The Inside Story

by Michael Buckley

  “Oh, no, I’ve done the mirror thing. Allow me to introduce my vessel,” Mirror said. He snatched the baby Grimm off the floor and held him in his arms. “I want you to put me into him. He will give me my freedom not only from the magical cage you trapped me in, but also from the town of Ferryport Landing. I will be both Everafter and human at the same time.”

  “You want to possess him?” Mirror’s storybook double cried.

  Mirror nodded. “He is still a child. Whatever soul he has cannot be strong, so he will not fight me. Can you do it?”

  The Wicked Queen nodded. “Yes, but—”

  “No!” Veronica cried. “If you want a body, you can take mine!”

  Mirror shook his head. “No offense, Veronica, but I’d like to live a long, full life. I want the boy.”

  Granny Relda growled. Sabrina had never seen her so angry. “None of this had to happen, Mirror. You could have come to me. I would have done everything in my power to set you free.”

  “Relda, that is kind of you to say. But you would have failed. One day you would have died and I would have had to start all over with a new owner. Your family has shown me great kindness, but who knows where I might have landed? I could be in the hands of tyrants someday. No, the time is now. I can’t wait another day.” He turned back to the Wicked Queen. “All right, Mom. It’s time you finally gave me a birthday present.”

  The Wicked Queen stepped forward and her hand grew red once more.

  “You may want to set the boy on the ground,” she said. Mirror did as he was told and she placed her hand on Mirror’s head. He screamed in agony as the hand burned his skin, and then a black glob, just like the ones in the jars, seeped out of his mouth and hovered before the man’s blank eyes. When the Queen let go of him, Mirror’s body collapsed to the ground, dead and empty. A moment later, it liquefied into a silver, reflective fluid, like mercury.

  “Bunny, you don’t have to finish this,” Granny said.

  The Queen shook her head. “If I don’t, he’ll take someone else in this room. Maybe even me. You don’t want him to have my power.”

  She stood the boy up, waved her red hand just over his face, and the black blob shot into his mouth. If it hurt or distressed him, the baby showed no sign. The only change was the expression on his face. His youthful smile and glittering eyes were replaced with an ageless intelligence. The boy looked down at the silver puddle and studied his face in its reflection.

  “Fascinating,” he said. The single word told Sabrina that Mirror’s plan had succeeded.

  “No!” Veronica cried, bursting into tears. Henry’s head fell in exhaustion.

  The little boy turned to the Grimms. He lifted his little hands and his fingertips crackled with magical power. “Very good. My abilities work just as well.”

  “The Editor will fix this,” Sabrina said. “He’ll change you back to what you were.”

  “Oh, I’m afraid he’s going to have his hands full with other problems,” the boy said. “You see, while I was traveling through these books I learned that the Snow White history has been completely rebuilt from the ground up. Apparently, it was much different once—I don’t recall what actually happened because someone changed it in this book and it wiped my memory. A troubling phenomenon, but one I intend to exploit. There’s someone or something that is caged up in the margins. I can feel it. And if I can have my freedom, I suppose I can give it to someone else, too.”

  “How are you going to do that, Mirror?” Granny Relda said.

  “By killing a main character,” the child replied, his eyes glowing with power. His little body lifted off the ground and he flew through the castle window out into the sky. Sabrina and Daphne rushed to the window and saw him soaring like an eagle down toward the Seven Dwarfs’ cottage.

  Suddenly a door materialized and the Editor appeared in the doorway. His face looked panicked. “He’s after Snow White! Queen, if he manages to kill someone that important, he will surely rip everything apart. We all have to stop him at any cost. You must help the Grimms!”

  10

  ome with me,” the Wicked Queen said, then hurried everyone down the many flights of stairs and into a stable where several saddled horses waited. Henry and Veronica helped the children and Granny Relda onto their mounts. They took two for themselves while the Wicked Queen mounted a frightening black stallion with angry eyes. Seconds later they were bolting down the path at a heart-racing speed.

