by E. D. Baker
“There’s something I don’t understand,” said Cory. “The captain didn’t know that you were helping me until you told him, right? But you said you’d talked to the other officers in the FLEA, so they had to know.”
“They knew all right. They just thought it was a big joke. Most of them thought I was using the investigation as an excuse to see my girlfriend.”
“Why would they think I was your girlfriend?”
Johnny Blue looked away, unable to meet her eyes. “I might have said how much I like you. And I might have told them how much I enjoyed seeing you play with your band. They thought I was dating you, and I suppose I let them.”
“Oh,” Cory said, and suddenly she felt even worse than before, although this time it wasn’t her stomach that hurt. It was somewhere in her chest.
Johnny Blue left then, his back rigid, his eyes straight ahead as he strode to his cycle. Wanita and Salazar were still standing by the street, talking while the boar and the iguana eyed each other warily. When Cory saw them, she slipped on her shoes and went outside.
“Did you see the wolf?” she asked them.
“Why do you think we’re here?” said Wanita. “Salazar and I heard all the ruckus and saw that nice young man tear past on his cycle. We followed him and got here just as he started waving his arms at the wolf. It looked as if he needed some help, so we did our best to scare the wolf away.”
“Whatever you did, thank you!” Cory cried. “How did you chase the wolf off?”
Wanita laughed. “We can both be scary when we want to be. Watch this.” Holding her arms straight out to her sides, the witch began waving them while shouting a spell. As the last word of the spell left her lips, sparks started shooting from her fingertips.
At the same time that the witch was casting her spell, the genie began to grow and didn’t stop until he was twelve feet tall. His eyes turned red with a flash and he was engulfed in a ball of flame.
“That would do it,” said Cory. “You’re both terrifying.”
“Sorry we didn’t get here before the wolf damaged your house,” Salazar told her as he returned to his normal size.
Cory turned around to look the house over. Twigs and broken branches were scattered across the yard, and great sections of thatching were missing from the roof. The two chairs had fallen over on the porch; one of them was broken. Many of the poppies she had planted only days before lay flattened on the ground.
“It’s not nearly as bad as it could have been,” she told her neighbors. “I guess you’ve paid me back for the flowers.”
“What? This?” said Wanita. “No, this was fun! I still owe you for the flowers. I’m sure I’ll think of something!”
Cory wasn’t sure what the witch might do to pay her back, but she appreciated what Wanita and Salazar had done. She waited until they started down the street before cleaning up the yard. After putting the broken poppies in the composter behind the garden shed, she collected the twigs and branches, making a pile next to the composter. She would ask her uncle later if he wanted her to carry them into the woods or keep them for firewood. A lot of the thatch had blown away, but she picked up what she could find, not sure if the roofer could use any of it.
As soon as she went back in the house, Cory sent a message to someone who could fix the roof, adding the cost to all the other things she’d have to pay for. While waiting for a reply, she washed the plate and cup she’d left in the sink, and made herself a cup of herbal tea to get rid of her headache. She sat at the table, sipping the tea, until a ping! in the main room announced the arrival of a message. The roofer would be out the next day.
It was past the time she should have left for band rehearsal when Cory stepped onto the porch and locked the door behind her. Knowing her uncle should be home soon, she’d left him a note on the table telling him what had happened and that she had scheduled a repairman. Her head still ached, and she had considered skipping rehearsal, but the way her day had gone she thought it would be nice to see people who actually liked her.
Cory’s head wasn’t getting any better by the time she reached Olot’s cave and she was almost sorry she’d gone. She tried to smile at her friends, but she wasn’t feeling very friendly. When they began to play their instruments, the music seemed so much louder than usual, and her headache only grew worse. After they had finished practicing and were putting their instruments away, Olot came to see her.
“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You don’t seem like your usual self.”
Cory shrugged. “I’ve had a truly rotten day.”
Olot pulled a stool over and sat down. “I’m ready to listen if you want to tell me about it. I know it helps me to talk about things sometimes.”
“Are you sure?” Cory asked him. “Chancy might need you to—”
“Chancy will be fine,” said Olot. “What happened?”
It didn’t take long for Cory to tell him about the wolf trying to blow down the house, and all the things that had gone wrong when the Clauses were looking at Suzy’s house. Olot was so understanding that she told him about Humpty and the mice, how the pigs were afraid in their own home, how the matches she set up hadn’t been working, and how Noodles had gone missing. Olot’s frown was so deep by the time she finished that it looked as if someone had used a chisel to carve the creases in his forehead. When she told him that everything that had gone wrong had been her fault and that she felt terrible about it, he patted her shoulder as gently as an ogre could.
“I’m sorry to hear that things have been so rough lately, but maybe I can help solve one of your problems,” he told her. “I own another cave not far from here. It’s smaller than this one, and I’ve been using it for storage, but I’ve been thinking about selling it. I put a nice stout door on it last year, so no one could break into it. We could take your pig friends to see it if you think they might be interested.”
“I don’t know,” Cory said. “How would they get to town to work or do their shopping?”
“They could take the pedal-bus, like Chancy and I do,” said Olot. “It goes right past here.”
