 
Through the Mirror and Into Snow

Before Happily Ever After Series

Book 1

Ann T. Bugg

...

Through the Mirror and Into Snow

Before Happily Ever After Book One

By Ann T. Bugg

Copyright © Ann T. Bugg, 2011

All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places or events, the names, characters, incidents, and locations within are from the author's imagination and are not a resemblance to actual living or dead persons, businesses, or events. Any similarity is coincidental.

First published with Writers AMuse Me 2011

Published by Pau Hana Books, August 2015

Third edition July, 2016

ISBN: 978-1301755196

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. No part of this book can be reproduced or sold by any person or business without the express permission of the publisher.

Published in the United States of America

Cover Art and Illustrations: Valerie Kramin

For Larrie & Sam.

Without you, the gray hair & wrinkles would

be no fun at all!!

#  Chapter 1

"Put that thing down, Valerie Danielle!"

Princess Valerie didn't let her mother's use of her middle name deter her.

"But it's cool, Mom. Look at its stripes. Can I keep it?"

Valerie wasn't a real princess. Her parents weren't actually a king and queen, although they liked to think they were. Her dad's home was his castle and he certainly treated her Mom like a queen. Their castle was an old farmhouse in Minnesota.

"You let that snake go now, young lady, preferably deep into the woods."

"Come on. We've got horses, dogs, cats, birds, a bunny, and a chinchilla -- all we need is a cute little snake!"

"It'll look a lot cuter in the woods, where I can't see it."

"You're no fun."

"I'm plenty of fun. Joke time: Which king felt only a fraction of himself?"

"Henry the Eighth. You told me that one."

"Why is Cinderella no good at soccer?"

"'Cause she always runs away from the ball. How about I go put the snake down in the forest?"

"Good idea."

As Valerie walked away, her mother winked at one of their dogs, who also seemed happy that the intruder was leaving the house. "Worked like a charm." Sometimes she had good jokes and they laughed together. Sometimes the jokes were not good at all and it would get her daughter back on the task at hand, trying to escape the torture. It didn't just stop at jokes, either. Val's mom was full of fun facts and useless knowledge, always putting her to the test. Her question: "Do you know what Donald Duck's middle name is?" sent Val to her computer for the answer.

While Val was off returning her slithery friend to the forest, her mom glanced at the clock. "Time to release Leroy from isolation," she told the dogs.

One of Val's pets was a small Shetland pony named Leroy. Ponies love to eat; Leroy was certainly no exception. He was almost as wide as he was tall. If you didn't take him away from grazing, he never stopped eating. In attempts to help him lose weight, he was penned up for part of the day in a separate, smaller area to give his belly a rest. His pen had a small grassy area and shelter from the barn through a smaller side door. He, of course, had the grass nibbled down to nothing, but at least he had something to do while he was in there.

Val's mom poked her head outside and found tiny drops of rain starting to fall.

"Hello, little man," she called to the pony. "I'll be there in a jiffy. Just let me grab my raincoat."

Leroy talked back to her in his own way -- an impatient whinny meaning, "Hurry up, lady, I'm starving over here."

She came out the side door and hollered to him as she made her way over. "I was going to say hold your horses, but they are at the side pasture." She laughed. "I crack myself up."

He whinnied again.

"Do you have laryngitis or are you just a little horse?" Unfortunately for Leroy, that joke never got old.

He whinnied yet again.

"All right, I'll quit it with that one. You'd be wise to mind your temper or I'll see if that new twenty-four hour gym accepts ponies."

As she walked in the barn, he ran to greet her at his little gate. She gave him a quick pat on the nose. "I have to feed the kitties first, then I'll let you go, buddy." Her other hand held a plastic container of cat food. Giving it a little rattle, she proved she wasn't lying.

She turned around to feed the cats. They took their turns rubbing against her and weaving themselves between her legs in anticipation of their meal. She took a few steps toward the bowls on the far wall, but stopped. Something didn't look right at all. A few cats at her feet jumped onto the table, blocking the view of whatever it was. After taking a step to the left, she could see it once again. It didn't seem to know or care that she was there. The cats ignored the intruder and simply paced around it. Fear finally won over curiosity. She could no longer force herself to move any closer, no matter how intrigued she was. Then it scurried forward a few inches, burying itself into the hay bale that the table was pushed against, leaving only its back end and tail showing. It was a large gray beast, at least the size of Sir Lexington, Val's favorite barn cat, but had a long bald tail. She stifled a scream.

"Is that a rat?" she said softly to herself. "A rat couldn't possibly be this big." She leaned in, just a little, for a closer look. A few cats were sitting next to it, as if it were one of them. "Surely the cats wouldn't keep company with a rat, even if there are special 'food chain' rules around here. Maybe Lex has a new friend with mange and the poor thing lost all the hair on its tail. That has to be the answer." She went in even closer, took another good look, then jumped back. "No way. If it were a cat, it would be begging for food with the others." After dropping the food, she called for the dogs and ran for the house.

At the sound of the slamming door and Val's mom's pacing, Val ran down the stairs, wondering what the commotion was about. Her best friend, Samantha, was at her heels.

Every summer for the last four years, Samantha stayed for a week at Valerie's house. She'd moved away a few years ago, but their families traveled the few hours to each other's homes as often as they could. Val and Sam were now eight and nine years old, but had been friends since Samantha had just turned one and Valerie was about to turn two. Although angels to their parents separately, the two always managed to be double-trouble when they were together. For the girls, that was never often enough.

"Why do these things always happen when your father is away?" she said to Val.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"There's a critter the size of a large cat on the counter where I feed them. It was ugly. It had a fat, bald tail. I thought it was a rat, but it can't be. It's too big."

Always the voice of reason, Val said, "Mom, it's probably a possum."

"A possum? Have you seen one here before?"

"No, but Dad told me he has."

"We have possums here?"

Val laughed. "We have everything here. I'm sure that's what it is. Can we go see?"

"No, you are not going out there! Who knows if it has rabies or some other disease? Wild animals like that don't usually go where there are people nearby. You two stay put."

"It was probably just after the cat food."

"Then it's hungry. Even more of a reason to leave it alone. I'll have your dad set a live trap or something when he gets back."

"My dad tried that with a raccoon," Sam said. "More just show up."

"Well...he'll figure something out. Don't you two dare go out there. You hear me?"

"We won't, Mom," Val promised...with her fingers crossed behind her back.

It should have been obvious to Val's mom that they were't about to let an adventure go unattended. Should have, but wasn't. They were plotting to go out as soon as she went to bed.

#  Chapter 2

"Have you ever seen a possum before?" Samantha asked Valerie, suddenly very excited at the prospect of an adventure.

"Only a stuffed one at the Science Museum. Have you ever seen one?"

"Nope, only pictures. I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. If it didn't do anything but hide with your mom out there, it can't be vicious. It's not like it's far away; it's just to your barn. We'll run out to see if it's still there then come right back in. I really want to see one up close."

"Fine by me," Valerie said, giving in without a fight.

Although best friends while still in diapers, the two girls could not be more opposite, except when it came to finding ways to earn their double-trouble reputation.

While Valerie's complexion was fair and her hair blonde, Samantha had dark brown hair and always looked tan, even in the winter. Her deep brown eyes sparkled with kindness and friendship.

Their differences went far beyond the surface. Valerie was a country girl and didn't have much time to worry about fashion. Samantha, on the other hand, had quite the wardrobe and makeup collection. They had gotten their ears pierced together at a young age, but Valerie's closed long ago. Samantha still changed earrings daily. Their likes and dislikes were also completely opposite, but that never slowed down the friendship. Where Valerie loved reading wonderful fantasy tales of faraway lands and loves that happened "Once Upon A Time," Samantha was much more into "hands-on" activities—like her dance classes.

"Dibs on the Barbie flashlight," Sam said.

"That's fine. I got a Ninja Turtle one last week," Val said.

"Ug. You're such a boy sometimes, Val."

"You're the one that watches football with your dad."

"You watch things blow up with your dad."

"It's a good show." After digging through a drawer, Valerie let out a cheer. "Found 'em!"

Locating two flashlights was a great accomplishment, considering the condition of her playroom. Usually ten minutes after a friend's arrival, a small army was required to help clean it up. At nine o'clock, they made their way down the stairs to begin their quest for the possum. They carefully clung close to the wall, being mindful of the creaky areas of the steps.

The light in her mom's room was on, so they detoured into the kitchen for snacks instead of going outside. On the way back, Val stopped at the computer desk.

"Look, Sam. It's the book my mom has been writing. We should read it. If she's still up, she must be reading. We could be waiting for a while. This will give us something to do while we wait it out."

"Didn't you say she had a file on the computer for her book that was titled 'Read this and Die,' Val?"

Valerie laughed. "Yes, but this isn't in the computer now, is it?" She tucked it under her arm and walked back up the stairs.

They read for a long while, thoroughly enjoying the crazy stunts and funny personalities her mom had given the two of them. She'd even written Valerie's brother into the tale.

"Have you seen him lately, Val?"

"Not since we moved him into his new apartment. I like that he's even closer to the Science Museum now. I'll probably get to go when we visit him."

"That's cool. Maybe I can meet you there sometime."

"Mom said it's about half way to your house. I think she's making it a plan."

Even though Valerie's brother was thirteen years older than she was, they were close. Before the "I've missed you" hug, they shared a special handshake when they first saw each other. Val laughed that her mother had included that in the story. Her portrayals of Sam and Valerie weren't far from the truth, either. They giggled their way through the pages until well past eleven o'clock.

Valerie suddenly stopped reading and shrieked. "I almost forgot about the possum!" She realized she said it a little too loud and covered her mouth with her hand. "Let's get going," she whispered. "I'm sure my mom is asleep by now."

They went down the stairs a little faster than they had the first time around. As soon as they reached the kitchen, Val's chocolate lab, Otter, begin to whine. Otter never skipped a beat. If someone was up, she was to be petted and let out of the combined bathroom and laundry area she shared at night with Val's Dalmatian mix, Dottie.

Otter was an outside dog at heart, whether it was thirty degrees below zero, raining, hot, windy, or even late at night. There was no question of leaving her behind, so Val let her out. Dottie, very much an indoor dog, barely acknowledged the disturbance.

"It'll be good to have her along for protection," Val said.

"If by 'protection' you mean she'll lick it to death, then I agree." Sam laughed.

It had stopped raining long ago, but there was still a slight chill to the breeze. The girls pulled light rain jackets on over their pajamas.

Otter pranced around them, happy for the change in her routine. She didn't get to go outside after dark often. Once they were out, it didn't take her long to charge after one of the barn cats. When in pursuit, she couldn't be stopped. Otter didn't hate cats; she simply chased what ran. Some cats took off at the sight of her, some rubbed up against her when she entered the barn. Some did both. Val guessed it was more of a game than anything else.

Valerie put her hands up to her mouth to call for Otter, but Sam yanked them back down. "Don't! You'll wake your mom!"

"Good call. I wasn't thinking. I'm sure she won't go far, anyway."

Val was happy to see Otter sitting at the barn door when they got there, patiently waiting to be let in.

"It's funny she knows where we're going, Val."

"She's what my mom calls a 'creature of habit.' She assumes we're doing what we did last time we came out. If we'd gone for a drive, she would have run to the garage." Val pointed to the side of the barn door. "That, and the fact that the cat she was chasing squeezed in through there and she's waiting for us to let her in," she said with a laugh.

"Why doesn't she use the horses' doors?"

"She's probably too lazy and knew we were coming." Val shrugged.

The girls stood for a moment, staring at each other, as if each one was waiting for the other to chicken out. Valerie finally reached up to unlatch the door. Before they could walk in, Otter darted in ahead of them and started sniffing around. The trail led her to the wooden ladder that reached the top level—the hayloft. The cat must have run up it to safety. Not being quite brave or dim-witted enough to climb it and finish the pursuit, Otter continued to sniff around with a new-found vengeance.

"I bet she smells the possum," Samantha said.

The girls checked out the counter. Sir Lexington was there, eager to be loved, but he was alone. He got a good dose of loving from both of them.

"Where's your friend, Lex?" Valerie asked.

Samantha took her turn petting him. "We heard you had an ugly buddy. Where'd he get to?" Sir Lexington replied with his happy purr and enjoyed the late night guests. Lifting her head at Otter's whine, Sam saw she had her nose pressed up against a small hole by the doorframe to the tack room, and was excitedly wagging her tail.

"Val, look."

Val turned toward the small room where the saddles and such were stored, and immediately walked over. Sam stopped her kitty loving and followed her.

#  Chapter 3

"Do you think the possum is in there, Val?"

"It must be. I don't think Otter would go this crazy if it was just one of the cats."

Val opened the door a crack, then flipped the light switch. When it didn't work, she tried it a few more times. "Darn it. The bulb's burned out."

Valerie looked down at Otter. She realized she hadn't gone running into the tack room ahead of them like she normally did. Oddly, she just sat at the doorway.

"What's up, Otter?" Valerie asked.

Otter stayed put and wagged her tail, giving the dusty cement floor a good sweeping. The girls walked past, leaving her sitting there.

The tack room wasn't much bigger than a walk-in closet or a large pantry. There was a trashcan in the right corner to store grain for the horses. On the wall to the left, there were three wooden brackets to hold their saddles. Beside them were hooks for the bridles, halters, and lead ropes.

Squatting down, they searched with flashlights. First looking behind the trashcan, then under the saddles. Sam stood in frustration, placing her hands on her hips.

"Come on, Otter. Where is it?"

Otter got up and walked to the far corner, opposite the trashcan. She sat down in front of a tarp that was draped over something square and flat, like a small sheet of plywood. Facing them, she tilted her head again with a "now what?" expression.

The girls shifted their lights to the tarp, then down toward the bottom of it where it pooled in a pile on the floor. After both letting out a small shriek, they covered their mouths in surprise.

"Eww," Samantha whispered. "No wonder your mom was so freaked out. It is ugly! Gross!"

"Shh. You'll scare it and it will rush at us, Sam."

Unsure what to do now that they'd found it, they stood for a minute, staring at the long, fat, bald tail.

"Do you think it's sleeping?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure it thinks we can't see it."

Otter had lost interest in the game and sniffed her way back out the door.

Valerie frowned. "See? She doesn't care what it is 'cause it's not running away. She just likes to chase things." Their attention briefly shifted to Otter as they watched her walk out. When their gaze finally returned to the tarp Valerie cried, "It's gone!"

Samantha walked over to it slowly. "I'm sure it's hiding underneath the board. There's no way it got out."

Valerie's voice was a little louder than before. "Careful, Samantha! It could still jump out at you!"

"I'll be careful, but I didn't sneak out to just stand here and stare at its butt!"

Sam was hesitant to lift away the tarp, not knowing which way the possum could be facing. With great caution, she pulled the top of the board away from the wall and adjusted her stance so she could run away fast if needed. After shining the flashlight to the ground she screamed.

"What the heck? Where did it go?" She let the board fall back against the wall. "How did it go anywhere? We were right there the whole time! Darn it! If we weren't watching Otter we would have seen it!"

"There must be a hole in the wall somewhere." Valerie walked up and down the back wall, looking for a crack big enough for the possum to escape through.

They spent five more minutes searching every inch of the tack room before deciding to call it quits for the night. Slowly strolling back to the house the girls kicked pebbles, silently scolding themselves, wondering how they could have missed the possum's escape.

Otter was sitting at the door, waiting to be let in. Again being careful to keep the noise to a minimum, they silently filed into the house. By the time they crawled into bed, it was well on the way to midnight. They closed their eyes and fell asleep almost before their heads hit the pillows, both sad at the non-eventful endeavor.

#  Chapter 4

Val's mom let the girls sleep in the next morning. She was sure they'd stayed up late talking, as usual, and she didn't want to deal with tired, grouchy girls. It was pouring rain, so she decided to leave Leroy out of his pen. That would also save her from having to go back out to the barn after dark and running into her ugly little friend again.

It was after nine o'clock before she heard any noise coming from the girls upstairs. She let them unwind for a while, then called them down for breakfast.

After getting her morning kiss, Val noticed Leroy out in the pasture.

"You didn't lock him up today."

"I felt bad he was in for so long yesterday."

