Gobbledygook

Spooky Sisters

Original Short Stories and Articles for Students in the Intermediate Grades

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Spooky Sisters

When twin sisters Glenda and Gabriella were born one frightening Halloween night, it was the first and only time they would see each other until their eleventh birthday. Their mother was a fortune teller and their father was a warlock. These two parents never got along very well, and shortly after the birth of their daughters, they decided to split them up and each raise one. The warlock took Glenda to Magic City and raised her to be a witch. The fortune teller took Gabriella to the Forgotten Forest and raised her to be a fairy princess.

Throughout the first part of their young lives, both Glenda and Gabriella grew up happy and healthy. However, neither knew of the other’s existence. Glenda went to a witch’s academy in the city. Gabriella, on the other hand, was taught by all of the magical creatures in the forest. And, although they both learned to perform magic, Gabriella’s education and training was much more hands-on. Glenda’s learning,

by contrast, took place in a classroom alongside a few other witches-in-training.

The two sisters might have grown up never knowing of each other. However, as fate would have it, their paths would once again collide on Halloween—the day of their shared, eleventh birthday.

“Glenda?” said her father, on the evening of Halloween.

“Yes father?” “We will need a very large

pumpkin. That way, we can sculpt a jack-o-lantern for your birthday celebration this year.”

Glenda smiled. She loved carving pumpkins.

“Would you go down to the pumpkin patch, next to The Forgotten Forest, and fetch one? I think you’re old enough to do so all by yourself this year.”

Glenda shook her head up- and-down in agreement.

“Just be careful,” said her father, as he cast a magic spell to finish decorating her birthday cake.

“I will, father,” she said, as she ran out the door of their city apartment. She couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of green frosting shooting from the tip of her father’s finger in the direction of an awaiting cake. “I’ll be as careful as a butterfly. Don’t worry.”

Glenda skipped, galloped, and hopped her way down to

the pumpkin patch. Then, she sprinted through the rusty, metal gates that stood on its outskirts. She stopped and looked around a bit. “I need the perfect pumpkin for the perfect jack-o-lantern,” she said. As luck would have it, Glenda spotted one in the distance right away that was a good prospect.

Glenda ran over and placed her hands on the pumpkin, curiously, at the same time as another girl about her age.

“Who are you, girl?” asked Glenda, “and why do you have your hands on my pumpkin?”

“Excuse me?” replied the other girl. “I’m Gabriella, and this is my pumpkin. I found it first!”

Glenda looked Gabriella over as they stood—leaving the pumpkin resting between their feet. “Not a chance!” said Glenda. “I’m a witch. Everyone knows that witches are much better than fairy princesses from the forest.”

Gabriella grew angry very quickly. “You take that back!”

“Make me,” said Glenda. Gabriella took a moment to

control her temper. “As you wish,” she seethed. Gabriella reached into her dress for her wand. Glenda took hers out and pointed it forward as well.

What resulted thereafter was a magical battle, during which both girls cast spells at each other while they ran

around the pumpkin patch. However, since they were just young girls—neither of them knew any spells that could cause any real harm. Glenda cast a spell that shot forth bubbles in the direction of Gabriella. In return, Gabriella cast a spell that made a frog leap onto Glenda’s face. The girls also both knew the spell for making the wind blow. So, they took turns shooting gusts of wind at each other. Either girl falling on her bottom was a frequent occurrence, to say the least.

The battle came to an end when both girls tripped over the perfect pumpkin—causing it to break into many pieces. When they noticed this, the girls began to weep at once.

“My pumpkin!” they both shouted through their tears, as they sat slumped on the ground.

They continued sobbing for a while—until they both grew tired and wiped the last drops of water from beneath their eyes. They spent a moment looking out into the patch to see if anyone had witnessed their magical fight.

“What are you doing out in the pumpkin patch this late at night anyway?” asked Glenda, as she crossed her arms over her knees. Pieces of the now quite imperfect pumpkin were resting between them on the ground.

“Well,” started Gabriella, “today is my birthday and I was sent here by my…”

“It’s my birthday too!” said Glenda, with a smile splashed on her face.

Gabriella grinned in return. “That’s kind of odd,” she said. “We have the same birthday? We look a little bit alike, as well.”

Glenda peered closely at Gabriella and had to agree. Their faces looked very much alike. “We’re about the same height too!”

Gabriella got to her feet and walked over to another pumpkin nearby. She picked it up. Glenda stood too, and brushed the dirt from her dress. “Here,” said Gabriella. “It may not be a perfect pumpkin, but it looks pretty nice to me. You take it.”

