“Well, maybe she could,” Fawn said, sounding intrigued with the idea.
Silvermist was downright enthusiastic. “She’s right! She could!”
Iridessa wasn’t buying it. Even her glow looked unsure. “Well, I’ve never heard of someone switching talents before.”
Silvermist reconsidered. “She’s right! Me neither!”
“Look,” Tink pleaded. “You all do things that are beautiful, and magical, and important. But me …” Tink could tell she was starting to sound desperate. But, well, she was desperate! “There’s got to be more to my life than just pots and kettles. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance.”
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, Silvermist stepped forward and took Tink’s hand. “I’ll help you, Tinker Bell.”
Tink’s heart soared. “Oh, thank you, Sil!”
“Me too,” Fawn said. “Could be fun!”
Rosetta shrugged. “Well, there’s a first time for everything, I guess. What harm can come from trying?”
Iridessa was the last holdout. But Tinker Bell made her eyes so big and her smile so hopeful that Iridessa finally caved. “Okay. But I refuse to be held responsible for any calamities or catastrophes that result from this.”
Their first stop was Lilypad Pond, where a gentle stream ran through the grass-lined pool.
Silvermist and Tink flew over the area, with Fawn, Rosetta, and Iridessa right behind them.
Silvermist was trying to decide where to start. “For your first day of water-fairy training, I could show you how to make ripples in the pond …”
Tink nodded. “Okay!”
“Ooorrrr … I could teach you how to talk to the babbling brook.”
“That sounds fun, too!”
“Oh, oh, or … Wait wait wait! I’ve got it!” Silvermist somersaulted backward and hovered over a glistening spiderweb. “Dewdrops on spiderwebs!”
Tinker Bell hovered beside Silvermist. She was mesmerized by the web’s intricacy. Beautiful drops of dew clung to the delicate strands like jewels. “Ohhhhhh!” she exclaimed.
They gazed at the web together, and Silvermist wiped an admiring tear from her eye. Then she grabbed Tink’s arm, eager to get started. “Come on! I’ll show you how to do it!”
Fawn waved. “Good luck, Tink!”
Rosetta gave her a wink. “You can do it!”
Iridessa just stood there, obviously waiting for something awful to happen. Fawn and Rosetta gave her an expectant look. “Oh! Um, go … get ’em?” she tried. She still looked worried.
Silvermist led Tink to the edge of the pond. “Just cup your hands like this and reach into the water,” she said, lifting out a perfect dewdrop. She looked at Tink. “Okay, you’ve heard of a dewdrop … ?” she asked.
Tink nodded.
“This is a don’t drop,” Silvermist finished. Her face was serious, but a mischievous glint sparkled in her eye.
Tink just stared at her. Had Silvermist made a joke? Should she laugh? But she looked so serious!
“That’s water-fairy humor,” Silvermist said, smiling. Tink heaved a quiet sigh of relief.
Silvermist took her dewdrop and flew to the web, with Tink behind her. “Now, this part can be tricky because it takes a very steady, delicate hand to …” She carefully placed the drop on the web. The drop settled, clinging to the thin strand.
Silvermist stared at Tink’s empty hands. “Where’s your dewdrop?”
“Oh!” Tink giggled, embarrassed. She had been so busy watching Silvermist, she had forgotten to try it herself.
Tink flew back to the pond. Slowly and gently, she pulled up a beautiful sparkling drop. “Hey, I did—”
Pop!
The dewdrop burst like a water balloon in her hands. “Oops!”
Silvermist appeared beside her. “Shake that one off! Shake it off! You can do this!”
Tink tried again. She carefully pulled out another drop and began to fly toward the web.
Fawn cheered. “That’s it, Tink! You’re doing it! You—”
Pop!
The dewdrop burst again.
Tink blew out her breath, lifting her bangs off her forehead. This was harder than it looked. She dipped her hands back into the water.
“Now, Tink,” Silvermist began, “try to—”
Pop!
“No, no, sweetie,” Silvermist tried again. “You need to—”
Pop!
“Well, maybe if you—”
Pop!
The other fairies winced as Tink failed again and again. They watched her flit back and forth, trying to get each dewdrop to the spiderweb before it burst.
