Jenn Duggan's Blog: Baxter Books

In a sweet colorful hollow deep in Imagination Land, the Candied Cats make homes in anything candy-covered that will stand. Two-story layered cakes, cream puffs on wheels, cookie castles with licorice posts, and tents made of sugary banana peels.

 There are tall striped lollipop trees next to colorful gumdrop stumps, and paths made of peanut brittle that make cupcake bees buzz and jump. The Candied Cats play and nap in marshmallow mounds. They live and chase each other across coconut-covered grounds.

 Candied Cats were also used to doing things a certain way. Their most held tradition passed cat to cat, whether they were big or small, sweet or tart, every Candied Cat always wore a donut hat.

 But all things eventually change, and so did this. Kit Cat, liked her frosting-covered donut hat, but one day she tried something new–What could be wrong with that?

 Kit Cat, the Candied Cat, went to the Lollipop Patch. She picked only the most beautiful sugary flowers made from taffy, chocolate, and a few sour sweets. Then, she used them to decorate a new cap. It took a few hours. Kit couldn't wait to show all the Cats her new hat.

"They'll be so surprised! It looks good enough to eat!" She had made something beautiful and proudly wore it from the patch to Main Street.

 But when Kit reached Cookie Crumb Circle, a Candied Cat shouted, "Look at that!" All around her were angry Candied Cat stares.

Another pointed and said, "That's no donut hat!"

"Has she gone mad," another cat whined.

"It's weird," a fourth chimed in, "This isn't right?!"

Before long, a crowd had formed to poke fun.

Kit asked, "But it's so colorful and light?"

"This is not how we do things." They all started to laugh and hiss.

"We are a donut hat-wearing cats. No need to change that now, Miss."

 Kit broke free from the group, leaving their laughter behind. She raced home and closed the door to her sugar-dipped pineapple rind. Kit took off her new colorful candied flower cap. "This cap is just as clever as a donut, just as sweet," Kit said, flopping onto her marshmallow couch in a huff, "I made it! And I think it's a real treat!"

 So, the next day when Kit went out, she wore her new "treat" on her head again and left her old donut hat in the closet. She didn't take off the new cap till bed. A few weeks went by like this, then a few more. Kit kept on wearing her artsy hat out. Even when the other cats made fun of her, Kit did not pout.

To her surprise, a funny thing happened a few months after she created her cap. At the bakery, she saw her neighbor, Tom Cat, in for his daily pastry before his afternoon nap.

"Nice to see you," Kit smiled at him.

"Hi!" Tom said, "Nice to see you too."

Kit laughed, "Tom­–what a great hat!"

Tom smiled, "I like yours, too! Is it new?"

 All over Candied Cat Hollow, it was the same. Cats were donning a new sugary hat feast. They traded in their old donut hats or added more sprinkles at the very least. The same cats that made fun of her now wore sugar beaded top hats, rainbow-colored sunbonnets, and caps with taffy bow wraps.

 "I have an idea!" Kit said, "With my cap, I'll open the first Candied Cat Hat Store. It will be full from corner to corner with every kind of Candied Cat hat décor!"

It was an instant success! The cats poured through Kit's door. Every cat in Candied Cat Hollow came for their sugary beads, bobs, and more. The hollow where the Candied Cats live is a place unlike anywhere ever before—sweet, from every candy-covered wall to every candy-covered floor.

After Kit's, candied flower cap, the cats in the hollow all knew, frosting or not, it was sweet to be kind, and it was just fine to be different too. 

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Text and Illustration copyright © 2020 Jennifer Hart.  

“I’m so bored,” said Baxter,

one cloudy, rainy, cold day.

“What will I do all afternoon?

I can’t go outside to play.”

Baxter’s paws crossed.

He rolled over on his back

and stared up at the ceiling

where he noticed a small crack.

“I could explore in that spot?

A mini dragon or a talking bear

may wait just behind it?

If I were smaller, I’d fit in there.”

Baxter closed his eyes

and listened to the rain

as it pittered and pattered

outside his house on the lane.

When he opened his eyes

it seemed the room was taller.

Baxter said with a shock, “Oh!

Wait, it’s not bigger. I am smaller!”

Baxter got very excited at this.

Now, he could explore what he’d found!

He started walking toward the crack

wondering what was in it hanging around.

It took him a bit to get across the room

since he was now the size of a dime.

Along the way, he found a pistachio shell.

