The Witching Hour
By: DH L'OrangeWow! Look at that one! Rachel exclaimed in admiration. That's the first Elvis Pumpkin I've ever seen!
It was Halloween night, and after a few hours of trick-or-treating with the other Animorphs, Rachel had morphed owl, and Tobias had gone red-tailed hawk. The two teens were now flying through the neighborhoods admiring the jack-o-lanterns.
Cool! Hey Rach, that one looks like Dracula! Tobias said eying a wickedly fanged jack-o-lantern.
Besides those few Christmas weeks in December, Halloween was the best night of the entire year for night flying. The jack-o-lanterns were lit, and it was fun to view all the Halloween decorations.
Rachel! Get a load of that one! Tobias laughed as he indicated a large, fat pumpkin that looked like it had been chewed on by a dog.
Man! I think that one's worse than Marco's Constipation Man from two years ago, Rachel snickered.
No, I don't think anything could be worse than Constipated Man, Tobias replied with mock thoughtfulness. That pumpkin was one of a kind.
Rachel laughed in agreement.
The two night fliers, Rachel's great horned owl and Tobias' smaller red tailed hawk, glided swiftly through the air. They flew a few hundred yards apart because it would have been odd for two birds of prey to be flying side-by-side. The light of the full moon reflected dimly off their feathers.
Rachel gazed at the land below her. She was on the very outskirts of the town, straddling the border between the forest and the urban area. It's all so perfect, Rachel though happily to herself. Me and Tobias under the moonlight. Flying. Just us two and no one else, and I don't have to be home until 12:00.
Suddenly, Rachel bolted. Tobias! She called to her boyfriend. What time is it?
Tobias swooped down to the nearest house and peered in through the kitchen window. Let's see, it's about 11:50. He replied, as he read the numbers off the microwave-clock.
Rachel sighed. Tobias, I have to get going, she said unhappily. Mom was really mad that I was late last week, and so I'd better not be late again.
Rachel grimaced inwardly as she recalled the scolding she'd received the last time she'd broken curfew. She'd come home only twenty minutes late. Twenty lousy minutes! Like it was such a long time! It wasn't her fault that the Yeerks had decided to hold a yeerk-a-thon at the local movie theater!
And after her mom had finished yelling at Rachel for breaking curfew --which lasted a very long time (Rachel's mom was a lawyer, and like all lawyers her mom was gifted with the ability to argue for hours on end)—her mom swore that if Rachel ever broke curfew, no if she ever came home late period, Rachel was going to be grounded one day for every one minute she was late
Since when did Mom get all crazy? Rachel thought irritably. Guess she thought I needed some better guidance or something, and that started her on this parenting-kick.
Tobias, I really need to get home quick, Rachel called to Tobias in thought-speak. Or I am so grounded.
Hey! Don't sweat, Tobias reassured her. I know a short cut that will get you home in about five minutes.
Imagine a five-pointed star drawn on a piece of paper; that's what the Animorphs' town was roughly shaped like. The urban area filled the entire star drawing and all the leftover paper was the forest. Rachel's house was located near the bottom point of the star, and the next point over was where Rachel and Tobias had been flying. To reach Rachel's house, it was faster to fly from star point to star point (and through the forest) than to fly from one star point to the middle of the star and then from the middle of the star to the bottom star point.
Tobias veered sharply to the right, heading closer into the forest, and Rachel quickly followed.
The two birds of prey flew high above the treetops.
Tobias, what's taking so long? Rachel grumbled after about ten minutes of flying. I thought that this was supposed to be a short cut!
It's longer than I remember, Tobias commented trying to sound positive. But he was starting to get nervous; the oh-so-familiar land below wasn't familiar at all. But it must be that I'm not used to flying too much at night, Tobias reasoned to himself. Even though it was a full moon, his hawk vision was still dimmer in the nighttime
They flew for a few more minutes.
Tobias! I thought you said that this would only take like five minutes! Rachel protested again.
They had been flying for what felt like twenty by now.
