THE ECLIPSE HAD RENDERED the streets of Fableville, California's quaint town center almost deserted save for a few cars with their headlights on, hurrying home.

     A car turned a corner into a long road illuminated by rows of streetlight. An overweight man drove, while his seven-year-old daughter was looking out the window, licking a lollipop.

     Her eyes widened as she saw a strange sight: Flip standing motionless under a wooden electric post, staring up at the light with acute curiosity.

     The dragon in the boy found the human magic he was looking for.

     Flip traded glances with the girl in the passing car. Then, he ascended, walking up the post in complete defiance of gravity.

     The girl's jaw dropped in astonishment, twisting her neck to keep her eyes on the incredible scene.

     Flip was now squatting on top of the electric post, mouth agape, awed by the artificial light. He touched the glowing electric lamp. "This human magic is amazing."

     The lollipop fell from the girl's hand.

     The streetlights went out.

     In less than three minutes, Flip was back at the hill by the sea, walking toward the portal, carrying the uprooted electric post on his shoulder like a baseball bat. The dragon in the boy thought he was bringing home a piece of human magic—the maker of electric light.

     Sunlight was now obscuring the portal, erasing it with brilliant rays.

     Flip aimed the electric post and heaved it into the portal. Like a javelin it propelled through the wall of light, crossed the dimensional barrier, and touched down on a lumpy cloud creeping in front of Miluna.

     The moon eyed it with keen curiosity; the dragon in the boy beamed proudly on his "successful" mission.

     CRACK! Miluna flinched as the cloud broke out with violent lightning, rejecting the earthly thing.

     It woke the boy in the dragon. He rose, bewildered, looked around with increasing panic, and then resumed shrieking.

     "Don't be afraid," Miluna said, "you're going home now."

     It pacified Quento. "Where am I? This is not my body."

     "You're in Nevertoon, the world of fairy tales," Miluna said.

     At the promontory, Flip made a magical gesture. Quento's hand extended like it had a life of its own, drawing out of the wall of light, heading for Flip.

     "Just let go," Miluna said. "The touch will restore you to your body."

     Dr. Killro's airship surged upward from below the promontory, hovering between the dragon and the boy.

     It took Flip by surprise; the dragon's hand stopped moving.

     The airship glided above Flip spewing a chain mail net attached to the gondola. And the net ensnared Flip, lifting him several meters off the ground as the airship soared up.

     Flip regained his composure, eyes turning into pools of flames. And in quivering side-turning jerks, he uncoiled his body, then SWOOOOSH! He breathed dragon fire onto the net.

     The flexible interlocking metal rings burst into a spreading blaze, rending a huge, gaping hole in the net. Tongues of fire licked up to the gondola, causing a massive conflagration.

     "No!" Dr. Killro screamed. "You can't stop me."

     Flip sprang through the hole and catapulted back to the fast vanishing portal as the dragon's hand shot out to touch him. But before the boy and the dragon could touch to swap back their souls, the eclipse ended.

     The portal disappeared.

     Flip landed on the water without sinking, dumbfounded. Quento and Miluna froze in an identical expression of shock. Up in the sky, Dr. Killro's airship exploded.

     Flaming debris rained all around Flip, but he was lost in a state of disquiet to notice.