‘You’ve found him,’ said Andrew, smiling sweetly.
Evangeline looked around and couldn’t see anybody. Then she understood.
‘Are you the Wish Keeper?’ she asked in amazement.
Andrew smiled and nodded.
‘That’s me,’ he said.
‘But you were in the hall when I arrived, interviewing toys,’ said Evangeline. ‘And the Wish Keeper is the boss of Santa and the Tooth Fairy and everybody …’
‘That’s right. I am, except I like to think of us all as friends working together. I always interview new recruits myself, so I can find the really special ones. Like you.’
Evangeline felt her cheeks burning up again.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t have any idea …’ she said, worried she hadn’t shown enough respect.
‘You’re not supposed to know. That’s the whole point. Only my special helpers like you and Nancy and Ears know who I am. And Peter the Panda, of course …’
Evangeline’s face must have fallen at the mention of his name. She’d thought Peter was horrid and hoped she wouldn’t have to work with him. Andrew was looking at her very seriously, with a questioning expression.
‘What, Evangeline – have you got something you’d like to tell me about Peter?’
As he spoke, it suddenly all came together in her head. That panda she’d seen in the Tooth Fairy’s cavern, putting things into the milk fountain – it hadn’t had any wings. Then, right after that, the Code Red happened. It had been him – and it was him who had been putting the black teeth, which Nancy had found one of, into the milk fountain. It was Peter all along, helping the Kybosh get in.
Her front foot flew up to her mouth in shock. Then she’d seen him again in Santa’s warehouse – she had seen those eyes move on that panda on the conveyor belt, she hadn’t imagined it – and they’d just had a Code Orange there, with someone deliberately sabotaging the Christmas letters. That must have been him, too.
Oh, why hadn’t she put it all together until now? She’d let everyone down. It was her fault the Kybosh had got in!
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said to Andrew – or the Wish Keeper, as she now knew he was. ‘It was Peter making the trouble all along. I should have realised, then I could have warned you …’
But as she looked at him, she realised he wasn’t angry. He was smiling at her.
‘You should have warned me about what?’ he asked.
‘I saw Peter in the Tooth Fairy’s cavern, putting things into the milk fountain … and then I found that black tooth and Nancy told me what it was and …’
Evangeline paused to swallow. She was feeling quite panicky, but Andrew was still smiling.
‘And I saw him again in Santa’s warehouse and …’
She took a great gulp of air as she remembered something else.
‘I even saw him in your Garden on the first day, when I met Nancy and the rest of the recruits, and I didn’t tell anyone …’
‘But you did,’ said Andrew, putting a paw gently on her arm. ‘You told me.’
‘How?’ said Evangeline, feeling more confused than ever, which she really hadn’t thought was possible.
Andrew reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his hanky, holding it up and grinning at her.
‘Through this,’ he said. ‘Because you had this in your pocket, we stayed connected and I saw everything you noticed – and you noticed a lot, Evangeline. You noticed the second unwish in the Easter Bunny wish egg – and you told him about it. You noticed Peter in the Tooth Fairy cavern, then you noticed the black tooth and picked it up. Then you made the connection when Nancy had lost something and you gave the tooth to her. Then you saw Peter again on the toy conveyor belt …’
‘But that was all just accidents and chance,’ said Evangeline. ‘I didn’t do anything …’
Andrew held up a paw.
‘It felt that way to you because you are a natural noticer. You notice things. Most people don’t. They’re too busy thinking about themselves to notice anything else, but you watch and listen and notice things and then you connect them – and that is what makes you so special.’
Evangeline just looked at him, trying to take it all in.
‘And that’s why you are going to help me,’ said Andrew. ‘You’re going to be my second in command. We’re going to work together to guard children’s wishes and make them come true. Any questions?’
Evangeline nodded. Although she was feeling pretty overwhelmed by it all, there was something she really had to ask.
‘What made Peter like that?’ she said. ‘He was working for you when I first met him …’
Andrew nodded, looking serious.