Val grinned. "You didn't want to run into that possum again."

Sam laughed. "It sure was ugly."

Val immediately caught the fact that she almost gave them away. She widened her eyes at Sam.

Samantha nodded in understanding and quickly recovered from her goof. "I mean, I know how ugly they are. I'd be scared, too. Don't pick on your mom, Val."

Val's mom seemed to miss Sam's slip of the tongue. "Did you guys sleep good last night, or were you up late talking again?"

"We slept fine," was the answer she received from them both.

She laughed at how, more often than not, the girls often said the same thing at the same time.

"It was raining earlier and it looks like more to come. Sorry, but we won't be going on the four wheelers today."

"That's okay," Val said. "We'll find stuff to do inside."

"I'm sure of that." Val's mom smiled as she placed their plates of bacon and eggs in front of them.

After breakfast, the girls went back upstairs and peered out Val's window toward the barn. They strained to see it through the heavy rain, even though they knew there wasn't a chance to catch sight of the possum from there.

After giving up and turning away from the window, they busied themselves with activities. First on the agenda was the special game they'd invented. It involved a game board with its checkers and chess pieces, monopoly money, a deck of cards, a pair of dice, and rules that their parents never could understand.

"King me," Samantha said proudly, placing her checker piece at the far corner.

"You have to give up your knight first," Val said.

"Nu-uh. You lost your hat when my rook took your bishop."

"Darn. Did you have four pink one-hundreds?"

"Five," Sam said.

"Two pair?"

"You know I had a full house."

Val sighed and gave in. "Okay. I guess so." She placed a chess pawn on the checker piece and proclaimed "flim-flam!" before rolling the dice. "Yes! Double sixes."

Sam crossed her arms. "You always get those. Not fair."

"You want to take a break and play with clay before I take your queen?"

"Seems like a good place to escape the torture."

The movie Sleeping Beauty played while they worked with Val's modeling clay. Val created a fire-breathing dragon, complete with small white pieces for teeth, while Sam made the most peaceful, sleeping kitty-cat that she could, snuggling on a blanket.

Val pretended that her dragon was trying to eat the cat. Sam laughed, pushing her away. "Stop it, you meanie."

Next, Valerie flew it to the window sill with a, "Roar." She looked out toward the barn again. "Come on, night. Hurry up."

Val's mom called up the stairs. "You guys wanna go to the ice rink after lunch?"

Sam was nodding when Val tuned to her. "That'll be fun. I haven't gone in forever. I did pack my skates. My mom said to just in case."

Val hollered back downstairs. "Sounds like fun, Mom. Can we go to the mall afterward since we'll be there?"

"Sure. We'll go to the pizza buffet for dinner before we head home. That ought to kill this rainy day. Sound okay?"

"Of course!" they both shouted. Although they rarely agreed on the same food, a buffet at the local pizza place pleased them both. Sam loved her cheese pizza. Val could take it or leave it, but she was always up for a chicken leg...or four.

Val's mom stopped at a local drug store for a few things on the way home. The girls found themselves in the make-up aisle. Valerie picked up a foundation and applied some to the back of her hand.

"I need a lighter one, Sam."

"There is nothing lighter, Val," she said with a laugh.

Val's mom took the corner. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh, what?"

"I told you a few friends teased that I was Snow white 'cause I couldn't tan. I guess I'm no longer the fairest of them all. Looks like I'll have to kill you."

"Ha-ha, Mom. But I'm safe. It was Snow White's step-mother, not her mother."

Her mom laughed. "I guess you're right. You're safe. For now." She walked away with, "Muuuaaaaahhhh."

"You and dad are such freaks. I wonder how I'm so normal."

She popped her head back around the aisle. "Who ever said you were normal?"

Sam laughed again. "She has you there, Val."

When they arrived home several hours later, it was finally getting dark. Val added her half of the newest "Best Friend" keychain to her collection. No trip to a store together was complete without buying another one.

"We'll have to wait for a bit for my mom to go to bed before we go back out. Wanna read some more of that story, Sam?"

"Sure!" Sam said, running to get it.

After an hour, Val's mom came upstairs for kisses goodnight. The girls quickly hid the stolen story from view before she made the turn into Val's room. Sometimes that creak in the stairs came in handy. "I don't want you princesses up too late talking again tonight."

"We won't," they both answered, almost too quickly.

They waited another hour before getting ready to go outside. The rain had finally stopped after dinner, but it was still cool out, so they grabbed their jackets again.

Samantha giggled as she closed the door, careful not to let the lock click. "Another clean getaway."

Otter was happily running around ahead of them again. This was a treat for her to be out on an adventure for a second night in a row. She waited for them to catch up to her at the barn door. Once in, she wasted no time sniffing around.

The girls moved cautiously as they inspected the barn with the flashlights, careful not to miss an inch. They didn't want to come across the possum by accident and scare it, or worse, have it scare them. The kittens received just a quick a quick dose this time.

"Sorry, gang," Val explained. "We're on a mission."

Back on task, Val shined her flashlight at the tack room door and found Otter sitting there. The dog might have run to the door because that's what she did the night before, but Val was almost certain they'd find the possum in the same place. Together, they walked to the tack room door and opened it. Otter walked over to the tarp again, sat down, and looked up at them.

"You were right, Val," said Samantha. "She sure is a creature of hab—" She stopped talking before she could even get out the word "habit." Her gaze was fixed on the tail sticking out from under the tarp once again. Valerie caught the fact that Sam was staring at something. She followed Sam's gaze in time to see the tail getting smaller and smaller.

"It's trying to hide from us behind the tarp, but we have it now. It has nowhere to go," Valerie exclaimed. Samantha went over to drop down the board again. She gently pulled it away from the wall, but there was nothing there.

"What the heck!" they said at the same time.

"There is no way it got out! We didn't find any cracks that it could fit through back there last night. Wait! Be careful, Samantha. Maybe it's curled up in the tarp that's bunched on the ground."

Samantha leaned the board back before she carefully lifted the tarp up. There was no sign of the possum, but Val made another discovery. As her flashlight hit the area under the tarp, the light reflected back at her. The tarp covered an old mirror, not a board.

"I don't know how it got away. This is crazy." Sam's attention went to where the flashlight was shining. "Why would you guys have a mirror out in the barn, Val?"

"I forgot about that." Val pulled the tarp completely off. "We found it in here when we moved. The barn was filled with lots of old junk. My mom and I spent a whole day cleaning it out. We had a huge bonfire to get rid of all the rotting wood, and hauled everything else to the dump. She left that in here; it was too heavy for us to carry. My dad is supposed to bring it in the house and hang it. I guess it's one of those jobs that keeps getting put off or forgotten."

"It sure is pretty."

Their flashlights moved along the old ironwork as they admired the frame, then the beams of light went to the mirrored glass.

"It must really be old," Val said. "The images aren't sharp at all."

As they returned their attention to the center, they discovered an image of a scene of trees in it, rather than the dull gray cement walls of the tack room that it should have been reflecting. Together they turned around, looking at the wall, then back at the mirror again.

"That's really weird, Val."

"Not as weird as that." Valerie pointed to the center. A small gray body with a large bald tail had come into focus. "Is that the reflection of our possum?"

They both turned to look behind them, expecting to see the possum there. When it wasn't, they returned their attention to the mirror.

"If that's the possum, it's further away than the size of this tack room, Sam." Together, the girls turned back to the wall, then looked up as if searching for a projector.

Sam laughed. "You were thinking the same as I was."

"My dad's not home, otherwise I would have thought he was playing a joke on us."

Turning back to the mirror, they froze in amazement as the images of a forest became clearer.

"This is not just a mirror," Samantha whispered as she put her hand on the glass to touch it. To their surprise, it passed through as if nothing were there. All they could see was the end of her arm and what appeared to be the forest. She pulled her arm back in a hurry, worried that her hand would no longer be there. Sam carefully inspected the back of her hand, flipped it over and studied her palm, then wiggled her fingers. The two of them stared from Samantha's hand back to the mirror with their mouths as wide open as their eyes.

"That so did not just happen!" Samantha put her hand back through again. She stopped when they saw the possum walking away, getting smaller and smaller.

"A magic mirror!" Valerie shouted. "No way! I have been waiting my whole life for something exciting to happen to me!" Without another minute of hesitation, Val squeezed her body through the narrow frame, leaving Samantha sitting there with her mouth wide open.

#  Chapter 5

Valerie stood in a forest very much like the one outside her house. It was just different enough that she knew something very strange had happened. She'd roamed that forest so many times, she was sure she'd find her way home from the middle of it, blindfolded, with no problem.

"Valerie!" Sam walked up behind her. "That was a little strange." Samantha crossed her arms, rubbing them as if she were trying to warm herself. "No, that was a lot strange. Don't leave me alone like that." She rubbed her arms again. "This is the forest by your house, right?"

"No, it's not, Samantha. Turn around. There's no barn."

"How did we do that? What just happened? Valerie, where's your barn?"

"I don't know, but our little friend is right there." Valerie pointed to the possum as it continued on its journey, paying them no mind at all. "Maybe our best bet is to keep following it. It seems to have brought us here; maybe it needs help or something."

"Sure, and any second now he's gonna stand on his two legs and start talking to us, right? Stop this game. I'm not having fun anymore."

"Come on, Samantha." Valerie grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're always the one looking for an adventure. Well, here it is. Even I want to pinch myself to make sure we're not dreaming. But we're not. We just went through a magic mirror. I don't know where we are, but I'm not going to turn around and go right back home."

"This is too strange to believe it's happening. What do we do now?"

"We'll start with following it—" Valerie pointed in the direction on the possum "—and wing it from there. Sorry, it's the best plan I have."

Samantha was at a loss for words. Val grinned at the thought that this was probably the first time that had ever happened. Finally Sam said, "Let's go."

Careful to keep their distance so they didn't scare it, the girls started after the possum. They had to watch their footing, too. There wasn't much of a moon to offer light, and their small flashlights only gave weak, dull beams to guide them. Despite their best efforts to follow the animal, it wasn't long before they lost it. Together they wandered through the forest, trying to catch sight of any trail it may have left.

"Valerie? We're really not in your forest, are we?"

"No, we're not. We would have passed the old graveyard by now if we were." She stopped and faced Sam. "I have never known you to be scared of anything before."

"I am not scared!" Samantha placed her hands on her hips and gave her foot a solid stomp. "Even you have to admit this is strange. A magic mirror? Come on. That's too crazy, even for you and your love of fairy tales." Something was coming up from behind them, moving fast. Sam lowered her voice. "Do you think we got ahead of the possum?"

"I don't think so. It sounds like it's moving way too fast for that. Quick! Let's hide," Val whispered as she hopped over a fallen log. "Whatever it is, I don't want to be standing here wearing only my pajamas." She squatted and pulled Samantha down with her.

Together they crouched, waiting silently. As if out of nowhere, a dark figure showed up beside them. A scream escaped them both.

"Otter!" Their screams turned to giggles of relief.

"Are we ever glad it's you! I'm happy you decided to follow us through the mirror." Valerie petted her dog. "Good girl!" Val paused for a moment. "We can go back if you really want, Sam. I bet she can take us."

"No way!" Samantha replied while she took her turn rewarding Otter with pats to her head. "We wanted an adventure and we're going to get one. I know it was a little hard to swallow at first. I don't know what this place is yet, and I'm still half expecting to come out at a road by your house, but I'm not going to be the one to chicken out."

"Okay. That's more like it." Valerie stood and dusted herself off, then helped Sam to her feet. "Now let's go try to find some answers. It has to be more than a coincidence that it led us here, wherever 'here' is."

They walked along, not saying much for over half an hour. Neither of them could really grasp where they were or how they possibly ended up here. Oddly, Otter walked beside them, behaving herself. It wasn't like her to not run off after the occasional bunny that hopped across the path ahead of them. Suddenly, her ears perked up and she ran ahead.

"Wait, Otter! Get back here!" They chased and called for her, but she didn't slow down.

After a few minutes, they found her sitting next to a little girl about their age. Otter was wagging her tail and licking the little girl's face. She had jet-black hair and a very fair complexion. At first she appeared startled to see them, but then she smiled. The young girl was wearing what had to be her nightgown. It was simple, with no designs, and her feet were bare.

"Hello." The little girl offered a pleasant smile, then returned her attention to Otter. She held the dog's cheeks and touched noses with her. "Who's a pretty girl?" She glanced back to the girls. "Is this your dog? She's very friendly."

"Yes, her name is Otter."

"Well, that's a strange name for a dog."

"I know," replied Valerie. "That's my mom, though. I don't think you want me to even start with the other odd names we have for our animals."

"What was the name of the turtle your mom had when she was young, Val? Shelly?" Sam asked.

"Fluffy."

The young girl giggled. "That is silly. I think I like Shelly for a turtle though. I'll have to remember that."

Valerie continued. "Well, a Dalmatian named Domino makes sense, but when you name his brother Little Caesar, they're pizza places and that's downright silly."

"I've played dominos. That makes sense. What's pizza?"

"What's pizza?" Sam said. The girls exchanged an expression that screamed "How does she not know what pizza is?" Relaxing her scrunched eyebrows, Samantha changed the subject instead of answering. "What are you doing out here in the forest in the middle of the night? Are you lost?"

"Umm, sort of," she answered.

"What do you mean 'sort of'? Do you know where we are? Did you run away? Sorry if I'm being nosy," said Samantha, "but if I told you what we—"

"Samantha!" Valerie cut her off. She shook her head then made circles with her forefinger by her ear, making the "crazy" sign. There was no way a strange girl would believe they came through a magic mirror. Samantha seemed to understand what she was trying to say. Val recovered from the outburst. "Why don't you let her answer the questions you've thrown at her first, before you start asking her more?"

"That's okay, I don't mind questions. But please, I need to keep walking. Will you walk with me? You really should. It's not safe to go back the way I came."

"Why?" asked Samantha. "Is there a dragon or something that way?"

"A dragon?" The little girl laughed. "You must read too many bedtime tales. The only dragons in the forest are cute little lizards."

Samantha sighed with relief and blushed. She gave Valerie a little hit on her arm. "So much for your fairy tale land."

Valerie sniggered as they walked off together.

#  Chapter 6

"We didn't even get your name," Sam said.

"Sorry. I'm a little out of sorts right now. It's Snolindria."

"Snolindria? That's really pretty. Way different than anything I've ever heard before."

"I guess so," she replied with a shrug. "My mom used to call me Snow."

Valerie and Samantha stopped dead in their tracks. Sam's eyes widened as Valerie gave Samantha another pleading look. I know you're thinking what I'm thinking, but let's not say a word!

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, we're fine." Samantha's voice cracked as she spoke. She and Valerie took a few hurried steps to catch up. "We've just been walking for a very long time. We, umm, got lost in the woods by Valerie's house. We were wandering after a possum and I guess we lost track of the direction, as well as the time." Sam paused. "What did you mean when you said your mom used to call you Snow? She doesn't call you that anymore? You didn't like it?"

"It's not that," she replied. "My mom died when I was little. I have a stepmother now. She isn't very nice to me and doesn't really call me much of anything, other than a pain in the butt."

The girls giggled at her language, then Val felt bad. She stammered through an apology. "I'm sorry. Your mom dying isn't funny. It was...well...you said..."

The young girl gave them a soft smile. "No worries. I understand." She let out a heavy sigh. "My dad is hardly ever home anymore. I don't like to complain when he's around, so I never mention it to him. We have so little time together...I want to make it happy for us. You two can call me Snow if you'd like."

"I'd like that. Friends use nicknames. You can call me Sam and you can call her Val or Larrie."

"Larrie? That's funny."

"I know," replied Valerie. "I told you my mom was goofy. You know, 'Val-Larrie.' It got shortened to 'Larrie.' Sometimes she just says 'Lar.'"

After a quick belly-laugh, they continued through the forest. Otter happily trotted beside them, occasionally pushing her head under a free hand for a quick scratch.

Their eyes had finally adjusted to the dark and they were able to maneuver their way through the forest without any problems. The girls didn't want to use the flashlights. If Snow truly was who they thought she was, she would have no clue what the strange devices were, and they would probably frighten her. Of course, she couldn't be that Snow, but it was in the back of their minds just the same.