  “Revisers!” Daphne screamed, pointing to the side of the path. Hundreds of creatures were eating the trees and shrubs.

  “Pray they work quickly,” the witch said.

  “Pray? Those things are monsters,” Sabrina said.

  “Those things may be the only way of keeping the story intact. If the bindings and rewrites the Editor established fall apart, then something far worse than a reviser will be let loose.”

  “Could you fill us in on what everyone’s talking about? What’s so important about this story?” Sabrina asked.

  The Wicked Queen turned to the girls. “There was a time when Snow White’s tale was much different—much more tragic.”

  When they got to the cottage, they found the dwarfs battling with Mirror, who zipped around in the air like a mosquito. Mr. Seven broke from the fight and rushed out to help the family off their horses. When she was on her feet, Sabrina saw two glass coffins resting on a platform in the garden. The lovely Snow White was resting in one. In the other was Puck. Despite all the excitement around them, neither of the slumbering people woke up.

  “We spotted revisers over the hill,” the Queen said.

  “We’ve got a bigger problem. Prince Atticus is coming,” Mr. Seven said.

  “Who is Atticus?” Daphne asked.

  A man on a great gray horse galloped out of the woods. Moments later, he leaped to his feet and sprang into action, joining the fight to stop Mirror.

  “Atticus is my brother,” he said, swinging his sword with all his might. Even with the odd, fake-looking colors of this world, Sabrina immediately recognized the Book’s version of Ferryport Landing’s former mayor, William Charming.

  “Your brother?” Granny Relda said. “You don’t have a brother!”

  Charming ignored her. “The Editor came to me. He told me to fight. The real people must leave the Book at once. A door to the real world will appear at any moment.”

  “No, we won’t go without the boy,” Granny Relda said. She turned to Bunny Lancaster. “Can you remove Mirror from him?”

  “Yes, but like I said, he’ll just jump into one of us.”

  “Do it!” Granny begged.

  The Queen’s hand turned red once more. She waved it at the boy and his body flew toward her against his will. The burning hand clamped down on his head and Mirror’s voice cried out for mercy. Then the little boy collapsed to the ground. Veronica raced to his side and swept him up into her arms. He began to cry from surprise and shock.

  The Queen couldn’t hold on to the black blob and it darted around the crowd, searching for a new vessel. It looked like a shapeless dog sniffing for a buried bone. As Sabrina watched, fascinated, it attacked, clamping down on her shoulders and trying to force its way into her mouth. She fought back, grinding her teeth to keep it from entering her, but the creature was strong. After a few moments of fighting, seemingly frustrated, it darted to her sister.

  “Don’t open your mouth!” Sabrina shouted. Daphne was doing all she could to fight it.

  “I’m afraid we can’t stop it,” the Queen said. “It must find a body to possess.”

  A clarity came over Sabrina that she had never experienced before. She realized that when things were at their worst she could always find an answer. Sure, she had made many mistakes, but most of them were misjudgments fueled by prejudices, mistrust, or stubbornness. But when it was a matter of life and death involving a friend or loved one, she never made mistakes. When it came to protecting her family, the answers were always clear.

  She raced to Daphne�
�s side, but Granny Relda was already there. Sabrina knew what she was going to do. It was exactly what she had planned herself.

  “Mom! No!” Henry shouted as he wrestled with a reviser.

  Granny Relda turned and looked to her family. “He’ll get out, Henry. We know he will. And he’ll take some poor child or another Everafter who’s already ripe with power. If he must possess someone, it should be a person nearing their final days; someone old, and tired, with creaky joints and arthritis, and no magical ability. If he’s going to take over the world, then the world should only have to suffer for so long.”

  “Granny!” Sabrina cried.

  “I love you, liebling,” Granny said, blowing kisses. “Take care of Puck—he’s one of mine too.”

  She turned to the ghostly spirit attacking Daphne and buried her fingers into the blackness. “Let her go, Mirror!” Granny cried.

  The creature resisted but she would not let go. Eventually, it surrendered and entered the old woman. Granny’s face lost its rosy color. Her bright green eyes flashed white hot, and her sweet, soft smile disappeared. It was replaced with an angry scowl.

