Page 2

 The princess stood up, “There is no way I am going to just sit around here and wait to find out if I am in danger.” She flew to one of the glass walls and began tapping on it with her fingers.

Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap clink. Her eyes shot to her hand. “My ring! My diamond ring! Of course. Diamonds can cut through glass.” Esperanza turned her ring around so the gem was next to the palm of her hand and then she began to etch a large circle in the glass. Around and around she moved her hand; with each pass she felt the groove in the glass becoming deeper and deeper. Finally she stepped back and gave the circle a great kick. The glass fell out with barely a sound.

Princess Esperanza climbed through her escape hatch and looked around. She was clearly standing on the table that held her cage, but there was no more light out here than there was inside her prison. “Why is it so dark in here?” she asked out loud.

“It is the Cursed Candlestick,” came a deep voice from across the room. “Instead of bringing light to a room, it sucks all the light away. I have been sitting in darkness for two weeks now and was beginning to forget what light looked like until I saw your wings.”

The room grew darker as Essie's glow was sucked away to a different part of the room. She followed the light trail and rubbed her chin as she hovered in front of a large, golden candlestick.

To try breaking the enchantment, turn to page 4

To continue trying to escape in the dark, turn to page 5