With his dimmed hawk-vision, Tobias skimmed the treetops nervously. He had never seen this part of the forest before.
Rachel, I'm sorry. Tobias apologized. I don't know where we are.
What do you mean, "you don't know where we are?" Rachel asked in annoyance. Tobias, you know this forest inside and out! She snapped. If you're trying to play some sort of Halloween-prank on me, it's not funny!
I'm not. Tobias said with absolute seriousness. And let's turn around now,
Tobias flared his tail feathers and flapped his wings, and then he turned a wide 360. Rachel also turned, and together they headed back to their town.
They'd flown for another twenty minutes, when Tobias really started to worry. Not only had they not reached the city-limits yet, but he couldn't even see the faint purple city-lights that always glowed in the distance. And the hawk was starting to get edgy. For some reason Tobias was registering a nervous, almost skittish response from the bird's brain.
Rachel, Tobias finally admitted. I think we're lost.
Rachel moaned. Sixty days! She sighed in exasperation. Sixty days! Thanks to your "short cut" that's how long I'm going to be grounded when I come home an hour late!
Rach, I'm real sorry. Tobias said lamely.
Ignoring him, Rachel flared her wings and shot to the ground. She landed in the middle of a large clearing. I need to demorph, she barked. My two hours are almost up.
Following Rachel, Tobias descended. As he landed in the clearing, his bird brain was suddenly bombarded by a disquieting sense of unease. The hawk was upset; it was nervous. Tobias quickly scanned the clearing. Half-naked trees surrounded the clearing on all sides. Wispy dried wild grasses and multi-colored autumn leaves haphazardly carpeted the ground. To Tobias' right, Rachel was finishing her demorph, her tall graceful figure emerging for the Great Horned Owl's body.
There was nothing else in the clearing, but still that did nothing to calm hawk's rapidly increasing pulse. Something is very wrong, the bird brain insisted.
Rachel, Tobias whispered in private thought-speak. Hurry up; we need to get out of here. Why he was whispering, Tobias had no idea.
"Oh, now that I'm dead-meat, now he's worried about getting home quickly," Tobias heard Rachel mutter under her breath.
With a terrible shriek! a sudden gust of wind screamed through the clearing, and its inhuman scream chilled Tobias to the bone.
Rachel, he said urgently.
A stronger blast of wind hurtled through the clearing, scattering the dead leaves in all directions.
Rachel!
"Oh, I hear you already!" Rachel snapped.
Tobias couldn't understand his sudden, unexplained alarm, but the hawk was panicking. FLEE! FLEE! The hawk instinct commanded. GO!!!
Suddenly a great whooshing! gust rocketed down the clearing, and like a candle-snuffer snuffs out a candle flame, the wind gust seemed to blow out the light from the full moon. The clearing was pitched into utter darkness.
RUN! RUN! RUN! The hawk brained screamed.
RACHEL! Tobias called.
"Right here, you big baby," Rachel grumbled. Was Tobias afraid of the dark or something?
Slowly, almost reluctantly, the moon reappeared. Pale moonlight trickled down hesitantly into the clearing.
Did you hear that? Tobias asked nervously. He thought he heard singing. Yes, someone was singing. The music, if it was fit to be called music, was tuneless and dark. It sounded like the screams of some poor animal dying a cruel death. Tobias felt wretched just listening to it.
"Yeah, its so pretty," Rachel murmured.
Pretty?!?
Was Rachel for real? The noise was the most awful thing he'd ever heard, and if he had hands, Tobias would be covering his ears by now!
Yeah pretty, Rachel mumbled. The music was amazing. She had never heard anything so wonderful in her entire life! It was as if someone had carefully probed her heart, found the things that made Rachel most happy, and then composed a song just for her. The music was beautiful, and Rachel didn't know whether she should smile in a Nirvana-like contentment or cry tears of joy.
Rachel, let's get out of here. Tobias said urgently.
Rachel shook her head. She didn't want to leave. She just wanted to stay and listen to the beautiful music.
