The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell Read online

  Alex leaned closer to the book.

  “Listen. Do you hear that?” she asked. “I can hear birds and leaves. I’ve never heard sounds come out of it before!”

  Conner edged away from the wall and leaned down with his sister. The sound of birds chirping and trees blowing in the wind echoed off the tile and porcelain in the bathroom.

  “How is this possible?” Conner asked. “Are you sure it doesn’t have batteries or something?”

  “My most educated analysis, with all means of science and technology in mind, is that it’s magic,” Alex said. “There’s no other possible explanation!”

  “Do you think Grandma knows about this?” Conner asked. “She had the book for years before she gave it to us. Do you think this has happened before?”

  “I don’t think Grandma would have given it to us if she knew what it was capable of,” Alex said.

  “You’re right,” Conner said. “She still cuts up my meat when she comes for dinner, because doesn’t trust me with knives.”

  “There’s more,” Alex said. She reached into her school bag and pulled out a pencil. Carefully, she placed the pencil on the open book. It quickly sank into the glowing page and disappeared.

  “W-w-where did it go?” Conner sputtered in utter astonishment.

  “I don’t know!” Alex said. “I’ve been dropping things into it all week! Pencils, books, dirty socks, and anything else I could find that I knew I wouldn’t miss. I think it may be some kind of portal.”

  “A portal to what?” Conner asked.

  Alex didn’t have an answer. Of course, there was one location that she had hoped it might lead to.

  The twins leaned down even closer to the book, their noses almost touching it. They had to squint because it was so bright.

  Suddenly, a bright red bird flew out of the book. The twins screamed and ran around the room in panic. They bumped into each other, into the walls, and into the sinks as the bird zoomed above them; it was just as panicked as they were. Finally, Conner opened the bathroom door and the bird flew out of the room and into the world.

  “You didn’t say things came out of it, too!” Conner yelled.

  “I didn’t know! That’s the first time that’s happened!” Alex yelled back at him.

  The book slowly dimmed and returned to normal. Conner’s head was spinning. He couldn’t believe all the things he had just witnessed. No wonder Alex was having such a rough week. He now felt his own sanity might be slipping, too.

  “We have to get rid of this book!” Conner exclaimed. “After school we should ride our bikes down to the creek and toss it in so no one ever finds it.”

  “We can’t get rid of it!” Alex said. “It’s Grandma’s book! It’s been in our family forever!”

  “Birds are flying out of it, Alex! I’m sure she’ll understand!” he said. “What if a lion or a shark comes out of it next? I know it drives you crazy when you don’t know about stuff, but this is one matter you need to let go. It could be more dangerous than we think! Who knows what could happen?”

  She knew her brother was right, but there was something about the whole situation that intrigued her past the point of reason.

  “I think you’re overreacting,” Alex said. “I don’t want to get rid of it until I know more about it.” She closed the book, put it back in her school bag, and walked out of the restroom.

  “Alex! Don’t walk away! Alex!” Conner called out after her.

  The twins returned to class. All the students were silently reading their history books.

  “Alex, we need to talk!” Conner whispered.

  “Mr. and Miss Bailey, please have a seat and read the chapter on Mesopotamia,” Mrs. Peters ordered from her desk.

  “Yes, Mrs. Peters,” Alex said, and then turned back to her brother and whispered, “We’ll talk about it later, Conner!”

  Conner let out a sound similar to something a bear would make.

  “Mr. Bailey, how was the nurse?” Mrs. Peters asked.

  “There was no need; my elbow started feeling much better before I got there,” Conner said, holding the other elbow than the one he had previously claimed was hurting.

  Mrs. Peters raised an eyebrow so high, it was almost above her.

  The twins sat at their desks and opened their history books, but neither of them could actually read. Their thoughts were so loud, it was impossible to focus on anything.

  Conner kept looking up at his sister, hoping she’d turn around so he could make some sort of gesture to make her understand how serious the situation was. Alex could feel her brother’s eyes on the back of her head, so she remained facing forward, set on ignoring him.

  And then, the worst possible thing that could have happened happened. The Land of Stories began humming in the quiet classroom from the inside of Alex’s bag.

  She looked back at her brother, finally making eye contact. What were they going to do? Mrs. Peters had been so caught up in her lesson plan that she hadn’t heard it earlier. Was it possible for her to miss it again?

  “What is that noise?” Mrs. Peters demanded.

  All of the students were looking around the room, wondering the same thing. Alex and Conner were terrified; they felt like their stomachs had fallen out of their bodies.

  Mrs. Peters got up from her desk and started searching around the room, like a coyote sniffing out its prey. She walked up and down the aisles of desks, getting closer and closer to Alex.

  “If anyone knows what that is, they’d better tell me before I find it,” the teacher warned.

  Alex could feel her heartbeat in her throat. There was no telling what could happen if her teacher found the book. She could only imagine what a fuss the school would make of the discovery…. Perhaps they’d call the local news stations…. Perhaps government officials would take the book away for experimental testing…. Perhaps her family would be taken away because they had been in such close contact with it….

