Pixie Piper and the Matter of the Batter

by Annabelle Fisher

  “Over there,” I whispered. My trusty little beam found her curled up beside an old tree stump.

  “Come on, get up,” I said.

  “Go away.”

  “Yeah, let’s go, Pix,” said Gray.

  “I’m not leaving you here, Pip,” I declared.

  “Why not? I’m a traitor.”

  For just a second, I hesitated. “I would’ve said ‘disloyal.’”

  “I was going to say ‘double-crosser,’” grumbled Gray.

  “I’m not!” Pip cried. “You just don’t understand.”

  “So tell us,” I said.

  “Pixie!” Gray tugged at my arm, but I shook him off.

  “Wait,” I whispered.

  After a moment Pip began to speak. “When Garrie told me she was trying to protect the Goose Ladies by getting rid of Raveneece, I believed her. That’s why I agreed to help. I didn’t know she was planning to keep the hat for herself—or the wishing cake.” She lifted her head and met my eyes.

  I thought about the spots I’d seen on her arms, the black, blue, and red pinch marks. “I don’t get it,” I said. “You told me those girls were your friends. If you ask me, those girls were the worst friends anyone ever had.”

  “All my life I wanted friends,” Pip answered. “I was never allowed to go anywhere after school but Garrie’s store. And I couldn’t bring anyone to Chuckling Goose. The other kids in my class always had after-school playdates.” She swiped at her face with a hand. “When I was little, Wyatt and I played together. But in high school, he began joining all these teams and clubs—basketball, baseball, chess, and science stuff. He’ll be going to college next year, and I’ll be alone. So I made friends with Diamond, Emerald, and Ruby. But they were only using me.”

  I sort of knew how she felt. Before I’d learned how to make friends, I used to be friendless at my school, except for Gray, of course. But even then, I wouldn’t have hurt my family for all the friends in the world. At least, I hoped not.

  “You had no right to give away Aunt Espy’s hat or a wishing cake,” I told her. “You made some horrible decisions.”

  “Yeah!” said Gray with a grumble. “You’re still a traitor, just not as big as I thought.”

  “But we won’t tell anyone at the farm about you yet,” I said. “We want to think about it, right, Gray?”

  “No! But I will if you want me to,” he replied. He’d always been a bigger grudge holder than me.

  When we finally reached the farm, I hesitated. “You go on in,” I told Pip. “I’m going to the barn to check on Destiny.”

  Pip climbed the porch steps with her head hanging low. She didn’t look back at us.

  Watching her made me sigh.

  “What’s wrong now?” asked Gray.

  “You should think about forgiving her,” I whispered. “If you haven’t had friends, it’s hard to know how to be one. But I think she could learn. Anyway, she did the right thing for the wrong reason. I’ve done that, too.”

  “Pixie, you are a complicated person, said Gray, emphasizing it with a loud burp.

  “Complicated. You mean like math?” I asked. “Fractions?”

  “Yep, you’re a fraction.”

  After I made sure Des and La Blanca were okay, I took the secret staircase to the second floor. With every muscle in my body trembling, I let myself into Grandie’s room. She was lying on her back with her eyes closed the way I’d left her. Silently, I removed the big cone hat from my head and laid it down beside her.

  “I did it. I got back your hat, Grandmother,” I whispered. It was impossible to know if she’d heard me. “I didn’t give up hope and I don’t want you to, either.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hand move. It seemed to be reaching toward me. When I took it in mine, I felt her give my fingers a tiny squeeze.

  “Good night,” I whispered. “Please get better.” I kissed her hand and set it on the hat. For a moment she caressed it. Then her hand slipped off and settled back on the bed.

  On my way out of the room, I bumped into Aunt Doris. The whites of her eyes were glowing scarily and her mouth was stretched in a grim line. My breath caught in my throat.

  “Eeek!” I squeaked as she grabbed me.

  “Oh, kiddo, I was so worried about you,” she murmured, enveloping me in a tight hug.