After walking across a small meadow, they stopped briefly after catching sight of a couple of deer grazing nearby.

Samantha turned to Snow. "How is it you came to be out in the woods alone—" She stopped her question. "Hey, look! A cottage! Maybe someone is home and can help us."

"I don't know. I don't see any lights." Val quickly recovered. "I mean, light from candles or anything."

"But it's late. Maybe they're just sleeping. Let's stay together and try to be quiet. We don't want to scare anyone and have them come out with a shotgun...uh, weapon or anything," Sam said.

Val nudged Sam. "Drama Queen."

Together they walked closer to the cottage. "This place is small. Look how low the roof is. You think it's a playhouse?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," answered Valerie. "It would be a little big for a playhouse, even by your grandpa's standards." Samantha's grandfather had built her a huge playhouse when she was three years old. It was a Victorian style and had two stories. "It doesn't look like anyone is home...if anyone lives here at all. I'll go check it out, you guys wait here."

Val walked to the house and stepped up to the door, placing her ear to it. When she didn't hear any sounds, she went in. She couldn't find a light switch, so she moved her flashlight beam across the house, looking for signs of someone living there. The light revealed quite a mess.

Certain they were alone, she shouted to Sam and Snow. "Either someone left in a hurry, or they are very messy. This place is a disaster. You guys can come inside. I don't think anyone is home."

Lightning cracked as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Sam and Snow hurried toward the cottage. It started to pour almost the second they walked in.

"Whew. We got in just in time," Samantha said as she closed the door behind them. "Isn't this strange? A cottage way out here in the middle of nowhere? Lucky for us, though." She turned to Snolindria. "You're awfully quiet. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, just very, very tired. Let's look around for some beds."

"I'm tired, too." Valerie walked past the kitchen area, through a doorway, and stopped dead in her tracks. "Um, Samantha, you want to come here for a second?"

Samantha hurried to her side, and gasped. "You have got to be kidding me!"

There they stood, looking into a bedroom with seven small beds. Snow came over and joined them.

"That's odd. This is the only room. You think children live here on their own?"

"I don't know." Valerie glanced over to Samantha. Again, her eyes were wide and filled with wonder.

"It's awfully late for them to not be home if they do still live here," Snow said with a yawn. "I'm so tired, I'm going to fall over. Let's crawl into bed and worry about what to do tomorrow. At least it's a nice dry place to sleep for tonight." She walked to one of the beds, shook out the top blanket and crawled in.

Val whispered to Samantha, "Still think we're in the forest by my house?"

"I stopped believing that a while ago, Val. I don't know how she could be who we think she is, but this is getting stranger by the second. It's late. We can get her story in the morning."

Val and Sam chose beds beside Snow. Despite the excitement the day brought, they managed to fall asleep almost immediately after a quick, "Goodnight." Otter curled up in the doorway to the bedroom as if on guard duty. She was asleep in seconds as well, dreaming as she always did, with a low whimper and her legs slightly kicking. No doubt her dreams were of chasing rabbits, squirrels, barn cats, and perhaps an occasional possum.

The storm died down, but the rain continued to fall throughout the night. The girls slept well, considering their current circumstances. Even though the house was a mess, the roof didn't leak and kept them snug and dry. Samantha was usually the early riser, and was the first to awaken to the bright morning sun shining in the tiny room.

"Yuck, this place is even dirtier in the daylight."

Valerie and Snow woke up at Samantha's protests. Valerie took a few blinks as if she was trying to figure out where she was. She glanced over at Samantha and Snolindria and stretched wide.

"Excuse me." Her morning stretch, more often than not, was followed with a slight musical from her behind. The other two girls laughed.

"That's nothing," said Samantha. "You should hear her burp! If there were windows, she would make them rattle."

Valerie's eyes widened. Staring at Samantha, she blurted out, "Safety!"

Just as Val began to shout, Samantha cried out, "Doorknob!" Valerie got her reply out first; she was the victor this time. They laughed instead of beginning a chase.

"What was that about?" asked Snow.

"It's just a game we play," explained Samantha. "If I say 'doorknob' before Valerie says 'safety' after she farts, she has to run to the closest doorknob and touch it for a safe base; otherwise, I get to punch her as hard as I can."

"You two are sure weird," Snow said with a grin. "Let's take a look around the house. Maybe there's something to eat." She stood up and stretched. No music accompanied it.

There were dishes in the sink as well as most of the countertops. Valerie and Samantha noticed the sink was actually a washbasin made of wood, and the faucet connected to a small well. There was no sign of a refrigerator. There were no lights either, but instead tiny lamps that needed to be lit with a match.

"That explains why I couldn't find a light switch last night," Valerie whispered to Samantha. "We must be in another time."

Snow found some fruit that had been preserved in jars in the cabinet, and Val found some clean forks. Sam cleared a spot on the table so they could sit down to eat breakfast. After eating, Val proved Samantha correct about her burping skills, then stood after saying, "Excuse me."

"No chase after a burp?" Snow asked with a smile.

"I can't run that much in a day." Sam laughed. "Well, we have no game plan. I say we clean this dump up as payment for the food, in case someone does actually live here."

"Sounds like a fair trade to me," Val said.

"I'm in," Snow added. "I just wish I could make animals help us. This is going to be quite a chore."

Val and Sam grinned. If only real life could be like the movies...

Valerie worked on the dishes that were in the sink, as the other girls brought dirty ones off the counters over to her. With Val on dish detail, Samantha took the task of shaking off the bedding, while Snow dusted.

When Samantha came back in with slightly less dusty comforters, she told the other two about a creek she found out back. A group decision was made to go out and relax by it once they were done, soak their tired feet, and let some sunshine sink in while they discussed what to do next.

#  Chapter 7

"Well, at least I think we've earned our keep for staying the night and eating some of their food," Snow said, once they were settled at the creek. "If there are owners, I don't think they'll mind so much now."

Val and Sam smiled and nodded, agreeing with her. They were pretty sure who the owners were, but were hesitant to share any information or their thoughts about it.

"Snow, why were you out in the forest by yourself?" Samantha asked. "If you don't mind talking about it, that is."

"That's okay. I have nowhere to go and nothing to lose anymore." She kept her attention on the water, avoiding the girls' eyes.

"What do you mean?"

She let out a long sigh. "I was running from the huntsman. Well, not really running from him. He'd caught me, but he let me go."

"Who's that? What do you mean running from him?" asked Valerie.

"Well, I told you my stepmother didn't care for me much. That's an understatement. She hates me. She tried to have me killed."

"What?" both of the girls cried at once.

"How could she do that that? That's too cruel to be true!" Sam added.

"I know, but it is true." She blinked, as her eyes filled with tears. Swallowing hard, she continued with her tale. "The huntsman was supposed to kill me. He had orders to bring my heart back to my stepmother as proof, so there were no questions about him completing his task." She was finally able to look up at the girls. The tears that she'd fought so hard to control finally spilled down her cheeks. "I don't know what I have done to make her hate me so much."

"I'm sure you didn't do anything," Samantha reassured her. "We've only known you for a short time, and we like you very much. She must be a very mean lady and probably doesn't treat your dad too well, either."

Snow wiped at her eyes with a little more force than necessary. Anger was taking over sadness. "No, she doesn't. That's probably why he goes away so much. I wish he could take me, but he says he can't. Like I said, he doesn't know how horrible she is to me, since I don't tell him. I should have done something before it got this far. I can't go back now. I'll be killed for sure, one way or another. She's certain to kill the huntsman as well, for not doing his job." She paused for a minute. "I miss my father dearly. Maybe if we keep going, we can find a town and get word to him. He'd leave her and have her put in jail once he learns what she tried to do."

"This is horrible," said Valerie. "I'm glad we came along when we did. I feel safer with us being together. It's a good thing we found this place and had shelter, but you're right. By the condition this place was in, we don't know when or if anyone would come back. We should keep going, look for a town, and try to find a sheriff or something."

"That sounds like a good idea to me, too," Samantha agreed with a confident nod.

"Are you sure you want to stay with me after what I've told you? It could be dangerous. What if she tries to come after me?"

"I bet the huntsman was smart," said Valerie. "He probably killed a wild boar or something, and took its heart back to her as proof you were dead. He wouldn't have wanted to get himself in trouble." She stole a quick glance at Samantha. Valerie was sure Samantha knew she was following along with what happened in the story, trying to comfort Snow. Sam winked back. Val translated that as "quick thinking, girlfriend."

Val couldn't believe this was happening, but she couldn't deny it any longer. They were with Snow White and living her tale.

"I sure hope so. I'd hate to be the cause of anything happening to you two. What about your parents? Won't they be worried about you?"

"I didn't think about that," said Valerie. "I was so involved in your story, I wanted to stay to help you. I haven't thought about finding our way back home. We knew we were wandering in the wrong direction when we found you."

"I don't want to go back now," Samantha said. "We have to stay and help."

"I know. I want to, too. My mom will understand, especially when we explain everything that has happened when we get back."

"Especially your mom." Samantha laughed. "We'll just tell her we found a stray. We won't even be lying."

"It's settled then. We stay with you, find you help, and we aren't leaving a minute sooner."

"I don't know how to thank you two." Snow had tears building in her eyes again.

"That's not necessary. It's what friends do. It'll be an adventure." Sam stood. "Now let's get going. Do you know of any towns close by?"

"No, I don't. I've never been so far from my home on my own. I didn't want to risk traveling on the roads last night, not that I could find one now even if I wanted to."

"We'll keep heading in the direction we were going. We found this place. Maybe there's a town further up along the stream," said Valerie.

The girls and Otter wandered upstream for most of the afternoon, pausing briefly for lunch when they found some wild berry bushes. Valerie and Samantha were picky eaters, but wouldn't turn down any kind of fruit. There were a few "Pick your own" strawberry and blueberry farms a few miles from Val's home. They went to at least one with every one of Sam's visits. Her dad discovered wild black raspberries along their fence the summer after they moved into their new home. Val and Sam enjoyed eating the berries, but didn't enjoy the scratches that came with picking them. They were grateful this particular plant had very few thorns within reach of the berry. Snow called it a "Mayberry," but neither of them had heard of it before.

"It's a good thing you know your berries," Sam said. "I would have worried they were poisonous."

The girls rested for a while after they'd had their fill, then headed on their way again.

Valerie glanced down at her attire. When they set out to look for the possum, they really hadn't planned on a trek through a forest with Snow White. She decided to make the best of it.

"I guess it's pajama day."

"What?" asked Snow.

"Pajama day. A lot of times when we don't have anything particular to do and just hang out at the house, my mom says it's pajama day and we stay in our 'jammies' and get to be lazy bums."

"That sounds like fun. I don't do things like that with my stepmother. You probably guessed that, though. I usually have chores to do. Your 'pajamas' as you call them are pretty. I see yours says 'Princess,' Val. Are you a princess, too?"

"Oh, no. I like stories about princesses. Where we come from, the stores sell clothes that have things that you like on them."

"How come Samantha's say Bratz? Is she a brat? Why is she telling everyone that?"

They both laughed.

"That's a kind of doll," Valerie explained.

"That is very odd. I had a doll once when I was small. My mom made it. It was not a brat."

Val and Samantha laughed again and Snow shook her head, looking confused.

"So," Snow continued, "you know my story, but I don't know yours. I heard you whisper about a magic mirror. I'll believe what you tell me. You believed me. I wouldn't doubt you have one. My stepmother does."

"You know about that?" asked Samantha. "I mean, how do you know it's magic?"

"I hear her talking to it a lot. She used to be very happy when she was young. She used to be a very pretty woman -- if you didn't know her, of course. Now she seems ugly to me. She is never happy and is very mean. I just can't see past all that 'ugly' in her personality, no matter how much makeup she uses to try to make herself look prettier."

"Maybe it makes her mad that you are prettier than her," suggested Valerie.

"Oh, I don't know about that."

"But you are very pretty. That could be it."

"I can't imagine her being jealous of me. She never liked me in the first place." Snow sighed. "I don't care anymore. I'm gone now, and that's all that is important. Let's talk about something else. Tell me about your land."

Valerie and Samantha took turns giving her a brief explanation of where they were from; Snow listened, intrigued.

"I can't believe you could have a fire to cook food by turning a knob. And lights that work by hitting a...what did you call it? A switch? That sounds simply wonderful."

The girls were so engrossed in their conversation that it took them a minute to realize they were now walking on a very well-worn path. It was mostly dirt, but they could see grass growing up from the middle and could start to make out wagon wheel tracks.

"You think it's safe to stay in the open, Val?" Sam asked.

"I think we're far enough away from where we found Snow that we should be okay."

They walked for nearly twenty minutes, chatting about nothing in particular and listening to sounds from the forest. The gentle rustling of the trees and sounds of animals scurrying was interrupted by the distinct creaks and rattles of a wagon approaching. The clop-clop of a horse's hooves grew louder.

Not quite sure what to do, Val grabbed Snow and Sam by the hand, wanting to pull them back into the forest. Unfortunately, Otter must have heard the noises, as well. She took off in that direction, wagging her tail but not barking. Hiding in the bushes wasn't an option. She didn't want Otter to be taken away by the driver. Running after her, Val hoped this was someone friendly. The driver stopped his horse at the sight of them. Otter jumped up in the cart and sat next to him like she belonged there.

"Well hello there, young ladies. I take it this is your dog." The driver was around the age of their own fathers. His hair was a little on the shaggy side. A large smile was still visible through his full beard. Since he was petting Otter, they knew he wasn't angry.

Valerie answered him. "Yes, sir. She's my dog."

"Well, what a friendly pooch she is. May I ask what you girls are doing out here by yourselves?"

Snow turned on the charm like only a real princess could. "Hello there, kind sir. We don't live far. We're headed to the next town to visit my aunt. She, um, had a baby not too long ago, and we wanted to see her."

"Princess Rose? You're her cousins?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. Um, on my father's side."

Valerie and Samantha kept quiet. Snow was exceptional at creating a story to tell the driver; they didn't dare try to add to it.

Val whispered. "I sure hope she doesn't get caught in a fib."

"I know," Sam whispered back. "Especially since they seem to know the same person."

Even as he sat in the cart, he bowed after hearing she was indeed the young princess. "Forgive my informal nature, Your Highness. I never would have expected a princess to be traveling alone. May I ask where your servants are?"

"I asked them to go ahead and make sure our accommodations were in order. With all the rain lately, we've been indoors a lot and were in need of a good, long walk. I'm afraid we underestimated the distance. Would you mind giving us a ride the rest of the way, please, sir?"

"It would be my honor." He hopped down to help them up. "Sorry I don't have a fancier wagon like those you are probably accustomed to, but the straw is clean and should prove comfortable."

"Thank you very much," Snow said as he helped her up. The girls got in after her, thanked the driver, and made their introductions.

"I'm returning from market. I have some deer jerky left if you girls are hungry," he offered, handing Snow a cloth pouch.

"Oh, we are! Thank you so much."

"Why don't you give your pooch here a couple pieces, too? She looks like she'd enjoy it."

Val thanked him and did as he suggested. Otter was very appreciative and hungry.

As they traveled down the road, everyone enjoyed small talk. Each girl was careful not to offer too much information. It wasn't worth the chance of caught in a lie that would tangle them up later.

#  Chapter 8

"Thank you so much for the ride, Wilhelm. We can find my servants from here," Snow said, once they arrived in town.

"If you say so, Your Highness." Again, he bowed to her from his seat. "Enjoy the party tonight."

"Oh, we will. Thank you."

As soon as they got off the wagon, the girls pulled Snow aside.

"That was a good save. Do you really have an aunt here that had a baby, or did we just get lucky?"

"My father does have a sister. I knew their kingdom wasn't too far away and that they were due to have a baby recently. So, I guess I did just get lucky. I wasn't certain we were in the same town."

"We probably got turned around a bit in the forest," Val said.

"Probably, but I was really young last time I was here. Nothing looks familiar."

"You did say your stepmother didn't let you out much," Sam added.

"That too. Anyway, the baby really was great news for my aunt and uncle. For years they'd wanted a child, and now their dream has finally come true. You may think this is strange, but my aunt actually told my father that a frog visited her."