  Mrs. Peters arrived at Alex’s desk.

  “Miss Bailey, is there something in your bag?” she asked her.

  All the color in Alex’s face drained away. She needed a miracle!

  Suddenly, a large history book flew from the back of the classroom and hit Mrs. Peters on the head, leaving a large dent in her curly hair. The entire class turned to the back of the room and saw Conner’s extended hand. He had just thrown a book at their teacher!

  Mrs. Peters’s face turned bright red. A charging bull would have seemed harmless compared to the way she was looking at Conner.

  “Mr. Bailey! What on earth has gotten into you?” she screamed. The whole school must have heard her.

  For a brief moment, Conner saw his entire life flash before his eyes. He honestly thought he was about to die. His face was so white, he was almost transparent.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Peters!” Conner whimpered. “There was a bee! I didn’t mean to hit you!” he lied.

  Steam was practically coming out of the teacher’s ears and nostrils.

  “Detention, Mr. Bailey! For the rest of this week, next week, and the week after that!” Mrs. Peters said. She returned to her desk and immediately began filling out every detention slip she had in her possession.

  Thankfully, the room had become so tense that everyone had forgotten about the humming sound and, even more thankfully, they hadn’t noticed it slowly fade away. Conner’s mission was accomplished. He knew he’d done the right thing—not as a student, but as a brother.

  Soon, the bell rang, and all the students left their desks and filed out of the classroom—except for Conner, who remained seated. Alex walked up to him.

  “Thanks for that,” she said.

  “You owe me one,” Conner told her.

  She nodded and then left the classroom to walk home alone. Conner remained seated until Mrs. Peters finished filling out the detention slips.

  “Come here, Mr. Bailey,” she said.

  Conner approached her desk as if it were on fire.

  “Thr
owing things in my classroom will never be tolerated; do you understand me, Mr. Bailey?” she said, heavily pronouncing each syllable of each word. “One more incident like that, and I’ll have you expelled!”

  He gulped and nodded. She handed him a large stack of detention slips.

  “Your mother will need to sign all of these,” Mrs. Peters told him.

  He nodded again. “I’m really sorry,” Conner said. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.” He was so genuine that even Mrs. Peters could sense his regret. She knew that, deep down, Conner had always been a good kid—a horrible student, but a good kid nonetheless.

  “It’s all right, Mr. Bailey,” she said. “I believe I may have underestimated the effect your family situation has had on you and your sister. I’m going to contact your mother with a list of different after-school programs I think you and your sister should take part in, as well as a list of self-help books that may be beneficial.”

  Conner nodded in agreement.

  “I think if you had someplace to escape to once in a while, it’d help you deal with whatever you’re going through,” she said.

  Conner continued nodding. If there was ever a time in his life when he needed an escape from reality, it was now, and he was sure his sister would agree.

  And then, like lightning, the thought hit him.

  Oh my God, Alex! Conner thought. She’s gonna travel into the book herself! That’s why she’s been holding on to it! That’s why she refused to get rid of it!

  Conner dropped all the detention slips and bolted toward the door.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Peters, I can’t go to detention today! Something has just come up!”

  “Mr. Bailey! Get back here right now!” she yelled after him, but it was too late. He was already gone.

  Conner was running as fast as he could down the street. Alex had gotten so much of a head start, would he make it home in time to stop her? What if she was already gone by the time he got there? What if he never saw her again? His feet began to ache, a horrible pain grew in his side, and his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest, but he continued running. He just prayed he wasn’t too late….

  It hadn’t been more than five minutes since Alex had gotten home when The Land of Stories began acting up again. She ran up the stairs to her bedroom and promptly shut the door behind her.

  Alex took The Land of Stories out of her school bag and placed it on her bedroom floor. She opened the cover, and her room lit up from its golden glow. She smiled to herself. Alex had always hoped something magical would happen to her, and now something finally was.

  She pulled out a pencil from her school bag and placed it on top of the book and watched it disappear. Alex looked around the room for other disposable things she could drop into the book. She was out of pencils, and the books left in her bookshelves were ones she wanted to keep. She looked down at her school bag; she did have plenty of school bags.

  She placed her whole bag on top of the book and watched as it, too, slowly sank into the storybook. Where were all these things going? Was it transporting them to another part of the world? Would she find a pile of her school supplies in India or China?

  Or did the book send the items someplace else entirely? Was it possible they were going to another world? Was it the world that Alex secretly hoped for?

  There was only one way to find out.

  It was an idea she had managed to suppress all week. What if she went into the book? No, she couldn’t possibly do such a stupid thing. What if she never came out?

  But what if she stuck her hand into the book? What would happen? Would it hurt? Would her whole arm disappear? Alex’s curiosity overruled her caution. She sat on her knees and bent over the book very carefully.

  Alex started with just her fingertips. So far, so good. There was no pain; she only felt a warm, tingly sensation. Alex reached farther. She was wrist deep now, and still nothing had happened that worried her. She went farther; the book was up to her elbow. If the book hadn’t been there, her hand would surely be sticking through the ceiling downstairs.

