Never Grow Up

by Karen Kingsbury

  “So we can catch the sad thoughts and tell them to leave?” Ashley sniffed. “And then instead think about happy thoughts?”

  “Yes.” Mom patted Ashley’s hand. “Happy thoughts are always just a think away.”

  “A think away.” Ashley smiled. “I like that.” Just then Bo ran in from outside and came right to Ashley’s feet. He licked her bare ankle and panted. Like he wanted to play. Ashley giggled. “Like thinking about a brand-new puppy?”

  “Exactly.” Mom took a long breath. “There’s so much to be thankful for, Ashley. And the truth is no one believes you’re a disaster. People laugh with you, because you’re funny in a good way. And the only reason your brother and sisters didn’t stand up for you today is they didn’t want to make me feel bad.”

  Ashley nodded a few times. “I can see that.” She made a face. “It really was a terrible dinner. Just being honest.”

  “You’re not the only one who has disaster days. That dinner smelled awful.” Mom laughed out loud. “And between you and me it tasted worse.”

  “You don’t like stroganoff?” Ashley was shocked.

  Mom giggled and shook her head. “No. But your dad loves it. So I make it for him.”

  Now they were both laughing, and suddenly Ashley understood what Mom meant. She could mope around thinking upsetting thoughts and believing the worst about the people she loved. Or the dinner she’d made. Or she could remember the truth… that her family loved her and she loved them. And even if Ashley was prone to disasters, Mom was right. People weren’t laughing at her. Not even Landon Blake. They were laughing with her. That was a better way to look at things.

  Just then Luke ran in with the biggest toad cupped in his hands. “I did it! I caught one!”

  Ashley smiled.

  Because she had just done the same thing.

  7 Animals and Dancing Queens

  KARI

  Exotic Animal Day had finally arrived for Ms. Nan’s class. But as Kari walked down the hall to her classroom, she wondered if one of the animals had escaped. Maybe a boa constrictor or an iguana or a bear. Something must’ve gotten loose because students were bunched up near the classroom door.

  Kari pushed her way through the sea of people. Turned out the kids weren’t looking at a loose animal. They were staring at a sign-up sheet for the school’s talent show. Kari’s stomach dropped, like when she rode that roller coaster last spring.

  A few girls signed their names to the sheet, and then three boys from her class did the same thing.

  A talent show? Kari grabbed the straps of her backpack. She had never done anything like that before. Kari spotted Mandy and Liza. She waved them over.

  “Look!” Kari pointed to the sign-up sheet. “A talent show! The three of us are loaded with talent!” She looked at her friends. “I think we could win the whole thing!”

  “Hmm.” Mandy’s eyes looked nervous. “What would we do?”

  “I’m not sure. Juggling, maybe?” Kari tried to imagine that. She could feel her excitement building. “Or maybe singing?”

  “No.” Liza wrinkled her nose. “I would be too nervous.”

  “But you love singing!” They needed to sign up before all the spots were taken.

  “Not in front of people.” Liza shook her head. “No talent show for me, Kari. I’m too scared.”

  The bell rang. Kari had to act fast. She quick grabbed the pen that hung next to the piece of paper and she signed up Liza, Mandy and herself.

  “Hey!” Liza’s mouth hung open. “I said no!”

  “And I was about to.” Mandy looked like she might faint. “What if we have no talent?”

  “We do!” Kari linked arms with her friends and hurried them into the classroom. “I’m great at finding talent! You’ll see.”

  Kari’s mind raced as they took their seats. She had told the truth. She had seen talent in Ashley long before her sister started gymnastics. And she had been absolutely sure Brooke would do great on her tests in middle school.

  She was a born cheerleader! That’s what her mom always said. Surely she’d find some sort of talent for the three girls before the show. For now she couldn’t think about that.

  Because lined up on a long table at the front of the classroom were four large cages covered with blankets. Each of them held a different zoo animal. Surprise zoo animals. Like possibly a baby lion or a small rhino or a long-toothed baboon. If there were such a thing.

  Kari wasn’t sure.

  But she was glad her desk was in the second row and not the first.

