Read Ticket to Faerie for Free Online

old to amuse herself with dolls and trinkets,
never mind pretend trips to Faerie.
    Mom knocked on the half-open door and let herself in.
"What did your grandmother send you this year?" Although the same
height, her mom looked as delicate as lace, while Alyssa felt as clunky
as cotton flannel. Her mom had curves and tiny wrists and ankles.
Although Alyssa hadn't inherited her father's height, he had cursed
her with his stocky build. She had the same measurement for hips,
chest, and waist. Her dad had to punch an extra hole in her watch
band so she could buckle it around her wrist.
    Alyssa handed her mother the ticket.
    She read it, smiled, and sat on the bed. "Sweetheart, have
you ever wondered why you're an only child?"
    Alyssa shrugged her shoulders. When she realized at the age
of five that a big brother would not be forthcoming, she had begged
her parents, to no avail, for a little sister.
    "When your dad and I got married, we wanted children, but
the doctors said I couldn't." Her mom ran her fingers through her
long, almost white-blond hair. "When he was younger, your father
got into some trouble and no one would approve us for adoption.
Your grandmother offered to help, but she said that kind of magic
would only work once. Of course, your father gave her no credence.
Still, she promised me that if I followed her instructions precisely, I
could get pregnant. Some of the things she required me to do seemed
bizarre. And I had the devil of a time getting your father to cooperate
on the timing. But..." Mom reached out and stroked Alyssa's cheek.
Tears shimmered in her blue eyes.
    "I'm sorry I never told you before, but your father was so
adamant about not letting you believe in magic." Her mom stood and
smoothed non-existent wrinkles out of her skirt. "You realize, don't
you, that this is probably your grandmother's last gift to you?"
    Alyssa nodded. The past year, grandma had spent more time
in the hospital than she had at home.
    "You've got a couple of weeks before school starts. You
should make the trip so you can tell Grandma about your
adventures." Mom left the room and closed the door.
    Alyssa just stared at the dark wood, not believing Mom
could put any faith in Grandma's balderdash, to use one of Dad's
words. She dragged the chair from her desk over to the closet,
tugged the box down from the top shelf, and went through each
letter she'd received since the first one on her sixth birthday.
Something always prevented her from following the instructions
exactly as written, she realized. Either she hadn't understood a word,
or she'd tried substituting one thing for another, figuring it wouldn't
make any difference.
    Alyssa thought about what Mom had told her: that she
existed only because of Grandma's magic. She read the instructions
on the ticket again, logged onto the Internet, and looked up
widdershins. If she did everything precisely as directed and
nothing happened, Mom would have to give up the notion that
Grandma's magic worked. If Alyssa somehow ended up in
Faerie...
    Mom tapped on the door again. "Here." She handed Alyssa a
black pen with a metal dragon wrapped around the shaft. "I've kept
this since I used it as part of the conception spell. I searched every
secondhand store and tobacco shop in Portland for it." She laughed.
"Probably could find one now on the Internet, but that wasn't an
option back then."
    "Tobacco shop?"
    "Yes." Her mother pressed the pocket clip. A blue-green
flame spurted from the top of the pen and the dragon's ruby-red eyes
lit up. "I don't think it has any magic beyond the one spell, but the
lighter and pen still work and I thought you might like to take it with
you." She left Alyssa standing with the pen in her hand and her
mouth open.
    After studying the copper dragon for a few minutes, Alyssa
dumped her black backpack out on the bed. She hesitated,
wondering what to pack for a trip to Faerie. She replaced the books
and notebooks with a change of underwear, a pair of blue jeans,
socks,