The Grimm Prequels Book 5: (Prequels 19-24)

by Cameron Jace

  “Why are you so cruel, Death?” Fable protested. “Jill was so young.”

  “Shut up,” Death said in a boyish voice.

  “What did you just say?”

  Death pulled the cloak back, and Fable was at a loss for words. It was Jack.

  “How in the world did you?” She pointed back at the market. “I mean… I just saw you bid for Jill. I’m so confused.”

  “Shut up and tell me what I want to hear.” Jack smirked, hardly cradling his sister in his arms.

  Fable knew what he wanted to hear. “You’re Jack Madly and you’re definitely awesome.”

  They laughed.

  “But where did you get the cloak from?”

  “Stole it from Death’s house. I saw so many of those when I sneaked in again. I took one without Ladle taking notice.”

  “But you’re tall.”

  “Ah,” Jack said. “I almost forgot. Get out Axel.”

  Exhausted, the chubby Axel let Jack off his back and leaned against a tree, panting.

  “This is the most genius plan I’ve ever seen,” Fable said.

  “I saved my sister, Fable,” Jack’s eyes gleamed. “I need to wake her up. It’s the best day in my life.”

  “But wait,” Fable said. “Who was the ugly man with the crooked nose?”

  “Just an ugly man with a crooked nose.”

  I couldn’t believe my eyes, watching Jack visit me again with his sister in his arms.

  “Oh, my!” I gently held her face in my hands. “You did it, Jack.”

  “We need to wake her up,” he said. “I need you to make sure she is all right.”

  “She will be, don’t worry. She must be just shocked. And she looks…”

  “Older, I know,” Jack said. “They’ve been feeding her the Forbidden Fruit from the Goblin Market, to sell her faster.”

  “I have a cure for that,” I said. “A spell that no one knows about.”

  “Really?” His eyes gleamed as he laid her on the table. “You can bring her to her normal age again?”

  “It will take a few days, though. And she may suffer a little, but she will be all right.”

  Jack’s eyes watered. He brushed his hand over Jill’s face and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry for all I have put you through, Jill.”

  “Don’t be,” I assured him. “She will be forever grateful to you for saving her.”

  “I can’t wait to hear her tell me herself.”

  “Now go rest,” I told him. “I need to take care of her.”

  He nodded and turned to walk away.

  “And Jack…” I had to remind him. “By saving Jill you’ve made a lifelong enemy, you know that?”

  “Yes,” he nodded. “The goblins.”

  “Jill is worth it.”

  “Of course. Besides, I may steal a few things from them, just to make them mad.” He put his hat on and bit on his favorite white rose, then winked.

  An involuntarily laugh escaped me. “Why do I sense you’ve already done that?”

  His face flushed red and he looked away from me, tapping his feet.

  “Did you steal a Forbidden Fruit?” I offered.

  “Nah, not yet,” he chuckled, looking my way. “I found this.”

  Nearing it to me, I saw he stole a… spindle. And though I did not endorse his stealing habits, I wasn’t sure what the universe had in store for us that night. This spindle wasn’t an ordinary one. I had always heard it existed since I was a child, but had never seen it with my own eyes.

  “Is it special?” he asked, eager to know.

  “It is,” I said, still mending Jill. “It’s a Spindle, Spindle Little Star.”

  “Don’t you mean the song? Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star?”

  “No, I meant what I just said. Remember when you told me you wished upon a star to get Jill back?”

  “Sure.”

  “And that the stars weren’t really stars but wishes?”

  He nodded.

  “Did you know those wishes are hung down from the skies with a thread?”

  “You’re joking.”

  “I’m not, Jack. Why do you think stars are there one moment, closer in another?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “That’s because whoever holds them swings them like pendulum, sometimes they wave them a bit farther, sometimes a bit closer.”

  “From the thread?” He scratched his head. “But they must be heavy to be held with a thread.”

  “That would be right if they were stars, Jack.”

