Willa Bean's Cloud Dreams

by Cecilia Galante

  “I only do it when my pockets get full,” Willa Bean hiccuped. “And my pockets are always full. So I have to use my hair.”

  “You wouldn’t even think about doing such a silly thing if you didn’t have all this hair,” Mama said. Willa Bean sat up straighter. She could tell Mama was getting ready for her hair-cutting speech. “If you would just let me cut it,” Mama said, “things would be so much easier.”

  “No!” Willa Bean said. “Nope, nope-ity, nope, nope, nope!” Her crying feeling was back. Only now it was starting to feel worse. She put her head down on top of her knees.

  “All right,” Mama said. “There’s no need to get excited again. It’s only hair.” She pulled back the covers and poofed up the pillow. “Hop in, sweetie. You need a good night’s sleep for your big day tomorrow.”

  Willa Bean lay down carefully so that she did not smoosh her wings. Sometimes she wondered if her wings got too smooshed from sleeping. Maybe that was why they didn’t work.

  From her bed, Willa Bean could see her brand-new uniform gown hanging in her closet. It was white with a red stripe along the bottom. It had short sleeves and a round neckline. Mama had washed and ironed it especially for tomorrow.

  “Mama?” Willa Bean said.

  “Yes?”

  “Do I really have to wear that goofy ufinorm tomorrow?”

  “U-ni-form,” Mama repeated. “It’s pronounced u-ni-form, Willa Bean, not ufinorm. And yes, I know you don’t like it, but you have to wear your uniform tomorrow. All cupids at school have to wear them.” She gave Willa Bean an eyelash kiss, which was how all cupids kissed. “Good night, sweetheart.”

  Daddy came in next. He tucked the covers under Willa Bean’s chin. Then he turned on both of her night-lights.

  “Daddy?” Willa Bean said. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.” Daddy sat down on the edge of the bed. “What is it, little love?”

  “Did you know how to fly when you first started school?”

  “I did.” Daddy nodded. “But it took me a long time to learn before that.”

  “How long?”

  “A very long time,” Daddy answered. “Weeks, I think. Maybe even a whole month. I don’t think I learned how to fly until a few days before I started school.”

  “Well, I start school tomorrow.” Willa Bean crossed her arms and pushed out her bottom lip. “And I still can’t fly.”

  “I know.” Daddy tried to smooth down one side of Willa Bean’s hair. It boinged back out again anyway, even though Mama had just brushed it. “But remember, there are a lot of other things you’ll be doing at school.”

  “But none of them will be even half as fun as flying!” Willa Bean said.

  “All cupids learn how to fly at different times,” Daddy said. “It will happen. You just need to take your time. Be patient.”

  Willa Bean fiddled with the edge of Daddy’s sleeve. “Did you use one of your golden arrows today?” she asked.

  Big cupids, like Daddy, used golden arrows on Earth. Golden arrows made grown-up people fall in love.

  Daddy nodded. “I most certainly did.”

  “And did it work?” Willa Bean asked. “Did you help someone fall in love?”

  Daddy leaned over and gave Willa Bean an eyelash kiss. “Yes,” he said. “And before you know it, you will be using your very own orange and blue and white arrows to help little people feel happy. Sweet dreams now, Willa Bean. And don’t worry so much.”

  But Willa Bean did worry. How couldn’t she? She was going to be the only cupid at school tomorrow who didn’t know how to fly!

  She kicked her feet under the covers. “Dumb wings,” she whispered into the dark. “Dumb, stupid wings.”

  “Who are you calling dumb and stupid?” came a voice from the closet.

  Willa Bean sat up. “Snooze? Is that you?”

  “Of course it’s me. Who else would be talking from inside your closet?” A little brown owl peeked out. He flew to the end of Willa Bean’s bed and fluffed his chest feathers. His wide yellow eyes were the size of half-dollars, and his head was sprinkled with little white dots.

  Before cupids started school, they were each given a flying friend who taught them a little bit about Earth. Ariel had a dragonfly named Ding. Harper had a bat named Octavius. And Willa Bean had an owl named Snooze.

  Snooze was an explorer. At night, he liked to fly around the world and visit different places. When he came back, he told Willa Bean about all the things he had seen. And then he slept for the rest of the day.

