a sprawling house sat. It was made of turrets and porches and porticos and cupolas and wooden curlicue decorations.
(Don’t you just love vocabulary? When you say architecture words aloud—portico! cupola! curlicue!—it almost sounds like a magic spell, doesn’t it?)
Ridley had never owned a dollhouse, but if she had, she imagined it would have looked something like this. The drive was overgrown with weeds and brush and a thin layer of colorful fallen leaves. As Ridley and Ms. Parkly made their way up the hill, they could see that the mansion was in similar disrepair. Like so many beautiful old houses, it needed help.
Several cars were parked in the turnabout. Out front, Ridley recognized the Other Mr. Vernon’s station wagon, but she didn’t know who the others belonged to.
Ridley rolled up the front ramp and knocked on the door, Ms. Parkly just behind her.
A moment later, Leila and Carter greeted her with enormous grins. “Come in!” said Carter.
“Isn’t this fabulous?” asked Leila, leading the way into a grand foyer with creaky wood floors and a falling down ceiling. “It used to belong to my dad’s aunt. She left it to him a few years ago, but he and Poppa said they didn’t have any use for it.”
“We finally convinced them that it would be the perfect spot for a new version of the magic shop,” said Carter. “And the kitchen is big enough for the Other Mr. Vernon to try out a heap of new recipes. Who cares that it’s not in the center of the village? After we’re done with it, everyone will go out of their way to come visit.”
“I know I will,” said Ridley.
“So much potential!” said Ms. Parkly.
“Everyone is waiting in the sitting room,” said Leila, waving them forward.
“Who’s everyone?” Ridley asked.
Carter slid open a pair of double doors. Inside, a group of people sitting in folding chairs turned to look at them. Both Vernons, Theo, the Golden twins, and the guardians—Gregor, Tara, Quinn, Peter the pet store clerk, and Sandra Santos, whose bright, star-shaped earrings dangled from her ears, as always.
“Ridley!” said Mr. Vernon, struggling to stand, but the Other Mr. Vernon made him sit down again. A thin green canister was set up on wheels beside him, a clear tube leading from it into Mr. Vernon’s nostrils. He saw Ridley flinch at the sight and held up his hand to explain. “It’s oxygen. My doctor says I’ll need it for the next few days. Nothing to worry about.” He rubbed his fingers together and another clear tube appeared in his hand. “Want some?” Everyone laughed.
“He has done the same trick to each of us,” said Theo, who stood and led Ridley to a bright spot near the portico windows.
“What can I say?” Mr. Vernon responded. “I guess I’m already feeling better.”
“I think we all are,” Ridley answered.
“How wonderful to hear!” said Mr. Vernon.
“Does this mean that the Magic Misfits are allowed to meet again?” Carter asked.
“It’s well past time,” said Mr. Vernon. “I can’t apologize enough that my actions have kept you from practicing your magic.”
“We’ve been practicing, Dad,” said Leila. “Don’t you worry.”
“I wish I had something delicious to offer you all,” said the Other Mr. Vernon. “But this place doesn’t even have running water yet.”
The group spent some time chatting and catching up. The guardians told bits and pieces of their own stories of how they’d come to find Mr. Vernon’s Magic Circle. Sandra Santos apologized to the Misfits once more.
“I have a question,” said Theo. “In the Grand Oak theater, Leila said she helped someone escape from the police. Was that you, Sandra?”
Sandra smiled. “That’s not my secret to reveal.”
Everyone looked to Leila, who turned pink and then shrugged. “I’ve said all I’m going to say. Some secrets are worth keeping.”
They told tales of what they’d heard had happened to the mesmerized citizens over the past couple of days, and how things around town were already seeming like normal. Ridley had a hard time believing that, but she knew it wouldn’t be worth arguing at the moment. Maybe later, but now was a time for reunion.
Leila and Carter had just offered to give everyone a tour when there was a knock at the door.
“Who else knows we’re here?” Mr. Vernon whispered to the Other Mr. Vernon.
The Other Mr. Vernon shook his head, then went to check. A moment later, Ridley heard shouting in the entryway. “Get out!” the Other Mr. Vernon yelled. “We don’t want what you’re selling.”
Ridley followed the others down