Melissa Mead left a legacy of enchanting stories. She wrote twisted fairy tales, magical fantasy, and emotional stories of transformation — stories both humorous and heartbreaking, with the imagination and optimism she showed in her life. Collected here are stories which first appeared across many publications. Cinderella doesn't want to marry the prince, she has her own career plans Hansel and Gretel are replaced with changelings Old ladies build mechanical cats and grow suspiciously healthy vegetables An injured centaur learns to run on prosthetic legs Cats dance, frogs learn to be princes, and birds fall in love with kings Includes 36 stories, a selection of drabbles (ultra-short fiction), and her essay on writing about disability. With this book, long-time fans and friends can celebrate her work and others can discover it for the first time. Enter the magical world that Melissa Mead gifted us. Melissa Mead lived in Loudonville, NY. She was a member of Carpe Libris, a group of strange writers and good friends (or vice-versa). Her stories were published in Sword & Sorceress , Daily Science Fiction , Intergalactic Medicine Show , Bull Spec , and many anthologies. She died in 2022.