by Holly Anna
The Same Old Story
Flying is not only for the birds anymore. I am riding on a cloud, just like it’s my very own skateboard. Only, the road is a mile beneath me! I want to scream “WOW!” but I keep my mouth closed. I do not want to swallow any bugs. Yuck. No, thank you.
The WOM looks like a colorful patchwork quilt from high up in the sky. The mountaintops ahead of us shimmer and twinkle like the tiny points of a diamond.
“That’s the Kingdom of the Sparkle Fairies,” Posey says. “Shade your eyes as we get closer. Everything in this kingdom sparkles—a lot.”
Posey’s right! The whole countryside shines—the valleys, the trees, the streams, and the flowers. I squint my eyes at first. Then I have to shade them from the brightness.
“Don’t worry,” Posey tells us. “Your eyes will adjust in a few minutes.”
By the time we land, our eyes feel better. We’re standing in a field of glittering flowers. A waterfall tumbles with sparkling water. Atop the waterfall is a castle, and from the center of it all, the Sparkle Fairy queen flies down to greet us.
She is definitely the most beautiful Imaginary Friend I’ve ever seen—and believe me, I’ve seen a lot lately. She wears a fancy white gown covered in pearls that shimmer with rainbow light. Her long yellow curls fall around her wings, which match her gown.
We bow as she lands. When I stand up, I notice the Sparkle Fairies are almost the same size as we are—not teeny-tiny like the Pretty Pixies.
“Welcome,” the queen says. “My name is Sweetheart. How may I help you?” She only addresses Jasmine, Lily, and me. She pays no attention to our imaginary friends.
Lily steps forward. “Your Majesty, we’ve come to mend the rift between the Imaginaries and the Sparkle Fairies.”
Sweetheart shakes her head. “I am sorry, child, but I cannot grant your request. Do you know the history of the Imaginaries and the Sparkle Fairies?”
Lily nods. “Posey told us all about it.”
Sweetheart leans forward. “Well, now you will hear my side of the story.”
At first her story is very similar to Posey’s version. Except when Sweetheart tells it, we can hear her sadness about the little girl who didn’t believe in her. Poor Sparkle Fairy! Nobody likes to feel left out.
When she finishes, Sweetheart pauses, and then she asks, “Do you know what we make here? Sparkle Fairies are the dream weavers of the Real World. We build dreams for every girl and boy in hopes that they will never lose their sense of imagination.”
“Well, I daydream all the time!” I say, because it’s true, I do. Sometimes I think that’s why my name is Daisy Dreamer. “On the way over here I dreamed I had a slide from my bedroom window into my very own swimming pool.”
“Ooooooh!” coo Jasmine and Lily.
“Sometimes I daydream about being a movie star,” Lily says. “Or a talk-show host.”
Jasmine and I pretend to primp our hair like glamorous movie stars.
Sweetheart watches us pretend and smiles. “All those dreams are built right here in my kingdom. Dreams let us believe we can do anything!”
That makes a lightbulb go on in my head. “Can you build a dream of getting along with the Imaginaries?”
My big idea surprises Sweetheart, and the happy expression drains right off her face. “No. I am sorry. I cannot build a dream like that.”
Then, in a swirl of sparkles, the queen disappears.
Hmm. Maybe I should have said “Your Majesty.”
A Friend
We fly all the way up to the Sparkle Fairy castle. There’s no way we are going to give up that easily. Obviously.
KitCat grabs the brass handle on the castle door and pulls. The door doesn’t budge. I know a thing or two about doors that won’t open.
Posey flies to the queen’s window, raps on the pane, and calls to her. “Please, Your Majesty. We can work this out!”
Jasmine, Lily, and I rap the door knocker. “Please come out!” we beg.
Finally, Posey lands beside us. “Maybe Sweetheart needs time to calm down.”
That makes sense. Upsy always says people need quiet time when they’re upset.
But Lily disagrees. “Sweetheart’s never going to calm down. She’s been holding this grudge for too long.”
Hmm, that makes sense too, I think, gnawing the back of my thumb. I wonder what in the world would heal Sweetheart’s grudge against the Imaginaries? Suddenly I stop gnawing.
“A friend,” I say out loud. “All Sweetheart needs is a Real World friend!”
Jasmine and Lily look at each other and then back at me.
“But how are we going to do that?” asks Jasmine.