"Look at that!" Rachel whispered in sudden awe.
Tobias turned his sharp-hawk gaze to the direction that Rachel was pointing. There, in the center of the clearing, hunched a small, evil-looking cottage. The cottage was ancient, and in a horrible state of disrepair. The wooden slats that lined the sides of the little shack were old and rotting; the wooden shingles on the roof were cracked and missing; the window-shutters were slanting off their hinges. As Tobias watched, lights suddenly flickered through the dirt-encrusted, cracked windowpanes, and a sliver of blue smoke curled out of the crumbling stone chimney.
FLY! FLY! FLY! The hawk commanded.
Rachel, we need to leave. Tobias urged. Now.
But Rachel just ignored him. Trust Tobias to be selfish. Always thinking of himself, Rachel thought to herself. Although when Tobias had last been selfish Rachel couldn't quite remember at the moment. But that didn't matter. The beautiful music, that mattered. And the cottage-- the quaint, friendly little cottage--that mattered.
Rachel stared at the cottage transfixed. She stared at its glistening whitewashed wooden walls, at the smart wooden shingles that neatly lined the roof. Under the pale moonlight, she could just make out the bright green shutters that merrily lined the glass-paned windows. A cheery light shown brightly through the windows, and bright streamers of smoke rose from the chimney in great plumes. Where the little cottage had come from, Rachel had no idea. But that didn't matter.
Rachel! What are you
doing? Tobias' voice jarred into her head, so rough and hard
compared to the almost ethereal sounds of the beautiful music.
Rachel! Stop! Don't go near that shack! We need to leave now!
But Rachel wasn't listening, and as Tobias watched Rachel almost floated to the cottage. On her face was a dreamy, contented, very-unRachel-like smile.
Rachel come back! Tobias protested. The hawk was beside itself; its little heart was racing a mile a minute. Into Tobias' brain, the bird only emitted one frantic message "FLEE! FLEE! FLEE!"
Rachel reached the door of the sweet little cottage, and she waited expectantly at the doorstep. What she was waiting for, Rachel had no idea. But she knew that she should wait. Suddenly, the door flew open. Standing in the doorway was the sweetest old woman that Rachel had ever seen. She was short, a little plump, with wispy silver hair, and warm blue eyes.
"Why hello my dearest," sang the old woman.
So she's the one singing the wonderful song, Rachel thought happily.
"Come in, wilst thou not?" the old woman sang. She held the door open invitingly, and without hesitation Rachel walked inside.
RACHEL! An irritable little voice prinked into her head. Rachel waved her hand, trying to shoo the voice away.
As Rachel walked into the little house, the old woman shut the door behind her and bolted it.
"Seat thyself round the table," the old woman sang.
Rachel sat.
"I shall prepare thee a glass of tea," the woman continued in song.
Rachel nodded. She stared contentedly around the old woman's house. The little house was neat as a pin, and although sparsely furnished, still had the air of being well lived in and well loved. There was a small table and two chairs, a small bed, a loom, and a spinning wheel. There was also a small shelf filled with leather-bound books. The wooden floor was covered with braided wool rugs, and bundles of dried herbs hung from the ceiling. The old woman stood near the fireplace, stirring a large pot of boiling water. Rachel smiled at her. Rachel loved the old woman. She was so kind, so nice.
Rachel slumped into her wooden chair, smiling pleasantly. Never had she felt so contented.
Tobias meanwhile was staring in shock at the evil-little house where his girlfriend had disappeared scarcely two minutes ago. Tobias couldn't move. The hawk was too petrified to move. The red-tail had been frightened at the appearance of the ram-shackle little cottage, but at the sight of that...that...woman, with her menacing red eyes, sharp spiked teeth, bony frame, and death-wrenching song-- the hawk had ceased to function.
Now Tobias stood shaking numbly, the hawk refusing to move.
Rachel! He called once more. Come back!
