The Problem Child Read online

  Uncle Jake cleared his throat. “I’ll take it from here, Mom. When your father turned twenty, he was in love with someone. This was before he met your mother,” he explained. “She was an Everafter and it broke his heart to know she was trapped in this town. It broke my heart to see him so sad, especially on his birthday. I wanted to give him something special. So I turned off the barrier so she could escape.”

  Everyone gasped, especially Sheriff Hamstead. “How?” he squealed.

  “I snuck into Baba Yaga’s house and found her spell book. The spell I discovered was simple, and it would only shut the barrier down for a moment. It was all I needed. Hank’s girlfriend waited for the spell to take effect and then she stepped through. We both couldn’t wait to see Hank’s face when he saw her waving to him from the other side. We had no idea what we had done.

  “Dropping the barrier also dropped a few other similar barrier spells, including the one Baba Yaga had put on the asylum,” Uncle Jake explained. “Anyone who had been put in there for the good of the town was freed, including Red Riding Hood and the Jabberwocky.

  “Well, when I discovered what had happened, I went after the monster,” Uncle Jake said. “I chased it through the forest without even thinking about what I would do if I caught up to it, but I never got a chance to come up with a plan. It found me and I was cornered on a cliff.”

  “I know the cliff,” Sabrina said, realizing that she and her uncle had faced the monster at the same spot.

  “And Grandpa came to save you,” Daphne said.

  “He was a hero who loved his sons,” Granny Relda said softly.

  “He never came home, again,” Uncle Jake said. “They took him to the hospital and he died a day later. The monster disappeared into the woods along with Red Riding Hood, and they’ve been missing ever since.”

  Sabrina looked into her uncle’s face and saw an old heartbreak.

  “Your father needed some time to himself, so he left for New York City the day after the funeral,” Granny Relda said. “He met your mother shortly after and they fell in love. They moved back here for a year, and Veronica was inducted into the family business just like I was, but each mystery they uncovered unnerved your father more and more. He worried something would happen to his new bride and when she announced she was pregnant with you, Sabrina, they left town. Your father vowed to me that his children would have nothing to do with magic, Everafters, or the Hall of Wonders.”

  “I left town after the funeral, too, and haven’t been back until yesterday,” Jake said. “I couldn’t let that thing hurt another person because of something I did.”

  “Why don’t I remember any of this happening?” Sheriff Hamstead asked, suspiciously.

  “I’m sorry, Ernest. I had to make you all forget. When news spread that a Grimm knew how to drop the barrier, things got very ugly. People were getting hurt and I had to find a way to stop it.”

  “I’ve always wondered how I’d react if I knew I could break the spell. I hope I was a gentleman,” Hamstead said.

  Granny smiled. “You were one of my heroes.”

  The sheriff nodded. “I suppose I can’t be angry. I’ve scattered a lot of forgetful dust myself. Any other big secrets, Relda?”

  The old woman grinned uncomfortably.

  “Never mind,” the sheriff said.

  Sabrina looked down at Puck. He was fevered, pale, and unconscious. “What can we do for him?” she asked.

  “He’s hurt . . . badly,” Granny replied.

  “We can’t let him die,” Daphne said as tears spilled onto her cheeks.

  “We should search the Hall of Wonders for something that will heal him,” Sabrina said.

  Granny pointed to a collection of empty tins, tubes, and bottles on the nightstand.

  “Then we’ll try something else,” Sabrina argued.

  “And we will fail, child,” Mr. Canis said. “He’s not like you. He’s not even like most of the Everafters, creatures touched by magic. He’s a creature of magic.”

  “Then what? We just give up? We have to do something!”

  “He needs to be with his own people. He needs to be in Faerie,” the old man said. “They will know how to help him.”

  “Let’s go!” Daphne cried.

  “We can’t,” Granny said.

  “The barrier,” Sabrina whispered as she lowered her eyes. Puck was lying there in front of her, probably dying, all because of some stupid two-hundred-year-old spell.

  “Wait, you said you knew how to turn off the barrier,” Hamstead said to Uncle Jake.

