The Land of Stories: Gleeful Days Are Here Again

Beauty Isn't Skin Deep

18. Beauty Isn't Skin Deep

In which we meet some not-so-heavenly ghosts...

It was a giggly group that emerged from the underground tunnel into the starlit night.

"Oh, that is the most fun I've had in years!" Unique enthused.

"I always knew my voice could shatter glass," Rachel bragged, "but I never dreamed I could use it to knock out trolls and goblins."

Kurt rolled his eyes at her. "Don't try to take all the credit. You couldn't have done it without a few fishnet-clad dancers."

"Speaking of which," Zach said, "do I dare to ask why the four of you are dressed — or, should I say, mostly undressed — like that?"

Chris and Darren filled him in on their adventures in the fairy tale world.

"So, let me get this gayly clear..."

(Noticing Darren's puzzled look at their friend's unusual turn of phrase, Chris whispered to him, "Well, you can't expect Zach to get anything straight, now, can you?")

"...in order to rescue Ryan — who happens to be the Fairy Godfather — and free the Land of Stories from this curse that makes people fall asleep forever if they kiss, we have to build a Wand of Wonderment that will make us invincible? And the only item left to complete the wand is the Enchantress's most prized possession?"

"Yep — that's it in a nutshell," Darren agreed.

"Cool. So what is the Enchantress's most prized possession?"

"Well, we don't exactly know," Chris admitted.

"But I'm sure we'll figure it out," Darren said confidently.

"Well, until you do, at least I'm not being held captive in an underground dungeon, forced to choreograph dances for trolls and goblins, anymore," Zach said. "So that's a win."

Unique, who was the only one of them who had remained conscious when the flying ship went down, had been guiding the group from her perch atop Kurt's and Blaine's shoulders. "Look!" she called out. "There's the ship."

As they approached the wreckage, it was obvious to everyone that the ship would never fly again. The fabric of the balloon was in tatters, and the hull had been smashed to kindling.

"Oh my," Rachel cried. "What a complete disaster we have! So many of my beautiful things were on that ship!"

Froggy wrapped a comforting arm around her. "Don't worry. The trunks you packed were very sturdy. We should be able to salvage most of your belongings."

"Blaine and I can easily fashion a tent from this fabric," Kurt said.

"And there's plenty of wood here, already chopped up, to make a bonfire," Darren added enthusiastically.

"Oooh, I'll play campfire songs!" Unique offered.

Soon the entire group was gathered around a roaring fire, singing one song after another. Apparently, Unique knew all of the music from the first three seasons of Glee — as did the rest of the company — so they had plenty of tunes to choose from. Even little Roary joined in, howling along in his baby-wolf treble.

About an hour into the festivities, Chris excused himself to go and answer nature's call. He returned with an odd look on his face, and leaned over to whisper in Darren's ear, "Follow me without anybody noticing. I need to see you alone."

Chris melted back into the shadows, and a minute later Darren slipped away after him, grinning widely.

As soon as they were out of sight and earshot of the others, Darren pulled Chris to a stop. "So, did you finally break down and decide that having our first time be in another dimension will make it special enough, even if we can't kiss?" he asked teasingly.