Michael Buckley - Once upon a crime

A fat, orange tomcat lay outside, blocking the entrance to the store. Granny shooed it away and it raced shrieking into an old refrigerator box someone had dragged out onto the sidewalk.

Inside the shop, they found racks and racks of shiny, poofy-sleeved ballroom dresses, covered in frills and lace. There were also several shelves of shoes in shocking, unnatural colors and funky-shaped handbags.

A roly-poly lady stepped out of the back room and approached the group. She had a big, blue beehive hairdo atop an almost perfect circle of a head. Her eyebrows were drawn on and her cheeks and lips were bright pink. She was wearing a baby-blue satin dress that made it look as if she might be off to her senior prom at any moment. A rhinestone belt with blue-and-green blinking lights completed the look.

"Welcome to Twilarose's Fashion Emporium. How can I help you?" the woman sang. "We're having a sale on spring-fling formal wear and shoes. It's never too early to get a head start on the coming seasons. And remember, everything in this store is a Twilarose original. I design everything myself."

"So you're Twilarose?" Granny asked.

"The one and only," the old woman said. "Perhaps you've seen my work on the runways of Milan, Paris, and Canton, Ohio."

"The Wizard of Oz sent us," Daphne said.

"We're looking for Cobweb," Granny Relda added.

Twilarose's eyes grew wide. "Indeed. Oh my! I didn't recognize you, the Grimm family," she said louder than necessary. "I'm so glad none of you people in the

Grimm family were hurt in that mob scene at the Golden Egg. Terrible, terrible situation. I'm so thrilled to meet the

Grimm family."

"Well, I guess we know he's here somewhere," Sabrina said. The woman was obviously trying to warn Cobweb of their arrival.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, you people in the

Grimm family!

I just make clothing. In fact, I feel inspired. I'm going to give you all the Twilarose VIP Makeover! Won't that be fun?"

Twilarose reached into the folds of her dress and produced a magic wand. She waved it in the air and there was a loud bam!

When Sabrina looked down, she was wearing a puffy, leopard-print dress with matching shoes. She looked over at the others and saw their clothes had been replaced as well. Daphne had on a rainbow-colored can-can dress and Granny Relda was wearing a big pink gown with a hat as large as her whole body. Moth and Bess were both dressed in tracksuits covered in little golden bells and had snowshoes on their feet. Each of the women had so much makeup on, it looked as if it had been applied with a paint-ball gun.

Poor Mr. Hamstead was wearing an electric-blue tuxedo with tails and a top hat. Even Puck's cocoon had been made over, in different colored ribbons.

Twilarose clapped her hands. "I am brilliant!" she shouted. "You all are going to be the toast of New York City."

"Underling, we don't have time for this nonsense," Moth said.

"Oh no! You don't like the outfits. Maybe something more work-appropriate? I'll fix you lickety-split!" The fairy godmother waved her wand again and bam!

– the dresses were gone, replaced with outfits that were even more outrageous. Now, each of the women was wearing a long evening gown that had a badge, handcuffs, and a billy club swinging from it. Mr. Hamstead was dressed in a black-and-white prison uniform and had a ball and chain around his left leg. He looked down and grunted.

"Genius!" Twilarose said, and then shook her head. "But the makeup is all wrong."

Bam!

Sabrina turned to the mirror. She looked like a geisha from outer space with white pancake makeup and silver lipstick.

Bam!

Now she was wearing fake vampire teeth and a beanie cap with a propeller on top.

Bam!

Sabrina looked down to find she was carrying a toy poodle with a diamond collar, and she herself had two purple shiners and some of her teeth had been blackened out.

"No, maybe it's the shoes," Twilarose said.

Moth stepped forward and waved an angry finger at Twilarose. "I am a fairy and a member of the royal court, making me your superior, so if you are quite finished with your atrocious fashion show-"

"Atrocious?" Twilarose cried. She flicked her wrists and before anyone could stop her, they were all bound from head to toe in thick steel chains.

"It has been a long time since the glory days of Cinderella but I'd hardly call my work atrocious."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Daphne cried. "You're Cinderella's fairy godmother?" She tried to free her hand so she could insert it in her mouth.

"Yes, she's what made me a fashion design icon. After that dress every princess from here to Timbuktu would have killed for one of my designs… but those were the good old days," she said sadly.

"Enough!" Moth roared as she wiggled out of the chains that bound her. "Your blabbering is wasting our time. If you don't tell us where Cobweb is I'll-"

"There is no need for threats, Princess," a voice said from behind the curtains at the back of the store. The drapes were pulled aside and Cobweb stepped through.

"Murderer," Moth screamed.

"You are confused," Cobweb said. "I have killed no one!"

"We know you did it!" Sabrina said. "We heard it straight from Oberon."

"I am innocent," Cobweb said, slightly confused.

Just then, there was a tremendous crash and the front door to the shop blew off its hinges. The group struggled to see what had caused the commotion. Standing in the doorway were Tony Fats and Bobby Screwball. Their magic wands were held tight in their huge hands.

"How did you find us?" Bess cried.

The two goons ignored her. Their eyes were trained on Mr. Hamstead.

"You shouldn't have messed with my girl," Tony Fats said as he and his partner stepped into the store. '"Cause now, you and me… we're going to have to settle this the way we did back in Faerie."

Tony Fats raised his wand and, with a flick of his wrist, a bolt of white-hot energy rocketed toward the group.

Hamstead leaped out of the way and the blast missed him by inches. Unfortunately, it crashed into a rack of polyester dresses that exploded into flames. "My spring collection!" Twilarose shouted as she desperately tried to put out the fire that was melting her gowns. She stomped feverishly on a pink, hoop-skirted prom dress, completely ignoring the peril of everyone around her. In the chaos, Sabrina watched Cobweb fly out of the shop. "Forget the dresses!" she cried, as flames rapidly spread throughout the store. "Get us out of these chains."

Twilarose turned and flicked her wand. The chains vanished, freeing the group. Unfortunately, smoke was filling the room, and Tony Fats and Bobby Screwball, who seemed to be having trouble seeing, were shooting their wands in every direction. Bobby seemed to have particularly bad aim; each blast from his wand spiraled toward a random target.

"Now I know why they call him Bobby Screwball," Sabrina said as she rushed to rescue Puck's cocoon from a nest of smoldering feather boas. She scampered over to her family, who were hiding behind a rack of capes.

"Where's Cobweb?" Daphne cried.

"He got away," Sabrina said, ducking her head to avoid a blast. "We need to get out of here, too!"

"Bess!"

Tony Fats bellowed as he fired again. "You're my girl now and always."

"They're blinded by the smoke! They aren't expecting any of us to fly out," Sabrina said, handing Moth Puck's cocoon. "Get him out of here."

"My pleasure," the fairy girl said as her wings sprang from her back and lifted her off the ground. She zipped in between the fairy godfathers' wand blasts and soared out the open door to safety. With so much smoke in the air, Tony and Bobby hadn't even noticed Moth fly by.

"Ernie, take my hand," Bess said. She reached behind her back, pushed something on her backpack, and suddenly a flame shot out that lifted her and her chubby new boyfriend right off the ground. Sabrina was stunned as she watched them rocket out of the store.