  Willa Bean threw her covers off and crawled to the end of her bed. “Don’t worry, Snooze. I was just talking to my wings.”

  “You’d better be nice to those wings,” Snooze said. “They’re going to be doing a lot of work for you when the time comes.”

  “Hmph!” Willa Bean crossed her arms. “Well, right now, they’re just being lazy little nincompoop wings.”

  “Never mind,” Snooze replied. “If you want them to be nice to you, you have to be nice to them, Willa Bean. Remember that.” The brown owl stretched his wings. “Well, I’m off now. Please don’t forget to leave the window open for me.”

  “Where are you going tonight?” Willa Bean slipped out of bed. She opened the window a teeny-tiny bit.

  “France again, I think,” said Snooze. “Or maybe Canada. I haven’t decided.”

  “Okay.” Willa Bean put her hand over a big, fat yawn. “Well, have fun.”

  “Au revoir.” Snooze lifted a wing. “Beaux rêves.”

  “What?” Willa Bean asked.

  “Au revoir means good-bye in French,” Snooze said. “And beaux rêves means sweet dreams.”

  “Oh-revere.” Willa Bean yawned again. “Bone reb.”

  Snooze rolled his eyes. “Willa Bean,” he said, “we need to work on your French.”

  And with a swoop of his wings, he flew into the great black night. Willa Bean watched Snooze fly. He soared and flapped, and soared some more. Soon he was only a tiny speck against the darkness.

  Willa Bean got back into bed. She tried to swallow over the lump in her throat. But it hurt. Even Snooze, who was smaller than she was, could fly. And he made it look so easy.

  She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. But that was hard, too.

  Willa Bean tried hard the next morning to be extra sweet to her wings. She brushed them softly with her black featherbrush until they were nice and smooth. This was not an easy thing to do, since her wings were all the way behind her. But she tried it anyway. She gave her wings a little pep talk, too, using her politest voice.

  “Good morning, little wings,” she said. “I’m sorry I called you dumb and stupid last night. I think you are very sweet and beautiful. But it would be nice if you would start working soon. Like today soon. This is my first day at school, and I sort of feel like I’m going to faint. Or maybe throw up. So please stop being so stubborn and work, okay? All right, that’s all I have to say for now. So, bye.”

  “Much better,” Snooze said, flying in through the window. There was a small object inside one of his claws.

  “You’re back!” Willa Bean gave her owl a kiss on top of his feathery head. “Where did you go?”

  “Canada after all,” Snooze answered. “They speak wonderful French there. But it was very far. I’m pooped.” He opened his claw and dropped the tiny item on the windowsill. It was blue and white, and very smooth. It rolled to one side.

  Willa Bean picked it up. “What’s this?”

  “It’s called a marble,” Snooze answered. “They come in all different colors. Kids on Earth play with them. I found one on the sidewalk and thought you might like it.”

  “I love it!” Willa Bean said. “I’ll put it in my treasure chest! Thanks, Snooze!”

  “Willa Bean!” Mama called from downstairs. “Time for breakfast, sweetie! You don’t want to be late!”

  “Bye, Snooze.” Willa Bean blew her pet owl a kiss. “Wish me luck!”

  Snooze caught the ki
ss with his beak. He flapped his wings. “Au revoir, Willa Bean! Bonne chance!”

  After breakfast, when Mama wasn’t looking, Willa Bean slipped two peanut butter Snoogy Bars into the back of her hair. There was a chance she might get through the first day of school without a snack. But Harper? Nope, nope-ity, nope, nope, nope.

  Mama and Baby Louie walked Willa Bean to the cloudstop on Cloud Four. Willa Bean stopped twice so that she could pick up a few moonstones. And again when she spotted a tiny silver buckle with little flowers carved into one side.

  “Willa Bean.” Mama raised one eyebrow. “You are not to pick up any more junk off the clouds. Is that clear?”

  Willa Bean put the moonstones in her pocket. And then, when Mama wasn’t looking, she crammed the silver buckle into her hair. “It’s not junk, Mama. It’s treasure.”

  “Well, it’s germy treasure.” Mama frowned. “And I don’t want you walking into school today with a grimy uniform. Now, no more things off the clouds!”

