from thousands of subscribers. You’re Claire, right?”
“And I’m Cooper!” Cooper said, squirming his way toward her.
Story smiled and crouched down to shake Cooper’s hand. Call me Ishmael. “Story.”
“Like the Once-Upon-A-Time kind of story?” he said.
“Yeah,” she said with a wink. “But not nearly as interesting.”
Turning his smile into more of a smirk, Cooper looked up at Story, pointed at her, and spoke in a commanding, life-or-death tone. “You . . . should have some meatballs.” After a stern glare from his mother, Cooper smiled again.
“Oh, I’d hate to impose,” Story said while performing an invisible victory dance.
Cooper took Story by the hand. “Come on, Mom always tells me we should share with those less . . . What’s the word, Mom?” he asked, looking in the driveway at Story’s very humble-looking Volvo.
“Fortunate,” Claire said, giving him a you’re-in-big-trouble look.
“Everyone’s a critic,” Story said as Cooper Payne led her into his house.
As Cooper watched Story inhale an entire plate of spaghetti, Claire, uncomfortable with the weirdness of it all, said, “So, you couldn’t have just called?”
“Mom!” Cooper said.
“No, she’s right. We usually do call first,” Story said. “But this is a very special prize, a special promotion—”
“I knew you were selling something,” Claire said, shaking her head.
Acting nonchalant, Story twirled more spaghetti on her fork while conjuring up some drama in her voice. “Well, if you consider getting the greatest adventure of your lives for free selling, I guess you’re right. I am selling something.” She looked at Cooper. “I’m selling the chance of a lifetime.” Maintaining her stare, she raised her finger. “One chance.”
The thrill was too much for Cooper, and he got so excited he actually froze in his chair, mouth agape.
Claire looked at Story with a clear, maternal message designed to protect her already fragile son: Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
But Story had never felt more confident in her life. There she was, sitting in a house she’d already broken into once, having dinner with two broken people who couldn’t afford to get more broken, faced with breaking a promise which could lead to the destruction of the one non-annoying child in the universe, and yet, she’d never felt more together. She had to pull this off.
Story put down her fork, looked at both Claire and Cooper, and folded her hands. “It’s a trip. To a magical, faraway place.”
“Like Neverland?” Cooper asked, leaning forward.
“Sort of,” Story said, “but less Michael Jackson, more Peter Pan.”
“Will there be swords?”
“Yep.”
“What about alligators?”
“Definitely.”
Then Cooper glanced at his mom. “What about fairies? Magical places are always dark. Fairies give you light.”
“Yes, there’ll be at least one fairy.” Story wanted to give him a little nugget of what she’d come for, so she turned to Cooper. “But the best thing . . . is the treasure.”
The whole table fell silent for a moment until Cooper yelled, “Mom! We’re going to find It!”
Claire Payne looked into Story’s eyes. “Okay, I get it. This is one of those panoramic nature movies. We’ve already seen all the IMAX films. And we took a family trip two years ago to Cairo and saw all sorts of buried Egyptian treasure.”
“It’s not a movie. It’s a real place, a destination our magazine’s been covering, in depth, for the last six months. Your family’s been chosen to help deliver a firsthand account of the region’s—”
“It’s the rainforest, isn’t it?!” Cooper said, barely in his seat. “It has to—”
“Coop, it’s not the—”
“It is,” Story said, feeling like Willy Wonka, Ed McMahon, and Santa all at the same time. Cooper’s excitement only fueled her as she entered the Zone, that creative place she always entered right before she penned the perfect
“And I’m Cooper!” Cooper said, squirming his way toward her.
Story smiled and crouched down to shake Cooper’s hand. Call me Ishmael. “Story.”
“Like the Once-Upon-A-Time kind of story?” he said.
“Yeah,” she said with a wink. “But not nearly as interesting.”
Turning his smile into more of a smirk, Cooper looked up at Story, pointed at her, and spoke in a commanding, life-or-death tone. “You . . . should have some meatballs.” After a stern glare from his mother, Cooper smiled again.
“Oh, I’d hate to impose,” Story said while performing an invisible victory dance.
Cooper took Story by the hand. “Come on, Mom always tells me we should share with those less . . . What’s the word, Mom?” he asked, looking in the driveway at Story’s very humble-looking Volvo.
“Fortunate,” Claire said, giving him a you’re-in-big-trouble look.
“Everyone’s a critic,” Story said as Cooper Payne led her into his house.
As Cooper watched Story inhale an entire plate of spaghetti, Claire, uncomfortable with the weirdness of it all, said, “So, you couldn’t have just called?”
“Mom!” Cooper said.
“No, she’s right. We usually do call first,” Story said. “But this is a very special prize, a special promotion—”
“I knew you were selling something,” Claire said, shaking her head.
Acting nonchalant, Story twirled more spaghetti on her fork while conjuring up some drama in her voice. “Well, if you consider getting the greatest adventure of your lives for free selling, I guess you’re right. I am selling something.” She looked at Cooper. “I’m selling the chance of a lifetime.” Maintaining her stare, she raised her finger. “One chance.”
The thrill was too much for Cooper, and he got so excited he actually froze in his chair, mouth agape.
Claire looked at Story with a clear, maternal message designed to protect her already fragile son: Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
But Story had never felt more confident in her life. There she was, sitting in a house she’d already broken into once, having dinner with two broken people who couldn’t afford to get more broken, faced with breaking a promise which could lead to the destruction of the one non-annoying child in the universe, and yet, she’d never felt more together. She had to pull this off.
Story put down her fork, looked at both Claire and Cooper, and folded her hands. “It’s a trip. To a magical, faraway place.”
“Like Neverland?” Cooper asked, leaning forward.
“Sort of,” Story said, “but less Michael Jackson, more Peter Pan.”
“Will there be swords?”
“Yep.”
“What about alligators?”
“Definitely.”
Then Cooper glanced at his mom. “What about fairies? Magical places are always dark. Fairies give you light.”
“Yes, there’ll be at least one fairy.” Story wanted to give him a little nugget of what she’d come for, so she turned to Cooper. “But the best thing . . . is the treasure.”
The whole table fell silent for a moment until Cooper yelled, “Mom! We’re going to find It!”
Claire Payne looked into Story’s eyes. “Okay, I get it. This is one of those panoramic nature movies. We’ve already seen all the IMAX films. And we took a family trip two years ago to Cairo and saw all sorts of buried Egyptian treasure.”
“It’s not a movie. It’s a real place, a destination our magazine’s been covering, in depth, for the last six months. Your family’s been chosen to help deliver a firsthand account of the region’s—”
“It’s the rainforest, isn’t it?!” Cooper said, barely in his seat. “It has to—”
“Coop, it’s not the—”
“It is,” Story said, feeling like Willy Wonka, Ed McMahon, and Santa all at the same time. Cooper’s excitement only fueled her as she entered the Zone, that creative place she always entered right before she penned the perfect
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