The Land of Stories: Gleeful Days Are Here Again

Rockin' the Boat

9. Rockin' the Boat

In which the quest begins...

"Chris?"

"Mmmf?"

"Chris!"

Chris struggled into wakefulness to find Darren sitting up in bed, wide-eyed.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I just saw a ghost."

"Hmm... I never thought about writing ghosts into The Land of Stories, but I suppose there could be some. What did it look like?"

"NeNe Leakes. Except kinda transparent."

"Cool. What was she wearing?"

Darren smacked him with one of the half-empty feather pillows left over from their battle the night before. "I tell you I saw a ghost, and that's where your mind goes?"

Chris giggled. "No. I'm just trying to figure out whether it was NeNe, maybe halfway between here and our world, so she looked like a ghost, or whether it was Coach Roz, in which case she might actually be a ghost in this world."

"Oh. Well, she was wearing a fancy gown, like a Disney princess. So I think she belongs here."

"What did she do?"

"She just pointed that way," Darren said, gesturing toward the window where the sun was beginning to rise. "And then she disappeared."

"Huh. I wish I'd seen her. But since she's gone now, let's go back to sleep."

"I don't know if I can."

"Well, how about you just spoon me while I get back to sleep?"

"That I can do."

...

The two were awakened a couple of hours later by the breakfast gong. As they pulled on the same clothes for the third straight day, Chris said, "I'm going to ask Red about finding us something else to wear."

"Good idea."

They hurried down to the breakfast room, where the others were already gathered.

"I see you survived the night," Kurt said, with one eyebrow raised.

Blaine snickered, obviously in on the joke.

Froggy simply looked at them questioningly, but Rachel chose to take offense. "I'll have you know that this castle is the safest place in my kingdom, and my kingdom is the safest place in the land. Haven't you seen the thirty-foot high wall that surrounds it?"

"Yes," Kurt said, adding under his breath, "I've seen it and I've scaled it."

"Is this castle by any chance haunted?" Darren asked.

"Of course not!" Rachel snapped. "No one has ever died in it."

The look she gave Kurt, however, suggested that she might like to alter that fact.

Chris decided that a change of subject was in order. "Queen Red, since you have such an extensive and beautiful wardrobe yourself, Darren and I were wondering whether you might be able to help us find a few more things to wear. We arrived here somewhat unexpectedly, and we only have the clothes on our backs."

"Oh my," Rachel squealed, clearly delighted with the prospect. "I'd love to! My royal tailor will fix you right up. And we must all be fitted for warm coats, as well. The northern mountains, where the Snow Queen lives, are bitterly cold, even at this time of year."