  I tugged her into Grandie’s doorway. “Look!” I pointed to the cone hat.

  Aunt Doris just shook her head and sighed.

  “Am I in trouble?” I asked.

  “You bet you are!” she whispered. “But we’ll talk about it tomorrow. You should go to bed.”

  “Wait! I won’t be able to sleep unless I ask you something. It’s really important.”

  “Okay, but just one something.” She held up a finger to show she was serious.

  I stood on my tiptoes and whispered it into her ear, just in case someone was listening. Around Chuckling Goose, you never knew.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Ye Olde Talent

  I was as full of hope as a fresh-baked wishing cake the next morning. I knew it was unlikely—okay, super unlikely—that Grandie would be in the kitchen. Still, I’d let myself believe that the return of her cone hat would give her back her strength.

  But the lights in the kitchen weren’t on yet when I tiptoed in and there was no Grandma Espy in her cone hat, either. It would probably take weeks or months before she got better.

  To cheer myself up I sang “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” while I found the ingredients I needed. I wanted to try out my new breakfast creation, Double Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins. It was a recipe I’d made up just so I could leave one on Grandie’s nightstand. Even with her eyes closed, she might be able to smell her favorites.

  I’d just put the first batch in the oven when I thought I heard a honk. “Des?” I called softly. When she didn’t appear, I began singing again. But the honking got louder. I was sure someone’s goose was attempting a duet with me.

  Thump, clank! Thump, clank!

  “Geese don’t clank,” I told myself. Someone was heading toward the kitchen. I raised Stumpy, preparing to defend myself.

  La Blanca waddled in, followed by Destiny.

  “How’d you two get in here?” I exclaimed. I plucked two raspberries out of a bowl and fed one to each. I was going to have to tell Gray to keep a closer eye on them, even though I was glad to see them.

  Then I heard a voice. It was hoarse and wavery, but it was singing, “Climb ev’ry mountain!”

  “Grandma Espy!” I cried. She was using a cane to support herself as she thump-clanked into the kitchen. Her head and neck wobbled under the big cone hat.

  I ran to get her a chair and waited while she let herself sink into it.

  “Something smelled too good to resist,” she said.

  “I invented a new kind of muffin for you this morning,” I said. She interrupted with a thump of her cane.

  “I invented something new for you, too,” she announced. “I thought of it last night.”

  La Blanca honked and pulled at the bottom of her purple bathrobe. Grandie waved a hand for me to pick up her goose and set her in Grandie’s lap. Even in her fuzzy purple robe and slippers, she looked exactly like a picture book Mother Goose, especially when she began reciting:

  “Who’s always turning the world on its head?

  The girl with a talent for trouble

  She can make you so mad that you’re seeing red

  And your heart swells and pops like a bubble

  “Her motives are good, though not oft understood

  But we still thank our lucky stars

  For a girl brave and true, as ever we knew

  And that talented girl is ours.”

  I could practically feel my freckles glowing. “Did you have a talent for trouble when you were a kid?” I asked.

  Grandie’s voice was already a little crankier when she answered, “Not as big as yours.” She pointed her cane at the oven. “See that smoke? Your m
uffins are burning!”

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  Ye Olde Punishment

  While the goose girls went off to write wishing rhymes and the boys went off to collect goose eggs, I remained at the dining table. The Aunts, except for Grandie, who still needed rest, had ordered me to stay put. Even though I’d rescued Mother Goose’s cone hat, I was in a heap of trouble for sneaking out of Chuckling Goose at night . . . with a trick wishing cake . . . and going where I shouldn’t have gone.

  I’d been braver than brave and truer than true. But maybe I’d also been dumber than dumb.

  “Didn’t you learn anything from your last run-in with Raveneece?” scolded Aunt Bernie. “You’re a serial offender, Pixie!”

  Aunt Fancy shook a finger stacked with rings at me. “You might have spent the rest of your life underground!”

