The One and Only Willa Bean

by Cecilia Galante

  Willa Bean felt fluttery inside. She hoped she wouldn’t forget any of the words.

  Harper squeezed Willa Bean’s hand. Willa Bean squeezed her hand back.

  “Is everyone ready?” Mr. Sunhorn raised his silver stick in the air. Then he looked at Mr. Wingston, who was perched on top of the piano. “Mr. Wingston, are you ready to sing?”

  The owl nodded.

  The cupids began to sing. “The sun is warm. The moon is bright. In here, we learn what’s wrong and right.…”

  Willa Bean’s nerves began to jump and wiggle. This was the part she had a hard time remembering. “This is our school. It’s one and one. And every day, we run and run!”

  Willa Bean looked around. Had she messed it up? She couldn’t remember.

  The parents clapped and cheered. Willa Bean smiled happily. The parents wouldn’t be clapping and cheering if she hadn’t gotten the words right. It had sounded wonderful!

  “Willa Bean,” Mama said afterward, “you sounded marvelous, sweetie! And who was that owl up front with the beautiful voice?”

  Willa Bean’s happy feeling began to fizzle. “That’s Mr. Wingston,” she said.

  “What a voice!” Daddy said. “A true baritone, I think!”

  Willa Bean pushed out her bottom lip. Who cared about dumb old singing voices? And who cared about dumb old owls with weird ears that stuck out of the tops of their heads? Everyone knew real owls didn’t have ears like that!

  But Mr. Wingston was a big owl. He was smart and important. Miss Twizzle had even said so. And now Mama and Daddy thought he was wonderful, too.

  “It’s time for our grand finale!” Miss Twizzle called out. “If you will please follow me to the arena, our cupids and our flying friends have a big surprise for you!”

  Everyone hurried after Miss Twizzle.

  Everyone except Willa Bean.

  “Willa Bean?” Snooze looked puzzled. “Let’s go. You don’t want to be late for your dance. And I have to get ready for the flag flying.”

  “I don’t want to go.” Willa Bean poked at the floor with her toe.

  “Why not?” asked Snooze.

  “Because you look silly,” Willa Bean said. And then she burst into tears.

  “I look silly?” Snooze repeated. He took off his tiny hat. “Is it my hat? I don’t have to wear my hat.”

  Willa Bean shook her head. She had already said too much. She did not want to say any more.

  “Willa Bean,” Snooze said after a moment. “We have to go. Silly or not, we don’t want to let Miss Twizzle down.”

  Willa Bean nodded. And she followed Snooze to the arena.

  “What’s the matter?” Pedro asked as he began the twirly-wing dance with Willa Bean. “Were you crying?”

  Pedro was Willa Bean’s dance partner. He was not a very good dancer. He stepped on Willa Bean’s toes a lot.

  Willa Bean shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she said.

  Pedro and Willa Bean took two steps to the right. Then they took two steps to the left.

  “Ow,” Willa Bean said as Pedro stepped on her foot.

  “Sorry,” said Pedro.

  Harper was across from Willa Bean. She was dancing with Raymond. Vivi was paired up with Sebastian, and Sophie and Hannah danced together. Lucy sat with her parents. There hadn’t been enough time for her to learn the dance. Still, she smiled as she watched. She looked happy.

  “Ready to twirl?” Pedro whispered.

  Willa Bean nodded. She lifted her purple wings with the silver tips and twirled straight up into the air. She twirled and twirled and twirled. Usually, this was Willa Bean’s most favorite part of the twirly-wing dance. But right now, it did not feel very fun. In fact, her wings felt like bricks. She had just told Snooze that he looked silly. And she did not know how she could take it back.

  Finally, the dance was over. The parents cheered and shouted as the cupids took their bow. Willa Bean smiled a little bit as she saw Baby Louie jump up and down in Mama’s lap.

  Harper grabbed Willa Bean’s hand. “Come on!” she said. “Let’s go sit over here, so we don’t miss any of the grand finale!”

