"Um, Dad," she said, "this is a telephone book. And the incantation is an ad for Chuckles' Pancake House."
"Chuck-les maaagic pancake house," Danny and Jesse sang together, "coooome on in and stuff your faaaaace!"
"God, that's my favorite restaurant!" Danny exclaimed. "It brings a happy smile to my tummy."
"Are you eleven? Or hooked on methadone?" Jesse asked, arching an eyebrow at his eccentric best friend.
"SSSSSHHHHHH!" Becky and Sir Ernest hissed sharply. All of the sudden, the atmosphere of the kitchen changed. The temperature dropped several degrees and the lights began flickering ominously.
"What in the sam heck is going on?" Jesse cried, as a harsh, howling wind swept up from underneath them and around the countertops.
"You boys must have set the incantation into action by singing that jingle!" Sir Ernest shouted.
The lights flickered more violently, then abruptly went out.The wind continued to howl as a bright beam of light shone down from the heavens, directly onto Taylor's form. Slowly, she was lifted from her bonds at the breakfast nook, her gown trailing underneath her as she ascended. All at once, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke which decimated throughout the kitchen with a high-pitched ringing sound. The noise caused the three teenagers and Sir Ernest to flinch and squeeze their eyes shut.
When they opened their eyes again, the lights had come back on in the kitchen and a merry fire was crackling in the grate. Stacks of pancakes in Chuckles' Pancake House's famous 45 flavors were stacked on silver platters on the counters, with pitchers of hot maple syrup, whipped cream and strawberries at the end of the magnificent buffet.
"Am I alive? Or is this heaven?" Danny asked, blinking hard in an attempt to make sense of his surroundings.
"Impossible," Sir Ernest muttered, stroking his chin. "The incantation worked, but neither of you are wizards...how can this be?"
"Hmm...Dad," Becky said timidly, "I might know the answer."
"Fire away, Beckindwarf."
"Maybe...maybe because Danny and Jesse obeyed the orders from a magical authority -that man on the island of unfinished stories- they were granted the power to vanquish Taylor. Maybe this is all a part of them fulfilling their destiny."
Ernest wrinkled his brow. "Becky, I do believe you're right...I only wish it had been you who had been able to beat the ghost."
"Dad," Becky replied, "I think one of us needs to accept that that's never going to happen."
Ernest gave Becky another painfully awkward hug. "My darling, I will try." Letting go of his daughter, he clapped his hands. "Right then- who wants pancakes?"
The boys quickly jumped into action, grabbing plates and taking one of every flavor of pancake and drowning them in toppings. Becky and her father followed suit. "You know," Sir Ernest whispered to his daughter, watching Jesse out of the corner of his eye as the boy thoroughly buttered his pancakes. "If this boy really has magic powers, he might be a good candidate for my future son-in-law."
"Daaaaaad!" Becky moaned.
"I'm joking! Joking, I tell you!" Ernest replied, playfully tousling Becky's hair. She smiled. "Glad to know you approve." She said. Jesse caught her eye from across the kitchen, and the look in his eyes was that of fairy tales with all the colors of a bright and beautiful future.
Danny belched. The sun began to rise outside beyond the trees of the enchanted forest, and the little makeshift family feasted on their heavenly pancakes and shared laughter. And in those wee hours of the autumnal dawn, everything seemed okay.
*THE END*
This was the best I could do with two minutes to spare before midnight. I was not expecting to have to finish this post. Mercy, It's back to normal for you tomorrow!
--Laura :)
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