Maybelle and the Haunted Cupcake 1 Make a Wish A t last it was evening at Number 10 Grand Street. In the afternoon, Myrtle Peabody had baked Mystery Ingredient Miniature Cupcakes for the Ladies' Annual Bake Sale. She had decorated them JUST SO with pink icing and chopped nuts and chocolate sprinkles. Now she arranged them on a platter for her husband, Herbert, to admire. Watching from her cozy little home under the refrigerator, Maybelle the Cockroach waved her antennae. "Yum! I know what I want for dinner. I'm going to have a taste of those cupcakes," she said to her friend Henry the Flea. "Just remember The Rules, Maybelle." Maybelle recited them by heart: " When it's light, stay out of sight; if you're spied, better hide; never meet with human feet. Don't worry. I'll wait until it's safe,Henry. But why does getting something to eat have to be so hard?" "It isn't," Henry said. "It's easy. I live on Ramona, and when I get hungry, I bite her." Ramona was the Peabodys' cat. She was napping close by on the kitchen floor. "That's fine for you," Maybelle said. "But I'm tired of going out for food and worrying about The Rules and being chased by Ramona. I wish I could eat at home. I wish someone would bring food to me right here." "Be careful what you wish for, Maybelle. Sometimes wishes come true," Henry said. Maybelle would soon find out what he meant. Text copyright © 2012 by Katie Speck Excerpted from Maybelle and the Haunted Cupcake by Katie Speck, Paul Rátz de Tagyos All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
