"So, spy, would you like to repent your crimes before you meet your watery doom?" the boy asked.
"What crimes?" Sabrina cried, and then took a deep breath, certain he would push her in. But after several moments, nothing happened.
"The crime of trying to steal the old lady away from me," the mop-topped boy declared.
"Granny?" Daphne asked from the side of the pool.
"The one they call Relda Grimm."
"Relda Grimm is our grandmother and we're not trying to steal her. We're trying to save her!" Sabrina shouted.
"Save her?" the boy asked suspiciously. "Save her from what?"
"A giant," the two girls called out together.
Sabrina could sense their captor's confusion. She turned and found him talking to several of the little lights that hovered around his head.
"Well, of course it makes a difference," the boy replied, annoyed.
"We're trying to get home. We need to save her before it's too late," Daphne pleaded.
The boy groaned and quickly untied Sabrina's wrists. "Where did this happen?" he asked. "How big was the giant?"
But Sabrina didn't answer. Instead, she spun around, grabbed the boy by the shoulders, and heaved him into the pool, sending a splash of water and soggy dead leaves high into the air. The sword had slipped from the boy's hand as he fell, and with nimble fingers, Sabrina caught it. She leaped to safety on the side of the pool and waved the sword threateningly at the pixies.
"You're going to let us walk out of here," she demanded. There was no movement at first, but then they flew around the pool, making a laughing sound, as if they were chuckling at their leader's misfortune. Sabrina stood dumbfounded, unsure of what to do next.
A geyser of water shot high into the air, with the soaked boy riding its crest. When the water crashed back into the pool, the boy stayed aloft, several feet above Sabrina. Two huge wings had come out of his back and were flapping loudly. Oddly enough, the boy was laughing.
"You think this is funny?" Sabrina exploded. She began making jabs at the boy, who flew effortlessly away from her thrusts. "A kid and a bunch of flying cockroaches kidnapping girls and threatening to kill them? That's how you losers have fun?"
"Aww, we wouldn't have killed you. We were just fooling," the boy said.
"Well, if you're finished with your stupid, psychotic games, my sister and I have to rescue our grandmother," Sabrina declared. She took Daphne's hand and turned to leave. Elvis joined them, but Sabrina shot him an angry look. The dog had spent the entire episode sitting lazily by the pool as if nothing peculiar were happening. The Great Dane caught her eye and whined.
"You've only been in this town for two days and you've already lost the old lady," the boy said bitterly, as he floated into the girls' path.
"We didn't lose her, she was taken by a monster as big as a mountain," Sabrina argued.
"Well, if you've come looking for help, you've come to the wrong place," the boy crowed. "Rescuing old ladies is a job for a hero! I'm a villain of the worst kind."
"Good! We don't want your help!" Sabrina said angrily, tossing the boy's sword aside.
"I thought Peter Pan was one of the good guys," Daphne added.
The boy's face turned so red Sabrina thought his head might explode. "Peter Pan? I'm not Peter Pan! I'm Puck!"
"Who's Puck?" Daphne asked.
"Who's Puck?" the boy cried. "I'm the most famous Everafter in this town. My exploits are known around the world!"
"I've never heard of you," Sabrina replied. She spun around and started walking through the yard to the street, with her sister and Elvis following. After only a couple of steps, the boy was hovering in front of them again.
"You've never heard of the Trickster King?" Puck asked, shocked.
The girls shook their heads.
"The Prince of Fairies? Robin Goodfellow? The Imp?"
"Do you work for Santa?" Daphne asked.
"I'm a fairy, not an elf." Puck roared. "You really don't know who I am! Doesn't anyone read the classics anymore? Dozens of writers have warned the world about me. I'm in the most famous of all of William Shakespeare's plays."
"I don't remember any Puck in Romeo and Juliet!" Sabrina muttered, feeling a little amused at how the boy was reacting to his non-celebrity.
"Besides Romeo and Juliet!” Puck shouted. "I'm the star of A Midsummer Night's Dream?'
"Congratulations," Sabrina said flatly. "Never read it."
Puck floated down to the ground. His wings disappeared and he spun around on his heel, transforming into a big shaggy dog. Elvis growled at the sight of him, but Puck didn't attack. Instead, he shook himself all over, spraying the girls with water. When he was finished, he morphed back into a boy.
As she wiped the water off her face, Sabrina was tempted to give the weird boy another piece of her mind, but they had wasted enough time with this "Puck." She took Daphne's hand in hers once more, and together they marched down the deserted street.
"I'm afraid the old lady is a goner!" Puck taunted. "You'll get no help from me. Like I said, I'm a villain."
"Fine!" Sabrina shouted back.