“In that case I’ll tell the pigs about your cave tomorrow and let you know if they’re interested.”
“Good,” said Olot. “Chancy would like to have neighbors.”
Cory’s headache wasn’t as bad when she flew home and she was definitely in a better mood. It was dark out when she reached her uncle’s house, but the lights were on inside, making it look warm and welcoming. Landing at the bottom of the stairs, she stepped onto the porch in her human size and almost tripped over the furry creature chewing the sea-grass mat.
“Noodles!” she cried. The woodchuck glanced at her and grunted when she picked him up.
Struggling to open the door while supporting Noodle’s weight, she called to her uncle, “Look who I found! Do we have any salad for a hungry woodchuck?”
Chapter 19
Cory had a terrible time going to sleep that night. Although Noodles was back, Cory was still worried about who had taken him and where he had been. She was also afraid that the wolf might come back to try again. But it wasn’t thinking about Noodle’s kidnappers or the nasty wolf that kept her awake, it was the thought of how she had upset Johnny Blue when he came to help her. She liked Johnny, and when they were apart she knew that she liked him a lot. Otherwise, she wouldn’t think about him all the time, would she? But even thinking about him made her feel a little queasy. Being with him made her stomach hurt. It was worse when they actually touched. The whole thing was very confusing and she didn’t know what to do.
Cory wasn’t sure Johnny Blue wanted to hear from her, but she thought she should send him a message anyway. She had already reported that the woodchuck was missing, and thought it was only right to report that he had returned. As soon as she got out of bed the next morning, she hurried to send a short message.
Noodles is back.
Cory
She joined her uncle for breakfast a few minutes later. He tried to s
tart a conversation more than once, but she didn’t feel like talking.
Only minutes after Micah left for work, there was a knock at the door. Cory opened it, expecting to see either the repairman or Johnny, and nearly shut it again when she saw that her mother was standing on the porch.
“May I come in?” her mother asked, giving Cory a tentative smile.
Cory shrugged. “I suppose.” She knew that she wasn’t being very gracious, but after all the things that the Tooth Fairy Guild had done to her, she felt as if her mother was working for her enemy.
Her mother took a seat in the main room, setting her rose petal–covered purse by her feet. “I know you don’t really want to talk to me, but I had to come see you. I’m worried about you, Cory. The Tooth Fairy Guild will be patient for only so long before they take stronger measures.”
“You mean they’ll do something worse than plaguing me with worms and crabs and seagulls?” Cory asked, feeling her temper rise. “Or tormenting me with bad weather, or the long-winded wolf and oversize teeth and mud? What about the—”
“Yes,” her mother interrupted. “They are quite capable of doing things that are much worse than any of those. I begged them to give you one more chance to return to the guild, but if you don’t do it now, well, I really can’t say what they might do.”
“I’m not rejoining the guild, Mother,” Cory said. “Especially after what they’ve already done.”
“Are you sure? Please reconsider, for your own sake!”
Cory shook her head. “I’m never going to change my mind.”
Her mother picked up her purse and tucked it under her arm as she got to her feet. “Then I’m wasting my breath. I really shouldn’t have bothered arguing with the guild on your behalf. I knew you had a lot of your father’s father in you, but I hoped there was still a chance that you would listen to reason. You’re just as stubborn as he ever was. He’s always been certain that he was right, too. Well, when it’s all over, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Did you say he is certain, Mother? You’ve always led me to believe that he’s dead,” Cory said, following her mother to the door.
Delphinium looked alarmed when she turned back to Cory. “No! No! It was just a slip of the tongue. You don’t have to pick apart every little thing I say! Now, be careful, Cory. And please remember that I’ll always be there when you need me.”
Cory let her mother leave without saying any more, but she was sure that Delphinium hadn’t been completely truthful.
After cleaning up the breakfast dishes, Cory sent a message to the three little pigs, telling them about the cave. When they said that they were interested and able to look at it that morning, she suggested that they take the pedal-bus and gave them the address that Olot had mentioned, promising to meet them there.
Noodles started whining while she was changing her clothes, so she took him outside and let him wander around the yard for a few minutes while she kept a close watch. He walked in circles, making little moaning sounds, so she wasn’t surprised when he threw up everything he’d eaten for breakfast. As soon as he looked a little better, she took him to her room and sat down for a minute to pet him. She thought she still had some time before she had to leave to meet the pigs, so she collected all his toys, setting them beside his bed, then went into the bathing room to finish getting ready. When she came back, Noodles had thrown up again.
Cory sighed and went to fetch the cleaning supplies, annoyed because she’d already used up most of her extra time and really needed to go. She was on her hands and knees, cleaning up the mess, when she found a hard object about the size of a gold coin. That’s odd, she thought, wiping it off with a rag. It was an onyx buckle, the kind you might find on expensive clothes. Apparently, Noodles had eaten something he shouldn’t have, as he so often did. Because no one in the house had a buckle like it, Cory wondered if it had belonged to his kidnapper. She wrapped the buckle in a clean rag and set it aside to look at later. Once she had put the cleaning supplies away and said good-bye to Noodles, she locked the house and was on her way.
