“Then we lose them forever,” Stella finished.
Jack nodded. “But having to send someone back early is the last choice because you have to ‘kill’ them, and that’s not something Arnie or I are keen on.”
Stella grimaced. “Does it hurt them?”
“I don’t know,” Jack admitted, “but Hook made a big show of‘dying’ before he disappeared. Then he turned to ashes, and Arnie swept him into a dustpan, and we dumped him in the garbage. We had to convince the kid it was all part of an elaborate magic show. I doubt he ever annoyed his sister again. Afterward, Arnie and I never talked about what had happened. We didn’t have to. We both understood it was unintentional but also a welcome reprieve.”
Stella rubbed her fists against her eyes. The idea that the characters brought out of the books could turn to ashes if they werekilledin the library disturbed her. “Of all the characters I could choose.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You didn’t really believe me.”
She rolled her eyes. “No excuse. I could have chosen Anne Shirley or a Care Bear. I’m sorry, Jack. For all of this.” Thunder boomed loudly, and Stella flinched. She glanced around the library. “Should we keep looking for Hook?”
Ariel cleared her throat and startled both Stella and Jack. Stella had forgotten Ariel was still there.
“Hi, yeah, still here. So I’m following along as best as I can, which,believe me, feels like I’ve been thrown into a movie halfway through and expected to catch up without asking questions. Jack, am I clear on the fact that youkilleda man but he didn’t die and instead turned to ashes?”
“Oh, well, he didn’t actually kill anyone,” Stella responded. “Because that man isn’t... or wasn’t...”
“Uh-huh,” Ariel said. “Clear as mud. Because that man isfrom a book? Are you trying to explain to me, albeit terribly, that you can bring characters out of books to roam around the library? And that roguish pirate is actually Captain Hook fromPeter Pan? You’re right, Stella, this sounds outrageous. But...”
“But what?” Stella asked.
“Fascinating!” Ariel said, an enormous smile breaking across her face. “How is this possible? Can I bring someone out?”
“No!” Stella and Jack said together.
Ariel held up her hands. “Okay, okay. No reason to freak out. Just so you know, I’d choose better than Captain Hook. How was henotgoing to be awful? He’s a pirate who tries to kill children.”
“He doesn’t actuallykillchildren. He swordfights them mostly,” Stella argued.
Ariel smirked. “Well, that makes him a much safer option.”
Stella’s shoulders slumped. “I didn’t think it would work.”
Ariel looked at Jack. “And how do you fit into all of this, Jack?”
He made eye contact with Stella, and she shrugged, telling him to go ahead and share the truth. “I’m from one of Stella’s favorite novels.”
Ariel inhaled a sharp breath. “You’reJack fromBeyond the Southern Horizon?” She pointed at Stella. “You brought out a love interest and you won’t let me choose a character? Aren’t there rules about personal gain and magic?”
Stella’s mouth fell open, and Jack laughed before saying, “Actually Arnie brought me out before his heart attack.”
“Wow,” Ariel said. “This is a lot, Stella. No wonder you’ve been avoiding talking to me. I want to learn more about all of this, but a more pressing question is, what are y’all going to do about Hook?”
Stella glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost nine o’clock and time to lock up the library for the night. “I can close up, and then we can make a final sweep. Ariel, why don’t you go on home? It’s late, and it’s been a long day. We can catch up tomorrow.”
“And you’ll tell me everything about this library magic?”
Stella pulled Ariel into a hug. “I promise. Thank you for not freaking out.”
Ariel laughed. “Oh, I’m freaking out but also handling it well. Until tomorrow.” She pointed her finger at Jack. “You take care of her. No pirate mishaps.”
“You have my promise,” Jack said with a slight bow of his head.
Ariel waved good night to Jack, and Stella walked her to the front door. “This is kinda surreal,” Ariel said.
“Tell me about it,” Stella agreed.
