“Please. I’ll just stand quietly in the corner,” I whispered.
“You’ve had a rough day, kiddo,” said Aunt Doris. “You should turn in early.” She put a hand on my shoulder and escorted me out of the room.
But in the middle of the night, I woke up with a terrible need to check on my great-great-great-grandma. Every step creaked as I made my way down to the second floor. I was certain one of the Aunts was going to burst out of her room and catch me, but all was quiet. Grandie’s door was ajar, so I tiptoed inside her room and sat beside her bed. The moon cast a pale light on her face. It looked old and wrinkly, yet beautiful. Although her eyes were still closed, I told her what I needed to say.
“Grandmother, it’s me, Pixie,” I murmured, leaning close to her ear. “You haven’t met the rest of my family yet, so I thought I’d tell you about them now. My mom, Dana, who’s your great-great-granddaughter, is a lot like you. She’s a super baker and gardener. I know she’d love your potager. And she’s really kind—the ladies at the senior home where she works love her.”
I reached out and stroked Espy’s hand with my fingertips. “You’d love my dad, Phil, too. He can fix anything. He’s big—kind of like a giant in a fairy tale—but he’d never hurt a fly. And my baby brother, Sammy, well, he’s always a bit sticky. But he loves everyone, and everyone loves him. The thing is, my family is missing a grandmother. We need you and I think you need us. I even wrote a poem about it.”
I stopped and closed my eyes for a moment before I recited:
“You weren’t always nice at first
Or the most polite
You didn’t tell me thank you
And you hardly said good night
At sunrise in the kitchen
I was perky as a daisy
Yet you still frowned upon me
As though I were being lazy
But you would’ve been surprised
If you had seen me inside
’Cause I’m ornery and stubborn
And much too full of pride
In other words, Grandmother,
I’ve always been like you
Argumentative and cranky
With a heart truer than true.”
Although I wasn’t sure if she’d heard me, I felt better. “One more thing,” I whispered. “I’m going to get your hat back very soon.”
Her hand scrabbled at the sheet a little. When I took it in mine, it felt as frail as a just-hatched gosling. Her eyes were still closed, but her lips began moving. It was hard to make out her words, but I thought I heard, “Careful of bear.” Then she was silent again.
“Don’t worry, I will,” I whispered. But I tiptoed out of her room wondering what she’d meant. Was it possible a bear had knocked Grandie down and eaten her hat?
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Ye Olde False Friends
“It’s awfully hot out for gardening,” Aunt Fancy fretted, looking through the kitchen window and fanning herself. She glanced at Rain, who was cutting green apples into slices, while I was preparing peanut butter sandwiches.
“I like hot weather,” replied Rain. “I dream about it all winter long.”
“Besides, it will only be worse later on,” I added. “That’s why we have to water and weed the potager now. I don’t want it to be a mess when Aunt Espy sees it again.” I bit my lip, wondering when that would be. Although a week had gone by since she had been injured, Grandie didn’t seem to be getting better.
Aunt Fancy’s bracelets jingled as she patted my shoulder. “At least eat lunch inside, so you don’t get too overheated.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll picnic under a tree,” said Pip, pouring lemonade into a thermos. “Summer’s passing so fast, we don’t want to miss it.”
Aunt Fancy nodded. “I liked summer, too, when I was a girl. I think I’ve forgotten how to enjoy it. All right, go ahead.”
The Aunts kept a container of old coffee grinds to spread around the roots of the blueberry bushes, which helped to make the soil acidic. Blueberries love acidic soil and water. So we soaked each bush carefully before we moved on to pick cutworms off the tomatoes. Yuck! With the strawberries, weeds were the problem. If they weren’t pulled out, they tried to steal the nutrients the strawberry plants needed.
“You sure know a lot about gardening,” said Pip after we’d moved under a leafy maple to have lunch.
“When Aunt Esperanza gardens, she’s garrulous,” I said, grinning at the thought. “I guess I like it. My mom gets chatty when she’s gardening, too.”
“Chatty isn’t a word I’d ever use to describe Old Coney,” said Rain.
