"I never had any doubts, child," the old woman said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I never had any doubts."
Daphne hugged her sister tightly. "I'm glad you're back. I can't do this without you."
The family found their car parked under three feet of snow. Mustardseed blasted it with a little fire and it was clean and clear in no time. Mr. Canis got in awkwardly. He was still seven feet tall and found it difficult to get behind the wheel. He started the car's engine and allowed it to warm up.
Hamstead stood nearby. He hadn't spoken to anyone since Mr. Canis had found him sitting in his darkened hotel room. Now he shuffled his feet and looked down at the pavement. Sabrina understood. His broken heart had crushed his spirit. Sabrina was brokenhearted, too, though she was working hard to hide it. Not only was Puck not coming back to Ferryport Landing with them, he hadn't come to say good-bye.
"You've given us some hope for the future," Mustardseed said to her.
"Good luck," Sabrina said. "And don't let your brother ruin everything. If he has his way he'll turn the city into a junkyard he can play in all day."
"Yes, I remember him suggesting just that," Mustardseed said. "Don't worry. The Trickster King has other plans."
"Well, we better get home and find out how to wake up your mom and dad," Granny said to the girls. "And the two of you need to start your training."
"Training? What have we been doing all this time?" Sabrina asked.
"Following me around and getting in trouble," the old woman said. "Now that you both are ready and willing, we're going to explore what's inside the Hall of Wonders. You girls are going to learn to be proper fairy-tale detectives."
Granny Relda and the girls got into the car. Hamstead followed, and they all rolled down their windows and waved goodbye to Mustardseed. Mr. Canis pulled away from the curb to a symphony of backfires and rattles, and pointed the car in the direction of Ferryport Landing. Sabrina watched out the window as the city rolled by. She spotted her father's favorite movie theater and the place her mother loved to buy secondhand books. Someday she'd come back here, but there was no hurry. She had a new place to call home.
Suddenly, there was a rapping sound on the roof of the car. Sabrina craned her neck but couldn't see anything. Another pounding occurred and then a fiery blast raced past the car. The fire streaked high into the air and then came down in front of the automobile. Canis slammed on the brakes. Sabrina watched it all, slowly realizing that the blast was attached to a person, a woman in fact, who came down from the sky wearing what appeared to be a rocket pack strapped on her back.
"Bess!" Mr. Hamstead cried.
"Ernie!"
Mr. Hamstead looked bewildered. He leaped out of the car and everyone followed.
"Don't go, Ernie!" Bess cried. "Bess, what are you doing here?"
"I came to stop you. I love you. I don't care about your secret. It doesn't matter to me that you're a pig," the woman cried, rushing to Mr. Hamstead and taking his hand.
"Bess, I don't know what to say," the man said, fumbling for words.
"Say you love me, too."
"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 her 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 good-byes 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.