Olot had given her good directions to the cave, so she was there before the pedal-bus. She always liked watching the pedal-bus, even more when people she knew were riding it. Finding a large rock by the side of the dirt path that wound around the mountain, she sat down to wait. She heard the bus long before she saw it; the jingling of the bells was distinctive in the clear mountain air. Olot must have heard it, too, because he came strolling down the path before the pigs slid off their seats.
Eight of the ten seats on the bus were occupied. A satyr and a goblin girl were in charge of the bus and they both looked expectantly at the pigs, who were struggling to dismount. Once the pigs had gotten off, the only riders left were three flower fairies and a brownie with a large sack propped in his basket. The bus had just started to head back down the mountain when the bells sounded a different note. The goblin girl, who was in the front, consulted a disk affixed to the bar in front of her. A moment later they were headed up the mountainside. Apparently, someone else wanted a ride.
When Cory turned to the pigs to begin introductions, she was afraid that they might be leery of the ogre. Olot was big and could look frightening when he wanted to, but he was actually a gentle being who loved animals of all species. Animals seemed to know this and the pigs were no exception. They looked less afraid of him than they had of Cory when she’d visited their house the first time.
Olot smiled when Cory introduced him to the pigs. He crouched down so he was talking to them at their eye level. “Cory told me about the trouble you’ve been having, and I thought this cave would be ideal for you. I know this is a bit out of the way, but there are actually more beings living on the mountain than you might guess. I would be your next-door neighbor and if you ever needed anything, my wife and I would be happy to help. Now, you can’t see the cave from the path, which is one of its security features. Come with me and I’ll show you.”
Cory trailed behind as the pigs trotted after Olot. Although she was unable to hear what they were saying, Olot soon had the little pigs talking and laughing. She had come to make sure that everything went well, but she’d already begun to feel as if they didn’t really need her there.
After rounding a group of tall saplings and a patch of thick underbrush that grew at the edge of the path, they followed another, narrower path that angled back and forth until they reached a massive door set in the side of the mountain. Olot opened the door with a key and the pigs followed him inside. They had taken only a few steps into the pitch-black space when Olot flipped a switch on the wall, turning on fairy light.
“I had the fairy lights installed last year when I began to think about selling the place. Some friends helped me install the plumbing,” Olot said as he led the way down a wide tunnel. “The cave has its own spring and the water is always fresh and clean. This is the main room.”
The pigs gasped when they stepped into the cavern. Cory could understand why. Smaller than the cavern in Olot’s cave, it was prettier with layers of different kinds of rock creating multicolored stripes in the walls. The ceiling was lower, too, at only a few feet above Olot’s head. Cory thought that made it cozier, although the pigs exclaimed over how high it was.
“What’s behind all the doors?” asked Alphonse.
“That one leads to the kitchen,” said Olot, “and those five are bedrooms.”
“Five bedrooms!” Bertie said, quivering with excitement.
“The bathing room is back there,” Olot said, pointing to the back of the cavern. “There’s a shallow pool that you could swim in if you chose.”
The three little pigs squealed and started running toward the back.
“It looks as if you have everything under control here,” Cory told Olot before he could follow the pigs. “I don’t think you need me anymore, so I’m going now.”
“That’s fine,” said Olot. “I’ll make sure they get on the pedal-bus safe and sound. See you later at Sprats�
��.”
Cory nodded. With all that had happened that day, she’d forgotten that the band was scheduled to play at the restaurant. When they heard the sound of splashing coming from the bathing room, Olot excused himself and hurried after the pigs.
“I’ll just let myself out,” Cory called after him. She started to the front door, happy that at least this time the Tooth Fairy Guild hadn’t tried to interfere. The door swung open silently and she was making sure that it had closed behind her when a swarm of gnats descended on her, getting in her eyes, her nose, and her mouth.
“Bleh!” she said, spitting out some gnats. Batting at the tiny insects with her hands, she hurried down the path. She was certain that the gnats would disperse as soon as she left, so she couldn’t help laughing to herself. This time the Tooth Fairy Guild had been too late to do any damage.
When Cory returned home, the thatched roof was repaired and her uncle was kneeling in the garden, weeding. She landed on the grass and resumed her human size before sitting cross-legged beside him. “You’re home early,” said Cory.
Micah set down the trowel and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. “A novice water nymph blew out all the pipes in the school. Everyone was sent home until the pipes are fixed. They say we should be able to go back in by tomorrow. The roofer was here when I got home.” Micah sat back on his heels and turned to look at the roof. “I think he did a good job. He left just a few minutes ago. Oh, Johnny Blue stopped by as well. He was sorry he missed you and said he’d see you at Sprats’ tonight. How was your day?”
“Mother came to see me this morning,” said Cory. “She tried to talk me into rejoining the Tooth Fairy Guild again. Then she said something that I thought was curious. She compared me to my father’s father, but she talked about him as if he was still alive.”
Micah picked up the trowel and began jabbing at the roots of a stubborn weed. “Really? That’s interesting.”