“I’ve been covering for you since I realized you were gone. I told Mother Goose you were sick and were vomiting all over your room. Then, when she wasn’t looking, I hijacked her goose and came looking for you,” Conner said.
“How did you manage that one?” Alex asked.
“Well, apparently he feels taken for granted and thought by helping me it would teach Mother Goose a lesson,” Conner said. “I don’t speak goose or anything, but I’m guessing that’s the gist of it, right, boy?”
Conner turned to Lester and the giant goose nodded.
“Why didn’t you take me with you?” he asked angrily. “How could you leave me locked up at home? Are you trying to do things solo now or something? Not cool, Alex.”
Alex lowered her head shamefully. “Because Grandma’s going to be mad enough at me when she finds out I took off, I didn’t want to drag you into it,” she said. “And I found out who has Mom! I pried it out of Mother Goose.”
“So that’s why you took off so abruptly?” Conner said. “Well, who has her?! What did you learn?!”
Alex now understood why her grandmother had kept information from them. She felt horrible knowing she was about to make her brother as stressed as she was.
“Apparently the Enchantress is back,” Alex told him. “The Enchantress who cursed Sleeping Beauty is terrorizing the fairy-tale world again and she has Mom.”
“What?” he said in disbelief. “What does the Enchantress want with Mom?”
“I don’t know,” Alex said. “I’ve been trying to figure it out and can’t think of anything.”
“Wait, I thought the Enchantress was dead,” Conner said. “The Evil Queen told us that she poisoned her and she ran off and died. Remember?”
“I guess she was wrong,” Alex said. “Ezmia is her name—and she’s very much alive.”
“And that’s why we hadn’t seen Grandma in so long?” Conner said.
“I suppose,” Alex said.
Conner paced around the mountain road, thinking.
“We’ve got to get into the fairy-tale world,” Conner said. “We have to save Mom.”
“I agree, but what are we going to do when we get there? What can we do to save her that the fairies can’t?” Alex asked.
“We may not be able to do anything,” Conner said. “But two more people trying couldn’t hurt. Besides, it sure beats sitting around and waiting for bad news.”
A small smile appeared on Alex’s face; she couldn’t have agreed more.
“Let’s try to get to Grandma’s cottage before sundown,” Alex said. “Do you know where we are? Are we even close?”
Conner looked around at the mountains surrounding them. “Yeah, we’re close!” he said and then pointed to a flat mountain peak in the distance. “Grandma’s cottage is just on the other side of that mountain peak! I remember seeing it when we were little and hoping it was a volcano!”
“Are you sure?” Alex asked.
“Positive,” Conner said. “Let’s go. Lester, can you take us in the direction of that mountain peak?”
Lester cocked his head in the direction Conner pointed, let out an exaggerated sigh, and then nodded.
Conner climbed onto Lester’s back, then offered his hand to Alex. “Climb aboard,” he said.
Alex hesitated. “Are you sure this is safe?” she asked.
Lester squawked, rather insulted.
“You’ve got to try this, Alex,” Conner said enthusiastically. “I understand why O.M.G. travels this way.”
“O.M.G.?” Alex asked.
“Old Mother Goose,” Conner said. “It’s my nickname for her—she calls me C-Dog.”
Alex shrugged and took his hand. She swung a leg over the large goose and held tightly to her brother’s waist.
Conner gripped the reins, ready for liftoff. “Let’s fly, Lester!” he said.
Lester spread his wings; his wingspan was much more impressive in the daylight. He took a few steps back and then bolted into a fast waddle forward, flapping his wings as he went, and they rose higher and higher into the air.
Conner was right, it was an incredible experience. The mountains seemed much more majestic from a bird’s perspective. The twins had never felt so free in their lives.
“I hope no one sees us,” Alex said, fearfully looking down at all the roads and tiny towns underneath them.
“I just hope it isn’t goose-hunting season,” Conner said.
Lester squawked and looked back at him, terrified.
“I’m just kidding, Lester,” Conner said. “Relax before you lay an egg!”
Lester headed in the direction of the peak. A few moments later, they were flying over it. Conner was a little disappointed to see it was in fact a flat mountaintop and there was no sign of molten lava inside of it.
“Keep an eye out for the cottage,” he told his sister. “It should be coming up any moment now.”
Alex scanned the ground below. It was hard to see anything but treetops and the occasional chimney. She saw a familiar bridge and her eyes followed the winding road that crossed over it and through the woods ahead. At the very end of the road, she could make out the roof of a storybook cottage.
“I see it! I see it!” Alex said and pointed to it. “It’s Grandma’s cottage!”
Lester landed in front of the cottage just as the sun began setting. Alex and Conner climbed off the goose and observed their grandmother’s old home.
“Whoa,” Conner said.
“It’s definitely not in the same condition we left it in,” Alex said.
It was obvious that no one had lived in the cottage for a long time. The front lawn was partially dead and overgrown in some places; the flower beds were full of weeds and blades of grass were almost as tall as the twins. Ivy grew up the sides of the cottage and part of the roof had caved in.
Their grandmother’s blue car was parked outside but hadn’t been driven in years. A layer of dirt covered it, and a city of spiderwebs had been spun between the tires.
