She continued upwards. Soon the walls of the trunk began to narrow around her, and the air felt stale and dusty. Clearly, no one had ventured so high in ages.
Finally the trunk became so slender that Twink could hardly stretch her wings to fly. Hovering awkwardly, she sighed in disappointment. Bimi must have been right after all – there couldn’t be a branch used by fairies up here!
But then Twink looked up, and caught her breath. Starting just above her head were a series of tiny knotholes going up the trunk – almost like those things humans called stairs! Quickly folding her wings behind her back, she grabbed hold of them and began to climb.
The narrow passageway took her higher and higher, twisting and turning. Just when Twink was beginning to wonder whether it was a dead end after all, she came to a dim, dusty ledge. She pulled herself on to it . . . and her heartbeat quickened.
There, in the shadowy light, she could just make out a door! It was barely as tall as she was, with an arched top and wooden grooves that were thick with dust.
Twink gazed down at its handle, feeling oddly shy. It didn’t seem right to just go barging in. Besides . . . what if someone was already inside? Her wings went clammy at the thought.
Raising her hand, she knocked softly. ‘Hello?’ she called.
Silence. Twink smiled in relief. Of course there wasn’t anyone in there – it was probably just an old storage branch! Shaking her head at herself, she reached for the handle and pushed.
There was a faint click . . . and the door swung open.
Twink stepped inside, ducking slightly. The ceiling was so low that she could hardly stand up straight! Her eyes widened as she took in the little room.
There was a single round window, through which sunlight shone. A small, plain bed stood against one wall. In the centre of the narrow branch was a rickety-looking table and chair, and up on a shelf there were rows and rows of . . . things.
Twink stared. What were they? Each item was smooth and white, about the size of her hand, but carved in the most amazing patterns! There was an owl, and a frog, and something that looked like a bat. Moving forward, Twink picked up the bat for a closer look.
‘What are you doing?’ demanded an angry voice. ‘Put that down!’
Stifling a shriek, Twink whirled round.
The window was now open, and crouching on the sill, as if she had just landed, was a fairy. But she was like no fairy Twink had ever seen. She was tiny, with untidy jet-black hair and silvery-grey wings – and she looked absolutely furious.
‘I’m – I’m sorry,’ stammered Twink. Hastily, she put the carving back on the shelf. ‘I just –’
‘You just what?’ Hopping into the room, the fairy banged the window shut behind her. She was wearing a grey and black dress, and stockings with black and white stripes. Though she looked about Twink’s age, she was at least a head shorter.
‘I was just exploring,’ said Twink, trying not to stare. ‘You see, I saw this branch from outside the school, and –’
‘And so you thought you’d come up here and snoop about!’ The black-haired fairy strode over to the shelf, taking the bat down and inspecting it carefully. She glared at Twink. ‘How dare you come in here and touch my private things?’
Twink felt a flash of anger. ‘I said I was sorry! I didn’t know that someone lived here. Anyway, who are you? You’re not one of the students here.’
‘No, I’m not one of the students – as if I would be!’ The fairy gave a disgusted shudder, and carefully put the bat back in place beside the other carvings.
‘All right, but who are you?’ pressed Twink. ‘My name’s Twink,’ she added, to be polite.
At first she thought the other fairy wasn’t going to answer, but then she shrugged sulkily. ‘I’m called Shadow,’ she said. ‘And as to what I’m doing here . . . well, why not? No one seemed to be using this branch. I haven’t done any harm.’
Glancing around, Twink had to agree – the room was neat and tidy, and looked well cared for. ‘But what are you doing here?’ she pressed. ‘You’re about my age, aren’t you? Don’t you go to school?’
‘Are you always this nosy?’ said Shadow, folding her arms across her chest. ‘No, I don’t go to school. I’m far too busy for that – we all are!’
Twink blinked in confusion. Surely the little branch was too small for more than one fairy? ‘Who’s we?’ she asked.
‘All of us,’ said Shadow. ‘I’m not the only one of my kind, you know – just the only one who lives here.’
