EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the 10th chapter in a 12-chapter fictional tale that will run through Christmas Day. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children.

Jax and the other boy stared at each other for a moment. Jax rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Well, that’s kind of a long story.”

He glanced at Molly. “Molly, this is my big brother, Jett. Jett, this is my friend Molly.”

Molly smiled at Jett, who looked confused. “Nice to meet you. And you…” he faced his brother, a slow grin spreading across his face. “You missed me so much that you couldn’t even last a week out there without me, huh?”

Jax rolled his eyes, but grinned back. He quickly gave Jett a rundown of their adventures and Molly’s plan. By the end of his tale, Jett was nodding knowingly.

“That sounds exactly like something you’d do,” he said. “You know, Dad once said he was shocked you stayed home long enough to learn how to walk.”

“Really?” Jax asked. “Are they … mad?”

“A little miffed you left without saying good-bye, but they get it. Mom keeps saying she knew it was only a matter of time until your wanderlust and love of breaking the rules got the best of you.” He shifted the candy he was holding into one arm, using the other to give Jax a quick hug. “I’ll let them know you’re OK, and you have something important you need to see through.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Now go, get out of here before the clock chimes,” Jett said before taking off through the grove. “And good luck!”

Molly looked at Jax. “Are you sure you want to come back to Gingerbread Island with me?”

“Of course. You’ve got this whole gingerbread idea, and now you’ve collected ingredients from across the map. I want to see what the gingerbread folks say when you show up with all that. I’m invested now.”

As they walked along together, sharing tales of their childhoods, Molly learned that Jax and Jett were only 13 months apart and very close, despite their competitive nature. She also learned Jax was about to turn 15 on Christmas Eve. The two of them had very different opinions on whether that was a cool date on which to have a birthday.

Jax learned that Molly and her best friend Maxine once snuck into their community mail room and left ginger frogs inside everyone’s mailbox as a prank — one the mayor did not appreciate.

Before they knew it, they were standing in front of a bridge that led to Gingerbread Island. Molly had never seen the island from this angle, and she took in a deep breath of deliciously spiced air.

The island sat up a steep incline with water on all sides. Sturdy gingerbread bridges were constructed in multiple locations, and the shores were covered in a sand of fine gingerbread crumbs.

The island itself, large and round, had hillsides dripping with sweet, golden brown liquid, pouring into the water below where a family of ginger gulls were bobbing on the waves.

“This is pretty cool, Mol,” Jax said as he took it all in.

Molly looked at the island through his eyes, the home she lived in but longed to leave for adventures. A deep feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for her life here on the island washed over her, and she smiled.

“It’s home. And you’re right, it is cool.”

“So what? Are we just gonna walk in? Am I about to be thrown into a gingerbread jail cell?”

Molly laughed. “We don’t have a jail. We don’t spend much time plotting the demise of captured wanderers. We’re mostly about being better than any other Candy People.”

She was thoughtful for a moment. “No, I think we just go in there and go straight to the Board of Gingerbread Directors and ask for an immediate meeting. Today is the last day to enter the contest, so there’s no time for me to put the house together before sharing my vision. It’s all going to come down to whether they see it having the same potential for success that I do. I think this could revolutionize Christmas, Jax.”

“I think you might be right. Are you ready?”

Molly took a deep breath, heaving her sack full of ingredients from all over Candyland.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Thank you for being with me. For the support. Thank you for being my friend.”

He elbowed her playfully. “I’ve always wanted to get inside this place. I heard you guys have a giant gingerbread muffin with a movie theater inside!”

She smiled proudly. “The only theater in Candyland.”

Molly started across the bridge to face those who would decide whether her dream could become reality, or whether it was all for nothing.

Read chapter 11 in tomorrow’s newspaper.