As the ride picks up speed, you settle back in the chair.
“Nice wand,” the girl giggles.
You realize you are fiddling with the thing, spinning it absently with your fingers. It feels so natural in your grip, you had forgotten it was there. “Oh, I just found it here on this rack.” You gesture towards the spot only to see that the rack had vanished. “Huh, that’s funny. There was a rack here a second ago.”
The girl shrugs. “Maybe it folds up under the seat somewhere when the ride starts.”
“Maybe.”
Your fellow passenger leans back in her chair only to let out a squeak and jolt upright again.
“What’s wrong?” You ask.
She reaches behind her and pulls out a glittering tiara. “Where did this come from? I’m sure it wasn’t there before.”
Studying the curious object, you notice it looks a lot more elaborate than a toy, with sparkling jewels set into finely sculpted gold. “Wow! It looks expensive. Somebody’s probably looking for that.”
“Yeah,” she murmurs, her crystal blue eyes going distant. Slowly, she raises the tiara up and nestles it into her blonde hair.
“Um, I don’t think you should be doing that if it isn’t yours,” you warn her.
She seems to snap out of it, blinking in surprise. “You’re right. I…don’t know why I did that.” Grabbing the strange adornment, she tugs on it and frowns. “I think it’s stuck.”
Pulling some more, she lets out a nervous giggle. “Um, I may need some help.”
“Here, let me see,” you say, putting the wand aside and reaching out to touch the tiara.
At least, that was your plan. For a moment, you stare at your hand holding the wand. Didn’t you just put it down? Carefully, you lower your hand again and try to release the polished handle. Your fingers only uncurl about halfway before snapping shut again before the wand has a chance to fall out.
Lifting it to your face, you peer at the star-shaped tip with consternation. From this close, it seems less childish than you had assumed. The oddly warm silver handle has a subtle curve in it to conform to your grasp, and the star turns out to be a hollow filigree exterior enclosing some kind of gem in the center. “Okay, this is getting really weird.”
As both of you stare at the wand, the star begins to glow.
“Huh? What th-”
Before you can react, the glow intensifies into a miniature sun which expands to encompass the entire carriage.