"That's really cool," Val said.

Samantha gave a shiver as her response. She was not fond of slimy creatures like Val was.

"Well, the frog told my aunt that she was going to have a child, and not to be sad anymore." Valerie remembered a story about this, but she couldn't place her finger on it. "My uncle thought she was making the story up to feel better but she was so happy with the news, no one made fun of her. From the looks of the commotion in town and from what Wilhelm said, I guess tonight is the party for the baby."

"Maybe your dad is here, Snow," Sam said. "He wouldn't miss his niece's party, would he?"

"He would if he was off with the crusades. There's no way he'd leave his men to join a party. My aunt, the queen, would be pleased to see me, but I can't go to her. She wouldn't expect my stepmother to show, and she would certainly know I wouldn't be here alone. We'd better stay out of sight. You should put a rope of some sort on Otter, Val, or they'll think she's a stray."

"That's probably a good idea. I'll go find something."

"I'll go over to that fruit stand and see what time things are going to start tonight. Maybe we can find something to wear so we can blend in with everyone and sneak something to eat while everyone is busy with the festivities. We need to find somewhere to sleep tonight, too. Maybe one of the servants has a kind heart and somewhere we can stay." Snow wandered toward the stand.

"She really is a great person, Val."

"I know. I like her a lot."

"I wish she could come back with us."

"She can't, Samantha. She has to stay and live happily ever after with the prince, remember?"

"I know. It's just that you always wanted a sister and right now, she has nowhere to go."

"We'll find a way to help her get back to her dad. She'll be okay."

"I hope so. Hey, this will make a decent leash." Samantha bent down and picked up a long piece of twine that had been discarded. "Let's go find Snow and get to that party. I'm starved. I didn't like that jerky too much."

"I swear, Samantha, you are the pickiest person I know."

"You're a fine one to talk," Sam said, punching her on the arm.

They ran over to look for Snow, but couldn't find her right away. Panic was about to set in, but they relaxed again when she came out from behind one of the carts and hurried over to them.

"That woman was very nice. I told her that our clothes got lost on our trip and all we had were our night things. Her daughter became ill a few months ago and passed away. She couldn't bring herself to get rid of her clothes, and was very happy to be of help to us. I told her we were orphans. She's a very kind lady. I hope I can return and do something nice for her someday."

"Can we please take a minute to go thank her?" asked Samantha.

"Of course, then we must get going. It's still a little bit of a walk to the castle."

The girls turned around to go to the stand where Snow pointed, but to their surprise it was gone.

"Where did it go?" asked Valerie.

"I don't know. How did she disappear so fast?"

They turned back to Snow without uttering a word about the missing woman, and went into the forest to change their clothes.

Dressing in this time was a challenge. The clothes had no zippers or buttons. Instead, they had ties on very loose-fitting dresses. The underwear was almost as large as the dresses themselves. The peddler woman had given them simple leather shoes that held at the top with a tie. The girls were close in size. The shoes were a pretty good fit, and a much better choice to help Sam and Val blend in than the shoes they were wearing. Sam's boots with the large tread, especially, were far too modern. Snow was particularly happy to no longer go barefoot.

"It's a good thing we don't have our Heeleys, Val. Those would really stand out," Sam whispered so Snow wouldn't overhear.

Val laughed. "Can you imagine seeing Little Boy Blue go by in those?"

"What are you two laughing about?" Snow asked.

"Nothing. I was just saying we'd better hide these."

"Good idea."

Val and Sam found a large tree that had fallen over. They tucked their shoes and clothes in a hole, then stuffed the flashlights in there with them. The girls hated to leave them, but they'd rather not have any strange objects with them if they were caught by someone and questioned. History told too many stories about how people reacted to things they didn't understand. The last thing they needed was to invite trouble and be accused of being witches.

"This was really a surprise," said Snow. "Peasants are lucky to have one pair of shoes. This woman must have made them herself for her daughter to have three pairs. Good thing we're so close in size."

Samantha piped in, "I have seventeen pairs of shoes at home."

"Seventeen pairs! Are you sure you aren't a princess?"

"I'm sure. My mom is what Val's mom calls a 'shop-a-holic.'"

"A what?"

"Never mind. It's just something silly between them."

Val whispered to Sam. "We have to try to remember to watch our lingo." She turned back to Snow. "I've been thinking. Maybe we should talk to your aunt. I'm sure she has people who could help us find your dad. You'd be safe here while they look for him."

"Maybe you're right. Let's slip in and join the celebration. We can get something to eat first, then we can make a plan."

#  Chapter 9

"Look at all the food, Sam!" Val said.

"I know! It's more than I'd ever imagine."

"Can you imagine heating up leftovers without a microwave?"

"A microwave?" Snow asked.

"It cooks food really fast," Sam explained. "You don't make a fire, either."

"I can't imagine how you'd cook without a fire."

Val pointed to the band. "Look at all the string instruments. I've never heard a mandolin before." Other people played instruments that were obviously early versions of a violin or fiddle. Whatever they were, the music coming from them sounded incredible. Valerie's aunt and uncle were music teachers. She often watched them play, and sat in admiration as they went from one instrument to the next so easily. She was inspired to ask about taking violin lessons as soon as they returned home.

"This is really wonderful," Snow said. "There were lots of parties at my castle, but I wasn't allowed to attend many."

"Why not?" Sam asked. "Was it your stepmother?"

"Yes. She told my father that a party was no place for a child. He often snuck a tray of desserts up to me after the guests left. Sometimes I'd been crying, so I pretended to be asleep when I heard him approach. Other times, I really wanted to spend time with him and was grateful for the visit." She sighed. "I really miss him."

The girls each wrapped an arm around her. "Your aunt will help us find him. You'll be together soon," Val said.

The girls managed to mingle in very easily with all the commotion going on. Valerie and Samantha were too hungry to question what every dish was. They were careful to pick plain-looking meat dishes, and filled up with lots of fruit. Valerie tucked a cloth napkin of scraps in her pocket for Otter. She decided it was best if they kept her away from of the celebration for now and had left her off to the side, tied to a hitching post. Otter was well-behaved on a leash, Val knew she wouldn't pull or bark.

The king and queen sat at a head table on a large stage. Next to them sat a woven bassinet with twisted vines hanging down its sides, a variety of pink flowers laced throughout them. On either side of the head table were two more tables with six settings each.

"Who are those ladies on each side?" Sam asked.

"They are fairies," Snow explained.

"Fairies?" Sam asked. "I thought fairies were small and had wings."

"Not all," Val said. "She has twelve fairy godmothers?" she asked Snow.

"They are fairies from different parts of our land. It's customary for them to give their gifts to royal babies."

"Wow," the girls said together.

"I can't imagine the kind of gifts they can give," Sam said.

"You'll find out soon enough," Snow said. "For now, let's eat. I'm starved." They dug into the meal.

After everyone was done eating, there was a marvelous fireworks display. Again, the girls were impressed with what could be done several hundred years ago. How men could figure such things out in primitive times like these amazed them. When the fireworks display was done, the king made an announcement that it was time for the twelve fairies to give their gifts to the baby.

Valerie gasped, stepped closer to Samantha, and grabbed her arm.

"What?" asked Samantha.

"The baby! That's Sleeping Beauty!"

"I thought her name was Aurora."

"She was named Briar Rose by her parents. Her three fairy godmothers called her Aurora when she lived with them in the cottage."

"I didn't know she was related to Snow White," Sam said.

"Well, in the books I guess she wasn't, but we're in real life now."

"I wish we could tell Snow about all the things that are going to happen to her, Val. Maybe we can warn her and she won't have to go through those terrible events."

"You know we can't. History will run its course, no matter what we do. We can interfere if we have to, but we can't risk changing the stories too much."

"But what if it means saving her?"

"Well...of course we'd have to do something. But as far as warning her, I just don't think that's possible."

While they talked, they missed the wonderful gifts that were being given to the little princess. A loud bang and a puff of black smoke returned their attention to the baby and the excitement going on at the stage. A thirteenth fairy had appeared on stage and joined the other twelve that surrounded the baby.

"So, am I not important enough to be invited to your little party?" the thirteenth fairy screamed.

The king shot to his feet. "No! It was not intentional. I assure you—" He tried to explain, but she cut him off.

"Not intentional? It would not have been difficult to send word to me. How else can I take you excluding me from your little party? I suppose I'll have to teach you a lesson to ensure it doesn't happen again." The words were angry and delivered with such force, even from far away, it frightened the girls. The evil fairy paced as she spoke and waived her wand around violently.

The queen rushed over, but the king grabbed her waist, holding her back. "Darling don't! She'll only harm you." He pleaded with the fairy as he held his wife. "Mathilda. No. Please!"

The fairy paced around the bassinet. She tapped her forefinger on her chin, as if deep in thought. She stopped and pointed her wand at the king.

"I have it! My gift to your daughter is death! When she turns sixteen, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die! That should give you enough time to think over what you have done!" She held her wand straight above her head. A dark cloud appeared in the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck with a quick blast. The entire crowd gasped as the thunder shook the tables of food, as well as the stage. The baby cried out in fear at the sound. Letting go of his wife, the king rushed to his daughter's side.

Mathilda picked Briar Rose up before the king reached the bassinet. Again he pleaded with the evil fairy. "Please, no! I beg you. Do not harm my beautiful, innocent daughter! Please remove the curse. Cast your spell upon me instead."

The fairy cackled in delight. "It's too late. She will pay for your insolence, you pitiful man! Let's see you leave me out of your celebrations next time! You'll never forget the day you tried to exclude me!" She placed the baby back in the bassinet and stepped back. As suddenly as she had appeared, the evil fairy disappeared, once again in a cloud of black smoke.

The girls stood in shock. Snow was very upset. "My poor aunt! We have to go to her right away." Snow ran into the crowd toward the stage, with Sam and Val close behind.

It took them a while to make their way past the hundreds of frightened guests. When they finally reached the front of the crowd, they found guards surrounding the royal family and the fairies. They were not allowing anyone to pass through, except the king's magicians. The four of them were arguing as to which one would have the best spell to stop the curse. Sparks flew from wands and puffs of smoke sparked and popped as hands frantically flailed as they spoke.

The king paced between his wife and daughter and the magicians as they argued. His brows furrowed deep with worry as he stomped from one end of the stage to the other. Now standing by his wife again, he held her and the baby tight.

"This is all my fault. I didn't think to invite her. No one has seen her for so very long. Mathilda is always so cruel and likes to keep to herself. How could I know she wanted to come? I should have told one of my guards to find her. How could this happen? Our poor, poor Briar Rose."

"Your men will fix this," the queen said. "They have to." Lifting her head up, the queen caught sight of the girls. "Snolindria? Could it be? Is that you, child? Come forward." She motioned to the guards. "Let these girls through."

Snow made her way to her aunt. "Yes, ma'am, it's me. How did you know who I was? You haven't seen me since I was a baby."

"My dear, you are the spitting image of your mother. I would have known your lovely face in a sea of a hundred faces."

Her aunt hugged Snow tight for a long time before finally letting go.

"It is so good to see you, Snolindria, although I wish this was a happier time. Is your father here?" she asked as she anxiously scanned the crowd.

"No, ma'am, he's still away on the crusade. One of my servants brought me so we could visit you and the baby. I came with my friends." She pointed over toward Samantha and Valerie. They knew enough to give her a polite curtsy.

Wanting to stay out of the way, they stood to the side while the king and his magicians argued over what to do to save the baby.

One fairy stepped forward and offered her solution. "Your Highness, I have not yet given my gift."

"I can't think of gifts at a time like this! I have to worry about my daughter dying!"

"Please allow me to speak," insisted the last fairy. "I regret that I cannot take away the evil spell, Your Highness, but I can change it."

"Change it?"

"Yes," she said as she turned to Rose. "My darling child, when you are sixteen and you prick your finger on the spinning wheel, you shall not die. You will instead go into a deep, deep sleep." She waved her wand over the baby's head as she said the words.

The gift did not completely satisfy the king. "I want no harm to come to this child! Do you understand me?" he shouted to his magicians. "What else can we do?"

"Excuse me, sir," Valerie said as she approached the king.

"I'm sorry, little girl, but we are very busy here." He turned away from her.

"Please, sir, I can help. I think I can, anyway."

"How?" he asked, giving her his attention.

"It seems to me that the easiest solution would be to burn all the spinning wheels. Then she can't ever poke her finger on one."

"Why that's...That's an excellent idea! Guards! Go now! Gather up every spinning wheel in the kingdom. They are to be burned immediately!"

He turned to thank Valerie, but she was already gone. After Valerie spoke to the king, Samantha grabbed her arm and they hurried away.

They reached Snow as she was kissing the queen goodbye. "I'll come see you again soon," Snow promised. "Everything will be okay now. You'll see."

"Thank you, child. You take care in getting home. Have your servants take you straight away."

"Yes, ma'am," Snow said as Sam tugged at her sleeve and pulled her along.

"Valerie," whispered Samantha once they were out of the crowd. "You changed the story. Doesn't she go into the sleep and get woken up by the prince's kiss?"

"No, I didn't, Sam. Remember? The wizards decide to have the spinning wheels burned after they try a few spells, but the evil fairy has one appear by magic."

"I guess I don't have a photographic memory for every fairy tale like you."

Valerie gave her a "whatever" look with a little dramatic eye-rolling. "I just felt bad for the king. He was so upset. I just hurried things along for him. The story won't change any. You really should read more, Sam."

"I prefer my dance class, thank you very much."

"What are you girls talking about?" asked Snow.

Samantha turned to Snow. "We can't stay here. Did you get a chance to ask your aunt for help?"

"I couldn't. There is too much excitement going on. She asked if my father was here with me, so she doesn't know where he is, either. What are we going to do now?"

"I have a good idea," Samantha said as she pointed to a man and his cart. He was at the hitching post petting Otter. It was Wilhelm!

#  Chapter 10

"Thank you again for the ride, Wilhelm," said Samantha as they once again travelled down the road together.

"No problem at all. The pleasure is all mine. I can't imagine your father will be too happy about your servants leaving you, though, Young Highness."

"I can't blame them for being scared when that nasty witch showed up. I'm sure they thought I would be fine with my aunt. I really couldn't bear to stay and add to the turmoil."

"I'm sure things will calm down in a bit."

Valerie sensed Wilhelm believed they were stretching the truth. She was grateful he didn't push the issue.

"I hope you're right," Snow said, "but just the same, I would like to go to the next kingdom. There is really someone I must find, and I need to start looking. That is as good a place as any to begin."

Wilhelm was surprised at the determination of the young girls. He didn't have any children himself, and felt he needed to look after these three. The forest held far too much uncertainty to leave them alone. He knew Snow had been fibbing and had no servants with her. No servant, no matter how low in rank, no matter how scared, would simply leave a ten-year-old girl on her own, especially when she was a princess.

The girls were sound asleep on the straw bed of his cart when they reached his humble cottage. His wife had been waiting up for him like she always did, despite his repeated pleading for her to settle in bed without him when he ran late. She came out to help carry the girls in, after he briefly explained how he came across his little friends. After getting them tucked in, she gave Otter a drink of water and some scraps.

"I'll head out for Sequoia Kingdom tomorrow, after they have gotten some rest. They are certainly determined to find someone. I don't know how they came to be traveling alone, but I'm worried for them. My common sense tells me I should take them back the way I found them, but something else makes me want to continue helping them along. I'm not sure what it is, but I sense something has gone wrong and they're running away."

"I can't imagine these three angels could have possibly done anything wrong. Look how peaceful they are." She took great care in tucking them in once more, pulling the blankets up just a little closer to their chins.

"I know," Wilhelm whispered. "If we had children, I would like them to be just like these three darlings."

Wilhelm and his wife longed for children of their own. For several moments they stood there and gazed at the girls adoringly. Finally they went to their bed in the corner of their small cottage and tried to fall asleep. Wilhelm worried about who or what the girls were running from and who they could possibly be looking for. He was sure, however, that his wife was dreaming of a house full of children.