  “I know. But it’s not true that I didn’t learn anything! When I first got here, Aunt Espy said I needed to learn to recognize what’s most important. Well, seeing her get better was the most important thing to me. I thought if I got back her hat, it would help. And I think it did a little.”

  I looked at each of my Aunt’s faces. They didn’t look angry anymore, just really frustrated. “I’m not saying I shouldn’t be punished,” I told them. “I know I broke the rules.”

  Aunt Doris tapped her red fingernails against the table. “That’s part of the problem, kiddo. We tried grounding you, but it didn’t work.”

  “Yes. So we thought we’d ask what you think would be a stiff, but fair, punishment,” Aunt Fancy explained.

  I’d never been asked to design my own punishment before. It seemed like having a Get Out of Jail Free card.

  “Well, you could make me scrub the kitchen floor every day for the rest of the summer. Or you could take away my TV privileges so I couldn’t watch Good News of the Week anymore. But neither of those are really stiff punishments.” I swallowed when I thought about what would really be bad. “The very worst thing would be keeping me away from Destiny, but that would be punishing her, too. She’d be really sad if she couldn’t see me. I guess the second worse thing would be taking away my baking privileges and not letting me make wishing cakes anymore.”

  The Aunts looked at one another with solemn faces. “We’ll discuss it and let you know our decision later,” said Aunt Bernie finally. “You can go now.”

  “Okay, thank you,” I said. “But can I ask a question first? Have you decided on that thing I asked Aunt Doris about last night?”

  “We haven’t had time yet, kiddo,” replied Aunt Doris. “We’ll let you know soon.”

  On my way down the hall, I passed the wishing room. The door was already closed. I knew the rest of the apprentices were writing their poems. But I wasn’t really in the mood for rhyming. Instead, I collected Destiny and La Blanca from the barnyard and brought them to the pond. I was surprised to find Pip there with her goose. I guess neither of us was ready to get back to ordinary life.

  The long grass tickled my legs as I sat down beside her. It was calming just to watch the geese dabble in the water.

  “What did the Aunts want?” Pip asked after a while.

  “They’re deciding my punishment.”

  She eyed me sideways. “Your punishment? What about mine?”

  “I didn’t tell on you. I’ve decided your punishment myself.” I bit my bottom lip to keep from grinning.

  Pip snorted. “Okay, what?”

  “You’re coming home with me for the last two weeks of the summer.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “What kind of punishment is that?”

  “Well, you’ll have to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor of my room, which is really tiny. And you’ll have to play with my brother.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yup. You’ll have to be my real friend, and Gray’s. And meet my other friends, too.”

  “They won’t want to be friends with me.”

  “You’ll have to figure out how to get them to like you. That’s why it’s a great punishment,” I said. “Though the Aunts still have to agree to it. I’ve already asked Aunt Doris to talk to the others.” I looked over my shoulder at the farmhouse. “They’re probably deciding your fate right now.”

  “I don’t get it. Why are you being so nice to me?” Pip asked.

  I sighed. “I think it’s probably because we’re alike. You did the wrong thing for the right reason. I have that problem sometimes. Also, because we’re cousins, and friends.” I hesitated a moment. “Right?”

  Pip looked me in the eye and nodded. “Right.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  Ye Olde Next Mountain

  I guess I should have checked with my parents when I first thought of the idea. But as usual, I’d gotten things backward. I’d asked the Aunts for permission to bring Pip home with me. I’d already invited her. I’d even talked Gray into thinking it was a decent idea. But I hadn’t checked with my parents. The truth was, I hadn’t called them at all this summer and I’d hardly written. Which was why I was nervous as I closed myself in Grandie’s office the next morning and lifted the receiver.

  The sun was just rising, but I knew my family would be up. We were early risers. We liked having time for breakfast together.

  “Awwoh?”

  “Sammy? Hi! It’s Pixie.”

  “Peeksie! Hi—hi—hi—hi—hi!”