  “Absolutely not,” Granny Relda said before her son could answer. “Red Riding Hood and the Jabberwocky escaped from the asylum when the barrier fell the first time. We can’t risk them escaping the town, too.”

  “I have an idea that could solve all our problems,” Uncle Jake said.

  Everyone turned to him and listened.

  “The Vorpal blade,” Uncle Jake replied.

  “You mean that thing Mr. van Winkle mentioned the other day?” Daphne asked.

  “Lewis Caroll wrote about it in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It’s a magical sword and supposedly the only thing that can kill a Jabberwocky.”

  “He’s right,” Sabrina added. “I read about it in the family journals. It not only killed the other Jabberwockies, but it also cut a hole in the barrier. The Black Knight used it to escape Ferryport Landing.”

  “So you see,” Uncle Jake said. “We could use it to kill the Jabberwocky, rescue Hank and Veronica, and cut a hole into the barrier big enough to get Puck out so we can take him to the Faerie folk.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Daphne cried.

  Granny Relda lowered her eyes. “Spaulding Grimm had the Vorpal blade destroyed. After he trapped the Jabberwocky in the asylum and had Baba Yaga cast the spell, he figured the sword was too dangerous to keep around. Someone could have used it to escape town. He had it broken into three pieces and scattered them. I don’t know who has the pieces . . .”

  Sabrina’s heart sank. Puck would certainly die now.

  “Except for one,” Granny finished. She opened a drawer in her nightstand and took out a swatch of green velvet. Inside was something long and heavy. She placed it into Uncle Jake’s hands.

  Uncle Jake unwrapped the object. It was metal and shiny. He lifted it to reveal the hilt of a sword. Only a small jagged portion of the steel remained. An inscription was carved into the metal.

  “What are we going to do with a broken sword?” Daphne said.

  “I don’t know,” Granny replied. “But maybe we can find the other pieces. I believe the inscription is a clue Spaulding left for us in case we ever needed the sword again.”

  Uncle Jake read it. “‘Find the daughter of the water.’ Who is the daughter of the water?”

  “Even if we find this daughter of the water and get the other pieces, is there someone in this town who can put the sword back together?” Hamstead interjected.

  “The Vorpal blade was supposed to be indestructible,” Uncle Jake said. “Spaulding needed to find someone with some seriously powerful mojo to break it. There’s only one person in this town who can do something like that.”

  “The Blue Fairy,” Canis said.

  “From the Pinocchio story?” Sabrina asked.

  “The same. The Blue Fairy is like a nuclear reactor of magic. She can grant any wish. She turned a wooden doll into a real boy. Even Baba Yaga doesn’t have power over life and death.”

  “So, problem solved. We’ll find the other pieces and take them to the Blue Fairy,” Sabrina said.

  “No one knows who the Blue Fairy is,” Granny Relda said. “I know she lives in town, but the spell she uses to disguise herself is powerful. I suppose I would want my privacy, too, if I could grant wishes and bring things to life. People would always want to take advantage of a power like that.”

  “Then what’s the point of all this?” Daphne cried. “Even if we find the pieces, we can’t put them toget
her. We can’t kill the Jabberwocky or get Puck to the Faerie folk.”

  “Have faith, liebling,” Granny said, wrapping her arms around the little girl’s shoulders. “If Spaulding left us clues for finding the pieces, I’m sure he gave us a clue for finding the Blue Fairy so she can put them back together.”

  “I’ll return to the forest and continue to track the girl and the monster,” Mr. Canis said as he stood up weakly.

  “I’ve got to get a handle on what happened at the diner,” Hamstead said. “If too many humans drive by and see the destruction, I’ll have to dust the town again. Good luck with your search.”

  The Sheriff and Canis left the room.

  Granny sat down on the bed and took both of the girls’ hands in her own. “I’ve tried to keep you away from this for as long as I can.” The old woman sighed. “I thought if we hid from all of it maybe it would go away. Sabrina, I know you thought I didn’t care but I did. I lost my husband, my son, my daughter-in-law, and thought I would never see Jacob again. I couldn’t stand to lose the two of you. I didn’t want to put you in danger.”

