Through the Mirror and Into Snow by Ann T. Bugg Page B

or they would have tried to help you. They would have been captured in the process for sure. It is best that they are long gone from here.”
    “But will they be all right? Are you sure, Wilhelm?”
    “That much I know for sure, my love.” He tried to put her mind at ease and gave her forehead a gentle kiss. “Now, we must get going.”
    “Oh, our home. Our lovely home.”
    “We’ll be okay. The house is not important to me. It is only you and the girls that I am concerned about. We must go see the prince. Surely he can help us and get a search party together to look for them.”
    “Oh, I would feel better if I truly knew they were safe.”
    “I’m certain they will be fine. Let’s be on our way. We will be traveling in the dark and that will not be safe. Are you sure you and the baby are all right? I should not have left you alone.”
    “We are both fine, really.”
    “It’s settled then. To Sequoia Kingdom we go.”

    It grew dark faster than the girls anticipated and they started to worry about the time.
    Samantha stopped walking. “Valerie. We have to stop. This is getting stupid. It’s getting dark, I’m tired and we didn’t even tell Dorothea we were leaving. I’m sure she’s getting worried about us.”
    Snow agreed. “Sam is right.”
    “I know. I was thinking the same thing. That stupid possum keeps getting us into more trouble. The moon helps, but I think it’ll be too dark to even try to follow it soon. We should go back. This was a dumb idea. Sorry. I was just thinking it was leading us somewhere for a reason. You know, like bringing us here to Snow.”
    The girls got themselves turned around and began to head back. At least they thought they were heading back the same way. After a short while they came to a creek.
    “Sam? You don’t think we’re back already, do you?” asked Val.
    “We can’t be. That was too quick. Are we lost now?”
    “Maybe it’s the same creek,” Snow said, hopefully. “We should follow it. I bet it’ll take us back to the cottage.”
    “Maybe,” answered Valerie. “Our river back home, the Mississippi, winds all over the place. We cross it a dozen times on the way to my grandma’s house. It’s worth a shot to try to follow it.”
    They followed the creek in silence, hoping they weren’t lost. The last thing they wanted to do was worry Wilhelm and Dorothea needlessly. Suddenly Samantha let out a cry of delight.
    “Look in the water. It’s so sparkly! It looks like diamonds.”
    “Wow does it ever! The sand looks like what was on Cinder…I mean Danielle’s shoes.” Valerie beamed with excitement. She loved collecting odd rocks around their farm. These were simply stunning.
    Again the girls managed to get themselves totally distracted and began wandering through the creek marveling at the sand and small stones. They were so intent on their search they didn’t even notice an old haggard woman standing by the creek until they were right upon her.
    “You girls shouldn’t be out here alone.”
    She had caught them off guard and they jumped at the sound of her raspy voice. The sight of her was equally as unappealing. The wrinkles were far worse than merely that of an old woman. Her face had the appearance of a scary Halloween mask made of rubber rather than skin. All that was missing was a large wart on her much too pointy nose. She stood hunched over and used a walking stick for support. The fingers that clutched it were far too thin. They were like the hands of a skeleton instead of those of a person. Her eyes were an unnatural dark shade; almost completely black. Her gaze sent a chill down Valerie’s spine. I started to growl. No wait, that’s Otter growling.
    “Stop that, Otter!” Valerie scolded. “Bad dog!”
    “Don’t be afraid. I am merely a harmless, old peddler woman. I have wandered off the road for a bit of rest. I didn’t expect to find anyone else out here. You girls shouldn’t be out here alone. There could be dangerous people