For Alison. You put a spell on me.
Many thanks to my editor, Susan Van Metre, whose insight and hard work continues to make this a great series. Special thanks to Maggie Lehrman for her careful editing and extraordinary ideas; Jason Wells at Amulet for making me famous and keeping me on time; my wife and literary agent, Alison Fargis, who's willing to be the bad guy when I'm too much of a coward. A big thanks to Joe Deasy, who continues to read these stories over and over and give me great advice. Thanks to my Pacific Northwest cheerleader, Stefanie Frank, as well as Ms. Mock and her class at Hammond Hill Elementary. Big shout-outs to Mark Rifkin and Ellen Scordato for their many big shout-outs. And a very special thank you to Donald Scherschligt and his wonderful family. I eagerly await Donald's first novel and the day I can say, I knew him when.
PUCK FLAPPED HIS WINGS HARD, but nothing he did could stop his body from being pulled toward the black, gaping hole that hovered above him. He looked like a worm struggling to avoid the hungry jaws of a catfish.
"Hello! We've got a problem," he cried as he flailed in midair.
Sabrina did the only thing she could think to do. She grabbed Puck's foot as he sailed past, hoping that their combined weight would stop his drift. Unfortunately she, too, was jerked off the ground. She cried out, but her grandmother, uncle, and Mr. Canis were too far away to reach her. Only Sabrina's sister, Daphne, was nearby. The little girl latched onto Sabrina's pant leg and was yanked off the ground as well. Now all three of them were caught in the hole's swirling gravitational pull.
Puck's face passed through the black hole and his head disappeared. His upper torso and arms followed, then his waist, and finally his knees. All that was left in this world of the boy fairy were his sneakers. Sabrina clung to them with all her strength, attempting to defy the impossible force.
"We're losing him," Daphne cried desperately.
"Puck, you have to fight it!" Sabrina shouted.
But her own words sounded laughable in Sabrina's ears. How could he fight something with such a powerful hunger? What could any of them do to stop themselves, and soon the rest of the world, from being sucked into nothingness?
Puck's shoes disappeared into the hole, though Sabrina could still feel them. She knew if she let go he would be gone forever, but she had problems of her own. The hole was starting to swallow her up. Both her arms sunk into the empty, dark pool. She took a deep breath and said a final silent prayer for her soul, hoping that God would find her on the other side, wherever that might be.
And then the hole quadrupled in size.
