Midnight Mischief Club

The Witch's Hat Has a Shop Inside

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The bootless Witch stands in cream socks beside her coat, broom and invitation as rain patters outside; Moth notices her practical frustration.
The witch had her coat, her broom and a very important invitation. She did not have her boots. Rain drummed on the doorstep. “I cannot attend a puddle party in my socks.”
A tiny lit window opens in the hat’s brim and reveals Mister Button arranging his shop; Moth peers in while the Witch bends toward the discovery.
Moth noticed a light beneath the witch's hat. A tiny window had opened in its brim. Behind the glass, Mister Button was arranging a shop. “Have you always had a tenant?”
On the table the hat unfolds a staircase into an impossibly deep miniature shop; Mister Button proudly explains his exchanges.
The witch lifted the hat onto the table. A staircase unfolded. Inside stood shelves of splendidly useless things and a sign: EXCHANGES ONLY. “A giggle buys a hook. A gust buys a box. Something enormous buys something small.”
The Witch gives a visible magical giggle into one amber jar and receives a hook, using it to draw the curtain aside.
“I need my boots.” “No boots today. A lovely hook?” The witch gave him a giggle. He caught it in a jar. She used the hook to pull back a curtain.
Behind the curtain stand two tall red flower-filled “vases,” a closed cupboard and doorknob basket; Moth studies the laces while the Witch follows a sneeze from the cupboard.
Behind it stood two tall red vases, a closed cupboard and a basket full of doorknobs. Something inside the cupboard sneezed. “My boots have never sneezed.” Moth wasn't looking at the cupboard. She was looking at the vases.
Mister Button opens the new pale-teal gust jar too soon: labels and doorknobs fly, a feather duster tumbles sneezing from the cupboard and the curtain wraps his head.
The witch offered a gust for a box to stand on. Mister Button opened his jar too soon. Whoosh! Labels flew. Doorknobs rolled. A feather duster tumbled from the cupboard, sneezing. The curtain wrapped around his head.
Moth catches the curtain while the Witch lowers the box over the open runaway gust jar; only the closed giggle jar bubbles on its shelf.
Moth caught the curtain. The witch set the box over the runaway jar. Quiet returned, except for a giggle bubbling on the shelf. “Why do your vases have laces?”
The Witch examines the two laced red “vases” and recognizes her flower-filled boots while Mister Button explains their fall through the hat lining.
The witch looked closely. Her boots had been filled with paper flowers. “Those are mine!” “Oh! They came down through the hat lining. I thought they were flowerpots.”
Mister Button empties the flowers and hands the Witch her two boots at once, offering the giggle and gust back as well.
He emptied the flowers and returned the boots at once. He offered back the giggle and the gust as well. “Keep the giggle. Put a lid on the gust.”
Mister Button asks for something enormous; the Witch answers with one magnificent frown and he produces a tiny lid immediately while Moth hides a smile.
“Could I have something enormous for the lid?” The witch gave him an enormous frown. He found a lid immediately. Moth had to turn away to hide her smile.
Now wearing both red boots the Witch puts on her hat for the puddle party; inside, Mister Button turns his small closing sign and Moth smiles at the tiny bell by her ear.
Booted at last, the witch put on her hat. A tiny shop bell jingled above her ear. “No deliveries while I'm dancing.” Inside the lining, Mister Button turned his sign: BACK AFTER THE PARTY.

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