Grandma stood with her hands on her hips, taking in the scene. The ruined tree house. The damaged furniture strewn about the garden. The gaping, glassless windows.
I'm afraid to go inside, she muttered.
You don't remember how bad it is? Kendra asked.
She was a chicken, remember? Seth said. We ate her eggs.
Creases appeared on Grandma's brow. It feels like such a betrayal to have your home violated, she said softly. I know sinister evils lurk in the woods, but they have never crossed that boundary.
Kendra and Seth followed Grandma across the yard and up the porch steps. Grandma stooped and picked up a copper triangle, attaching it to a hook hanging from a nail.
Kendra remembered noticing the triangle dangling among the wind chimes. A short copper rod was linked to the triangle by a chain of beads. Grandma clanged the rod noisily around the inside of the triangle.
That should bring Hugo, Grandma explained. She crossed the porch and paused in the doorway, staring into her home. It looks like we were bombed, she murmured.
Such senseless vandalism!
She roamed the gutted house in a somber daze, occasionally pausing to pick up a damaged frame and examine the torn photograph inside or to run her hand along the remnants of a beloved piece of furniture. Grandma climbed the stairs and went to her room. Kendra and Seth watched her rummage through the closet, finally withdrawing a metal lunch box.
At least this is intact, Grandma said.
Hungry? Seth asked.
Kendra slapped him on the shoulder with the back of her hand. What is it, Grandma?
Follow me.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Grandma opened the lunch box. She removed a handful of photographs. Help me lay these out.
The photos were of the house. Each room was shown from several angles. The exterior was also displayed from multiple perspectives. In total there were more than a hundred pictures. Grandma and the children began spreading them across the kitchen floor.
We took these pictures in case the unthinkable ever occurred, Grandma said.
Kendra suddenly made the connection. For the brownies?
Clever girl, said Grandma. I'm not sure whether they will be up to the challenge, considering the extent of the damage, but they have worked miracles in the past. I'm sorry this calamity befell us during your stay.
You shouldn't be, Seth said. It happened because of me.
You mustn't assume all the blame, Grandma insisted.
What else can we do? Kendra said We caused it.
Kendra didn't do anything, Seth said. She tried to stop me. The whole thing is my fault.
Grandma regarded Seth pensively. You did not mean to harm Grandpa. Yes, you made him vulnerable through your disobedience. As I understand, you were commanded not to look out the window. Had you heeded the order, you would not have been tempted to open the window, and your grandfather would not have been taken. You must face that fact, and learn from it.
But the full blame for Stan's predicament is considerably more guilt than you deserve. Your grandfather and I are the caretakers of this estate. We are responsible for the actions of those we bring here, especially children. Stan allowed you to come here to do your parents a favor, but also because we need to start selectively sharing this secret with our posterity. We will not be around forever.
The secret was shared with us, and a day came when the responsibility of this enchanted refuge fell on our shoulders.
One day we will have to pass the responsibility on to others.
She took Seth and Kendra by the hands and fixed them with a loving gaze. I know the mistakes you made were not deliberate or malicious. Your grandfather and I have made plenty of mistakes ourselves. So have all the people who ever lived here, no matter how wise or cautious.
Your grandfather must share the blame for placing you children in a situation where opening a window with kind intentions could cause such harm and destruction.
And clearly the fiends who abducted him are ultimately the most culpable.
Kendra and Seth were silent. Seth scrunched up his face. If it wasn't for me, Grandpa would be fine right now, he said, fighting hard not to cry.
And I would still be a chicken in a cage, Grandma said. Let's worry about fixing the problem instead of the blame. Don't despair. I know we can set things right. Take me to Dale.
Seth nodded, sniffing and rubbing his forearm across his nose. He led the way across the back porch, weaving through the garden toward their destination.
There really aren't many fairies, Grandma said. I've never seen the yard so devoid of life.
There haven't been many around ever since they attacked Seth, Kendra said. Since Grandpa vanished there have been even fewer.
When they stood over the painted, life-size metal statue of Dale, Grandma shook her head. I've never seen this particular enchantment, but that's certainly Dale.
Can you help him? Kendra asked.
Perhaps, given sufficient time. Part of counteracting an enchantment is understanding who placed it, and how.
We found tracks, Seth said. He showed Grandma the print in the flowerbed. Although the impression had faded a bit, it remained recognizable.
Grandma frowned. It doesn't look familiar. Many creatures run wild on festival nights that we otherwise never encounter-which is why we take cover indoors. The print may not even be a relevant clue. It could belong to the perpetrator, or to the mount the perpetrator rode, or it could belong to something that just happened to step there sometime during the night.
So we just ignore Dale for now? Kendra asked.
We have no alternative. Time is short. We can only hope that by rescuing your grandfather, we can shed more light on what caused Dale's condition and find a way to reverse the curse. Come.
They returned to the house. Grandma spoke over her shoulder as they mounted the stairs to the second floor.
There are a few special strongholds within the house. One is the room where you have been staying. Another is a second room on the other side of the attic.
I knew it! Kendra said. I could tell from outside there had to be more to the attic. But I could never find a way in.
You were probably searching in the wrong place, Grandma said, leading them down the hall to her room.
The two sides of the attic are not interconnected. When we get up there, I'll fill you in on my strategy. Grandma crouched and picked through a broken nightstand. She found a few hairpins and used them to pile her hair into a matronly bun. Searching more, she located a key. She led them into the master bathroom, where she used the key to unlock a closet door.
Instead of a closet, the door opened to reveal a second door, this one made of steel with a large combination wheel. A vault door. Grandma began spinning the wheel.
Four turns right to 11, three left to 28, two right to 3, one left to 31, and half a turn right to 18.