“Yes, she’s usually the quiet type, like you, Rainey,” Pip teased.
I didn’t like hearing Grandie called names anymore, but I wasn’t ready to let the others know she was my great-great-great-grandmother. So I ignored the nickname and said, “Actually, Aunt Espy told me something last night.”
Pip stopped eating and stared at me. “She did? Why didn’t you say so before?”
“Her voice was so weak, it was hard to understand,” I said. “It sounded like careful of bear.”
“Maybe she was dreaming of bears,” said Rain. “Did she seem afraid?”
“I wouldn’t say afraid, but she reached for my hand as though she were worried. I’m pretty sure she knew I was there.”
“Well, I haven’t noticed any bear tracks or bear scat around here,” said Rain.
I smiled in spite of my worries. Sometimes I forgot how much Rain knew about animals. “I’ve been thinking about those three Precious girls we met at the fair—” The sound of a vehicle on our usually deserted road interrupted me. We all turned to see who it was.
“Garrie!” exclaimed Pip. “What’s she doing here?”
“Probably she heard that Aunt Espy got hurt and wants to see how she is,” I said. “They argue a lot, but I think they like each other.” I stood up and scattered my crumbs for the birds.
Aunt Fancy had been right; it was too hot to eat. After we packed up, Pip and Rain went back to help frost the everyday cakes and I headed for the barnyard to find La Blanca. Yesterday, while Dr. Winston was checking on Grandie, I’d asked if she thought a visit from La Blanca might help. I thought hearing her beloved goose honk or feeling her soft feathers would remind Grandie that La Blanca needed her. To my surprise, Dr. Winston had agreed it might be a good idea.
Since Destiny and La Blanca were practically inseparable, I let them both into the house, shooing them upstairs without letting them stop to nibble the carpet runner. Although Grandie had only mumbled a few garbled words since she’d been injured, I was eager to see if Garrie had gotten her to talk, or even to argue. But it was just wishful thinking. The only voice that drifted down the staircase was Garrie’s.
“If only you weren’t so stubborn, Espy . . . believe me, I had no choice.”
Suddenly La Blanca honked like a bicycle horn at an oncoming train. Before I could stop her, she flapped up to the second floor with Destiny close behind. The two of them disappeared into Grandie’s room. I raced up the rest of the stairs to the sounds of Garrie shrieking.
When I got to the doorway, I could hardly believe what I saw. Like a lion tamer, Garrie was using a chair to keep La Blanca from biting her. The big goose was doing her best to dart past the chair and attack Garrie. And Destiny was rushing around in circles, nipping at Garrie’s ankles.
“La Blanca, stop!” I yelped. “Des! Leave her alone.”
Blankie paid no attention to me. She flapped up and nipped Garrie on the ear.
“Ouch!” Garrie shouted, kicking at La Blanca.
“Don’t you dare hurt her!” I yelled. I was a little surprised to be on La Blanca’s side. But geese were like dogs. They seemed to know who to like or dislike.
Waving my arms and scolding, I managed to drive both geese into Espy’s closet. Quickly I closed the door.
“Those blasted birds were more respectful when I was an apprentice here,” said Garrie, holding her
ear.
“La Blanca’s been very upset about Aunt Espy,” I said.
“Well, so am I,” snapped Garrie. She slid the chair next to Grandie’s bed and sat down.
“Can I ask you something?” I didn’t wait for her answer. “I heard you tell Aunt Espy you had no choice. What did you mean?”
For a second Garrie’s small, sharp eyes rolled up under her lids. Creepy! I backed up against the closet in case I needed help from the geese.
“Oh, it’s so awful, I don’t know if I should tell you,” she cried. “You’re just a kid.”
“Th—that’s okay. You told the aunts, right?”
Garrie was crying now. “No! I’m too ashamed. My poor old friend tried to help me and now look at her.”
We both gazed at Grandie. In spite of all the noise, her eyes were still closed and she hadn’t moved a muscle.
“I just don’t know where to turn for help, Pixie dear,” Garrie sniffled.
