by S.J. Drew
taking you back; not until I'm ready. They can't come get you so you might as well have some more fun with me," he said, leaping back up and landing in front of her.
She took a step back. "I don't want to have fun with you. No one likes being kidnapped."
"Well, you're supposed to be under a spell."
"That doesn't make this any better!"
"I suppose this could still be fun. This is more challenging," he said.
"I don't think you're even listening to me."
"Of course I am," he replied although it was clear he really wasn't.
"You-you listen here, Jack, or whatever your name is..."
"It's as good as 'Anna,'" he said with a slight smile.
She took of the flower garland angrily and threw it on the ground. "This isn't nice and you know it. So take me back and I'll-I'll, well, I'll go home and try to remember this as a nice day."
"There's an offer I can't refuse," he said acidly. "You're already here. Why not have some more fun with me?" he asked, and quickly kissed her on the cheek.
"You stop that!" she snapped, stepping backwards again. "I don't want to hurt you."
"That's very unlikely, especially here."
"I have this and I think it might burn you," she replied, gesturing to the iron ring.
He winced. "I do not like that, it's true. You should take that off."
"I will not. I want to go back to the festival. My friends will worry."
"I don't care what they think." He picked the flower garland off the ground. "Put it back on. You look pretty in pink."
She blushed but shook her head and crossed her arms. "No, my mind is absolutely made up."
"I like you, Anna, but you're just being silly," he sighed. "I have an idea. You stay here and calm down and I'll go get some food. We'll have a nice picnic together."
She was about to tell him she'd never eat fairy food, but thought the better of it. "Fine, but you won't change my mind," she said. "And if he leaves, I can try to find my own way out of here," she thought.
"And I'll get some more flowers. Pretty girls like flowers."
"Darn it, why do you have to sound all nice and then do something like this?"
He smiled in a way that wasn't entirely pleasant. "Because I can. Now you stay here and I'll be back in just a little bit."
She turned her back on him and harrumphed to get her point across.
"But just in case you think you'll try to find your own way back..." He snapped his fingers and thick, woody vines sprang out of the ground and wrapped around the trees in the clearing, forming a cage-like lattice.
"Wait a minute!" she protested.
"I like you, Anna. You're interesting." He laughed and darted into the trees.
"Hey!" she yelled. He was gone from her sight almost immediately so she starting tugging at the vines. They were as stiff as tree branches. She couldn't rip them out of the ground; she couldn't even open them up enough to try to squeeze through. She tried climbing the vines and branches, but they seemed to keep growing into the tree branches making an impassable tangle. "Damn it," she sighed. She sat down on the ground and pulled a pencil and a miniature Book of Shadows out of her purse. Since she didn't know how to break out of the cage, she decided to cast a spell to make her easier for her friends to find her. "I'll bet Nora's going to tell me she knew he was trouble," she thought glumly.
"So, where are we?" Leah asked when they stepped through the door. The festival behind them faded away.
"It's like some Thomas Kinkade painting," Nora remarked.
"What is that?"
She sighed. "You've seen his paintings in malls. The paintings are all of precious cottages or villages. They're all glowing light sources and sparkles," she said. "Some people like it, but it's not supposed to real."
"Oh, I know what you mean. Yeah, that's a pretty good description of this place."
"We're definitely in some kind of fairy-realm," Isabella replied. "There aren't any spirits here. Put on your rings."
Each woman put on a ring identical to Maryann's.
Isabella stuck a piece of paper to the tree that formed the doorway.
"Um, so did that door close?" Leah asked.
"Yes."
"Shouldn't we put a doorstop it in or something so we can get back?"
"No! Never ever leave a door open," she replied so forcefully the other two were taken aback. She took a breath to calm down. "My grandmother taught me about doors. Open doors are how you get problems like that god at the Ren Fair and Friedle-goth. The door stays shut. This charm will mark the door and I should be able to find it again."
"Okay, okay, you make a good point. How are we going to find Maryann anyway?" Leah asked.
"I have no idea. I'm hoping she can help us find her."
"Great. Is there any other way we can do this? Can we figure out where Jack took her? Do fairies typically do stuff like that?" Nora asked.
