Starts with asking father to help make castle from cardboard box. Summer vacation project. He likes to do everything just right, and he also likes to tease. He goes on about getting stone-masons and other craftsmen. Sending his emissaries to the neighboring kingdoms, seeking out the finest craftsmen. Elizabeth knows he really will help her build it. She knows he will only do it just so, and really that is fine with her too. It will be more fun. They go to library for castle book. Find a very old book. She can borrow the book for the whole summer vacation.
Magic Seeds from seed packet with unusual picture and writing. Found tucked into the library book they borrowed for castle info. Elizabeth plants them in a flower box in front of her house.
The same flowers appear as decorations over the doorway in the castle in the book, so Elizabeth paints them over the doorway in her play-castle.
The special flowers grow. They are called fairy footsteps and only grow in the gardens of nice people, according to old Mrs. Gray down the street.
When Elizabeth goes into her play-castle carrying a bouquet, she finds she is in a real castle, on a hill that looks a lot like the one her house is on, except that there are no other houses around.
The long-ago land is an island always hidden by a wall of fog; sometimes shipwrecks or lost travelers come there. Some folks have left but most like it and stay.
She meets Gwendolyn, who rides up on her unicorn Gleam. Castle just happens to have appeared on top of the witch's house. G predicts that there will be trouble from this.
They go visit G's family in the village. Tells her all about Witch Luna. Luna has been turning town kids into frogs and stuff, because they tease her. She used to be nice but she isn't, since she lost most of her powers.
They meet Gleam's brother Shadow. Ride in the country on Gleam and Shadow. While the unicorns nibble in the field of flowers, a whole field of fairy footsteps. The girls braid some into crowns, for themselves and for the unicorns. G explains that these are the favorite food of the unicorns, but since the Good Witch changed, they have been getting harder and harder to find.
E goes home and moves her playcastle, hoping it will move the other one off the witch's house. It does, and she goes to visit her, bringing cookies, and of course a bouquet of the magic flowers.
W very interested in the flowers, tells her own sad tale of lost book and powers.
E & G Return The Lost Treasure -- it is a little gold flower on a ring, a mysterious gold object. They seek the rightful owner and find it is Witch Luna, who had saved the valley from a drought, and this was the gift to her from the King. Really happy to have it back because of its powers.
The Witch would like to see the book. E explains that it is from the library and must be returned, but promises to bring it for a while if she can through the play house.
Turns out she can, and does. Luna regains her powers and becomes Good Witch Luna again. Restores all the children she had turned into frogs. One is G's brother.
E & G The Happy Ending (the actual name for this chapter)
Turns out that Witch Luna is the g-g-g-mother of Mrs. Gray; one of Luna's daughters had sailed away to see the world and seek her fortune.
The girls find out the magic will last only the season of the flowers, but the flowers have made more seeds, so next summer they can see each other again. (or maybe every twenty years, so THEIR little girls will be able, ask MY Sarah what she likes here.) (or put seeds back in the package, tuck it back in the book before returning to library.) More adventures the next summer Winter adventure when Eliz grows flowers indoors