My Unfair Godmother(109)

I placed a period at the end of the sentence and watched to see if the words disappeared. They didn’t. They glowed as though I had written them with fire, blazing so brightly that I had to shut my eyes.

When I opened them, my family was gone and Robin Hood stood in front of me. He looked at Chrissy in surprise and frustration. “I have not yet finished composing your sonnet.”

“Relax,” she said. “I brought you over because Tansy wants to give you something.”

I shut the book. The spinning wheel on the cover still spun in a way that shouldn’t have been possible for an embossed illustration.

“This is The Change Enchantment. If you accept it, then you’ll be able to change your story. Your ending won’t have to be like the one in the 324/356

novel I gave you. I don’t know if it will be better or worse, but it will be yours.” I held the book out to him. “Do you want it?” He hesitated, then slowly took the book from my hand. “I’m not sure whether it is wisdom or folly, but yes, I want it.” The spinning wheel vanished from the cover, and a green feathered hat appeared. He flipped open the first page. It showed a painting of Robin Hood, rugged and handsome, surveying the forest.

He read the text under the picture. “Robin Hood was wise and generous.” He nodded. “Quite true. And …” He peered at the picture more closely. “I cut a dashing figure in that tunic. I will have to procure one like it.”

“You’re quite wealthy now,” I told him. “You could help the villagers around Sherwood Forest if you wanted. You could be the Robin Hood so many generations will love—or now that we’ve changed things, your story could disappear from my culture altogether.

Someone has to love you enough to record your good deeds for posterity.”

Robin Hood flipped to the next page of the book. It was another picture of him. “It does seem a pity to disappoint future generations, doesn’t it?”

“And just think, somewhere along the line you’ll probably get to meet a very pretty woman named Maid Marian.” He chuckled, then swept a hand toward Chrissy and me. “If she is half as fetching as either of you, my dear ladies, I shall deem myself a fortunate man.”

Chrissy let out a tinkling laugh. “That is quite enough poetry from you. You may return to your men.” He smiled, bowed, and walked back to the Merry Men with the book tucked under his arm.

“Now to get you back home—” Chrissy raised her wand.



325/356

I held up a hand to stop her. “Wait, there’s something else I want to talk to you about.” I had been thinking about this since I walked in-to the forest. I would only have one chance to ask.

Chrissy paused, her wand still lifted. “What?”

“This gold enchantment I have is valuable, even to the magical community, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “Like I said, the leprechaun union   has a monopoly on them.”

“I propose a trade. I’ll give you the gold enchantment if you let me make a detour through time on the way home.” Chrissy lowered her wand, tapping it against the palm of her hand as she considered my proposal. “And what sort of thing would you be doing while you made your detour?”

“I want to save Hudson’s mother.”

She let out a patient sigh. “You realize that if you alter the outcome of that event, it will have a ripple effect on the events around it.

Anything and everything could change when you get home. Hudson will still have his old memories, but his alternate self—the self he would have been if his mother hadn’t died—will have lived a completely different life during the last year. He’ll have no memory of that life. And he’ll most likely have another girlfriend. Nothing will have stopped his alternate self from being social over the last year. Do you really want that?”

I had to think about this for several moments. She was right. If I changed that one event, Hudson’s life would be completely different.

What if he liked his alternate life and alternate girlfriend better?

Would that still be worth it?

“Will it change Stetson’s future?” I asked. “Will he still be born?” Chrissy’s wings opened, shimmering with a light all their own.

“Maybe. Right now, the baby is at your house with your family. I was 326/356

going to let you say good-bye to him before I sent him back to the future. But if you change things too drastically, he might have no future to return to.”

I pondered this, already missing his dimpled cheeks and toothless grin. “Then I’ll keep Stetson with me in the present day. Can I do that?”