by Kiki Thorpe
“It was the map!” Gabby exclaimed. “We found it in your workshop after you left. Only it’s not a map of Never Land anymore. It’s a real map of Shadow Island.”
Gabby showed Tink the miniature map of Shadow Island. All the places the girls had visited were marked—the Dark Forest, the Lost Coast, the Misty Peak, and the Forgotten Castle.
“I thought as much,” Tink said, nodding. “This map is what you make of it.”
“What I want to know is, what have you been doing all this time?” Kate asked. “We’ve been looking for you for days!”
“I’ve been chasing my shadow, of course,” Tink said. “I’d almost given up on finding it. Now I wonder if I should have. Maybe,” she added pointedly, “I’d be better off without it.”
At this, the shadow dropped any pretense of not listening. It jumped up and stomped its foot. Tink glared back. For a moment, the fairy and her shadow stood with their hands on their hips, mirroring each other.
“But your shadow came back in the end. Didn’t it, Tink?” Gabby said quickly to make peace.
“I’m sure it always meant to,” Lainey added. “It followed us for a long time. It must have hoped we’d lead it to you.”
“Hmph,” said Tink. But her frown softened a little.
“Anyway, that’s all behind us now,” Mia said. “You found your shadow, and we found you. We can finally go back to Pixie Hollow.”
“Won’t it be good to see all the fairies again?” Gabby exclaimed.
“And the Home Tree!” added Lainey.
“And eat some of Dulcie’s Never Berry pie!” Kate chimed in.
The girls grinned at one another. Tink was the only one not smiling. “Don’t you know?” she asked.
“Know what?” Kate asked.
“We can’t go to Pixie Hollow,” Tinker Bell told them. “There’s no way back to Never Land.”
“What do you mean there’s no way back to Never Land?” Kate demanded. “We got here, didn’t we?”
“You told us Iridessa, Rosetta, Fawn, and Silvermist are in Never Land,” Mia added. “How did they get there?”
“The cloud took them,” Tink explained. “But the cloud is gone. Until it returns—if it returns—we’re stuck.”
“There could be another way,” Kate said desperately. “A secret portal…or…or a passage. Couldn’t there?”
“Let me show you something,” Tink said. She flew to the wreck of the Treasure, which was still wrapped in Mia’s sweater, and searched among the pieces until she found what she was looking for.
“A compass?” Kate asked as Tink set it down by the fire.
“Not just any compass, a Never Land compass,” Tink replied. “I made it myself from an old pirate’s compass. It was meant to be a gift for Peter Pan so he could always find his way back to Never Land. But Peter didn’t want it,” she added with a shrug. “He thought getting lost was too good an adventure to miss. So I kept it. It’s come in handy.”
“How does it work?” Lainey asked.
Tink pointed to the compass face. “ ‘N’ is for Never Land,” she explained. “When Never Land is near, the needle will always point toward it.”
They watched the needle spin in lazy circles. “How do we know which way we’re supposed to go?” Mia asked. “The needle won’t stop moving.”
“Exactly,” said Tink. “That’s because there is no way to Never Land from here. The worlds of Shadow Island and Never Land don’t connect.”
“What about the storm cloud?” Mia asked. “How can it be in both places if they’re not connected?”
“I don’t think it’s a real cloud at all,” Tink answered. “It’s some sort of portal between the worlds.”
“So,” Kate said slowly, “if we can’t get to Never Land…we can’t get home, either.”
Tink shook her head.
The girls were silent. Tink guessed they were all thinking about their homes and families.
Tink remembered the day she’d met the four girls, so long ago in Pixie Hollow. Then, too, the girls had been stranded in a strange land. Queen Clarion had asked Tink to look after them. Tink recalled that she hadn’t felt up to the task.
She had the same feeling now. It had worried her since the moment she’d seen the girls. Tink could take care of herself. But how was she going to take care of four children here on Shadow Island?
“You said the compass pointed to Never Land at the Forgotten Castle,” Mia remembered suddenly. “Why?”
“It was an accident. A mistake,” Tink explained. “A magnetic stone threw the needle off.”
“Did you say a stone?” Kate asked. All the girls were now staring at Tink.
“Yes, a lodestone,” Tink said, wondering at their interest. “Here, I’ll show you.”
She flew again to the Treasure. This time she retrieved a small chest from the cabin. She opened it and took out a blanket-wrapped bundle.
“I kept it wrapped up so it wouldn’t interfere with the compass,” Tink explained as she removed the blankets.
The girls crowded around to see. The stone was shaped like a half-moon. It was black and very smooth, as if it had been held or rubbed many times.
“The magic stone,” Mia said in a hushed voice.
“Not magic. Magnetic,” Tink corrected her. “See?” She gestured to the compass. The needle was pointing right at the stone. “Lodestones are magnets, though I’ve never seen one quite this strong. I took it because I thought it might be useful. Mostly I just used it as ballast, though.”
“But there is a magic stone,” Mia said. “We learned about it from the bats in the castle.”
“Did you find this in a big stone arch?” Kate asked, taking the stone from Tink.
“How did you know?” Tink asked in surprise.