"The thing is that most stories only focus on some types of fairy-kind. They aren't all the same," Isabella said.
"So it's like supernatural stereotyping?" Leah interrupted.
"Yeah, something like that. So I can guess, but I could be wrong."
"Well, not that I want to be in favor of stereotyping here," Nora said wryly, "but there's a reason certain stories get around. So let's go with that as a start."
"Alright. Well, fairies tend to be vain and petty. I'm surprised he didn't put a spell on her."
"I think he tried, but we all keep these rings in our purses. Even Maryann," Leah said.
"I'm glad she had that. Well, there seems to be a bit of a path here, so we'll follow that, but keep an eye out. Maybe Maryann left us a clue or maybe we'll be able to hear her."
"Just once I'd like to have a plan before we do something like this," Leah sighed.
"Then you think of one," Nora snapped.
"Ladies. Come on," Isabella said sternly.
They followed the winding path for what seemed like a long time without hearing or seeing any signs of Maryann. Finally Isabella caught sight of something unusual.
"I think I see something."
"I see lots of things. I hope you mean you think you see Maryann," Leah replied.
Nora rolled her eyes.
Isabella thought she was seeing spirit flame, which was not expected in a fairy realm, so she assumed Maryann was trying to get their attention. She was right. They came across the caged clearing and could see Maryann sitting on the ground with her eyes closed in meditation. To Isabella, she was glowing with fire. "Maryann," she said in a low voice.
She opened her eyes. "There you are!" she squealed, and then lowered her voice.
The spell was broken and the spirit flames disappeared from Isabella's spirit sight.
"Jack left to get a picnic lunch," she continued. "I don't know when he'll be back."
"Then we'd better hurry up and get you out of there," Leah said. "Luckily, I think I'm prepared." She gestured at the heavy duffel bag.
"Prepared to break me out of a cage and escape from Fairyland?" Maryann asked doubtfully.
"Well, no, not that specific scenario, but I'm prepared for you getting kidnapped. It was only a matter of time."
"Hey! Why me?" Maryann asked. "You guys could get kidnapped too."
The other three gave her withering looks.
"Please. It's you," Nora said. "You couldn't be more kidnappable if your name was 'Daphne.'"
"Nice lampshade," Leah replied.
"What are you talking about?"
"Fine, fine, whatever, just get me out of here," Maryann said crossly.
"Leah, is there anything in the emergency kit to cut these bars?" Isabella asked.
She looked through the emergency kit. "I've got some bolt-cutters. Branch loppers would be better, but I didn't know I'd need those."
"Why in the world did you think you'd need bolt-cutters?" Nora asked.
"For cutt
ing locks and through chain-link fences. You have no idea how many characters in horror movies and action flicks die because they're trapped by a chain-link fence with a simple padlock. Also, it makes a good bludgeoning weapon. It is really heavy though."
"Well, if it'll work, get to it."
Leah cut at the vines with the bolt-cutters while the other two tried to pull at the vines to open up a hole for Maryann. The bolt-cutters weren't really the best tool for the job, but she hacked through enough vines for Maryann to squeeze through. Isabella and Nora had to help pull her through, and she ripped her dress, but finally she was free.
"Come on, before Jack gets back," Isabella said. She centered on the beacon she had left by the door and lead the others away from the clearing as fast as she could.
They were within sight of the door when Jack suddenly appeared in front of it looking angry. They skidded to a halt.
"Anna, that wasn't nice." He looked at them all with his vibrant green eyes. "Your friends are not as dull as I thought. I have no idea what this little charm says but I assume it is something you need." He ripped it off the tree and set it on fire. "Oh, too bad."
"Tell me that wasn't important," Leah said.
"Get the poker out," Isabella said.
Leah pulled out the antique fireplace poker and brandished it at Jack.
He leaped into a tree. "That is not nice," he snapped.
Isabella pushed them up to the door. "Draw a circle."
Leah was confused, but she drew a circle around them with the poker as Isabella wrote kanji on another piece of paper.
Jack hissed at them in a way that was very reminiscent of a snake. "That's not nice." His eyes glowed green and the plants outside the circle started to grow at a rapid rate and thrash and move.
"Hurry up," Nora said as the plants threatened them, but they would not cross the thin