But it was useless, Tobias knew. Something was very wrong with his girlfriend. For starters, Rachel had voluntarily entered that creepy house. And for seconds, when she entered the house she was smiling--smiling-- at the sharp-toothed hag.
Come on! We have to go help Rachel! Tobias told the hawk. But the hawk wouldn't listen. The animal instinct, more potent than any drug, was over-ruling Tobias' authority. The hawk absolutely refused to go anywhere near the evil-looking shack.
Realizing that he wasn't going to win over the hawk instinct, Tobias quickly started to morph human. At least in his human body, he'd have more of a chance getting Rachel. Feathers sucked into the hawk body, and Tobias' taloned claws elongated into human legs. Tobias felt himself growing bigger and bigger.
Thankfully as he changed from human to hawk, his hearing dimmed, and he couldn't hear that awful singing quite as loudly.
But actually, the song wasn't all that bad, Tobias realized. His beak melted into his face, shaping into a human nose. No, not bad all. Actually it was kinda nice. It was like listening to the lullabies that parents sang to their children at bedtime. It was the kind of lullaby that Tobias had never heard as a kid, but had always dreamed his mother would sing to him.
Tobias paused in mid-morph and closed his half-human, half-hawk eyes, relishing the song.
The music was so beautiful! How could he ever have disliked it?
RUN! RUN! RUN! Suddenly the hawk's voice bleated in his head.
What?
RUN! RUN! RUN!
Tobias shook himself, and with a sudden start he realized that he'd somehow covered half the distance to the cottage.
WHAT AM I DOING?!?
RUN! RUN! RUN! Yelled the hawk brain.
How had he walked halfway to the grim little cottage without realizing it?
It's the music! Tobias suddenly realized. Something about the music made my human self turn into a grinning moron!
Frantically, Tobias reversed the morph, and returned to the hawk body. The hawk's panic immediately flooded Tobias' brain, but the human's song-induced stupor vanished. As he morphed, the sweet-sounding music returned to its former chilliness.
RUN! RUN! RUN! The red-tail cried.
Come on birdbrain, calm down, Tobias instructed the little red-tail. Only with great effort, was Tobias able to force down the hawk's terror little by little until he'd regained control. The hawk's fear was still there, oh most definitely, but Tobias now gripped the reigns to his mind.
Rachel is under the influence of that song, Tobias reasoned to himself. And as long as she's like that, she won't leave that house.
Ignoring the red-tail's fear; Tobias opened his wings and glided to the cottage. As he neared the ominous little shack, Tobias gained altitude until he could see into the nearest window.
The window was grimy and cracked and so dirty that Tobias could not see into it. Tobias flew to the next window; it too was too dirty to see through. Tobias rounded the house, and reached the back window.
Score! The back window had a pane missing!
Tobias peered through the missing windowpane and into the "house" inside. Inside the cottage seemed even more crumbling than the outside. The same rotting wooden slats planked the walls and the floor.
And the floor! Tobias looked away. He recognized bloodstains when he saw them. Tobias turned his attention to the ceiling and what he saw made Tobias feel sick. He, a predator accustomed to killing and eating cuddly little bunnies, felt sick. For the ceiling was strung with human body parts: leg bones, arm bones... a weathered old skull stared mercilessly at him.
Oh that is nasty, Tobias thought to himself, feeling nauseous.
Tobias saw Rachel seated on a gnarled old chair, smiling as mindlessly as Malibu Barbie. For some reason she didn't seem to notice the jars of human eyeballs and ears on the shelf behind her, or the bone collection hanging from the ceiling above her.
Tobias spied the old crone crouching near the fireplace. The old hag was still singing that same miserable song. She was stirring a large cauldron of some boiling green-colored liquid. Tobias felt a wave of nausea pass him as the old crone reached to the shelf behind Rachel, snagged a large jar of human toes, and dropped one of the severed toes into her brew. The old hag licked her lips and smiled, exposing her wickedly spiked teeth.
"My lamb, thy tea," the sharp-toothed villain sang. She spooned some of the green liquid into a cracked wooden mug and handed the mug to Rachel.
