Pixie Piper and the Matter of the Batter

by Annabelle Fisher

  “Flying biscuits bring delight

  To a spirited girl on her birthday night

  Beneath a moon that’s lantern bright

  Take her away on a magical flight!”

  All at once the apprentices stepped back and I was jerked up in the air, fast and high. I wasn’t just hovering over their heads, I was rising toward the treetops.

  “Braver than brave, Pix!” shouted Gray.

  “Gee, thanks for the reminder!” I called.

  Actually, biscuit-flying felt wonderful! The moon lit a golden path across the sky. A breeze set the leaves on the tree branches waving as I passed. Then a sudden gust of wind blew me faster and higher. I reminded myself that Pip had said the rising powder would wear off soon. But I wasn’t ready to come down yet. I was having so much fun.

  From far below I heard shouting. It sounded like, “Maybe . . . math . . . wrong” and “Too . . . much . . . rising powder.”

  Even then, I laughed. It was all so dreamlike, I wanted to keep going forever.

  “Onward and upward!” I urged the biscuits, as if they were flying reindeer. Then I saw the big clump of trees ahead. I was going to crash. I looked down, but I could no longer see or hear anyone.

  At first, I thought I was imagining it. Honking! And the sound of wings beating across the sky. It grew louder and stronger until, finally, I saw two geese flying toward me.

  “Destiny! Blankie!” I called as they circled me. Destiny tugged the rope from my hand. I shrieked till I remembered I still had the other rope around my waist to keep me from falling. Next I felt a tug on the leg of my pajama pants as La Blanca dipped down to grab hold of the cuff. Together, the geese guided the biscuit ship back to the meadow and brought it gently to earth.

  I lay on the ground and caught my breath while the apprentices and the boys came running across the meadow.

  “Oh my goose, Pixie, were you scared?” shouted Nell.

  “No, it was the most wonderful birthday trip ever!” I said. “But next time I’d use a little less rising powder.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Ye Olde Eleventh Birthday

  I guess I’d had a bit too much excitement, because I overslept the next morning. When I finally awoke, the other Goose Girls were gone. Quick as I could, I got dressed and ran downstairs. My nose reported that cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, and banana nut muffins were already underway. It made me feel guilty for not getting up to help Aunt Esperanza.

  “Shh!” I heard as I ran downstairs. Someone giggled anyway. I hurried into the dining room.

  “Happy Birthday!” shouted my Goose family. The table was set, the food was laid out, and everyone except Aunt Esperanza was there.

  I pointed at the feast. “Wow!”

  “Aunt Espy made this entire breakfast by herself. She wouldn’t let any of us help,” said Pip.

  “Where is she?” I asked.

  When the door to the dining room opened again, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Aunt Esperanza marched in with Destiny and La Blanca right behind her. Des hurried over and I picked her up and hugged her. “You’d better behave,” I whispered.

  “Hail, hail, the gang’s all here,” chirped Aunt Fancy.

  “Come on, open your present already,” cried Gray, pointing at a square box sitting beside my plate. It was wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with a big red bow.

  I set Destiny on my lap while I untied the ribbon and pulled off the paper. With her bill, Des nudged the lid in an excited way.

  “Holy goose!” I exclaimed. Inside was a super-cute red cowgirl hat that I knew would be a perfect fit for Destiny. It was just like the one she’d outgrown.

  Honk! Honnnk! she squawked, clamping her bill down on the brim and pulling.

  “Hold still, Des!” I put it on her wiggly head and adjusted the toggle so it would stay on her. When I was done, she jumped off my lap and paraded around the table. Everyone clapped, which made her puff out her chest and honk louder.

  “She loves it and so do I,” I said. “Thank you, everyone!”

  “Espy’s the one to thank,” said Aunt Bernie. “She’s been working on it every night for weeks.”

  “Oh, stop exaggerating, Bern! It wasn’t much trouble,” Aunt Esperanza objected. She took a piece of toast and buttered it as carefully as if she were doing a science experiment. By now I knew that meant she didn’t want our attention.