Dorothea made sure she was awake before the girls the next morning. She didn't want them to wake up afraid because they were in a strange place. She'd gone out and collected eggs right away, then started a fire and got busy preparing biscuits for breakfast. Her apron was on, her hair neatly tied up in a bun, and there was a little bit of flour on her face when Samantha joined her at the table. As usual, Sam was the first to stir. The other two were still sleeping soundly.

"Good morning, Samantha."

"Good morning," she replied back as she sat at the table in the kitchen area, rubbing her eyes. "Where's Wilhelm? Are you his wife? Is that why you know my name?"

"Yes, dear. We carried the three of you in last night. You must have been exhausted. Wilhelm went out to take care of the morning chores. He'll be back in shortly. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, ma'am, I am."

"Well, good. I have biscuits in the oven. There's enough to feed a small army. The chickens weren't stingy this morning, either. They must have known we had company. I found almost double the eggs that we normally get in a day. I'll get some bacon going too, as soon as your friends get up."

"Oh, Val will get up when you start the bacon, that's for sure." Sam smiled widely. Although they couldn't agree on many foods, bacon was the one love they shared. Dorothea placed a glass of milk in front of her. "Thank you." After a few long swigs, Sam put the cup down. She was almost embarrassed as, "Yummy!" escaped her lips. Both Sam's and Val's mothers only bought skim milk. This "fresh from the cow" stuff was pretty amazing. "You know, it's really not fair," Sam said.

"What's not fair, dear?"

"You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"How rude of me," she said with a chuckle. "I don't get a lot of visitors. I'm afraid my manners are a little rusty. My name is Dorothea, but you can call me Dot or Dottie. Aunt Dot if you're too proper to call an adult by their first name, dear."

Samantha giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"Val's other dog's name is Dottie." Upon hearing the name, Otter perked up and ran outside. They laughed.

"I suppose she's looking for her friend."

"I guess so. Dottie likes to stay with Val's mom, so she didn't come with us." The other two girls began to stir, which was a good thing. The distraction avoided more questions. Val and Snow wandered over to join the conversation at the table. Samantha took care of introductions. They tried to stick with more small talk; they didn't want to be caught in any lies. Dorothea sensed she shouldn't pry and make them uncomfortable. She wanted them to feel as if they were in a home away from home. As she cooked, she kept to safer subjects like the weather and pets.

Wilhelm came walking through the door, smiling at his guests. He hurried to his wife's side for another good morning kiss. He and Dorothea chuckled as Valerie gave Samantha the whites of her eggs and Samantha returned the trade with her yolks.

"Good morning, little ladies. Did everyone sleep okay?"

"Like rocks. Thank you. I guess I didn't realize how exhausted the trip had made us," replied Snow.

"Well then, it's a good thing we don't have far to go today. Sequoia Kingdom is less than a half a day's ride. I have the wagon loaded up and ready to go to market. When you darlings are done with breakfast, we can get on our way."

They finished eating and asked Dorothea if they could help clean up.

"I'll have none of that. Thank you, but you are guests here. I hope you can stop again on your way back."

"We'd like that very much, thank you," said Snow as she reached out for a strong hug.

Val and Sam said their goodbyes and climbed in the wagon. With a click of Wilhelm's tongue as a signal to the horse, they were once again on their way.

Snow looked back at her new friends' small cottage. She was suddenly sad, thinking about what wonderful people they were and what a shame it was that they had no children to share all that love. She once had the love of a wonderful mother, and now she was gone. Her stepmother deserved no more than to rot away in a dark, cold, lonely dungeon, let alone be responsible for a child. Snow watched Dorothea walk outside with a laundry basket, then stop and squat down next to a tree stump. It was hard to see from where she was but there was definitely something small on it. Wait! Could it be? Was she talking to a frog? "Oh my goodness! It is a frog!" Snow said softly, trying to hide her excitement from the girls. Snow remembered how she felt when her father first told her the story. Fairies and spells were one thing; talking frogs were something else altogether.

As the wagon rounded a turn in the road, Dorothea and the frog disappeared from her sight. Snow smiled. She recalled the story her father had told about her aunt claiming a frog had told her not to be sad anymore, that she was with child. How wonderful for Dorothea and Wilhelm! She hoped she was right.

After a few hours, they stopped for a quick picnic lunch that Dorothea had packed for them. They also took the opportunity to stretch their legs. Otter used her time wisely and enjoyed a nap in the sun. Apparently, she couldn't decide whether it was more fun to ride in the cart or run around after it and chase an occasional squirrel up a tree. She did a little of both during the trip, and was rightfully tired when the wagon finally came to a stop.

Shortly after climbing back in the wagon, they entered the kingdom. Unlike baby Sleeping Beauty's kingdom, the feeling here was a lot less joyful. The people they passed looked tired and sad instead of preparing for a celebration.

Wilhelm tied his horse and wagon up next to an empty wooden vendor stand.

"Is this yours?" Sam asked.

"It is. I have four. It's easier to build a few stands and leave them in the towns I frequent, rather than haul one back and forth. It's much easier on my horse, as well." After looking around he said, "Something feels horribly wrong here, girls. Don't wander away too far."

As they walked away, he noticed a possum between the trees in the distance. "That's strange," he said aloud to himself. "They are usually out only at night. Strange, indeed."

It wandered into the trees almost as fast as it appeared.

The girls promised Wilhelm they would stay close, then walked toward a tavern a few doors away. They were grateful the cart blocked Wilhelm's view of where they were going. A place like this would be a good starting place to inquire about Snow's father, but Wilhelm was sure to wonder what was up if he saw them going in there. A tavern is no place for three young girls.

This seemed like a peaceful community of farmers, not warriors, but Snow was no more familiar with this one than any other kingdom, and couldn't really say for sure one way or another. It made sense that the men in town would gather in a place such as this to haggle crop prices, complain about the weather, or to hide from their wives for a while. Someone had to know something about the crusades, and Snow wasn't going to let her fear of going into a place like this get in her way. Before they could even push open the tavern doors, they overheard three men talking and paused to listen.

"It's a terrible shame," one man said, "for the king to die in battle. What will become of his kingdom now?"

Another gravelly voice spoke. "Is there no son? Surely one will come of age soon."

"No, sadly there is no son, only a young daughter."

The girls listened with heavy hearts. They had found sadness in yet another kingdom. This time, the horrible crusades were to blame instead of an evil fairy.

"No one has even seen the little girl since her mother died. The new queen is a heartless woman. She is not fit to run a kingdom. Surely the House of White will fall to ruin."

The girls gasped and raised their hands to their mouths. Snow felt her legs buckle under her. Samantha caught her arm and together they fell to their knees.

"No!" Snow cried.

#  Chapter 11

Valerie walked over and told Wilhelm they were going further down the road a bit, and not to worry.

"We may have found someone that can help us find who we're looking for. I promise we'll be back before it gets dark." She hated fibbing to him, but she wasn't ready to explain everything.

He knew there was more to the story than what they were telling him, but he simply nodded and let them go. They didn't need his permission; he was happy they took the time to let him know of their plans. He hadn't meddled with them so far, but he was beginning to wonder if it was such a good idea to let them wander alone; they were too young. He would have to find a way to ask them about their troubles. Wanting to be helpful, as well as make sure they did, indeed, return to him, he took hold of Otter's rope. "I'll keep an eye on your pooch for you."

"That would be great, thanks," Val said.

When Valerie returned from talking to Wilhelm, Sam was resting her head on Snow's while she gently stroked her back. Valerie sat and placed her hand on Snow's shoulder. "We'll find a way to get you through this, Snow."

"She hasn't stopped crying," Sam whispered to Val.

Snow finally straightened up and brushed the tears away from her eyes with the bottom of her dress. "What am I going to do now? I have no one!"

"That's not true. You have us." Sam wrapped an arm around her, trying to offer her comfort.

"But you two don't belong here. You can't stay here forever. You need to return to your own time and families."

"We won't leave until we know you're okay," Samantha assured her. "I don't think your stepmother knows you're still alive. No one has tried to follow us, or at least that's how it seems for now. We're safe with Wilhelm. Maybe we should ask him for help and tell him our whole story."

"No, not yet. I have to figure out what I can do on my own. I can't be a burden to such a nice couple. What if my stepmother shows up? I couldn't bear it if any harm came to him or Dorothea because of me." Snow stood and walked away. Sam and Val followed her.

Snow walked out of town and up a hill. The girls kept their distance and remained quiet, knowing Snow needed to gather her thoughts. They couldn't begin to imagine how alone she felt. Sam stopped.

"What is it?" Val asked.

"Listen. Snow, hold up a second."

Snow came back and joined them. "Is that someone singing?"

"Sounds like it," Sam said.

The girls followed the sound until they found a very pretty woman at the bottom of the hill they were on. She had an enchanting voice that captivated the animals around her. Birds were sitting in trees watching her, squirrels ran around, and field mice nibbled on corn thrown about for chickens. There was even a deer standing among the trees close by. The girl sat by a fountain, and sang a lovely song about dreams.

"She has an amazing voice," Sam said as she pointed. "Look. She's just a teenager."

The girl was dressed in clothes that looked like no more than rags sewn together, but that didn't take away from her beauty. The clothing made her look poor, but the house in front of which she sat was very grand.

"She must be one of the servants," Snow said.

The young girl noticed them, and waved as she called out. "Well, hello there. Are you girls lost?"

"Um, no," replied Valerie. "We were just wandering around. We have never been here before. We're...uh...looking for berries."

The group walked down the hill toward her.

"Oh! You're in luck! We have a lot of wild berries growing by the stream. I was going to go there myself. I'll get a basket and join you."

The girl was out of their sight for a moment, then came running over to them with a small basket in her hand. She frowned when her eyes focused on Snow. "Are you okay? You look sad, as if you have been crying."

"I'm okay. I received some bad news today, that's all."

"I hope it's not too terrible."

"I'll be all right." It was obvious Snow wanted to change the subject. "Which way to the berries?"

"They're right over here. Follow me." As the girl led them toward the stream, she tried to spark conversation. "I don't ever get visitors. What brings you girls to our kingdom?"

"We just tagged along with a friend," said Samantha. "He's selling produce in the market."

"I have to sell some of the vegetables we grow at the market, too. Who is your friend? Maybe I know him."

Samantha thought about it for a brief second before she answered; she didn't see the harm in telling the truth. "His name is Wilhelm."

"Oh! I know him. He is a wonderful man! I don't get to talk to many people. My stepmother doesn't permit me to leave the cart, but he always comes over to say hello. He often gives me the most wonderful wildflowers. His wife is a very lucky woman."

"That sounds like him, all right. He is very sweet," Sam agreed.

Someone bellowed from the house, interrupting them. "Danielle!"

Valerie smiled. "Your name is Danielle? My middle name is Danielle. It's the girl version of my uncle's name, but when I was younger I used to think it was a word you used to get attention."

"How is that?" Danielle asked. She glanced over her shoulder, but she didn't answer whoever was calling her.

"Do you need to go?"

"No. They can do without me for five minutes."

"Who?"

"No one important. Please, tell me your story. I've never met anyone else with my name before."

"Well, you know. When your mother really means business and uses your middle name to make her point. I was around three years old; I got upset because my mother wasn't coming over to me fast enough. I stomped my foot and said, 'Mommy Danielle!'"

Danielle laughed. "You remember that from when you were three?"

Sam spoke up. "I think it's more likely Val keeps overhearing it. Her mom loves to embarrass us with stories about when we were younger."

"I didn't even get your names. I'm sorry. She's Val and you are?"

"Samantha, but you can call me Sam. This is Snow."

"Where are you, girl? Come here immediately!" A different voice boomed this time. It sounded much more forceful than the one that had called her earlier.

"I'm very pleased to meet you all, but I guess I really must go before I get in trouble. Will you come visit me again tomorrow? I'll be alone and I'll have more time."

"I hope we can," Val said, "but I don't know how long we'll be staying here."

"Please try to come back if it works out, at least to say goodbye. I'd really like to see you all again." She ran off toward the house, then stopped after a few steps and pointed. "Keep going straight that way. You can't miss the berry bushes."

"Thank you!"

After she was gone, Val turned to Sam. "We might as well get some berries while we're here, but we really need to get back." Then she turned to Snow. "It's time to ask Wilhelm for help."

Snow nodded, agreeing.

When they returned to the cart, it was obvious he was quite distraught.

"What's wrong?" Samantha asked him.

"I'm afraid my horse has thrown a shoe on the way. I didn't notice it until a few minutes ago. She was limping, so I walked her over to the blacksmith. He cannot fit her until tomorrow. I'm afraid we're going to have to stay the night. I've made arrangements with the blacksmith to stay in a small room off to the side of the barn." He led the girls there as he explained the situation.

"This room is not much, but it's dry and warm and the owner has given us clean blankets. There is a grand ball going on tomorrow for the prince. Word around town is that he has to find a wife. The king wants him to take the throne soon and insists he be married."

Neither of the girls had a comment about that with their hearts so heavy with worry for Snow.

"You girls do need to stay here tonight, don't you? Or did you find who you're looking for and have other arrangements?"

"Yes and no." Snow hung her head low.

He looked closely at the girls. They stood there silently, not meeting his gaze.

"I'll get dinner set up for us. After that, we need to have a long talk. Dorothea always prepares too much food in case an emergency comes up. In this case, it's a good thing she did."

After they got settled around the food, Wilhelm broke the silence. "Okay, who is going to go first?"

Valerie told the story as far back as when she and Samantha snuck out of their house to hunt after the possum. Wilhelm believed them; he didn't question the magic their land held. He had witnessed its wonders on more than one occasion himself. He remembered seeing the possum when he watered the horse, but he didn't interrupt the story's momentum with his recollection. When he heard what the queen tried to do to Snow, he was furious. A part of his heart broke for the little girl when he learned of her father's death. He went over to give her a comforting hug.

"Well, then, it's settled. We will leave here tomorrow as soon as my horse is ready. I will see you two back to the place where the mirror let you in," he said to Valerie and Samantha. "Your mothers will be frantic with worry over you. And you," he said as he turned to Snow, "will live with Dorothea and me. I warn you now, young princess, I will not take no for an answer. Our cottage is far from the castle you have grown accustomed to, but you will be loved."

A smile spread over Snow's face before she threw herself into him with a strong hug. She fought the tears that wanted to flow again; this time they were tears of happiness. The other two girls joined in and created one big group hug. Things seemed like they were going to turn out all right, after all.

#  Chapter 12

Early the next morning while the girls slept soundly, Wilhelm went outside to check on his horse. By the time he came back in, the girls were waking up.

"I'm afraid I have bad news. We will have to stay another night. The blacksmith has been so busy with the king's horses, he has not yet gotten to mine...ours." He corrected himself and smiled at Snow, wasting no time trying to make her feel like family. "He thinks it would be best for her to rest for another day, anyway. I have sent word to Dorothea with a rider heading that way, so she won't be worried."

"That's okay," said Samantha. "Now we get to stay for the party!"

"I don't think we would be welcome at the party, little miss. It's for nobility, and you three certainly aren't of age to be looking to wed a prince."

They blushed.

"Maybe we can watch from the forest by the castle." Valerie laced her fingers together as if she were begging him.

"Maybe." He tried to play tough, although he already knew that if the girls had their minds set, they would have their way. Their powers of persuasion were unstoppable.

"Wilhelm, we made a friend yesterday. Would it be okay if we went to visit her later?" Sam asked.

"Well, you girls sure work fast. I don't suppose there is man or beast around that you three couldn't charm. I don't see the harm in it. I suppose I could try to sell what I didn't sell yesterday at the market."

After breakfast, they helped Wilhelm set up his cart. They wandered through the market to make sure they didn't see Danielle there, then headed over to her home.

Once at the house, each one ran on a different direction in search of her. Snow searched the garden, Sam circled the fountain, and Val ran along the far side of the house. They met up again by the fountain. Val grasped an arm on each of them.

"Do you hear that? Someone is calling for help!"

It didn't take long for them to recognize the voice. It was Danielle.

"Someone help me, please!"

"Danielle, it's us. Where are you?" shouted Snow.

"Here, toward the back of the house. Hurry, before they come back!"

Running hard, they took the turn toward the back of the house and saw her waving her arm out a window covered with bars.

Flopping to her knees, Val asked, "Who did this to you?"

"My stepmother. Hurry, please, get me out of here."

