The Fairy Swarm
Page 10
Dr. Emerald Woo stood before Pearl and Ben, her long black hair blowing gracefully as the Portal waited to carry her away. “You are the best apprentices I’ve ever had,” she said. Then she pulled two rolled certificates from her lab coat pocket. Each was tied with a ribbon. “I want you to have these. And these, too.” She opened her medical satchel and pulled out their lab coats and time cards.
“Why are you giving us these?” Pearl asked.
“Because you may need them again.”
“Really?” Ben asked.
“Does that mean…?” Pearl bounced on her toes. “Does that mean…?”
“It means that I would hate to lose the best apprentices I’ve ever had.” She pulled them both into a hug. “Our paths shall cross again.” She let them go. The hem of her lab coat rippled as she slipped away.
Pearl and Ben waved until their arms grew heavy. The Portal disappeared. The fairy dust settled. All was quiet.
Except for the shouting. And the sound of an approaching siren.
Pearl, Ben, and Mr. Tabby leaned out the window. Victoria had apparently pressed the relocation button, because Maximus Steele was free. He’d climbed into the driver’s seat of the truck. Mrs. Mulberry and Victoria pounded on the door.
“Who are you? Do you know Dr. Woo?” Mrs. Mulberry demanded.
“Where’s the dragon?” Victoria cried.
The truck’s engine started. Gravel spewed out from under the wheels as Maximus stepped on the gas.
“Hey! That’s my truck!” Bug Guy hollered. He’d run all the way from town and was leaning against the open gate, trying to catch his breath. The truck barreled down the driveway and onto the road.
Officer Milly’s police car did a 180-degree turn and followed the truck. Bug Guy started running again. “Hey! Come back here!”
“Hope that’s the last we see of Maximus,” Ben said as the truck disappeared around the bend.
Despite her sadness, Pearl snickered. “Maybe he’ll become an exterminator.”
“It seems the perfect fit for him,” Mr. Tabby said with a sneer. Then he picked up the only suitcase that remained, and the former apprentices followed him downstairs. They reached the lobby just as Mrs. Mulberry and Victoria barged inside.
“I know that dragon lives on the roof!” Victoria said. “And we’re going to find him!”
“Lead the way, Victoria,” her mother told her. They pushed between Pearl and Ben, heading for the elevator. “I knew we’d get inside Dr. Woo’s hospital. It was only a matter of time. We Mulberrys always get what we want!”
“Indeed,” Mr. Tabby said. “But do you get what you deserve?”
The elevator doors opened, and Victoria and her mother squeezed inside. “Push that button. And that button,” Mrs. Mulberry ordered. “We’ll find that dragon!”
Pearl and Ben watched as the elevator doors closed. So much energy had been spent trying to keep the Mulberrys from entering the hospital, and now they were about to explore every inch. But it didn’t matter. There were no secrets to uncover. The Portal was gone. Everyone was gone. Pearl sighed.
Mr. Tabby opened a closet and removed a travel cloak, which he put on, and a hat.
“Where will you go?” Ben asked.
“I do not yet know. But I will find a new hospital for Dr. Woo. It may take days. It may take months.” He patted his vest pocket, where the top of a glass vial peeked out. It was full of glittery yellow dust. “When all is ready, I will summon her.”
He led them down the driveway, where a taxi was waiting. The driver opened the trunk and placed the suitcase inside. Mr. Tabby set his hat onto his head. Then he looked down at Pearl and Ben. “Despite the fact that I do not like training human apprentices, and that you two broke more rules than I choose to count, it has not been an entirely unpleasant experience. In fact, I would not object if Dr. Woo decides to work with you again.” His nose twitched. “Do I detect the odor of sadness?”
Pearl frowned. “Sadness doesn’t smell.”
“Of course it does. And right now, young lady, you stink. So cheer up. Dr. Woo will return.”
Then, without further ado, he slipped into the taxi. Pearl and Ben stood on the sidewalk, watching until the taxi disappeared around the bend. Pearl sniffed her shirt. “I don’t really stink, do I?”
“No,” Ben said. “But I feel sad, too.”
Pearl grabbed the sign that was hanging from the gate.
“I’m going to keep this as a souvenir.”
Slowly, they started walking back toward town. Ben slung his lab coat over his shoulder. “Do you really think we’ll see her again?” he asked.
“I sure hope so. Dr. Woo said we’re the best apprentices she’s ever had.”
He shrugged. “Maybe she was just saying that to make us feel better.”
“No way. We are the best. Look at all the things we did. We sneaked the sasquatch out of the senior center. We helped the lake monster feel less lonely, and we rescued Cobblestone from Button Island. We fixed the rain dragon’s wound and helped her get a new horn. We saved the unicorn foal, and we cured Dr. Woo and the others of Troll Tonsillitis. Seriously, we’re amazing.”
“You’re right,” he said. “But what about everyone in town? They’re going to blame you for the killer bees. They’re going to call you a troublemaker.”
