"Oh, a late arrival. Sabrina, could you answer that for me?" Granny asked.
Sabrina hurried to the door, not wanting to miss a second of the meeting. She threw the door open but nearly fell backward when she saw who was waiting on the other side. A decrepit old woman dressed in filthy rags peered at her through bushy white eyebrows. She smelled of death. Behind her a rundown shack resting on top of two enormous chicken legs paced back and forth around the family's yard.
"Baba Yaga!" Sabrina gasped.
The old crone eyed Sabrina with a hot and angry stare. Every wrinkle, wart, and scar seemed to convey the witch's bitter hatred.
"I was invited," she growled as she pushed past Sabrina to enter the house. A fold of Baba Yaga's black gown brushed across Sabrina's hand and made her fingers feel as if she had plunged them into a pot of boiling water.
Sabrina closed the door and followed the witch into the living room. Baba Yaga's arrival caused a few of the guests to shuffle uncomfortably. A few even cried out, startled by the hateful woman's presence, but Granny Relda welcomed the old crone warmly and reminded everyone that Baba Yaga was wise to a number of magical secrets. After some grumbling, the guests agreed.
So the odd little party began. The guests discussed every option they could think of. They went up and down the stairs, peeking in on Sabrina's dozing parents, suggesting this spell and that potion, recommending a number of spirits and ancient druidic incantations. Granny Relda followed everyone around, jotting down every idea in the spiral-bound notebook she always kept handy. Mr. Seven suggested that if Charming could be found, he might be the key to waking them up, as his kiss had a reputation for breaking sleeping spells. Sabrina was willing to give it a try until Briar mentioned that the touch of Charming's lips might also make Veronica Grimm fall madly in love with him--as it had done with her. Blushing, Snow White and Cinderella both agreed. It was decided that Charming should be a last resort, as it seemed that his remedy was a package deal. And unless the girls wanted him as a new stepfather, they had to look for another solution.
As the day turned into night, the suggestions petered out. And then the meeting was over. The green cookies were eaten and the punch bowl was emptied. The guests wished the Grimms luck and flew off into the night (some literally), and soon the family was alone again, with no surefire solution.
Discouraged, Sabrina crept up to bed. Uncle Jake followed her up the steps with Daphne cradled in his arms. The little girl was sound asleep. Her tiara had slipped down around her neck.
"We're not giving up, 'Brina," Uncle Jake whispered as Sabrina crawled into bed.
"I know," Sabrina said, doing her best imitation of a positive attitude.
Her uncle flipped off the light and closed the door. Sabrina lay waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, waiting to see the little model airplanes that her father had made when he was a boy, waiting for the slope of the ceiling to come into view. She closed her eyes tight and fought back a tear. She was so tired of waiting.
*
Sabrina wasn't sure what time it was when she was roused from a deep sleep by someone banging on the door downstairs. She looked over at her snoring sister and crawled out of bed.
"I'll get it," she grumbled.
She crossed the room and went down the steps, feeling the cool hardwood floor beneath her feet. With every step the knocking grew louder and more insistent. As Sabrina turned the doorknob it occurred to her that maybe she should let an adult open the door in the middle of the night. But it was too late. She was already face-to-face with Baba Yaga.
"Did you forget your purse or something?" Sabrina asked.
"You are a thief!" the witch said, pointing her withered finger at Sabrina. Suddenly, an unseen force snatched the girl around the neck and yanked her out of the house and off the ground. "Give it back to me, or I'll break your bones like kindling and feast on their marrow."
With the invisible viselike grip choking her, Sabrina couldn't breathe, let alone deny the witch's accusation. Helpless and lightheaded, she dangled above the ground with her legs kicking wildly.
"If you return what you took, I promise to kill you quickly," Baba Yaga added.
"Hag, Sabrina Grimm is under the protection of the Trickster King," a voice shouted. There was a flutter of wings and Puck flew out of the house with sword in hand. He circled the witch while keeping an eye on the bizarre house stomping around in the front yard. "Leave her be, or you will face the wrath of the Blood King of Faerie, the Prince of the Wrong Side of the Tracks, the beacon of hope for all good-for-nothings, slackers, and delinquents. The spiritual leader of--"
Before Puck could finish his boasting, Baba Yaga raised her free hand. An eruption of energy shot out of her palm and slammed into the fairy boy's chest. The impact was so powerful, it sent him flailing across the yard and far into the field on the other side of the street.