“That’s so sad.”
“Nate’s dad died when he was a baby, so he didn’t have anywhere else to go. Mr. Haney basically adopted him.”
“Poor Nate!” I couldn’t imagine losing one of my parents, let alone both.
“I know, especially so young.”
I stood quietly thinking of the poor boy who lost his parents, and I sensed Dorothy was doing the same. I also thought of Mr. Haney adopting Nate when he had no one else to take care of him. Maybe Mr. Haney wasn’t as bad as I had thought. After all, he had done a very generous thing.
“Come to think of it,” Dorothy said, “his first wife died from an accident too. A car crash, I believe.”
“I guess Mr. Haney has had a lot of tragedies too.”
“Yes, very unfortunate.” Dorothy shook her head sadly. “I still dislike the man, though.”
I tried not to giggle.
“At least Nate’s not related to him by blood. If that was the case I’d have to ground you and never let you go on another date with him.”
Now I laughed out loud. “I love your sense of humor.”
“I’m determined to be cheerful and happy in my life.” Dorothy pointed a finger at me. “Life is meant to be cherished, Aurora. Too many people look at what they think is greener grass on the other side of the fence, when they just need to look at the beautiful grass under their own feet. I learned long ago to treasure every moment in life. It’s up to you how you will spend it.”
It was true. Most of my life had been spent dreaming of what was on the other side of the castle walls. Rarely had I taken the time to appreciate my life. Like Dorothy said, I needed to be happy and cherish it.
“Well, don’t stay out too late.” Dorothy’s voice brought me back to the present.
“All right.” I walked back to the front door.
“Tell that boy hello for me.”
“I will.” I turned the doorknob but paused to say, “Thank you for everything, Dorothy.”
“You’re welcome, my dear. Your family took care of me one time when I was younger, and it’s time I returned the favor.”
I definitely wanted to hear the details of her story when we had more time to talk.
}
Mr. Haney’s front door was open a few inches when I arrived. “Hello?” I yelled into the house.
No one answered, so I called out again. “Hello? Is anyone home?”
Knowing Nate was expecting me, I let myself in. Everyone was probably outside doing the evening chores.
As I walked toward the piano, I glanced at the black bookshelf in the corner of the room. I’d noticed before that it was filled with trinkets, but this time, something caught my eye. It was a music box. I picked it up and carefully lifted the lid. When I heard the familiar tune, horror coursed through my veins. This was the music box my grandmother had given to my mother, who had given it to me. The music box that should be in my room at the castle in Fenmore Falls.
This is my music box! Terror struck my heart at the realization. I was in grave danger.
“What are you doing?”
The angry voice behind me almost made me drop the music box.
It was Mr. Haney.
Chapter 21
Jack and the Beanstalk (continued . . . again)
After breakfast was over, the ogre called out: “Wife, wife, bring me my golden harp.” So she brought it and put it on the table before him. Then he said: “Sing!” and the golden harp sang most beautifully. And it went on singing till the ogre fell asleep, and commenced to snore like thunder.
Then Jack lifted up the copper-lid very quietly and got down like a mouse and crept on hands and knees till he got to the table when he got up and caught hold of the golden harp and dashed with it towards the door. But the harp called out quite loud: “Master! Master!” and the ogre woke up just in time to see Jack running off with his harp.
Mr. Haney
I closed the music box and turned around, knowing I had to pretend I’d never seen it before. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Haney. The door was open, and I figured everyone was out doing chores.”
With his eyes glued on the music box, he said tightly, “Please put that down.”
“This?” I lifted the box.
He reached out and took it. “Be careful. It’s very delicate.”
“Where did you get it?” I asked, feigning innocence.
“I found it.” He peered down at me.
“I hadn’t noticed it before today. Is it new?” I said, barely able to disguise my anger and fear.
“Yes, I found it last weekend when the boys and I went to that horse show.”
I remembered Nate telling me they were going to a horse show to buy some mares. Was there really a horse show, or were they passing through the magic door into Fenmore Falls?
“I probably should go home anyway,” I told Mr. Haney, who was caressing the music box—my music box. “I didn’t realize how late it was already.” I tried to keep my breathing steady, but I had to suppress a shudder as he examined me with his gaze.
“Didn’t you come to play the piano?” he asked.
“I’ll be back tomorrow. I’m tired from the activities today.”
“Oh yes, Spud Day,” he said. “I bet you’re worn out from eating all of those potatoes.”
I patted my stomach. “I’ve had enough to last a lifetime.”
“You can never have enough potatoes in Idaho.”
“People sure like their potatoes here.”
“They sure do.”
I moved in the direction of the door. “Goodbye, Mr. Haney.”
“Do you want me to tell Nate you stopped by?”
I wasn’t sure. What if my boyfriend was helping Mr. Haney steal stuff from my kingdom?
“Um, sure. Tell him I was tired and went home.” If Nate thinks I‘m resting, he won’t come over to talk to me.
“All right,” Mr. Haney said. “I look forward to hearing you play the piano tomorrow.”
“Yes, tomorrow.” I waved and walked out the door.