Snow and Sam rushed inside to the small storage room under the kitchen. The door was locked.

"How do we get you out? Where's the key?" Snow shouted.

"On a hook, in the kitchen. Quickly, please! They'll be back soon!"

"I'll get it," Valerie shouted as she took off for the kitchen. She found the key and rushed down the stairs. She almost fell, but caught herself, and handed it to Samantha. Sam had been anxiously picking at the lock on the door with a wire, trying to get it to open.

With a loud clank, the door finally opened. Danielle gave them each a quick hug. "We have to get out of here. They'll be back from town any second." She hurried them up the stairs, but stopped once they reached the kitchen. "Wait, I need something. Meet me outside by the fountain."

She darted up the stairs and met them outside after what seemed like an eternity, even though it was no more than a minute. Danielle returned, holding a pile of material in her hands. Heading away, opposite of the direction of town, she said, "This way. Follow me."

The group jogged for almost a mile. Valerie said, "Please, we have to stop. I can't run anymore."

"Just a little further." Danielle pointed. "Look, up there toward the hill. There's a cave behind those bushes. We can hide there."

"But what are we hiding from? Is it your stepmother?" asked Samantha.

"Yes, and my two stepsisters." Again Valerie and Samantha stopped dead in their tracks.

Snow didn't notice their hesitation as she hurried to catch up with Danielle. "I can't believe you have a stepmother who is not nice to you, either."

"Really? You have a mean stepmother, too?"

"She would make yours look like a fairy godmother."

"Oh, I doubt that. This isn't a contest that either one of us wants to win, though."

"That's for sure," Snow agreed as they entered the cave.

Back outside, Samantha whispered to Valerie. "Okay, miss 'know it all fairy tales.' Why is her name Danielle? Isn't this Cinderella?"

"Think, Samantha. Cinderella wasn't her name; that's what everyone always called her to be mean. Remember, she had soot on her face from sleeping by the fireplace."

"Oh, right." She shook her head, still slightly confused at everything that was happening to them, as they walked into the cave together.

"So, are you gonna tell us why your step-monster locked you up," Samantha asked Danielle.

"Samantha, that's not nice," Valerie scolded her.

"That's okay, it's the truth. She is more like a monster than a mother. She locked me up because she didn't want me to go to the ball tonight. The prince is looking for a bride, and she doesn't want me to be there...as if he would give me a second glance, especially like this." She held up the mess of a dress, ripped nearly to shreds.

"What happened to it?" asked Snow.

"They ripped it up; ripped it right off me before they threw me into that dungeon of a storage room. The dress was my mother's, and now it's ruined. I can't possibly repair this mess. I so wanted to go to the ball. I didn't expect to meet the prince, but I wanted to go to a grand ball just once in my life. I was trying it on when my stepmother came into my room."

"Maybe we can fix it," said Val. "My mom and I sew a little."

"I've done a little sewing myself," added Samantha. "I want to be a famous fashion designer when I grow up. I can help, too."

Otter had been a model pet up to this point, happy to be along for the adventure. Without warning, she bolted out of the cave.

Snow was the first to go running after her. She stopped to glance around to see where Otter went, and caught sight of her heading around the hill, out of sight. The other girls hurried after her to join the chase. Once around the hill, they stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of the peddler woman they had gotten the clothing from at the last town. She was petting Otter and talking to her in her kind voice.

"I remember you, you sweet thing. Where are your girls?" She glanced up. "Well, hello there."

"Hello to you, too," Sam said. "We tried to thank you for the clothes, but you were already gone."

"That's quite all right, deary. Your friend thanked me plenty. I see the dresses are a good fit."

"Yes, ma'am, they are."

"I see you've added to your company. Who is the lovely teenager?"

"I'm Danielle. Pleased to meet you, ma'am," she said with a curtsey and a stunning smile. "You seem to already know my friends."

"Oh, yes. What fine young ladies they are. Say, my dear, would you happen to be going to the ball tonight?"

"Well, yes, well...at least I was. I don't have a dress to wear now, though."

"You don't have one, you say? Well then, follow me, sweetheart." She walked around to the back of the cart and pulled aside the curtain. "Here, now. This should be about your size." She pulled out what had to be the most gorgeous gown in the entire kingdom. It was almost as fancy as a wedding gown, except it was light blue. It had small pearl beads sewn throughout it and down the long sleeves.

"It's very beautiful, but I can't pay you for it. I have no money." Danielle hung her head low, and her smile faded.

"My dear, I did not ask for any money. A very spoiled young lady paid for it and never picked it up. She decided she had to have something more expensive, and went elsewhere. This is my gift to you. Fate must have brought us together, as I was just on my way back home and here you are."

"Oh, my! Thank you! I don't know how I can ever repay your kindness."

"Don't give it a second thought, my dear. You can repay me by having a wonderful time." She took Danielle's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I really should be on my way. It was wonderful to see you all again." She said goodbye to the girls and headed off down the road.

"I can't believe our good fortune," Danielle said as they walked back to the cave.

They were halfway there when the old woman call out to them.

"Wait! I almost forgot these." Holding up a box, she gave it a little shake then placed it on the ground. "Can't go barefoot now, can you?" She left the box and continued on her journey.

Valerie ran down the hill to get it. She picked it up, then looked for the woman, but she was gone. "How does she disappear so fast?"

#  Chapter 13

Valerie ran back to the other girls with the box. She handed it to Danielle, eagerly waiting for her to open it. Her imagination ran away with her as she tried to picture what the shoes would look like. Danielle lifted the lid, and they gasped in awe.

"Oh, my goodness! They're the most exquisite shoes I have ever seen in my life!" cried Danielle. "Even my two spoiled stepsisters have never had anything so beautiful. I bet it was one of them that turned down this dress."

"The heels look like glass!" exclaimed Samantha.

"They really do," said Snow. "The tops are so pretty. They sparkle like they're covered in diamonds."

"These shoes couldn't be more perfect or striking if they were covered in diamonds mined by the dwarves themselves," Danielle said as she admired them.

"The dwarves?" Snow asked.

"Yes," she replied. "You have never heard of the seven dwarves?" Her attention turned to Valerie and Samantha. "Have you?"

The three girls shook their heads. Valerie and Samantha had perfected their "poker faces" playing their card game over the years, so their lie didn't raise Danielle's suspicions.

"No one is exactly sure where they live or where their mine is, but all the gems in these kingdoms come from them. Some say there is a powerful spell that hides the mine and their home."

This time the three girls exchanged glances and knowing smiles. Valerie and Samantha already knew who owned the small cottage, but now Snow White did, as well.

Danielle put the shoes on. It was no surprise to Val when she exclaimed, "Look, they are a perfect fit! I can't believe we just happened across that woman. Thank you, Otter!" Danielle gave Val's dog a loving pat on the head.

Otter was obviously unimpressed with the situation. She walked to a corner, deciding it was as good a place as any to take a nap. She curled up and went to sleep.

Val, Sam, and Snow ran back into town to check with Wilhelm so he wouldn't worry about them. He gave the okay to oversee the ball from a distance, but he wanted them home before it got too dark and warned them about going too close to the castle.

"And stay out of trouble," he added.

They hurried back to the cave, got Danielle, then headed toward the castle to sneak her into the ball. After leaving her, they went around the back and found a path through a gorgeous garden that took up the entire backyard. It was big enough to require a few park benches for people to rest at along the way. It even had a huge fountain at its center, big enough to swim in.

Valerie pointed toward the castle. "See there? Right past the fountain, there are stairs going up to the back entry of the ballroom. You can get in that way, since you don't have an invitation."

"I see it!" Danielle said. "Thank you, girls. I guess this is it. I hope I can see you tomorrow before you have to leave."

"We'll make sure we do," said Snow. "I'm sure Wilhelm will let us say goodbye to you."

"We have to hear the details about your night, anyway," Samantha added. "And the beautiful dresses, so I can get some ideas for my creations."

"Have a great time." They waved goodbye, then hurried up the hill for a better view.

Danielle immediately stopped at the top of the stairs to talk to a handsome gentleman.

"It's the prince!" Snow squealed. "Oh my goodness, she walked right into the prince!"

"He seems to like her," Samantha said. "With all the people there, he doesn't know if she belongs there or not. Wilhelm told us that the prince didn't want to get married. I'm sure he was trying to sneak away himself. Now he's probably fallen in love at first sight with her!"

"You two sure seem to know a lot about this stuff." Snow let out a heavy sigh. "I wish I was someone special and that there would be a story about me someday."

Although the girls again wished they could tell her everything, they knew it wasn't possible. Somehow, everything had turned out here, and they were not going to interfere with the way things were supposed to be.

The girls had a wonderful time watching the dancing and the fireworks. They didn't lose sight of Danielle very often; the prince didn't leave her side but once all night. They enjoyed the evening so much, they didn't realize how late it had become. Hearing footsteps behind them, they around, scared at first, until they realized it was Wilhelm.

"You girls promised you wouldn't stay too long. It's almost midnight. I was sick with worry."

"Sorry, but everything is so wonderful we lost track of the time. Look at the fun everyone is having." Samantha pointed toward the ballroom.

Someone running caught Wilhelm's attention. "Hey, that looks like a girl I know from the market. Danielle is her name. What could she be running from?"

The girls found who he was pointing at. It was Danielle. Not only was she running away, she was obviously crying as well. They took off after her with Wilhelm close behind, but she ran away before they could catch up to her. When they reached the ballroom stairs, the prince was desperately trying to shake loose two ladies who clung to his arms.

"They must be her stepsisters," said Snow. "I wonder what they could have done to make her run away crying like that."

Finally, the prince shook himself free and ran down the stairs toward them.

They were heading his way when he stopped. Even from where they stood, they could see the light glittering off the item at his feet. The object glistened as if it were covered in a thousand diamonds. It was Danielle's shoe.

He picked it up and closed the gap between himself and the girls. "Do you know that girl? The one who ran away? This is her shoe. I must find her. I must! I've spent the best evening of my life with her, and now those two stupid, insolent ladies up there..." He stopped talking as he glanced back up the stairs. The ladies were gone. "Please. I need to find her. Do you know where she has gone?"

Snow was the first to step forward. "We do know her. She's our friend."

"Take me to her, please. I must see her, now. Please!"

Wilhelm caught up to them, completely out of breath. "What is this, girls? Can one of you please explain what this is about?"

"Are these your children?"

"No, but they are with me. Is there a problem?"

"No. Well, yes. I mean..." He turned back to them. "Please, girls. You must take me to Danielle."

"Of course we will. Follow us. You'll need a lantern, but it's not far," Val explained. "There's only one place she would be."

"Will one of you please tell me what is going on?" pleaded Wilhelm.

Samantha explained to him about meeting Danielle the day before, and about the rescue earlier that day. Both he and the prince listened intently as they made their way to the cave.

Otter hopped up to attention at the sight of the prince, as if she were guarding the entrance. She relaxed, however, when she spotted the girls at his side. Her stance went from "standing guard" to "tail-wagging mode."

Once inside, they found Danielle sitting in a corner, weeping. Her body jerked slightly as a soft gasp escaped her. She had been startled to see the prince with them. Standing, she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Oh girls, you shouldn't have brought him here." Looking past him, Danielle caught sight of her friend from the market. "Wilhelm? What are you doing here?"

"For better or worse, I guess I'm responsible for these girls at the present. Are you okay?" He approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I have never been so humiliated. Everyone, please go. Please just leave me alone." She turned away and flopped back onto the ground.

The prince stepped forward. "Danielle. I know your stepsisters were lying. You are not a mere servant like they claimed you are. You are nobility, and that home and land is more yours than theirs." He reached for her hands and stood her up. "When we separated for a short time tonight, I did some checking with our elders. I wanted to know why I did not know of such a beautiful and caring person in my kingdom. It saddens me to think you lived as a servant all these years, when you should have had so much more. I am not so sad though, because it has made you the loving person you are. You know what my father has asked of me tonight." He knelt down on one knee. "If you'll have me, I would like you to be my wife." He took her leg by the calf and gently slid the shoe on her foot.

She cried out and dropped down into his arms, giving him a hug as tears once again filled her eyes. This time, however, they were tears of joy. She muttered a weepy "Yes" into his shoulder. He hugged her tighter.

When Danielle could finally bring herself to let go of the prince and stand up, she rushed over to the girls and Wilhelm, where they shared many hugs of congratulations.

"I shall see that your stepmother and stepsisters are sufficiently punished for what they have done." The prince claimed Danielle's hand. "We must go back to the party and announce our engagement to my mother and father. Then we will deal with those three. Is everyone coming?"

"Oh, no," protested Wilhelm. "Not these three. I'm afraid they have been up to enough mischief for one night. They will come back to the shed with me. We need to leave early in the morning and get back to my wife."

"Aw, Wilhelm..." they whined. They didn't put up a fight, though, and went over to Danielle for a long hug goodbye.

The prince shook Wilhelm's hand. "You be sure to return to my kingdom soon, sir. You and your wife shall be welcomed like family. Without your help and that of these girls, I may have never found my queen." He bent slightly at the waist, which made Wilhelm feel proud. The prince was bowing to a commoner such as himself? What a grand day indeed!

#  Chapter 14

Wilhelm, the girls, and Otter, got an early start the next morning as he'd promised. The ride was uneventful, especially considering all the excitement they'd had the day before. They were happy to see Dorothea and the tiny cottage again.

She gave them big hugs and, of course, had a meal fit for a king waiting for them.

"Gee, Val. For being lost in your woods, we sure are eating great. I'm probably gonna need new jeans when we get back."

"Like you need a reason to ask for new jeans, Sam." The girls laughed together. Sam was as much of a shop-a-holic as her mother, with an equally over-spilling closet. This was another point on which the girls differed like night and day. On many occasions, Val's mom had to insist that she change out of her pajama pants before leaving for school. Samantha was always dressed and completely accessorized.

Dorothea and Wilhelm stepped outside to talk. The girls assumed he was going to tell Dorothea the news about Snow. Suddenly, Wilhelm came bursting in.

"We're going to have a baby!" he shouted with pride. "Finally! A baby of our own!" He hugged them, then picked up Dorothea and spun her around.

"I'm sorry, dear. I should probably be more careful with you."

"It's fine this once, but I suppose I should be more careful not to let such strong, handsome men swing me around from now on."

Wilhelm stole one more quick kiss, then was off to spread the word to everyone he could. He was temporarily distracted and forgot he wanted to get the girls back to their home right away.

Snow turned to the girls. "Looks like he forgot about wanting to get you guys back."

Sam grinned. "I know. That's too bad, huh? Now we get to spend more time here."

Val laughed and gave her a gentle jab.

Snow's smile faded. She wandered outside and the girls followed her.

"You doing okay, Snow?" Valerie asked.

"I'm fine. It's just that I worry about them. I don't think I should stay here. Dorothea will have a baby of her own soon, and they surely won't need me in the way."

"Don't say that. They love you. Of course you are still wanted. You think I got any less attention when my brother was born?" Sam asked.

"I know how it works." Snow sighed. "I don't know about this, though. I think I want to be by myself for a while, if that's okay with you two. I'm going down to the creek for a bit."

"Okay. Don't be long, though. Dorothea will start to worry."

Snow sat at the creek and cried. She missed her father so much, and could not imagine life without him. Her mind wandered to her stepmother's magic mirror and hoped that it could not see her and know she was still alive. She picked up pebbles and tossed them in the water. As the water rippled, she noticed something shiny and red at the bottom, on the other side. Otter came running up behind her and ran straight into the water, making splashes everywhere, and Snow lost sight of it.

"You sure do have the right name, you silly dog," she said with a laugh. Otter wagged her tail, and almost appeared to smile in satisfaction. Made you smile! My job here is done. She came out of the water, shook herself off, and rolled around in the grass. The water grew calm, and Snow saw the shiny red object again. She was wading through the creek as the girls came running up.

"What are you doing, Snow?" asked Samantha.

"I see something in the water. Look, right there." She pointed. "Wait. I'll get it and bring it over. You probably can't see it with me stirring up the water. Otter did that to me a minute ago, as well." She made her way over to where she thought it was. It took a second to find it before she bent down, picked it up and studied it. It was the biggest ruby she had ever seen.