I smile mischievously and pretend to wave a magical wand. “Posey, can you please get us back to my room, double-quick! We need supplies.”
Posey smiles. “No problem.” Then he waves his hand whoosh, and away we swirl.
In no time we’re back in my bedroom! I tell everyone my plan, and we gather the supplies. Then I call out each item on our super-special list to make sure we have everything.
“Telephone?”
Nobody answers.
“Telephone?” I repeat.
“Wait, what’s a telephone again?” Posey asks.
I point to the home phone I put in front of him and repeat my question. “Telephone?”
“Check!” Posey says. Then he rubs the phone in his armpit, like a bar of soap. Ugh. It’s a good thing he’s not making the phone call.
“Letter?”
“Check!” says Estrella, holding the letter so everyone can see it.
“Erasable marker?”
“Yes! Here! I mean, check!” KitCat says. He has written all over his body.
“That’s a regular marker,” I say, shaking my head. “Erasable marker?”
Jasmine holds up the right one this time. “Check!”
“Envelope?”
“Check!” Lily says, handing me an envelope.
Then I write an address on it. Estrella hands me the letter, and I stuff it into the envelope and give it to Posey. “You know what to do—right?”
Posey nods.
“Remember,” I tell him, “once you get to the house, you only have five minutes.”
Posey salutes and flies out my window. Operation: Real-World Friend is a go.
Special Delivery!
I dial my grandmother.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Upsy!” I say into the receiver. “Did you get my special delivery in the mail today?”
I know this makes Upsy smile. “Why, I haven’t checked my mailbox today. I’ll go and do it right now.”
I stay on the phone and listen as she walks to the mailbox. I hope Posey got the letter there in time. He probably had to introduce himself to the mailbox. Then he most likely opened and closed it ten times. I’m sure he fiddled with the red flag too.
“I’m going down the front walk,” Upsy says.
I hear the front gate creak.
“I’m opening the gate!” she tells me, and I hear the gate clink shut behind her. “I’m at the mailbox!”
The mailbox squeaks open, and Upsy says, “Oh, look, there’s a letter in here from you. Imagine that!”
I jump in the air. Posey did it!
“Open it!” I cry.
“Wait till I get inside,” Upsy says, and I can almost hear her smile. Then I listen as she shuts the mailbox and heads back through the gate and up the walk, crosses the porch, and opens the door to her house.
Finally she says, “Okay, I’m sitting at my desk with my letter opener!”
Sharrrip! She removes the letter and reads it out loud.
“ ‘Dear Upsy, I love the journal you gave me so much. I especially like the story starters. I’ve had so much fun with them! Now I have a story starter for you! There once was a magical friend named Sweetheart. . . .’
“What a wonderful story starter, Daisy!” Upsy exclaims. “I also see a dot-to-dot on the back. I love dot-to-d
ots. Shall I do it now?”
I hold the phone out in front of me. “Yes!” I cry. “Do it right now!”
Upsy sets down the phone and connects the dots. I can hardly wait for her to be done.
“It’s a fairy!” Upsy says. “A fairy named Sweetheart! Oh, I love her, Daisy. Thank you!”
“That’s right! Well, I have to go, but I love you, and please enjoy your new imaginary Sparkle Fairy best friend ever bye-bye,” I say in a one quick breath. Then I hang up because we need to see if the plan worked.
Connecting the Dots
The door to the Sparkle Fairy castle is open this time. A warm, shimmering glow streams through the windows. Imaginaries flock through the gates into the castle, and the Sparkle fairies welcome them.
“It worked!” I cry. And I know it’s true, because when Upsy connected the dots, she created an image of Sweetheart. And the moment she completed the picture, Upsy and Sweetheart became real imaginary friends—just like Posey and me.
I grab Jasmine’s and Lily’s hands, and we dance around in a circle. Then we look for Sweetheart, but she finds us first.
“You’ve unlocked my heart!” she cries. “Someone believes in me! How did you do it?”
I blush. “I just helped connect a few dots.”
“I feel happy and free!” Sweetheart exclaims. “I’ll never allow myself to get hard-hearted again.”
Then she takes Estrella’s hands in hers. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you, Estrella. Please forgive me.”
The two fairies smile and hug, making a swoosh of rainbow sparkles around them. It’s the brightest bright ever!
