"They're going to have a parade in my honor for this," the young man said with a sick smile. "The Master is going to be very happy."
Suddenly a loud, wheezing honk filled the night. Jack spun around. In the giant's breast pocket, a wonderful thing appeared: Two headlights blinked to life. An engine roared and backfired violently, and then, with a squeal of tires, the Grimm family car ripped through the pocket and sped along the giant's body. At the wheel was Mr. Canis and, next to him, Granny Relda, safe and sound. The car soared over the giant's gelatinous belly, down his leg, and hit his huge kneecap, sending the car sailing into the air. It landed several yards away from Jack and the girls and skidded to a stop. The engine puttered out, the lights went dim, and the car doors opened. Granny Relda stepped out with a very concerned face.
"Jack, what is the meaning of this?" she asked.
The young man pulled the mason jar of beans out of his jacket and held it up.
"It's about this, old woman. It's about capturing my rightful place in the spotlight," Jack said.
"Those days are over," Mr. Canis said as he stepped out of the car.
"Maybe for you, traitor," Jack snarled. "But I've got bigger plans than selling shoes and measuring hemlines. These beans are going to make me a hero again. But for that to happen, some things have to change around here."
"What are you suggesting?" Granny Relda asked.
"The Grimms have to die."
"You know I won't allow that, Jack," Mr. Canis said.
"I've been killing giants since I was a lad. I suspect I won't have too much trouble with an old mutt like you."
Mr. Canis looked to Granny Relda. Something passed between them-a sort of question only the two of them understood. Granny Relda nodded, and Mr. Canis took off his hat. He smiled in a way Sabrina could only describe as eager. Once again, she was sure he was doomed. The old man had managed to take out three overweight goons, but could he handle a lightning-fast slayer of giants carrying a sword that killed anything the blade touched?
Jack charged wildly, screaming, but before he could even swing the deadly sword, a change came over Mr. Canis. His shirt ripped off his chest as his body doubled in size. His feet snapped and stretched as they transformed into paws. Hair sprang from every inch of skin; fangs crept down over his lips; his nose extended out, becoming a snarling snout; and his ears twisted into points and rose to the top of his head. But most disturbing were his eyes, which changed into the achingly bright blue color Sabrina had noticed in the family pictures. Why hadn't she guessed it before? Mr. Canis was an Everafter, and maybe the scariest one of them all. He was the Big Bad Wolf.
"If you want to sic your dog on me, Grimm, then do it. But I'll have my destiny either way," Jack said, putting the jar of beans back into his jacket and swinging Excalibur around menacingly. "I've been waiting for this for a very long time."
The Wolf charged at Jack and sent him hurtling backward into a tree, giving the young man no time to recover. The beast savagely sank his teeth into the giant killer's right arm, and Jack screamed in agony. With the Wolf on top of him, he couldn't swing the deadly sword. The best he could do was hit the beast on the head with Excalibur's handle. The Wolf backed away, laughed, and licked its lips.
"Bad news for you, Jack," the Wolf barked. "This dog bites."
In the commotion, Granny held open her arms for the girls, and they ran into them.
"You didn't tell us Mr. Canis was one of them," Sabrina said.
"Oh, didn't I?" Granny said as she kept her eyes on the fight.
The Wolf lunged at Jack again, ripping his chest with his razor-sharp claws. Jack swung back and punched the beast in the face, but the Wolf just chuckled. Desperately, the young man jumped up, grabbed a tree branch, and used it to catapult himself at the Wolf. The force sent them tumbling over each other, leaving Jack on top.
"When I kill you, this town is going to erect a statue in my honor," Jack boasted.
The Wolf snarled as he rolled over on top of Jack. "I don't think this is going to turn out as you plan, little boy. Your rotting corpse will hang in the town square tonight. That is, after I've eaten all the juicy parts."
Jack thrust his knee into the Wolf 's belly, knocking the wind out of him and giving the young man the chance to throw the beast off. He crawled to his feet and picked up Excalibur.
"Even the tiniest scratch will send you on your way, mongrel," Jack warned. He rushed forward, pushed the beast against a tree, and held the lethal blade to his neck. "From now on they will call me Jack the Legend Killer!"
