Trinity's Book

by Jan Bozarth

  As I dressed and fixed my hair, I was happy and sad. I was elated about rescuing the little queen and devastated about losing Moa. I would miss them and all the other new friends I had made in Aventurine.

  Still, I smiled as I stepped outside. The new queen and I had the same birthday, and it was time to celebrate.

  Two fairies were waiting outside the cottage. They both wore gossamer gowns with sparkling dewdrop accents and flowered wreaths on their heads.

  “Come on, Trinity!” the fairy in pink said, rising off the ground and waving for me to follow.

  “Everyone is asking for you!” The second fairy hovered on wings that fluttered with excitement.

  “Then let’s rattle our dags!” I exclaimed, slipping into Kiwi slang.

  The two fairies looked at me with perplexed expressions.

  “Let’s get moving!” I clarified.

  They both giggled and swept off down the path.

  I had to walk fast to keep up with the gliding fairies. I thought about flying with them, but I didn’t have perfect control yet. One stray branch could snag and ruin my dress as quickly as the cloud rocks had destroyed my kite.

  The last rays of the setting sun played off the trees as we hurried through the village of quaint houses. Not a single fairy was in sight. Even the path that followed the meandering creek through the woods was deserted.

  When we reached the edge of the ceremonial clearing, I paused. The rest of the Willowood was empty because everyone was here. The queens and hundreds of fairies from all the clans had gathered for the naming of Queen Patchouli’s infant successor.

  “Don’t dawdle!” the pink fairy teased. “Everyone wants to meet you!”

  I gasped. “Me?”

  “You’re the fairy-godmother-in-training who survived the Cantigo Uplands and saved the future Queen of Aventurine!” the second fairy exclaimed.

  I wasn’t shy, but I had never been a celebrity at a major event before. I froze, stricken with stage fright.

  “Queen Patchouli is waiting,” the pink fairy said. “She won’t start the naming ceremony without you.”

  Get over it, Trinity! I scolded myself, then took three deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

  “Lead the way,” I said with a smile.

  The grassy glade was brightly lit by torches and dancing fireflies. Baskets heaped with food sat on giant toadstool tables, and lemonade flowed from crystal fountains. Garlands of ferns and flowers hung from the trees, and fairies wearing more colors than crayons gathered in kaleidoscopic clusters. Rabbits, squirrels, deer, foxes, and other forest animals wandered everywhere, accepting pats and tidbits from the fairies.

  A group of fairies played music on flutes, gourd drums, and delicate stringed sticks, and a choir that included Queen Honorae sang in sweet, melodious voices. Queen Tensy and other Gold Dancers performed a graceful ballet. When the music suddenly became more energetic, Queen Mangi and the stone fairies leaped, hovered, and twirled using colored Kalis sticks as batons.

  The Curipoo would love this! I thought with a smile. Their Irish jigs and do-si-dos would fit right in.

  “Hi, Trinity!” Queen Blanca came abreast of me and skipped to keep pace. She wore a lacy white dress, and an entourage of small crystal ponies followed her. “If you have time later, will you tell us about the great tree?”

  “I’ll make time, Queen Blanca,” I said.

  “Goodie! I love stories.” The young queen clapped her hands and ran off to join Mama Cocha and Queen Alaina by a huge basket of berries, apples, and figs.

  Just beyond them, Queen Patchouli sat on a raised stone platform under an awning of braided willow branches. The baby was in her arms and a big bird that couldn’t fly stood by her side.

  “Moa!” I ran the rest of the way and leaped onto the platform. I threw my arms around the bird’s short neck. “You’re alive!”

  “I’m too tough to die,” the bird said, fluffing his feathers.

  “What happened?” I asked, rising to my feet.

  “The guards caught me,” the bird said with a sigh. “Then the king officially banished me from the Cantigo Uplands and had his guards push me off the Long-Way-Down Peninsula.” He paused, looking bewildered. “There’s no tree under that spot.”

  I gasped. “How did you get here?”

  “I don’t know,” the bird said.

  I glanced at Queen Patchouli. She just rocked the baby and smiled.