  “I keep forgetting. They are wishes.”

  “How do you weigh a wish?” I raised an eyebrow. “It’s impossible.”

  “What does the spindle have to do with it?”

  “The spindle belongs to a girl who lives in Sorrow. She is almost your age. She lives with her father, Rumpelstein, and her name is Rapunzel.”

  “What about her?”

  “Rapunzel has a gift. I’m not going to get into it, but let’s say she can weave with a spindle like no one else can.”

  “And?” Jack seemed more confused than ever.

  “This spindle is one the Goblins stole from her, though it seems they’ve not learned how to use it.”

  “What does it do?”

  “The strangest thing in the world,” I said, washing Jill’s feet. “So strange I’ve never understood the point of it.”

  “Please, Grandmother. You’re killing me with curiosity.”

  “See that thread at the end of the spindle?”

  “I do.”

  “It’s made of Rapunzel’s own hair. She has incredibly long hair.”

  “That long?” Jack pointed, and he was right. The thread of hair, wrapped around the spindle, was so thick you’d imagine it’d stretch out for a respectable distance when unwrapped.

  “Longer than you think,” I said, and pulled it loose, showing him how the hair defied gravity and instead of dangling from the spindle, rose up toward the ceiling of my little house.

  “Wow,” Jack said. “Would it go further up if you’d unwrapped it outside?”

  I nodded.

  “But why? What’s the use for it?”

  “No one really knows, but you can easily attach the spindle to a tree and then attach a pumpkin to it and let it float high in the sky, like a balloon.”

  “I can’t believe this,” He said. “I can attach my sack of stolen items and hide high up in the sky. No one would be able to find it. The thread is so thin, no one would ever see it, let alone believe it can do what it does.”

  “As long as they don’t know where you’re keeping the spindle that’s holding it, yes.”

  Jack stared at the spindle for while then said, “But really, Grandmother, what’s the real use for it?”

  “No one has ever known. It’s one of those things the universe has a grand purpose for, but no one has an idea why.”

  “I’d like to have it back,” Jack said. “I’d like to give it to Jill when she wakes up. I love the idea of gifting her with something so special, even if it has no known purpose.”

  I nodded, and handed it back to him. Then, at that instant, Jill opened her eyes.

  In one of my later diaries, I’ll tell you so much more about Jill, but now I want to finish my story, and reach the point where things changed for the siblings forever.

  Jack and Jill were the best brother and sister. Jill instantly forgave him, and Jack’s life turned into a living fairy tale. He introduced her to everyone he knew.

  “This is my sister,” he’d say. “The one I’m living for.”

  He introduced her to Fable and Axel, who loved her dearly. Then to Wolfy, who seemed busy with his books that day. Ladle was too shy to come out, and Jill thought the house was creepy so they never met. Jack thought he’d find a way to make it happen later.

  And of course, and most important of all, he introduced Jill to his pumpkin children.

  “The’th beautiful!” the toothless child chirped.

  “Y
ou found your sister, Jack. Congrats!”

  “We love her!”

  Soon, Jill spent most of her time with the pumpkins, and now Jack wasn’t only feeding them, but taking responsibility for his sister too — which was the greatest feeling he’d ever experienced.

  “Teach me how to steal,” Jill asked of him one day.

  “No,” Jack tensed. “You’re never going to steal. You hear me.”

  “But you do.”

  “It’s different.”

  “How different. Is it because I am girl, you think I can’t steal?”

  “No, it’s not like that, Jill. Just forget it.”

  “I want to know. I learn fast. I want to help feed the pumpkin children.”

  “I’m a thief, Jill.”

  “And I’m proud of you.”

  Jack had always known she was naive, but he couldn’t help but laugh. “Trust me it’s not something to be proud of.”

  “Why? You’re a good thief.”

  “I know, but most people don’t see the difference. A thief is a thief. You’re not going to be one.”

  “Then what am I going to be?”