My feet wanted to run as fast as they could back to Dorothy’s place, but I forced myself to walk steadily in case Mr. Haney was watching out his window. I played a march in my head to keep my steps at a regular walking pace.
I finally reached her house and rushed inside. “Dorothy!” I exclaimed. I hurried through the empty living room and found her sitting at the kitchen table.
I must’ve looked really anxious, because she stood up and rushed to me. “Aurora, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
“Mr. Haney . . . Mr. Haney has my music box.”
“What music box?” She rubbed her hand against my arm.
“The music box my mom gave me when I was little. It used to be my grandmother’s.” My throat was closing off, like I was having a panic attack.
“Are you sure it’s yours?”
I nodded, unable to speak. Tears began to leak out the corners of my eyes, and my heart was pounding.
“Come sit down, sweetheart.” Dorothy pulled me into the living room and we sat on the couch. She tried to calm me by smoothing my hair. “Take big breaths.”
After I inhaled a few gulps of air, I managed to say, “Why does he have my music box?”
“I’m not sure. When did you last see it?”
“It was in my room the night of my birthday ball two weeks ago. I remember opening the lid to listen to the music just before going down to greet my guests. When I’m nervous, I always listen to the melody to calm me.”
“I think we need to call the other fairies to help with this.” Dorothy stood and walked to the device they called a phone. Abby tried to explain to me how it worked one time, but it was too unbelievable to even comprehend.
“Do you think I’m in danger?” I asked as she began to push buttons on the phone.
Dorothy’s serious look and her silence answered my question.
“Maybe I should go home right now.”
“Not yet.” She held the phone up to
her ear. “Let’s see what the others have to say. One option might be to move you somewhere safer.”
While Dorothy talked to Wendy and Miss Alice, I thought about my new predicament. How did Mr. Haney get that stuff from Fenmore Falls? The coin and brooch could have been lost a long time ago, but to acquire my music box he must have broken into my bedchamber at the castle and stolen it—recently. A cold terror swept through me.
When Miss Alice and Wendy arrived ten minutes later, I was an emotional wreck on the couch. Dorothy was trying to calm me, but I had totally lost it.
“I need to go home,” I mumbled while shaking my head.
Miss Alice sat down on the other side of me. Wendy sat next to her and said, “We’ll figure this out. It’s going to be okay.”
I frowned at her. “How can it be okay?” I said quietly, though I felt like shouting. “This is anything but okay.”
“Our job is to protect you, Aurora,” Dorothy said. “While you are with us, you will not be in danger.”
“How can you know that?” I challenged.
The three women looked at each other. Miss Alice was the one who finally spoke. “It’s time we told her who we are.” The other two nodded their consent.
Miss Alice reached for my hands. “Aurora dear, each of us was born and raised here, but through different circumstances entered your world of Fenmore Falls. I, for example, chased a rabbit through the secret door, Wendy followed a boy named Peter through the door, and Dorothy stumbled through the door when Aunt Em’s house got caught in a tornado.”
I stared at Miss Alice in confusion.
Wendy knelt on the floor in front of me and rested a hand on mine and Miss Alice’s. “The point is we all have ties to Fenmore Falls,” she said. “Whoever visits your world of storybooks and kingdoms becomes a part of the magic. We were forever changed by the enchantment of your world.”
Miss Alice nodded. “Visitors who come to Fenmore Falls are called fairies, and their duty is to keep their knowledge of that world a secret. When we came back to Idaho, we had a responsibility to protect your kingdom, what we had learned, and the manner in which we had gotten there. There are many evil people who want the magic of Fenmore Falls. Part of our duty is to watch over the secret door to defend this world against evil.”
Dorothy joined her hand with ours. “Like I told you before,” she said, “we were there on the day you were born. Along with our task of guarding the secret door, we promised your father we would protect you if the curse proved to be true.”
“So, you’re really my three guardian fairies?”
“Exactly.” Dorothy smiled.
All three women squeezed my hands. “If you stay with us, you will not be in danger,” Dorothy explained.
I nodded. Then realization hit me. “But can you trust Nate and Troy to check the old house each night to see if someone has passed through the magic door?” I scrunched my eyebrows together. “Their dad is Mr. Haney. And how does he have my music box? I thought you were guarding the door. How is he able to go back and forth?” My heart raced as I spoke.
“It’s best to keep close the ones we suspect the most.” Wendy winked, like she was letting me in on a secret.
“Do you suspect Nate along with Troy and his dad?” I asked.
“Perhaps not, but it may be best to avoid the brothers until we are certain.”
Even though it comforted me to know these women’s true connection to my kingdom and their devotion to my safety, I couldn’t help feeling I was still in serious danger.
There was a loud knock at the door, and Dorothy got up. Another impatient knock came before she reached the door.
When she opened the door, Nate stood there with a look of panic on his face. “Where is she?”
He looked past Dorothy until his eyes landed on mine. “Oh, thank heavens,” he sighed in relief. “You haven’t left.”
“What do you mean, left?” I asked.