Rachel smiled at the sweet old lady. "Thank you," she said, accepting the elegant teacup filled with the steaming golden-colored tea.
RACHEL DON'T DRINK IT!!!
It was that stupid voice again, Rachel groaned. She raised the teacup to her lips.
In a blur of motion, Tobias flew towards the back window. The area where the windowpane was supposed to be wasn't that large, but it was just large enough for a red-tailed hawk to fit through.
Inside, Rachel raised the dingy wooden mug to her lips.
Almost through window opening. Almost through the window opening. Tobias corrected his tail-feathers ever so slightly, intent on reaching his target. He was going to slap the mug of that foul green liquid from Rachel's grasp.
Rachel opened her mouth.
FASTER! MUST FLY FASTER!
And suddenly Tobias had reached the small window opening! He wrapped his wings tightly to his body; he was just barely going to squeeze through the-- BAM! Tobias slammed into the window and fell to the ground.
Evidentially, he couldn't fit through the missing windowpane area.
"Didst thou hear that sound?" The old woman asked, startled by the crashing noise. The old woman was so startled that she stopped her song.
The room was silent for a moment.
Rachel was suddenly dropped back into reality. Without the song bespelling her, Rachel saw what she was really about to drink. "AH!!! Rachel yelped, dropping the mug to the floor. "THERE'S A TOE IN THIS DRINK!!"
The old woman turned to Rachel, and Rachel suddenly saw the evil-looking hag in her true nature. She saw a tall, boney old creature, with snaking gray hair, glittering red eyes, and sharply pointed teeth.
"AH!" Rachel yelled, taken aback. Where was the kind old woman!?! What was going on?!?
The weathered, ancient creature opened her mouth and quickly began to sing again.
"Quiet, dearest," sang the old creature.
Rachel was silent.
"Quiet," the old creature repeated in her song. "Thou shall see only that which I will thee to."
As Rachel watched, the frightening hag dissolved and the old woman reappeared. The same gentle, kind old woman, whom Rachel loved.
"I saw...I saw.." Rachel stuttered.
"Shh," the sweet old woman shushed her, soothing Rachel with her lullaby. "'Twas naught but a bad dream, my love."
Rachel nodded. Nothing but a bad dream. Wait! She had a bad dream? Rachel couldn't remember having a bad dream. Nothing bad could happen while the sweet old lady was around!
The old woman smiled affectionately. "We shall fetch thee thy tea," she sang stooping down and retrieving the teacup from the wooden floor. "And when thy drink of it, thou shalt please me immensely."
Indeed, the old creature would be pleased. Until Rachel drank of the Elixir of Life, the ancient hag could not feed upon her immortal soul.
Rachel smiled. She would love to make the old woman happy!
Tobias meanwhile, starred dazedly at the night sky. He felt dizzy. He'd crashed into the window, and landed in a heap on the ground below.
Numbly Tobias tried to roll onto his talons. Pain shot through his right wing. Gingerly he tried to straighten the wing. OUCH!
Giving up on the hawk entirely, Tobias focused on a different creature. He felt his body growing larger, more powerful. As the hawk brain receded, it was replaced by a different brain. This brain was not panicking like the hawk, because unlike the hawk or any other Earth animal, this creature had never seen a witch. This creature did not fear witches because it did not evolve with the Earth instincts that told him to fear them.
Yes, a witch, thought Tobias. Because that's what that ugly old hag is, a witch. And she put some kinda spell on Rachel and is trying to force her to drink some of that gross green toe-soup.
Swoop! Swoop! Swoop! Tobias' wings melted into long arms. Pop! Pop! Pop! Sharp blades sprouted down his arms and legs. Morph completed, Tobias surveyed his Hork Bajir body with satisfaction. Then he stood up, lumbering a good seven feet tall.
Tobias backed up about ten feet from the witch's shack, and then running as fast as his Hork Bajir body was able, he sprinted towards the shack and dived into the back window.
