The old hag almost fainted had it not been for a tongue-dissolving tablet she popped into her mouth. 

She wasn't sure where that little brat, Rigel had gone away but her heart was hammering away as she looked for the vial. There was a faint crack along the side of the vial as she took it from underneath the threadbare armchair.

With a monocle, she inspected the label on the vial. It was dirty and smudged all over and even her partial fingerprints were visible (or was it hers?). Her vision was poor but surely she hadn't given him the wrong potion? She was sure that it read "antibacterial". Her fingers were moist from the sweat poring all over and suddenly the muddled words became clearly visible as she wiped the stains away; it read "ante-biology." Her mouth was agape and it remained agape because she was horrified. As soon as she realized what happened she turned around and noticed that the cat had vanished. Had she heard voices before? She wasn't sure she had while she was looking for the vial. 

She quickly rose from her feet and clutched Mrs. Cole by her shoulders. 

"Where is it...the cat...where is it?" 

"Where is my son?" she answered back. 

A lone sweatdrop trickled down the ravines of her wrinkled face until it stopped at the bottom of the old hag's pointy chin.  Why did she name it "Ante-biology"?! It's so close to antibiotics! Her hands were trembling and the tremors were felt by the mother. 

"He is...in..the bathroom."  The hag felt stupidly silly saying this but it was the first thing that ran across her mind. 

"Why?" 

"He is reacting to the medicine. He is cleansing his body of all the...what you might call it, all of the impurities."

"You mean he's throwing up? But I can barely hear him, if anything!" said the incredulous looking mother.

"Look I need your help."

 "What is it?"

"That cat, it was part of the medicine. I mean the hair.."

"Part of the medicine?!" Mrs. Cole's face blanched and her lips quivered. "I gave it away to a stranger! I thought it was a stray cat that had managed to wander inside!"

"Who was the stranger? What did he look like?" 

"I..I think he carried two umbrellas."

"Are you sure? It's not raining today!"

"Well, maybe he took a look at the forecast?"

"Forecast?! Two umbrellas?!" She was losing it. The hag was losing her mind. She was neurotic enough but now she was on the brink of psychosis.

"What did the umbrellas looked like?" 

"One was white and the other blue I think? I think they were spotless too, quite clean, maybe new?" 

The realization hit her hard like a two-ton anvil.  She clutched her bosom. She murmured "Sky." The old hag's lips were pursed forming even more wrinkles around her mouth. 

Of course she was crazy to think that a cat had managed to escape from her basement but she did not want to face the fact that she had accidentally turned a boy into a cat.

She had to inform Minh.

"Excuse me," she said. "Eh, about your boy. You..eh..I'll have to keep him overnight...for two months...sorry."

Before Mrs. Cole could confront her with utmost outrage, the old hag ran to her bedroom, slammed the door and locked it with a wave of her wand.

It was really a rather puny looking wand. It looked more like a gnarled twig. 

She picked up the phone and dialed Mihn's Kung Pao restaurant.

"Minh speaking. Wrong number if you want to order kung pao chiken. this is office. try other number."  

"Minh, it's me, Gloria Faulkner!" 

"Gloria Faulkner? Me will order more of your cats when people have had their meals."

"It's not about the shipments. Actually it is." Her breathing was haphazzard as if she had run two miles. "I'm afraid a cat has escaped."

"Me no see problem. Microsoft is to lay off more people. There will be more homeless people. Minh will still pay for cats. One dollar each. Want to order chicken?"

"Enough about the chicken! I accidentally turned a mother's child into a cat!" she whispered frantically. 

"How'd you do stupid thing? Now you force Minh's hand. Where is child? I will take care of things."  

 "Sky has him." 

"Tis possible for cats to have wings? May explain why Minh's restaurant still serves chicken wings. Still, Sky is large. Can't expect Minh to fly to sky."

"NO. SKY FAREL. THE DUNDERHEAD WHO'S A REAL WIZARD!" 

"Oh...makes things complicated, like expired chicken. But still expired chicken can always be served. Believe Minh. Punishment will be served." 

And with that, the chineser owner of Kung Pao fake chicken restaurant hung up. 

"Oh Sky, you will pay. I will make sure of that. I just hope you haven't figured out the grimoire." said the old hag. She thought about the old leather-bound book that held many magical recipes and spells. Could Sky really learn to use it? What was more, did he find it?