Chapter 4
The next morning, Jesse and Mary Sue announced they had to leave to warn their father. After saying their goodbyes, Julia's mother stopped them and asked if they would take Julia along, calling it the biggest adventure she'd ever have. Julia thanked her mother, who in turn thanked Jesse and Mary Sue. Promising to return soon, the trio left Fairyland.
Julia was thrilled, having never ventured so far from home. Jesse and Mary Sue instructed her to hide upon reaching their house, which she agreed to do. Once there, Julia concealed herself behind a potted plant in the living room.
Meanwhile, Jesse and Mary Sue told their father about seeing their stepmother in Fairyland. Their father, finding the story hard to believe, welcomed them warmly but suggested they might be unwell and should rest.
"Dad! We're not sick; we really saw her!" they insisted.
"How could you?" he replied. "She was here with me the whole time you were gone. The only time she left was to get groceries."
"We don't understand. Where is she now?"
"She went to get groceries."
"Fairyland!" they exclaimed simultaneously. They dashed out the door, with Julia and their confused father following close behind, hoping to uncover the truth.
Upon arriving at the cave where they had seen their stepmother, she was nowhere to be found. Their father began to think it was all a joke. Just then, they saw her emerging from a secret passage within the cave.
The group of four returned to the fairies to inquire if they knew anything. All but one fairy denied any knowledge. That one fairy confessed he had been trying to investigate the matter himself.