"Diabolical" Donny was once the toast of Las Vegas. He was one of the world's most popular and successful magicians back in the 1980s. His on-stage persona was one of a fun-loving but mischievous trickster. But off-stage Donny was a real creep. He was not nice to his assistants, fans, or even his wife Circe who helped him on stage. It's now 2019 and Donny's fame and fortune have both dwindled. And he's not happy about it at all. People have stopped going to his performances and his routine seems a little corny by today's standards.

In a few short years, Donny had gone from selling out stadiums to having to perform in tiny casinos. His last show was particularly embarrassing as only a handful of people showed up. Turns out they were Japanese tourists who went to the wrong casino. "That's it Donny! I cannot take anymore of this! You promised I would live a life of luxury. But yesterday I actually had to go to the grocery store and shop for myself. Ugh!" "Things will turn around baby. they always do for me." "No. Our partnership and marriage are over, unless you get rich again. Good bye." An enraged Donny stormed around his empty mansion. "How did this happen to me?"

"I appreciate you helping me with the housework Salem but why don't you go watch some TV and relax?" "I like helping you around the house Gramma." "Okay then, we'll do a little bit more and then it's time for my afternoon soaps. Besides, I think Esmerelda is starting to get lonely." "I'll go get her. She's probably sleeping on my bed upstairs." But when Salem got there, her kitty was nowhere to be found. She frantically searched the house. "Gramma! I can't find her anywhere!" "Oh dear! You don't think she got out do you?" "I'll go check. She's usually too afraid to go out side." BEEP! BEEP! "Oh no! What was that?" Salem yelled out.

A dump truck was barreling down the road unaware that a frightened kitty cat was frozen in its path. Salem ran outside but didn't have to time to get to Esmerelda as the truck tried to slam on the brakes. She closed her eyes fearing the worst only to see the truck hovering in mid-air. "What the heck?" a stunned Salem uttered. "Did I do that?" "Is everything okay?" Gramma yelled from the kitchen window. "Yeah. I'm coming inside now." Salem had no idea what just happened and quite frankly she didn't want to know. Hopefully nobody saw that. But somebody did and soon this incredible incident would go viral.

"Looks like you found your kitty. What was all that noise outside?" "Oh just a car with a noisy muffler. I'm going to go upstairs with Esmerelda and relax." "Sounds good. I'm going to make some tea and go watch my stories this afternoon. Would you like some dear?" "No thanks Gramma. Enjoy your shows." Salem raced upstairs still a little spooked by what had happened with the truck. Did she do that and if not, who did?" Salem was looking forward to going up to her room and watching her favorite cartoons while she played with her dollies.

For the next hour or so, everything was as it should be. Salem was watching cartoons, playing with her dolls, and spending time with her beloved cat Esmerelda. Suddenly the TV screen went blank and then a serious looking man appeared. "This is B.E.N Breaking News! We have obtained footage of a real-life witch living among us. As you can see this little girl was able to stop a run-away dump truck dead in its tracks before the vehicle began to levitate. Again, we cannot confirm whether this is real or a prank. We will have more information as it becomes available." "That's not good" Esmerelda said to Salem. "What do you mean?"

"I was afraid this was going to happen. I should've told you about this a long time ago?" "About what?" "This whole witch thing. You see Salem, you're a witch while I used to be one. I was a very wicked witch and cast many deadly spells on people throughout the years. I was turned into a cat as a punishment, unable to ever practice witchcraft again." "But how did I become one?" "I had been returned many times to the animal shelter. You were the first person who gave me a second chance at life. Apparently the other witches were impressed by your kindness and decided to give you special powers that can only be used for good."

B.E.N. NEWS

"What's all that noise outside?" Salem wondered. When she looked out the front window she could see reporters, police, and curious onlookers all over the place. "What are we going to do Esmerelda?" "There's only one thing we can do. Fly away." "Fly away? But how?" "You're the one with the broom. You figure it out." "But I don't know how to fly. Or do I? Do I have magical powers to help me fly?" "There's only one way to find out" Esmerelda replied. Salem took a deep breath and then opened her bedroom window. "1-2-3..........Let's fly!"

"Look at me! I'm flying!" "Oh how I miss the ability the fly" Esmerelda lamented. "What do I do now?" "Keep a firm grip on the broom handle and enjoy the view. We'll do some exploring until the crowd starts to disperse outside of your Gramma's house." "Oh no! Gramma! She's probably freaking out about all the people outside her house. We need to go back!" "We can't. Too risky. You don't want the world to find out about your powers just yet." "But Gramma......"

"Boss! Boss! You gotta see this Youtube video!" "I thought I told you not to bother me." "It's important. Just watch the video. I think you'll find it very interesting." "Oh, alright. Gimme the phone. Hmmm, very interesting indeed. Get The Bunny Boyz together and bring me the witch!"

Magician of the Year 1987

"Diabolical" Donny

"Okay boys, we're looking for a young witch about 8-10 years old. The Boss wants us to capture the girl and bring her back so he can steal her magical powers." "A witch? Are you serious Flopsy?" "Let's hope that this kid is the real deal because the way the Boss's career is going we could find ourselves living in a hutch again." "Well Flopsy, if this whole thing works out, we won't have to keep raiding McGregor's garden anymore." "Look up there! I think I see something. Yes! It's a little girl flying through the sky on her broomstick." "Time to go to work fellas!" Cottontail hollered.