Sabrina looked to her grandmother and saw the worry in her face. She knew Jack was going to win, and then he would turn on them. How would the three of them fight him off? But suddenly, above the snarling and fighting, she heard an odd sound, as if someone had just played notes on a flute. At first Sabrina thought she might have imagined it, but then a swarm of pixies darted out of the woods and surrounded Jack. He cried in pain with every little sting, and soon blood began to leak from all over his body.
Puck floated down from the trees and rested on a branch above the fighting.
"Puck!" Daphne cried. "You really are a hero!"
"Hush, you'll ruin my reputation," he replied.
In vain, Jack tried to brush the pixies off, swatting at them wildly with little result and dropping the sword in his struggle.
"Old lady, are you well?" Puck asked as he floated to the ground. "I tried to tell Sabrina that Jack couldn't be trusted, but she wouldn't listen. She's very stubborn and stupid."
"I'm sure Sabrina had her reasons, Puck," Granny replied as she winked at her granddaughter. "But before we can celebrate, Jack has a jar in his coat we need."
Puck smiled, took out his flute, and played a quick, sharp note. One pixie left the others and buzzed around the boy's head.
"We need to get that jar away from him," Puck said. The little light blinked as if to say yes and zipped into the storm of pixies tormenting Jack. Suddenly a small group of them flew into his jacket and collectively carried the jar of magic beans away.
"No!" Jack cried in panic, swatting and swinging wildly at the pixies. Seeing his prize carried off, he desperately grasped for the jar, only managing to knock it to the ground, sending shards of glass and beans in all directions.
"Oh, dear," Granny gasped. "Mr. Canis, we have a problem."
The Wolf fell over as if he were having a fight with himself.
"I'm not going back inside, old man!" the beast bellowed. He groaned and complained as he transformed back into Mr. Canis. The old man looked exhausted and broken. He wore a worried expression. "He tasted blood."
"I know, and we will deal with that soon. Right now we have to get the children out of here," Granny Relda said. Unfortunately, most of her words were drowned out by a horrible rumbling. The little white beans were taking root. They dug deep into the forest's soil, and instantly a hundred little green sprouts popped out of the ground. The sprouts grew at an alarming rate, becoming vines and then stalks that jockeyed for space. They soared higher and higher into the air until it seemed they would touch the moon itself.
"What have you done?" Jack bellowed.
"You wanted giants, Jack. You're going to get your wish," Granny Relda said as the first giant came crawling down a stalk, planting a foot on the forest floor. Dozens and dozens followed, nearly a hundred in all, knocking over trees planted centuries ago. Each one of the giants was uglier than the last, and all of them had murder in their eyes. One of the most gnarled of the bunch stepped forward. It let out an ear-shattering blast and pounded its chest.
"Fe, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of that murderous Englishman!" the giant thundered at Jack, sending his hair flapping behind him.
"I didn't kill your brother-it was the girl!" Jack cried, pointing a shaky finger at Sabrina. "Sabrina Grimm killed him!"
The giants looked down at Sabrina with suspicious eyes. One ducked his head down, shoving it into the girls' faces. His nostrils blasted hot air into their clothes.
"Lies!" the giant bellowed, spraying Sabrina and Daphne with its hot, snotty breath. "These are children. They could not kill one of us!"
Trembling with terror, Sabrina stepped forward. "No, it's true. I did it. I killed him. It was an accident. I didn't mean to do it. I was fighting Jack, and your brother was hurt. I'm sorry."
"See, I told you!" Jack cried. "She's the guilty one."
The giant swooped down and grabbed Jack in his huge, grimy hand.
"You set the events in motion, Englishman. You will pay for the crime!" the giant bellowed.
Granny Relda stepped forward. "What do you plan on doing with him?" she asked.
"Crush his bones to make our bread." The giant grunted. "Or maybe we will pull his little limbs off one by one and see if he screams."
"You'll do nothing of the sort," Granny Relda replied. "Take him to your queen. She'll decide what to do with him."
"Who are you to tell us what to do?" the giant raged.
"I'm Relda Grimm," Granny said. "If you don't know me, your queen will."
The giants grumbled to one another until their leader bowed his head in respect.
"Help me, Relda!" Jack cried. "Don't let them take me!"
Granny Relda lowered her eyes. "I cannot deny them their justice. I only hope they are more merciful with you than you have been with them."
