Fablehaven I (27 page)

I’m tired. And hungry. We should look for food.

They left the barn. The day was waning.

You have a big tear in your shirt, Kendra said.

I ripped it while we were running from that ogress.

I have a pink one you can borrow.

This will work fine, said Seth, once it dries off.

The pink one would hide you just as well as the camouflage,

Kendra said.

Are all girls as brainless as you?

You’re telling me a green shirt will make you invisible

to monsters?

No. Less visible. Less is the point. Less than your blue

one.

I guess I should find a green one too.

An Unexpected Message

Sitting on the floor in the dining room, Kendra took a

bite of her second peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich.

Scouring the kitchen, she and Seth had found enough food

to last for weeks. The pantry contained canned fruits and

vegetables, unbroken jars of preserves, bread, oatmeal,

cream of wheat, crackers, tuna, and lots of other stuff.

The fridge still worked, even lying on its side, and they

cleaned out the broken glass the best they could. There

remained plenty of milk, cheese, and eggs. The freezer held

a lot of meat.

Kendra took another bite. Leaning back, she closed her

eyes. She had felt hungry enough for a second sandwich,

but now she doubted she would finish it. I’m exhausted,

she announced.

Me too, Seth said. He put a piece of cheese on a

cracker and topped it with a sardine bathed in mustard

sauce. My eyes feel itchy.

My throat feels prickly, Kendra said. The sun isn’t

even down.

What are we going to do about Grandpa?

I think the best thing we can do is get some rest. We’ll

think more clearly in the morning.

How long did we sleep last night? Seth asked.

About half an hour, Kendra guessed.

We’ve stayed up for almost two days!

Now you’ll sleep for two days.

Whatever, said Seth.

It’s true. Your glands will secrete a cocoon.

I’m not that gullible.

That’s why you’re so hungry. You’re storing up fat for

hibernation.

Seth finished the cracker. You should try a sardine.

I don’t eat fish with the heads still attached.

The heads are the best part! You can feel the eyes pop

when you-

Enough. Kendra stood up. I need to get to bed.

Seth rose as well. Me too.

They climbed the stairs, passed down the cluttered hall,

and mounted the steps to the attic. Their room had taken a

beating, everything except the beds. Goldilocks strutted

over to the corner and started clucking. Her feed was scattered

across the floor.

You’re right that the salt didn’t seem to be working,

Seth said.

It might only work in here.

They were jerks, but those goat guys were pretty

funny.

They’re called satyrs, Kendra said.

I need to find some C batteries. They said they’d give

us gold.

They didn’t say how much.

Still, trading batteries for gold! I could become a millionaire.

I’m not sure I’d trust those guys. Kendra flopped onto

her bed, face in her pillow. What does Goldilocks keep

clucking about?

I bet she misses her cage. Seth crossed the floor to the

flustered hen. Kendra, you better come see this.

Can I look in the morning? she said, her voice muffled

by the pillow.

You need to look now.

Kendra pushed herself off her bed and walked over to

Seth. In the corner on the floor, more than a hundred feed

kernels had been arranged to form six letters:

I M

GRAM

You’ve got to be kidding, Kendra said. She gave Seth

a suspicious glance. Did you write this?

No! No way!

Kendra squatted in front of Goldilocks. You’re my

Grandma Sorenson?

The hen bobbed her head, as if in affirmation.

Was that a yes?

The head bobbed again.

Give me a ‘no’ so I can be sure, Kendra said.

Goldilocks shook her head.

How did this happen? Seth asked. Somebody transformed

you?

The chicken bobbed her head.

How do we change you back? Kendra asked.

Goldilocks held still.

Why didn’t Grandpa change her back? Seth asked.

Did Grandpa Sorenson try to restore you? Kendra

inquired.

Goldilocks bobbed her head and then shook it.

Yes and no?

The head nodded.

He tried but failed, Kendra guessed.

The hen gave another affirmative.

Do you know a way we can change you back? Kendra

asked.

Another head bob.

Is it something we can do in the house? Kendra

asked.

The head shook.

Do we need to take you to the witch? Seth tried.

The head bobbed. And then the hen flapped her wings,

moving away.

Wait, Grandma! Kendra reached for the hen, but the

flustered bird dodged her grasp. She’s freaking out.

Seth chased her down. Grandma, he said, can you

still hear us?

The hen made no acknowledgment of comprehension.

Grandma, Kendra said, can you still respond to us?

