ANNA & BELLA and the Puppy Problem

by Jane E M Atkinson

  The Plan

  “18, 19, 20. Ready or not, here I come!” I yell loudly from my room. My name is Anna, and hide-and-seek is my favourite game. My sister, Bella, is really good at hiding, but I’m even better at seeking.

  I quietly tiptoe down the hallway. When I get to the top of the stairs, I stop to listen. Was that a sound coming from my parents’ bedroom?

  I slowly turn and creep into their room. Then I hear the noise again. It sounds like a muffled sneeze, and it’s coming from their walk-in closet.

  I tiptoe into the closet and look to the left. No Bella. I look to the right. Still no Bella. Hmm, could the sneeze have come from somewhere else? Then right in front of me, a dress moves. The dress is so long that it almost touches the floor. Two pink feet are poking out from beneath the dress.

  “Ah ha, found you!” I exclaim, as I push the dress aside.

  When I see Bella, I burst out laughing. She’s such a goofball. She’s wearing a pair of rainbow leggings on her head, like a hat. She must have found them in our box of too-small clothes. When our clothes don’t fit us any more, we put them in a box to give away.

  “Breakfast!” Mom calls from downstairs.

  Bella and I rush to the bathroom to wash our hands. Both of us want to be first. Mom says it’s okay to be first sometimes, but it’s selfish to always want to be first. She says we might even enjoy letting others go first.

  After drying my hands, I hurry downstairs to the kitchen and hop into my seat two seconds before Bella. Breakfast this morning is toast with almond butter and a yummy smoothie.

  “Thank you for breakfast,” I tell my parents before taking a big bite of toast.

  “You’re very welcome,” Mom says. Dad smiles at me from across the table.

  “Guess what I’m going to do at school today?” Bella asks, bouncing up and down in her chair. Before any of us can answer, she continues, “I’m going to build a huge sand castle at recess! Did you know that yesterday I learned how to ride a scooter? And tomorrow I’m going to play in the playhouse?” Bella is so excited that she almost falls off her chair.

  Last year, when Bella was in junior kindergarten and I was in senior kindergarten, we always played together when we were outside. Even though we weren’t in the same class, we always found each other at recess. We even had a special hideout, behind an old oak tree. It didn’t really look like a hideout, but it was the only quiet spot in the kindie area. At our school, we call the students in kindergarten, Kindies.

  I’m in grade one now, and I really like it. Actually, I love it. I have my own locker and my own desk. I’m also learning French. Soon I’ll be so good at speaking French that my parents won’t even understand me! And when I go outside for recess, I’m allowed to play on the blacktop or the field.

  But there’s one thing about grade one that I don’t like – I can’t play with Bella. She has to stay in the kindie area, which has a fence around it. Yesterday, I stood by the kindie fence hoping to catch a glimpse of her. I just wanted to say hi, but there were so many Kindies running around that I couldn’t even find her.

  “I’m going to look for you again today,” I promise Bella.

  “I’ll be in the sandbox, so I’m sure we’ll see each other,” she tells me happily.

  I cross my fingers. “I really hope so.”

  After taking our dishes over to the sink, we rush upstairs to brush our teeth. Naturally, both of us want to get to the bathroom first.

  A Special Goodbye

  “Look over there, girls,” Mom cries, pointing at the garden across the street. “It’s a purple lily!”

  “Good job, Mom,” I say.

  Mom, Bella, and I always have a lot of fun when we walk to school. Today, we’re looking for flowers in all the colours of the rainbow.

  “Now we just have to find a blue flower,” Bella states.

  As we pass by each house, the three of us carefully inspect the gardens and hanging baskets. Blue flowers are always the hardest ones to find.

  “Look over here!” Bella exclaims. Along the edge of the sidewalk, amongst the blades of grass, are five pretty blue flowers.

  “That’s a chicory plant,” Mom informs us. She gives Bella and me a high five. “We did it, girls! We found all the flowers in the rainbow.”

