Clara and the Magical Charms

by Margaret McNamara

  “No lolo!”

  In front of the fire, in a cozy heap, were Rosy, Goldie, Sylva, and Squeak. Three mugs of steaming hot chocolate were on the toadstool table (plus a special bottle of warm milk for you-know-who). Fluffy white marshmallows were roasting on sticks. The smell of popcorn was in the air. The great room was as warm as toast.

  “You’re all right?” Clara said. “You knew what to do without me?”

  “Of course we’re all right,” said Rosy. “We’ve had so much fun! This house was built to last.”

  “Doesn’t Sheepskerry look pretty?” asked Goldie. “Everything’s white and fresh.”

  “Queen Mab herself flew over to see us,” said Sylva. “She got a message from a deer!”

  “Where were you all this time?” asked Goldie.

  Clara hesitated a little. Then she said, “I was up on the top of Sunrise Hill with Alasdair’s brother. Rowan.”

  “Rowan!” said Sylva. “What were you doing all that time with a gnome?”

  “Chatting about the Games, I’m sure,” said Rosy. She noticed the new scarf around Clara’s neck. “He seems like a nice gnome,” she said to her big sister.

  “He is,” said Clara. “I really think he is.”

  eleven

  “The Round-the-Island Swim begins . . . now!”

  All the fairies cheered as Alasdair, Rowan, Hamish, Cam, Andy, Ethelrood, and the other gnomes dived off the dock and splashed into Sheepskerry Bay early the next morning. The fairies didn’t generally participate in this race—it wasn’t wise to take off their wings for such a long time.

  “It must be freezing in that water!” said Sylva. “How do they do it?”

  “Queen Mab enchanted the bay,” said Rosy. “She made the water as warm as it is in summertime.”

  “Even then it’s too cold for me,” said Goldie, with a shiver.

  “Still, I’d like to try a Round-the-Island Swim sometime. I could do it so fast my wings wouldn’t even notice they were off my shoulders,” said Sylva. “Maybe next year!”

  “It’s all riding on this!” Lady Courtney announced with gusto. “If Alasdair wins, he takes first prize. But since this event is such a high-scoring one, Rowan or Ethelrood could snatch the trophy away from him. What will be the outcome? Who will win the Valentine’s Games?”

  All the fairies were crowded at the dock to watch the beginning of the race. They started flying toward the West Shore to follow the gnomes’ progress when they heard a shout from Iris Flower.

  “Come on, everybody,” she called. “Queen Mab sent the Royal Balloon so we can follow the race! It’s waiting for us behind Clearwater Cottage! Come on!”

  Queen Mab hardly ever brought out the Royal Balloon, but when there was going to be a traffic jam of fairies in the sky, it was the best solution.

  The Royal Balloon wasn’t really a balloon, but everybody called it that. It was an intricate straw basket, lined with deep blue velvet, that was pulled by a flock of very friendly chickadees who lived on Sheepskerry year-round. The black-capped birds chittered with excitement as the fairies piled in.

  “Come on, Sylva!” cried Poppy. “Climb aboard!” Next, her own sisters disappeared into the basket. Clara heard Rosy calling her name. “Clara! Clara, where are you?”

  Clara almost floated over to the balloon to be with her friends . . . but then she thought, They’ll be able to see the whole race from up there, but if I stay closer to shore, I can follow Rowan. “Go ahead!” she called to Rosy. “Go ahead without me!”

  The chickadees whistled to one another, and they lifted the balloon gently into the sky. The fairies could soon spot their favorites.

  “Come on, Alasdair,” cried Goldie. “He’s winning!”

  “Is that Ethelrood right behind him?” asked Avery. “He’s in second place.”

  “Where’s Andy?” asked Judy Jellicoe.

  “I hope they all win!” said Rosy.

  “A-blay!” said Squeak.

  “Yes, Squeakie,” said Rosy. “Hooray!”

  Clara did not feel sorry that she wasn’t up in the balloon with the other fairies. She was enjoying the race along the shoreline. The pack of swimmers had just passed Little Crab Island and was heading south to Doe Isle.