  I smiled back. Sometimes magic works and that’s all you need to know.

  “By the way, you were right,” I told Moa. “I can fly!”

  “I always knew you had it in you.” Moa nodded his head and then motioned toward the tables loaded with food. “Can we eat now?”

  “After the ceremony,” I said.

  Queen Patchouli motioned for Moa and me to stand beside her. Then she raised her hand, silencing the fairies as they gathered before her. The sea of color parted as the queens moved forward.

  The blue Queen Marla guided the blind Queen Carmina, who seemed to glow. Queen Blanca stood in front of Mama Cocha, jiggling with impatience until the older queen placed gentle, calming hands on her shoulders. Queens Mangi, Honorae, and Tensy made an unlikely trio in delicate yellow, black leather, and gold. Queen Kumari gleamed in silver, and Queen Alaina’s kimono shimmered with all the creatures of the worlds.

  My mother had only met Queen Patchouli. I couldn’t wait to tell her about all the rest.

  A hush fell over the glade. Even the crickets were quiet as Queen Patchouli moved to the edge of the platform.

  “A new Queen of Aventurine has been born.” Queen Patchouli’s voice, as steady and strong as her reign, rang through the clearing and the surrounding woods. “Born of mist and made solid by the Ananya fairy godmother lineage, she is now of the Willowood and awaits your blessings.”

  One by one, the clan queens came forward to welcome the baby and present their gifts.

  The statuesque Queen Mangi of the warrior clan held up a small golden stick. “With this Kalis stick, the stone fairies wish you the joy of dancing and pledge to defend you, the Willowood, and all of Aventurine.” Her small wings fluttered as she placed the Kalis stick in the large basket at Queen Patchouli’s feet.

  Queen Marla helped Queen Carmina onto the stone platform. After dropping a string of blue pearls in the basket, she stepped back to wait.

  The queen with the pearly eyes placed her hand on the baby’s head. “I will comfort you and soothe you if you should ever hurt, but my blessing is the hope that nothing ever does.”

  The baby gurgled, innocent and unaware of the great trials and responsibilities that lay ahead. I hoped such things wouldn’t matter in her life for a very long time. Even fairy queens deserved to be kids, at least for a while.

  Queen Kumari carried a plate with a single cupcake. She placed a tiny dollop of icing on the baby’s lips. “May the sweet and beautiful things in your life abound and may the bitter be scarce.”

  The new queen, liking the icing and wanting more, started to cry when the silvery queen set down the cupcake and stepped aside. Queen Patchouli tried to quiet her, but the sobs didn’t stop until the baby was distracted by the plants and animals living in Queen Alaina’s kimono.

  “May you bend like the willow in the wind and flow with the tide in a storm, never to be broken,” Queen Alaina said.

  Moa shifted from one foot to the other as the blessings and presentations continued. My stomach grumbled, but no one seemed to hear.

  Queen Blanca and Mama Cocha came forward together.

  “You will always have ponies to ride, to keep you company, and to wisely advise,” the little girl said.

  “And whales to teach you the ways of the sea,” the older fairy added.

  As Queen Blanca started to leave, she turned back and whispered, “Ponies like to play, too!”

  Queen Tensy and Queen Honorae were last.

  “May your step through the world always be light,” the golden queen said.


  “And may your voice always ring clear,” Queen Honorae sang.

  Then finally, when I thought I was going to faint from hunger, the big moment arrived.

  Queen Patchouli held the baby up for all to see. “From this moment on and forever, you will be known as Asa, young Queen of the Willowood Fairies and all of Aventurine.”

  The sounds of celebration erupted in the clearing. Fairies cheered and cried with joy. They danced to the beat of drums, chanted, and sang songs to the elements, wishing good health and good fortune for all.

  “Can we eat now?” Moa asked again.

  “Yes, and have fun!” Queen Patchouli shooed us away. The baby, exhausted after a very long and trying naming ceremony, was asleep in her arms. She gently placed Asa in a woven willow branch cradle.

  “Do they have any tasty leaves?” Moa asked.

  “Let’s go find out,” I said.

