Raven’s Signature Diary - Chapter 6
I arrived at the library, and there was Maddie hexstatically bouncing. She was going on and on about something that I needed to see, but nobody could find. Maddie sometimes slips into this weird way of talking. She guided me through the library to a secret door she found. Maddie knocked a playful rhythm, and with a FLASH! we were suddenly surrounded by a ring of ancient, dusty books.
"Maddie... where are we?" Her response was typically calm, "He calls it the Vault of Lost Tales."
"The Master Librarian, Giles Grimm. I think he's the Headmaster's brother. He has something important to tell you," Maddie sang, "But he only speaks Riddlish."
"Riddlish, the riddle language of Wonderland, my home. The Librarian's not-home," Like I said, Maddie can have this weird way of talking.
Buried under piles of books was the most grizzled old man I ever saw in my life. His eyes darted back and forth across the pages of a large tome. "Flipping flapjacks ripping rust! Cutting corners dawn to dust!"*
*Translated from Riddlish by Madeline Hatter: "I'm Frustrated! How many books do I need to read?"
From there began the oddest conversation in history. Maddie and the Master Librarian rhymed about rabbit's feet, tapping toes, and so much more head-spinning nonsense. I had no idea what was going on when the Librarian pointed at me and said,
"On a wing with a rose, on a chair if it chose, with a puppy and pig in its pocket."
Maddie twirled me around,
"Raven! A puppy and pig in its pocket! A puppy and pig in its pocket!"
"Maddie, I don't understand!"
"Oh sorry! I forgot you don't speak Riddlish."
Maddie explained the story that would change me forever. According to the Librarian, if I pledge to create my own Happily Ever After I will be free to write my own story.
Could it be true? My entire life I thought I had to be the Evil Queen. Did I dare to hope to discover what I want to be? We've been told we have to follow our destinies, no matter what. If I flipped the script, what would happen? And what would people think? All it takes is one person to curse everyone else's destinies.
But maybe... just maybe... there were others who wanted a chance to write their own Happily Ever After.