“No, you found it. You keep it,” replied Glenda.

“I found it for you,” said Gabriella. “You have to take it now.”

“You can’t tell me what to do! I don’t do anything I don’t want to do!” said Glenda. “I don’t want your pumpkin. So, there!”

Gabriella looked stunned. “I can’t believe how rude you are! Maybe I should teach you a lesson.”

Glenda huffed. “I’d love to see you try.” The girls both extended their wands once more, ready for yet another

round of magic quarreling, when a warlock ran through the gates of the pumpkin patch. Following him closely was a fortune teller. “There you are!” they both shouted at the same time. “I’ve been worried!”

“Mom!” cried Gabriella. “Dad!” cried Glenda. The parents hugged their

children and asked them what had been taking them both so long. After relating what had happened, the warlock and fortune teller looked at each other and shrugged.

“Do you think we should tell them?” asked Gabriella’s mother.

“I suppose it’s time,” said Glenda’s father. All four of them sat down in the pumpkin patch, as the two girls learned that they were actually twin sisters. Both of them felt a mix of emotions.

“I have a sister?” asked Glenda.

“That is so cool!” chirped Gabriella. “I always wanted a sister.”

Thereafter, the two girls, on their eleventh birthday, spent the rest of Halloween with their parents in the pumpkin patch—telling stories.

“This is a birthday present I wasn’t expecting at all,” said Gabriella, as she wrapped her arm around her sister. She gave her the biggest of hugs.

“Totally,” said Glenda.

1. What was different about the way in which Gabriella and Glenda learned to do magic?

A. Gabriella learned magic in a classroom and Glenda was taught magic in the forest.

B. Glenda learned magic in a classroom and Gabriella was taught magic in the forest.

C. Glenda was allowed to cast dangerous spells and her sister Gabriella was not.

D. Gabriella was taught by her father and Glenda was taught by her mother.

A B C D

2. Of the following statements about the story, which one is false?

A. Glenda and Gabriella got into a fight over a pumpkin on the night of Halloween.

B. Gabriella was sent to pick out a pumpkin by her father while he stayed home to decorate her birthday cake.

C. Both Glenda and Gabriella knew some magic spells, but none of them were that dangerous.

D. Both Glenda and Gabriella had magic wands.

A B C D

3. The first paragraph is mainly about—

A. the magical battle between Glenda and Gabriella that occurs in the pumpkin patch.

B. the tale of how and why Glenda and Gabriella were separated at birth.

C. how the perfect pumpkin is ultimately broken by the two sisters.

D. Glenda’s father decorating a birthday cake in a very comical manner.

A B C D

4. When the author chooses to start a story about events that have happened in the past, such as how and why Glenda and Gabriella were separated at birth, he is using the literary device of—

A. back story. B. setting. C. metaphor. D. personification.

A B C D

5. A synonym for the word celebration, as used in the 6th paragraph, would be which of the following words?

A. Ceremony. B. Event. C. Challenge. D. Festivity.

A B C D

6. How did the warlock go about decorating the cake?

A. He used a magic spell to shoot frosting from the end of his finger.

B. He hired a cake decorator to do the job for him so that he could plan the other aspects of the birthday party.

C. He was mean and made Glenda decorate her own cake.

D. He used a knife to spread on the cake’s frosting.

A B C D

7. Why don’t the two sisters become injured themselves during their magical battle?

A. They were only pretend fighting.

B. They were too clumsy to actually cast any spells that made contact with each other.

C. Their wands broke and so they couldn’t cast any more spells.

D. They only knew harmless spells.

A B C D

8. Which one of these events happened before the perfect pumpkin was broken?

A. Glenda and Gabriella cried. B. Gabriella and Glenda found

out they were sisters. C. A frog leaped onto Glenda’s

face. D. Gabriella offered a pumpkin

to Glenda.

A B C D

9. What does not happen to either Glenda or Gabriella?

A. The two girls meet in the pumpkin patch.

B. The two girls learn they are sisters.

C. The two girls punch each other in the face.

D. The two girls break the perfect pumpkin.

A B C D

10. What event happened first in the story?

A. Glenda promised her father that she would be careful on her trip to the pumpkin patch.

B. Glenda grabbed a pumpkin at the same time as another girl her age.

C. Both girls took out their magic wands.

D. The girls cried when they realized the pumpkin was broken.

A B C D

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