Once upon a time, in a Kingdom to the West, there lived a widowed king and his three daughters. Their names were Mary, Amelia and Margaret, twelve, ten and six respectively. They were all very intelligent and constantly had their noses in a book. Eventually, the king remarried to a woman the sisters were fond of. She could be strict, but she seemed to be a caring new mother.

On the first day of summer, the royal family moved into a vacation house belonging to the stepmother. It was far away from the bustling villages and tucked back into a forest. The house was very tall, consisting of five floors: the king and queen's bedroom, the sisters' room, the dining room, a library and the cellar. Only brave servants ventured down to the cellar to retrieve supplies. The heavy air made them bolt up the stairs when they left.

The ground floor held a vast library. Thousands of books lived on ebony shelves that lined blood red walls. All sunlight was completely blocked by thick, black curtains. The only source of light came from a candle that sat on a table next to a large reading chair. It was so big, that all three of the king's daughters could sit together in the chair and share the light. The sisters lived in the library; their minds devouring every page of every book.

At the end of the first day, the sisters were gathered into their room to sleep. The walls were sky blue and the white curtains were airy and thin.

The sisters bragged about how many books they consumed that afternoon. The smallest, Margaret, was bitter because she could not read as quickly as her older siblings.

Their stepmother peeked her head in to wish them pleasant dreams and to warn them that, "If your stomach keeps you awake during the night, do not go to the cellar to relieve your hunger."

Obediently, they replied, "Of course Mama, we will not."

She continued, "If you find that you cannot sleep, do not enter the library to relieve your boredom."

Hesitantly, they replied, "Of course Mama, we will not."

The sisters slept soundly, until a clatter woke Mary, the eldest. She laid in bed waiting for sleep to engulf her mind, but hunger kept her awake. Until she could no longer bear the pain, Mary hopped out of bed and ran down to the cellar. She pulled on the door, but it was locked.

"If I cannot fill my stomach, I shall fill my head," after a time, she decided and said. The door to the library was unlocked, so she pulled out a stack of books, lit the candle and sat in the reading chair. Her thoughts were elsewhere and she did not see the shadow dance behind her.

The next morning, the remaining sisters woke to find their older sister's empty bed. They told the king who knew...