1 The Magic Wand

TALES FROM THE TREEHOUSE By New York Times—bestselling author ANDY GRIFFITHS illustrated by TERRY DENTON

The Magic Wand

"Hey, Andy," said Terry one day when we were out walking in the forest. "Look at this cool stick I found— it's got a little star on the end!" "That's not a stick," I said. "That's a magic wand! You should be careful with it. Whatever you do, don't point it at anyone and say, 'Abracadabra.'" "Why not?" said Terry. "Because it's magic!" I said. "Anything could happen." "Okay," said Terry. "I'll be careful."

"Promise?" I said. "Yes," said Terry. "Good," I said. "Hey, Andy!" said Terry, pointing the magic wand at me. Suddenly I felt very strange. The next thing I knew I had four legs, a tail, and was covered in fur. Just like a dog. And that's because I was a dog! "Now look what you've done!" I said. (Although it didn't come out like that. It just came out as, "BARK! BARK! BARK!")

That's when Jill came along. "Oh, what a nice little doggy," she said, patting me on the head. "What's his name?" "Andy," said Terry. "Andy?" said Jill. "Yes," said Terry. "I accidentally turned Andy into a dog with this magic wand I found." "Are you going to turn him back?" said Jill.

"I'm not sure," said Terry. "I've always wanted a dog." "And he is a cute dog," said Jill, patting me on the head again. "Yes," said Terry. "Actually, I think I like him better this way. Don't you?" Jill nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think I do," she said, ruffling my ears. I was about to get mad, but then I realized I couldn't get mad because I was happy. I loved being a dog. I loved my fur coat. And I loved having a tail— it was so much fun to wag. I wagged it and wagged it and