Bouncing around like a scarecrow pogo stick, the talking potato sack Straw Woman pointed a handful of hay at Razzel Dazzle.

  "Subpar magician?!" Mena and Trudy both exclaimed.

  "At least she got the magician part right," Razzel answered. "Admittedly, I have a lot of tricks to improve on! But can someone please tell me why there's a talking scarecrow in the room? It's like something out of a fever nightmare!"

  Mena approached Straw Woman. She hasn't seen her in a long time since she was too busy chilling with her other straw pals. She offered Razzel an answer that made the magician girl's nose twitch. "I bewitched my scarecrow back home to help me scare off birds in my auntie's country cottage!"

  "And," Straw Woman declared. "I proved to be a much brainy scarecrow for manual labor. Instead, I…well, actually I don't know what I do now. Mostly just hang out."

  Razzel twirled her twitchy rabbit-like nose in the air. "Alakalamity! Witchcraft is so weird. You literally possessed a potato sack with your essense to talk to you!"

  Now it was Mena and her scarecrow's turn to glare at the magician who quickly held up her hands. "I'm sorry. I just do magic tricks to entertain! But you witches brew you!"

  "Anyway," Straw Woman said, continuing to emanate the most hostile glare from her black button eyes at Razzel. "I have come back because of an emergency. No scratch that a STRAWMERGANCY!"

  "What?!" Trudy and Mena both gasped. What could possibly have happened involving scarecrows.

  "I'M RUNNING OUT OF BRAINS!" Straw Woman cried. "I think the bewitching spell is running out! I feel my IQ is dropping by the second. I don't even know what one plus one equals two equals!"

  "Uh you just said it!" Mena said, cocking her bushy eyebrow.

  "Said what!!!" Straw Woman cried and dropped to her peg. "Please I need more BRAINS!"

  Razzel held up her gloved hands. "Ok…this is starting to get a bit creepy. Like something out of the play Night of the Living Scarecrow!"

  Trudy crouched down on Straw Woman's level. "Mena, couldn't you just bewitch Straw Woman again?!"

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  Mena shook her head. "No…" she said with a frown. "My auntie told me. Once the magic spell wears off. Straw Woman will become a regular scarecrow again."

  "Couldn't you just bewitch her again?!" Trudy asked.

  "Nopesy daisies," Mena shook her head. "Straw Woman will be a totally different straw person if I do…"

  "Noooooooo!" Straw Woman cried holding her straw hands over her head. "I don't want to be a new straw person. What if I'm an opera singer…or actually like scaring birds! Won't you miss little old me?!!"

  Mena was silent. Even if she had been very busy with her own activities lately, she was kind of hurt that Straw Woman never cared to check up on her. She much preferred the company of her fellow brain endowed scarecrows.

  The silence shocked Straw Woman even more. "Please Mena. If I go back to being a brainless sack of potatoes I don't know what I'll do."

  "Maybe just lie there," Razzel said caustically, causing Straw Woman to burst into another set of loud gasps and whimpers.

  "Please!!" Straw Woman said at last. "We're at the Brain Sea can't you just get me a brain…"

  Mena finally graced Straw Josephine Woman with a reply. "I don't even know if we're venturing into there. I can't get a dreamfish to become a merwitch. And besides, Straw Woman, you kinda ditched me like I was some basic witch!"

  Straw Woman got back up and bounced her way over to Mena. "Please think of something. I'll be your best strawfriend if you do!"

  Mena looked to Trudy and her new friend Razzel. Trudy offered a sympathetic look. Razzel less so. Mena hated to admit it, but she really agreed with the sarcastic magician girl that this was a big waste of effort for a living potato sack…but she had to admit, Straw Woman was the (straw) person who helped her reach the Dream Castle in the first place. Even before she had any other friends like Trudy, Janus, Ashlan or even Razzel.

  At last, Mena nodded. "Ok… I am not making any promises, Straw Woman because I am still going through a whole bucket load of trauma, but I'll at least let you join our super friends too."

  "Oh thank you!" Straw Woman exclaimed, blowing her non-existent nose in Mena's hair. "You won't regret it!"

  "Oh ho ho!" a very snooty voice laughed from behind them.

  Suddenly, Mena and her friends turned around. The young witch let out an exhausted groan. It was Laetitia and Marie and those bourgelves were flanked by their ex-best friend super pal, Janus. Laetitia, the leader of the bunch, stepped out with a smile as broad as her dagger ears. "Some of zee girls told us zat there were a couple of bad girls who needed to be taught a magical lesson!"

  Mena pursed her thin lips. "So you're actually sticking up for the groundborns? That's a new high for you bourgelves!"

  Marie chuckled in her equally snooty and dumb voice. "Zee enemy of our enemy is also our enemy, but…uh… I am forgetting le metaphor."

  Janus giggled. "Perhaps let's just kick their tailbones so you don't strain your brain, Marie."

  The traitor and her new allies starred down Mena and her Superpals. It was about to turn into an all out magic brawl!