My ears pricked up—she knew my real name. “That’s okay, you can tell me.” I forced myself to smile.
Garrie blotted at her eyes with a tissue. “It was the only way I could survive. The store wasn’t making enough money anymore.”
“What way?” I asked. I could tell her tears were fake.
“Not long ago, a woman clinked into the store to buy flour. . . .”
“Clinked?”
“Clinked, clanked, clunked, whatever! She was noisy!” Garrie barked.
“Okay, sorry,” I said. “But what did she look like?”
Garrie’s eyes rolled back in her head again. “I couldn’t tell. She was wearing a long cape with a deep hood that hid most of her face. Do you want to hear more or not?”
Now I was positive I didn’t want to know. But I nodded anyway.
“Up at the front counter, I keep three covered stands with everyday cakes that I sell by the slice. That clinking woman couldn’t stop eyeing them, and since she was new, I let her try a slice free of charge. She said the only cake she’d ever had that was as good had been made by Goose Ladies. Well, I couldn’t help it. I told her I used to be one.”
Garrie peered at me as if she was daring me to say something. Somehow I kept my mouth shut and my face blank as a new sheet of paper.
“The old clinker asked if I’d ever heard of a wishing cake,” Garrie continued, “and I told her I actually knew how to bake one.” She smirked. “Maybe I exaggerated a little.”
“Wh-what happened?”
“She ordered one. I made her pay in advance, and charged her a lot, too.” Garrie winked.
“Did you? Make a wishing cake, I mean?”
“I tried. But I never was any good at baking those wishing cakes. I guess the clinker’s wish didn’t come true, because the next day she stomped into my store so furious, one of her ears fell off. I had to glue it back on for her.”
Holy goose! I began shaking so hard, I was afraid Garrie could hear my teeth clinking. “What did she do?”
“She said I’d better get her a real wishing cake from dear old Esperanza.”
“But Aunt Espy would never sell a wishing cake,” I gasped. “Especially not to Raveneece.”
Garrie smiled. “That’s right, you little fox. Raveneece Greed. I believe you already know her.”
I stared at her. Not even the word yes would come out of my mouth.
“Well, you’re right about Espy.” Garrie shook her head sadly. It was weird how fast she went from glad to mad to sad. “Although I begged and pleaded, she refused to give me one single cake. Not even when I told her Raveneece had sent her nieces to my store.”
“I think I met them,” I managed to croak.
“In a single afternoon, those three girls ate every crumb of the everyday cakes I’d ordered for the entire week. There was nothing left to sell. But when I complained to Raveneece, she said I’d better cooperate or she’d send them into my store every day until I was out of business.” Garrie stared at me with her strange, rolling eyes. “Now do you see why I had no choice?”
I swallowed. “No choice?”
“I had to steal that big, ugly cone hat, of course! Raveneece said she’d hold it for ransom until Espy changed her mind about the wishing cake.”
“So you’re the one who took it!” I gasped.
Garrie put a hand over her heart. “I never meant to hurt my old friend. I came back to the farm to give her one more chance. All she had to do was bake me a single, measly cake and Raveneece would never bother either of us again. But Espy wouldn’t do it. She said Raveneece would never be satisfied with one. Then she turned and walked away, like she’d already forgotten about me. I couldn’t help it—I got so mad, I grabbed her shoulder. That’s when La Blanca came after me.”
“Geese have good instincts,” I muttered.
“I kicked at that goose like she was a big fat soccer ball,” she hissed. “But pigheaded Espy tried to protect her and oops, I kicked her instead. She went down so hard, it sounded as if her head cracked. Oh, my poor old friend!” Garrie put her hands over her face. I was pretty sure her tears were phony.
“What happened to the hat?” I asked, fighting to stay calm.
“I brought it to Raveneece, of course.”
“But Espy needs it!” I shouted. “It’s precious to her, to all of us.”
In an instant Garrie shot up out of the chair and loomed over me. “Be reasonable and I might be able to get it back. All you have to do is bake me a wishing cake. None of your Goosey friends need to know. You can just slip it in with my regular order, as if it’s an everyday cake.”
