The Wishing Spell

The next day at school, the students present their fairy-tale papers to the class. Alex illustrates how “Cinderella” is about hope. Even when it seemed like nothing would ever be all right, Cinderella remained hopeful and got her happily-ever-after. As Alex finishes her presentation, she wonders if “Cinderella” is really about hope or if hope is “what she needed ‘Cinderella’ to be about” (45). Conner discusses how “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is about how the village placed unreasonable expectations on the boy, adding that the boy wouldn’t have gotten eaten if his parents had been watching him.

The teacher praises Alex’s presentation but does not find Conner’s worth her time. Conner spends the rest of the day feeling worthless and wishing his dad were still alive. He remembers a story his dad told about a fish that wished for legs so it could play with human kids. One of the kids fell in the lake and drowned, but the fish couldn’t save him because it no longer had fins. The memory cheers Conner up a little.

When the twins get home from school, their grandmother is there to surprise them for their birthday. She brought presents and lots of food to make a special dinner.