Worlds Collide (The Land of Stories #6)(11)
Conner couldn’t believe his ears. “You what?”
“Turn on the news!” Bob told the pirates. “Channel Four! Hurry!”
“But Ricky just let Lucy perform in his club!” Auburn Sally said.
“CHANGE THE CHANNEL!” the entire room yelled in unison.
The pirates reluctantly changed the channel, and everyone gathered around the television to watch the news. A reporter appeared on the screen, broadcasting live from somewhere in New York City.
“I’m standing on the corner of Thirty-Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where police have stopped all vehicles and pedestrians from going any farther,” the reporter said. “The NYPD are preventing everyone from entering a two-block radius around the main branch of the New York Public Library. Police officials have yet to say the reason for such precautions, but one thing is certain, something dangerous is happening at the library.”
The news station played shaky footage from a helicopter flying over the library. It was difficult to see anything except the red and blue police lights surrounding the building on all sides.
“This isn’t the first peculiar incident in the area this week,” the reporter continued. “As I mentioned earlier, just a few days ago the wreckage of a bathroom mysteriously appeared in the middle of Bryant Park, just behind the library. The dumpers have yet to be identified.”
“Did she just say they discovered a bathroom?” Conner asked.
“We rushed here as soon as we heard!” Charlotte said.
“We’ve just learned police have begun evacuating all the residences in the area as well,” the reporter said. “As I said, very little information is being shared at this time, but according to eyewitness reports, the iconic lion statues at the library’s entrance have been vandalized.”
The helicopter footage showed a close-up of the library’s sprawling front steps. Once the camera refocused, everyone could see that the lion statues were absent from their perches. Instead, they could be seen standing right in front of the library’s entrance, as if the beasts were guarding the front doors. For a split second, it almost looked like the statues were moving.
“Did you just see that?” the reporter asked. “It appears the statues are being manipulated somehow. The one on the right looks like it’s growling at the approaching police—Oh my, the lion statue has just knocked the officer to the ground! The police are retreating! I’ve never seen anything like this! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we were witnessing magic!”
Conner went pale and looked at his friends in disbelief.
“Oh my God…” he said. “We’ve got to get to New York City!”
CHAPTER THREE
THE FROG IN THE MIRROR
Froggy hadn’t seen sunlight in weeks. All he had to look at, day and night, was the macabre sight of Morina’s basement. The missing children from the Corner Kingdom and Charming Kingdom still lay peacefully in their beds as the witch’s horrible spell drained them of their life force. The children’s youth and their vitality were magically transferred into potion bottles at the foot of their beds, which Morina usually sold to customers in her shop upstairs. Luckily, the witch hadn’t returned in days to switch out the bottles, giving her captives more time before they were drained completely.
The longer Froggy was forced to witness the dark magic, the more it angered him. He desperately wanted to free the children from the witch’s cruel spell, but he couldn’t even free himself. No matter how hard he hit or kicked the plate of glass between them, it never budged. Unfortunately, neither he nor the children could be saved without magic powerful enough to counteract the witch’s enchantments—and Froggy wasn’t convinced such magic existed anymore.
If there had been any passing observers, Froggy would have appeared as a reflection without a source. Inside the mirror, he was completely alone in a pitch-black world, and the view of Morina’s basement hovered in the air like a window without walls.
Regardless of how far he traveled in each direction, there was absolutely nothing but darkness for miles around. As he searched the strange world, he’d often wander so far from the basement that it would shrink to just a speck of light behind him. As much as it pained him to watch the cursed children, Froggy was afraid to lose sight of it completely. Morina’s basement was his only source of stimulation, and he worried he might go mad without it.
Life inside the mirror was affecting his mind enough already. The longer he was imprisoned, the faster time went. A simple daydream could cost him a few hours if he wasn’t careful, and if he fell asleep, a day or two would pass by before he’d wake up. It also became increasingly difficult for him to remember where he was, how he had gotten there, and most concerning, who he was. Each passing moment felt less and less like reality and more like a bad dream.
“Get a grip on yourself!” he said. “Your name is Charles Carlton Charming. You were born twenty-five years ago in the Charming Kingdom. You were the fourth son of King Chester and Queen Clarice. Your brothers’ names are Chance, Chase, and Chandler. Your mother passed away when you were a boy and your father died shortly after Chance married Cinderella. You have two nieces named Hope and Ash and have always wanted a big family of your own.”
Froggy held his head and paced in a circle as he recalled the information. Whenever he felt his sanity start to slip, he found that reciting facts was the quickest way to restore it, but it became harder each day.