  “You have ruined everything!” Mirror’s voice bellowed out of the old woman. “Look at this body!”

  “Vile creature,” Prince Charming said. He waved his sword threateningly at Granny Relda. “Release your hold on that woman.”

  Mirror raised the old woman’s wrinkled hand and sparks crackled from the tips of her fingers. “You ridiculous oaf. Do you think I would stay in this body if I had a choice?” Electricity charged out of Granny’s hands and encircled the Prince’s sword.

  It yanked the weapon out of Charming’s grasp and Granny took it. “My opportunity—stolen! So I will bring this world down around your ears.”

  Granny thrust the sword into Charming’s gut. The Prince was stunned. Then he fell over and moved no more.

  No sooner had he fallen than the world shook so violently that Sabrina was knocked backward to the ground. Her head slammed against the soil and her sneakers were blasted off her feet. Before she could stand and retrieve her shoes, there was a second explosion. This one was louder, and the blast of wind that accompanied it was so hot it scorched her face, neck, and hands. But the third explosion was the one that frightened her. It split columns in two and churned the ground like a pot of boiling water. Fissures formed, allowing skin-searing steam to escape from deep below. Along with it came an unearthly concoction of lights and sounds and colors. It wasn’t a mist or a fog—it was alive, made from something old and angry. It spun into a whirlwind and surrounded the children.

  “Everyone must go,” the Wicked Queen shouted. “Atticus is coming!”

  “Sabrina, this is not good!” Daphne shouted over the din. It was clear the little girl knew what was happening as well. “We have to stop it.”

  “Be my guest!” she cried. “If you haven’t noticed, I don’t have any magical powers. I’m not an Everafter. I’m just a girl from New York City.”

  And then there was a fourth and final explosion. A strange, red-haired man appeared over her. He wore a black tunic, heavy boots, and a long scabbard. In one hand he had what Sabrina would later find out was called a flail—a handle connected to a chain connected to a heavy steel ball. He looked at her and smiled, but it was not friendly. It was like a hungry tiger looking at his wounded prey. Then he glanced over at Prince Charming’s lifeless body and he laughed.

  “William, I’m disappointed,” Atticus said. “I wanted to kill you myself.”

  In the confusion, Sabrina watched Granny Relda rush to the door that had materialized. She turned and looked back at the family. For a moment, her familiar eyes locked onto Sabrina, but then the old woman shook her head as if dizzy and her smile turned to a sneer. She darted through the doorway and disappeared.

  “What is this?” Atticus said. “A doorway to the real world?”

  No one answered. The man seemed to steal their confidence. Sabrina knew that she—or someone—should block his path. There was something in Atticus’s face that made it clear the world was not ready for him, but her courage had vanished with Granny Relda.

  A moment later, Atticus stepped through the portal and was gone as well.

  “Kids, we have to go,” Henry shouted as he scooped Puck’s unconscious body out of its glass case. “The revisers are coming!”

  Veronica clung to her baby boy and dashed through the doorway just as the pink creatures scuttled down the hillside. There were thousands of them, eating and ripping at the ground, the trees, even the air, leaving only a blank white plainness behind them.

  “Grimms, you must leave,” the Editor cried from the open doorway. “I cannot stop the revisers. This story is a page-one rewrite.”

  Daphne and Henry dashed forward into the abyss with Puck flung over Henry’s shoulder. Sabrina looked out on the disappearing world, then followed.

  After retrieving Pinocchio from the Editor’s library and saying their strained good-byes to the Editor himself, the family locked the nameless door to the room that held the Book of Everafter and made the long trek out of the Hall of Wonders. Luckily, there was no sign of Atticus or their own possessed grandmother.