  “Dooby!” Baby Louie gurgled and clapped his hands.

  Willa Bean made a silly face at her little brother. What was he so happy about anyway? He had a stinky diaper.

  The cloudstop was packed with cupids of all different ages. Ariel was already there. She was standing with a bunch of other big cupids and swinging her long blond hair. They were shouting and laughing.

  Just then, the cloudbus chugged up. Willa Bean hung back a little by Mama and Baby Louie. Harper had said she would be sitting next to a window, but Willa Bean didn’t see her. Willa Bean couldn’t see anyone except the older cupids.

  “Come on.” Mama held out her hand. “Let’s get on the cloudbus and find Harper.”

  “I can do it by myself, Mama,” Willa Bean said.

  “Are you sure?” Mama pulled a piece of her hair out of Baby Louie’s mouth.

  Willa Bean nodded. She hoped she looked very sure of herself. “Just stay here, okay? Till I find her?”

  “All right,” Mama said. “You go on ahead, Willa Bean. Baby Louie and I will be right here.”

  “Willa Bean!” Harper leaned out of one of the cloudbus’s back windows. “Willa Bean! Over here! I saved you a seat!”

  “Okay, Mama!” Willa Bean yelled. “I found her! Thanks for waiting!”

  Mama and Baby Louie waved good-bye as Willa Bean scrambled up onto the cloudbus. She made her way to the back and sat down next to her best friend. Harper had new ribbons in her hair and shiny black sandals. “Wow, Harper!” Willa Bean said. “You look sensational!”

  “Thanks!” said Harper. “So do you, Willa Bean. I’m so excited I could wiggle myself right out of this seat!”

  Willa Bean held out the blue-and-white marble from Snooze. “Look what Snooze brought me,” she said. “It’s called a marble. It’s from Earth. Isn’t it gorgeous?”

  “I love it!” Harper whispered. She picked it up and rolled it between her fingers. “We can put it in the treasure chest after school!”

  Willa Bean reached into the back of her hair and pulled out a Snoogy Bar. “I brought snacks, too,” she whispered. “For later.”

  Harper wiggled up and down in her seat.

  Snacks made her very excited.

  The Cupid Academy was on Cloud Six. It was a very big building with a gold roof. There was a wide red door in front and lots of windows.

  Willa Bean and Harper were in Class A. Their teacher’s name was Miss Twizzle. She had frizzy golden hair. It stuck out a little bit on the sides. And she had freckles, too! On her nose and cheeks! Just like Willa Bean!

  “You have freckles!” Willa Bean pulled on Miss Twizzle’s sleeve. “Just like me!”

  Miss Twizzle bent down so that she could see Willa Bean up close. “They’re almost exactly like yours,” she said. “How about that? And what’s your name?”

  “Willa Bean Skylight,” Willa Bean answered. “I have a million-bajillion freckles. How many do you have?”

  Miss Twizzle smiled. “I only have eight.” She gave Willa Bean’s nose a soft squeeze. “Lucky cupid! Now let me show you to your desk.”

  Miss Twizzle led Willa Bean over to a desk in the middle of the classroom. Her name was on a yellow card and taped to the front. Willa Bean stared at her teacher. “How did you know my name?” she asked. “I never even met you before.”

  Miss Twizzle laughed. “Your parents told me. Have a seat now, Willa Bean. We’re going to start class in a few minutes.”

  Willa Bean slid into her seat. Harper was way up front, much closer to Miss Twizzle than she was. This did not seem very fair. Especially since Miss Twizzle and Willa Bean had the same freckles! She should definitely be seated closer to her teacher.

  Just then, a cupid with bright red hair sat down in front of Willa Bean. A large bow was clipped to one side of her hair. She had smooth pink cheeks and silky white wings. Willa Bean sat forward a little. She stared and stared at that green bow. It was shiny, with a green-and-white-striped middle. She wondered what it would be like to find a piece of treasure like that on a cloud someday!

  Willa Bean tapped the red-haired cupid on the shoulder.

  The cupid turned around and wrinkled her nose. “Yes?”

  “Where did you get your bow?” Willa Bean asked.