  The three of us grab hands and skip the rest of the way to school. When we get to the kindie fence, Mom drops down on one knee. She kisses both of Bella’s hands, then her cheeks, and then the tiny freckle on her forehead. Finally, Mom gives Bella a great big hug and says, “Have a wonderful day at school.”

  Now it’s my turn. I hug Bella and whisper in her ear, “Remember to go to the sandbox.”

  “I will,” Bella whispers back.

  After one last hug from Mom, Bella enters the kindie area. She lines up against the wall with her classmates. After a final wave goodbye, Mom and I walk over to the big kid area.

  The bell rings just as we reach my line. I give Mom a huge hug, then follow my classmates inside.

  Today we’re learning how to write a procedure. My procedure is about making a smoothie. Dad makes this smoothie every morning because it’s both delicious and healthy.

  Materials:

  4 glasses

  4 straws

  a blender

  1 cup of Kefir (or plain yogurt)

  1 cup of raspberries

  2 cups of strawberries

  1 cup of blueberries

  2 cups of fresh spinach

  2 pears

  a handful of grapes

  a handful of mini carrots

  two clementines

  three pieces of frozen pineapple

  three pieces of frozen avocado

  Procedure:

  Wash all the fruits and vegetables.

  Cut the pears.

  Peel the clementines.

  Pour the Kefir into the blender.

  Put all the fruits and vegetables into the blender.

  Turn the blender on for one minute.

  Pour the smoothie into the glasses.

  Add a straw and enjoy!

  I double check that my name is at the top of the paper, and then I hand it to my teacher. On the way back to my desk the bell rings for recess.

  Immediately, my belly begins to tingle with excitement. I’m going to see Bella!

  When I was younger, my mom told me that my belly tingled because a little fairy was fluttering around inside of me. Her tiny fairy wings were tickling my belly. Any time I was nervous, scared, or excited, the fairy would come to keep me company.

  Now that I’m older, I know there isn’t really a fairy in my belly, but I still like to pretend there is. Right now, the fairy is fluttering around like crazy!

  I hurry outside and walk as fast as I can to the kindie fence. I’m definitely going to see Bella today because I know exactly where to look for her - at the sandbox. But when I arrive at the fence, there are so many kids running around that I can’t even see the sandbox.

  I stand on my tiptoes, but I still can’t see the sandbox. I move to the left. I move to the right. Still no sandbox. Still no Bella.

  A wave of sadness washes over me. I really thought I’d see Bella today. Just thinking about her makes my eyes well up with tears.

  From behind me, someone calls my name. I turn and see my friends playing freeze tag on the field. They’re laughing and having a great time. I really want to join them, but first, I need to get rid of these tears.

  The Gem

  I walk over to the Outdoor Classroom because no one else is there. The Outdoor Classroom has twelve large rocks, arranged in a circle. I climb onto the c
losest rock and try not to think about Bella. I distract myself by looking at the rocks. At first glance, they all appear to be the same, but then I realize each one is slightly different.

  One rock has a streak of orange through it. Another rock is covered in tiny black dots. There’s even a rock with a pink gem on top. Huh, a pink gem?

  I jump off my rock and walk over to investigate. The pink gem looks a lot like the ones I have at home, except this one is extra sparkly. Bella would absolutely love it! Her favourite colour is pink.

  I try to pick up the gem, but it won’t budge. It’s really stuck on the rock. I’m about to try again when I realize my fingers feel odd. They’re warm and tingly, and I’m also a bit dizzy.

  The next thing I know, I’m zooming through a multi-coloured pink slide. The slide is so fast that the different shades of pink all blur together.

  After about ten seconds, I shoot out the end of the slide and land with a bump in a field of flowers. Immediately I stand up and look around. My school is gone. My friends are gone. And I have absolutely no idea where I am.

  “Hi. I’m Tulip,” a voice says from behind me.

  I spin around and almost fall back down. Fluttering in front of me is a tiny fairy. A real-life fairy!