“This will make a great helmet for the climb!”

When Baxter reached the wall underneath

a spider was sitting on her sticky web.

“Hello Ms…Sorry, what’s your name?”

“Hello, Baxter!” The spider said, “I’m Deb.”

Deb continued like they were old friends,

“What are you doing here at my size!”

“Nice to meet you,” Baxter said smiling,

“I’m going there.” He motioned with his eyes

while pointing a paw to the crack above.

He said, “It looks high now that I’m so small.”

“Wow!” She cried, “That’s some climb!

Would you like a rope in case you fall?”

Deb swung her web, playfully to and fro.

“Ha! So lucky that you’re here, Deb!”

Baxter laughed, “Thank you! Please!”

She said, “Sure! I’ve got plenty of web.”

She wove Baxter a strong rope to use.

He put on the shell helmet and held on tight.

Then, he began to climb one foot at a time.

He got excited as the crack came in sight.

When he reached the top,

Baxter looked down at the floor.

He could just barely see Deb

from where he sat at the crack’s door.

Baxter took off the shell and left it.

He made sure Deb’s rope was tied.

Then, he carefully began to crawl

further and further inside.

The crack opened to a long muddy hall

and, at the end, was a big round hole.

He scooted right up to the edge

feeling a bit like an underground mole.

He reached the opening, and it was sunny!

He couldn’t believe what he saw.

“It’s so bright and warm,” Baxter said.

No rain! To be sure, he stuck out his paw.

Baxter’s eyes were wide, taking it all in.

Treetops spread as far as he could see.

Each one sat very close together

like an uncooked bouquet of broccoli.

“Beautiful!” He said excitedly.

“Hmm. How to get down for a look?”

Baxter spotted a set of stairs close by.

“Oh! Steps!” And that’s what he took.

When Baxter reached the bottom

the forest stretched out before him.

The trees stood in very neat rows.

All was in place from leaf to limb.

That’s when Baxter noticed

something he’d not seen before.

The forest! The trees are toy blocks!

Now that he was close, he could see more.

Scattered throughout the grass

were stacks of cards piled like rocks.

Windup toy bugs crawled around

and in the sky flew cardboard hawks.

There were flowers made of beads.

A game board road ran across the forest floor.

“Is it my turn?” Baxter asked with a laugh.

“Have I walked into a woodland toy store?”

“Sure! You can go next!”

Came a little squeaky sound.

Baxter turned with surprise to find

a mouse-like game piece on the ground.

“Whoa!” Baxter’s tail stood straight up.

A plastic mouse about half his size

stared up at him two spaces away.

Baxter could hardly believe his eyes.

“Hi! Sorry, I don’t know this game.”

Baxter finally said, “Is it hard?”

“It’s easy,” said the mousey piece.

“We’ll play together. First, catch a card.

“Then, we’ll do what it says.” He said

as he pointed to a purple butterfly

nearby where they both stood.

The mouse caught it on the first try.

Baxter tipped his head watching

“By the way.” He said, “I’m Jay.”

The mouse grinned at Baxter.

“Oh, boy! I am excited to play!

Welcome to Toytopia, my home.

Hardly anyone ever stops by.

Did you come here for the games?”

He asked excitedly, “Is that why?”

“No, I was exploring, but I’d like to play.

Thanks for showing me the game.

What’s next?” Baxter said eagerly.

Jay smiled at him. Baxter did the same.

Then, the butterfly giggled in Jay’s paw.

It said, “Move three and climb that tree.”

“Let’s go, Baxter!” Jay began to hop.

Baxter followed, “Oh! Ok! Wait for me!”

They counted three spaces

and climbed the tree like it said.

At the top of the tree was a chest.

There was a sign, “OPEN ME,” Jay read.

“What do you think is inside?”

Baxter asked, staring at it hard.

Jay said, “Maybe there’s a treasure!

Jewels, coins, or another card?”

“Is this how you win the game?”

Baxter asked, trying to understand.

“Did we get to the end in one move?”

He wasn’t sure of the rules in this land.

“Win?” Jay looked very confused.

“You just play. You don’t win.”

He pointed toward the chest.

“There might be a prize within.

If there is, we can share it

or we can choose to give it away

because we’re just doing this

to put a smile on our face today.”

Baxter liked this new game.

“So, you win if you have fun?”

Jay cried out, “Exactly. You got it!

Not all games are like this one.