The window shattered, and glasses sprayed in all directions. Tobias flew through the back window, and landed on the floor of the dirty little cottage with an oomph! Quickly, he jumped to his feet and turned to face his enemy.
The sharp-toothed old woman glared at him, her red eyes flashing dangerously. "Find thee they own dinner, demon!" the old hag sang. "This child is mine!"
Demon? What? Dinner? WAIT! She was going to eat Rachel?!?
The witch continued singing her eerie tuneless melody as she handed Rachel a fresh cup of the green brew.
RACHEL DROP THAT STUFF! Tobias commanded her.
It was that voice again! Rachel thought irritably. Why wouldn't it just leave her alone?
"Drink up child," the witch encouraged in her song. "Make an old woman happy. If thou dost not consume my elixir, I cannot feast upon thy immortal soul."
RACHEL DROP THE CUP!
But Rachel just ignored the voice, and brought the cup to her lips.
RACHEL DON'T LISTEN TO HER! DON'T DRINK IT!
Without hesitating, Tobias ran to Rachel and slapped the cup from her grasp. The slimy green liquid splattered onto the floor, toe and all. Then, careful to avoid his wrist-blades, Tobias clamped his hands over Rachel's ears.
Suddenly the beautiful music stopped. Rachel stared in shock. Where was she? And what was going on?
"Huh?" she asked in confusion.
Good to have you back, Tobias' familiar voice rang into Rachel's head. That crazy-looking woman over there, she's a witch. She put you under a spell, and she's trying to get you to drink some of her toe-soup. She said something about making you her dinner.
Rachel raised an eyebrow at Tobias' explanation, but considering where she was and the circumstances and all, Rachel was prone to believe him.
"Demon, keep thee away from my child!" The old woman snarled in her song.
"No," Tobias replied with his hissing Hork Bajir voice.
The witch glared angrily at the "demon." "Then suffer the consequences," she sang.
Still holding his hands over her ears, Tobias turned to Rachel. I'm going to let go of you, but you keep your ears covered until you morph into something else, Tobias instructed his girlfriend.
Rachel nodded, and then clamped her hands over her ears. After Tobias released his grip on his girlfriend, she ducked behind the table.
"No one comes between Greeda and her meal," the witched threatened. "Hell-spawn, thou shalt rue thy very existence!"
As the witch began to chant, her eyes glittered blood red. She raised he left hand and pointed her boney finger at Tobias.
Oh, this is not going to be pleasant, Tobias thought to himself.
A bright red ball of flame shot from the witch's fingertips. The fireball caught Tobias right in the chest, searing his flesh, and casting him across the room. He landed painfully against the wall.
The witch smiled, her sharp pointy teeth flashing in delight. Slowly she approached the "demon", chanting all the while.
Another fireball exploded from her fingers, and this time the roaring flame caught Tobias full in the face.
He closed his eyes against the blistering heat, and he could feel his face burning. His eyelids were burning. His lips were burning. The pain was indescribable! Finally, the fireball died, but a painful melting sensation remained. Tobias slowly opened his eyes. His Hork Bajir vision bordered on near blindness. His entire body felt like one giant burn.
Tobias raised his weakened eyes to the witch.
Greeda smiled raising her long boney finger. "And now, it is time to say goodbye." She sang-cackled.
MY THOUGHT EXACTLY!!! An angry voice yelled into her mind.
The witch whirled about, and found herself face to face with one very large, very pissed off grizzly bear.
The witch didn't even have a chance to murmur 'Happy Halloween' before Rachel had slammed her across the room.
Greeda went flying through the air. She flew towards the fireplace and smacked into the cauldron of boiling green stuff. The cauldron tipped and suddenly flipped over, spilling its boiling contents onto the dazed witch.
Greeda screamed as the boiling brew burned her skin.
Come on Tobias, let's go! Rachel yelled as she ran over to the limp Hork Bajir form hunched against the wall.
Rachel grabbed Tobias, slicing her arms on his bladed body, and set him to his feet. RUN! She commanded him.
