A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(15)

“So this is how you find all the people you help?” Alex asked.

“Indeed,” the Fairy Godmother said. “Much more efficient than unicorns, don’t you agree?”

The two exchanged a smile. Alex tried to reach for another large orb, but it wouldn’t stay in her hand.

“Why can’t I grab that one?” Alex asked, afraid it was something to do with her.

“Because whoever that dream belongs to doesn’t want your help, and from the looks of it, they don’t even want you to know what their dream is,” Grandma said.

“That’s silly,” Alex said. “Why wouldn’t they want me to see it?”

“To know someone’s deepest desires is to risk knowing them more than they want to be known,” the Fairy Godmother said. “I’ve had to learn that lesson the hard way many times.”

Alex thought for a moment and stopped trying to grab the orb. “It must be so frustrating to see all these dreams and know you can’t make them all come true,” she said.

“When I was younger, perhaps,” the Fairy Godmother said. “But we should do what we can, and not torture ourselves over the things we can’t. It’s unfair and unrealistic to expect yourself to solve every problem in the world. Never forget that no matter how many dreams you find in here, there would be many more if it weren’t for people like us. Every wish granted by the magic from a fairy’s wand inspires a dozen more that will be achieved by the magic within people themselves. Take a look at that one.”

The Fairy Godmother gestured at an orb floating in front of them that slowly faded away until it disappeared.

“What happened to it?” Alex asked.

“The dream came true,” Grandma said. “And it had nothing to do with us. After years and years of being inspired by other dreamers, that person made their own dream come true and probably inspired countless others to do the same. We wouldn’t want to live in a world where no one believed in themselves enough to make their own dreams come true.”

A shy smile came to Alex’s face. “I think I get what you’re trying to teach me, Grandma.”

Grandma smiled back at her. “I’m glad to hear it.” A small orb landed in the Fairy Godmother’s hand but it instantly faded away.

“Whose was that?” Alex asked.

“Mine,” Grandma said. “Every lesson that you learn is a dream come true for me. And I have to say, you’re learning much faster than I ever did.”

Alex smiled again. Despite how frustrating her day had been, her grandmother made her feel like she was accomplishing her own dreams. She knew that somewhere in this room an orb that belonged to her had just disappeared.

“Now, aside from our lessons, I want you to relax for the rest of the week. You can’t help anyone if you don’t know how to help yourself first,” the Fairy Godmother instructed her.

“All right,” Alex reluctantly agreed. “Thank you for the lesson, Grandma.” She hugged her and left the Hall of Dreams. She didn’t know what to do with herself for the rest of the day—it’d been a while since she had allowed herself any free time.

Once her granddaughter left, the Fairy Godmother closed her eyes and tiny tears formed behind her lids. She had never thought it would be possible to be as proud of someone as she was of Alex. She knew that one day Alex would be an even better fairy godmother than she was.

And unfortunately, due to some changes the Fairy Godmother had recently felt inside herself, she knew that day was going to arrive much sooner than either of them wanted.…





CHAPTER THREE





THE BOOK HUGGERS


Conner was having a whimsical dream. He was skipping through the German countryside in bright green lederhosen, merrily swinging a basket of freshly picked flowers. He yodeled happily as he skipped toward a picturesque village ahead of him. Everything was so peaceful and happy—he never wanted to leave. But suddenly, a screeching alarm sounded through the area—it was a familiar sound, one that he had heard many times before. Conner looked to the sky and saw the evil alien race from the television show he had watched the night before descend upon the village and begin attacking it!

The dream came to an abrupt stop when Conner realized the sound was coming from his alarm clock. He smacked it a couple times more than necessary to shut it off. He was so tired he didn’t even feel alive. He felt like his head was filled with a giant cloud that made it difficult to keep his eyes open.

Even though he was glad he’d gotten to spend time with Alex the night before, he was seriously regretting his decision to stay up so late. He got dressed and dragged Betsy down the stairs one step at a time. Bob and Charlotte were waiting for him by the front door—they had always been morning people, a race Conner never understood.

“Ready, champ?” Bob asked, spinning his car keys in his hand.

Conner grunted something that sounded like yes. Charlotte had an early morning at the hospital and was already dressed for work. She put her arms around her son and hugged him tightly.

“Make good choices, Conner,” she said. “But most important, have fun!”

“Mom, I can’t go to Germany if you’re still hugging me,” Conner wheezed through her tight grip.

“I just need another minute,” Charlotte said. “You’re the only kid I’ve got left to hug.”