Heidi Heckelbeck and the Never-Ending Day Read online

  Everyone ate the grilled cheese sandwiches, except for Heidi. She was in the mood for a PB and J, but she kept her mouth shut this time.

  Lucy sighed. “I wish every day could be as awesome as today,” she said.

  “Me too,” Bruce said.

  “Hmph,” said Heidi.

  Then Heidi’s mom offered to take them to the Brewster Arcade. This time Heidi simply held out her hand and waited for the money. Her mother placed a twenty-dollar bill in it and frowned.

  “Oh, sorry,” Heidi said, forgetting her manners. “Thank you, Mom.” Then she put the bill into the token machine and the tokens clanked into the slot below. Heidi gave out the coins again. Then they played the same games as yesterday, followed by a game of miniature golf.

  “May we have a sleepover at our house?” Heidi asked.

  Mom pulled out her car keys.

  “Oh why not!” Mom said. “We can stop by Lucy’s and Bruce’s to get their things on our way to pick up Henry.”

  Heidi, Lucy, and Bruce rolled out sleeping bags in the playroom. Dad ordered pizza AGAIN. This time Heidi only had two bites. Mom made popcorn AGAIN. This time Heidi got a piece stuck between her teeth. Henry still lay on the couch, and then—surprise, surprise!—they all watched the same movie AGAIN. And this time Heidi fell asleep.

  “I would give this day FIVE gold stars,” Lucy said.

  “And a blue ribbon!” Bruce added.

  Heidi woke up and rubbed her eyes. “Yup,” she said.

  Then they went up to Heidi’s room. Heidi didn’t feel sleepy anymore, so she went to the kitchen. Dad told her he loved her again and offered to share his slice of apple pie.

  Heidi hadn’t eaten much all day, so she sat down and began to devour the pie.

  “Hey!” Dad cried. “Save some for me!”

  Heidi had left only two bites.

  “Oops! Sorry, Dad,” she said.

  Then Dad polished off the pie. “Did you know Henry fell asleep on the couch?” he said, licking his fork. “I’m going to take him up. And you need to go up too.”

  Heidi set down her fork.

  “Okay,” Heidi said. “Night, Dad.”

  Then there was a flash of lightning and thunder rumbled overhead.

  Fee-bee!

  Heidi opened her eyes and sat up.

  FEE-bee!

  “Oh, now be QUIET, Phoebe,” she scolded. Then she pulled down the shade and flopped back down on her bed. She smelled pumpkin muffins and pulled the covers over her head. Not again! she thought.

  At breakfast she pushed her muffin away. “Don’t we have anything else to eat?” Heidi asked.

  Mom looked up from her phone. “Not really,” she said. “I planned to go shopping this morning.”

  Heidi let out a heavy sigh.

  Then Mom made Heidi go shopping with Lucy and Bruce. This time her friends had to beg her to go to the bookstore, the bakery, and the Enchanted Forest.

  “Why are you so grumpy today?” Lucy asked.

  Heidi folded her arms and wanted to tell them everything, but she knew her friends wouldn’t understand. “Oh, NEVER MIND. It’s nothing,” she said.

  Lucy backed off. So did Bruce.

  Nobody talked over lunch at Toasty’s, except when Heidi had a complaint for her mom.

  “Why’d you order grilled cheese sandwiches, anyway?” she asked. “You didn’t even ask us what we wanted.”

  Mom’s eyes narrowed. “Because you love grilled cheese,” she said. “That’s why.”

  Heidi knew that normally if she’d spoken to her mom like that, the playdate would have been over right then and there. But her spell was too strong, so the day continued.

  At the arcade Heidi gave her coins to Lucy and Bruce. She didn’t feel like playing, so she just stood and watched this time. She didn’t bother with the glow-in-the dark miniature golf game either.

  “What’s the matter, Heidi?” Bruce asked. “You don’t seem like yourself.”

  Heidi looked away and tapped her foot. She felt bad that she’d spoiled the day for her friends. But they had no idea she was living the same day for the third time.

  Suddenly she blurted out, “Maybe we should have a sleepover.” Then she covered her mouth.

  Her spell was strong! The thought of more pizza, more popcorn, and watching the same movie sounded awful.

  And it was.

  This has to stop! Heidi said to herself as she kicked off her sleeping bag. There is no WAY I’m going to relive this day again! She raced to her room for her Book of Spells and medallion. Then she marched downstairs to the kitchen.

