beatrix bobbit's spooky treasure hunt

It started with a cookie. One Beatrix had been enjoying in the garden while she practiced charming her broom to rake the fiery orange and red leaves. Mrs. Bobbit hadn't instructed her not to use witch nonsense to finish her chores faster.

When Beatrix took a seat on the cool black iron bench to watch her charmed broomstick fly through the leaves, she noticed something on the back of the cookie. A note written in small black frosted letters.

Haunted Treasure Hunt

For a moment, Beatrix's chest thumped. She'd had too much from Gemma lately. Taking Sybil had been going too far.

On the other hand, it had been weeks since she and Callum found her unharmed. And Sybil seemed fine. Plus, Beatrix was a bit restless. Something about the month of October always made her want to fly through the dark night sky and run barefoot across crunching leaves while a brisk wind blew her cloak around her shoulders.

"SYBIE!" Beatrix stood and shouted at the house.

The back door creaked open, but instead of Sybie, a fluffy black rabbit hopped through the piles of leaves. "Hello, Penny," Beatrix bent down and scooped the rabbit up. Before she'd had a chance to nuzzle into her fur, the door slammed open and Mr. Bobbit's ruffled mustache appeared.

"Beatrix, have you seen--" Mr. Bobbit grunted then flung the door entirely open and shuffled outside. "Were you raking while Penny was out here? You know she likes to hide in the leaves."

Mr. Bobbit peered around at the garden which was now covered in a thick blanket of leaves. Beatrix's charmed broomstick was propped against the wall doing nothing, but Beatrix could've sworn she heard it snore.

"I called Sybie and Penny hopped out of the bunny door. Have you seen her?"

"THE BUNNY DOOR IS SUPPOSED TO BE CLOSED!" Mr. Bobbit screeched. "After the raccoon incident, it's not safe."

Beatrix wasn't sure she'd call one tiny raccoon climbing in through Penny's bunny door to eat a cake Mrs. Bobbit had baked an incident. But Mr. Bobbit had seemed to think the raccoon was really searching for Penny to eat instead of the cake and bunch of bananas it ate.

"Sure Dad, we'll close it. Where's Sybil?" Beatrix smirked as she kept turning Penny just out of reach of Mr. Bobbit's wide fingers. When she finally handed the rabbit over, though, she felt something solid still remained in her hand. Beatrix closed her fingers until she could investigate.

"In the living room," Mr. Bobbit squinted while his eyes flitted around the garden and the edge of the forest -- presumably looking for lurking raccoons -- before he set Penny down in the leaves. Something like a giggle escaped his mouth as Penny hopped once, sending a few leaves flying around her. "Beatrix, video this! Have you ever seen anything cuter?"

At this point, Penny wasn't moving, but Mr. Bobbit was smiling so fondly, Beatrix merely smiled back, patted his head and assured him she had not, before slipping around the pair to check what Penny had left in her hand. A smaller cookie shaped like a pumpkin lay across her palm. A note had been made out of black sprinkles.

It read: Find your best friend.

"I'm trying," Beatrix said and went inside. A draft blew through the kitchen where Mrs. Bobbit was standing over a bag of apples.

It was the last bag left from their trip to the orchard. So far, she'd made apple pie, apple muffins, apple bread, apple sauce, apply ice cream, apple butter and apple steaks which were surprisingly delicious. After the apple steaks, though, Mrs. Bobbit had felt drained by the idea of one more apple concoction. But, she was determined not to let them beat her.

"Come up with anything yet?" Beatrix peered around Mrs. Bobbit's shoulder.

Mrs. Bobbit sighed, "I will, Beatrix, dear," then, "do you have any ideas?" Mrs. Bobbit tucked a wispy strand of hair back into her low bun.

"Apple spaghetti?" Beatrix snorted.

Mrs. Bobbit, however, brightened. "Oh, that is interesting. Well done, Beatrix, well-" Mrs. Bobbit paused and peered outside. "Why aren't the leaves raked, Beatrix, dear?"

"Dad and Penny wanted to play in them," Beatrix shrugged. "I'll finish them later, is Sybie in the living room?"

"They'll both be tracking bits of dried leaves for weeks," Mrs. Bobbit sighed again, "Yes, I believe so. Why don't you both help me with the apple spaghetti-"

"Sure! We just have one quick thing we have to do first," Beatrix cut Mrs. Bobbit off and hopped across the black tiles and through the swinging door to find Sybil prancing around on tip toes while a fire heated the living room. Beatrix's chest felt lighter at once. "There you are, I called you outside."

Beatrix ran over and slipped the two coded cookies from her pocket to show her sister. Except there weren't two cookies, there were three. The third cookie was shaped like a cauldron. The orange frosting lining it spelled: Ask what you love most.

"What do you think it is?" Beatrix was getting very excited by the prospect of what they might find.

"Bea," Sybil said. "What if it's not a treasure, but a trick...from Gemma."

Sybil wrapped her arms around herself, and Beatrix was immediately pulled from the game. She tugged her sister closer and led her to sit on the bright yellow bean bag by the fire, covering them both in an orange plaid blanket.

"Are you afraid of Gemma? I won't let her take you," Beatrix whispered while Sybil stared into the dancing flames. Sybil didn't respond, and though Beatrix wanted to fill the silence or whisk her sister into the woods to hunt mushrooms, she mostly just wanted to be with her.

So, they sat under the blanket, listening to Mrs. Bobbit muttering about apple noodles and Mr. Bobbit whooping around with Penny.

"You know Bea," Sybil finally broke the silence, "it's been a while since we've had an adventure. I don't wanna stop having adventures."

"Me either," Beatrix answered too quickly.

Sybil turned and held out her hand. Beatrix passed her the three coded cookies, and watched while her forehead creased as she examined them. "What do you love most?" Sybil asked.

Beatrix thought hard. She thought of witch hats and Witch Camp of broomsticks and black rabbits and pointed boots that clacked. She thought of spell books and potions and cauldrons and dark forests. She thought of Mr. Bobbit's creaky knees and Mrs. Bobbit's sighs and Sybil dancing, Sybil running into the woods with her, Sybil stirring pots of mud and leaves, Sybil always Sybil by her side, her best friend for life and also what she loved most, more than any witch thing.

"You," Beatrix smiled softly, and was rewarded with a giant grin showing off the gap in Sybil's front teeth.

"Good, I don't know what I'd have done if you got that wrong," Sybil giggled, and stuck her hand under the blanket. Then bounced up to stand and held something out for Beatrix. "I have the next clue."

It was a cookie shaped like an open book with sprinkled letters covering the page.

Look inside your most trusted secret hiding place

For something that leaves no trace

Haste!

"Well, what are you waiting for Bea?! Let's go," Sybil leapt up and down. It was contagious, because Beatrix got up and joined her before they continued their adventure, side by side.