  “What do you mean, Jill?”

  “I mean, I know I’m destined for something big.”

  “Of course you are, but maybe it’s too soon to find out now.”

  “You don’t understand.” She sat on a pumpkin, cheeks resting against her fists. “I heard Grandmother Madly talking to someone the other day.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “She said you are very special, and that by you finding me, the prophecy will take a good turn.”

  “Prophecy?”

  “What prophecy?”

  “That’s all I heard. I thought if there is a prophecy I am going to be a thief like you. Maybe wear a green dress instead of your suit.”

  Jack smiled. His sister was something. He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her. “I don’t know anything about a prophecy. Grandmother Madly is full of secrets anyway.”

  “You mean I am not special?” She almost wept.

  Jack couldn’t adore his sister more. She had been through all this hell with their father and still didn’t know she was special enough. “You’re very special to me, Jill. Here, take this.”

  He handed her the spindle, and though she had no idea what this little piece of wood was, her eyes glittered with mirth. “For me?”

  “For you.”

  “You’ve never brought me something before, Jack.”

  “I know. I just didn’t know how much you meant to me.”

  Immediately, she wrapped her arms around him. “I love you, Jack.”

  “Love you too, Jill,” he said. Oh, how he’d waited for this moment for years. At only thirteen, Jack felt like a grown up who’d been through a lot already. “Don’t you want to know what this spindle does?”

  Jill pulled back. “It does something?” she questioned. “I thought it was just something you stole for me.”

  Jack laughed again. This time he told her what it was for, and for a few hours they had the time of their lives. Jill wrapped the end of the thread around a pumpkin and let it fly up in the sky, as if it were a balloon or a kite.

  She was so happy about it Jack was about to cry. On top of the Tree of Life she ran left and right with it, swinging the pumpkin in the sky.

  “Look, Jack, the thread can reach so high!” she said.

  Jack watched the magical thread rise so high, it almost touched the clouds, the pumpkin contracting into a small orange spot in the sky.

  “It’s awesome!” the pumpkin children said. “Maybe it’s not only Jack who is awesome,” they teased him.

  Jack didn’t mind. His sister’s happiness fulfilled his world. And it could have stayed like this forever… if they hadn’t heard the thud again.

  Everyone froze in place. The thuds were getting louder. Nearer.

  “What’s going on?” Jill asked.

  “It’th the giant,” the toothless girl said. “Thith time he is clothe.”

  “Do you think he is coming for us?” Jack asked.

  Soon enough the answer came. The giant’s next thud shook the tree, and everyone held on to whatever they could.

  “Where is my gold, Jack?!” the giant roared and a storm of his foul breath followed.

  Jack ran toward Jill and together they ducked. “Listen,” he told her. “We have to escape. Let’s climb down. I stole his gold and he is very angry now.”

  “What does he look like?” Jill was curious.

  “The ugliest thing you’ve ever seen. Now, come on, Jill.”

  “But we can’t climb down, Jack.” She pointed at the giant’s feet so close, blocking the side they used for climbing the tree.

  “Run!” the toothless girl shouted.

  And so everyone ran away, jumping from one tree to another, until it was impossible to jump because of the increased distance between trees. The pumpkins, previously trained by Jack, used the vines and swung from here to there.

  Jack had to make Jill wrap her arms around his back as he swung like a monkey from place to place, doing his best to escape the giant.

  “Only a couple of treeth and we’ll be clothe to the waterfall,” the toothless girl said. “We could jump in and ethcape him.”

  “I can’t swim,” Jill said.

  “Don’t worry, I can. I’ll take care of you,” Jack said, clutching on another vine and swinging over to the first tree.

  “One more tree and we can jump,” the toothless girl announced, though the giant seemed restless, only a few trees behind them.

  “Are you sure he can’t jump into the water?” Jill asked.

