Read Hilda - Cats for Free Online

that she could go back to the safety of the thick walls of the
castle. No big cat would be able to follow her in there.
    Nothing could have prepared Hilda and William
for the room they were entering. There was soft plush on the
ground, in red and white concentric circles. The walls were a light
shade of pink. The ceiling was plain white. The witch tried to
ignore the large colourful vases with large feathery flowers in
them.
    "I'll go and find the crystal ball," said
Esmee. She almost disappeared in one of the closets.
    "Find?" Hilda mimed at William. He shrugged
and tried to ignore the colours and objects in the room. Not
looking at the floor was a prerequisite to survive here, he
thought.
    It took a while, but finally Esmee came out
of the closet, holding a black box. A rather small black box. "Here
it is!" Proudly she handed the box to Hilda.
    The witch opened it, took the velvet pouch
from it and slipped the ball in her hand. She frowned as she looked
into it. "A baby ball. When did you use it last?"
    Esmee coloured a shade of red that did not go
well with the walls. "In class..."
    "In... class..." Hilda spoke with a coldness
that made each word fall down and shatter on the floor, despite the
carpet. "Someone hold me back..."
    William put a hand on her shoulder. "Easy,
witch. She can't help it."
    "I know... I know..." Hilda took a deep
breath. "Okay. I will charge this one and use it. No problem.
Really. No problem. And William, maybe you can go and pick that
obnoxious kid from the ceiling. Esmee will be glad to show you
where that is."
    Esmee was more than happy to get away from
her own room. "Yes, William, come. I am sure that little Dinna will
be glad to be on the ground again." She resisted the urge to tug
William's sleeve.
    Before he left the room, William asked who
she was going to call.
    "Babs."
    "Ah." He nodded. Then he followed Esmee, a
smile curling his lips. The pink witch would have another
surprise.
    Hilda sat down. The two cats lay down near
her, their eyes on the ball. She spent a while pumping energy into
the ball, until it shone brightly in her hand. "Now let's see if
this thing will dial out." She took her wand. Murmured something.
And waited.
    "Hilda!" the voice of Baba Yaga tore through
the room. "How sweet of you to call!"
    "Hi Babs. We have a strange creature here,
around Snow White's castle. The one of King Louie, remember the
place?"
    "How could I forget that wedding, Hilly?
Didn't we have a scream there?"
    "Really." Hilda grinned as she thought back.
"Now, there is a house witch here, but there's not much to be done
with her."
    "Why's that?"
    "She wears pink."
    "Suck an elf... a flower witch. Did you make
her faint already?"
    "Yup, flower witch, and no, she's still on
her feet because William held me back. Do you have time to pop over
here and help look for whatever's going around? I think William and
I could do with an extra wand, and the hand to wield it."
    "Hilda, I am so honoured. I'm coming over
first thing tomorrow if that's soon enough."
    "Sure, that's fine. We'll be here, waiting
for you. Oh, do you like children?"
    "Properly cooked and garnished, yes." Baba
Yaga laughed.
    "I'm serious, Babs. Snow White already has
five and a sixth one on the road."
    "Good grief. Sounds like others than you need
help too. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, girlfriend."
    "Take care, Babs." Hilda grinned as the ball
went dark again. Things were looking up.
    -=-=-
    The next morning Hilda and William were up
very early, to patrol the garden. Esmee was with them. They found
new bones with the same gnaw-marks. And again, no footprints. As if
the creature that had done this was making sure to not leave
traces.
    "Obviously this visitor comes by in the dark.
Looks like we'll have to spend a waking a night. I hope Babs makes
it in time."
    Esmee peered at her company. Hilda and
William had told her about the new witch they had asked to come
over and she did not like that one bit.
    After the survey of the garden, they