Nick puts the boys on annual leaves cleaning duty, so they 'warm up' playing rake-ball. Alas, neighbor witch Mrs. Riley confiscates every ball landing on her land, and guards it by beastly beating the boys with her cane. Only Kyle is dumb enough to try, and worse: he used pa's high-school triumph keepsake ball. After they try reasoning, begging and even doing her garden to get it back, she cheats them. Now it's war, escalating in pet-napping. Pa finally realizes his duty.
—KGF Vissers