“Well, you have to admire her persistence,” Iridessa said grimly.
Tink was so frustrated that she wanted to scream. But she refused to give up. She lifted another drop—a huge one. But instead of trying to carry it, she heaved it toward the web, hoping it would stick before it could burst.
Silvermist, Iridessa, Fawn, and Rosetta watched the giant drop fly through the air and land smack-dab in the middle of the web with a satisfyingly wet splort!
But instead of sticking to the web, it bounced off and flew toward Silvermist and the other fairies. SPLAT! The dewdrop burst with so much force, it soaked all four of them and knocked Silvermist flat on her back.
Tink hurried to help Silvermist to her feet. She was sorry her friends had gotten wet, but at least she was making some progress. The dewdrop had been on the web, if only for a second! “Should I get another dewdrop?” she asked.
Silvermist shook the water off her wings. Her eyes darted around, finally resting on Iridessa. “You know, Tink,” Silvermist said brightly, “you always struck me as a light fairy kind of gal.”
Iridessa winced.
Tink knew that Iridessa didn’t think her plan was so great, but she still felt optimistic.
Tink smiled happily, determined to ignore the fact that Iridessa was definitely not smiling back.
Meanwhile, at Tinkers’ Nook, a tall pile of acorn pails waiting for handles grew higher and higher on Tinker Bell’s worktable.
The nature fairies would need every bucket, pail, and basket they could get their hands on. Clank and Bobble worked at a feverish pace. Clank was busy assembling the bodies of the pails and putting them on Tink’s worktable so that she could make the handles. Bobble was weaving grass baskets.
It was hard work. Noisy, too. Clank grabbed a couple of wads of flower fluff and stuffed them into his ears. Then he cheerfully began to chop the tops off acorns to make pails. CHOP! WHAP! CHOP! WHAP! CHOP! WHAP!
Bobble continued to weave dainty blades of grass into baskets. He glanced over at Tink’s table. “Have you seen Tink?” he shouted at Clank.
“No, thank you. Not thirsty!” Clank yelled back.
CHOP! WHAP! CHOP! WHAP! CHOP! WHAP!
“Not ‘drink’!” Bobble yelled over the noise. “Tink!”
“Pink? I like purple m’self!” CHOP! WHAP! CHOP! WHAP! CHOP! WHAP!
“Tink!” Bobble bellowed in exasperation. “Have you seen Tink?”
Clank stopped, smelled his armpits, and scowled at Bobble. “I do not stink! Maybe it’s you.”
Clank finished his chopping and pulled the fluff from his ears. He looked over at Tink’s worktable and noticed the growing pile of pails to be mended. “Hey, have you seen Tink?” he asked Bobble.
Bobble fought the urge to strangle him and shook his head.
A worried look fell across Clank’s face. “Fairy Mary is going to be cross.”
Bobble nodded. “Aye, Clank. We’d better take some of this off Miss Bell’s plate.”
“All right, then.”
They flew over to Tink’s table. Bobble took a pail from the top of the pile just as Clank pulled one from the bottom.
“No, no, no!” Bobble cried. “Wait, wai—”
But it was too late.
CRASH!
The entire pile came sliding down. Bobble’s and Clank’s tidy workt
ables were now covered with mountains of unmended pails.
Unfortunately, Fairy Mary chose that very moment to come flying in.
“Will you two stop mucking about!”
Bobble and Clank each pointed a greasy finger at the other, hoping to escape a scolding. But Fairy Mary’s eagle eyes were on Tink’s table, which was now completely clear. “I see Tinker Bell has gotten her work done … mysteriously. Where is she, anyway?”
Bobble exchanged a nervous look with Clank and they both began talking at once.
“Well, see, she’s ah … ,” Bobble babbled.
Clank talked right over him. “She … um … she went with Cheese to, uh …”
But Cheese was in the corner of the workshop, and when he heard his name, he came right over. He clearly hadn’t gone anywhere with anyone.
Fairy Mary’s eyes narrowed.
Bobble worked desperately to save the situation. “Uhhhh … What Clank means is that she went to get cheese for the mouse because, um, he was whining.”