But sometimes it’s just fun

to do something just to do,

to follow a clue or hop hop hop 

to something magical and new.”

 “I’m in,” Baxter said with a grin.

“If it’s not a treasure, what else could it be?

I hope it’s a great big dog treat!”

Jay laughed, “Or a sweet little chess piece?”

Baxter asked, “Should we open it, then?”

“Let’s do it,” Jay said, “I can’t wait!

It has both our names on it, look!”

There they were inked with the date.

When they opened the letter

it was just four neat little lines:

Hello Jay and Baxter,

Please, join me sometime around noon.

Yours always with friendship,

J.P. Miffkins, second star from the moon.

“This sounds like an adventure!” said Jay,

“Do you think we should meet with J.P.?”

“In space?!” Baxter wagged his tail fast,

“Oh! Really? Could we? Could it be?

The moon’s a bit far. We’ll need a ship.”

Jay looked at Baxter with hope.

“A spaceship?” Baxter asked thoughtfully,

“We’ll need to climb back down my rope.”

“So, you have one?!” Jay said excitedly.

“Not yet, I need a marker, tape, and a box.

Then, I can make one.” Baxter exclaimed.

 Jay said, “Let’s go! Baxter, this rocks!”

Baxter and his new friend, Jay,

ran to the steps as fast as they could.

Then, they crawled through the hall

and back down to where Deb stood.

They waved at her, and she waved back.

Then, they got to work finding tools,

and gathering supplies for their trip.

They were two space-traveling fools!

Just then, Lenny, Baxter’s best friend,

peeked into Baxter’s house.

She saw him drawing on a big box

next to a cardboard mouse.

She giggled and said, “The rain is gone.

Baxter, what did you do today?”

“Lenny! Hi! Please come in and see.”

Baxter said, “I’m flying with my friend, Jay,

on this ship to meet J.P. Miffkins!

Will you come with us on our trip to space?

It will be even more fun with you there!

J.P. invited us up around noon to his place.”

Lenny looked around the dog house.

She saw a drawing of a spider in the back

Next to a long white piece of yarn.

There was a “forest” of blocks in a stack

and lots of different colored papers

on the floor, making a walkway.

It looked like a game that she and Baxter

had played just the other day.

Paper butterflies hung over the road

and a letter sat in a treasure chest

atop the tallest tree of blocks.

She laughed, “Baxter, you’re the best!”

Baxter smiled and got into the box.

He pretended to adjust the seat.

“It’s a rocket.” He said tapping the side,

“Step in. Please be careful of Jay’s feet.”

Lenny carefully stepped in and said,

“I’d love to meet your new friend.”

She climbed into the ship

and they headed around a bend.

“Where does J.P. Miffkins live?”

Lenny asked as they flew, “Is it far?”

Baxter winked, “Not at all!

It’s just two lefts at that next star.”

The dreaded creative block
showed up and blocked my way
“What to do? What to do?”
I fussed and stomped all day.

 I cannot climb over the block.
Its face is much too high.
Could I dig underneath it?
No. No! There’s no time.

The block is very wide.
Much too wide to walk around.
I tried to break through  
but it’s as hard as the ground.

Maybe if I asked it to move
the block would slide away?
“Hey block will you go
somewhere else today?!”

 Well, that didn’t work. Not one bit.
How about I bring it a present?
What would a creative block like?
Something colorful and pleasant?

 Well, I brought it some flowers.
But alas the block won’t budge.
“Would you like a sweet treat?”
I asked it, “Something with fudge?”

The ice cream didn’t help either.
The block stayed firm in its place.
“Well fine! I shouted up at it.
“I’ll just sit right here and wait.”

I sat in front of the block for hours
tapping every finger on my hand.
My mind began to wander.
I doodled with a stick in the sand.

The doodle turned into a road,
and that road turned into a seed,
and that seed turned into an idea,
I said, “Oh yes! This is what I need!”

My hand quickly moved the stick.
This new pencil was working out.
The dirt became my paper.
Before long there was no doubt. 

The ideas were flowing through me
and I found a rhythm in my rhyme.
I forgot all about that stubborn block.
I forgot where I was. I forgot the time.

I drew until the stick’s end was round
and there was no space left to draw.
The dirt was filled with lots of ideas.
New ones! Not one bland, or blah.

 I finally looked up, “Ha!” I said,
“Block you failed, just look and see!”
But to my surprise, the block was gone.
In its place was this note it left for me.

