her eyes especially. Sally had never seen eyes like those before. They were all black. At first, Sally wondered if this lady could even see. Then, she had the feeling the woman could see more than most people.
"Who do you hate, Sally?" repeated the woman.
"EVERYONE!" said Sally, not bothering to wonder how this lady knew her name. Maybe she was some kind of new counselor. "My mom, for sending me to bed early last night! My sister, Jeri, for telling on me! Ms. Berger, my teacher, who told me I couldn't go out for recess because I hit Monica! Monica, for telling on me!"
"You hate a lot of people, don't you?" said the woman. "Would you like to make them sorry?"
"I just want to be left alone!"
"And cry? Oh, don't be angry. It shows on your face that you've been crying. But getting even is so much better, isn't it? Let me give you a gift."
The woman reached into her purse and pulled out a stick. A LONG stick, about two feet long, far too long to have fit in the purse! She held out one end to Sally.
"Take it," said the woman. "It's your magic wand. All you have to do is point at someone, and say, for example, 'abracarog, be a frog!' and they'll turn into a frog. Or 'abracarurtle, be a turtle!' and -- well you get the idea."
"Yeah, right," said Sally. "How dumb do you think I am?"
"I don't think you're dumb at all, dear. Give it a try, on the hamster in the cage over there."
Sally said nothing, and just sat there with her arms crossed.
"Very well," said the woman. She pointed at the hamster and said "abracarizard, be a lizard!"
Quickly, but slow enough that Sally could see it happen, herbie the hamster became a small chameleon. Sally gasped.
"'Soccup!'" said the woman. The lizard changed back. "That's all you have to say if you want to reverse a change. 'Soccup.' Take the wand, dear."
Sally did as the woman told her.
"Now, before you do anything else, say 'alidoshus!'" said the woman.
"Alidoshus?" repeated Sally. She felt the wand grow hot. She couldn't let go of it, though. Then, it cooled down.
"That word sees to it that only you can work the wand. If anyone else tries, they'll turn into a mannequin."
Sally still couldn't believe what was happening. She pointed the wand at the woman and said "Abracarig, be a pig!"
The woman's eyes went wide as her form shifted. Suddenly, in the woman's clothing, was a small pig. It squealed at Sally.
"Cool!" said Sally. "Thanks, lady! I'd change you back, but, I don't want you maybe telling someone else what you've given me. Now get out of here!"
The little sow turned, ran out of the clothing it had worn a moment ago, and bolted from the room
Neither Sally nor anyone else saw the pig, in the hallway, turn back into the woman. "Oh," said Naryanne. "What a fine, wicked soul you have, child. Go and begin your reign of chaos and horror!" And she disappeared.
The class came back into the room, followed by Ms. Berger.
"Well, Sally," said the teacher. "Will you be a good girl now?"
"No!" said Sally. "But you're going to be ... "