Although the cottage was used mostly as a prop, since their grandmother only lived here when the twins visited, it still was the location of the twins’ happiest childhood memories. They were sad to see how abandoned it was.
Alex and Conner approached the front door apprehensively.
“Lester, bon appétit,” Conner said and gestured to the overgrown grass. Lester squawked and happily went to town on it.
“Do you think it’s locked?” Alex asked.
Conner twisted the handle and the door creaked open, answering her question.
The twins stepped inside and surveyed the interior. It was exactly how they remembered it, except dusty and covered in cobwebs. Grandma’s rocking chair was still by the fireplace and faced a large rug the twins used to lie on when she read to them.
“It’s so strange to see everything again,” Alex said. “Grandma’s chair, the fireplace, the kitchen table—I almost can’t believe it’s been here this whole time.”
“Do you remember the forts we used to build with Dad under that thing?” Conner asked, pointing to the table.
“How could I forget?” Alex asked. “You always tried keeping me out, but Dad never let you.”
“You know what’s funny?” Conner said as he walked around. “Even though we know now that Grandma never actually lived here, whenever I picture Grandma I always imagine her in this place, baking cookies or reading by the fireplace.”
“Me too,” Alex said. “Most of our childhood was a front, but it was a happy front.”
“You think we’ll find something that can take us to the fairy-tale world in here?” Conner asked.
“We have to,” Alex said simply. But she had her doubts. She wasn’t sure what she was searching for, but knew she’d know what it was as soon as she saw it.
Conner looked at all the dusty frames on top of the fireplace mantel. They were mostly pictures of him and his sister at birthday parties and holidays with their family. In one picture the twins were thr
ee years old and sitting on Santa’s lap. Conner was very chubby and had a big grin on his face; Alex was crying hysterically.
“Check out this picture of us with Santa.” Conner laughed. “You look like he’s about to eat you.”
“I was preparing myself for the other fictional characters that did try to eat us,” Alex said.
Conner snickered and picked up another photo. “No way! Look how young Mom and Dad look in this photo! I don’t think we were even born yet.”
Alex walked over and looked at it for herself. “Conner, we look just like them,” she said. “There’s no denying that they’re our parents.”
“You’re right,” Conner said. “I came up with a whole adoption theory when I found out we were part fairy. But looking at this picture kind of tosses that out the window.”
Alex went back to searching, confident something would pop up at any moment.
“Have you found anything that seems portal-worthy?” Conner asked her.
“Not yet,” Alex said. “Well, except for maybe this.”
Alex was staring up at a beautiful painting on the wall. She remembered it from when she was little, and, unlike the rest of the cottage, the painting had remained just as vibrant. It was a watercolor painting of a pond and had beautiful shades of greens and blues.
There was something about it that seemed more familiar now, as if they had been there.
“You think the painting could take us into the Land of Stories?” Conner asked.
“It worked in one of the Narnia books,” Alex said.
She stepped closer to the painting and placed a hand on its frame.
“It’s the Ugly Duckling Pond!” Alex said, recognizing it. “This is it! This has to be our way in! Why else would Grandma hang a picture of a pond in her cottage?”
“You think you can get it to work?” Conner said.
“I can try,” Alex said.
She placed both of her hands on the golden frame and tried to will it to life. Nothing happened. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing it even harder. Still, nothing happened.
Conner clapped his hands loudly, breaking his sister’s concentration. “Clap on!” he said.
“What are you doing?” Alex asked him.
“Just thinking of other ways to turn it on,” he said. “Is there a remote control or an on switch somewhere? Maybe it’s like a plasma screen.”
Alex ignored him and went back to focusing. She imagined all the places and people she had met during her first visit. She imagined all the castles and forests she and her brother had seen. She imagined all the dangerous animals and creatures they had encountered. But mostly, she thought of how desperately she wanted to see them again. Alex thought of her grandmother, her father, and her mother. She thought of the pond in the painting, the lily pads, the fireflies, and of its water.
To the twins’ amazement, the painting began to glow.
“You did it!” Conner said and hugged his sister. “You set it off!”
“I did?” Alex asked—it was almost too good to be true. “I did it! I did it!”
The twins jumped up and down with excitement, but their excitement quickly faded into fear. The painting began to glow brighter and brighter, and the cottage began to rattle. It felt like a large train was passing directly below them.
“Exactly how did the Narnia kids travel through the painting?” Conner asked, slowly stepping away from theirs.
“Uh-oh.”
The cottage stopped shaking and the painting dimmed, only now the painted pond was gone—the canvas was completely blank.
“Huh?” Alex said. “That’s strange.”
“A bit of a relief, though,” Conner said. “I was worried for a second that water was going to spill out of the—”
CRASH! A tidal wave of water crashed through the windows by the front door. The twins screamed and ran to the back of the cottage. CRASH! Another tidal wave came rushing toward them from the back. CRASH! Water was gushing through every door and window and flooding the cottage.
“What is going on?!” Conner yelled. “Did we hit an iceberg?!”