Well done, until next time my friend!
I’ll be back when you need a break  
or when you need a moment to think.
Will you do me this favor in my wake?
Just chill out a bit. Take a deep breath.
There’s always time to sit before you do.
To sit and think, that’s when ideas come,
in the quiet spaces inside you. It’s true!
I hope you take me seriously when I say,
take care, take time, maybe take a walk.
’cuz I’ll be watching if you get too wound up.
With love always, Your Creative Block.

Hedgehogs are cute but pokey.
They roll up tightly into a little ball.
You can take them just about everywhere.
But note – Never take them to the mall.

Winfrey is my hedgehog
and he does what hedgehogs do.
I took him to the mall one time
and this is now why I say not to.

That day, Winfrey smiled big
with his body and arms wide,
It was like he said, “Give me a hug!”
And I thought, “Ok!” Then, I tried.

But Winfrey had caught a whiff
of something very yummy.
In my hand was a slice of pizza
which is why he got so snuggly.

And when I pulled him close,
Winfrey rolled into his ball,
out of my hand, onto the plate,
and then I saw the pizza fall!

Winfrey almost grabbed it.
I guess at least he tried.
But, alas! It was too late!
“No! My Jeans!” I cried.

I really thought he’d save me some
if he had caught it before it fell.
But now I think my slice was doomed
as soon as he picked up on the smell.

He kept watching the cheesy pizza
sliding down my jeans stitch by stitch.
Suddenly, Winfrey leaped down my leg
and the cheese went splat goo squish!

Cheese everywhere! On my pants!
On the floor! And in my shoes!
When I found Winfrey afterward
he was by the crust taking a snooze.

Try telling Mom that story.
You might as well just confess!
I almost got grounded
for Winfrey’s pizza mess.

So, hedgehogs aren’t mall approved,
especially with pizza in your hand.
Gosh! He didn’t even finish the crust!
THIS…I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND!

Everyone likes a hero.
Someone to save the day.
They could be a fireman, a sergeant,
A policeman, a Green Bourrée.
A superhero on the big screen
wearing colorful tights and a cape.

But –
Some heroes wear jeans and a t-shirt
Sunday through Saturday.

They’re the ones getting groceries 
to make dinner for friends.
They’re the ones sitting by your side
til the very end.
They are the ones that drive you to school
because you were running late that day,
or give you a flower 
when gray clouds come your way.
They are the ones that sing you lullabies when 
you can’t go to sleep.
They are the ones that convince you
to always eat all your peas.
They are the ones that hug you
the tightest every time.
They’re the ones that always
cheer on your unique rhythm and rhyme.

They’re the ones that never ask
for a favor in return
though you probably owe them
more than you could ever
give back in cash, gifts or words.

They are your home.
They are love.
They are the ones
that you can’t speak enough of.
They are silent 
but their actions are loud.
They make the world better
just by being around.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: 
With all the gratitude that I have,
I dedicate this one to my mom and dad.

Thank you for being my heroes.

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Text and Illustration copyright © 2018 Jennifer Hart. 

Do this! Do that!
You should! You shant!
Make it. Take it. No don’t! You can’t.
Have you met Little Miss Bossy Pants?

She tries, she cares, she wants perfect
every time, everywhere.
And, this drives her and everyone else
to pull out their hair.

Once Baxter The Dog offered to help
Little Miss Bossy Pants throw
a dinner and dance
for her three favorite aunts.

This should be fun Baxter thought.
We’ll pick up the food to make
and a few decorations to hang.
“Then the fun will begin!” He sang.

Little Miss Bossy Pants
had other ideas…
“Baxter pick out the flowers.”
“Baxter clean up the yard.”
“Baxter blow up balloons.”
“No Baxter, like this, that’s too much.”
“Baxter, don’t use a rake!”
“Baxter, are these flowers fake?”
“Baxter! Baxter! Baxter!”

Baxter put down the flowers.
And dropped the half blown balloon.
He sighed, put a paw on her arm,
then walked away and said, “I’ll be back soon.”

She huffed and puffed
and made an awful sound.
“Where are you going!?
I NEED YOU TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW!”

Baxter returned in an hour with a grin.
Little Miss Bossy Pants
was rushing and running.
Baxter thought he saw her head spin.

Baxter made her stop
for a moment and said,
“Let’s take a break.
Look what I’ve brought.”

Little Miss Bossy Pants
loved chocolate cake.
Baxter brought her a slice
from her favorite place.