  Tulip is about the size of a butterfly. She’s wearing a light-pink tunic with hot-pink capris. A matching hot-pink shrug is held closed with a raspberry-coloured clip. Her brown hair is pulled back in a ponytail. When she turns her head, I notice a streak of bubble-gum pink running through her hair.

  I blink my eyes a couple of times. Then I give them a good rub. This can’t be real. I must have fallen asleep on the rock.

  “I’m just dreaming,” I murmur to myself.

  Tulip grins down at me. “Nope, you’re not dreaming, Anna.”

  I give Tulip a surprised look. “How do you know my name?”

  “Oh, I know all about you!” Tulip exclaims.

  “You do?” I ask in surprise. Then I look around at the field of flowers. “Where am I?”

  “You’re in . . .” Tulip begins.

  But before she can finish, shades of pink flash through the sky. Streaks of raspberry pink, bubble-gum pink, hot pink, light pink, and deep pink light up the sky like fireworks. They’re the same pinks from the slide that brought me here. Wherever here is?

  Tulip smiles down at me and says, “Turn around, Anna.”

  I slowly turn and look behind me. My mouth drops open. I can’t believe what I see.

  “Bella!” I cry.

  Bella is sitting amongst the flowers with a puzzled expression on her face. At the sound of my voice, she jumps up and gives me the biggest hug ever.

  “You won’t believe this, Anna. Something strange, really strange, just happened to me,” she exclaims. “Just five minutes ago I was standing by the sandbox, like we planned this morning. I was looking for you, but I couldn’t see you. There were too many kids running around.” Bella pauses to take a breath. “Then the wildest thing happened. Everyone stopped moving. Even the cars on the road stopped moving! Just like when we pause a TV show. It was kind of cool and scary all at the same time.”

  Bella starts hopping up and down with excitement. “I didn’t know what to do, so I went to our secret hideout by the oak tree. And that’s when I saw it!”

  “Saw what?” I ask eagerly.

  “A sparkly pink gem,” Bella replies. “Just like the ones we have at home. But when I tried to pick it up, my fingers felt all funny, and I started to feel dizzy.”

  I suck in my breath. I know exactly what Bella is going to say, but I don’t interrupt.

  “The trees and rocks began to swirl,” Bella continues. “And I saw lots of pink. Lots and lots of pink! I should have been scared, but I wasn’t. It all looked so pretty. The next thing I knew I was zooming through the most amazing pink slide. Then I landed here.” She gestures to the field of flowers around us. Then suddenly, her eyes grow as big as saucers. She pulls me close and whispers, “Is that a . . . fairy?”

  Wings

  “Hi, Bella. Welcome to Flower,” Tulip says happily.

  “Flower?” Bella and I say in unison. We look at each other and laugh. It’s good luck to say something at the same time. At least, that’s what we think.

  “Yes, welcome to Flower,” Tulip says again. “I’m so happy to finally meet you. Are you ready for your tour?”

  Now I definitely want to explore Flower, but there’s one thing I need to know first.

  “This is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to us,” I tell Tulip. “But before we go anywhere, could you please explain how we’ll get home?”

  “Of course,” Tulip replies. “You can go home any time you want to.” She shows us a sparkly pink gem that looks exactly like the gem I saw at school. “Just close your eyes, ask to go home, and squeeze this gem.”

  Both Bella and I reach out to take the gem. Uh oh. Tulip only has one gem, and both Bella and I want it. But there’s no way I’m going to argue with Bella in front of Tulip.

  I take a deep breath. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. “Bella, you can hold the gem first. I’ll take my turn later.”

  “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Anna!” Bella shouts. “You’re the bestest big sister ever.” She takes the gem from Tulip and carefully puts it into her pocket.

  I can’t help but smile. Maybe Mom was right. Maybe I don’t have to go first for everything. Seeing Bella this happy actually does make me feel happy, too.

  I smile up at Tulip. “Now we’re ready for the tour.”