  But I could see how much care she’d taken with the hat. The white whip-stitching around the edges was neat and even. There was also a matching white ribbon circling the crown that looked great against the red felt. My mom made costumes, too, so I could tell a beauty when I saw one.

  “Thank you, it’s really special . . . Aunt Esperanza,” I said. I wanted so badly to call her Grandmother, but I couldn’t. I had to wait until she asked me. If she ever would.

  She stood up and headed to the kitchen, murmuring, “Got some work to do.”

  “Can’t you stay a little longer?” I asked, before I could stop myself.

  For a moment she rested a soft hand against my cheek. Then she continued on her way.

  I helped myself to a light, flaky cinnamon roll. At home on my birthday, Mom always made them for me, too. Suddenly I missed her so sharply it hurt.

  “I went out early to pick up the mail,” announced Aunt Doris, like some kind of mind reader.

  I sat up taller. The mail truck didn’t come to Chuckling Goose Farm. Our mail went to a post office box a few towns over. Aunt Doris picked it up about once a week. But we mostly used e-mail to stay in touch with our families, anyway.

  Aunt Doris reached for her big black purse and pulled out two envelopes, both for me.

  I looked at the one on top. In place of a return address, there was a drawing of an acorn, the symbol for my family’s house, Acorn Cottage. I ripped it open. There was a handmade card inside. It said “Happy Eleventh Birthday” on the front, with the number eleven spelled out in dried herbs and flowers from Mom’s garden—thyme, rosemary, lemongrass, Sweet William, and violets with heart-shaped faces. It was the best-smelling card ever. Inside there was a twenty-dollar bill, a red balloon, and a poem written by my mom:

  “Happy eleventh birthday

  We miss you while you’re away

  We’d like to send you the moon

  But we can’t, so here’s a balloon.”

  I loved my mom, although she definitely could have used some help with her poetry.

  At the bottom of the card, Dad had used a hot pink magic marker to draw a heart and write both of our names inside. He wasn’t much at art, but my throat got tight anyway. And there were purple crayon scribbles all over the card by Sammy, of course.

  “Can we see?” asked Pip.

  “Sure.” I handed it to her and watched as everyone examined it.

  The second envelope was from Rain and River. Inside was a bracelet woven of soft, silvery gray fur and a card, which I read aloud:

  “Happy Birthday, Pixie! I combed my rabbit’s hair to get the angora for this bracelet. Hope you will think of me when you wear it.

  Love, Rain

  P.S. The cats came back!!!”

  There was also a message from River.

  “Happy Birthday, Pixie! I hope whatever you wish on your cake comes true.

  Your friend, River”

  Neither twin said anything about returning to Chuckling Goose Farm.

  We ate quietly for a few moments. I guess, like me, everyone was thinking about the awful thing that had happened to the twins and their family.

  “I have something for you, too,” Gray said, breaking the silence. From under the table, he retrieved a birthday crown made of white goose feathers.

  “Oh, Gray, it’s beautiful, but where did you get the feathers?” I asked.

  “All over the place. Geese molt once a year, usually in the spring or early summer. I’ve been collecting the feathers since I got here.” He passed the crown to me and I popped it on my head.

  “Say cake!” Au
nt Fancy ordered, pointing a camera at my grinning face. “You can send this photo to your family.”

  After a bit Aunt Doris said, “I saw a sign for the fair when I was in town yesterday. It’s in two weeks. We’re going to have to step up production of the everyday cakes if we don’t want to disappoint this year’s fairgoers.” She looked around the table.

  Perrin turned to me and said, “During the week before the fair, we bake until midnight every night in our pajamas.”

  I tried not to get too interested. Still, I couldn’t help asking, “What’s the fair like?”

  “Practically everyone in town participates somehow,” Nell replied. “And people come from the surrounding towns like ants to a sugar bowl.”

  “It’s the best day of the summer,” agreed Winnie. “Musicians play, potters pot, painters paint, knitters knit, and restaurants serve their specialties. My mom is the fair’s doctor, in case anyone needs medical attention.”

  “Yeah, like in case they eat too much ice cream,” Pip piped up. “There’s always a stand where you can get any kind of sundae you want!”

