The Rules of Magic

by Alice Hoffman

Writing itself was a magical act in which imagination altered reality and gave form to power.

Don’t think this won’t happen to you, she hissed at all the pretty young girls passing by. Youth is fleeting. It’s nothing but a dream. I’m where you’re going. I’m what you’ll be. They called her the Pond Lady and ran from her, shrieking, but they couldn’t get her warning out of their minds. Caution, these girls thought. As for Franny, she always gave the Pond Lady a dollar when she saw her, for she had no fear of who she would turn out to be.

she opened a book and was therefore saved, discovering that a novel was as great an escape as any spell.