“This has to be it!” Lainey said.
“Has to be what?” asked Tink. “Will someone please explain what you’re talking about?”
The girls quickly filled her in. Like Tink, Gabby had lost her shadow at the Forgotten Castle. They’d sought help from the bats who lived there. The bats told them the history of Shadow Island.
“Hundreds of years ago, a foolish king put a curse on the castle,” Mia explained. “See, the old king was afraid of shadows. Under his spell, any creature that passed through the entrance would lose its shadow. That’s why there are so many lost shadows on Shadow Island.”
“He had a magic stone. That’s how he made the curse,” Lainey explained. “The bats said the same stone can undo it. It can return shadows to where they belong.”
“Well, its magic must be broken,” Tink said. “I’ve had the stone all this time, and it didn’t bring my shadow back.”
Kate gazed at the stone thoughtfully. She ran her finger over the stone’s flat edge. “It is broken,” she said. “See? This part feels rough, but the rest of the stone is smooth.”
“So maybe, if we can find the other piece…,” Mia began.
“Its magic will work again!” Lainey finished for her.
“Even if that’s true and this stone can mend shadows, I don’t see how that will help us,” Tink said.
“Did you ever think that the compass was pointing to the stone for another reason?” Mia asked. “Maybe it’s not only a magnet. Maybe its magic can get us back to Never Land.”
“We’ve got to find the other half of this stone,” Kate said, handing the stone to Gabby.
Mia nodded. “But where do we look?”
“I bet that old king took the other half,” Kate said. “He must have hidden it somewhere.”
“The bats might be able to tell us,” Lainey said. “But without Fawn here to translate, we wouldn’t understand them. Anyway, it was hundreds of years ago. Who could remember that far back?”
Mia’s face suddenly brightened. “Why didn’t we think of it before? The Great Ones will know.” She scrambled to her fee
t. “We need to go back to the Dark Forest!”
Outside the cave, the fog had lifted. Tink was glad. She didn’t want to go on another long journey though the mist.
Before they set out, Tink insisted on fixing Gabby’s shadow. “You’ll only lose it again if it’s not put on right,” she explained. “And the last thing we need is more lost shadows.”
Tink got out a small needle. The girls watched in amazement as she began to sew Gabby’s shadow back on.
“Hold still,” she commanded. “Or it will go on crooked.”
Gabby held her breath. She tried to be as still as a statue.
“Did the sewing fairies teach you that?” Mia asked in wonder.
“I learned it from a Clumsy, actually,” Tink replied. She was working her way around Gabby’s toes. The silver needle flashed in and out. “Once, Peter Pan lost his shadow. A girl sewed it back on. I’m glad I paid attention. It’s all in the stitching, you see.”
“I am so totally taking sewing lessons when we get home,” Kate said.
“Does it hurt?” Lainey asked Gabby.
“No,” Gabby answered, trying not to wiggle. “It tickles a little, though.”
As Tink worked, Mia and Kate studied the map of Shadow Island. Mia looked worried. “The Dark Forest is all the way down here,” she said. “Do you think we have enough fairy dust left to get there?”
“We’ll just have to make it last,” Kate said.
“Done,” Tink said, and fluttered back to admire her work. “Go ahead, try it out, Gabby.”
Gabby waved her arms and danced around. On the ground, her shadow danced with her.
“It’s perfect. Don’t you think so?” Tink said.
Gabby nodded. Her shadow nodded, too. “Are you going to sew your shadow on, too, Tink?” Gabby asked.
Hearing this, Tink’s shadow darted away. It hid behind a rock.
Tink rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. You heard Gabby. It doesn’t hurt.”
Tink’s shadow suddenly shot straight up in the air. It waved its arms wildly.
“All right, have it your way. You don’t need to be so dramatic,” Tink said. She put the needle away.
But the shadow continued to flap its arms and point.
“I think it’s trying to tell us something,” Lainey said.
“Let’s see what it wants,” Gabby said.
They climbed to where the shadow was hovering. Gabby let out a shout that brought everyone running. There, wedged between two rocks, was a tiny wooden barrel. The last unbroken barrel of fairy dust.
“Nice work,” Tink said to her shadow. “Maybe I’ll keep you around after all.”
* * *
They set out from the beach, following the map toward the Dark Forest.
As they flew, the trees became taller. The forest became darker. Tinker Bell thought she had explored every corner of Shadow Island, but she hadn’t seen this before.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Tink asked, when they’d been flying for some time.
The girls paused and looked around. They were in woods so dense that barely any light came through the tree branches.
“Kind of sure,” Mia said without much confidence.
“Look!” Gabby pointed into the undergrowth. “There!”
Tink fluttered to her side. She expected to see a path or some kind of landmark. But she didn’t see anything. “What is it?”
“A mushroom!” Gabby said significantly.
“Quick!” cried Mia. “Follow it!”
Tink stared. “You want to follow…a mushroom?” Now she was worried. The strain of the journey was clearly getting to the girls.
But they had already rushed away.
Tink’s shadow looked from her to the girls. Then, with a shrug, it followed them.
Sighing, Tink flew after them.