Dorothy moved aside and Nate took a few steps into the house. “My dad said you were moving back to your old home. He said you weren’t safe here anymore.”
The fairies and I gasped. Dorothy quickly walked back to my side as if the three of them could physically shield me.
“Dani, what’s going on?” Nate asked.
In that instant, I could see the innocence in his eyes. He wasn’t involved with his dad’s devious activities. Nate’s only concern was for my well-being. I love this guy! I smiled and said, “We need to talk.”
Dorothy whispered so only us four women could hear. “Do you think it wise to tell him everything?”
Miss Alice gave the same answer I would have. “Maybe he can help.”
“Very well.” Dorothy sat on the couch again and patted it for Nate to sit. “You better get comfortable. It’s not a short story.”
Looking apprehensive, he sat next to me. We began to tell him of a faraway kingdom filled with castles and kingdoms, and sometimes even a curse.
Chapter 22
The Three Good Fairies—
Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather
(in Disney’s 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty)
When Dorothy was trying to explain my background, she showed me the movie Sleeping Beauty. In it, each of the three good fairies’ magic is inferior to Maleficent’s. However, when the three fairies work together, they can create powerful weapons that can triumph over the darkest of evil. For instance, they give Prince Phillip the shield of virtue and the sword of truth for the final fight with Maleficent, and the sword is so powerful it can defeat her and her evil with one strike.
I wished I could defeat my own evil wizard that way, but at least I had three fairies to help me.
The Truth
“You’re a princess?” was Nate’s first response to everything the three fairies and I had told him. “You’re Sleeping Beauty from the story?” was his next.
“I guess you could say that,” I said. “But I’m not going to prick my finger on a spinning wheel and fall under a sleeping spell like in the fairy tale.”
He looked at the other three women in the room. “All of you have visited this magic kingdom called Fenmore Falls?”
“I know it’s hard to believe,” Dorothy replied. “We’re hoping you can help us keep Danielle safe. What can you tell us about the music box your father obtained recently? Do you know where he got it?”
Nate shook his head. “Mr. Haney has never treated me like a son. I had nowhere else to go when my mom died. He’s not my dad, and I never trusted him.”
“Do you have any idea where he gets his trinkets?” Dorothy coaxed.
“When we go to horse shows to buy new stock, he always stays an extra day to finish up business. He usually returns home with antique stuff. I never thought much about it.”
“Did the items seem unusual or historic?” Dorothy asked.
“Yes, all of them. I asked him about them once, and he said that someday his artifacts would make him rich.”
“They definitely would make him rich, since they’re priceless heirlooms.” Now I could plainly see the villain’s strategy. He wanted to go back to my kingdom and make a profit from selling the royal family’s relics.
“Dani, if I had known what he was doing, I would’ve stopped him,” Nate declared. “You have to believe I had nothing to do with this.”
“I believe you.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. “Thank you.”
Dorothy stood. “Anyone else need a drink? All this talk and worry makes me thirsty.” She motioned to Miss Alice and Wendy. “Come help me. Let’s see if we have some snacks in the kitchen.”
I smiled gratefully at Dorothy, knowing she was purposely giving me a few minutes alone with Nate.
Once the three women left the room, he scooted closer to me and cupped my face with his gentle hands. “Dani, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“If I had known, I could’ve protected you better.”
I let out a huff of air.
“I have enough people protecting me. I only wanted to be normal and not have everyone pampering me and guarding me. My whole life I have felt trapped and helpless. Finally, here in Idaho, I was a typical teenager without all the headaches of being a princess. A cursed princess.”
Nate put his arms around me. “It would be my honor to defend you until the day I die.”
I pulled away. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. I appreciate your chivalry, but please stop being so dramatic. Just be the guy I went to the rodeo with. The guy who teases me in French class. Just be normal.”
“But knowing who you are changes everything.” Nate’s eyes bore into mine. “You are a princess. An actual princess.”
I tried to look away but he wouldn’t let me. “Nothing has to change,” I told him.
“But you’re a princess.” When I scowled at him, he added, “And I kind of like it.” He made sure I was still looking at him and then he gave that half grin I’d fallen in love with. “I’m dating a princess.”
Right then, I realized that Nate knowing my true identity wouldn’t change things between us—at least not in any important ways. I threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, Princess,” he teased, putting his arms around my waist.
I swatted him. “You’re going to do that for the rest of my life, aren’t you?”
“That’s the plan.” He winked.
My insides warmed at the thought of spending my life with him. Even though we were joking around, an image flashed in my mind, of Nate and me, growing old together in Fenmore Falls.
Blushing at the mental picture, I said, “I was planning to tell you everything tonight, but then I saw my music box at your house and didn’t know what to do.”
“I still can’t believe my stepdad sneaks into your castle and steals things. How does he know how to get there?”
“That’s what we’ve all been wondering,” Dorothy said as she and the other two fairies returned to the room. “And how does he know Dani isn’t safe here anymore? That may be the more important question. What exactly did he say when he told you that she was moving back home?”
Finding Sleeping Beauty Page 15