“Who cares what they call me?” Pearl said. “I’m proud of myself. I’m proud of us.”
“I’m proud of us, too.” Ben bounced the tennis ball as they walked.
The Town Hall bell began to chime. As Pearl and Ben walked down the street, people emerged from their houses. The shopkeepers opened their doors. And everyone began to talk about the odd events of the day. The air filled with questions.
Pearl, however, had only one question on her mind. Her stomach had been growling something fierce. “Want to go to the diner and get something to eat?” she asked Ben.
“Yes. But—”
They looked at each other and, at the same time, said, “No sugar!”
SMALL TOWN GETS UNEXPECTED VISITOR
Not much happens in the rundown town of Buttonville. But last week, a handful of locals swear they saw an unusual creature running up the street.
“It was a dragon,” Mrs. Martha Mulberry said. As the president of the Buttonville Welcome Wagon Committee, Mrs. Mulberry says it’s her job to greet all newcomers when they come to town. “I tried to talk to it, but the nasty thing spat fire at me.”
“I’m an expert on vermin,” Bug Guy said. He works as an exterminator. “And that was the biggest pest I’ve ever seen. It was definitely a dragon.”
Since the sighting, Buttonville has been flooded with tourists. “That dragon is the best thing that ever happened to this town,” said Mr. and Mrs. Petal, owners of the local Dollar Store. “We can barely keep our shelves stocked. The tourists are buying so much stuff.”
But others are skeptical. “Dragons aren’t real,” said a boy named Ben Silverstein. “You’d have to be a little bit crazy to believe in dragons.”
“They are real,” said a girl named Victoria Mulberry. “And I’m going to prove it.”
“She’s been sitting on the roof every night with her camera,” Mrs. Mulberry said about her daughter. “When that dragon flies by, she’ll get a photo. And then everyone will see that we’re not crazy.”
“Yeah, but every time I get up there, someone takes the ladder away,” Victoria said. “I bet it’s that Pearl Petal. She’s a troublemaker!”
Pearl Petal was busy with chores and could not be reached for comment.
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CREATURE CONNECTION
Killer Bees
Unfortunately, killer bees do not come from the Imaginary World. They are very real and can be quite dangerous.
Back in 1956, some scientists brought southern African bees to South America in an attempt to breed a better honeybee. They thought the southern African bees wo
uld be a good choice because they eat nectar and pollen, and make honey. But this experiment went awry. The African bees escaped quarantine, bred with local bees, and started a new, aggressive species that quickly spread throughout South and Central America.
These bees are called killer bees because they sometimes attack animals and people who stray into their territory. Their venom isn’t more toxic than regular honeybees’, but they attack in large numbers, and that is what makes them dangerous. And they can stay on the attack for up to twenty-four hours, making it difficult for their victim to escape!
It didn’t take long for these bees to migrate beyond South and Central America. In 1990, a swarm of killer bees was found in Texas.
While they are dangerous to humans and animals, killer bees also pose a threat to honey production. As they spread to new territories, they breed with native bees, thus increasing the population of aggressive bees. Aggressive bees are difficult to farm for honey.
It seems that in our attempt to make a new type of bee, we messed things up. But hopefully, in the near future, we will find a better way to deal with these creatures.
STORY IDEAS
Pretend you are a scientist. You want to make a better ladybug. Ladybugs are very helpful to farmers because they eat aphids—bad bugs that destroy crops. You bring in a special bug from a faraway land to breed with local ladybugs, hoping to make them bigger so they can eat more aphids. But the result is not what you expected. What happens?
Imagine that you and your best friend are walking in the woods, and suddenly you hear a buzzing noise. You turn to find a swarm of killer bees coming right at you! What do you do? Can you find a place to hide? How do you survive?
ART IDEA
Can you create a new insect? Use this handy list and combine two or more to create your new bug. Feel free to add more bugs to the list.
beetle
bumblebee
butterfly
cockroach
flea
housefly
ladybug
mosquito
ant
wasp
hornet
SCIENCE CONNECTION
Why Do Bee Stings Hurt?
Has this ever happened to you? It’s a lovely summer day, you’re walking barefoot in the grass, and suddenly your toe feels like it’s on fire?
Well, you’ve probably just stepped on a bee.
Not all bees have stingers, but those that do use them as a protection device. The stinger is filled with a substance called venom. The bees use the venom to subdue enemies.
In most cases, the sting is annoying and hurts for a little bit. There’s a red welt and a white spot where the stinger entered the skin. When you pull out the stinger with tweezers or your fingernails, you’ll probably start to feel better.
But in some cases, the sting is life-threatening. Some people are allergic to bee stings, and when stung, they have an allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This means that the tongue and the throat begin to swell, making it difficult to breathe. Treatment is needed right away.
How does this happen?
Bee venom is able to destroy cells. When a person gets stung by a bee, the body releases histamine, which helps our immune cells reach the sting faster and begin the healing process. But for people who are allergic to bee stings, too much histamine is released and the body’s reaction is extreme. People with bee-sting allergies often carry emergency medicine, to be on the safe side.