  Willa Bean sat down next to Harper. She felt nervous inside again, just as she had in the music room. Everyone would shout and yell when they saw Mr. Wingston fly out with the flag. But no one would be able to see Snooze, especially if Ranger’s purple scarf got in the way.

  Mr. Rightflight’s silver whistle sounded.

  Willa Bean and Harper jumped.

  “Oooooooh!” said all the cupid parents as Mr. Wingston appeared.

  The big owl swooped into the arena. His ear tufts streamed back against his head, and his eyes were wide and yellow. The purple-and-white flag fluttered behind him.

  “Aaaaahhhhhh!” said all the parents as Buttercream Thistlepopper appeared next. Her scarf streamed behind her in a wave of purple silk.

  The other flying friends flew in next, holding their scarves, and finally Snooze came last.

  The parents oooohed and aaaahed some more as the flying friends formed the letter N. It was a good letter N. Big and straight. Right over Mr. Wingston.

  Snooze held his scarf perfectly and stayed in place, just as Mr. Rightflight had said he should. But it was hard to see him, especially when Ranger’s scarf flapped up and down.

  Suddenly, up above, there was a commotion. Something—or someone—was falling.

  “Golly-wolly-wing-wang!” Harper cried, getting to her feet. “It’s Octavius! I think he fell asleep!”

  Willa Bean jumped up, too. She watched as Mr. Wingston flew down toward the floor and snapped the big flag out straight. Snooze was flying, too, toward the falling shape. What was happening?

  Miss Twizzle gasped.

  The cupid parents rose to their feet.

  Mr. Rightflight blew his silver whistle.

  But Snooze and Mr. Wingston seemed to be the only ones who knew what to do. Quick as a flash, Snooze caught the other end of the big flag in his beak. And then, as Mr. Wingston pulled his side, the two owls brought it under the falling bat until—

  PLOP! Octavius fell into the middle of the flag.

  “Octavius!” Harper rushed over. Willa Bean followed. So did Lucy.

  Harper cradled the little bat in her arms. He opened one eye slowly. “Oh, Octavius! What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” the bat answered with a squeak. “I was just so sleepy. And we were up so high. And there were so many people.”

  Harper squeezed her bat close. Lucy put her arm around Mr. Wingston.

  “You saved Octavius!” Pedro said, looking at Mr. Wingston.

  “Actually,” Mr. Wingston said, “I didn’t even notice until Snooze gave me an alarm hoot.”

  “An alarm hoot?” Willa Bean repeated. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a screech sound that owls make,” Snooze said. “When someone’s in trouble.”

  “Only owls can hear it,” Mr. Wingston said, nodding. “It’s a good thing both of us were here. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened?”

  Willa Bean sat on the floor next to Snooze and pulled him into her lap. She petted his soft head feathers. “You gave Mr. Wingston an alarm hoot?” she asked softly.

  “I did, indeed,” answered Snooze. “How else was I going to let him know that Octavius was in trouble?”

  “You’re a very smart owl.” Willa Bean’s voice quivered a little.

  “Merci,” said Snooze.

  “And very sweet, too,” she added.

  “Merci again,” Snooze said.

  And that was all Willa Bean could say.

  Because a lump in her throat made it too hard to say the rest.

  It would have to wait until later.

  The ride home on the cloudbus was noisy. All of the cupids were talking at the same time. They were still buzzing about everything that had happened on Noble Nimbus Day.

  Only Willa Bean was quiet, maybe for the first time in a very long time. She was thinking. Mostly about what Mr. W
ingston had said earlier, about both owls being there to help Octavius. She was thinking, too, about how Mr. Bibby had said there was only one of her. Maybe there was more to onlies than she had thought. Maybe she had gotten it all wrong.

  Snooze was quiet, too. But he was not thinking. He was snoozing inside Willa Bean’s cloudsack. The day’s activities had pooped him out.

  Slowly, Willa Bean unzipped her cloudsack. “Snooze?” she whispered.

  Snooze opened one eye. “Yes?”

  “I’m really sorry I said you looked silly,” Willa Bean said. “I didn’t mean it. I wanted you to be an only, and then I got so mad when you weren’t.”

