Read Online My Epic Fairy Tale Fail by Anna Staniszewski - Free Book Online Page B

book-smart of the three of us, she was bound to have the best chance of getting the right answer.
    â€œWell?” said Irwin.
    Melissa and I looked at Trish expectantly. She opened her eyes and shook her head. “I-I don’t know, guys. I guess it could be…maybe it’s a…”
    â€œI’m growing impatient!” said Irwin.
    â€œA rock!” Trish cried.
    A rock? That couldn’t be right. Could it?
    â€œ Incorrec t !” Since Irwin no longer had his club, he grabbed a nearby boulder and chucked it in our direction. I threw myself forward and bowled my friends to the ground just as the boulder bounced past us like a basketball.
    â€œI’m sorry!” said Trish as we scrambled to our feet. Her glasses were almost hanging off her nose, but she didn’t seem to notice. “When I couldn’t figure out the answer, I panicked.”
    â€œIt’s okay. We still have another chance.” I hoped I sounded more optimistic than I felt. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to becoming a troll snack.
    â€œDo you give up?” Irwin asked.
    â€œNot yet.” I ushered my friends behind me this time, hoping that might keep them safe, and faced Irwin head-on.
    â€œOnce more, then,” he said. “And I must say, I truly am sorry to have to eat you if you fail. I think we all could have been friends.” He cleared his throat and repeated the riddle one more time.
    You’ll hear me when you’re lifted up and down.
    You’ll see me when a tree you’ve wrapped your car around.
    I’m sure to growl if to me you add an “ o .”
    And if you hear me repeated, you’ve won the game show!
    This time Trish and Melissa kept their lips tightly sealed. My mind churned. There was no safety net. If I didn’t get this right, we’d all be turned into finger sandwiches.
    I’d never been great at riddles—even word searches tripped me up—but I tried to push that fact out of my head. After all, if Sir Knight could get the answer right, surely I could, too.
    Wait. Sir Knight.
    How had the knight—clearly not the sharpest sword in the armory—gotten the correct answer? Maybe that meant it was really obvious. Or…maybe he’d never figured out the answer at all.
    Excitement bubbled up in my stomach. That was it. It had to be.
    â€œDing!” I cried.
    Melissa and Trish looked at me like my brain had just fallen out of my head.
    â€œJenny, what are you doing?” said Trish. “Do you have the answer?”
    â€œDing,” I repeated. “That’s the answer.”
    My friends looked at Irwin, clearly terrified, as he let out a low laugh. Then he raised his giant hands and…started clapping.
    â€œNicely done, Jenny!” he said. “I was starting to doubt you.”
    I didn’t admit that I’d been having doubts myself. My knees felt rubbery and weak.
    â€œBut, Jenny, how did you know the answer?” said Melissa.
    I shrugged. “If Sir Knight could answer the riddle, I figured it either had to be really easy, or he must have gotten it right by accident. He’s always dinging and clanging around.”
    â€œThat’s brilliant!” said Trish.
    â€œLucky guess.” I turned to Irwin. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have an object to find in your cave.”
    â€œYou mean this?” He held out what looked like a clear spray bottle.
    As I took it out of his hand, I realized it was a clear spray bottle filled with cloudy white liquid. This was what we’d almost gotten eaten for?
    I unscrewed the top of the bottle and sniffed the liquid inside. The scent was tangy and familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. It definitely didn’t smell like something I’d want to drink.
    â€œAre you sure this is it?” I said.
    Irwin nodded. “That’s what the witch put in my home.”
    â€œBut wait, why is it still