“Robbing Hood? ‘Hood,’ as in, he’s a robbing hood lum?” I sat back down on the chair with a thump. “I used a wish to bring a bunch of hoodlums to the city?”
Chrissy gave me a tolerant smile. “Here’s a piece of free advice—you probably don’t want to use a wish to hang out with Little Red Riding Hood. She’s not as innocent as the story makes her sound.”
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“My wish was a mistake,” I said weakly. “You have to send them back.”
Chrissy smoothed out her skirt, and more minty-smelling glitter tumbled to the floor. “I can’t. Remember, all wishes are permanent and binding. You can’t undo them just because they didn’t make you happy. Magic is sort of like a cell phone contract that way.” She glanced at her watch, then back at me. “However, since I’m the caring type of fairy godmother who diligently looks after my charges, and since I still have five minutes left before my shift, I’ll have a talk with Robin Hood for you.”
She took her wand from her purse, waved it in the direction of my backyard, and Robin Hood and the Merry Men appeared there. They had obviously been sitting somewhere eating, because most of them held food in their hands. Potato chip bags and cereal boxes fell to the ground as the men realized what had happened. Several of them let out shouts and all of them jumped to their feet. Chrissy snapped her fingers and instantly she and I stood outside on my patio in front of them.
I looked around nervously. My parents were due home from work any minute and they wouldn’t be thrilled to find Rock Canyon’s most wanted hanging out in our backyard. And what if Hudson was still close by somewhere and he heard men yelling? It had only been a couple of minutes since he left my house.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” Chrissy chimed. “I want to have a few words with you.”
Half of the men drew their swords and watched us apprehens-ively, but Robin Hood sauntered up to us with a smile. His hat sat on his head at a crooked angle, which somehow made him look carefree and dashing. He even looked cleaner than he had last time. They all did. I wondered if they’d bathed in somebody’s pool.
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Robin Hood winked at me. “Maid Tansy, how nice to see you again. And who would this goddess of loveliness be?” Chrissy laughed, a sound like bells ringing. “You, sir, are a rake, but a charming one. I am Tansy’s fairy godmother, Chrysanthemum Everstar.”
He bowed from the waist. “And I am your humble servant.” Chrissy smiled at him then regarded the Merry Men. She didn’t seem concerned that so many gripped their swords. “Tansy is rather distressed at your current occupation. She expected you to be less outlaw and more social worker. Is there any chance you’ll reconsider your careers and try something more people-friendly? Perhaps you could put on shows at Disneyland, or …” She tapped her wand, thinking. “I hear electrical engineers are in demand.” Several of the Merry Men showed their reaction to her suggestion by spitting on the ground. Which made me glad Chrissy had zapped them into the backyard instead of the house.
Robin Hood bowed again. “I fear I’m set in my ways. When a man is a master of his craft, he doesn’t apprentice for another.” Chrissy turned to me and shrugged her slender shoulders. “Well, I did my best. It looks like they want to stay bandits.” Her gaze went to her watch. “And now I really have to go or I’ll be late. But don’t worry.
I’ll have Clover check in on you later. That is if I can pull him away from his poker games.” She wrinkled her nose. “Really, as if he hasn’t already lost enough money. You would think he’d find a support group for that or something.”
A couple of the Merry Men ran to our cinder-block fence, jumped up, and hauled themselves up so they could survey the area. “Robin,” the first called, “the street lies straight ahead.”
“Or,” the second man added, “we can see what bounty lies in yonder house.”
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“Don’t!” I said to Robin Hood. “You can’t break into my neighbors’ homes.”
In response to my words, several more of the Merry Men scaled the fence. A couple ran toward the street, and a few dropped into my neighbor’s backyard. Robin Hood took my hand and kissed it. “Next time we meet, I would fain linger and refresh my memory about your wishes. As for the present, my men have places to explore.” He let go of my hand with a smirk, then strode toward the fence. “Wait up, lads,” he called. “I’ll lead the way.” I turned to Chrissy, pleading. “You’ve got to stop them.” Chrissy casually replaced her wand in her purse. “Well, I bet you’re glad now that your father installed that alarm system in your house.”
Before I could answer, a green puff of smoke appeared in the flower box. Clover materialized, brushing off his green suit. “I’m here,” he announced, “and ready to assist you with your magical needs, so you can’t tell the UMA I’ve been slacking off.” He glanced over at me.
“The lass isn’t crying anymore. Things must be going well.” I stared back at him, a wordless protest on my lips. Apparently, he didn’t notice the large group of bandits climbing the fence in my backyard. Scary men with swords roaming around your lawn never equaled
“things are going well.”
Clover straightened his hat. “So then, I’ll be in the pub if you need me.”
“Wait!” I said. I couldn’t let them go. Who knew how long it would be before they checked on me again.
Both paused and looked at me.
“Yes?” Chrissy asked.
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I could only think of one thing I could do to fix the Robin Hood problem. Magic had brought them here, so magic had to take them back.
And maybe that was what my fairy godmother was trying to teach me—that I had to take responsibility for my actions instead of waiting for someone else to change things for me. Still, it was hard to force myself to say the words. “I want to make my next wish.” Chrissy pulled her wand back out of her purse. “All right. What is it?”
“I want you to send Robin Hood and his men back to the Middle Ages where they belong.”
Instead of being proud of me for sacrificing my second wish, Chrissy let out a huff. “Well, that’s a waste of perfectly good magic.
Honestly, you ought to make up your mind before you wish for things, but fine, if that’s what you want.” She turned to Clover. “Assistant, round up Robin Hood and the Merry Men and send them back to Sherwood Forest.”
“Me?” he asked indignantly. “That’s fairy work.”
“I’m late for my shift,” she said. “And it’s about time you actually assisted, so I’m granting you the magic you’ll need.” She flicked her wand at him, and a short, stubby wand appeared in his hand. A circle on the top of the wand flashed the number thirteen. “You have thirteen men to find,” Chrissy told him, and the next moment, she vanished, leaving nothing but a trail of minty glitter falling to the ground.
Clover let out a sound that was half grumble, half growl, and disappeared too. The Merry Men, however, still circled my yard and climbed the fence.
“Weren’t you supposed to …,” I started, but as I said the words, a Merry Man vanished. One moment he was climbing the fence; the next, a puff of green smoke appeared in his place. A scraggly man 106/356
straddling the fence was the next to go, then one who was poking through my parents’ shed. Robin Hood noticed the men disappear. His head spun to face me and he took several steps in my direction. “What mischief is this?”
“I’m sending you home,” I said.
His blue eyes bore into mine. “You knew I didn’t wish for that to happen.”
“But I wished it. It was a mistake to bring you here.” He stepped closer to me, his hands out in a plea. “I didn’t mean to scorn you, Maid Tansy. I beseech you, don’t let your disappointment lead you to rash ways.” He took hold of my hand and pulled me into an embrace.