Tobias stumbled slightly, but forced himself to stand. Hey! Wait! What about you? He asked in confusion.
I'll be right behind you! NOW GET!
Following Rachel's orders, Tobias half-limped, half-ran to the front door. The door was still bolted shut. Raising his wrist-blades, he sliced the door-bolt in half. Then he pushed the door open and limped out of the witch's cottage.
Rachel meanwhile advanced on the green-liquid covered witch. In between shrieking in pain from the burning liquid, Greeda had begun chanting again.
Nu-uh, don't think so. Rachel said. No more spells for you! Rachel grabbed one of the wooden chairs and slapped Greeda in the head with it, propelling her into the fireplace. Then, as Greeda's hair and clothes caught on fire, Rachel threw the wooden chair on top of the blazing witch.
Happy Halloween, Rachel sneered.
RACHEL COME ON! Tobias urged her from outside of the cottage.
Falling onto all fours, Rachel fled the cottage. Once outside, she grabbed the badly wounded Hork Bajir and tossed him onto her back. Then, with Tobias draped across her back, she ran. She ran and ran and ran. Finally, out of breath (and in the case of Tobias' badly burned Hork Bajir form, out of strength), the two Animorphs morphed into the owl and the hawk and took to the skies.
Finding the way home was much easier than it had earlier been. In scarcely fifteen minutes, Tobias and Rachel had reached their town. (Although for some reason they happened to be on the opposite end of town from where they'd started out earlier in the night).
When the two reached Rachel's house, Rachel didn't even bother trying to sneak in. It was already 4 something in the morning. Rachel just bravely balled her fists, and sauntered into the house awaiting her punishment.
Amazingly her mom wasn't waiting up for her. Shrugging Rachel went to her bed. Tobias insisted on remaining with Rachel that night, playing watchdog. Although Rachel assured him that she'd "taken care" of Greeda the witch, Tobias wasn't taking any chances. He remained perched on Rachel's headboard watching over her the entire night.
Well, Greed never did reappear that night, and Rachel wasn't grounded for a year. As it turns out, Rachel's mom had called Cassie's house about 1:00 AM to ask Cassie if she had any idea of where Rachel could be. Cassie had covered for Rachel. She "reminded" Rachel's mom that Rachel was sleeping over at her house, and she was sure that Rachel had told her mom about the sleepover because Cassie and Rachel had been planning the Halloween sleep-over for an entire month. Eventually Rachel's mom did "remember" about the sleepover and went to bed feeling very foolish. The next morning Rachel's mom left for early for work. She had to make a 9 AM trial and so at 10 AM she didn't see Rachel wandering down the stairs in her PJ's.
But although Rachel didn't get in trouble with her mom, she did get in trouble with the other Animorphs. After ending the phone-call with Rachel's mom, Cassie called the other Animorphs and reported that Rachel was missing. Then, when Ax added that Tobias had not returned to the scoop, the other Animorphs panicked thinking that Rachel and Tobias had run into some Yeerk-trouble. That night, Ax, Cassie, Marco, and Jake spent the remainder of their Halloween searching for the two missing Animorphs. Needless to say, when Marco discovered Rachel and Tobias in Rachel's room at 6:14 AM, he wasn't very happy.
Rachel and Tobias didn't even bother trying to explain to the other Animorphs about Greeda and her magical-cabin- that-appeared-in-the-middle-of-the-woods. There was no way the others would believe them; the other Animorphs would probably think that Tobias and Rachel went on a candy-fest and got all sugared up. So instead of telling the others about their experience with the witch, Tobias and Rachel apologized for "wandering into the forest and losing track of the time." This statement elicited pointed looks from the others, but not even Marco was tactless enough to ask what the couple had been doing alone in the woods for six hours.
As for Greeda herself, Rachel and Tobias never saw her again. In the weeks and months that followed, Tobias flew many times around the forest. But never once did he find the clearing, nor did he ever see the grim little cottage. Greeda and her horrible little cottage seemed to have vanished into thin air.
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