  Their teacher stood a few feet from the animals. Next to her were two zoo workers: a tall skinny man with gray hair, and a pretty girl with a blond ponytail and a friendly smile.

  Ms. Nan clapped her hands. “All right, class. Today we begin learning about different careers. My goal is to help you explore options so you’ll choose something to write about. Ideas for when you grow up.”

  Kari stared at her shoes. Right. This again. She hadn’t thought about the growing up assignment since the day it was introduced. Kari felt her heart beat harder. After a few seconds, the palms of her hands grew sweaty.

  She didn’t want to think about this. Not today. Her brain was busy enough thinking about the talent show.

  Ms. Nan continued. “We begin the exploration of future careers today by looking at the life of a zoo employee and learning about exotic animals!” The class didn’t make a sound. Ms. Nan smiled. “Thank you ahead of time for paying attention to our zoo friends.”

  The tall skinny man traded places with Ms. Nan. “My name is Anderson.” He motioned to the other worker. “This is Kristen.”

  Kristen waved. “We work at the Indianapolis Zoo!”

  Anderson pointed to the row of cages. “The animals we brought today are very friendly. But try your best to keep quiet. And please no sudden movements.” He hesitated. “Kristen. Can you bring out our first friend?”

  Kristen stepped up to the first cage and removed the blanket to reveal a porcupine. The class gasped and some kids in the front row backed up. Kari winced. She’d heard about dangerous porcupines. Throwing spiky things everywhere. She didn’t trust them.

  “This is Pork.” Kristen smiled. “He is a porcupine. Pork uses his strong feet and curved claws to climb trees.” She touched the animal’s feet. As if she wasn’t afraid at all. Then she moved her hand just over Pork’s back. “A porcupine is covered with sharp spines called quills. And some porcupines have up to thirty thousand of them on their body!”

  Kari glanced at the classroom door. If quills started flying she was ready.

  The other zoo worker took over. “Some of you may wonder if porcupines can shoot their quills. They actually cannot. No need to worry.”

  Best news all day, Kari thought to herself.

  By then, Kristen had Pork in her arms. She walked him around the room and when she passed Kari’s desk, Liza screamed. “This one can shoot his quills. I can see it on his face!”

  Kari agreed. The porcupine definitely looked ready to attack. She covered her face with her hands and peered through her fingers. No matter the danger, seeing Pork this close up was a thrill.

  Anderson stepped forward while Kristen put Pork away. The zoo worker picked up a superlong boa constrictor from the next cage. Several of the students screamed and ran to the back of the room. Mandy moved closer to the front and Kari stayed at her desk, her hands near her face again.

  After the boa, Kristen showed them an opossum and Anderson brought out a bearcat. Which was the same as having a real-live bear in the classroom. Kari joined Liza at the back of the room for that one.

  Kari was pretty sure she wouldn’t work at a zoo when she grew up. Mandy, though, stayed at the front of the room until the presentation was over. Liza whispered close to Kari. “If Mandy runs a zoo someday, you and I can visit her.”

  “Definitely.” Kari could picture that. “Someone has to buy tickets.”

  During lunch, Kari, Mandy and Liza sat at their u
sual table. Kari ignored her lunch and leaned closer to her friends. “I have ideas about the talent show.”

  “I told you.” Mandy crossed her arms. “We don’t have talent.”

  “Not much, anyway.” Liza shook her head. “I’m not ready for the stage.”

  “Well, my friends.” Kari grinned at them. “We’ll just see about that.”

  * * *

  A sleepover was the best choice to get their talent figured out. Kari had set the event up with her mom and now it was Friday night and Mandy and Liza were in her living room. Ashley sat nearby reading Peter Pan, while Mandy read from a list they had been making all week.

  The list of their potential talents.

  “Juggling. What about that?” Kari tapped the pen on her cheek and looked at Mandy and Liza. “If we worked on it, maybe?”

  “Definitely not.” Mandy waved her hand in the air. “I drop my pen four times a day. I know I couldn’t juggle.”

  Ashley looked up from her book. “Is jungling with coconuts?”

  “What?” Liza blinked a few times. “Why coconuts?”