‘You mean . . . you’re a different sort of fairy than I am?’ stammered Twink. Now that Shadow had said it, it seemed obvious. Twink had never seen a fairy so small before, or with such black hair and pale skin.
Shadow heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes. ‘Yes, of course!’ She swept an arm at the shelf. ‘What do you think those are?’
‘Carvings,’ said Twink, puzzled.
‘Yes, but what are they made of?’ said Shadow impatiently. When Twink shook her head, she snatched up the owl. ‘Look! It’s hard, it’s white . . .’
Twink gasped in sudden understanding. ‘It’s a tooth,’ she breathed in amazement. She could see now that the other carvings were teeth as well. Rows and rows of them, all carved into different designs!
‘Brilliant!’ said Shadow. ‘Yes, that’s it. I’m a tooth fairy.’
‘You mean – one of those fairies who collect human teeth?’ squeaked Twink. ‘But I didn’t think they actually existed!’
Shadow looked ready to explode with rage. She plonked the owl back on the shelf. ‘Oh, typical! You lot only know about woods and nature, don’t you? Well, we exist, all right! And we perform a very useful service, too. What would humans do with their old teeth, if it weren’t for us?’
‘I . . . don’t know,’ said Twink, her thoughts spinning. Having lived with a human family once, she had been surprised to find that humans did have magic, though of a very different sort than her own. Perhaps tooth fairies were a part of this magic, too.
‘Well, exactly,’ said Shadow, seeming a bit soothed. ‘Anyway, you’ve had your snoop now, so you can leave.’
‘Oh,’ said Twink. There were still so many questions that she wanted to ask! But Shadow had taken her by the elbow, and was walking her firmly to the door.
‘Wait a minute,’ said Twink. ‘Could you tell me why –’
‘Goodbye,’ interrupted Shadow, shoving her out on to the ledge. Twink blinked in surprise as the door banged shut in her face.
.
Chapter Three
‘Hey!’ called Twink, leaning against the door. ‘Do you think I could come back sometime?’
‘What would you want to do that for?’ replied Shadow’s muffled voice. ‘Go away!’
Twink hesitated for a moment, and then decided that she’d better do as Shadow asked. Slowly, she made her way back down the knothole ladder, and was soon gliding through the main part of the trunk.
She shook her head in amazement as she flew past a cluster of chatting Third Years. Who would ever have imagined that tooth fairies were real – and that one of them lived at Glitterwings Academy!
It would make an amazing report for her project . . . but of course she couldn’t write about it, realised Twink. It wouldn’t be fair to give Shadow away when she wasn’t doing any harm. Still, it was a shame. She’d have been certain to win a prize with such an original report!
As Twink flitted into the library she spotted Bimi and Sooze hovering high overhead, looking at a book on one of the shelves near the ceiling. She flew up to join them.
Bimi burst into giggles when she saw her. ‘Twink! What have you been doing? You’re as dirty as an earthworm!’
Glancing down at herself, Twink saw that Bimi was right. Her bluebell dress was covered with smudges of dust from wrig
gling her way through the narrow passage.
Sooze reached out and plucked a cobweb from Twink’s hair. ‘Very attractive,’ she laughed, dangling it in front of her. ‘Where have you been, anyway?’
Taking a thistle comb from her petal bag, Twink quickly pulled it through her long pink hair. ‘Just wait until I tell you,’ she said as she tucked the comb away again. ‘And listen, you two – you’re never going to believe it!’
‘I don’t believe it,’ said Sooze flatly. ‘A tooth fairy? She was having you on, Twink.’
‘Sooze! She was not!’ protested Twink. The three of them were sitting at one of the mushroom tables in the corner of the library, with their wings spread for privacy.
‘It does sound a bit funny, Twink, you have to admit,’ said Bimi. ‘If she’s really a tooth fairy, then what’s she doing here at Glitterwings?’
‘I don’t know,’ admitted Twink. ‘She, um . . . threw me out before I could ask.’
Bimi and Sooze glanced at each other, their eyebrows raised doubtfully. Twink felt a twinge of irritation. Though it was lovely that her two favourite fairies got along now, it wasn’t fair that neither of them believed her!