  Alex leaned forward even farther, almost shoulder deep into the book. She moved her arm around, seeing if there was anything to grab on to inside it.

  Suddenly, her bedroom door burst open, and Conner ran inside, sweating and out of breath. “Alex! Don’t do it!”

  He completely startled her. Alex lost her balance and fell—headfirst into the book!

  “AAALLLEEEXXX!” Conner cried out to his sister. He jumped to the ground, trying to grab her foot before she disappeared entirely, but it was too late. Alex had fallen into The Land of Stories.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  FROM THE MOUTH OF A FROG

  Alex was no longer in her bedroom. She was falling into a world of light.

  She fell farther and farther, faster and faster. She was dizzy and scared. She screamed out for help but couldn’t hear her own voice. Would she ever stop falling? Was she going to die? Was she dead? She wondered if she would ever see her family again.

  She could hear birds chirping and trees blowing in the wind. The noise seemed to get closer and closer, but she just kept falling and falling, not knowing where she was falling to….

  “Ouch!” Alex said, hitting the ground. Her impact was hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to seriously injure her. Had it not been for the rough landing, she would have thought she was dreaming for sure.

  Alex quickly got to her feet. She felt her pulse to make sure her heart was still working; she was still alive, from what she could tell. She was so thankful to have finally stopped falling… but where exactly had she fallen to?

  She was standing on a dirt path in the middle of a thick forest. The trees were tall and dark with bright green moss covering their trunks. The sun’s rays shined through a light mist. Birds squawked from high in the trees and, if she listened closely enough, she could hear a tiny stream in the distance.

  Alex spun around, looking in all directions. Her breathing increased as she took in her new surroundings. Was she overreacting or not reacting enough to what had just happened? And what exactly had just happened?

  She looked up to see if there was an opening she had fallen through, hoping to see some sort of window into her bedroom, but all she saw were tree branches and the sky above her.

  “Where am I?” she asked herself.

  “AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” As if he had fallen right out of thin air, Conner landed hard on the ground beside his sister. He was pale and screaming, and his limbs were stretched out in all directions. “Am I alive? Am I dying? Am I dead?” he asked from the ground with his eyes tightly closed.

  “You’re alive!” Alex told him. She had never been so happy to see him.

  “Alex, is that you?” Conner asked. He slowly opened his eyes one at a time and looked around. “Where are we?” he asked as she helped him to his feet.

  “It looks like some kind of… forest,” she said.

  It was unlike any forest they had ever seen—in real life, at least. The colors were so vivid and the air was so crisp. It was as if they had fallen into a painting, a painting Alex was positive she had seen before.

  “Look,” Conner said, pointing at the ground. “All of our pencils!”

  The path was littered with the pencils Alex had been dropping into the book all week. She also found her school bag and a few of her dirty socks in the middle of the mess. But where were all the books she had dropped into The Land of Stories?

  “So this is where they all went!” Alex said.

  “But where is here?” Conner asked. “How far away from home are we?”

  Alex couldn’t answer him. She was starting to become just as worried as he was. They were worse than lost.

  “This is all your fault, Alex!” he said.

  “My fault?” Alex yelled. “We wouldn’t be here if you had just knocked on my door instead of barging in like the house was on fire!”

  “I knew you were planning this,” Conner said. “I had to stop you!”<
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  “I wasn’t planning on going into the book. I was just testing it out!” Alex explained. “You didn’t have to follow me here.”

  “Oh, sure! Was I just supposed to leave you in the book by yourself ?” he exclaimed. “What was I supposed tell Mom when she got home? ‘Hi, Mom, hope you had a good day at work. Alex fell through a book. By the way, what’s for dinner?’ Give me a break!”

  Conner began jumping upward as high as he could.

  “What are you doing?” Alex asked.

  “We fell. From. Somewhere. Up here. There’s. Got. To be. A way. Back,” he said, but all his jumping was pointless. Conner eventually tired himself out, and he took a seat on the ground against a tree trunk.

  “What if we were transported to another country or something?” Conner asked; his forehead became more wrinkled the further he thought about it. “What if it took us to Canada or Mongolia or somewhere? How long is it gonna take for Mom or someone to find us?”

  Suddenly, the ground started shaking. A powerful rumbling had consumed the forest. The branches of the trees shook, and the small rocks on the ground began jumping as something massive moved closer toward them.

  “What’s happening now?” Conner yelled.

  “Let’s take cover!” Alex said.

  She grabbed her bag, and the twins ran off the path and into the forest a little way and took refuge behind a particularly wide tree.

  They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. A huge cavalcade of soldiers on white horses rode past them. Their armor was clean and shiny. They carried green-and-silver shields with large red apples painted on them and waved flags with the same design.

  “Alex, did we go back in time?” Conner anxiously asked his sister. “That looks like something straight out of medieval times!”

  The pencils were all obliterated under the horses’ hooves. The soldiers were moving at such a fast and forceful pace that none of them noticed the awestruck twins peeking out from behind the tree.