  “Hi, Sammy! Can I talk to Mom or Dad?”

  “Hi—hi—hi—hi—hi!”

  “Hi, Sammy. Go get Mommy or Daddy.”

  “Hi—hi—hi—hi—hi!”

  I’d nearly given up when I heard Mom say, “Sammy, who are you talking to? Let me have the phone.”

  “Mom, it’s me!”

  “Pixie! Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, great. I can’t believe Sammy is answering the phone now.”

  Mom laughed. “Only if we don’t catch him first.”

  I imagined her the way she always looked in the morning—messy-haired, barefoot, and moving as gracefully as a cat. It made me feel teary, but in a good way.

  “Are you having fun?” she asked.

  “Yes. I have so many things to tell you when I get home. But right now I have a question. Would it be okay if I bring someone with me at the end of the summer?”

  “Sure. You mean for a weekend?”

  “No, um, for two weeks before school starts. Her name’s Pip and she lives here at Chuckling Goose. When the kids all go home, she stays here with the Goose Ladies and her brother, Wyatt. But he’s busy. And he’ll be going away to college soon and I think she’s lonely.”

  “Well . . .”

  “Please, Mom. She could stay in a sleeping bag in my room. We’ll be helpful—we can babysit. And we’re learning to cook!”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll talk to Dad. I’m pretty sure he’ll approve.”

  “THANKS, MOM!!!”

  I couldn’t wait to tell Pip. But first I had to make Grandie’s breakfast and take it up to her. It was my responsibility every morning. That was the punishment the Aunts had given me for breaking the rules.

  Big whoop!

  I cooked her a green apple and goat cheese omelet and set a peanut-butter-and-jelly muffin on her bread plate. Out in the potager, I picked a rose and some fresh raspberries. While I was setting her tray, a yawning Gray brought Destiny and La Blanca into the kitchen so I could bring them upstairs to see Grandie, too.

  “Did you speak to your parents yet?” Gray asked.

  “Yup.”

  “Is she coming?”

  “Yup.”

  Gray heaved a sigh. “Now Winged Bowl will have two girls with a talent for trouble,” he said. “It’s worse punishment than having to muck out Thomas’s stall by myself every day for the rest of the summer.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  His face cracked a grin. “Yep. I figure at least being home again won’t be boring.”

  We both laughed like it was a big joke. But I had a feeling he was right.

>   When I got to Grandma Espy’s door, I didn’t knock. Instead, as I entered with her breakfast, the geese began honking and I began singing: “Climb ev’ry mountain . . .”

  To: Lucy Chang, Alexa Pinkston

  Subject: What I Learned This Summer

  Can a villain be nice?

  Can a hero be mean?

  Is there a description that fits in between?

  Magical powers can make villains weak

  They can make children strong

  They can make batter speak

  But more mighty yet

  Are the heart and the mind

  They can change cruel to kind

  With a story or rhyme

  Love,

  Pix

  P.S. I’m bringing a friend home with me.

  I can’t wait for you to meet her! See you sooooon!

  Recipes for Aspiring Apprentices, from the Goose Ladies

  Do you want to be a Goose Kid

  With a talent and a mission?

  Then why not try these recipes

  From Esperanza’s kitchen?

  Snickerdoodle, Birthday Wish

  Are two that you could make

  Unless you need a tricky treat

  Like the Reversing Cake.

  For breakfast try our Biscuits,

  But remember not to blink

  Or the naughty rolls will fly away

  Much quicker than a wink.

  And if you want to have some fun,

  There’s one that’s just for play—

  A recipe for sparkly snow

  To cool a summer’s day.

  The Goose Ladies’ Rules

  1. An adult must be present whenever an Apprentice uses the oven or the range top.

  2. Line up the ingredients and baking implements before you begin.

  3. Read the recipe through twice.

  4. Always clean up when you are finished baking.

  5. Share and enjoy!

  Pixie’s Favorite No-Bake Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

  You say nothing rhymes with cinnamon?