  There was an old-fashioned megaphone in the balloon’s basket, and Lady Courtney used it now. “It’s Alasdair in the lead,” she announced, “with Ethelrood just behind. Andy and Hamish are going strong. Rowan lags, but his stroke is steady.”

  “Go, Ethelrood!” called Avery.

  “And look, fairies! The school of dolphins is helping them along. Nothing more exciting than to try to outswim a dolphin.”

  “There’s Speedy!” called Sylva.

  Climbing over the rocks near Sea Glass Cottage, Clara was urging Rowan on. “Alasdair has pulled out ahead early,” she said to a pretty mother cardinal she met on the path, “but I have a feeling Rowan will outpace him.”

  And indeed Clara was right. As the swimmers rounded Foggy Bottom, Alasdair’s fast pace flagged, and Rowan, who had been slow but steady, began to pull ahead. “Go, Rowan, go!” called Clara.

  But then the race slowed down.

  “What’s this?” said Lady Courtney through her loudspeaker. “Are those . . . mermaids in the water? They promised Queen Mab they would not disturb the swimmers!”

  “We don’t always keep our promises!” sang the mermaids. “Surely you know that by now.” Clara watched as the mermaids swirled around the gnomes, making them lose their way in the water. Even the dolphins lost their formation as the mermaids splashed and dashed and kicked. “Over this way!” they sang. “No, here!” They held out charms made of pearls and coral to lure the gnomes off course and cause all kinds of mischief, all the way from Eel Reef to Mermaid Rocks.

  Soon, most of the swimmers had gone astray. Hamish was heading back to Doe Isle and Cam was swimming out to sea. Alasdair joined the three prettiest mermaids on Seal Rock and rested for a while. “I’m still going to win,” he called to the fairies in the Royal Balloon. “But how can I resist a mermaid?”

  The one gnome who was not bothered by the mermaids was Rowan. His strong, steady stroke took him easily past Mermaid Rocks, toward the shoals of Heart Island. Clara was sure he would win the race—and take the gold prize. But then he, too, stopped swimming suddenly and started treading water.

  “What is he doing?” Clara said to herself as she strained her eyes to watch him from the shore. “Have the mermaids enchanted him too?” Rowan didn’t appear to be hurt or tired, but he wasn’t moving an inch. And now that the mermaids had grown bored of them, the other gnomes were once again on course.

  “And the race is back on!” cried Lady Courtney from the Royal Balloon. The fairies whistled and cheered as the swimmers headed north to Ram Island. The Royal Balloon was all but out of sight.

  Clara stayed where she was. She could see that Rowan was panting hard in the water. He was swimming over to rest on a shoal. He didn’t look hurt or injured, but she couldn’t be sure. And he seemed to be dragging something with him. “Shall I fly out to help him, little fellow?” asked Clara as a chipmunk scampered up a chestnut tree. “Do you think he needs me?”

  The chipmunk ran halfway up the tree and pointed his nose to precisely where Rowan was in the water.

  That was good enough for Clara. She gave a few strong flaps of her wings and took flight to the spot where Rowan had stopped swimming. It was cold out on the bay, but Clara bravely faced the wind. As she got closer to Rowan he waved to her, but without his familiar smile.

  “What’s wrong, Rowan? Are you hurt?”

  Then Clara realized why Rowan had stopped. There, in front of them, was a baby dolphin, caught on the shoals of Heart Island. “Oh no! It’s Speedy!” cried Clara. “She got off course. Let’s take her back to her pod.” Clara landed carefully on the slippery rock where Rowan held the dolphin in his arms.

  “It’s not as easy as that, Clara,” Rowan said. “This wee dolphin is hurt. Take a look
at her flank.”

  There was a deep gash on the baby dolphin’s side. “She must have cut herself on these sharp rocks. I don’t think she’ll last much longer,” Clara said. “Can you call the mother dolphin? The way you called the doe?”

  “I already have,” said Rowan. “But creatures of the sea don’t always understand gnomes. I don’t think she could hear me.”

  “Shall I fly off to get Queen Mab? Her magic could help us.”

  Speedy’s body shivered.

  “There’s no time,” said Rowan.

  “Then I’ll have to do it,” said Clara. “I’ll have to try the healing charm.” She didn’t want to repeat what Queen Mab had said: It takes life to heal life.

