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What?

I can’t explain But I can show you

Good as the lake?

Not quite Hurry up

Putting a towel over his shoulders, Seth stepped into his sandals Kendra led hi shrubs on the outskirts of the yard Behind the plants lay a large pie tin full of

They drink milk? he asked

Yeah, but that isn’t the point Taste it

Why?

You’ll see

Have you tried it?

Yes

What’s the big deal?

I told you, try it and you’ll see

Kendra watched curiously as he kneeled by the tin The huer into the ood Sweet

Sweet?

He lowered his head and puckered his lips against the surface of theback, he wiped his h Looking beyond Kendra, his eyes bulged Seth ju What the heck are those?

Kendra turned All she saas a butterfly and a couple of hu in circles, eyes darting around the garden, apparently perplexed and amazed

They’re everywhere, he said in awe

What are?

Look around The fairies

Kendra stared at her brother Could thearound with her?

He didn’t appear to be faking He was over by a rosebush gazing at a butterfly in wonder Tentatively he reached a hand toward it, but it fluttered out of reach

He turned back to Kendra Was it the milk? This is way cooler than the lake! His exciteenuine

Kendra eyed the tin ofskills had suddenly ier and put it in her ht It eet and war her blink

She glanced back at her brother, as creeping up on a ss like butterflies, one like a dragonfly She could not suppress a shriek at the iht

Kendra looked back at thefros, the fairy looked like a slender wo turquoise slip and had long, dark hair When Kendra leaned closer, the fairy zipped away

There was no way she was really seeing this, right?

There had to be an explanation But the fairies were everywhere, near and far, shi in vivid colors How could she deny as before her eyes?

As Kendra continued to survey the garden, startled disbelief melted into wonder Fairies of all conceivable varieties flitted about, exploring blosso her brother

Roaarden in a daze, Kendra saw that the fairy women appeared to represent all nationalities

Some looked Asian, some Indian, some African, some European Several were less coreen hair A few had antennae Their wings came in all varieties, antly shaped and radiantly colored All the fairies gleaarden like the sun outshines thea corner on a pathway, Kendra stopped short

There stood Grandpa Sorenson, wearing a flannel shirt and work boots, arms folded across his chest

We need to talk, he said

The grandfather clock tolled the hour, chi in a high backed leather arrandfather clocks got their narandparents owned them

She looked over at Seth, seated in an identical chair It looked too big for him These were chairs for adults

Why had Grandpa Sorenson left the rooiven her the keys that ended up leading her and the guinea pig to sa that she had discovered so that was meant to stay hidden Not only were fairies real, but Grandpa Sorenson had hundreds in his yard

Is that a fairy skull? Seth asked, pointing to the flat-bottolobe with the thumb-sized skull on Grandpa’s desk

Probably, Kendra said

Are we busted?

We better not be There were no rules against drinkingwith Lena, who carried three , then Seth and Grandpa Thecontained hot chocolate Lena left the room as Grandpa took a seat behind his desk

I a a sip fro

You wanted us to drink the ht kind of people Frankly, I don’t know you that well I hoped that the kind of person ould take the trouble to solve my little puzzle would be the kind of person who could handle the notion of a preserve full of ical creatures Fablehaven would be too much to s for most people

Fablehaven? Seth repeated

The nae for mystical creatures, a stewardship passed down from caretaker to caretaker over the years

Kendra tried the hot chocolate It was superb! The flavor made her think of the rosebud chocolates

What do you have besides fairies? Seth asked

Many beings, great and small Which is the true reason the woods are off-limits There are creatures out there much more perilous than venoical life forenerally permitted in the yard Fairies, pixies, and such Grandpa took another sip fro You like the hot chocolate?

It’s wonderful, Kendra said

Made froarden today Same milk the fairies drink Just about the only food they’ll eat When mortals drink it, their eyes are opened to an unseen world But the effects wear off after a day Lena will prepare you a cup everyfrom the fairies

Where does it come from? Kendra asked

We erous creatures in there, too, so it’s still off-li off-li way into those woods four times and I’ve always been fine

Four ti, Seth amended hastily