‘What were her carvings, then, if they weren’t teeth?’ she demanded.
Sooze lifted her wing. ‘How should I know? Wood, maybe?’
‘Or maybe they were teeth, but from some sort of animal,’ offered Bimi. ‘I just can’t believe she was really a tooth fairy, Twink! I mean . . . well . . . they don’t exist, do they?’
Twink tapped her wings together crossly. If she hadn’t seen the little fairy for herself, she knew that she probably wouldn’t believe it either – but even so, this was very frustrating!
‘Look, I know it sounds mad –’ she started.
‘Hang on, I know what to do,’ broke in Sooze, her violet eyes glinting. ‘I’m going to fly up there and meet this tooth fairy for myself!’
Twink hesitated. On the one wing, she was sure that Shadow wanted to be left alone . . . but on the other, she hadn’t actually forbidden Twink to come back. And it would be glimmery to show Sooze that she was right!
‘We’ll both go,’ she decided. ‘Why don’t we sneak up there after glow-worms out tonight?’
‘You’re on!’ said Sooze with a grin. ‘Are you coming, Bimi?’
‘Up that narrow space?’ said Bimi. She shuddered. ‘No, thank you!’ Bimi had a dread of closed-in places, and had listened with a look of horror as Twink described her journey.
‘All right, it’s just us, then,’ said Sooze. She nudged Twink’s wing with her own. ‘I can hardly wait to meet this tooth fairy of yours, Opposite! I wonder what she really is.’
‘She’s a tooth fairy,’ said Twink firmly. ‘Just wait and see!’
The trunk was dark and silent as Twink and Sooze slipped out of their branch that night, still wearing their bluebell dresses. They flew quickly upwards, stifling their giggles.
Twink felt a rush of excitement. It had been a long time since she’d been on an adventure with Sooze! It made her feel like a giddy first-year student again, instead of a mature and sensible Fourth Year.
‘Is it above here?’ asked Sooze in surprise as they passed the entrance to the star-gazing platform. ‘I thought this was practically the top of the tree!’
‘I did, too,’ said Twink as she led the way up the narrowing trunk, ‘but it goes on for quite a bit. It gets really hard to fly in, though, so I suppose no one bothers coming up this high.’
Soon they were clambering up the knothole ladder together, with Twink leading the way. She hopped up on to the dusty ledge. ‘There’s the door,’ she said in a low voice.
Sooze’s eyes were shining as she joined her. ‘Glimmery! I can’t believe we’ve never come up here before – what a splendid hideout!’
‘We’re too old for hideouts,’ laughed Twink.
‘Speak for yourself!’ said Sooze. ‘Why, I bet –’
‘Who’s there?’ demanded a sharp voice on the other side of the door.
They fell silent. ‘Is that her?’ mouthed Sooze.
Twink nodded, suddenly feeling a bit guilty. She knew that Shadow didn’t want any company – perhaps they should just leave her alone.
‘Sooze, maybe –’ she whispered.
The door swung open. ‘You again,’ said Shadow. To Twink’s surprise, her eyes were red and puffy. ‘Go away! As if I didn’t have enough problems, without –’ She broke off with a scowl, wiping a hand across her eyes.
Twink and Sooze glanced at each other, all laughter gone. ‘What problems?’ said Twink. ‘Could we help, maybe?’
Shadow snorted. ‘Oh, right. Pull the other wing! Why would you want to help me?’
‘Because we’re nice, that’s why,’ said Sooze sharply. ‘But if you don’t want us to help you, then fine – we’ll leave!’
Shadow looked taken aback. She stared at them for a moment, obviously thinking hard. ‘Maybe you can help,’ she said suddenly. Stepping back, she opened the door wider. ‘Anyway, come in, and I’ll tell you about it.’
Twink and Sooze stepped into the branch. Twink saw her friend’s expression turn to wonder as she took in the small furniture and the rows of carvings – not to mention Shadow herself, with her black hair and silvery-grey wings.
‘Are you really a tooth fairy?’ asked Sooze.