  When they stepped through the portal into Granny’s front yard, Sabrina stared, shocked and horrified. Very little of their home was left standing. When Pinocchio’s marionettes had unlocked the doors of the Hall of Wonders, they had released all manner of terrible creatures. Those creatures had stampeded through the mirror and demolished what four generations of Grimms had called their own. Elvis, the family’s two-hundred-pound Great Dane, raced forward. He knocked Daphne down and showered her with happy licks. She kissed him back and scratched behind his ears. Then she introduced the dog to the newest member of the family, though Veronica looked as if she would never let him go.

  Henry set Puck on the ground and leaned against Granny’s ancient car, which had surprisingly remained untouched in all the chaos, and then he went into the house. Despite Veronica’s warnings that it was unsafe, he said he had to go back in to retrieve as many of the family journals as he could. When he returned, carrying a sack over his shoulder, he happily reported that he had saved all of them. He opened the trunk of the car and eased them inside. Then he set the magic mirror on top and closed the trunk carefully.

  Pinocchio sat down in the yard as if unsure of what to do next. They all waited for a minute, silent.

  “Well?” Daphne said to Sabrina.

  “Well, what?”

  “Are you going to wake Puck up?”

  “We tried,” Sabrina said. “He ate part of a poisoned apple.”

  “Did you kiss him?”

  Sabrina wasn’t sure she heard her sister correctly. “What?”

  “You have to kiss him. He needs the kiss of someone who loves him.”

  “Absolutely not!” Henry shouted.

  “It has to be a romantic kiss too,” Daphne added slyly. “Listen, he’s asleep, and if anyone knows about that spell it’s the Grimm family. If there is even the teensiest chance that you love Puck, you have to kiss him.”

  “There’s no chance at all!” Sabrina said, wracking her brain for a really great excuse. “I don’t love him. It won’t work.”

  “Then he’ll sleep forever,” Daphne said.

  Sabrina looked at Puck. He was smelly, rude, mean, selfish, stupid, and immature. He wasn’t the kind of boy that girls fell in love with. He was the kind of boy you stayed fifty yards from at all times. Kissing him wouldn’t wake him up, but if everyone was going to pressure her, what else could she do? She’d kiss him and mentally remind herself to brush, floss, and gargle the first chance she got. She looked to her father, who seemed physically ill, while her mother smiled reassuringly. Daphne rolled her eyes. “Geez, enough with the buildup. Just do it.”

  Sabrina leaned in and pressed her lips to Puck’s. There was a little static shock that startled her and she stepped back with her hands on her mouth.

  “Oh!” It hadn’t
hurt. It was just . . . surprising.

  Puck’s eyes flickered open and he looked around. “So, what did I miss?”

  The family spent the rest of the day retrieving what little was left intact in the house. Even Pinocchio helped, albeit reluctantly. Most of the time he groused about “child labor laws” and “indentured servitude.” It gave Sabrina and Puck time to be alone. They sat in the yard and looked over the house for a while in silence.

  Finally, Puck spoke. “Let’s not change.”

  “Huh?”

  “The insults. The pranks. Let’s not change.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Someday you and I are getting married.” Puck sighed, as if terribly depressed. “The cruel hand of fate will not allow us to escape it. Worse, my own body is betraying me. I’m getting older every day. So, in essence, we are up the river without a paddle. If we have to get married and have a million babies, I hope our relationship will be built on mutual disgust and an endless barrage of ridicule and insults. It feels like the only thing I can count on right now. I don’t want something dumb like respect and affection getting in the way.”

  Sabrina laughed. “OK, on the outside chance that you and I do get married, I promise to insult you all day long. But you do realize there’s a very good chance that you and I won’t get married.”

  “That’s not what you told me. You said you went to the future and we were married,” Puck said. “We can’t escape fate.”

  “We didn’t see the future. We saw a future,” Sabrina said. “The world we saw was terrible. The Master was in control of everything. Dragons hunted people. Human beings were refugees. When we got back to our time, Daphne and I started doing everything we could to prevent that from happening. And we have managed to change some stuff. For instance, Snow White was dead in the future but we saved her life. Daphne had a horrible scar on her face but we fixed that, too. There have been countless other things we stopped from happening. We may have altered the future so much that you and I don’t get married.”