He described it perfectly: They felt like they were sinking—and sinking fast. They were already waist-deep in water. The twins looked around in horror as their grandmother’s former home was destroyed.
“What have we done?!” Alex shouted.
“I’ve always wanted a pool, but this is ridiculous!” Conner yelled.
The water poured into the house faster and faster. The twins couldn’t keep their feet on the floor anymore. They treaded water as it lifted them toward the ceiling.
“We’ve got to swim out of here or we’ll drown!” Conner said. “Follow me!”
He took a deep breath and dove underwater. Alex was quick to follow him. They swam across the cottage to the front door. There was an extremely strong current coming through the door, so the twins had to grab hold of anything they could to force themselves against it.
They pulled themselves past the front door and discovered the cottage was no longer in the mountains but in a large, murky body of water. It sank below them and disappeared into the dark, watery depths. The twins grabbed hold of each other and swam as hard as they could to the surface—praying there would be a surface.
Finally they saw a distorted night sky above them; it was the surface! The twins surfaced in the mysterious water, gasping for air. The air was freezing against their faces.
“What was that all about?!” Conner yelled.
Alex wasn’t paying any attention to him. She saw large trees in the distance, with giant roots that sank into the ground. Fireflies filled the air and lily pads floated on the water around them. She knew exactly where they were.
“Conner!” Alex said and excitedly splashed her brother. “We’re in the Ugly Duckling Pond! We’re here! We’re back in the Land of Stories!”
CHAPTER NINE
THE GATHERING IN THE WOODS
Alex and Conner slowly crawled out of the pond. They were soaked, muddy, and covered in lily pads. They shivered in the cool night air and held themselves tightly as they looked at the land around them.
The Ugly Duckling Pond was in the middle of a forest in the Northern Kingdom. The twins had passed it on their previous trip into the Land of Stories, but neither had expected to become so acquainted with it on their next visit.
“I cannot believe we just sank Grandma’s house!” Conner said through chattering teeth. “It takes a lot of talent to submerge something that isn’t even close to water!”
Bits and pieces of their grandmother’s cottage were still floating in the pond. Her rocking chair bobbed up and down in the water. Alex was so amazed, she didn’t even care how dirty or cold she was.
“I sure hope Grandma has really good house insurance—Alex, are you even listening to me?” Conner asked.
She turned to face him. The excitement was practically glowing in her eyes. She didn’t care how they had gotten there; they were finally there and that’s all that mattered.
“We’re here.… We’re actually here.…” Alex said. Even a trembling jaw couldn’t take the smile off her face. Despite the circumstances, it was the first time Alex had been happy in months.
“Congratulations, you managed to successfully and dangerously transport us into the fairy-tale world… again,” Conner said with a smile of his own. “I’ve got to say, I prefer Grandma’s methods of transportation to yours.”
Alex’s smile disappeared as the reality of it set in. She surveyed the forest around the pond more closely. “Something’s wrong,” she said.
“Of course something is wrong!” Conner said. “Grandma’s cottage is at the bottom of a pond! How are we going to explain that one to her?”
“That’s not what I mean,” Alex said. “Listen. Do you hear that?”
Conner raised his eyebrows and looked from side to side. The pond and the forest around it were dead silent.
“I don’t hear anything,” Conner said.
br /> “Exactly,” Alex said. “We’re standing at the edge of a pond and there are no sounds at all—no frogs or crickets or anything.”
Conner nodded, understanding what she meant. It was so eerie he was surprised he hadn’t noticed it before. “It’s like everything is on mute,” he said.
“Or hiding,” Alex said.
Suddenly, on the other side of the pond, a dark figure emerged from the trees. It startled the twins at first until they saw it was small, barely the size of a dog. It was running very fast on four skinny legs and had something white trailing behind it.
Alex and Conner hid behind the closest tree and watched it from afar. The strange creature slowed into a fast and springy walk as it delicately approached the pond. It was wearing a dark cloak and lowered its hood with its front paws before taking a drink from the water.
The moonlight reflecting off the water illuminated the mysterious visitor, and the twins could make out what it was. It had dark red fur, pointy ears, and a long fluffy tail with a white tip.
“It’s a fox!” Conner whispered to Alex.
The fox jerked his head up from the water and his bright yellow eyes stared in their direction. He must have had impeccable hearing.
The twins stayed still. The fox headed for the trees, in the opposite direction from where he had come.
“Where is he going?” Alex whispered to her brother.
“Do I look like an expert in cloaked mammals?” Conner said. The fox disappeared into the trees, but besides being the only living thing they had seen, there was something very intriguing about him. Neither of the twins wanted to let him out of their sight. “We should follow him,” Conner said.
“Why?” Alex asked.
Conner shrugged. “Do we have another plan we’re supposed to be following?” he said.
“Good point,” Alex said. And without another moment to waste, the twins began chasing after the small fox, hoping he would lead them to someone or something that would help them find their mother.
Alex and Conner ran after the fox for a good while. He wasn’t sticking to a path, so it was hard to see him between the trees ahead. He was incredibly fast for his size, too, so it was difficult to keep up with him. They were happy to run and warm their bodies, though. Their clothes began to dry the more they went.