current.”
Philip looked a little alarmed. “Is it dangerous? Is it like an infection?”
“No, it’s like a Tale,” Sarah Thumb said, irritated. “Like a fairy tale. Miriam, you’ve already been in one, but since it was George’s, not yours, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re going to have your own. In fact, you might even have it soon. You and Rory. Tales tend to be catching—don’t look at me like that, Philip. Honestly , it’s not a disease —when a Tale starts, it’s like a fire, throwing out sparks. Whoever’s close to the Character having the Tale has thebest chance of catching flame. Rory, Miriam, Lena, and Chase were with George while all the good stuff was happening. The probability that their Tale will start soon is pretty high. I’m sure the Director wanted me to mention that.”
A Character, I thought to myself. It actually sounded impressive.
“So, uh—now that his Tale is over, what happens to George?” Miriam asked. “Does he graduate or something?”
I wondered what kind of Tale I would get. Hopefully something cool, where I got to fight something. Didn’t Red Riding Hood beat the Big Bad Wolf?
“No. That was just his first Tale. It’s not uncommon for a Character to have two of them,” Sarah replied. “Or even three. In fact, he should get another one. That was the shortest version of ‘George and the Dragon’ we’ve ever had. It didn’t even start until his sister ran to get him, and then it was over ten minutes later. George will probably stick around until he’s eighteen. Ninety-seven percent of Characters will get their Tale or Tales between the ages of ten and eighteen.”
With my luck, I would have to wait all seven years.
“And then what? What happens after we’re eighteen?” Miriam sounded a little distressed, but I guess she was a few years closer to the cutoff age than Philip and me.
“Well, a few stay on to help train the next generation—like myself,” Sarah Thumb said proudly. “But most Characters go back to the magic-less world. They’re just more successful than most. Back in the day, a lot of happily ever afters included getting a kingdom, but those are in short supply now. So, we get a lot of mayors, CEOs, and PTA chairwomen at our EAS reunions.” That didn’t sound too appealing, and it must have shown on our faces. Then Sarah added, “A few presidents, too. Both the Roosevelts were ours.”
That made Philip look slightly more cheerful. I wondered what you had to do to get an EAS job.
Sarah Thumb stepped back, reading the list under her feet. “‘Item Number 4: Like begets like.’ I never figured out why she insisted on telling kids that. It’s not like anybody new to EAS knows what that means.”
I could tell Miriam understood just about as much as I did, which was not much. “So, should we start watching out for dragons in our backyards?” I asked.
“Of course not,” said Sarah Thumb, startled. “Fairy tales don’t repeat themselves that often. That particular Tale won’t occur again for months, or years. Maybe even decades. More common Tales with lots of variants—like ‘Cinderella’—come up at least once a year.”
“Then what will happen to us ?” Miriam asked.
“We don’t know. We can’t. Don’t you see?” Sarah Thumb had that far-off look again, her eyes glittering in her tiny face. “Magic is so unpredictable. You won’t know what your Tale is until it starts, and maybe not even then. That’s the beauty of it.”
She sounded a little loopy, but I knew what she meant. Yeah, the dragon yesterday was scary. But after the shock and the adrenaline wore off, I felt—I don’t know. Like I could do great things.
Getting a Tale of my own, where I was the main Character. . . . I gripped the sheath of my sword eagerly and glanced at Miriam, who started to grin.
Philip looked like he might puke. “What if I don’t want to be a Character?”
“Then you’re totally lame,” Miriam
Philip looked a little alarmed. “Is it dangerous? Is it like an infection?”
“No, it’s like a Tale,” Sarah Thumb said, irritated. “Like a fairy tale. Miriam, you’ve already been in one, but since it was George’s, not yours, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re going to have your own. In fact, you might even have it soon. You and Rory. Tales tend to be catching—don’t look at me like that, Philip. Honestly , it’s not a disease —when a Tale starts, it’s like a fire, throwing out sparks. Whoever’s close to the Character having the Tale has thebest chance of catching flame. Rory, Miriam, Lena, and Chase were with George while all the good stuff was happening. The probability that their Tale will start soon is pretty high. I’m sure the Director wanted me to mention that.”
A Character, I thought to myself. It actually sounded impressive.
“So, uh—now that his Tale is over, what happens to George?” Miriam asked. “Does he graduate or something?”
I wondered what kind of Tale I would get. Hopefully something cool, where I got to fight something. Didn’t Red Riding Hood beat the Big Bad Wolf?
“No. That was just his first Tale. It’s not uncommon for a Character to have two of them,” Sarah replied. “Or even three. In fact, he should get another one. That was the shortest version of ‘George and the Dragon’ we’ve ever had. It didn’t even start until his sister ran to get him, and then it was over ten minutes later. George will probably stick around until he’s eighteen. Ninety-seven percent of Characters will get their Tale or Tales between the ages of ten and eighteen.”
With my luck, I would have to wait all seven years.
“And then what? What happens after we’re eighteen?” Miriam sounded a little distressed, but I guess she was a few years closer to the cutoff age than Philip and me.
“Well, a few stay on to help train the next generation—like myself,” Sarah Thumb said proudly. “But most Characters go back to the magic-less world. They’re just more successful than most. Back in the day, a lot of happily ever afters included getting a kingdom, but those are in short supply now. So, we get a lot of mayors, CEOs, and PTA chairwomen at our EAS reunions.” That didn’t sound too appealing, and it must have shown on our faces. Then Sarah added, “A few presidents, too. Both the Roosevelts were ours.”
That made Philip look slightly more cheerful. I wondered what you had to do to get an EAS job.
Sarah Thumb stepped back, reading the list under her feet. “‘Item Number 4: Like begets like.’ I never figured out why she insisted on telling kids that. It’s not like anybody new to EAS knows what that means.”
I could tell Miriam understood just about as much as I did, which was not much. “So, should we start watching out for dragons in our backyards?” I asked.
“Of course not,” said Sarah Thumb, startled. “Fairy tales don’t repeat themselves that often. That particular Tale won’t occur again for months, or years. Maybe even decades. More common Tales with lots of variants—like ‘Cinderella’—come up at least once a year.”
“Then what will happen to us ?” Miriam asked.
“We don’t know. We can’t. Don’t you see?” Sarah Thumb had that far-off look again, her eyes glittering in her tiny face. “Magic is so unpredictable. You won’t know what your Tale is until it starts, and maybe not even then. That’s the beauty of it.”
She sounded a little loopy, but I knew what she meant. Yeah, the dragon yesterday was scary. But after the shock and the adrenaline wore off, I felt—I don’t know. Like I could do great things.
Getting a Tale of my own, where I was the main Character. . . . I gripped the sheath of my sword eagerly and glanced at Miriam, who started to grin.
Philip looked like he might puke. “What if I don’t want to be a Character?”
“Then you’re totally lame,” Miriam
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