  “Don’t worry, Granny,” Daphne said as she hugged the old woman.

  “We are Grimms. This is what we do,” Sabrina added as she hugged the old woman.

  “We should get started on research, girls,” Uncle Jake said. “I’m sure if we dig into the journals, we’ll find some reference to this ‘daughter of the water.’”

  “Maybe it’s a fish,” Daphne said.

  “I’ve had that sword for decades and I’ve had a lot of time to think about what Spaulding meant. I don’t think it’s a fish, but I think you’re close,” Granny Relda said. She cupped her hand around Daphne’s ear and whispered something that made the girl’s eyes grow as big as Frisbees.

  “No way!” Daphne cried as she inserted her palm into her mouth and bit down hard.

  The sun was near the end of its decline by the time the girls and their uncle rowed out to the middle of the Hudson River in a tiny boat. Uncle Jake had been tight-lipped about his plan. When he reached the spot he was looking for, he dropped a bright orange anchor overboard.

  “The Little Mermaid is the seventh daughter of Poseidon, the ruler of the sea,” he said as he fumbled in his pockets. Eventually he took out a small fishing rod. On it was a lure and a hook.

  “What kind of magic is that?” Daphne asked.

  “It’s not magic. It’s called a Pocket Fisherman. I bought it on the Internet,” Uncle Jake cast his line. “Spaulding knew what he was doing. Giving the blade to the Little Mermaid was a great way to hide it.”

  Every time they mentioned the Little Mermaid’s name, Daphne jumped up in excitement, nearly capsizing the boat several times. She had seen a movie about the character at a friend’s house when she was five and spent entire weekends in the bathtub trying to grow fins. Of all the Everafters in the town, Daphne wanted to meet the undersea princess the most.

  “I bet we’ll become best friends,” Daphne said. “She’ll invite me over all the time.”

  “Sure, who wouldn’t want to spend all their free time at the bottom of the Hudson River?” Sabrina said. “Did you ever think that all of this is a wild-goose chase? We can’t exactly breathe underwater.”

  “Don’t worry, ’Brina,” Uncle Jake said as he reeled in his line’s slack. “I know someone who can help us with that.”

  It was several minutes before Sabrina noticed a tugging on the line.

  “Looks like I’ve got a bite,” Uncle Jake said, slowly and cautiously reeling his catch in. Suddenly, he pulled back hard on the rod, and from the tension in it, it seemed as if he had hooked a big one. The fish was strong. A few times Sabrina was sure the fishing rod would be ripped out of Uncle Jake’s hands and dragged underwater, but her uncle was strong and soon he was pulling the fish onboard.

  It was huge, probably weighing twenty pounds, with a white belly, gray skin, and a series of purple stripes on either side of its back. It flopped around on the bottom of the boat, smacking against the girls with its tail, and then it did something so shocking Sabrina nearly fell overboard.

  “Jake Grimm!” the fish said in a gurgling voice. “You dirty, filthy, no good, pain in my fin! I should have known when I saw that lure that it was either you or your lousy brother!”

  “How are you doing, Anthony?” Uncle Jake said as he set his rod into the boat. “I wish this could have been avoided, bud, but we need a bit of your special talents.”

  “You’re a talking fish,” Daphne said.

  “And you’re a master of the obvious,” Anthony said. “Are these your kids, Jake? If this brood is the future of the Grimms, I suspect your family is in deep trouble. So, what do you want?”

  “We’re going to see the Little Mermaid and we need to be able to breathe underwater,” Uncle Jake explained.

  “Not a good idea!” the fish warned.

  “It can’t be avoided,” Uncle Jake replied. “The mermaid’s got something we need.”

  “She’s in a foul mood lately. She’s been particularly abusive to her staff. Half of them have been turned into fish sticks. If she kills you, don’t come crying to me. I tried to warn you.”

  “Kills us?” Daphne cried. “That’s crazy talk! The Little Mermaid would never kill someone. I know, I saw the movie!”

  “She’s mean!” Anthony said as he flopped around the boat. “Mean, I tell you!”

