“You have earned passage into the gifted library, my sweet dumplings! But remember, you don’t have all day. My shift ends this afternoon, and after that the next guard will eventually notice you’re in there.”

Emmett lifts off the lid of the Tupperware container to take out two cookies. Then he changes his mind. He walks over to the cheollima and places the entire thing on top of the washing machine.

“You know what? Why don’t you have all of them,” he says. “You’ve been really good to us, and we’re grateful for your help.”

I smile at the gesture. It’s a very sweet, very Emmett-like thing to do.

“Oh boy, oh boy, how kind of you!” coos the cheollima. He flaps his wings excitedly. “And to reward your utmost generosity, my little cheesecakes, I will offer you a piece of advice about the place you are about to enter.”

We lean in, listening eagerly.

“The library may not be what you expect. But books have a way of finding their rightful owners. So trust in their wisdom and you’ll have a hoot.”

And with that, the cheollima presses the red button on the washing machine, and the round door on the front opens with a satisfying click. “Jump in whenever you’re ready!”

“You want us to go in there?” I ask, horrified. I look down at Cosette’s long limbs, and then at Emmett’s even longer Adeline limbs, not to mention Boris the dragon scooter. Suddenly, the washer doesn’t seem so big anymore.

The cheollima looks at me, confused. “You do want to enter the library, don’t you?”

“Ugh. Of course that’s the entrance.” Emmett shakes his head. “Why do I even bother acting surprised anymore? Magic is wack.”

“It’s just a quick spin,” assures the cheollima, “one at a time, with no water. You’ll be there in a jiffy.”

Emmett takes a big breath. “Here goes nothing.” He extends a long Adeline leg and starts climbing into the open mouth of the machine. The angle doesn’t work, though, so he then backtracks and tries to enter butt-first. This time, he manages to squeeze himself in there—just barely—but it doesn’t look comfortable by any means. This would be so much easier if we were in our own shorter bodies and not these gazelle-like supermodel disguises….

Emmett waves at me awkwardly, his arm wedged between the machine and Adeline’s boob. “See you on the other side, Rye.”

The cheollima closes the door and pushes the START CYCLE button on the washer. As the machine whirs into action, Emmett/Adeline’s surprised face begins to spin—slowly at first, then faster and faster, until he’s nothing but a blur of colors. Eventually, there’s a sharp bing!, and when I look inside the barrel again, Emmett is gone.