  Oh, MERG! she thought. Dad’s still in the kitchen, and he’s going to try to share his apple pie with me again. She stashed her Book of Spells and medallion under the hall table. Then she walked into the kitchen.

  “Hi, Dad. I know you really want to share that piece of pie with me,” she said, trying to speed things along, “but I’m not in the mood, so please don’t bother asking.”

  Dad chuckled and gave Heidi a great big hug, and, of course, he told her that he loved her.

  “I already ate the pie,” he said. “But I’ll tuck you in. It’s late!”

  Heidi’s eyes grew wide. Oh no! I’m too late! she thought. There is NO TIME for tucking in! I have to reverse this spell!

  “But I thought you had to take Henry up to bed,” she said, trying to act normal.

  Dad shook his head. “Nope, I took him up just before you came down.”

  Heidi eyes darted back and forth. That must’ve been the same time I was getting my spell book!

  Dad nudged Heidi toward the stairs. “Up you go!”

  Heidi thumped up the stairs. How am I going to reverse the spell when my book is downstairs? she wondered. Now I’m doomed to relive the SAME day all over again!

  Then Henry’s door creaked open, and he appeared in the hallway.

  “What are you doing up, son?” Dad asked.

  “I’m thirsty.” He blinked sleepily.

  Dad directed Heidi back to her bedroom and into her sleeping bag. Then he got Henry a glass of water.

  Finally the house became quiet. Heidi snuck back downstairs, and just as she reached for her Book of Spells, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled overhead.

  Heidi looked at the ceiling. “Oh no!” she groaned. “Here we go again!”

  Fee-bee!

  Heidi opened her eyes and banged on the window. “And don’t come back!” she shouted at the chickadee. Then she hid under the covers.

  “Make this day GO AWAY!” she shouted into her pillow. But it didn’t go away. And Heidi rebelled.

  First she wore a new outfit. Then she refused to eat breakfast.

  But Mom still dragged her and her friends shopping.

  At lunch Heidi drowned her grilled cheese in the bottom of her soup.

  Then Heidi got on her knees and made her mother promise to never take her to the arcade or to glow-in-the-dark miniature golf ever again.

  At the sleepover Heidi made signs and taped them up:

  Finally, when it was bedtime, Heidi ditched her sleeping bag, zoomed downstairs, and burst into the kitchen.

  “Dad, I have a HUGE confession to make!” she blurted out.

  Dad laid his reading glasses on the table and pushed his apple pie to the side.

  “What’s the matter, Heidi?” he asked, a little concerned.

  Then Heidi told her father about the spell she had cast so she could relive the perfect day and how she had now lived it FOUR times.

  “Please, Dad,” Heidi begged. “You HAVE to help me. I can’t go through it again!” A tear rolled down her cheek.

  Dad shook his head and rested his hand on his forehead.

  “Can you reverse the spell?” he asked.

  Heidi nodded. “But I may not have enough time before it starts up all over again,” she cried.

  Dad got up from the table.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get started.”

  Heidi pulled out her B
ook of Spells and medallion.

  Dad got out a bowl and a mixing spoon. Heidi opened her book to the spell she had cast the other day. On the next page, there was a spell called The More Things Change.

  Are you the kind of witch who tried the spell to relive the perfect day? Do you now long to go back to having a variety of days? Perhaps you’d even like to take the best day you’ve ever had and forget it forever? If so, then this is the spell for you!

  Ingredients:

  1 calendar of all the days of the year

  2 handfuls of all-purpose flour

  A quarter

  A drop of blue food coloring

  Combine all the ingredients in one bowl. Hold your Witches of Westwick medallion in one hand, and place your other hand over the mix. Chant the following spell.

  Heidi and Dad gathered all the ingredients and created a mix. Then Heidi held her medallion and reversed the spell.

  As soon as she finished chanting, there was a flash of lightning and thunder rumbled overhead.

  “Oh no!” Heidi wailed. “I didn’t do it in time!

  In the morning Heidi woke up to the tappity-tap of rain on the roof. She sat up in bed. The house smelled like stinky burnt toast. Heidi threw back the covers and ran downstairs in her pj’s and bare feet.

  The kitchen was super-smoky.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” Dad said. “I burned breakfast.”

