Pitch Madness B-7: MOLLY PEPPER AND THE NIGHT TRAIN

Turtle Wexler meets Willy Wonka when a mysterious train ride, an escaped convict and a firefly jar prove the best kind of magic doesn’t fix broken promises; it makes you believe in them again.

That was the most astonishing discovery. Molly could not recall the last time she had ever received anything in the mail—especially something as interesting as this. Not only was the crisp, smooth envelope addressed to her, but it also lacked both a return address and a stamp. No stamp meant somebody had sidestepped the entire mail system altogether and placed this exact letter into her mailbox, probably this very day.

Feeling a little paranoid, Molly peered over her shoulder for any chance that the owner of the envelope might still be watching her. All she discovered behind her, however, was the sound of the distant ferry whistling through the salty air, and the passing by of an old, white convertible spewing a fume of exhaust in its wake.

Molly coughed in protest and tucked her report card in her back pocket for safekeeping. Then, she tossed the Woman’s Day magazine into the garbage can, being extra careful to bury it under a pile of crumpled newspapers so her dad wouldn’t find any trace of it. She did not want to face one of his solemn, glossy-eyed looks again. Not today. Not on the first day of summer break that was supposed to be filled with the promise of adventure.