  Tulip pulls a light pink bag from her pocket and holds it up. “Where we’re going, you’ll need to be a lot smaller,” she says, with a twinkle in her eyes. “Who wants to go first?”

  A lot smaller? What does Tulip mean? My belly begins to tingle with nervousness. This is one time I definitely don’t want to go first. I glance over at Bella. She seems excited, so I offer, “If you want to, you can go first.”

  “Thanks again, Anna!” Bella exclaims.

  “Okay, here we go,” Tulip says. She puts her hand into the bag, removes a handful of raspberry glitter, and sprinkles it over Bella’s head.

  A bright light appears around Bella, and then she completely vanishes! Where did she go?

  But then a moment later, I see her again, and I can’t believe my eyes. Bella is now a teeny, tiny fairy!

  Tulip grins at me and asks, “Are you ready now?”

  “Absolutely!” I cry.

  Fairy Forest

  Bella and I follow Tulip through the field of flowers, zooming as fast as we can from flower to flower.

  “Look at me, Anna. I can do flips!” Bella exclaims. I look up and watch her spin around and around and around in the air.

  “I don’t know how you can do that, Bella!” I yell. “I’d throw up for sure!”

  Bella just giggles and continues to spin.

  I glance back in front of me just as I’m about to crash into a daisy! Oops, flying is a lot like walking. I really must keep my eyes forward.

  When we fly into a group of trees, Tulip announces, “Welcome to Fairy Forest.”

  As we flutter deeper into the forest, I notice a sparkly tree directly ahead of us. The tree is decorated with hundreds, possibly thousands, of mini lights. The lights are in all of the colours of the rainbow. It’s the most beautiful tree that I’ve ever seen!

  Tulip flies directly for the sparkly tree, and as we get closer I realize the lights aren’t lights at all. They’re actually fairies! Big fairies. Little fairies. Old fairies. Young fairies. Way too many fairies to count.

  Three fairies, dressed in pink, fly forward to greet us. The oldest fairy is beaming, while the other two seem to be arguing about something.

  “Anna and Bella, I’d like you to meet my sisters,” Tulip says proudly.

  “Welcome to Flower!” Tulip’s sisters exclaim in unison. Bella and I glance at each other and grin. Tulip’s sist
ers are in for some good luck today.

  “This is my older sister, Emily,” Tulip says. Emily is wearing a pink dress with white leggings. Her brown hair is long and straight.

  “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Emily says warmly. “Tulip has been talking about you two for months.”

  Bella and I glance at each other in confusion. Months? How has Tulip been talking about us for months, when we just met her ten minutes ago.

  Tulip points to the other two fairies. “These are my twin sisters, Jenny and June.”

  I smile and wave, but Jenny and June are too busy arguing with each other to notice.

  Tulip flies between them and whispers loudly, “It doesn’t matter who goes first. You’ll both get to say hi.” Tulip’s cheeks turn pink with embarrassment.

  The twins glance sheepishly at us. I think they’re embarrassed, too. They count to three and say in unison, “Hi, Bella. Hi, Anna.”

  “Hi,” Bella and I reply.

  I glance past Tulip’s family. All of the other brightly coloured fairies are smiling, and some of the younger fairies are even waving at us. Bella and I grin and wave back.

  “Before we start our tour, there is one more person I’d like you to meet,” Tulip tells us excitedly.

  I glance eagerly at the other fairies. Maybe Tulip has a brother. Maybe we’ll get to meet her mother. Ooh, I really hope it’s her mother.

  “Hi, Anna,” a familiar voice says from behind me.

  I spin around and see Ishana, my reading buddy from last year. Every Friday she came to my class and read to me. She was the best reading buddy ever because we always talked about fairies.

  My mind begins to swirl. It’s crazy enough that Bella and I are here, but Ishana too?

  “Isn’t this place wonderful?” Ishana says happily. She flutters over and gives me a hug, then smiles at Bella. “Hi, Bella. It’s nice to finally meet you. Anna has told me so much about you.”