The chicken squirmed. Seth kept hold of her. The

chicken pecked his hand, and he dropped her. They

watched Goldilocks. For several minutes, she did nothing

to suggest abnormal intelligence and offered no recognizable

reaction to any questions.

She was answering us before, right? Kendra asked.

She wrote us a message! Seth said, pointing at the

I M GRAM in the corner.

She must have had just a short window to communicate

with us, Kendra reasoned. Once she got the message

across, she left it in our hands.

Why hasn’t she spoken up before?

I don’t know. Maybe she’s tried, but we never got the

message.

Seth cocked his head thoughtfully and then gave a

small shrug. Do we take her to the witch in the morning?

I don’t know. Muriel only has one knot left.

No matter what, we don’t undo the last knot. But

maybe we could bargain with her.

Bargain with what? Kendra asked.

We could bring food. Or other stuff. Things to make

her more comfortable in that shack.

I don’t picture her going for it. She’ll know we’re desperate

to fix Grandma.

We won’t give her another choice.

Kendra bit her lip. What if she won’t budge? She

wouldn’t for Grandpa. Do we set Muriel free if she will

change Grandma back?

No way! said Seth. As soon as she gets free, what

keeps her from turning all of us into chickens?

Grandpa said you can’t use magic against others here

unless they use it on you first. We never caused Muriel any

harm, did we?

But she’s a witch, Seth said. Why would she be

locked up if she wasn’t dangerous?

I’m not saying I want to let her go. I’m saying, we

might be in an emergency situation where we have no

other options. It might be worth the risk in order to get

Grandma back to help us.

Seth thought about that. What if we can get her to

tell us where Grandpa is?

Or both, Kendra said, getting excited. I bet she

would do just about anything to be released. I’m sure she

would do those two things at least. Then we might actually

get out of this mess.

You’re right that we don’t have many options.

We should sleep on it, Kendra said. We’re both worn

out. We can decide what to do in the morning.

Okay.

Kendra climbed into bed, slid under the covers, let her

head sink into the pillow, and fell asleep before another

thought entered her mind.

* * * *

Maybe we shouldn’t have rinsed the milk out of our

clothes, Seth said. Then we could churn butter while we

walk.

Foul!

By the end of the day I might have had yogurt in my

armpits.

You’re psychotic, said Kendra.

Then we could add some of Lena’s jam and make it

fruit-at-the-bottom.

Quit it!

Seth seemed pleased with himself. Goldilocks rode in

the wheelbarrow inside a burlap sack he had found in the

pantry. They had tried to bend the cage back into shape,

but could not get the door to stay on. The sack had a drawstring,

which they pulled snugly around the hen’s neck so

her head could stick out.

It was hard to think of the chicken as Grandma

Sorenson. The hen had not performed a single grandmotherly

action all morning. She showed no reaction to the

announcement that they were going to see Muriel, and she

had laid an egg on Kendra’s bed during the night.

Kendra and Seth had awakened just before sunrise. In

the barn they had found the wheelbarrow, which they

determined might be easier than carrying Goldilocks the

entire way to .

It was Kendra’s turn pushing the wheelbarrow. The

chicken seemed serene. She was probably enjoying the

fresh air. The weather was pleasant-sunny and warm

without being hot.

Kendra wondered how the negotiations with Muriel

would go. In the end, they had decided it would do no

harm to see what terms they could reach with the witch.

Then they could base their final decision on the facts of

what Muriel would be willing to do, rather than conjecture.

They had loaded food, clothes, tools, and utensils in

the wheelbarrow, in case they might be able to barter with

comforts instead of freedom. Most of the clothes had been

mangled on Midsummer Eve, but they found a few

unshredded items for Grandma to wear in case they succeeded

in transforming her. They had made sure to feed the

chicken some milk in the morning, as well as to drink some

themselves.

The trails to the shack were not difficult to remember.

Presently they identified the leafy structure where the

witch lived. Leaving the wheelbarrow, Seth carried the

chicken, while Kendra collected an armful of bartering

items. Kendra had already reminded Seth to stay calm and

be polite no matter what happened, but she repeated the

admonition.

They heard strange music as they drew near the shack,

like somebody playing a rubber band while clacking castanets.

When they got around to the front door, they found

the grimy old hag playing a mouth harp with one hand

while making her limberjack dance with the other.

I did not hope to have visitors again so soon, laughed

the witch when her song ended. Pity about Stanley.

What do you know about our Grandpa? Seth asked.

The woods are all abuzz with news of his abduction,

Muriel said. The naiadic housekeeper as well, if one is to