  “Or if they eat too much cake. There’s never a crumb left,” said Aunt Fancy proudly.

  “It sounds like fun.” I twisted my new bracelet around on my wrist. “Too bad Rain and River will be missing it.” And me, I thought, though I didn’t say so.

  “You never know, kiddo,” said Aunt Doris.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Ye Olde Decision

  The most exciting part of my birthday happened that night. Seeing my Goose family’s faces glowing in the light of the candles on my wishing cake gave me a warm feeling. Sure, I’d been calling them aunts and cousins. But until now those had been words, not bonds. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but I’d become one of them. I guess it was the small, daily things that made them feel like family—Pip helping herself to my T’s and socks, Aunt Cone Hat warbling “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” in the kitchen, Nell sniffling at everything, Winnie’s fortune cookie wisdom, and Perrin bossing everyone around so sweetly no one noticed it.

  Like Aunt Esperanza and me, most of my Goose cousins seemed to have awful singing voices, so awful that when they sang “Happy Birthday,” we all kept our hands over our ears.

  “Hurry up and make your wish before candle wax drips on the cake!” Gray squawked.

  “Be patient,” Perrin scolded. “It’s an important moment.”

  But I was still undecided! Last night I’d been trying to choose between the Hawaiian vacation or a cake delivery. And now that I’d heard about the town fair, I wanted to go there, too.

  Winnie patted my back. “Making a wish is like jumping into a pool, Pixie. When you first hit the water, it feels like a mistake. But as soon as you begin swimming, you know you did the right thing.”

  “Okay.” I squeezed my eyes shut and took the plunge.

  “I wish for United Pets and People to get rebuilt as soon as possible!” I said in my head. For good measure I repeated it once more: “I wish for United Pets and People to get rebuilt as soon as possible!”

  I guess sometimes you don’t even know what’s in your heart. For a moment my wish had been as shocking as cold water, but as soon as I got used to it, I knew it was right. There was a lot of truth in Winnie’s proverb.

  I looked up, grinned, and blew out the candles. “It’s done!” I announced. “Now let’s eat the cake.”

  For the rest of the week as I did my chores, I thought about Rain. If my wish had worked, her family would be getting a new home for United Pets and People. I couldn’t wait till she and River came back to Chuckling Goose. I wanted them to see Destiny in her new cowgirl hat and taste my snickerdoodle cake. (I’d saved slices for them in our freezer.) I wondered if Thomas would let Rain and me ride him together.

  On Friday night I was super excited to watch Good News of the Week. I couldn’t wait to see the reactions of the apprentices and the Aunts when they saw the twins at their newly built home and clinic. I wondered if they would guess it had been my wish that made it happen. But I was never going to admit it. I didn’t want Rain and River feeling uncomfortable that I’d used my wish on them.

  The after-dinner cleanup felt like it took forever. When we were finally done, I rushed Gray and Pip into the TV room.

  “What’s your hurry? Don’t you want to go see Destiny first?” Gray asked.

  “We’ll have more time after the show,” I replied. “Anyway, it’s late. I don’t want to miss a minute of Toni Tellsit.”

  “Oh, Toni Tellsit!” Pip rolled her eyes. “That woman thinks everything is amazing, whether it’s a celebrity look-alike pickle or a silly uncle’s lucky lottery ticket.”

  “Come on, you know you love the show,” Gray teased, elbowing her.

  “Not as much as you!” Pip grabbed a pillow off the sofa and bopped him with it.

  It felt as if the other apprentices and the aunts drifted into the room more slowly than usual. Wyatt picked up the remote control and pretended it was a light saber. He wielded it at us, making us laugh, until everyone had arrived.

  “Happy Friday and welcome to Good News of the Week,” said Toni Tellsit, finally. She was wearing pink earmuffs, a puffy white coat, and pink boots. “In case you’re wondering, I’m not on a glacier in Alaska or a mountaintop in Switzerland. This week’s good news comes from our friends in the town of Dandelion, where, as you can see, I’m standing in a backyard full of snow. And the temperature, dear viewers, is seventy-five degrees.”