  Snooze opened his other eye. “But I am an only,” he said. “Don’t you see? There will always be other owls, but there is only one Snooze. And that makes me an only. Just like there will always be other cupids, but only one you.”

  Willa Bean scooped her little owl out of her cloudsack. She held him close and gave him an eyelash kiss. Lucy might have the biggest flying friend. Harper might have the sleepiest. But Willa Bean’s flying friend was the sweetest one. She was sure of it.

  The cupids talked even more loudly.

  “I can’t believe owls have their own screeches!” Harper said. “Golly-wolly-wing-wang!”

  “And when they swooped down and saved Octavius, that was the coolest!” said Pedro. He stretched out his arms, pretending to swoop down like an owl.

  “My favorite part was when Buttercream did her little somersault at the end.” Vivi flipped her hair over her shoulder. “But that’s ’cause she’s a queen.”

  “Then Mr. Wingston and Snooze should be kings!” Raymond said.

  The rest of the cupids laughed.

  Lucy smiled. Her cheeks turned pink. She covered her mouth with her hands.

  Willa Bean raised her hand. “Mr. Bibby?” she called.

  Mr. Bibby looked in the mirror. “Yes, Willa Bean?”

  “Can Harper and I move our seat?” Willa Bean asked. “Just for a minute?”

  “You must wait until we stop at the next cloud,” Mr. Bibby said. “Then you may move your seats. And thank you for asking, Willa Bean.”

  “What are you up to?” Snooze asked.

  Willa Bean straightened Snooze’s hat. “You’ll see.”

  When the cloudbus stopped at the next cloud, Willa Bean and Harper sat behind Lucy. Mr. Wingston was on her shoulder, watching something out the window.

  Lucy turned around. Willa Bean had flutters in her stomach. And a little bit of nervous wiggles in her knees.

  “Hi, Willa Bean,” Lucy said softly. “Hi, Harper. Did you have fun today?”

  Willa Bean nodded. She swallowed hard, hoping it would help the wiggles go away. “I almost didn’t, though,” she said.

  “Because of the accident?” Lucy looked worried.

  “No.” Willa Bean shook her head.

  “Then what?” Lucy asked.

  “I was kind of mad,” Willa Bean said. “That you had an owl. And that he was bigger than Snooze. And maybe better, too.”

  Mr. Wingston turned his head slowly. He blinked his eyes once. And then again. “Me?” he asked. “Better than Snooze? But that’s impossible.”

  “I know,” Willa Bean said. “You’re both owls. And you’re both onlies.”

  “Onlies?” Mr. Wingston cocked his head.

  “Yes!” Willa Bean looked at Lucy. “And you’re an only, too, Lucy!”

  “I am?” Lucy asked.

  Willa Bean pointed. “Because of your braids! And your cute teeth!”

  Lucy blushed. She covered her mouth again.

  But Willa Bean shook her head. “Nope, nope-ity, nope, nope, nope!” she said. “It’s more fun to be different. Look!” She turned around and wiggled her wings. “I have purple wings with silver tips! And a million-bajillion curls!”

  “And I love sweet stuff!” Harper said. “I could eat a whole barrel full of Snoogy Bars! In one night!”

  “I have marvelous vision,” said Snooze. “And a special fondness for French things.”

  “I have feathers that look like ears,” said Mr. Wingston. “And a very sharp pair of spectacles.”

  “I wear funny bow ties!” Mr. Bibby called out from the front of the bus.

  “Mr. Bibby!” Willa Bean laughed. “You were listening in!”

  Slowly, Lucy uncovered her mouth. “I guess I’m a little shy,” she said softly. She smiled a little and stuck out her hands. “And I’m new, too.”

  Harper took one of Lucy’s hands.

  And Willa Bean took the other.

  “You’re not new anymore!” said Willa Bean. “After today, you are definitely a Noble Nimbus cupid!”

  Lucy beamed.

  And this time, she did not cover her mouth.

  RandomHouse.com/kids