  The cupid frowned. Her eyes looked Willa Bean all over. “My mother made it, of course. What’s wrong with your hair?”

  Willa Bean blinked. “Nothing’s wrong with my hair. That’s just the way it grows.”

  “But it’s so … huge.” The cupid with the red hair wrinkled her nose again. “And it’s snarly, too.” She tossed her head. “Anyway, we’re not supposed to be talking right now. So don’t ask me any more questions.” And she turned around.

  Willa Bean sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. Everyone knew that older cupids, like Ariel, could be rude sometimes. But she hadn’t expected any unfriendly cupids in Class A!

  “All right, class!” Miss Twizzle clapped her hands to get their attention. “Now that everyone is in their seats, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Miss Twizzle.”

  “HELLO, MISS TWIZZLE!”

  Miss Twizzle smiled. “Hello, cupids. Welcome to Class A. I think we are going to have a wonderful year together. And now that everyone knows who I am, it’s your turn to tell us who you are. I’d like each of you to stand up one at a time and say your name.”

  Willa Bean sat very still. She paid close attention. She liked things like names. They were important. Harper went first. Willa Bean gave Harper a tiny wave as she stood up, because Harper was her best friend. Even if she did have a better seat than Willa Bean did.

  After Harper came a cupid named Raymond. Raymond had a lot of shiny things pinned to the front of his shirt. Willa Bean wiggled up and down when she saw those shiny things. She didn’t know what they were exactly, but they sure looked like treasure.

  After Raymond came Sebastian and Sophie, and then Lola, Hannah, Michael, and Pedro.

  Finally, the cupid with the green bow stood up. She smoothed down the front of her uniform. “My name is Vivienne Josephine Scholastica Wayfarer,” she said. “But all of you can just call me Vivi.”

  “Welcome, Vivi,” said Miss Twizzle.

  Vivi sat back down. She folded her hands and put them in her lap. “Thank you very much, Miss Twizzle. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

  It was Willa Bean’s turn. She jumped up and waved at her teacher. “Hi, Miss Twizzle! You already know my name, since my parents told you. But I’ll say it again in case you forgot. It’s Wilhelmina Bernadina Skylight. But everyone calls me Willa Bean.”

  “Welcome, Willa Bean,” Miss Twizzle said.

  “Welcome to you, too, Miss Twizzle!”

  Willa Bean waved to the rest of the class. “And welcome to everyone in the class!”

  “Thank you, Willa Bean,” Miss Twizzle said. “That’s a wonderful welcome. You may take your seat now.”

  Willa Bean nodded. She liked to stand up. Especially when everyone was watching her. It was fu
n.

  “You can take your seat now, Willa Bean,” Miss Twizzle said again.

  Willa Bean nodded once more.

  “That means sit down.” Vivi turned around and glared at Willa Bean. “In your chair.”

  Willa Bean sat down in her chair.

  And then, when she was sure Miss Twizzle wasn’t looking, she stuck out her tongue at that mean, nasty Vivi.

  After everyone was done with their names, Miss Twizzle went over the classroom rules. There were a lot of them. Four, actually:

  1. Raise your hand if you have a question.

  2. Keep your hands, feet, and wings to yourself.

  3. Pay attention.

  4. Follow directions the first time.

  Rules made Willa Bean nervous. They were serious business. Most of the time, Willa Bean didn’t like to be serious or business-y. She liked to have fun.

  Miss Twizzle also gave everyone a writing tablet, as well as a quill pen and a pot of dark blue ink.

  Quill pens and ink were to be used only in school, Miss Twizzle said.

  No matter what.

  They were to be kept inside the cupids’ desks at all times.

  No matter what.

  Willa Bean had never used a real quill pen before. In fact, she had never even held a real quill pen before. Willa Bean stared and stared at it. The quill pen had a smooth and narrow edge. It was the color of a cloudy day, Willa Bean thought. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

  It was treasure-plus.

  “All right, class,” Miss Twizzle said. “Now we are going to practice using our quill pens. Please open your tablets to the first page and write your name.”

  Willa Bean watched Pedro, who was sitting in the row next to her. He dipped his quill into the inkpot. He let it drip for a little bit and then started to write.