‘Yes, it was horrible,’ he said. ‘The Kybosh was able to corrupt him because, like the Kybosh when he was a toy kangaroo, Peter had a horrible time Downstairs. His little boy’s brother did nasty things to him – left him up in a tree overnight and things like that – and his boy didn’t try and stop him. Peter was so sad he lost all his hope – and as you know, that’s exactly what the Kybosh looks out for. I must say I had no idea that Peter had turned bad. The Kybosh had done such a good job on him, he got through my defences and I gave him that important job. If it hadn’t been for you doing your noticing – which I could see via my magic hanky – he would still be there, helping the Kybosh. And that’s why I need you to help me out, to stop something like that happening again. I need someone else working on the noticing. I can’t do it all on my own any more.’
‘What will happen to Peter?’ asked Evangeline quietly.
Andrew smiled again. ‘That’s good news,’ he said. ‘He’s already back Downstairs as a very smart vintage toy, with a new owner who absolutely adores him, and he’s got all his hope back. Right,’ he said, springing to his feet. ‘Enough of all the serious stuff, you’ve earned some fun!’
He put out his paw to help her up and Evangeline noticed he was wearing the big gold ring with the Wish Keeper’s seal on it. Andrew smiled.
‘You noticed my ring,’ he said. ‘I’m still tuned into your noticing and that’s handy because it’s reminded me to give you this …’
He fished in his pocket and pulled out a red ribbon, which he handed to Evangeline. Hanging from it was a small gold disc with the Wish Keeper’s seal on it.
‘There you are, it’s official,’ said Andrew. ‘With that seal, you are officially the Deputy Wish Keeper. Go on, turn around, I’ll help you put it on.’
He tied the ribbon around Evangeline’s neck and she looked down at the shining gold disc, before clasping it to her chest.
‘Oh, thank you!’ she said, finally believing that she had a proper job.
Then they set off together towards a gate at the far end of the meadow and, as she walked with Andrew the Wish Keeper at her side, the warmth of the sun on her back and the sweet scent of a summer breeze in her trunk, Evangeline could hear something she thought might be the sound of waves on a pebbly beach. Then, as they got close enough to see the white foam as the breakers hit the shore, she could make out several figures waving at them.
There was Nancy and Ears, plus some others she didn’t immediately recognise, but as she got closer she saw it was the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa, and with them Robert, Derek, Kylie – and all the other new recruits. And in that moment Evangeline finally understood that she was never going to be lonely and bored again.
Her most precious wish had come true.
Where Evangeline Came From by the author
About five years ago I bought a watercolour painting of a toy elephant from an artist who lives near me called Claire Fletcher.
The little elephant didn’t have a name yet, but she sat on the mantelpiece in my study and I would look at her thinking, Where are you going, little one? Why are your cheeks so pink? Why do you have such an air of slightly anxious anticipation? I finally realised that the only way I would discover Evangeline’s story was to write it myself.
By then I had bought more
of Claire’s beautiful paintings of toys and I asked her how she felt about us bringing them to life together. She agreed, even giving pictorial form to some characters I dreamed up myself.
The idea for the Wish Keeper came from my daughter Peggy’s sixth birthday party. My friend Lily de Kergeriest made the party so special, creating – among other magical things – a Wishing Tree. Each child was given a ribbon to tie to it and make a wish. As I watched them close their eyes in hope, it became clear to me how special the energy in a child’s wish is, and that obviously there must be somebody very important out there looking after it. It was then I understood where Evangeline was going …
Find out more about the author at maggiealderson.com
About the Illustrator
Claire Fletcher studied graphic design and illustration at Kingston University and the Royal College of Art in the UK.
She is co-founder and director of a beautiful store in England called ‘Made in Hastings’, which sells locally sourced gifts and artwork. If you look closely in Claire’s lovely online shop, you may catch a glimpse of the wonderful Evangeline!
Find out more about Claire’s work at clairefletcherart.com
VIKING
Published by the Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2011
Text copyright © Maggie Alderson 2011
Illustrations copyright © Claire Fletcher 2011
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Illustrations by Claire Fletcher
Colour separation by Splitting Image Colour Studio, Clayton, Victoria
penguin.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74253-396-4
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