  “Will it not take too much out of you?” asked Rowan. “You told me it’s not an easy charm.”

  Speedy made a tiny sighing sound. Her eyes fluttered. Clara could not just stand by and do nothing. Not when there was a chance she might save the baby dolphin.

  “I’ve got to do it, Rowan,” she said. “I’ve got to try the healing charm.”

  She could not bring herself to say, Even if it costs me dearly, very dearly indeed.

  twelve

  Rowan closed his eyes. Clara did too. They both put their hands on the baby dolphin. “Now, imagine her all well and safe,” said Clara. She thought hard about Speedy swimming away to safety, healthy and free. Then she whispered the charm:

  Harm and hurt

  And pain no more.

  Feel this power,

  From my core.

  May you be

  Sound as a bell.

  May my magic

  Make you well!

  Before Clara could even open her eyes, she heard the raspy breath of the baby dolphin again. She looked down at Speedy’s side—the gash was still there. Her charm had failed!

  “Why won’t it work when it worked before? It’s so much more important now,” Clara said.

  “It’s okay, Clara,” said Rowan. “You can’t do everything. The mother dolphin will be here soon, I’m sure.” But he did not sound so sure.

  They both looked at the baby dolphin. Her eyes were closing. “We’re losing her!” cried Clara. “I’ve got to try it again.”

  Clara held out her hand and Rowan took hold of it. “Now,” she said, “think of Speedy, safe and healed, and swimming back to her pod. Think hard, Rowan!” He squeezed her hand, and then let her go.

  Clara raised her arms and felt her magic surge through her. Loud and clear she said:

  Harm and hurt

  And pain no more.

  Feel this power,

  From my core.

  May you be

  Sound as a bell.

  May my magic

  Make you well!

  Suddenly, magical sparks flew all around them.

  “She’s breathing, Clara! She’s alive!”

  Clara looked down at Speedy’s side. The gash had healed without a trace, and her tail flicked. She took a deep breath. “She’s full of life!” Clara said in a hoarse whisper. “We did it, Rowan. We saved her.”

  “You saved her,” said Rowan.

  And as if she could understand their language, the baby dolphin did a flip off the shallow shoals and made a dive into the deep water. Then she came up again with a big dolphin grin on her face. Her mother and her aunties in the dolphin pod had found her and come to claim her. All at once, the pod of dolphins skittered on their tails out of the water as a way of saying thank you to Rowan, and especially to Clara.

  “We’re so happy we could help you,” Rowan called to them. “Aren’t we, Clara?”

  But when Rowan turned to Clara, he saw that all the color had drained from her face.

  “What is it, Clara?” asked Rowan.

  Clara’s wings were white as sheets. Her head hung down. She was trembling all over.

  “Clara, what’s wrong?”

  Clara could only speak in a whisper. “Queen Mab told me, ‘It takes life to heal life.’ Now I understand what she meant.”

  “No!” cried Rowan. “Clara! We’ve got to get you home!”

  thirteen

  Rowan Gnome was out on a rock in the middle of Sheepskerry Bay with a very ill fairy who had to get to safety. If he plunged into the water with Clara, she might be too weak to get to shore. If he left her there to get help, something terrible might happen before anyone could come to her aid.

  “Go, Rowan,” said Clara in a low voice. “Leave me here and get some help. It’s all you can do. Oh, and your race—”

  “That’s not important now,” said Rowan. “I’m not leaving your side.”

  The dolphin pod circled around them. Speedy nuzzled Rowan with her nose. “Not now, Speedy!” said Rowan. “Clara already helped you. She needs help now.”

  Speedy tried again. This time, she made a little nickering noise. The other dolphins joined in.

  “What is it, dolphins?” said Rowan. “What do you want?”

  Then all at once it was clear to him. Come ride on our backs, they seemed to say. Clara helped us. Now we’ll help Clara.

  In a moment, the strongest mother dolphin circled the rock where Clara lay. Rowan climbed onto the dolphin’s back and pulled Clara tight behind him.

  He paused for a moment. “Will you be all right?” he asked.

  This time, she could barely say the words. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Then hold on tight!” he said. “Let’s go!”