"What is it?" Val asked from the edge of the creek.

"Look!" She held it up and ran back through the water.

The girls took turns with their exclamations of amazement. "Oh my gosh! Is that a ruby? It's huge!"

"Sure looks like one to me. My mother had a ruby ring, but nothing like this."

Together they wandered through the creek searching for more stones, but didn't find anything.

Something caught Valerie's attention on the other side of the creek. She walked over to Samantha and gave her a nudge.

"Sam, look! It's the possum!"

"Val, maybe it's not even the same one. We are in a forest."

"It has to be. I never see them at home, now this one keeps showing up. Snow, come here! There's the possum we were following."

As if it heard the commotion, it scurried deeper into the forest. The girls rushed to get out of the creek and went after it, careful not to lose it, but also careful not to get too close and risk scaring it.

They followed it over trees that had been blown down and bushes so thick, they could hardly make their way through. Wild rose bushes added to the challenge. It was an acrobatic feat at times to avoid getting scratched to pieces.

"I can't believe it hasn't noticed us, Val," Sam said.

"I know. Even Otter seems to sense the importance of the situation, and is behaving."

They were far enough into the forest that they didn't hear the rumbling of a magnificent carriage approaching the small cottage of Wilhelm and Dorothea. Inside the carriage sat a once-stunning woman who now just looked haggard. She wore a black dress with a black hooded cape and a not-so-modest crown on her head. In her hand was a small, jeweled mirror. The woman found her own appearance so stunning that she rarely took her eyes off herself.

It was Snow White's stepmother.

#  Chapter 15

Where is she?" the woman in black demanded from the doorway of the tiny cottage. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed tightly together. Her face reddened as she waited for Dorothea to answer. "I know she's been here. You cannot hide my daughter from me, you fool!"

"I have seen no one, Your Majesty. We are but poor farmers. Only my husband and I live here. There are no children here. We don't even have any of our own. Please. We have done nothing wrong." She pleaded with the evil queen, who pushed her way into the house, knocking items to the ground as she passed them.

"Liar! Guards! Search her house, then burn it down! I will not be made a fool of, now or ever!"

"No!" Dorothea cried. "Please!"

One guard used more force than was necessary to pull her outside. She feared for the baby and didn't put up too much of a fight. When he let her go, she slumped to the ground in tears, arms protectively wrapped around her belly. Two other guards searched the cottage, overturning tables and the bed in their haste. They broke everything in their path before they went outside and touched the flames of their torches to the thatched roof.

Dorothea didn't know where the girls could have gotten to, but she was glad they were away from there and hopefully safe. She felt helpless, not being able to do anything as the flames flowed over the walls of her house, turning her happy home to ash.

The queen was well out of sight when Wilhelm returned home. At the sight of the smoke, he ran his horse as fast as she could go. He didn't even let her come to a complete stop before he jumped off and ran over to Dorothea. His first concern was not for the house, but for his wife. He held her close and wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry, Wilhelm," she cried. "I couldn't stop her."

"Stop who? Who did this?"

"The evil Queen White. She was looking for Snow."

"Did she get her and the other girls?" he asked in a panic.

"They weren't here, thank goodness. I don't know when they disappeared. I was busy cleaning up. I didn't even notice they had gone." Her crying got louder. "I'm going to be a lousy mother!"

Wilhelm tried to comfort her. "Shhhh." He put his hand to her belly in an attempt to comfort the baby, as well. He had only known he was a father for a couple of hours, but already he was as protective as any father could be. "You'll be a wonderful mother. The girls seem to operate on their own schedule. I'm sure they wandered off again. This time, it was a good thing they did."

Together, they walked to the creek, but could find no sign of Sam, Val, or Snow.

"I know enough about them to be certain they can take care of themselves. I don't think they were here when the queen showed up, or they would have tried to help you. They would have been captured in the process, for sure. It is best that they are long gone from here."

"But will they be all right? Are you sure, Wilhelm?"

"That much I know for sure, my love." He tried to put her mind at ease and gave her forehead a gentle kiss. "Now, we must get going."

"Oh, our home. Our lovely home."

"We'll be okay. The house is not important to me. It is only you, the baby, and the girls that I am concerned about. We must go see the prince. Surely he can help us. We'll ask him to get a search party together to look for them."

"I would feel better if I truly knew they were safe."

"I'm certain they will be fine. Let's be on our way. We'll be traveling in the dark. That's not ideal for the road to Sequoia Kingdom. Are you sure you and the baby are all right? I should not have left you alone."

"We are both fine, really."

"Okay then," he said with another kiss, his hand once again on her belly. He could see his cart in flames by the house. "This old mare should only carry one of us. I insist that you ride. No arguments."

She nodded. "I won't argue with you, dear." He helped her onto his horse and began the long journey on foot, leading them toward help.

The sun was sinking low in the sky. It was going to get dark faster than the girls anticipated.

Samantha stopped walking. "Valerie. We have to stop. This is getting stupid. It's getting dark, I'm tired, and we didn't even tell Dorothea we were leaving. I'm sure she's getting worried about us."

Snow agreed. "Sam is right."

"I know. I was thinking the same thing. That stupid possum keeps getting us into more trouble. The moon will help, but I think it'll be too dark to even try to follow it soon. We should go back. This was a dumb idea. Sorry. I was thinking maybe it was leading us somewhere for a reason. You know, like bringing us here to Snow."

The girls got themselves turned around and began to head back. At least, they thought they were heading back the right way. After a short while, they came to a creek.

"Sam? You don't think we're back already, do you?" asked Val.

"We can't be. That was too quick. Are we lost now?"

"Maybe it's the same creek," Snow said, hopefully. "We should follow it. I bet it'll take us back to the cottage."

"Maybe," answered Valerie. "One of our rivers back home, the Mississippi, winds all over the place. We cross it a dozen times on the way to my grandma's house. It's worth a shot to try to follow this one."

"I hope so," Snow said. "I don't want to be lost. The last thing I want to do is worry Wilhelm and Dorothea needlessly."

Suddenly Samantha let out a cry of delight. "Look in the water. It's so sparkly! It looks like diamonds."

"Wow, does it ever! The sand looks like what was on Cinder...I mean Danielle's shoes." Valerie beamed with excitement. She loved collecting odd rocks around their farm. These were simply stunning.

The girls wandered through the creek, marveling at the sand and small stones, totally distracted from their journey back to the cottage. They were so intent on their search, they didn't even notice an old haggard woman standing by the creek until they were right upon her.

"You girls shouldn't be out here alone."

She had caught them off guard, and they jumped at the sound of her raspy voice. The sight of her was equally unappealing. Her wrinkles were far worse than merely that of an old woman. Her face had the appearance of a scary Halloween mask made of rubber, rather than skin. All that was missing was a large wart on her much too pointy nose. She stood hunched over and used a walking stick for support. The fingers that clutched it were far too thin. They were like the hands of a skeleton instead of those of a person. Her eyes were an unnatural dark shade, almost completely black. Her gaze sent a chill down Valerie's spine. Otter started to growl.

"Stop that, Otter!" Valerie scolded. "Bad dog!"

"Don't be afraid, dearies. I am merely a harmless, old peddler woman. I have wandered off the road for a bit of rest. I didn't expect to find anyone else out here. You girls shouldn't be out here alone. There could be dangerous people in the forest."

"Is the road far away?" Samantha asked. "I guess we are kinda lost."

"Oh, no. It's not far at all, my dear. It's off that way just a bit," she said as she pointed behind her. "I do, however, have something for one of you before you go."

Puzzled by the statement, their faces twisted with odd expressions.

"What do you mean have something for one of us?" asked Samantha. "You couldn't have known we'd be here."

"You are correct there. It's just that I have but one item left to sell, and I would rather not take it home. I'd like to give it to one of you. It's a shame to have to pick one from three such pretty girls. I do wish I had more of my beautiful hair combs."

"Hair combs?" asked Valerie.

"Yes." The woman walked over to Snow. "I do believe this silver would look best in your dark black hair."

As she reached up and put it in Snow's hair, memories of the story came rushing to Valerie. She let out a loud scream, but it was too late.

#  Chapter 16

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The old woman cackled, then right before their eyes, she transformed into the evil queen as Snow fell to the ground.

"That will teach you girls to try to interfere with my plans. No one is smarter or more beautiful than I." She laughed her sick, satisfying laugh. "I will always see to that. No one will get in my way, least of all stupid children like you!" She looked down at Snow's lifeless body. "I'm so pleased your father is out of the way, as well. Now the kingdom is truly mine." She turned to walk away. Just as suddenly as she appeared, she was gone.

"Valerie! The comb was poisoned, wasn't it? What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know. I should have known it was her. Why didn't I think faster?" she cried as she knelt down by Snow. "I can't think back to that story. What revived her?" Valerie strained to remember as she not-so-gently pounded her fists to her forehead.

Whistling and singing interrupted Valerie's outburst. She stood, and hurried to follow the sounds. Flames from torches moving through the forest caught her sight...seven small torches. This was too good to be true.

"Quick, Samantha. It has to be the dwarves! Go get them! Hurry! I'll stay with Snow."

The dwarves were startled at the sight of Samantha frantically running toward them. Never before had they come across someone they weren't expecting in their woods.

"Please! You have to help us," Sam shouted as she got close to them.

"What it is, child? What's the screaming about? What are you doing in the woods alone?"

"I'm not alone. Please, you have to help my friend. An evil witch poisoned her! Come now. Hurry!" She grabbed the first one in line by his arm and pulled him along. The rest hurried behind her. They reached Snow and Valerie in a few moments.

"I believe it's the young princess," the older dwarf said.

"Yes, it is. Now please, help her."

One of the dwarves knelt by Snow. "Poisoned, you say? Would it be with this comb?"

"Yes, that's it! Be careful!" Valerie warned them.

"My dear, that witch, as you called her, has no power over us. She should not have used stones from our mine in the crafting of this hairpiece. Now that we are with you, it no longer has powers over our little friend here, either." He removed the comb from her hair and took a handkerchief from his pocket. After carefully wrapping it up, he handed it to another dwarf, who stored it in a pack on his back.

"Really? That's it?"

"That's it," he assured them with a slight nod.

"Oh, my! Thank you!" They took turns hugging each of the little men. When they were done, they returned to Snow's side and each took a hand. With all the excitement, Valerie still couldn't remember what happened with Snow White and the poisoned comb in the story she'd read several years ago.

"Help us get her onto our cart. It would be best if you stayed with her. I'm sure the first things she'll want to see when she awakens are your friendly faces, not our bearded ones. We'll take her back to our cottage. Rest assured, she will be fine."

The dwarves were wise to give the girls the task of taking care of Snow; they would have collapsed from over-excitement otherwise.

As the group traveled back to the cottage, Valerie asked how they knew who Snow was, when clearly Snow didn't know about them.

"My darling girls, we know everything that goes on in the surrounding kingdoms, especially what is happening in our forest. A tree does not fall that we do not know about. Funny, considering no one knows where our cottage is, or our diamond mine. But you three managed to find our home before, didn't you?"

"Yes, we did. I'm sorry," Sam apologized. "We were tired and lost. We didn't think anyone lived there. We didn't do any damage. As a matter of fact, we cleaned up a bit."

"We know, and thank you. I'm afraid we bachelors are not the tidiest men around. We do put in long days at our mine. We even stayed in it that night because of the dreadful storm. I'm afraid some gems have been washed down the stream. I hope they get washed further down until they are well away from us. We don't want anyone else to come snooping around, discovering the jewels, then setting out to find the mine. Mind you, it is hidden very well and protected with a spell, so no one ever could."

"Oh, we weren't looking for your mine." Sam felt guilty and offered them the ruby Snow handed her earlier. "We found this by chance in the stream, but we were really only following a possum."

"I see. Her again, huh?"

"Her? Who is it?"

"You will find out when she's ready for you to find out. She always has a reason for the things that she does. For now, let's concentrate on the young princess."

Valerie and Samantha wanted to go back to Wilhelm and Dorothea, but right now, Snow's safety was the most important thing. They walked alongside the cart, each keeping a careful eye on her.

By the time they got back to the cottage, Snow was awake, although groggy. She was a little confused, since everything had happened so fast, but she recognized the cottage and felt safe. The dwarves put her in a bed, Valerie and Samantha stayed by her side all night. Exhaustion finally set in and they fell asleep, both curled up in the same small bed with Snow. Considering its size, that was quite a feat.

When Snow woke up the next morning, she said she felt great. "I feel like nothing happened at all. If you two weren't here with me, I would have thought this was just a bad dream."

Valerie and Samantha still didn't want to leave her side. They sat at the table with the dwarves, Snow between them, and told the dwarves their tale. As their story went on, they got to know the names of the little men. Even though Valerie was more of a fairy tale fan than Sam, almost every child could probably name the Seven Dwarves.

"Sleepy" lived up to his name. He sat at the table with his head propped on his fist for most of the conversation as he nodded in and out. His head often slid off it, jerking himself awake. His name was actually Leon.

"Dopey" was the funniest one, as they expected he'd be. Always after a laugh, he was constantly crossing his eyes, juggling something, or pretending he was falling. He went by Toby.

"Grumpy" wasn't as bad as they expected. Although definitely the gruffest of the bunch, he still showed concern for their safety and carried on the most about the queen entering their forest.

"This is inexcusable," he said, slamming his hands on the table. "We'll need to get the cloaking spell recast and made more powerful. We need to expand a larger part of the forest. If she thinks for a minute that this child is alive, she'll be back."

"We'll get working on that, Grady. First things first," the one they knew as "Doc" said. His nickname was actually Doc. That made Val and Sam giggle. He wore glasses, just like his cartoon character and was the obvious leader. He was also the one that tended to Snow the most. They figured he was the caretaker of the group and earned that name.

A loud, "Ahhhh Chooooo" was heard from the corner.

"Bless you, Sneezy," Sam said. "I mean, Simon."

"Thank you."

"This darn hay fever. I can't wait until winter," he said with a sniffle.

Toby laughed. "Sneezy. I like that." He faked a sneeze; Simon promptly threw a wooden spoon at him. Catching it, Toby walked around the room, balancing it on his hand. "So what now, Doc?"

"You two girls must go home," Doc said to Valerie and Samantha.

"I know, but can't we at least go see Wilhelm and Dorothea first?" Valerie begged. "They'll be very worried about us, and we really want to say goodbye to them."

The one Val and Sam wanted to call "Happy" placed a plate of warm buns and jam in front of them. He'd worn a smile since they met him. Even when he was concerned for Snow, he smiled and repeated, "She'll be just fine." His name was Henry, but he went by Hank.

"Eat up," he said. "You aren't going anywhere without full stomachs. Sorry I burned them. Just scrape off the black parts, they'll be fine. I'll get some tea going."

"I'm already on it," a shy voice came from the stove. The girls barely heard him.

Valerie grinned and nudged Samantha as she spoke. "You're awfully bashful over there."

Toby leaned in. "Girls scare Billy. He doesn't get out much."

Another spoon was tossed at Toby. He chuckled as he caught it and wandered away, juggling the two of them. "Toss me a third one, Grady."

Grady did, only it hit him in the head. Toby just laughed as he picked it up and walked around, juggling the three spoons as if they were juggling pins.

Doc continued. "You girls will not be safe alone." He paced and rubbed his chin as he tried to come up with a plan. "We'll go with you to their cottage so you can say goodbye. If the queen found you before, she could find you again. With us, she cannot find you. Like the spell on our mine and our cottage, you will be invisible to her mirrors if you stay with us."

Sam was confused. "But wait. We found your cottage on our own."

"Did you, now?" Doc turned away with a grin.

The journey went a lot quicker with the dwarves leading the way. The girls were sure they didn't take the most direct route when they were on their own; especially considering when they left the cottage for the first time, they didn't exactly have a destination picked out. When they finally reached where Wilhelm and Dorothea's cottage should have been, their hearts filled with fear.

"What happened?" cried Samantha. "Look at this. Who would have done this?"

"I know who." Snow fell to her knees and cried. "I knew I would bring them trouble. I knew it!" she shouted as she slammed her fists to the ground.