Jack saw the futility of his words and calmed himself. Then he laughed, almost insanely. "Do you think I did this all on my own?" he ranted. "Where do you think I got the first magic bean? The Scarlet Hand is coming, and your days are numbered! The Master has Henry and Veronica, and you're next!"
The giants ignored Jack's taunts and turned back toward their beanstalks. A few leaned down and gingerly picked up their dead brother. They carried him on their shoulders as they climbed back up into the sky.
"Granny, stop them. Jack knows who took our mom and dad," Sabrina begged.
Granny shook her head.
"It's too late, Sabrina."
The giants disappeared into the cold night air just as three squad cars roared into the clearing with lights and sirens. Flying high above the police were Glinda in her bubble and Frau Pfefferkuchenhaus on her broom. They sent streams of fire at the beanstalks, setting them ablaze.
Hamstead got out of his car and, along with Boarman and Swineheart, rushed to the family's side.
"I'm glad you're OK, Relda," the sheriff said.
"Thank you very much, Sheriff," Granny replied. "It has been a difficult couple days."
"You've got some pretty smart grandchildren," Hamstead said, smiling at Sabrina and Daphne. "Maybe a little too smart. They're not ones to let a man explain anything, and not so easy on my wardrobe, but I shouldn't be surprised with a last name like Grimm."
He reached his hand out, and Sabrina shook it. Daphne did the same.
"In the future, kids, remember, we're the good guys," Hamstead said. "If you'll excuse me, I have to confiscate a little evidence."
The sheriff looked at Mr. Canis and nodded his head.
"Wolf," he said with an odd respect.
"Pig," Canis replied.
"Relda, your grandchildren are as meddlesome as you are," Charming said as he entered the clearing. He was rubbing his head and placing his phone back in his pocket. "But they were helpful in putting an end to Jack's plan."
"Your Majesty," Relda chirped happily, "are you suggesting that the Grimms might be useful in this town?"
"Hardly," Charming growled. He turned to the girls and looked at them darkly. "Remember what I said about tomorrow, children."
He spun around and made a beeline for the sheriff.
Daphne and Sabrina hugged their grandmother around the waist and burst into a torrent of happy tears. Granny Relda returned their affection with a hundred kisses.
"Lieblings, are you OK?" she asked at last.
This time, Sabrina didn't pull away from the old woman. This time, Granny's hug felt like home.
"I'm OK," Sabrina said, fighting back more tears.
"We're sorry we almost got you killed," Daphne said. "We're not very good detectives."
"Nonsense!" Granny Relda laughed as she led them to the car. "You rescued Mr. Canis and me and managed to prevent a serious catastrophe. I say the two of you are first-rate detectives. We should celebrate. Does anyone have any ideas?"
Sabrina eased back into her seat. "I'd really just like to get out of these clothes," she said, looking down at the monkey hanging from the tree on her sweatshirt.
HANG IN THERE, it read.
Elvis woke the girls the next morning with loving licks on their faces. Luckily, Jack had not hurt the dog too badly. His ribs were bruised, and he would have to wear a bandage on his side until the veterinarian could remove his stitches. He had a big plastic cone around his head to prevent him from licking his wound, and everywhere he walked he knocked piles of things onto the floor. The only thing that seemed to truly hurt was Elvis's pride. Daphne apologized to him for not paying attention to his clue and promised that his opinion would always be considered in the future.
Granny greeted them at the dining room table with more of her unusual culinary treats. That morning, they enjoyed blue scrambled eggs, some little orange nuts, home-fried potatoes soaked in sparkly green gravy, and wedges of tomato. Mr. Canis didn't join them.
"Is Mr. Canis OK?" Daphne asked.
"He will be," Granny Relda replied. "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear you are concerned."
"Where's Puck?" Sabrina asked, more out of suspicion that he would spring out of nowhere than real worry.
Granny Relda smiled. "He'll be here soon."
After breakfast, the three Grimms went to the mall. Granny Relda bought the girls a dozen outfits apiece and found a new hat with a sunflower on it for herself. Sabrina suggested they burn their orange monkey sweatshirts and blue heart-covered pants, but Daphne refused.
"Mr. Canis did his best, girls," Granny explained. "He is colorblind, after all."