  In the interest of good manners, I filled two plates with honey cakes, dried fruit, buttered apple-nut bread, cupcakes, berries, and flower salad—one for Moa and one for me. Moa didn’t want to offend anyone by taking things out of serving bowls with his beak. Then we joined Queen Blanca and the ponies.

  The young queen and I sat on toadstools, holding our plates on our laps. I put Moa’s plate on a big rock, and he nibbled standing up. The ponies grazed, and in between bites, I gave them a detailed account of the beings and creatures I had met on the giant tree.

  “Queen Patchouli should have invited your Curipoo friends,” Queen Blanca said. “They like to have fun.”

  “Yes, but they don’t like to leave the tree,” I said.

  “Was meeting Jango and Targa the best part of your mission?” Queen Blanca asked.

  “No,” Moa said, ruffling his feathers. “The best part was meeting me.”

  “Yes, absolutely,” I said. “Meeting Moa and holding the baby queen for the first time.”

  After we ate, we wandered over to the fountains. I drank two glasses of lemonade and filled a glass with water for Moa. Then we joined the musical fairies. They were singing a simple song and Queen Honorae encouraged us to join in.

  “You have a very pleasant voice, Trinity,” the queen complimented me, but she was too polite to be honest with Moa.

  I giggled. I couldn’t help it. King Shyne had turned Moa into a bird that couldn’t fly and that couldn’t sing, either. His off-key warble was hysterical.

  “Is my singing really that funny?” Moa asked, pretending to be annoyed.

  “It’s almost as funny as my Haka war dance,” I said.

  Queen Tensy heard the word dance and turned around. “I’d love to see it!”

  I could not refuse a queen’s request.

  “Maori warriors danced the Haka to prepare for a fight,” I explained.

  I spread my feet, bent my knees, and thumped my heels repeatedly to keep a beat. I shook my fists, slapped my chest and arms, and chanted. My version of the fierce ritual didn’t scare the fairies, either. Like the Curipoo, they thought it was hilarious.

  When the party began to wind down, Queen Patchouli stood up to make another announcement. A tense hush fell over the crowd.

  “Every now and then, someone provides an invaluable, selfless service to fairies and Aventurine that must be acknowledged and rewarded,” Queen Patchouli said. “Tonight, in gratitude for everything he did to help Trinity bring Asa home, I humbly honor Moa and grant him his fondest wish.”

  “Is she talking about me?” Moa asked.

  “You’re the only Moa I know,” I said. “She’s given you a wish!”

  “Would you like to be a mist person again, Moa?” Queen Patchouli asked.

  The bird shook his head. “No. I can’t return to the Cantigo Uplands, and as a mist person, I’d be alone down here.”

  “There must be something you want,” I said.

  Moa hesitated, but only for a moment. “I want wings so I can fly,” he said softly. “Then I can live with the other birds Trinity saved on the tree.”

  “That would be nice,” I said.

  “So be it.” Queen Patchouli closed her eyes and raised her arms.

  Feather and wind,

  Wing and sky,

  This noble bird can fly!

  I stared, transfixed as the wingless bird grew wings. He was still, however, the same goofy Moa I had grown to love.

  “Wow! Look at me!” Moa flapped his new wings, rose a few feet, and dove headfirst into the grass. “Guess I need to practice.”

  “I guess.” I grinned and went to sit with Queen Patchouli under a large willow. She was holding the baby again. “Asa didn’t sleep very long.”

  “Babies sleep when they want,” Queen Patchouli said. “And fairy babies develop faster than humans so they don’t sleep as much. Would you like to hold her again?”

  “Yes, thank you.” I took the baby in my arms and stared into her big blue eyes. “You’re so cute! I can’t believe you’ll be in charge of all this someday.”

  Asa giggled and cooed. Then, just like a human baby, she suddenly grabbed my pendant. “Trinee!”

  I gasped. “Did she just say my name?”

  “She’s a fairy queen and very smart,” Queen Patchouli said.

  “And very special,” I said with a yawn. Despite my power nap, I was having trouble keeping my eyes open.