“You want me to be a liar and thief, like you? Now I know why you couldn’t be a Goose Lady!” I reached for the closet doorknob. “Leave, before I let the geese out.”
Garrie held up her hands and backed out of the room. “It’s for Espy’s own good. You’ll be sorry you didn’t listen, brat.”
“GET OUT!” I cracked open the closet door.
HONK!
Garrie fled.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Ye Olde False Confession
With Destiny and La Blanca behind me, I ran to the barn to find Gray.
“What’s wrong?” he asked when I burst through the door. His eyebrows met in the middle of his forehead like swords. “It’s her again, isn’t it?” he whispered. “Raveneece?”
I nodded. “She’s got Espy’s cone hat, Gray.”
He sat down on a bale of hay. “I thought you said she’d been shattered.”
“She was, the last time I saw her. But remember that sweeping sound in the woods I told you about? Aunt Doris said it could have been the Broom of Doom.” I closed my eyes and recited:
“If you’re cracked to pieces
And there’s no way you can mend
The Broom of Doom can help you heal
Though it is not a friend
“It may put you back together
But you won’t know your own face
For your eyes and ears and other parts
May not fit back in place.”
Gray picked at the hay. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, it’s not a good idea, Pix.”
“But I’ve got to get the hat back! I’m afraid Aunt Espy won’t recover without it.”
“Tell the Aunts. They can call the police.”
“They can’t do that. No one knows their secret identity. The people in town think they’re ordinary bakers. Plus, the police would think they were a bunch of crazy old ladies.”
“I guess but—”
“Please, Gray! Espy needs the hat. We all do. It represents our heritage and our mission.”
“Okay, okay, but you can’t go alone. I’ll help you,” he said. “You’ll freeze her and I’ll grab it. Then we’ll run!”
“No, Gray, no!” I said. “I’ll never freeze anyone again. Seeing a person crack into pieces is sickening. You can’t imagine.”
“But you can freeze her without shattering her, can’t you?”
“I
’m not sure anymore. I don’t know what I can do. Besides, accidents happen.” Two tears squeezed out of my eyes before I could stop them.
“It’s okay, we’ll think of something else.” He scratched his head. “Hey! I know! I have my dad’s wolf urine spray.”
Good old Gray. That stuff was supposed to be used on camping trips to keep predators away from a tent.
“I don’t think it’ll work on Raveneece. But I know who can help us.”
All through dinner I worked up the courage to talk to the other apprentices. I kept thinking that if only I hadn’t kept Raveneece’s eye splinter a secret, we would have been prepared for trouble. I was responsible for the danger we were in.
At bedtime, when we were all together, I paced back and forth while the others put clothes away and chatted. Finally, Perrin sent me an amused, sideways look.
“Is anything wrong, Pixie?”
“Yes, a lot!” I exclaimed, louder than I’d meant to. That got everyone’s attention. “I need to tell all of you something, but I don’t know how.”
“You can tell us anything.” Perrin patted her bed. I sat, and the rest of the apprentices gathered around. Being together like that gave me the courage to confess what I knew, and to ask for their help.
I began my story back on the first night, when I’d heard the clinking sound and stepped on Raveneece’s eye. I told them how Pip, Rain, and I met the three Preciouses at the fair and what they’d said about their aunt having something we’d be begging for. But when I got to what Garrie had said about kicking Aunt Espy and taking her hat, gentle Perrin exploded. “How could she? Let’s go get the hat back right now!”
“Wait, there’s more.” I swallowed because I hated to tell them what came next. “Garrie took Espy’s hat—and she gave it to Raveneece Greed.”
“Oh my goose!” exclaimed Nell, falling back on the bed. “But I still don’t see why Raveneece would want Espy’s hat.”
“She thinks she can trade it for a wishing cake,” I said. “She wants to wish for the ability to rhyme. She’s been scheming to bake her own wishing cakes for years.”
“Did you tell the Aunts?” Perrin’s forehead was crinkled with worry.
Pixie Piper and the Matter of the Batter Page 14