Clank, quick to catch on for once, hurried to back up the story. “Like a baby,” he added. The two fairies giggled nervously.
Fairy Mary gave them a long stare that let them know they weren’t fooling her. Then she took off.
Bobble let out a sigh of relief. Fairy Mary had let them—and Tinker Bell—off the hook this time.
Next time?
Well … Fairy Mary wasn’t the most forgiving fairy in Never Land.
Bobble hoped Tinker Bell would come back and start tinkering again soon.
They needed her.
Tink was happily unaware of the trouble back at the workshop. She was following Iridessa over a meadow full of sunflowers. Several light fairies played jump rope with a beam of light. Others used their glow to create butterfly-shaped shadow puppets.
“Okay, what can I teach you?” Iridessa wondered aloud. “I know! Follow me.” She grabbed a bucket from a pile and handed it to Tink. Iridessa gestured at the setting sun. “The last light of day. It’s the richest kind of all!”
The beautiful sun set slowly, and the light fairies held their buckets at the ready. Tink could sense their excitement.
“Wait for it. Wait for it,” Iridessa cautioned. A streak of warm pink spread across the sky. “Okay … aaaaaannd … NOW!”
Beams of golden sunlight cascaded down over them. Iridessa cupped her hands to catch the light as Tink held up her bucket.
When Tinker Bell looked down to examine her catch, the bucket was empty.
Iridessa poured some light from her hands into Tink’s bucket. It swirled, glimmering like gold. “Incredible!” Tink exclaimed.
“That’s just step one,” Iridessa said. She finally seemed to be enjoying herself. “Now for the fun part.” She led Tink back to the sunflowers. When they reached one particular patch, Iridessa whistled.
Dozens of fireflies with unlit tails were sleeping beneath the sunflowers. But when Iridessa whistled, they woke up. They zigged and zagged around Iridessa and Tink like frisky puppies.
“Okay, okay!” Iridessa reached into Tink’s bucket and pulled out some light. The fireflies bounced up and down. Iridessa tossed the light gently into the air and a few fireflies gleefully darted through it to illuminate themselves.
Several unlit fireflies hovered at Tink’s feet. They looked up with big, expectant eyes. Tink reached into the bucket and pulled out … nothing.
The fireflies whimpered.
Tink felt almost as disappointed as they looked.
Okay. It was time to try harder.
Tink took a deep breath. She reached into the bucket again, concentrating as hard as she possibly could. When she was sure she had a handful of light, she whipped out her fingers and threw … nothing! The fireflies darted off, searching for the light. They returned looking even sadder.
Tink gritted her teeth. Her face contorted into a terrible grimace. She reached into the bucket with so much fury that the fireflies were frightened. They began to slink away.
“STAY!” Tinker Bell snapped. The fireflies froze. “Here, Tink,” Iridessa said in a calming voice. “Let me.” She reached for the bucket.
Tink held it away. “No! I almost got it.” She just needed a little more practice. A little more time.
Iridessa tried again. “If I just get you started …”
Tinker Bell’s fingers ached from the effort. “AAARGH! This is impossible!” She angrily threw the bucket to the ground.
Bang!
Streaks of golden light shot out in every direction.
“LOOK OUT!” Iridessa shrieked.
The fireflies snapped into action, chasing after the light while all the light fairies ducked for cover.
One beam ricocheted off a rock and then came careening back. It hit Tink square in the backside. “Oh, no!” she cried.
Tink peeked at her behind. It glowed as brightly as the rear end of a firefly. How absolutely mortifying!
The fireflies stopped and stared. Then every single one of them zoomed straight toward Tink, clearly thinking she was the biggest, prettiest firefly they had ever seen.
Tinker Bell flapped her wings and flew as fast as she could, trying to escape the lovesick swarm.
“Fly, Tink, fly!” Iridessa yelled.
“We’ll save you, Tink!” Fawn shouted.
But Tink couldn’t wait for help. The last thing she heard as she sped away was Rosetta shouting, “Cover your tushieeeeeeeee!”
By the next morning, the glow had worn off Tink’s backside. Her happy optimism had worn away, too.
She sat in the workshop feeling glum while Clank and Bobble worked and murmured their song.