  “Shut your mouth,” Daphne cried. “I don’t believe a word you say.”

  “Your funeral,” the fish gurgled. “All right, Jake. You know how this works. Make your wish.”

  “Wait a minute. You grant wishes?” Sabrina interrupted.

  “I’m a fish that talks and you’re having trouble with me granting wishes?”

  “Why are we wishing to be able to breathe underwater? Why don’t we just wish we had all the pieces of the Vorpal blade? Why not avoid the headache!” Sabrina asked her uncle.

  “Sorry kid, one wish per customer. I can’t grant multi-part wishes,” the fish said.

  “Well, then I wish I had the Little Mermaid’s part of the Vorpal blade,” Sabrina said.

  Just then, a seaweed-covered piece of metal materialized in Sabrina’s hands. She picked off the slimy plants and smiled. Its jagged end would fit perfectly with the other piece of the sword.

  “All right, Jake,” the fish said. “I did my part. Now put me back in the water.”

  “I really appreciate your help,” Uncle Jake said as he scooped the fish up and released him into the river. Anthony drifted back up to the surface and squirted water into Uncle Jake’s face.

  “Next time, put a worm on that hook. If I’m going to be put out, the least you could do is feed me!”

  The fish dove under the waves and was gone while the family eyed their treasure with awe.

  “That was easy enough,” Sabrina said.

  “Magic makes everything easier,” Uncle Jake said.

  Daphne shrugged. “Granny says there is always a price for using magic.”

  “Your grandmother just likes to do things the hard way,” Uncle Jake said.

  Suddenly, there was mighty splash and a figure sprang out of the water. He was strong, with a barrel chest and big arms. His skin was green-tinged and he had kelp in his hair. He yanked an orange starfish from a belt around his waist and smacked it onto the top of Daphne’s head. He snatched her in his arms and dragged her under the water.

  “Daphne!” Sabrina cried as she searched the surface for her sister.

  Sabrina and Uncle Jake desperately called out for the little girl, but there was no reply. Had her sister just been drowned before her eyes? Seconds later there was another splash on the other side of the boat. This time, Sabrina got a better look at what kind of man it was. She noticed, to her shock, that he had a fish tail instead of legs. He slapped another starfish onto Uncle Jake’s head and before Sabrina could put up a fight, her uncle was dragged overboard as well.

  Sabrina was all alone. She stuffed t
he sword piece into one coat pocket and out of another she took the Wand of Merlin. She studied the water, examining every ripple and preparing for an attack. When she heard the splash behind her, she spun around, causing the little boat to dip and roll. She lost her balance and the wand fell from her hand and rolled to the bottom of the boat. Before Sabrina could scamper down to retrieve it, the merman sprang into the boat, nearly capsizing it. He removed a scroll from a little bag on his belt and unfurled it, then cleared his throat and began to read.

  “By the order or our lady, the princess, I do hereby place you and your co-conspirators under arrest for acts of thievery,” the merman declared.

  “You don’t understand!” Sabrina argued, but the merman ignored her. He rolled up his scroll and tucked it back into his bag. Then he slapped an orange starfish onto the top of Sabrina’s head. The starfish’s five arms clamped down on her skull, acting like suction cups, and suddenly an odd sensation came over her. She literally felt like a fish out of water. She couldn’t breathe!

  hat have you done to me?” Sabrina gasped, desperate for air.

  “Silence, you filthy, thieving topsider!” the merman barked as he snatched the piece of the Vorpal blade from her pocket. He tucked it under his belt and then grabbed her roughly by the arm. Before Sabrina could struggle, he leaped out of the boat and into the frigid water, taking her with him.

  He swam deeper and deeper with Sabrina trapped in his strong grasp. She fought back viciously, punching and kicking her captor, but it didn’t seem to faze the merman at all. Soon, her lungs were burning for oxygen. Her mouth instinctively opened and she inhaled deeply. Icy crystals raced down her throat. A curious heaviness filled her body and she felt as if water were pouring into her fingers and toes. She closed her eyes, preparing to die, but after several minutes something dawned on her—she could breathe! It must be the starfish, she realized.