"I do love you," Mr. Hamstead said. "But we're too different. It would never work."
"Not so fast," Bess said. She took a step back and suddenly her body went through an amazing transformation. It was an incredible sight, not unlike the one that Hamstead went through each time he became a pig; only Bess became something quite different. She was a cow.
"So you're one of the Three Little Pigs, huh?" Bess said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the Cow That Jumped Over the Moon."
Daphne's hand quickly went into her mouth as Bess lifted off the ground.
Hamstead grinned from ear to ear and clapped wildly. "I love you, baby!" he cried. Bess drifted down to the pavement and morphed back into h
er human form. She rushed to Hamstead's side. "Stay with me," she begged.
Hamstead turned to Granny Relda with hopeful eyes. "I'll miss you, Relda," he said, hugging the old woman. "But I love her. I can't leave."
"I couldn't be happier for you," Granny said. "Ferryport Landing won't be the same without you, Ernest."
"So where are you crazy kids going on your honeymoon?" Daphne said, wrapping her arms around Hamstead's generous middle.
Everyone laughed.
"I'm thinking Hawaii," Bess said, causing Hamstead's face to spontaneously morph into his pig form.
"Or Paris," he oinked, then pulled himself together. "There's a lot to see and I've got a bit of cabin fever, if you know what I mean."
He turned to Mr. Canis. "Take care of yourself, Wolf." Canis nodded and shook Hamstead's hand. "It has been an honor, Pig."
As the group celebrated, Hamstead pulled Sabrina and Daphne aside. "Girls, I fear that things are not going well with our old friend Canis."
Sabrina nodded. "I thought I was the only one who noticed."
"Your grandmother has always had a lot of faith in his ability to keep the Wolf at bay, but I don't believe that is always going to be the case," he said as he removed a chain from around his neck. There was a small silver key attached to it. He slipped it over Daphne's head and urged her to hide it under her shirt.
"What's this?" the little girl asked.
"It's your plan B. It opens a safety deposit box. You'll find a weapon inside… something so powerful it can stop even the Wolf. Mr. Boarman and Mr. Swineheart can help you use it if things get bad. Don't let it fall into the wrong hands and don't tell anyone you have it. It would be devastating."
"I'll give this to Granny," Daphne said, patting the key.
"No," Hamstead whispered. "Don't tell her anything."
"But--"
"Just trust me."
Sabrina, Daphne, Granny Relda, and Mr. Canis said their goodbyes to Mr. Hamstead and Bess. They got into the car, gave a farewell honk, and then drove away.
Sabrina settled into her seat and realized she was feeling depressed. When they'd heard that thump on the roof of the car, she'd thought for a moment it was Puck.
Daphne looked at her sister and seemed to read her mind. "You know, I really can't believe Puck. What a jerkazoid," she said. "So what if he's a king. He's going to be lousy at it! He should have come back to Ferryport Landing."
"What do I care," Sabrina said, trying to hide her feelings. "I say, 'good riddance.'"
Daphne turned and gazed out the back window then let out a startled laugh. She nudged Sabrina to take a look as well. Sabrina turned in her seat and was shocked by what she saw. Following not far behind them was the six-story mechanical Wicked Witch of the West. Perched on the top of its hat was Puck. He had pink insect wings coming out of his back and he held the little silver remote in his hands.
"What's that stuff he spray-painted on the robot?" Daphne said.
Sabrina smiled. "It says, 'Ferryport Landing or Bust!'"
"Is he following us home?" Daphne cried.
Granny turned in her seat and smiled. "I believe he is, liebling."
"And he's bringing his toy with him," Mr. Canis grumbled.
"I think we're going to need an awful lot of forgetful dust," Sabrina said.
To be continued in
The Sisters Grimm
BOOK FIVE
MAGIC AND OTHER MISDEMEANORS
About the author
Michael Buckley is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sisters Grimm series. He has also written and developed television shows for many networks.
The Mole People and The New Sideshow can be seen regularly on the Discovery Channel. Michael lives in New York City.
This book was designed by Jay Colvin and art-directed by Chad W. Beckerman. It is set in Adobe Garamond, a typeface based on those created in the sixteenth century by Claude Garamond. Garamond modeled his typefaces on those created by Venetian printers at the end of the fifteenth century. The modern version used in this book was designed by Robert Slimbach, who studied Garamond's historic typefaces at the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Belgium.
The capital letters at the beginning of each Chapter 11 are set in Daylilies, designed by Judith Sutcliffe. She created the typeface by decorating Goudy Old Style capitals with lilies.
Enjoy this sneak peek at
MAGIC AND OTHER MISDEMEANORS
BOOK FIVE IN THE SISTERS GRIMM SERIES