The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell Read Online Free PDF

sandwich rested on the floor and had been there far too long for anyone’s peace of mind.
    An hour or so later, the twins heard sounds that meant their mother was visiting from work, and they went downstairs to join her in the kitchen. She was sitting at the tablewhile on the phone, flipping through a stack of envelopes she had just collected from the mailbox.
    Charlotte Bailey was a very pretty woman with red hair and freckled skin that the twins undoubtedly had inherited from her. She had a huge, caring heart and loved her kids more than anything else in the world. Unfortunately, they hardly ever saw their mother anymore.
    She was a nurse at the local children’s hospital and was forced to work constant double shifts to support the family since her husband passed away. Mrs. Bailey was already gone before the twins woke up every morning and would get home after the twins had gone to sleep. The only time she had with the twins anymore was on the brief lunch and dinner breaks she spent at home.
    Mrs. Bailey loved her job and loved taking care of children at the hospital, but hated that it took time away from her own. In a way, the twins felt they had lost both their parents after their dad’s death.
    “Hi, guys,” Mrs. Bailey said to the twins, covering the receiving end of the phone. “Did you have a good day at school?”
    Alex nodded positively. Conner gave her an overly enthusiastic thumbs-up.
    “Yes, I can work a double this Monday,” she said into the phone, speaking with someone from the hospital. “No problem,” she lied.
    Most of the envelopes she was looking through had bright red warning stickers saying F INAL N OTICE or P AYMENT D UE .Even working the hours she worked, Mrs. Bailey had to get creative with money sometimes. She put the envelopes facedown on the table, hiding them from the twins.
    “Thank you,” Mrs. Bailey said into the phone, and clicked it off. She turned to her children. “How are you guys?”
    “Good,” they both said passively.
    Mrs. Bailey’s “mom-tuition” turned on. She knew something was troubling them.
    “What’s the matter?” she asked, studying their faces. “You seem a little down.”
    Alex and Conner looked to each other, unsure of what to say. Did their mother know about their old house? Should they tell her?
    “Come on,” their mother said. “What is it? You can tell me anything.”
    “We aren’t upset,” Conner said. “We knew it was going to happen eventually.”
    “What?” Mrs. Bailey asked.
    “The house sold,” Alex said. “We saw it today on our way home from school.”
    There was a moment before anyone said anything. This wasn’t news to Mrs. Bailey, but the twins could tell she was just as disappointed about it as they were and had hoped they wouldn’t notice it.
    “Oh,
that
,” Mrs. Bailey said, brushing it off. “Yes, I know. You shouldn’t be sad about it, though. We’ll find a bigger and better house as soon as we catch up on things here.”
    And that was that. Mrs. Bailey wasn’t a good liar, andneither were the twins. Still, Alex and Conner always smiled and nodded along with her.
    “What did you learn in school today?” their mother asked.
    “So much,” Alex proclaimed with a huge smile.
    “Not much,” Conner mumbled with a scowl.
    “That’s because you fell asleep in class again!” Alex tattled.
    Conner gave Alex a dirty look.
    “Oh, Conner, not again,” Mrs. Bailey said, shaking her head. “What are we going to do with you?”
    “It’s not my fault!” Conner said. “Mrs. Peters’s lessons put me to sleep. It just happens! It’s like my brain switches off or something. Sometimes even my old rubber-band trick doesn’t work.”
    “Rubber-band trick?” Mrs. Bailey asked.
    “I wear a rubber band around my wrist and snap it every time I get sleepy,” Conner explained. “And I was positive it was foolproof!”
    Mrs. Bailey shook her head, more amused than anything.
    “Well, don’t forget how lucky you are to