They hadn’t gone far, though, when Mia came to a sudden stop. Everyone halted behind her.
“I think they’re here,” Mia whispered.
“Who’s—?” Tink began. But Mia shushed her.
They heard a soft rustle as dozens of sprites emerged from the forest. They wore mushroom caps and held asparagus spears, which they pointed at the girls.
Tink’s hand flew to the dagger on her belt. She tried to decide whether to fight or flee. Then she realized the girls were smiling!
“How’s it going?” Kate said to the sprites. “Long time no see.”
The sprites smiled and lowered their spears.
“You know them?” Tink asked.
“We met them our very first day on Shadow Island,” Mia explained.
The band of sprites parted suddenly. A small sprite in a leaf-cloak and a mushroom crown made her way forward.
“That’s Ersa, their leader,” Lainey whispered to Tink.
The crowned sprite smiled broadly. “My friends, you have returned! And you must be the one they were searching for,” she said, looking at Tink. “Welcome to our village. But where are the other Brilliant Ones?”
“This is Tinker Bell,” Mia said. “Our other fairy friends have gone home. We’re trying to get there, too. Ersa, we need to speak to Magnus.”
“You will see him,” Ersa agreed with a wave of her hand. “But first, you must see what you’ve done to our village. Come.”
“What have you done to their village?” Tink whispered worriedly as they followed Ersa.
In moments, they came to a clearing. Sunlight made golden puddles on the forest floor.
There, bathed in soft light, sat the sprites’ village. Tiny homes made of large mushrooms dotted the clearing. Tink saw sprites with twig rakes tending patches of blue and white flowers. Other sprites sat sunning themselves in the warm sunbeams.
Tears filled Tink’s eyes. The village reminded her of Pixie Hollow.
“See our gardens!” Ersa exclaimed, waving at the flowers. “It is all thanks to you. Your friends brought sunlight to our village,” she explained to Tink.
The girls exclaimed over the beautiful flowers. “We’re so happy for you,” Mia said. “I wish we could stay longer, but we need to see Magnus.”
The sprite queen nodded. “Please go. You know the way. I hope you will come back and see us someday.”
She bid them good-bye one by one. When she came to Tinker Bell, Ersa glanced down at her pom-pom slippers and smiled.
“I like your shoes,” she said, and winked.
“Now, Tink, don’t be nervous,” Gabby advised as they flew up toward the top of the forest. “The Great Ones act grumpy, but they’re actually nice.”
“I’m not nervous.” Tink tugged her bangs. She hated not knowing what was going on. “It’s just that you haven’t explained everything. Who, exactly, are the Great Ones?”
“The forest giants,” Lainey replied. “I promise, you’ll know them when you see them.”
Tink pointed to the massive tree trunks. Staircases made of mushrooms spiraled around them. Groups of sprites holding spears were running up and down the stairs.
“What are they doing?” she asked.
“Protecting the trees,” Lainey answered. “Certain beetles like to burrow under the tree bark. The sprites drive them away. In exchange, the trees make sure sunlight reaches the sprites’ village.”
“That was my idea,” Mia said proudly.
They had almost reached the top of the forest. Tink could see blue sky between the branches. She was wondering how much farther they had to go, when a deep voice boomed, “Who’s there?”
Tink jumped as a face appeared on the tree next to her. It gazed at her with hollow eyes. A gash appeared in the bark. Tink realized the tree was opening its mouth.
“Begone, pesky flame!” the tree bellowed, raising a branch.
Tink wasted no time darting out of the way. She didn’t want to tangle with an angry tree!
Mia flew forward. “
Hello, Magnus. Do you remember me?”
At the sight of her, the great tree’s expression softened. “Ah, so you’re back, groundling. I wondered if I’d see you again.” The hollows of his eyes shifted. He seemed to be looking for someone. “Where is the little spark?” the great tree asked.
“He means Rosetta,” Kate whispered to Tink. “He really liked her.”
Of course he did, Tink thought. Plants adored the garden-talent fairy.
“She’s gone home to Pixie Hollow,” Mia answered. “And we’re trying to get home, too. We helped you with a problem once, Magnus. Now we hope you can return the favor.”
“I will try,” the great tree said.
“Long ago—centuries, maybe—a king lived on this island. Can you tell us what happened to him?” Mia asked.
The old tree let out a sigh. It sounded like wind whooshing through branches. “I know of no king.”
“Please! Try to remember!” Lainey begged. “You’ve stood here for hundreds of years. You’ve seen so much. Can’t you tell us anything?”
“Think, little groundlings,” Magnus said gently. “If the king lived as long ago as you say, I would have been only a sapling, no taller than you. I knew little back then.”
Mia’s face fell. “I didn’t think of that.”
“Why do you seek a forgotten king?” the great tree asked. “How can he possibly help you?”
“The king had a magic stone,” Mia explained. “We found half of it. If we can find the other half, the magic might be strong enough to get us home.”
Gabby took the half-moon stone from her pocket. She held it out for the old tree to see.
“I know nothing of magic stones,” Magnus said. “But maybe I can still help. I will submit the question to the system.”
“System?” Kate asked. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Do you mean, like, a computer system?”