The Fairy Portal Second Edition

Chapter Three

Blake didn't know what Grandma Florence said to his mom, or how she'd convinced her to let them go out on Friday, two days before their grounding was over. He guessed it had something to do with getting a lecture about responsibility and his and Emily's impending adulthood. But whether that was actually what his grandma said, the car ride was just a long trip up to the Wisconsin border with the blaring crooning of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby.

Important things had continued to go missing and both he and Emily kept tripping on themselves constantly despite usually having steady feet. Each day it got worse: more important things disappeared and didn't come back, money kept getting turned into rocks and leaves, things kept getting knocked over and broken, and Emily's brand new cell phone suddenly... well, jumped was the only word for it. Jumped off the dresser and onto the floor yesterday, cracking the screen up in the corner. Thank goodness it was still usable, because Blake wasn't sure if their mom would replace two cell phones that fast.

He leaned his head against the cool window, watching the lakeshore go by. Occasionally a sailboat or two moved by in the distance, but for the most part, it had been empty for miles. Nobody was on the rocky shore. Every now and then they drove past a car that had pulled over so someone driving through could get a picture, but they all stayed on their side of the guardrail.

For a long time it was lake on one side and farmland or trees on the other, but finally they entered a tiny lakeside town that seemed to be mostly residential with the occasional business here and there -- a post office, a restaurant, a dentist.

Emily sat in the front seat belting out Frank Sinatra lyrics with Grandma. She'd offered him the front, but Blake had said he'd needed some time to think, and then promptly cleared his mind and zoned out watching the lake.

The houses were set back behind long driveways and some behind fences, as well, partially obscured by trees. Most of them housed parked pickup trucks, but every now and then a smaller compact car poked out of one of the outdoor garages.

"Are we almost there?" Blake finally asked.

"He speaks!" Florence laughed. She turned down the radio. Emily continued to sing, but under her breath. Occasionally an exceptionally loud or high note pierced the otherwise relative quiet of the car.

"Yes, we are," Florence said. "I'm going to drop you two off and go down to the candy shop. They have my favorite fudge and I'm not out here as much as I used to be. My friends and I are all starting to get older, you know."

Blake chuckled, offering a weak smile. It was one of Grandma Florence's favorite jokes. She was already in her early nineties, but as alert and spry as ever. Sometimes Blake forgot she was that old.

"I also want you be able to speak completely candidly and honestly without me hovering over you, in case you're worried what I'd think or if I'd tell your mom," she continued. "These two are very good friends of mine and have been since we were your age. They'll take care of you, and if you're done before I get back or if you need more time, you can call me, okay?"

Blake nodded and Emily grinned.

"It makes me so happy you aren't afraid of cell phones," Emily said. "I love how up you are with technology."

"Well, I am a cool grandma," Florence preened. Blake and Emily laughed.

"The coolest," Blake said.

Florence pulled up into a small paved driveway, lined on either side with some kind of herb Blake didn't recognize. But then, he'd never been good at that. When he stepped out of the car, the smell told him it must be some kind of mint. He took a moment to orient himself: house on this side, lake across the street, low wooden fences on either side of him between the houses. Florence adjusted the butterfly pin in her fluffy white hair and rolled down the drivers' window, gesturing her grandchildren over.