Shadow glared at her. ‘Yes. I suppose now you’re going to say that we don’t exist, aren’t you?’
Sooze looked guilty. ‘Er – no,’ she said. ‘You seem to exist all right!’
‘Shadow, what can we help you with?’ asked Twink.
The tooth fairy hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. Finally she said, ‘Well, you see, I – I’ve sprained my wing, and now I can’t go out on a tooth-collecting mission tonight.’
Twink gazed at Shadow’s wing. She was no expert, but it looked fine to her. ‘Could we try some healing magic on you?’ she suggested. ‘Or we could ask if one of the teachers would –’
‘No!’ cried Shadow. ‘I don’t want any of your magic. My wing will heal on its own. I just need some help – but I suppose I should have known you didn’t really mean it.’
‘Oh, I get it,’ said Sooze. ‘You want one of us to go tooth-collecting for you!’
Shadow nodded eagerly, taking a step forward. ‘Would you? It’s only one house, and it’s not even that far from here – it wouldn’t take any time at all.’
‘Well, Twink’s the expert on humans, not me,’ said Sooze. She glanced at Twink with a grin.
Twink rolled her eyes. ‘Shadow, wouldn’t it be easier if we just healed your wing? I don’t think it can be sprained all that badly –’
‘No, I’ve told you!’ insisted Shadow. ‘All I need is for one of you to go and collect the tooth for me. It won’t take long, I promise.’
‘Come on, Opposite, where’s your sense of adventure?’ Sooze’s eyes danced with mischief. ‘How often do you get a chance to stand in for a tooth fairy? It’ll be brilliant!’
‘So why don’t you do it?’ asked Twink, propping her hands on her hips.
‘Maybe I will,’ said Sooze thoughtfully. ‘We’ve all been getting far too sensible lately. It’s been ages since we sneaked out of school – and look what a beautiful night it is!’
Twink looked out of the open window. The moon was a bright, shining silver, and she could feel a mild breeze ruffling her hair. Excitement tickled across her wings. Sooze was right. It would be fun to sneak out and have an adventure.
‘All right – I will go!’ she decided all at once. ‘Why not?’
The little tooth fairy breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Right, then,’ she said, pulling Twink to one side. ‘Here’s what you need to know . . .’
In no time at all, Twink had slipped through the window and
was gliding through the summer night, with Glitterwings Academy growing smaller and smaller behind her. Sparkling stars blanketed the sky.
She banked to avoid a passing moth, and then did a mid-air twirl out of sheer joy. Oh, this was lovely! And she had the pleasure of knowing that she was helping Shadow out, too.
Hanging from her shoulder was a bag that the tooth fairy had given her, which had a coin in it to exchange for the human tooth. The little fairy had scowled when Twink asked her where she’d got it from.
‘Fountains,’ she’d said shortly. ‘Humans throw coins into them to make wishes, you know. So we tooth fairies scoop the coins out, and then swap them for teeth. Easy!’
Privately, Twink thought that it may have been easy, but it wasn’t very nice. Still, she supposed that the tooth fairies had to exchange something for the teeth they took – though why they collected them in the first place was a mystery to her!
Following the tooth fairy’s directions, Twink soon left the fields and woods behind and came to a street of human houses, dimly lit by street lamps. She hovered high overhead. Shadow had said it was the house on the end, and so it must be that one with the large garden.
Swooping down, Twink circled the house until she found an open window on the first floor, just as Shadow had described. Her heart thumping, Twink landed on the sill and peered into the room.
From the soft glow of a night light, she could see a bed with a sleeping human boy in it. His blond hair was tousled, and Twink smiled, remembering the human girl she’d once made friends with. Lindsay had had blonde hair, too.
Twink flew into the room. A parade of toys lined the shelves, and there was a lamp shaped like a racing car on the bedside table. Landing beside it, Twink suddenly saw that she’d touched down on a handwritten note. She squinted to make out the faint letters.
.
Dear Tooth Fairy,
Please would you collect my tooth, which I have left under my pillow for you. Thank you very, very much.
Fairy in Danger Page 2