“Fiddle and fix, craft and create—”
“—carve acorn buckets, to hold flower paint.”
“When preparing for spring, we do all this and more.”
“Yes, being a tinker is never a bore!”
Tinker Bell was too unhappy to join in. She let out a long sigh as she did her best to mend a kettle.
Fairy Mary came flying over and landed next to Tink. “I’d like a word with you,” she said.
Tink tried not to look as guilty as she felt. “Fairy Mary!” she cried in a casual, breezy tone, as if she were just the fairy she had been hoping to meet. “See, I was on my deliveries,” she improvised, “and … uh … It’s actually kind of a funny story… .”
“Save it,” Fairy Mary snapped. “I know what you’ve been up to, missy!”
Tinker Bell froze.
“And I had such high hopes for you.” Fairy Mary looked genuinely disappointed. As she flew away, Tink began to feel even worse. She was just trying to be the best fairy she could be. So why did Fairy Mary have to make her feel so guilty about it?
Tinker Bell glared at the litter of pots and pans on her worktable.
“You’d do well to listen to her, Miss Bell,” Bobble said.
“Why?” Tinker Bell demanded bitterly. “So I can do this my whole life? I don’t want to be just a—a—stupid tinker.”
Clank and Bobble looked shocked … and hurt.
Tink saw their stricken faces and began to stutter an apology, trying to take the words back. “I—I didn’t mean …”
But the damage was done. Both of them stared at her with sad eyes.
Clank and Bobble silently returned to their work.
“I … I have to go,” she said to their stiff backs.
Tinker Bell bolted out the window. She would make it up to them later, she told herself. She didn’t know how exactly, but she would figure it out.
Right now she had more important things to do.
And Fawn was waiting.
By the time Tink arrived at Pine Tree Grove, the animal fairies were hard at work. Tink watched as Fawn coaxed a baby bird to fly for the very first time.
After a few minutes of petting and reassurance from Fawn, the little bird stepped up to the edge of the nest and took the plunge. He flew clumsily but happily. Fawn followed behind, calling out cheerful enc
ouragements.
Scout fairies in their pinecone watchtowers scanned the skies with leaf-and-dewdrop binoculars, ready to sound a warning at the first hint of danger.
Tink flew over to join Fawn, who gave her a smile. “Hey, Tink! You ready?”
“I’m a little nervous, actually,” Tink admitted.
Fawn laughed. “Oh, don’t be silly. You’ll be fine. We’re teaching baby birds how to fly.”
Fawn led Tink back to the nest. Another hatchling watched them with big eyes. “First, you have to get their attention,” Fawn explained. “Then smile, and establish trust.” Fawn gave the bird a sweet grin and a pat on the head. “See?”
The tiny chick twittered bashfully and hopped up to get a better look at Fawn.
“Okay,” Fawn said to the little bird. “Flap your wings. That’s right. Up and down. Up and down. Like this.” Fawn flapped her wings, and the baby bird flapped his, mimicking her.
Fawn applauded. “That’s the way. Now faster, faster. That’s right!”
The little bird began to rise into the air.
“Yes! You’re doing it! Okay, come out this way a bit.” Little by little, Fawn coaxed the bird forward. When he looked down and realized he was in the air, he began to drop, but Fawn skillfully boosted him back up. “Oops! You’re okay! You’re okay!”
The bird grew more confident but dipped again. Fawn stayed right behind him. “Keep flapping. Just keep flapping!” she cried. “Why don’t you help that last little guy?” she shouted to Tink.
Tink looked into the nest and spotted a tiny chick hunkered down low. He was clearly hoping not to be seen. “Smile and establish trust,” Tink reminded herself.
She gave him a big grin. Too big, maybe. Instead of a friendly cheep, the baby bird greeted her with a terrified squawk.
Tinker Bell tried not to take it personally. “Hey, little fellow. You want to do some flap-flap today?”
The bird shook his head.
“Oh, sure you do!” Tink said brightly. “All you do is just flap your wings, like this.” Tinker Bell began to rise, hoping the little bird would follow along. But when she looked down to check his progress, he was hiding behind the shards of his eggshell.
Tinker Bell Junior Novel Page 4