  “Because.” Ashley set her book down. “Jungle. Jungling. That’s where coconuts live.”

  Kari understood her sister. “Not jungling, Ash. Juggling. It has nothing to do with the jungle.”

  A wrinkle crossed Ashley’s forehead. “I picture it in the jungle.”

  “Either way, that’s not our talent.” Liza stood and paced to the front window. “We should drop out, Kari. We have no talent.”

  Mandy raised her hand straight in the air. “I know!” She stood and began swimming her arms through the air. “We could do a swim team dance.”

  “Creative!” Mom walked in with a bowl of popcorn. She set it down and put her hands on her hips. “You would definitely be the only swim team dancers in the talent show.”

  “Hey!” Kari was on her feet. She pulled Liza off the sofa and swung her over to Mandy. “A dance! That’s what we’ll do! A group dance!”

  “Hmm.” Liza had the popcorn bowl. She set it down on the coffee table. “That could be fun!”

  “I usually just swim dance.” Mandy dropped to the floor and sat cross-legged. “But there’s something no one knows.” A huge smile filled her face. “Secretly, I love to regular dance. I think it’s my hidden talent.”

  “Perfect!” Kari swung her hands from side to side and snapped her fingers. “I told you I was good at finding talent!” She walked over to her parents’ radio and turned it on. The music that poured out was “Under the Sea” from the movie Little Mermaid. The tune sounded upbeat and fun.

  “Come on!” Kari pulled her friends to the center of the living room. “Let’s dance!” All three girls linked arms and moved their feet. They were not a well-oiled machine, but Kari believed there was hope.

  Mom sang out from the kitchen. “I love this song! Come on, Ash!” Their mother hurried into the living room with a towel on her shoulder and a spoon in one hand. She helped Ashley to her feet and twirled her around.

  They made a dancing train. Kari, Liza and Mandy followed Ashley and Mom around the house as the music blared from the speakers. “Plus,” Kari yelled over the song, “this is about being under the sea!”

  Mandy seemed to catch on. “Which is sort of like swim dancing!”

  “Exactly.” Kari kicked her feet even higher.

  “The words are pretty fun.” Liza didn’t look as convinced as the others, but she was happy. Another good sign.

  When the song ended, Mom ran off to her bedroom. She came back with a cassette tape. “I have the movie soundtrack right here!” She handed it to Kari. “ ‘Under the Sea’ is the sixth song.”

  Kari held the tape high in the air and danced it over to her friends. “So are we in? We’ll do a dance to ‘Under the Sea’?”

  Mandy didn’t hesitate. “I’m in. We should definitely include swim strokes.” She swam her hands out in front of her a few times.

  “Hmm.” Kari remembered to smile. Mandy looked like she was digging at an invisible pile of dirt. “Very nice, Mandy. We’ll think about that.”

  The decision was Liza’s now. Kari and Mandy stared at her. “Come on!” Mandy was fully on board. “Liza, you’ll be the best dancer in the group!”

  Liza seemed to hold her breath for a few seconds. Finally she grinned. “Okay! Let’s do it!”

  For the next hour, Kari and her friends played the Little Mermaid song over and over and over again. The dance moves they decided on came mostly from Kari, but Ashley and their mom created a few, too.

  By the time the girls went to sleep, the dance was half finished. Kari could hardly contain her excitement. They weren’t only going to have a wonderful act for the talent show.

  They were going to win the whole thing.

  8 The Play and the Pet Fairy

  ASHLEY

  Ashley sat on the floor with her classmates while Mr. Garrett read Peter Pan out loud. Every word had a grip on Ashley’s heart. Already they had read about Peter, the Pirates, and the Lost Boys.

  But Ashley was most like Wendy.

  The oldest Darling sibling loved pretending things and she was always ready for an adventure. Also, Wendy was nice to her brothers. Ashley thought Wendy’s trek from London to Neverland was a lot like Ashley’s journey from Ann Arbor to Bloomington.

  Only with less pixie dust and more smelly gas stations.

  No doubt, Ashley and Wendy would’ve been best friends.

