Worlds Collide (The Land of Stories #6)(87)

His granddaughter’s concern warmed his heart.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m not going to an assisted living facility on Wednesday,” he reassured her. “As a matter of fact, I have plans to visit my sister this week, and they can’t take a man they can’t find.”

“But Uncle Matt said you didn’t know where your sister was,” Charlie said.

Her grandpa nervously glanced from side to side like he was hiding something.

“Oh, well, I remember now,” he explained. “You see, when you get older, things come and go like birds in a tree. When I finally remembered where my sister was, it also dawned on me that I had made plans to see her. So there you have it—a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

Charlie wasn’t buying it. She started to wonder if her uncle and mom were right to be concerned.

“Grandpa, do you really believe in magic?” she asked.

“Of course I do,” he said. “Don’t you?”

“Uncle Matt says I’m not supposed to,” Charlie said. “He thinks it means someone’s lost touch with reality.”

Mr. Bailey let out a long, anguished sigh.

“Sweetheart, I love your uncle and your mother with all my heart, but they inherited their personalities from your grandmother’s side of the family. Even when they were children, they were too practical for their own good. But don’t ever let anyone tell you magic isn’t real. A kid who doesn’t believe in magic is like a painting without color.”

“I want to believe,” Charlie said. “But it’s hard to take your word for it. I guess I’m waiting for some kind of proof.”

“Ah, but that’s the most mysterious part about magic,” her grandpa said with a twinkle in his eye. “You never know when it’s going to reveal itself to you. That’s why it’s so important to keep an open mind—you don’t want to miss it when the time comes.”

Even if her grandpa was crazy, Charlie still loved playing along.

Mr. Bailey glanced at his watch and jumped up from his chair. “Would you look at the time?” he said. “My sister will be here any minute to collect me and I haven’t even had a chance to pack. You should head home before it gets too late.”

“How long will you be gone, Grandpa?” Charlie asked.

“Long enough to teach your mom and uncle a lesson,” he said. “But don’t worry, I’ll be back in time for your birthday. I have something very special I’ve been saving for the occasion. Now, off you go.”

Mr. Bailey walked his granddaughter to the front door and hugged her good-bye. But Charlie wasn’t ready to leave just yet. Instead of walking down the hill and getting back on her bike, she snuck into her grandpa’s flowerbed and hid behind the bushes. She wanted to see if her great-aunt Alex was actually coming, or if her grandpa was as delusional as her mom and uncle thought.

Charlie had only seen her great-aunt once or twice in her entire life, so she wasn’t sure she’d even recognize the woman. However, as the minutes dragged on, that proved to be less and less of a problem. No one drove up the driveway to collect her grandpa.

Suddenly, a bright flash shined out from her grandpa’s house. Charlie peeked through the window to see what had caused it. It was hard to see past all her grandpa’s furniture, but Charlie saw that a beautiful older woman had appeared in the living room. She had bright blue eyes and long white hair, and she wore a sparkling robe and headband made of silver flowers.

“Conner? Are you ready yet?” the woman called to him.

Charlie heard thumps as Mr. Bailey came down the stairs from the second floor.

“Sorry, I just remembered to pack!” he said.

“What do you mean, you just remembered?” the old woman asked. “We’ve had this trip planned for months. Are you taking the memory potion I left you?”

“I was until I forgot about it,” Mr. Bailey said. “I found it in the fridge this evening and everything came back to me. You wouldn’t believe how worried I was without it—I couldn’t remember where you were and thought something terrible had happened to you when we were kids.”

“You crazy old man,” she said. “When I bring you back home, I’m going to leave a note in every room of your house to remind you to take it. Now come along, everyone is so excited to see you. Red’s throwing an elaborate banquet for you, but fair warning, it’s just an excuse to perform her one-woman rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Oh, and word to the wise, Goldilocks broke another hip teaching her grandkids how to do back handsprings. You know how sensitive she gets about injuries, so don’t call attention to it—especially if Jack and Froggy start joking about it.”

“My lips are sealed,” Mr. Bailey said. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone, too. I’m not even there yet, but it already feels good to be back. Lead the way, Alex.”

Another bright flash of light beamed out of the house. It was a few moments before Charlie could see again. By the time her eyes adjusted, her grandpa and great-aunt had vanished. Charlie knew they couldn’t have just disappeared into thin air, so she climbed through an open window and searched the house.

“Grandpa? Aunt Alex?” she called. “Where’d you guys go?”

Suddenly, Charlie heard a mysterious vibration coming from above her. She followed the strange noise all the way up the stairs and into the attic. The attic was covered in dust and filled with boxes of her grandpa’s old junk. Charlie searched the room for whatever was making the odd sound but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.