Next Sweetheart calls to the entire room. “Hear ye! Hear ye! From this day forward, the Sparkle Fairies will treat everyone with love, friendship, and respect.”
Cheers fill the castle. I give my cheer an extra hoot because seeing everyone so happy fills my heart up so full I can’t contain myself.
“Now let’s celebrate!” Sweetheart cries as she waves her glittery scepter, and kaboom! A cannon explodes, and twinkling confetti showers down on everyone. We suddenly and magically have on sparkly party hats. There are cupcake towers everywhere, and the fountain in the middle of the room bubbles with strawberry lemonade.
“Now we each have imaginary friends!” I shout, and I pull Jasmine, Lily, Posey, KitCat, and Estrella into a great big group hug.
Then, from somewhere far, far away, I hear my name being called.
“Hold on!” I tell Lily and Jasmine. Then we swirl and swirl until we land safely on my bedroom floor once more. There’s a knock on my bedroom door, and it swings open.
“I can call your parents if you girls would like to stay for dinner?” my mom asks, as if everything were a perfectly normal day.
“Sure!” Jasmine and Lily say, as if we’ve been in my bedroom for the whole afternoon.
Then my mom points to a ray of sunshine streaming through my bedroom window. The dust sparkles in the light.
“Pixies!” Mom exclaims. “Did you girls know Upsy used to tell me that the glittery dust in shafts of sunlight were pixies? What an imagination she has.”
I share a surprised look with my friends, because hmm, maybe Upsy knows more about the World of Make-Believe than we thought.
Check out Daisy Dreamer’s next adventure!
Clickety-clackety-clickety-clack!
I zoom down the sidewalk on my skateboard. The wind makes my hair fly out of my pigtails, and I have to spit it out of my mouth. Pffffffttt!
“Hurry up, Mom!”
Mom and I are going to school like always, and I tease her like always because she is a slowpoke. Mom is walking and I’m on my skateboard, so I am wayyyyy in front of her. Obviously!
Suddenly a blast of light flashes in my eyes and blinds me! I can’t see anything!
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Then—ka-bonkity bonk!—I fall feet-over-helmet onto the sidewalk. WIPEOUT!!!
I hear footsteps rush to my side.
“Wow!” a girl says. “Are you okay?”
“Here, let us help you!” says another.
I look up and can’t believe it! It’s that awful Gabby Gaburp and her meanie sidekick, Carol Rattinger. What are they doing here? And why are they being so nice?
They pull me up and help me dust off. I have dirt all over my knees and elbows, but I don’t hurt anywhere. Phew! While I am dusting, I check to make sure they haven’t put a PRANK ME sign on my backpack.
Nope—all clear!
Then I double-check my skateboard in case they did something bad to it. But nothing seems different.
About the Author and Illustrator
Holly Anna has always had a wild imagination. When she was little, she used to doodle drawings that would transport herself and her friends to a wonderful world of make-believe. Now she visits other worlds through writing. Holly lives in San Jose, California, with her family. They have four cats: Rocket J. Squirrel, Le Mew, The Honest John Wookenchops (a.k.a. “Wookie”), and Noel.
Genevieve Santos is an illustrator born, raised, and living in San Jose, California, and sole proprietor of a small stationery company, Le Petit Elefant. Her love for animation started at a young age, and is what drives her to draw the slightest observations. She also has an insatiable weakness for ice cream.
Little Simon
Simon & Schuster
New York
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Holly-Anna
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Genevieve-Santos
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
LITTLE SIMON
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First Little Simon hardcover edition August 2017
Copyright © 2017 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Also available in a Little Simon paperback edition.
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Designed by Laura Roode
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Anna, Holly, author. | Santos, Genevieve, illustrator.
Title: Sparkle Fairies and the Imaginaries / by Holly Anna ; illustrated by Genevieve Santos.
Description: First Little Simon paperback edition. | New York : Little Simon, 2017. | Series: Daisy Dreamer ; 3 | Summary: “Daisy Dreamer’s totally true imaginary friend Posey invites her and her best friends Lily and Jasmine to the World of Make-Believe”— Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016048170 | ISBN 9781481491853 (pbk) | ISBN 9781481491860 (hc) | ISBN 9781481491877 (eBook)
Subjects: | CYAC: Imagination—Fiction. | Imaginary playmates—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction.
BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play. | JUVENILE FICTION / Humorous Stories. |
JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.A568 Sp 2017 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016048170
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