Hank tried to be of comfort while the other six inspected the ruins. Within a few minutes, Doc came back to report there was no sign of any people in the fire. "A pile of ash and rubble is all that is left of their home. I assure you there are no bodies to be found. They escaped unharmed."

"There you have it," said Hank. "They're fine. Do you know of anywhere else they would go? Somewhere they might go to be safe?"

"The prince!" Valerie brightened up. "He told Wilhelm to go back anytime he wanted. Maybe they went to Sequoia Kingdom for help. Can we go? Please? We have to make sure before we leave."

"I agree that would be the best option," Hank said. "Although we originally set out just to let the girls say goodbye, I'm now also concerned for the couple's safety."

"I agree" and "Of course", was repeated among the little men.

"We'll go to Sequoia Kingdom with them as long as Leon can stay awake." Hank laughed hard as he jabbed Billy in the ribs. "You may run into a girl there, Billy. Think you can handle it?"

Billy gave him a shove as his cheeks reddened.

As the dwarves prepared for the journey by filling their goatskin canteens with water from the creek, everyone jumped at the sound of what had to be at least a hundred horses heading toward them.

"It could be the queen. Everyone, quick, into the forest and hide!" yelled Hank. They each found a place to hide and were as still as they could be, waiting with great fear and anticipation of who would be approaching. Simon sneezed, and Val jumped.

"Shh! Sorry, I know you couldn't help it," she whispered. He nodded and they waited, eyes focused on the house as the horses approached.

#  Chapter 17

Snow cried out, "It's Wilhelm!" He was leading a group of men on horseback. She bolted out from her hiding place and ran toward him.

"It is!" shouted Valerie and Samantha. They also ran out to greet him.

"Look who's next to him," Sam shouted. "It's the prince!"

The soldiers broke into quite a cheer when the girls made their presence known. The girls got their share of hugs from Wilhelm and the prince. The prince ordered a few of the riders to look for clues to see if the queen left any trail for them to follow, and let them know which direction she was headed.

"I thought you'd be gone forever," Wilhelm said to Snow as he held her tight, fighting back tears.

"I am sorry about your house." Snow's happy expression turned sad.

"Don't worry your pretty face about that." He took her chin in his hand. "The important thing is that you are all okay. We have no need for things; it is people that count. You're safe; that is the only thing that matters now."

The prince spoke up. "I have offered to make arrangements for Sir Wilhelm and Lady Dorothea to stay with me on my palace property."

"Sir Wilhelm?" the girls replied with great surprise.

"Indeed. I am forever in his debt and have dubbed him a Knight."

"What for?"

"Without him, I wouldn't have found my fiancée. Surely that's Knight-worthy, don't you agree?" The prince winked at Wilhelm.

Valerie and Samantha nodded in agreement with wide smiles.

"Even without my father's persistence on the matter of marriage, I would have proposed to Danielle on the spot. Of course, without your meddling, I wouldn't have found her, either. I owe you girls a great deal of thanks, as well. I'm glad I had the chance to see you three again."

"Us too," Val said. "I wish Danielle was with you." She turned to Wilhelm with a pleading in her eyes.

"Enough of your stalling. You need to return home," he said.

"Darn it," Sam mumbled.

"I'm very excited to take you to your new home with us, Snow."

"Wilhelm?" Snow said in a soft voice.

He knelt down at her side. "What is it, child?"

"I know you asked me to live with you and Dorothea, and I do feel as if you are truly my own family, but—"

"No 'buts' now, young lady, you will live with us. Don't you think that just because..."

"Please," she interrupted, "I love you two. I really do, but I don't think the queen will stop looking for me—ever. I couldn't bear for anything else to happen to you two, not to mention the baby once he or she arrives."

"But, Snow—"

"Please, Wilhelm. The dwarves think I'll be safe with them and I feel it, too. Besides, they need me. I don't think any one of them could boil water without burning it, and no one lifts a finger to clean up. I think it's time they had a woman to look out for them." She turned and faced the dwarves, hoping they would like the idea. Over rolls and jam and intense conversation, she'd gotten quite attached to the funny little men. The dwarves were like uncles she never had. She felt protectiveness from them as well as the desire to make her laugh. Well, that was mostly Toby, but she loved them all immediately. She knew she was winning Billy over as well. He still blushed when she looked his way, but he was nodding his head in agreement when her gaze met his.

Even Grady nodded and said, "That would be okay," to Hank.

"Seems to be an acceptable compromise, sir. We'll happily take her in," Doc said to the prince.

Wilhelm knelt in front of Snow. "My, you are older than your years. You are such a fine young lady. You would have made us proud parents. You still make us proud. If this is truly what you want, then you have my blessings. Promise me you will come to visit us often. My brother Jacob and his wife could not be more pleased that we will be living closer. He is quite the writer, you know. Maybe someday we can put to paper the adventures you three girls have found."

"You go ahead and return home to your wife, Wilhelm," the prince said. "My men and I will go after the queen from here. She will never again threaten young Snolindria or anyone else. I agree it's best for her to go back with the dwarves. She will be safe there. Maybe someday soon she can return to her castle and claim her crown, but for now, she will be better off with them." He turned to address the dwarves. "Men, will you escort these two young ladies back to their home? I believe you will find a mirror in the woods awaiting them."

"It would be our pleasure," Doc replied as he bowed to the prince.

"I have to see something before we go." Valerie said. She walked over to Snow and put her arm next to hers. "I am the fairest of them all!"

"Don't worry. I won't tell my stepmom," Snow said with a smile.

Valerie and Samantha said their long goodbyes to Snow, Wilhelm, and the prince, fighting back tears as best as they could. Billy, Leon, Henry and Simon waited to escort Snow to her new home, while Doc, Toby, and Grady began the journey to return Valerie and Samantha to their own time.

The girls did their best to keep up their share of the small talk on the way back. They answered the dwarves' questions about modern living, but their hearts weren't in the conversation. When they'd first arrived in this strange kingdom, their emotions had varied from scared to excited. Now that they were looking for the mirror to take them back home, they were reluctant to leave. Of course, they missed their parents, but there would be a hole in their hearts for the new friends they'd made. They grew sad thinking about the fact that they would probably never see any of them ever again.

"Next time we go through a magic mirror, Valerie, take us to see Al."

"Who?"

"Al-ladin. At least then we could fly around on magic carpets and not have to do all this walking!" They both laughed, breaking their sadness just a little.

#  Chapter 18

After a long journey, Val stopped. "This part looks familiar. Doesn't it, Sam?"

"I don't know, Val. It's all beginning to look the same after walking around for so long."

Suddenly, Otter ran off, barking, and they hurried after her. They came to a small clearing; she was sitting there, staring at the possum. For once, instead of staring at it from the back while it was running away, she could look at it face-to-face. It sat up on its rear feet and gave them its full attention.

A bright light shone over the possum and suddenly, in its place, was a kindly-looking old woman. She had on a simple but shiny blue dress and a floppy pointed hat. She was just a little chubby, like a kindly grandmother should be.

"Hello, men," she said to the dwarves. She addressed Valerie and Samantha with a wide smile. "Hello, girls."

"Are you a fairy godmother?" asked Samantha.

"I'm not just a fairy godmother; I'm your fairy godmother...both of yours. My name is Odette."

"We have a fairy godmother?" Valerie shouted. "Way cool!"

"But why were you a possum?" asked Samantha.

"You can see how Snow needed you both very much. I had to turn into something real in your time so you two would chase after me and follow me here. I'm not allowed to come right out and ask. I suppose I could have been another one of your barn cats, but I don't think you would have noticed me or tried to follow if I was merely another cat. Sir Lexington and I have had wonderful conversations about the two of you. He thinks the world of you both."

"You talk to Lex?" Valerie replied with wide eyes.

"Of course, dear. I go to your place often. I love to listen to your mother tell her stories."

"You were the lady at the fruit stand, and the one who gave the dress to Danielle too, weren't you?" asked Samantha.

"Yes. Indeed I was."

"I was waiting for you to get that." Valerie smiled at Samantha. That got her a punch in the arm. "Ow!"

"Now I owe you one free doorknob." Sam playfully stuck out her tongue.

"Why did you have us follow after you in the forest? Didn't you know the queen was going to be there to use the comb on Snow?"

"I could see there was going to be trouble, but I couldn't make out all the details. I knew she was coming, and had to lead you away from Wilhelm's cottage. I guess she was determined to find you one way or another. I can't see and prevent everything, you know." She took a few steps closer to them. "There's only so much meddling I'm allowed to do. I knew the story of the comb and what was to come, but I can't change history. It's already written; it just needed a little shove from you two."

"And help from us, of course," Toby said as he walked up behind them and jabbed Val and Sam in the sides, causing them to jump.

"You're so silly, Toby," Sam said.

Doc stepped up. "Is there a chance she'll follow them through the mirror, Odette?"

"I don't believe so. Her magic is no good in their world. It's Snow that she wants. I can sense there will be more trouble, although I cannot see when or how yet. You and the rest of dwarves will just have to do your best to take care of her. I'll do what I can, of course." She turned back to Val and Sam.

"Do you like how Wilhelm and Jacob have re-told your tales?"

"Who?"

"Wilhelm and his brother Jacob. Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, my dears: the Grimm brothers."

They both smiled wide, not able to believe it. They were truly living the fairy tales before they were told.

"He was that Wilhelm?" Valerie said in astonishment. She was well acquainted with the Grimm Fairy Tales.

"Indeed. You see, girls, some stories are just that: stories. Some stories are legends and get passed on from generation to generation. Of course, the details do get changed here and there as the story gets told and retold again, but the main parts remain the same, especially if it is one that is of true love and a kind heart. Remember these days always, young ladies. You've helped these things come to pass. You may not be mentioned on paper, but you have touched the hearts of those here now. Let these lessons be a part of you always."

With that, she vanished. The area behind her no longer looked like a part of the forest. It turned into a scene from the tack room. It was surrounded by a lovely metal frame. Toby, Doc, and Grady walked them over to it.

The girls turned to the dwarves to say their goodbyes.

"You make sure you hug Snow for me," Val said as she hugged Toby.

"Me too," Sam said with her hug to Grady.

"We will. We promise we'll protect her. She's safe with us," Doc said.

Otter took charge, and was the first to bound through the mirror. After the slightest of hesitations, the girls followed through, halfheartedly. They had never before known such mixed feelings. Of course they were happy to be going home, but also very sad to be leaving their new friends and the magical land that now seemed like a second home.

Once they were through, they clasped hands and turned around to face the mirror. It showed only the reflection of the tack room.

"Darn it, Val. I was hoping to be able to wave goodbye."

"Me too. Come on, we have a lot of explaining to do."

"What are we going to say?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet. I have no idea."

They walked up to the house, expecting to see a police car or their parents waiting up with worry.

"It's too quiet. This is weird, Val," Sam said.

"I know," Val whispered back.

They snuck back into the house, hoping they wouldn't be discovered. As far as they could tell, nothing had changed. They got Otter settled in, said their hellos to Dottie, and climbed over the gate. They tip-toed over to the computer, where Valerie checked the date.

"Samantha! It's the same night! It's like we weren't gone at all! Time must be different there." They gave each other a big hug of relief and went upstairs. After changing into their own pajamas, Val put the clothes and shoes into a small plastic bag and buried it at the back of her closet. "My mom will never go digging in here."

"Afraid of what she'll find since the sandwich she dubbed 'the greatest science experiment of all time?'"

Val laughed. "Yeah, something like that. Will your mom get mad that you lost your shoes?"

"Nah, I'll just tell her they got too muddy to clean with all the rain, and that I stepped in horse poop. She'll be glad they didn't come home."

The two best friends yawned wide and climbed in bed without another peep.

Val's dad came home early the next morning, before the girls were even awake. As usual, he had been anxious to get home and slipped away as soon as he could from his business trip. He kissed his wife good morning, and they sat down to share what happened during their time away from each other.

"How was your week with the girls?"

"Great. I hardly knew they were here, they were so good. You know how they are when they get together. I finally got the last chapters of my book done just before Sam got here, and had printed it out. The girls were sneaking reading it. I found it upstairs this morning when I couldn't find it on the desk. They were sleeping so soundly, I hated to wake them. I couldn't risk climbing over them to get it. I can't be too mad; they knew they were the main characters. I shouldn't have teased them so much." Valerie's mom enjoyed telling stories so much that she had started her own fairy tale as a gift to her princess. "Come to think of it, I dusted off that messy desk yesterday and didn't miss it. They must have read the whole thing in two days. I'm actually excited to see what they think."

"Are you going to let me read it, or are you going to keep torturing me, too?"

"Well, I guess if Val read it, you'll have to read it, as well. Otherwise she won't stop talking about it, and it'll drive you insane."

He laughed. "That does seem to be one of Valerie's favorite pastimes."

"Hon, would you mind hanging that old mirror for me today? I'm afraid Otter will chase whatever that thing in the barn was, and run into it."

"I'll get right on it this morning, really I will."

#  Chapter 19

Loud hammering awakened the girls. They stretched and yawned, then bolted up, disappointed to be in Val's bed. Glancing over at the manuscript scattered across the bedroom floor, they looked at each other, afraid to say anything, for fear they had both been dreaming.

Samantha finally broke the silence. "That didn't seem like we were just reading a book or having a great dream, Val. It was way too real."

"I know. I feel the same way." Their shoulders slumped. They got out of bed without the usual hop in their step to get the new day going.

Half in a daze about what happened, their weary bodies slinked down the stairs, half asleep, for breakfast. They were surprised to see the mirror hanging in the living room.

"That explains the banging," Val said. "I guess my dad finally got around to hanging—" She grasped Sam's arm.

They both smiled at each other. It had to be real.

Separately throughout the day, they went to it several times, hopeful that once again the mirror would reveal the forest instead of their reflection. When it didn't, they wondered if their over-active imaginations got carried away while reading the story.

On the last night before Samantha was to be taken home, they went over to the mirror together. They gasped and grabbed each other's hands when they saw a man walking away from a tree. They went over and called out for him, but he couldn't hear them. He had nailed up a parchment on the tree. They read it together, out loud.

"Lord Wilhelm and Lady Dorothea are proud parents! All are invited to attend the festivities this Saturday at the castle."

They smiled and hugged each other. "I knew it wasn't just a dream!" Samantha squealed with glee.

Together they touched the mirror, but nothing happened. It gradually faded back to their reflections while they watched with heavy hearts. Perhaps they would not get their chance to go back and live another adventure this time, but they certainly would never stop trying. Holding on to the happy dream of another adventure, they cheered up and bolted for the stairs.

"I get the white chess pieces," Samantha said, making her way up ahead of Valerie.

"Okay, but I get the purple hat!" After reaching the closet and taking the hat off its hook, Val looked down at the pile of clothes. She dug in back and pulled out the bag.

"Why didn't we think about that?" Sam asked, shaking her head.

Val put them back. "Hopefully they'll come in handy again."

"I hope so. I can't wait! Wilhelm and Dorothea would be the best parents ever! We're aunts...sort of."

"Maybe we will go back. According to the tales, Snow will have another run-in with her stepmother."

"You think they'll need us again?" Sam asked.

"If they want to live Happily Ever After, they just might."

THE END...until next time.

PS – Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy.

About The Author

Ann T. Bugg is the Queen of her castle where she lives in southern Minnesota with her Knight in shining armor (who has come to her rescue more than once) and her own little Princess Valerie. The pets in her enchanted kingdom come in all shapes and sizes, as do all the critters that make their way out of the enchanted forest. Horseback riding and long walks with her dogs are on her list of hobbies, but writing will always be her first love.

The Before Happily Ever After Series

www.beforehappilyeverafter.com

Through the Mirror and Into Snow, Book #1

Into the Forest and Down the Tower, Book #2

Off to Camp and Discovering Art, Book #3

Down the River and Awakening the Rose, Book #4

Soaring Up to the Clouds, Not Knowing Jack, Book #5

Past the Fields, Where all is Golden, Book #6

At the Museum, With Wandering Eyes, Book #7

Overboard and out of This Realm, Book #8

Ann T Bugg is the pen name for June Kramin

For her women's fiction, visit _www.junekramin.com_

If you've enjoyed this book, a review would be very much appreciated!