  And through the water they glided toward Sheepskerry.

  fourteen

  Of course by now, the Fairy Bell sisters had spotted their big sister out in Sheepskerry Bay. The chickadees carrying the Royal Balloon spun around and dropped down to where Clara was borne on the dolphin’s back. The mermaids saw them coming and for once made no mischief. In fact, they reached their arms up to steady the basket of fairies.

  “Here she is!” called Rowan.

  The Royal Balloon hovered just inches above the water. Rowan was almost forgotten as Rosy, Goldie, Sylva, and even baby Squeak helped Clara into the basket.

  “They have me now, Rowan,” said Clara. “I’ll be all right. You could even finish the race if you want.”

  “The race!” said Rowan.

  “Don’t use up your strength talking,” said Golden. “Take us home!”

  “To Queen Mab’s palace, quickly, birds!” called Lady Courtney. “There’s no time to lose!”

  “She’ll be better off at the palace, Goldie,” said Rosy. She was cradling Clara’s pale face in her hands. “Queen Mab will know what to do.”

  “Please go quickly, please!” said Sylva. “I’ll do everything right from now on, I promise. Just please get Clara better again.”

  “Jojo!” said Squeak.

  And like lightning, the birds flew Clara away.

  fifteen

  I don’t want to keep you in suspense about Clara for too long. I’d like to say that she recovered her strength in the Royal Balloon. Or that she was better once she landed on Sheepskerry soil. Or even when she first arrived at Queen Mab’s palace.

  But none of that would be true.

  Instead, Clara could barely lift her head to thank the birds who flew so fast. She could not manage to smile at Lady Courtney, who carried her through Queen Mab’s palace toward one of the inner chambers. She could not even summon the strength to squeeze her sisters’ hands when they clustered around her, hoping she might show some sign of recovery. And she did not see Rowan, who forfeited the swimming race and paced back and forth in the Great Hall of the palace, waiting for news.

  “Shall we send for Tink?” Rosy asked Queen Mab.

  “Tink cannot do anything for Clara now,” said Queen Mab. “Clara will have to draw strength from within to heal herself. I will do my utmost to help her.” Then she added gently, “Sing her a song so she knows you’re outside.” And she turned toward Clara’s chamber.

  Rosy, Goldie, and Sylva lifted their voices in song, and Squeakie swayed in rhythm:

  Let th
e circle be unbroken,

  As we wait here, by her side.

  Let the circle be unbroken,

  We’ll abide here, we’ll abide.

  Queen Mab flew silently into the chamber.

  “Dear Clara Bell, you used too much magic, too soon, to help another creature in need. Now you are the one who must heal.”

  Clara was able to lift her head, just a little. “Do you think I can do it?” she asked.

  “I know you can,” said Queen Mab. “You will be a very great fairy someday.”

  Clara turned her head away.

  “Or have you forgotten my words?” said Queen Mab.

  Clara managed a very small smile. “Never, my queen. Never.”

  “Then draw from your strength within, Clara Bell. And heal.”

  Queen Mab raised her arms, and the room was filled with light. She knelt down at Clara’s bedside. Then, slowly and carefully, in a deep strong voice, she said:

  Harm and hurt

  And pain no more.

  Strength be with you,

  From your core.

  For you, Clara,

  Do I kneel.

  May your magic

  Make you heal!

  Clara’s eyes blinked. Her cheeks flushed with color.

  “Come, fairies!” called Queen Mab to the Fairy Bell sisters. “Come help your sister.”

  Rosy, Goldie, Sylva, and Squeak rushed into the bedchamber.

  “You can do it, Clara!”

  “You’re getting better—I can see it!”

  “Coomada, coomada!”

  “We love you, Clara! We love you!”

  Outside the palace, the fairies and gnomes waiting for news heard a magnificent cheer. Then the windows to the bedchamber were flung open.

  “She’s all better!” cried Rosy.

  “She’s smiling!” cried Goldie.

  “She did it!” cried Sylva.

  “A-blay!” cried Squeak.

  And down in the Great Hall, Rowan Gnome rubbed his eyes and blew his nose into his gnomish handkerchief. He would tell anyone who asked that his allergies were acting up, but if you ask me, I’d say there might be another reason why his eyes had welled with tears.