Patty crosses her arms in front of her chest. “You just don’t want me to cook him.”

“Of course I don’t want you to cook him. But if you insist on cooking him, you may as well be eating something nutritious. You’re the one who said junk food is poison. I get that you use your candy house to lure kids, but all the junk you get them to eat is not that good for you, now is it?”

“Hmm. I suppose not,” she says.

“Exactly. Which means we need to healthen him up. Feed him some vegetables. Pump him with nutrients. Detox him. Then, by the time he’s ready to be eaten, he’ll be super healthy. Which will make you super healthy.”

She nods slowly. “I like the way you think.”

“I’m very smart,” I say.

Jonah snorts.

I give him a dirty look. Hello! I’m trying to save his life here!

I turn back to Patty and give her one of my own special-for-grown-ups super-polite smiles. “Why don’t I make him something healthy? Like a kale smoothie?”

“What’s a smoothie?” Patty asks.

“Veggies, fruit, ice. They’re very healthy. My mom makes them all the time when she needs a cleanse.”

“All right,” Patty says. “I have a lot of healthy food. Especially vegetables. See, I own all the vegetable farms in this town. My father used to own them, but after he died, they all became mine.”

Wait a minute. Vegetopia. KEEP OUT signs. Fences patrolled by an evil bird. Hungry townspeople. The witch must be the farmer! She’s hoarding all the vegetables in Vegetopia for herself!

“Why don’t you sell the vegetables at the market?” I ask.

“I sell them to the highest bidder,” Patty says smugly. “Which right now means to the kings and queens in other kingdoms. They pay me in jewels. And I use the jewels to buy whatever I want. Including candy to lure kids.”

“But what about the people here in Vegetopia?” I ask.

“What about them?” she snarls. “They’re not my concern. It’s not my problem that they can’t pay my prices.”

At least that explains why everyone in Vegetopia is so hungry. And it also explains where Patty got all the jewels from.

“So make yourself at home,” Patty continues. “Well, a home you can’t leave.” She cackles. “Make yourself a kale smoothie, too, will you? And one for me. And for my kitty cat!”

Ruff! Prince barks. I think he is saying, Please do not make me drink a kale smoothie. It sounds disgusting. Also, I’m NOT a kitty cat!

He plops down beside the cage, his snout on his front paws. To protect Jonah! Aww.

“Good kitty!” the witch-who’s-not-really-a-witch says to Prince. “You’re on guard duty. Excellent. Extra spinach for you tonight, my pet.”

Prince tilts his head and eyes the witch. She leans down and gives him a pat on the head. He gives a low growl and shrinks away.

I look at Jonah. My heart totally sinks. My brother is trapped in a cage, about a day away from becoming dinner.