  Mr. Garrett kept reading. They were at the part where Peter had come to realize that the Lost Boys and Wendy had been captured by Captain Hook. As Peter sets out to rescue the crew, Tinker Bell realizes something.

  Hook is trying to destroy Peter Pan.

  So Tinker Bell risks her own life to save Peter. And now, her light is fading.

  Ashley felt tears at the corners of her eyes. Poor Tinker Bell. But Tink’s act of kindness made Ashley proud of the little fairy.

  Tinker Bell had done the right thing for Peter Pan.

  “Peter swore this terrible oath.” Mr. Garrett was nearly done with the chapter. “Hook or me this time.” He shut the book and looked at the class.

  “Is he gonna take down Hook?” Chris sat near Mr. Garrett’s feet. He hadn’t blinked once during the whole chapter. “Is Pan gonna give him what he deserves?”

  Mr. Garrett set the book down. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

  Ashley raised her hand. “Mr. Garrett?”

  “Yes?” Their teacher looked at her.

  “Now. I know Tinker Bell is a fairy.” She twirled a piece of her short hair. “But I was thinking maybe we should get one. You know, for the class.”

  Mr. Garrett pressed his lips together and squinted. “A class fairy?”

  “Exactly. Hear me out.” Ashley sat up on her knees. “We had a pet last year at my old school. A butterfly.” She bounced a little. “So, maybe we could get a pet in the form of a fairy.”

  “Ashley.” Her teacher shook his head. “Fairies are pretend. You can’t… go to the store and buy one.”

  “What?” Ashley couldn’t believe this. “Where is your faith, Mr. Garrett? Your trust?”

  “And where’s your pixie dust?” Chris made a face at her. A few of the kids laughed.

  Ashley stared at him. “At home. In my top dresser drawer.” She smiled at Chris. “I’m guessing you don’t have any pixie dust, Chris. Because you don’t believe.”

  “You do not have pixie dust at home because—” Chris was louder now.

  “Yes, I do!” Ashley was on her feet. Mean Chris was not going to win this conversation. “I have pixie dust because I got it from my dad for my birthday. It came in stick form.”

  “No, you didn’t.” Chris stood, too. The whole class was watching. “That’s candy, silly!”

  “That’s enough.” Mr. Garrett moved closer. “Ashley, there are no fairies. No pixie dust.” He gave a stern nod. Then perhaps as an afterthought, he smiled. “Though it’s very fun to pretend.”

/>   Ashley was disappointed in Mr. Garrett. “We should at least try to find a class fairy. In case they’re real.” She looked around.

  Only Natalie and Elliot had the slightest hope in their eyes.

  “Fine.” Ashley did a slight nod at Mr. Garrett. “I will make it my personal project to find a class fairy. My family has the exact sort of yard for that.”

  Their teacher sighed. “Okay, Ashley. I won’t try to stop you. But fairies are definitely not real.”

  Elliot cried out and collapsed to the ground. For a few seconds he lay there, eyes closed, arms and legs sprawled out. Ashley giggled. Elliot was a lot like Peter Pan.

  “Elliot?” Mr. Garrett rushed over to him. “Are you—”

  “I’m fine.” Elliot sprang back up. “But the fairies are not fine, Mr. Garrett. That’s what happens to a fairy every time you don’t believe.” He raised both hands in the air. “The book told us that.”

  Mr. Garrett laughed. He asked everyone to take their seats. “I have good news, boys and girls. Our class is doing a skit for the talent show. The story of Peter Pan in ten minutes.” He opened a large box near his desk. Inside were piles of wigs, costumes, swords and wands. “At this time, I will assign a role to each student.”

  Natalie raised her hand. “No thank you, Mr. Garrett.” She shook her head. “I’m camera shy.”

  Ashley stared at her friend and whispered, “You’re shy of the camera?”

  “No,” she whispered in Ashley’s direction. “I’m shy of the public.”

  “This assignment will help you, Natalie.” Mr. Garrett grabbed a stack of papers from his desk and began handing them out, along with props and costumes. He looked back at Natalie. “Doing something out of our comfort zone helps us learn new skills.”

  What part would she get? Ashley held her breath. It had to be Wendy. She actually was Wendy!