If you don’t have an allergy to bees, don’t be afraid to walk barefoot—it’s one of the lovely joys in life. But it’s always a good idea to check the grass and make sure that you’re not stepping in an area where bees are collecting pollen.
CREATIVITY CONNECTION
Create a Fairy
In The Fairy Swarm, Mr. Tabby told Pearl and Ben that there are many kinds of fairies. Sugar fairies eat anything sweet. Burrowing fairies live underground. Bat fairies sleep upside down. Worker fairies do manual labor.
Using art supplies of your choosing, can you draw one of these fairies or make up your own sort of fairy? Imagine its clothes, its hair, and its wings. Does it live in a nest, a mushroom house, or a hole? Does it go barefoot or wear shoes?
Have fun!
CREATIVE WRITING CONNECTION
Ben and Pearl are done with their apprenticeships for the time being, but they have great hope that a day will come when they’ll be reunited with Dr. Woo.
But what if Dr. Woo needs another apprentice, and what if that person is you?
It’s your turn to write the story. Tell us all about the day when you discover that you’ve been chosen to be Dr. Woo’s next apprentice.
A SPECIAL THANK-YOU TO MY READERS
I’ve loved writing this series. It’s been so much fun exploring Buttonville and the old button factory. Ben, Pearl, Dr. Woo, and Mr. Tabby have all found a very special place in my heart. And Metalmouth is the kind of puppy that I would love to play fetch with.
When an author creates characters and spends years with them, as I have with this series, the characters become a part of the author’s being. And although I’ll move on to other stories, my characters will stay with me forever. After all, I breathed life into each and every one of them.
But so have you. You have also breathed life into my characters, because you’ve spent time with them, and thus, they’ve become a part of your being as well. And I hope that as you grow up, you will always remember Ben and Pearl, and the lovely time you all shared together.
Happy reading to you, dear friends, in both the Known and Imaginary Worlds.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Wow, this has been one of the best projects I’ve ever worked on, and I couldn’t have done it without a remarkably creative team. Julie Scheina began this project with me, then gracefully passed the crown to Pam Garfinkel, who has been an amazing editor—thoughtful, respectful, and supportive. Christine Ma is the best copy editor in the world. And to the rest of the Little, Brown team, Victoria Stapleton, Alvina Ling, Sasha Illingworth, Marisa Finkelstein, Kristina Aven, Jenny Choy, Emilie Polster, Adrian Palacios, Renée Gelman, Rebecca Westall, Kristin Dulaney, Dave Epstein, Shawn Foster, Andrew Smith, and Megan Tingley, thank you.
Dan Santat never let this series down. His illustrations were always a joy to behold, and I’m so grateful to him. Michael Bourret, you know all the reasons why I’m crazy about you.
And to Bob, Walker, and Isabelle, you are the fairy dust in my world. You three inspire me to do my best and to keep stepping through that portal into Imaginary Worlds. And then to come back home again. I love you.
ALSO BY SUZANNE SELFORS:
The Imaginary Veterinary Series
The Sasquatch Escape
The Lonely Lake Monster
The Rain Dragon Rescue
The Order of the Unicorn
The Griffin’s Riddle
The Fairy Swarm
Ever After High
Next Top Villain
General Villainy: A Destiny Do-Over Diary
Kiss and Spell
Science and Sorcery: A Destiny Do-Over Diary
A Semi-Charming Kind of Life
Hero Training: A Destiny Do-Over Diary
The Smells Like Dog Series
Smells Like Dog
Smells Like Treasure
Smells Like Pirates
To Catch a Mermaid
Fortune’s Magic Farm
COVER
TITLE PAGE
WELCOME
DEDICATION
MAP
CHAPTER 1: Sweetness and Light
CHAPTER 2: Queen Bee
CHAPTER 3: Another Secret
CHAPTER 4: No One Home
CHAPTER 5: Fairy-Sitting
CHAPTER 6: The Red-Eye Flight
CHAPTER 7: A Fairy Bite
CHAPTER 8: The Found Apprentice
CHAPTER 9: Furry Hands
CHAPTER 10: The First Class Fairy Lounge
CHAPTER 11: Shooting Sugar Stars
CHAPTER 13: Shelter for a Dollar
CHAPTER 14: Ghost Town
CHAPTER 15: The Vacuumator
CHAPTER 16: Cat at the Wheel
CHAPTER 17: Moving Day
CHAPTER 18: A Steele Trap
CHAPTER 19: The Fourth Prong
CHAPTER 20: Good-byes
PUT YOUR IMAGINATION TO THE TEST
CREATURE CONNECTION
SCIENCE CONNECTION
CREATIVITY CONNECTION
CREATIVE WRITING CONNECTION
A SPECIAL THANK-YOU TO MY READERS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ALSO BY SUZANNE SELFORS
COPYRIGHT
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Text copyright © 2015 by Suzanne Selfors
Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Dan Santat
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Little, Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group