The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer Read Free Book Online

with all of those math formulas.”
    Conner slowly but surely nodded and agreed to it.
    “Fine,” he said with a half smile. “But for future reference, I liked your story about the Curvy Tree much better.”

    The walk home that day was very quiet. Alex could sense that her brother’s presentation had left him a little tense. She tried breaking the silence every few steps with supportive comments—or at least she thought they were supportive.
    “I thought you made a good point,” she said sweetly. “Granted, it’s not a point I ever would have made.”
    “Thanks,” Conner replied. She wasn’t helping.
    “You may have overanalyzed it, though,” Alex said. “I do it all the time. Sometimes I read a story and interpret it the way I want to, rather than the way the author wanted me to. It just takes practice.”
    He didn’t respond. She still wasn’t helping.
    “Well, it’s our birthday today,” Alex reminded him. “Are you excited to be twelve?”
    “Not really,” Conner admitted. “It feels just like eleven. But aren’t we supposed to be getting a new set of molars soon?”
    “Come on, let’s be positive,” Alex insisted. “Even though we aren’t doing anything exciting for our birthday, we should stay optimistic. There are plenty of things to look forward to! One more year until we’ll be teenagers!”
    “I suppose,” Conner said. “Only four more years left until we can drive!”
    “And six years left until we can vote and go to college!” Alex added.
    That was all they could come up with. Their cheerfulness was hollow, and they both knew it, so they just stayed silent for the remainder of the walk. Even if they had the most extravagant party in the world waiting for them at home, birthdays were always going to be hard for them.
    School had been predictable. The walk home had been typical. The whole day had seemed normal. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to make their birthday feel special at all… until they got home and saw a bright blue car pull into their driveway.
    “Grandma?”
the twins said in perfect unison.
    “Surprise!”
yelled their grandmother, getting out of her car. She was so loud, the entire neighborhood could hear her.
    The twins ran up to her with huge smiles on their faces.They only saw their grandmother a couple times a year and were stunned to see her in their driveway with no prior warning.
    Their grandmother hugged both of them so tight they thought they’d pop. “Look at you two!” she said. “You both look like you’ve grown a foot since the last time I saw you!”
    Their grandmother was a petite woman with long, graying brown hair that was pulled back in a tight braid. She had the warmest smile and the kindest eyes in the world, which wrinkled pleasantly when she smiled, just like the twins’ dad’s eyes had. She was cheerful and energetic, and exactly what the twins needed.
    She always wore bright dresses and her signature shoes with white laces and brown heels. She was never more than a few feet away from her large, green travel bag and blue purse. And although their grandfather had died many years before, she always wore her wedding ring.
    “We had no idea you were coming!” Conner said.
    “It wouldn’t be a surprise if you knew I was coming,” Grandma said.
    “What are you doing here, Grandma?” Alex asked.
    “Your mom called and asked me to stay with you while she went to work,” Grandma told them. “I couldn’t let you spend your birthday alone, could I? Thank goodness I was in the country!”
    Their grandmother was retired and spent most of theyear traveling around the world with other retired friends. They traveled to mostly third-world countries and read to sick children in hospitals and taught other children of the communities to read and write.
    “Come help me with the groceries,” Grandma told the twins. She opened her trunk, and the twins began unloading bags and bags filled with food into the house. It was enough