  “Oh! My cousin Ernie lives in Dandelion,” said Nell. “This makes me miss him.”

  “How could this have possibly happened?” asked Toni asked, pointing at the fluffy white stuff at her feet. “Let’s ask these incredible children.”

  Three grinning kids wearing snow boots waved their mittened hands.

  “Meet the Smartini kids—Ian, age eleven; Maggie, age nine; and Noah, age five,” Toni Tellsit said. “Now which one of you is responsible for making it snow in July?”

  “Me!” said Noah, reaching for the microphone. “I wish for a snowy birthday every year—and this time I got one!”

  “Well, Happy Birthday,” said Toni Tellsit.

  “I didn’t really believe it would happen,” Noah continued. “But Ian said not to give up hope. Then this morning he woke me up and said to look out the window. The snow was covering our lawn, but no place else. It snowed just for me!”

  It was true. The other lawns on the Smartinis’ block were green and had flowers growing. The neighbors, who were wearing shorts and T-shirts, were mowing or watering their lawns.

  “Ian, would you tell us how you were able to make Noah’s birthday dream come true?” asked Toni Tellsit.

  “Sure. I looked up how to create snow on the Internet. There were all these videos of kids making it in mixing bowls and cake pans. I copied down the recipe. All it takes is baking soda and hair conditioner.”

  “You girls better not try that with my cake pans,” Aunt Esperanza grumbled.

  Aunt Doris cracked her gum. “Oh, Espy!”

  Toni Tellsit squatted beside Noah. “So you knew this wasn’t real snow, right?”

  “It is real, it’s just different,” said Noah. Splat! He threw a snowball at the camera.

  “Thank you for the demonstration, Noah,” said Toni Tellsit, sounding very unthankful. “But kids, if that recipe only makes a bowlful, how did you get enough to cover your lawn?”

  “We asked everybody in the neighborhood to make some,” said Maggie. “Plus our grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all of our friends. I made a flyer that told everyone why we needed snow and included the recipe. Our mom made copies for us.”

  “But how did you get the lawn covered without Noah seeing it?” asked Toni Tellsit.

  “That’s what I want to know, too,” Gray whispered.

  Ian chuckled. “That was the most amazing part. Last night after Noah went to bed, everyone who’d made a bowl of snow brought it over. You should’ve seen the line
outside our door! Maggie and I dumped the snow over the lawn.”

  “It’s a good thing we’ve got a small front yard,” Maggie added. “There was just enough to get it covered.”

  “That is so-o-o great!” exclaimed Pip. “I want to try it.”

  “Me, too,” said Gray.

  “Not on my lawn. And not in my mixing bowls,” Aunt Esperanza grumbled. But even the other Aunts were chuckling.

  The show ended with Noah’s family and friends singing “Happy Birthday” and having a big snowball fight. I was glad for Noah, but next week I hoped the good news would be about the rebuilding of United Pets and People.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Ye Olde Hair in the Air

  Usually after Good News of the Week, we apprentices went to our dorm to hang out before bed. But tonight Pip went running off to the barn with Gray and Wyatt, probably to try making snow. They’d asked me to come with them, but I really wanted to write to Rain.

  Aunt Doris caught my elbow. “Hey, kiddo, would you come with me for a few minutes?”

  “Um, sure,” I agreed.

  If Rain had been here, she would have sent me a look that meant “what’s up?” And I would have sent her a shrug and signed TTYL with my fingers. The older girls were so busy chatting about their plans for the fair, they hadn’t noticed I wasn’t behind them.

  Aunt Doris didn’t say anything until we were in her room with the door closed. It made me wonder if my birthday was going to end with a big bummer. I must’ve looked worried, because she said, “Quit worrying! This is going to be fun. We’re going to choose a disguise for you to wear to the fair.”

  “The fair?” I rolled my eyes. “Aunt Esperanza will never let me go!”

  She sent me a crooked smile. “I’ve already gotten her to agree to it. Happy Birthday, kiddo!”

  I threw my arms around her. “It’s the best present in the world! But how did you do it?”

  “By assuring her I’d change your appearance so no Sinister Sister would recognize you,” Aunt Doris replied.