Kalyn Josephson

Either this is a magical portal, or I’m about to crash into a girl and a cat. Is this how Alice felt falling down the rabbit hole? I suppose that makes Max the White Rabbit. And Anna?

Definitely the Mad Hatter.

There’s a shop that grants wishes, and another that bottles dreams. My personal favorite is the store filled entirely with different sized and shaped candles that, when lit, help you relive memories.

“Pocket dragons are great at finding things. You just have to touch him and give him an image to go off of.”

“Sorry! Ravens are keepers of the Shield. They hunt dangerous creatures whose actions might expose magic. Jabberwockies are usually connected to them, because they can’t exist in the human world without a link to the Shield.”

Gran’s tea is known all over Wick for the way it makes people feel. Honey lavender tea relaxes the drinker’s worries, and caramel rooibos renews old memories. My favorite is the Earl Grey vanilla, which gives pleasant dreams drawn from the drinker’s wishes.

“Poor Max.” Rose bows her head.

“I always thought the connection between Jabberwockies’ emotions and the weather was an old wives’ tale,” Kara adds,

By the time I stop crying, I feel emptied out, like a pumpkin scooped of its guts.

“Time to stop an ancient Irish god from destroying the fabric of the universe.” She says it jokingly, but I can feel the tenseness of her arm against mine.

I squeeze it reassuringly. “No big deal.”

“You boys just don’t know when to die.”

Mom smiles warmly. “Haven’t you learned anything from your time here?” she teases. “What’s dead needs to stay dead.”