The Land of Stories--Worlds Collide

“Happily ever after isn’t a finish line, it isn’t a paradise, and it isn’t a phenomenon that makes all your dreams come true.

“I’VE MADE MANY WOMEN MELT IN MY DAY, BUT SHE WAS THE FIRST ONE TO ACTUALLY DISSOLVE,” Robin Hood said.

“Happily ever after isn’t a solution to life’s problems or a guarantee that life will be easy; it’s a promise we make ourselves to always live our best lives, despite whatever circumstance comes our way. When we focus on joy in times of heartbreak, when we choose to laugh on the days it’s hard to smile, and when we count our blessings over our losses—that’s what a true happily ever after is all about. You don’t get there by being perfect; on the contrary, it’s our humanity that guides us. And that’s what fairy tales have been trying to teach us all along.”

Bree seemed to be enjoying the fight; she giggled as she swung the licorice whip around her like a lion tamer.
“Is that your girlfriend?” Arthur asked Conner.
“Sort of,” Conner said.

“I imagine everyone leaves New York feeling influenced or inspired in some way,” Wendy’s dad said. “It really makes you think how many different people there are in this world. It reminds you how many different interests there are to devote your time and energy to.

“You don’t have to be trapped inside a mirror to be trapped in the mirror,” she said. “Think about all the people who stare at their reflections and dislike what they see. Think about all the people who base their happiness solely on what they look like. Think about all the people who don’t enjoy life because they don’t enjoy their appearance. If you ask me, the mirror imprisons us all.”

“Would you believe we were middle school sweethearts?” Mr. Bailey said with a smile. “As far as I’m concerned, I was the first and only mistake she ever made.”

Do you remember that feeling in the pit of your stomach as the ship plummeted toward the earth at hundreds of miles per hour toward a most certain death? That’s what fatherhood is like.”

Froggy gulped. “Lovely.”

Besides being pinned to the ground by a three-ton lion statue, Mother Goose couldn’t think of a reason why she couldn’t perform the ceremony.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today—against our will—to unexpectedly watch this frog and woman join in questionable matrimony. Do you, Charlie Charming, take Red Riding Hood as your lovably high-maintenance wife?”

“I do,” Froggy declared.

“And do you, Red Riding Hood, take Charlie Charming as your adorably webfooted husband?”

“I do,” Red said.

“Then it is with the power mistrusted in me that I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the frog!”