When they got home, Granny had presents for them. The girls unwrapped them quickly and found their own brand-new, leather-bound journals, just like the ones their entire family used to record the events they witnessed. The covers were stenciled in gold with the words FAIRY-TALE ACCOUNTS and each of their names. When Sabrina opened hers, she found hundreds of blank pages.
"Like your father and generations of Grimms before him, it is your responsibility to put on paper what you see, so that the future generations may be prepared," Granny said. "We are Grimms. This is what we do."
The rest of the day, the girls scribbled in the books. They picked each other's brains for anything they might have forgotten, and when they were finished, Sabrina tucked the picture of her family inside her journal's pages. Together, the girls rushed downstairs and placed their books alongside their father's journal.
"Girls, I'd like to show you something else," Granny said.
The girls followed her up the stairs, where she unlocked Mirror's room. The little man's face appeared in the glass, and he smiled when the old woman and the girls entered.
"Good afternoon, Relda," Mirror said.
"Good afternoon. I do hope you are feeling better," Granny replied.
"Much better. The bruises look worse than they feel," Mirror said.
"That's nice to know," the old woman said. She turned to the girls and took their hands. "Would you like to see your parents?"
Sabrina's heart nearly jumped from her chest. "Yes, please."
Granny turned back to the mirror. "Mirror, mirror, near and far," she said aloud. "Show us where their parents are."
The mirror misted over and two figures slowly appeared in the reflection. When the mist cleared, Sabrina saw her parents, Henry and Veronica, lying on a bed in a dark room. They were very still, with their eyes closed.
"They're dead," Sabrina said before she could stop herself.
"No, not dead," Granny Relda corrected her. "Just sleeping.
They appear to be the victims of a magic spell. As far as I can tell, they are safe and healthy."
"We lost one of Dorothy's slippers," Daphne cried. "We could have used them to rescue Mom and Dad."
Sabrina's face flushed with regret.
"Liebling, don't you think I have tried the slippers and everything else inside the mirror?" Granny Relda sighed. "This Scarlet Hand, whoever they are, used strong magic to take your mom and dad away from us, but we aren't going to give up. We'll find them, I promise."
The girls wrapped their arms around Granny Relda and hugged her tightly. Sabrina and Daphne sobbed, both tears of happiness that their parents were alive and tears of despair that they didn't know where they were.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door to the house. The old woman took a handkerchief from her handbag and wiped the girls' eyes. Then she wiped her own and stuffed the hankie back in her purse.
"Come, girls, we have guests," she said as she exited the room. The girls watched the image of their parents slowly fade from the mirror and then stood for a moment, staring at their own reflections.
"We're home now," Sabrina said to her sister. "No more running away."
"Well, duh!" Daphne giggled.
The two left the room and closed the door behind them. Then they ran down the stairs to the foyer. Puck was already inside, carrying several boxes filled to the top with old toys, junk, and several dead fish. Behind him were Glinda, Hamstead, Boarman, and Swineheart. The group walked past them into the dining room and spread a huge roll of papers onto the table. When Sabrina got a closer look, she realized they were blueprints.
"What are the police doing here?" Sabrina asked.
"We're not here in an official capacity. We're putting an addition on your house," Hamstead said as his expression turned to a sly smile. "This house isn't big enough. You need another bedroom right away. Relda asked us to do the job. Before we went into law enforcement, we were in construction."
"I'm getting my own room?" Sabrina squealed happily.
Daphne looked insulted and stuck out her tongue.
"Oh, Sabrina, we're not building you your own bedroom yet," Granny apologized. "No, we need another room because-"
"I'm moving in!" Puck interrupted. He shoved his box of junk into Sabrina's hands and joined the witch and the deputies looking over the plans, declaring that they needed to add a dungeon and a throne room.
"He's lying, right?" Sabrina asked hopefully. "You wouldn't let that stinky freak move in here with us?"
"I think it's great!" Daphne cried.
"Girls, he may not be my real grandson," Granny replied, "but I love him like he was my own."
Daphne took her sister's hand and smiled. "I have a feeling we're going to have a lot more to write in those books."
Sabrina scowled.
聚合中文网 阅读好时光 www.juhezwn.com
小提示:漏章、缺章、错字过多试试导航栏右上角的源