  “It’s our only choice. I sure hope he can’t,” Jack said, panting. “Just hang on. It’s only one more…”

  Jack’s words didn’t leave his mouth, which stood open wide, his eyes in sheer panic.

  “Who’s that?” Jill pointed at who stood before them, blocking the jump into the waterfall.

  “Oh, my God!” the children squealed in horror, staring at the same person.

  “Who is that?” Jill insisted, pointing at the person.

  Jack shrugged, frozen in place, the giant’s thuds behind him fading into oblivion.

  “Who is that, Jack? Who is that in the red cloak?” Jill said again.

  “It’s Death,” Jack said.

  Then Death spoke for the first time. “You shouldn’t have saved her, Jack.”

  Jill seemed like she was still trying to process what was going on. She didn’t understand why everyone had stopped while the giant was so close to squashing them underneath his large feet.

  “The universe demands balance,” Death said to Jack. “And you disrupted that balance by taking the fortune cookie.”

  “Then the universe shouldn’t have sent the cookie my way,” Jack responded.

  Though her face was unrecognizable under the cloak, Jack knew his words offended her. He saw her raise her scythe up, ready to take Jill’s life.

  Without thinking, Jack turned back and ran in the other direction with Jill on his back.

  “What are you doing?” Jill protested. “The giant is in this direction.”

  “We have no choice,” Jack panted, Jill’s was getting heavier by the minute. In his mind he could not believe he was running away from Death itself.

  Then he slowed down, just a little, staring at the giant a few feet ahead. He stole a glance back, and Death was coming after them.

  Jack and Jill went up a tree…

  He was stuck. He had to think fast.

  “Jill,” he put her down and ducked with her, then held her by the arms. “There is only one way out.”

  “What?”

  “This.” He pointed at the spindle.

  “How so?” She was already shivering, scared.

  “I’ll wrap you up with the thread on the spindle.”

  “Are you crazy?” she said. “I’ll float up in the sky.”

  “But they will never fin
d you,” Jack assured her. “I know the trees by heart. I will come back later and get you when Death and the giant are gone.”

  “But Jack,” she was about to cry again.

  “I know.” He hugged her. “You think I will give up on you like last time.”

  She nodded into his shoulders.

  “I will not.” He squeezed her harder. “I’m only feeling alive because I found you, Jill. We have no time.”

  Reluctantly, Jill let him wrap her up. Jack kissed her on the forehead and joked. “None of us has ever been so close to the stars.”

  She let out a little laugh, wiping away her tears.

  Jack wrapped the remainder of the thread still on the spindle around a tree shadowed by another much larger one, so it wouldn’t be easy to spot, and then let Jill float upward.

  Though Death and the giant neared them, he could not leave before he’d seen Jill’s last waving hands from up high.

  Then Jack waited for Death to arrive. Oh, how angry she was, unable to find Jill. Jack kept his mouth shut, and waited for the giant to arrive too.

  The giant, big and useless, acted like a squirrel seeing Death. In fact, he ran back all the way. It was only Jack and Death on the tree now.

  “You’re playing with fire, Jack,” Death said. “The universe will promise you misery for life for doing this.”

  “I’m fine with misery. In fact, we’ve been friends for a while. But my sister gets to live.”

  “Don’t think I will ever stop hunting her,” Death warned and walked away.

  “Don’t think I will ever stop protecting her,” Jack said to her back.

  After waiting until Death gave up and disappeared, Jack met with the pumpkin children again.

  “Are you sure Death is gone?” Jack said.

  “We’ve followed her back to her home,” the toothless girl said. “She is cooking for her daughter, who by the way doethn’t know her mother ith Death.”

  “Great,” Jack said. “Let’s get Jill back down.

  He turned to find the spindle in the tree, but what he saw changed his life forever. It wasn’t that the spindle was gone.

  It was still there.

  But it was the thread that had been cut.

  “The giant must have ripped it while running back,” the toothless girl offered, her eyes moist, staring at the night sky above.