  The fan was on and the back door was wide open even though it was raining. Heidi threw her arms around her father.

  “Thank you, Dad!” she cried. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all week!”

  Dad laughed. “Then you must’ve had a very tough week!” he said.

  Heidi danced around the kitchen. “You have no idea!” she said. Then Heidi stopped and looked at her father in the eyes. “Or do you?” Dad fanned the smoke with a magazine. He didn’t say anything about their special spell.

  “Are Lucy and Bruce still here?” Heidi asked.

  Mom set down her coffee cup.

  “How could they still be here if they weren’t here at all?” she questioned.

  Heidi squealed and kissed her mother. “And is Henry still at Dudley’s?” she asked.

  Mom nodded. “And today is still Saturday, in case you forgot.”

  Heidi pranced to the back door.

  “But this is a BRAND-NEW, never-ever-happened-before Saturday!” she called to the outdoors.

  “It’s a shame that it’s raining, though,” said Mom. “I was going to surprise you with a shopping day. Will you take a rain check?”

  Then Heidi skipped back into the kitchen. “Absolutely! Hey, maybe we could go out for breakfast?”

  Dad opened a window. “Great idea,” he said. “The house needs to air out, and I have to pick up an apple pie anyway.”

  Mom smiled and went to get her coat.

  “Can we pick up cider doughnuts instead of apple pie?” Heidi asked.

  Dad untied his apron. “Sure, why not!” he said.

  Then Heidi got dressed and had a brand-new, never-ever-happened-before day.

  And it was perfect.

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  “Ha-a-a hu-u-um,” Heidi yawned.

  She rubbed her eyes and padded across the kitchen in her bunny slippers and pink polka-dot pajamas. Heidi loved to have breakfast in her pj’s on Sunday morning. But she didn’t love it when Henry acted like an unexpected alarm clock.

  “GUESS WHAT!” Henry yelled as he walked in the back door.

  Heidi was so surprised, she spilled her milk.

  Henry didn’t even make fun of her, so the whole family knew he must have big news. “We have NEW NEIGHBORS!”

  Heidi wiped up the mess. “We do?”

  Henry nodded proudly. “Yep. There’s a moving truck and everything. RIGHT. NEXT. DOOR.”

  Heidi’s bunny slippers hopped across the floor as she ran to the window to see.

  “You’re right!” she cried.

  “TOLD YOU!” Henry said. “I’ve been spying on them ever since I got up.”

  Mom set her teacup on her saucer. “HENRY!” she scolded. “It’s not polite to spy.”

  Henry shrugged. “But, Mom, how else am I going to find out important stuff, like that they have a GIANT trampoline?”

  Mom frowned. “Nobody likes a snoop, young man.”

  About the Author and Illustrator

  has always loved magic. When she was little, she used to make secret potions from smooshed shells and acorns. Then she would pretend to transport herself and her friends to enchanted places. Now she’s able to visit other worlds through writing. Wanda lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and son. They have three cats: Hilda, Agnes, and Claw-dia.

  has illustrated numerous books and materials for children, parents, and teachers. She enjoys painting cakes and creating art for products, which include murals, greeting cards, and rubber stamps! Priscilla lives with her family in Southern California.

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster

  New York

  HeidiHeckelbeckBooks.com

  Visit us at

  simonandschuster.com/kids

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Wanda-Coven

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Priscilla-Burris

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

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  First Little Simon paperback edition September 2017

  Copyright © 2017 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Also available in a Little Simon hardcover edition.

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  Designed by Ciara Gay

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Coven, Wanda, author. | Burris, Priscilla, illustrator.

  Title: Heidi Heckelbeck and the never-ending day / by Wanda Coven ; illustrated by Priscilla Burris. Description: First Little Simon paperback edition. | New York : Little Simon, 2017. | Series: Heidi Heckelbeck ; 21 | Summary: When Heidi experiences the perfect day she decides to sneak in a little magic to make every day just as awesome, but her plan goes awry when she relives the same perfect day over and over again. | Identifiers: LCCN 2016054406 | ISBN 9781481495240 (paperback) | ISBN 9781481495257 (hc) | ISBN 9781481495264 (eBook) | Subjects: | CYAC: Days—Fiction. | Magic—Fiction. | Witches—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic. | JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play. | JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books. | Classification: LCC PZ7.C83393 Hbn 2017 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016054406

 

 

 
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