“My Fairy Godmother?” Oh, this wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that I should go crazy on my birthday. Talk about injustice.

“Certainly,” she sniffed. “And I’ve come to take you home with me.”

I stared. The woman frowned off into space, patting the tight gray bun sitting at the top of her head as though checking her hair in an invisible mirror. And then, with a snap, she had closed a small compact mirror that suddenly sat in her plump palm.

Calmly ignoring my surprise, she placed the mirror in a large bag slung over her shoulder. “Yes,” the woman said. “I’m under strict orders to take you to my place for a small vacation. Your parents feel that the strain of your life right now is too great for—”

I cut her off. “What do you mean, the strain of my life?”

“Oh, you know.” she waved a hand.

“No,” I replied angrily. “I don’t.”

“Very well, child, I shall explain.”