She breathed, “That’s very sweet.
Ok, Baxter, let’s eat.”
They sat eating cake
and laughed around the plate.

When every crumb was gone
Baxter stood, “Wasn’t that fun?”
Little Miss Bossy Pants nodded,
“Yes, but there’s still so much to be done.”

Baxter replied, “Sure, but this is the point,
there’s no need to toil to make it perfect.
Make sure you enjoy what you’re making.
Don’t just get through it.

I’ll help you. If you can promise me
you’ll try to have fun.
Please don’t boss me around.
Let’s do it together and it’ll get done.”

With that, they got to work,
but this time she wasn’t bossy.
She let Baxter help and plan too.
The party turned out even better - who knew!?

The Aunts danced till
their shoes had to be trashed.
They ate all the snacks.
And, they had all the laughs.

Yes, always try the best you can.
but try to let others be part of your plan.
Then you won’t have to worry - they’ll be no chance,
that you’ll turn into a Little Miss Bossy Pants.

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Text and Illustration copyright © 2018 Jennifer Hart. 

Rexie wasn’t like any other Tyrannosaur.
They liked to hunt and eat all day
but Rexie wanted to explore and play.
Rexie liked to stare at the clouds,
watch birds and listen to their sounds. 

It wasn’t that she couldn’t hunt or was a coward.
Rexie just preferred making colors with flowers, 
dreaming up dreams that might come true,
or laying in the grass to wonder at its hue.

The other T-Rex didn’t like her much.
“She’s weird,” “She’s lame,” They’d say,
“What does she do all day?”
Rexie was just misunderstood.
She saw things no one else could.

One day all The Rex were out on a hunt
when a terrible storm came and created a flood.
T-Rex aren’t known to be good swimmers.
The hunting crew got trapped chasing their dinner.

Rexie had wandered off counting petals
just to see how many were in her favorite meadow.
She saw the group and knew they were in trouble.
T-Rex don’t float so she hurried to help – on the double!
An idea! She knew what to do!

“I’ll roll this log over and make a dino-friendly canoe.”
The hunters watched in a huff, “What could Rexie do?”
They judged and they glared at her as she tried her best
to roll the log to the pop-up river that had stranded the rest.

Rexie reached the edge of the water and sat down.
She heard the others cry, “Get up! There’s no time to lie around.”
Working her claws to create a center big enough for two
she hollowed the log and then punched her feet through.
“Gasp!” The Tyrannosaurs all sounded off together.

“Great! Now she’s stuck and we’re still docked.
We’re never getting off this lousy rock!”
Rexie smiled and pushed off into the river.
It turns out T-Rex could be great swimmers.

She paddled her feet under the boat and glided across
landing on the rock with no problem at all.
There was silence. The hunters were shocked.
“Rexie! Rexie had saved them!” They shouted and gawked,
“Thank you! I mean, wow! How did you know it would work?”

“I didn’t, but we had to try something. You were stuck,”
She laughed, “Plus, I needed to test this anyway, what luck!
I had thought of making a boat to take on the lake
to explore the other side and see what else I could make?

I’ve seen all these flowers, I’ve traveled all these roads,
She continued, “Now I can go further using this boat.”
One by one Rexie carried them across to the shore.
Each T-Rex grateful not to be on the rock anymore. 
Rexie was a hero. They all agreed.

They had been wrong. They’d stop treating her poorly.
She was different and that was more than ok.
Her dreams turned into things
and those things might save them again one day.

Mom says this Weevil is evil
but I’m not so sure.
This Weevil just seems hungry.
Hungrier than any Weevil I’ve seen before.
He tore holes in all the cereal
which caused a bit of a mess.
And, Mom had a fit when he ate through the slippers
Dad got her last Christmas.
The Weevil ate the dog’s treats.
Baxter did not thank him for that.
AND he ate all the bread in the bread box
till there was nothing left.
Not even enough for one sandwich!
We found him stuffing himself on a bag of potato chips
When Mom screamed, “I’ve had enough
of this Evil Weevil business!”
The Weevil paused for a moment – the bag over his head.
He was now the size of a small cat
because of how much he’d been fed.

I tried to reason with Mom.
I begged to save his life.
This Weevil wasn’t evil. 
He just needed to be trained up just right.
I could keep him as my pet.
I’d name him Kevin, Steve or Brett.
Oh! Can you imagine all the Weevil adventures! 
All the places we’d go together,
the tricks we could play,
the fun we would have,
the things we might eat, 
my guess...there’d be a lot of that.
Maybe I could teach him to speak,
write stories or sing songs.
We could have a magic act
or find a circus to join along.

