Sisters Grimm 05 Magic and Other Misdemeanors by Michael Buckley Page A
Authors: Michael Buckley
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Canis?"
Sabrina opened her eyes. The old man was gone. She pinched Daphne softly and the little girl looked around.
"Well, that was mucho rude-o," Daphne complained.
Sabrina scanned the dense woods. Canis was nowhere in sight, but he had left a trail in the snow. Following it wouldn't be too difficult--after all, in his semialtered form Mr. Canis had what amounted to size-22 shoes.
Sabrina pointed to the tracks. "He went that way."
The girls followed the footprints through some heavy brush. The old man's path showed he was running in one direction and then cutting back in the other, obviously trying to confuse them.
"Are we really going to have to live in a refrigerator box like Puck said?" Daphne asked. "I don't think we'll all fit in a refrigerator box. Mr. Canis won't for sure, and what about Elvis? I guess we could get a washing machine box for him. We could even decorate it and cut out some windows."
The little girl rambled on, describing how with a little creativity they could turn an old cardboard box into a two-story Colonial, while Sabrina led her along the trail Mr. Canis had left. It took them up a steep climb, but they found a couple of branches that doubled as walking sticks that helped their ascent. At the top of the crest they found more trees, but Mr. Canis's footprints had disappeared.
"Where did he go?" Daphne asked.
"Maybe he's soaking in our cardboard-box Jacuzzi," Sabrina replied.
"OK, fine, I'll concentrate," Daphne grumbled. "It's just I wish I had a magic wand or a crystal ball."
Sabrina scanned the area but saw nothing. He couldn't have just vanished into thin air, but...
"Look!" Sabrina said, pointing up at the trees. She saw dozens of limbs splintered and broken, with fresh yellow wood erupting from their rich brown bark. "He jumped up there and grabbed those branches. They snapped when he swung to the next tree."
"I thought he was a wolf, not a monkey."
Sabrina scanned the next tree and saw a similar limb. "Then he swung over there."
"See!" Daphne said. "You're mucho excellent-o at tracking."
Sabrina swelled with pride. Her sister was right. She was good at tracking. "Thanks," Sabrina said as she pointed toward a row of trees. "He went that way."
The girls held hands and continued through the woods. It dawned on Sabrina that this was what Puck must have done when he was stalking them during escape training. He used their environment against the girls, finding the little clues their feet and bodies left behind. With a keen eye, the woods could become like a road map leading them to their destination.
It wasn't long before they found another set of Mr. Canis's footprints that led to a churning brook. There his trail ended. Sabrina studied the banks of the stream and searched the trees but saw nothing.
"What now?"
"Close your eyes," Sabrina told her sister. "He told us to use all our senses."
She stood quietly, trying to sort through the noises around her: the bubbling water, the creaky branches swaying in the breeze, a bird chirping high in the trees. And then she heard it: A twig snapped in the brush nearby.
"He's in there," Sabrina said, pulling her sister along. They pushed through the bushes, even getting on their hands and knees to crawl through. It wasn't easy and the girls were filthy, but that was the least of their worries. Without warning the gray sky had filled with dark clouds and a storm swirled above. A crack of thunder shook the trees and bolts of lightning burst out of a black hole in the sky. It looked just like the storm that had occurred when the odd men had attacked Baba Yaga, and the one on the night Sabrina had imagined Uncle Jake's death.
"Maybe we should call it a day," Sabrina said as she examined the troubling storm. She turned to crawl back the way they came. Once through the bushes, she struggled to her feet and helped her sister do the same.
"Mr. Canis!" Daphne shouted. "We're going home!"
"A storm is coming!" Sabrina shouted. "Can you hear us, Mr.
Sabrina opened her eyes. The old man was gone. She pinched Daphne softly and the little girl looked around.
"Well, that was mucho rude-o," Daphne complained.
Sabrina scanned the dense woods. Canis was nowhere in sight, but he had left a trail in the snow. Following it wouldn't be too difficult--after all, in his semialtered form Mr. Canis had what amounted to size-22 shoes.
Sabrina pointed to the tracks. "He went that way."
The girls followed the footprints through some heavy brush. The old man's path showed he was running in one direction and then cutting back in the other, obviously trying to confuse them.
"Are we really going to have to live in a refrigerator box like Puck said?" Daphne asked. "I don't think we'll all fit in a refrigerator box. Mr. Canis won't for sure, and what about Elvis? I guess we could get a washing machine box for him. We could even decorate it and cut out some windows."
The little girl rambled on, describing how with a little creativity they could turn an old cardboard box into a two-story Colonial, while Sabrina led her along the trail Mr. Canis had left. It took them up a steep climb, but they found a couple of branches that doubled as walking sticks that helped their ascent. At the top of the crest they found more trees, but Mr. Canis's footprints had disappeared.
"Where did he go?" Daphne asked.
"Maybe he's soaking in our cardboard-box Jacuzzi," Sabrina replied.
"OK, fine, I'll concentrate," Daphne grumbled. "It's just I wish I had a magic wand or a crystal ball."
Sabrina scanned the area but saw nothing. He couldn't have just vanished into thin air, but...
"Look!" Sabrina said, pointing up at the trees. She saw dozens of limbs splintered and broken, with fresh yellow wood erupting from their rich brown bark. "He jumped up there and grabbed those branches. They snapped when he swung to the next tree."
"I thought he was a wolf, not a monkey."
Sabrina scanned the next tree and saw a similar limb. "Then he swung over there."
"See!" Daphne said. "You're mucho excellent-o at tracking."
Sabrina swelled with pride. Her sister was right. She was good at tracking. "Thanks," Sabrina said as she pointed toward a row of trees. "He went that way."
The girls held hands and continued through the woods. It dawned on Sabrina that this was what Puck must have done when he was stalking them during escape training. He used their environment against the girls, finding the little clues their feet and bodies left behind. With a keen eye, the woods could become like a road map leading them to their destination.
It wasn't long before they found another set of Mr. Canis's footprints that led to a churning brook. There his trail ended. Sabrina studied the banks of the stream and searched the trees but saw nothing.
"What now?"
"Close your eyes," Sabrina told her sister. "He told us to use all our senses."
She stood quietly, trying to sort through the noises around her: the bubbling water, the creaky branches swaying in the breeze, a bird chirping high in the trees. And then she heard it: A twig snapped in the brush nearby.
"He's in there," Sabrina said, pulling her sister along. They pushed through the bushes, even getting on their hands and knees to crawl through. It wasn't easy and the girls were filthy, but that was the least of their worries. Without warning the gray sky had filled with dark clouds and a storm swirled above. A crack of thunder shook the trees and bolts of lightning burst out of a black hole in the sky. It looked just like the storm that had occurred when the odd men had attacked Baba Yaga, and the one on the night Sabrina had imagined Uncle Jake's death.
"Maybe we should call it a day," Sabrina said as she examined the troubling storm. She turned to crawl back the way they came. Once through the bushes, she struggled to her feet and helped her sister do the same.
"Mr. Canis!" Daphne shouted. "We're going home!"
"A storm is coming!" Sabrina shouted. "Can you hear us, Mr.
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