  Queen Patchouli took the baby, and I leaned back against the tree trunk. I glanced at the Ananya family talisman, knowing that, like my mother, I would wear it every day and night until the time came to pass it on again.

  Only I wouldn’t be passing on exactly the same necklace my mother had given me.

  The greenstone beads and round pendant were laced with gold, a gift to me from a friend, the future Queen of all Aventurine.

  The next time I opened my eyes, I saw my Maori kite. It was hanging on the wall with the wooden fishhook and the framed photo of Mom and me flying kites in New Zealand.

  I was home.

  Sunlight spilled through my window, and I could hear the faint sound of Dad’s Sunday-morning television news shows.

  It was my birthday. I was thirteen.

  But more importantly, I was a fairy-godmother-in-training who had successfully completed her first mission in Aventurine.

  I couldn’t wait to tell Mom, but I was feeling a little too lazy to get up just yet. So much had happened in the fairy world I wanted to enjoy staying in bed a few minutes with absolutely nothing to do.

  Except redecorate.

  I sat up and looked around with a new perspective. The unimaginative, practically empty bedroom had been ideal for Trinity the mathematician, who hated clutter, liked order, and didn’t believe magic was real.

  It was way too stark and uninviting for the new me, and I started making changes in my head. First, I’d trade in my plain beige bedspread and window blinds for a comforter and curtains with a bright leaf and flower pattern. Then I’d paint the ceiling blue with white clouds.

  I would never mess up my space with useless junk, but a few potted plants would look nice and add oxygen to the stuffy, indoor air. Kerka’s friend Birdie at school had a green thumb that seemed magical. I was sure she’d have lots of tips and advice for a beginning apartment gardener.

  On the other hand, I’d never change the three things that I had always cherished. The kite, fishhook, and picture above my desk reflected my life before I turned thirteen, and they were exactly where they should be. However, I wanted to add something that represented Aventurine and the person I’d become—

  “Oh, no!” I looked down. I was wearing pajamas. The Ananya necklace was around my neck, but the harness and the backpack were gone.

  And so was Targa’s exquisitely carved rose bead.

  I couldn’t believe the Curipoo’s gift had been left behind, and I began a frantic search. The wooden bead wasn’t under the covers or on the floor beside the bed. I was trying hard not to shed tears and losing the battle. Then I saw it on my nightstand.

  I didn’t remember putting
the bead by the velvet necklace box, but I decided not to question how the precious Curipoo thing had made it between worlds. It was mine to keep forever, and that’s what mattered. I put the bead in the nightstand drawer for safekeeping until I found just the right display box.

  I yawned again and slumped back against my pillows. Targa’s bead was the only solid souvenir I had, but it wasn’t the only thing I had brought back from the fairy world. My memories were vivid, and I wanted Zally to draw a poster-sized picture map of the tree. I was going to ask her tonight at my slumber party. I was sure she’d say yes, especially when I told her I wanted to frame and hang it on one of my way-too-bare walls.

  Although I’d probably have to endure more than one “I told you so,” I was anxious to tell my friends about my quest. Sumi would insist that spoongas are beautiful, and then she’d design an exotic cloud people dress. I wasn’t sure Kerka would teach me the combat Kalis moves Queen Mangi had so elegantly executed, but I was prepared to beg.

  Mostly, they’d all be glad they didn’t have to listen to any more logical arguments about why magic wasn’t real.

  “Are you up?” My mother opened the door and came in with a breakfast tray.

  “Awake,” I joked. “But not up yet.”

  “I thought you might be hungry for some brekkie.” She set the tray on the nightstand.

  “Thanks.” I grinned when I saw the typical Kiwi breakfast she had prepared. “Bangers with pikelets! My favorite.”

  “You mean sausage and pancakes,” Dad said as he passed the doorway. “That’s American for bangers and pickles!” His voice echoed down the hall as he kept walking.

  “Pikelets!” I yelled, laughing.

  “Smothered in jam and whipped cream,” Mom added.

  “That’s the only way!” I took a sip of orange juice and cut a small piece of pancake. I was full after eating so much at the naming ceremony, but Mom didn’t know that. She didn’t even know I had been to Aventurine.