Daphne asked, covering Elvis's ears with her hands so he wouldn't hear the driver's comments. "Don't listen to the mean man."
"Fine, bring that mongrel, but if he wrecks my cab you're going to have to pay for the damage," Mr. van Winkle grumbled. Sabrina looked the car over as she walked around to the passenger side. It was a museum of horrible accidents. Scratches, dents, and duct-taped dings covered every inch of the cab. It reminded Sabrina of the kind of car that is slammed into walls to check for safety. When she looked inside, she half-expected to see a crash-test dummy in the passenger seat. There was nothing that Elvis could do to the four-wheeled death trap that the driver and Father Time hadn't done already.
When they were all inside, Elvis's big head popped up over the front seat and he sniffed the air wildly. The little old man had a greasy sack on the dashboard that smelled of hot peppers and mozzarella. Elvis rested his head on the driver's shoulder and eyed the bag hungrily, letting out a whimper.
"Not a chance, fleabag. That's my lunch," Mr. van Winkle said before he turned his attention to Sabrina. Her scarf had slipped down, revealing her mustache and goatee. "I've never had a pirate in my cab before."
Puck laughed so hard he snorted.
Sabrina frowned and covered her face with her hand.
"Where to?" the cabbie asked.
"We're going to the elementary school dedication, by the river," Granny Relda said as she helped Daphne into her seatbelt.
"We'll be there in a flash," Mr. van Winkle said. He put his keys into the ignition and turned the engine on. Then nothing. For some time Sabrina thought the old man was thinking about a good route to the school, or maybe waiting for traffic to pass so he could back out. But when five minutes had elapsed, Sabrina looked over to see what was wrong.
"Uh, Granny? He's asleep again," she said.
Granny leaned forward and eyed the man. "Give him a little poke in the arm."
Sabrina nudged his shoulder but it didn't wake the old man.
"Try the horn," Granny Relda said.
Sabrina pushed down on the car horn and the old man awoke with a start. "For the love of all things good and holy!" he cried. "We're ready," Sabrina said.
He rubbed his eyes once more and then threw the car into reverse and pumped the gas. They were off.
"So you two are the famous Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, huh?" said the cabbie. "Heard a lot about'cha. Word is you two killed a giant, took down Rumpelstiltskin, and went face to face with a Jabberwocky. Tough kids. Never heard of anyone walking away from one of those things, except maybe that knight. What was his name, again? The one with the Vorpal blade?"
"You've heard of the Vorpal blade?" Sabrina asked, remembering her research from the night before.
"Yep, that's the only thing that can kill a Jabberwocky, from what I hear," the driver said.
"Any idea where we could get one?"
The driver chuckled. "It's not like they sell them at Wal-Mart. No, there was only one Vorpal blade and from what I hear it's lost."
Sabrina frowned.
"So you're an Everafter?" Daphne said.
"Sure, I'm Rip van Winkle," the driver said. "You ever hear of me?
Daphne squealed. Meeting the man behind the famous Washington Irving story was like meeting a movie star to the seven-year-old girl.
"I read about you in the orphanage library," she said. "You fell asleep for a hundred years and when you woke up everything was different. How did it feel to sleep that long?"
There was no answer and Sabrina glanced over to the driver. He had dozed off for a third time. Even worse, his foot was still pushing down on the accelerator and the cab was picking up speed rapidly. Instinctively, Sabrina grabbed the wheel, though she had no idea how to drive a car.
"Help!" she cried. "He's out cold again!"
Granny reached forward and pushed hard on the horn, and the man nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wowie-kazowie!" he exclaimed, giving the steering wheel a quick turn and sending the cab sailing into a parking lot. He braked just inches away from a dump truck. Everyone sat still and caught their breaths. As they calmed themselves, the dump truck started up and then pulled away. It had been obstructing their view, and when it was gone, they saw a shocking sight.
They were at the old school that had been blown to smithereens by Rumpelstiltskin just days before, but it was completely gone. Every board and brick had been removed and