completed the first two entries. Flora had extended the limited Romany vocabulary with a mix of Italian, Croatian, German, and English, and we were able to translate almost every sentence.
I looked at Val and rubbed my eyes. “It sure starts with a bang.”
Flora’s Journal
28 September 1946
Cursed Germans, may your names be forgotten. May malignant diseases waste your bodies. And may your grasp at immortality fall short.
Once upon a time a young princess lived with her father the king and her fairy godmother in a beautiful castle by the sea. The fairy used her magic to bring people joy and comfort.
Then disaster struck. Evil wolves killed the king and captured the castle. The princess and her godmother escaped and hid, alone and starving, deep in the woods.
The wolves destroyed many more castles, and they killed many more good people. A vast army joined together to fight against them. After many years, they defeated the wolves, and they rounded up the surviving leaders and put them in a cage so they could kill them.
The strongest wolf in the cage had fierce magical teeth, made out of the bones of his victims.
The princess and her godmother still starved in the woods, for although the people had won and they had rescued the beautiful castle, they kept it for themselves.
One day a knight in shining armor sent a message to the fairy godmother and the princess. He offered them a new castle in a land far away. But to get there, he wanted the fairy godmother to use her magic and make the strongest wolf immortal.
The princess didn’t want to help the wolf who killed her father. She didn’t want to help the wolf use his magical teeth forever and ever.
But her fairy godmother said they would perish if they remained in the woods, so they agreed to help, and they traveled to the wolf cage. While the fairy prepared a special talisman for the wolf, the princess decided to destroy the magical teeth before they too became immortal.
The captain refused to help her, even though she pleaded with him many times. One brave knight did volunteer, and he and the princess set off together on a quest to destroy the teeth. But although they tried valiantly, cunning wolves tricked them and almost killed the brave knight.
Now the princess doesn’t know what to do. The wolf still needs to be defanged. The captain doesn’t care. And time is running out.
But the princess will never give up. Never.
1 October 1946
When you are given, eat. When you are beaten, run away.
The captain came to the princess, who had been hiding in her room for the three days since the brave knight was wounded. The talisman was ready, and the wolf’s magical teeth would soon be deposited in a safe place, there to await his return from death.
The captain asked the princess to befriend a guard and pass messages to the wolf. She didn’t want to help, but the captain forced her to by swearing that he’d harm her fairy godmother if she didn’t.
So the princess searched for other ways to destroy the wolf’s magical teeth. Her fairy godmother made a special truth-telling potion to use against the captain.
When the princess gave the captain the potion, he told her where the magical teeth would be hidden. He told her he had to save them so he could become a general and help kill future wolves. And then he confessed his love for her.
When the captain left, the princess was horribly confused. She wanted to help the captain, but she was still determined to destroy the wolf’s magical teeth.
twenty-two
Present Day
Sterling, Massachusetts
Val let out a whistle. “The first entry matches what she told us, but the next one—Flora and Mr. Morgan—wow.”
I couldn’t wait to hear how the fairy tale ended. I held up the translation. “Time to show Madame Flora our copy. Maybe that’ll shock her into filling in the gaps.”
We walked downstairs and knocked on Madame Flora’s door. When she opened it, I pushed past her and sat
I looked at Val and rubbed my eyes. “It sure starts with a bang.”
Flora’s Journal
28 September 1946
Cursed Germans, may your names be forgotten. May malignant diseases waste your bodies. And may your grasp at immortality fall short.
Once upon a time a young princess lived with her father the king and her fairy godmother in a beautiful castle by the sea. The fairy used her magic to bring people joy and comfort.
Then disaster struck. Evil wolves killed the king and captured the castle. The princess and her godmother escaped and hid, alone and starving, deep in the woods.
The wolves destroyed many more castles, and they killed many more good people. A vast army joined together to fight against them. After many years, they defeated the wolves, and they rounded up the surviving leaders and put them in a cage so they could kill them.
The strongest wolf in the cage had fierce magical teeth, made out of the bones of his victims.
The princess and her godmother still starved in the woods, for although the people had won and they had rescued the beautiful castle, they kept it for themselves.
One day a knight in shining armor sent a message to the fairy godmother and the princess. He offered them a new castle in a land far away. But to get there, he wanted the fairy godmother to use her magic and make the strongest wolf immortal.
The princess didn’t want to help the wolf who killed her father. She didn’t want to help the wolf use his magical teeth forever and ever.
But her fairy godmother said they would perish if they remained in the woods, so they agreed to help, and they traveled to the wolf cage. While the fairy prepared a special talisman for the wolf, the princess decided to destroy the magical teeth before they too became immortal.
The captain refused to help her, even though she pleaded with him many times. One brave knight did volunteer, and he and the princess set off together on a quest to destroy the teeth. But although they tried valiantly, cunning wolves tricked them and almost killed the brave knight.
Now the princess doesn’t know what to do. The wolf still needs to be defanged. The captain doesn’t care. And time is running out.
But the princess will never give up. Never.
1 October 1946
When you are given, eat. When you are beaten, run away.
The captain came to the princess, who had been hiding in her room for the three days since the brave knight was wounded. The talisman was ready, and the wolf’s magical teeth would soon be deposited in a safe place, there to await his return from death.
The captain asked the princess to befriend a guard and pass messages to the wolf. She didn’t want to help, but the captain forced her to by swearing that he’d harm her fairy godmother if she didn’t.
So the princess searched for other ways to destroy the wolf’s magical teeth. Her fairy godmother made a special truth-telling potion to use against the captain.
When the princess gave the captain the potion, he told her where the magical teeth would be hidden. He told her he had to save them so he could become a general and help kill future wolves. And then he confessed his love for her.
When the captain left, the princess was horribly confused. She wanted to help the captain, but she was still determined to destroy the wolf’s magical teeth.
twenty-two
Present Day
Sterling, Massachusetts
Val let out a whistle. “The first entry matches what she told us, but the next one—Flora and Mr. Morgan—wow.”
I couldn’t wait to hear how the fairy tale ended. I held up the translation. “Time to show Madame Flora our copy. Maybe that’ll shock her into filling in the gaps.”
We walked downstairs and knocked on Madame Flora’s door. When she opened it, I pushed past her and sat
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