And the...wait!

Stop! Those are MY PANCAKES!
No! Don’t!
This is crazy! 
He even ate the plate!

SPLAT

Mom was right.
This Weevil’s evil.
He had to go
It was almost too late.
...now let's celebrate
by making more pancakes!

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Text and Illustration copyright © 2018 Jenn Duggan. 

You’re invited to a word party!
Yes! I said it. A party for words.  
Because there is no party
like a word party. That’s for sure!

Yo!

Where are my geeks at?
Where are my copy katz?
Where are my rhymers?
and my grammar good-timers?

The guest list will be long.
So, you’re sure to get along
with a shortie or a verb-ie.
Don’t worry we’re all a little nerdy.

The vowels are coming – A, E, I, O and U.
I guess they’re bringing Y too.

THEN said he’d GO. 
Only if LET’S stays between them though.

THE, AND, ARE and YOU are almost always in.
GROW’s taking his time. He can’t move fast on any decision. 

But he'll come around
when UP says she’s down.
And, DOWN will show up with CREW
hoping TOWN will be there too.

I kid – but JEST,
the biggest clown of all, is up to the test.
He’ll have CROWDS rolling and LADIES will giggle,
He might be the world’s coolest underused one syllable.

Come for FUNK
or WORD, PLAY and JUNK.
MUSIC will be loud
but we’ll enjoy all the SOUNDS.
There’s nothing quite like when
ALPHABETS get down.

PENCILS are out.
SET is ready to go.

What’s that?

BEWARE just warned TENSION,
“It wouldn’t be smart to invite ORANGE to the show,”
She said, “The party would end before it started, you know...
because nothing rhymes with orange.”

Oh. 

Well, that’s ok. 
ORANGE is misunderstood anyway.
Just come have a good time.
Don’t stress about the rhythm and rhyme.
 

There was once a girl named Meg
that everyone in town thought was great.
She smiled and laughed
and put on a show
so the people would never guess.
How could they have known?
That underneath her grin
lay a monster within.

One summer all the people in town
were planning their annual celebration.
A yearly party about love and kindness.
A singing, dancing jubilation.
Meg volunteered to help.
She showed up early and left late
but when the town wasn’t looking
she was up to no good, 
plotting and scheming,
hiding behind her sweet face.

The day before the party
the town woke up to a shock.
The tents were crushed, the animals were loose,
the kids were crying, the woman were spooked.
There was trash blowing back and forth, up and down.
Everything they’d built had been burnt to the ground.

Well, as you can imagine the town was upset.
They had no idea what had happened. What a mess!
They started to argue about who had done it and what to do
when an old traveler came quietly wandering through,
“Pardon,” He said, “I heard your plight. 
I assure you, you can trust it will be alright.
I've traveled many places.
And, one thing I know for sure
is people that do wrong without a care are marked. 
You’ll know when you see it. It’s easy to spot.”

That made the people nervous. Who would it be?
The butcher? The farmer, the lady with the wooden knee?
The traveler spoke once more, “Just wait. You will see.”
The town’s people stood watching the traveler’s long baggy cloak
as he walked down the path till he was gone. 
What a strange day. How did things go so wrong?

As predicted, the very next morning, the traveler was proven right.
They learned the truth when Meg came happily strolling by –
 BUT she wasn’t the same as she’d been the previous night.
Meg had grown a long spiny monkey tail.
It had ripped through her pants and wrapped around her toenails. 
Though she tried to pretend it wasn’t there
everyone knew what she’d done and they stared.
She couldn’t hide this from them.
She was a faker, a betrayer, not a friend.

That night Meg grew fur all over her limbs
and her hands and feet became claws with nubby talons.
The town’s people pulled together to set the party back up.
but Meg wasn’t invited. She sat alone in a huff.

A few days more and Meg’s face went flat. 
Her nose slid right off. 
She grew warts all over her back.
She began walking on all four paws.
On top of her head grew three bumpy horns.
Big, lumpy horns that showed every flaw.

Now her outsides matched her insides.
There was no pretending anymore. 
At last, she shrank to the size of a bug.
And, all the people just forgot where she was.

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Text and Illustration copyright © 2018 Jenn Duggan.