The children raced away darting down a steep embankment and into the woods The leafless trees provided few hiding places and less protection from the brutal wind which felt like little razor blades cutting Sabrina’s face Their only chance was to keep running She and Puck scrambled down some rocks to a clearing but it ended with a four hundred-foot drop to the Hudson Valley below Puck I The boy turned to her I know what you are going to say and I think it’s an excellent idea I’ll leave you here and save myself That’s not what I was going to say at all Sabrina shouted I was going to ask you if you had any ideas for getting us out of this Not a one Grimm you usually handle the running and crying part If only we had a sled she mumbled as she looked down the steep snowy hill Puck’s eyes lit up He turned around and got down on his hands and knees What are you doing Sabrina asked Climb on my back Puck insisted I’ve got an idea Sabrina was all too familiar with Puck’s ideas They usually ended in a trip to the emergency room but with the monster lumbering down the rocky hillside behind them there were few alternative options Sabrina sat on the boy’s back with a leg on each side of him OK what now Grab my tusk Grab your what Puck turned his head toward her His face had transformed into that of a walrus He had two long tusks protruding from his mouth and a mustache of thick bristly hair His nose had vanished into his oily black face and his eyes were large and brown Sabrina cringed but reached around with her good arm and grabbed firmly onto one of his tusks Please don’t do this she whimpered This is such a bad idea The only bad ideas are the ones never tried Puck said as his body began to puff up Layers of blubber inflated under Sabrina Puck’s shirt disappeared replaced by a super slippery skin Keep your hands and feet inside the ride until it comes to a complete stop he shouted Here we go Puck leaped forward just as the beast reached the clearing and his slick walrus body rocketed down the steep slope toward town They zipped between trees and bounced over jutting rocks Sabrina turned back confident the monster wouldn’t follow them on this desperate flight only to see it plowing down the hill after them knocking over trees as if they weren’t even there JABBERWOCKY They shot down the bank of a frozen stream ramping off a rocky outcropping and
soaring into the air and fell for what seemed like forever They hit the ground hard narrowly missing the spiky branches of an oak tree Sabrina clutching her broken arm and gasping for air turned again to mark the monster’s progress It too had used the rocky ramp and sailed into the air Flapping its wings it soared higher and higher then a strong wind knocked it off course and it slammed hard against the mountainside Moments later Sabrina lost sight of it completely though she could still hear it braying in the distance I think we lost it We’re safe she cried just as the ground leveled off Unfortunately they didn’t slow down In fact they continued zipping along as a four lane highway of speeding cars appeared in front of them They zoomed into traffic spinning several times as they tried to avoid a pickup truck The startled driver slammed on his brakes Tires squealed and bumpers crunched Shrill horns filled the air but the children kept going On the other side of the road was another steep hill and they whipped down it heading right for a ramshackle old barn Its doors were wide open and they slid inside crashing at last into the far wall of an empty stable
Personally I think I earned every penny of that seven million dollars Puck said laughing so hard that he rolled over onto his fat blubbery side Giggling he transformed
back into his true form an annoying eleven-year-old boy Sabrina’s head hurt too much for her to be angry at his recklessness She was exhausted and her arm felt as if it were ready to fall off She gazed around the barn A few bales of hay sat in the corner and an old plow lay rusting on the ground High on the wall several windows were wide open allowing the snowstorm to blow inside It was freezing but at least they were out of the wind Puck must have heard her teeth chattering because he did something so un-Puck like Sabrina couldn’t believe it He got up sat down behind her and let his enormous fairy wings sprout from his back Then he wrapped them around her to keep the bitter cold away It was the first truly nice thing the so-called Trickster King had ever done for her Instinctively she wanted to tease him for this rare moment of compassion but she bit her tongue Knowing Puck he’d storm off and she’d die an ice cube What was that thing she asked It’s called a Jabberwocky Puck said Two tons of teeth tail and terror From what I’ve heard they’re impossible to kill But don’t worry Grimm It’s gone It had its share of the Trickster King for one day We need to get help Sabrina said shivering I’m on it Puck said He reached into his pocket pulled out a small wooden flute and blew a couple of high-pitched notes Within seconds a swarm of little lights flooded through the open windows and surrounded the children They looked like fireflies but Sabrina knew better They were Puck’s pixie servants or as he called them his minions and they did whatever Puck asked of them especially if it was mischief They buzzed around their boy leader and waited for instructions Go get the old lady Puck said to them And bring me something to start a fire The pixies buzzed and darted out through the barn windows Moments later a wave of them returned carrying tree limbs and dead leaves They arranged these in a pile in front of the children then zipped away again Soon a second swarm returned carrying a single bottle of root beer which they gently placed in Puck’s hands You have served me well minions he said unscrewing the top and tossing it into a corner of the barn He chugged the whole drink and tossed the bottle aside He wiped his mouth on his sleeve Was that refreshing I’d hate for you to be thirsty Maybe you would like a sandwich too Sabrina snarled Keep your pants on the boy said I’m trying to keep you from turning into a Grimmsicle He unfolded his wings stood up and leaned over the pile of timber His eyes were watering apparently from all the gassy soda and suddenly he opened his mouth wide and belched The burp was deep and guttural and much to Sabrina’s surprise accompanied by a fireball that shot out of his mouth and ignited the firewood
