The One and Only Willa Bean

by Cecilia Galante

  Willa Bean waved back. “Go, Harper!” she whispered.

  Harper turned all the way around until the class could see Octavius. He was hanging upside down from her belt. His eyes were closed. Soft whee-ing sounds came out of his nose. He was still sleeping!

  “I have a bat.” Harper spoke to the chalkboard, since she was turned around. “He likes to hang upside down. And he likes to sleep a lot. Especially during the day. Sometimes he snores.”

  “A bat!” Miss Twizzle repeated. “How wonderful! Can you tell us anything else about him?”

  “He’s from a place on Earth called Italy,” Harper said.

  “Turn around, please, Harper,” said Miss Twizzle.

  Harper turned around. “He’s a horseshoe bat,” she went on. “I think it’s ’cause his nose looks like a little horseshoe.”

  “And what’s his name?” Miss Twizzle asked.

  “Octavius,” Harper said.

  “Octopus?” Pedro whispered behind Willa Bean. “Did she just say Octopus?”

  Willa Bean giggled. But she didn’t correct Pedro. She didn’t want to lose her turn to stand in front of the room. She wanted to tell everyone about Snooze. He was the greatest flying friend ever!

  Vivi waved her hand in the air. “Can you wake him up?” she asked. “I want to see the horseshoe on his nose!”

  “Harper?” Miss Twizzle asked. “Would it be possible for the class to say hello to Octavius?”

  Harper reached behind her and fiddled a little bit until she was holding Octavius. Then she whispered something in his ear.

  Class A stared as the tiny animal opened his eyes. He squinted and blinked. “This is Octavius,” Harper said softly.

  “HELLO, OCTAVIUS!” said Class A.

  Octavius’s eyes opened very wide. A high-pitched squeaking sound came out of his mouth. Before anyone knew what was happening, he buried his tiny face in the front of Harper’s uniform and wrapped his wings around himself.

  “What’s the matter with him?” Raymond shouted. “Is he going to throw up?”

  “No,” Harper said. “He’s just shy.”

  “That’s perfectly all right,” Miss Twizzle said. “He’s here, and that’s the most important thing. Thank you very much, Harper. And thank you, Octavius.”

  Sophie was next. She told the class that her little black and blue bird was a mangrove swallow. He was from Mexico, and he could fly very, very fast. His name was Bobo.

  Pedro had a bumblebee named Ranger. He was yellow and black, and when he flew, he made a buzzing sound.

  Raymond’s flying friend was a lightning bug named Click. Click was from a place called New York City. He had a light on his tail that really worked.

  Class A laughed and clapped as Click turned the light off and on. Click was a big hit.

  Willa Bean jiggled her knees under her desk while Raymond talked. She tapped her fingers on her desk and tugged on her curls. As soon as Raymond finished, she raised her hand again. She was being very good. Miss Twizzle just had to call her next!

  Finally, Miss Twizzle looked at Willa Bean. She smiled and opened her mouth.

  But before she could say a word, there was a knock at the door.

  Willa Bean stared as Miss Twizzle opened the door. A messenger cupid came into the room with a flying friend sitting on his shoulder.

  “Mr. Wingston!” Lucy gasped from the corner. “You’re here!”

  And with a hoot and a flap of his wings, another brown owl flew across the room.

  Willa Bean’s knees stopped jiggling. She dropped the curl she was tugging. Her mouth fell open into a little O.

  She stared at that other owl sitting on Lucy’s shoulder. He was twice the size of Snooze. A pair of round silver glasses was settled neatly on his beak. Two tufts of feathers stuck out of the top of his head, like tall ears.

  Nope, nope-ity, nope, nope, nope! This was not the way things were supposed to go! Not even a little bit! Everyone had to have their own, completely different flying friend. No one was supposed to have the same kind! Especially new cupids!

  Miss Twizzle looked pleased. “It seems that our special delivery is here! Why don’t you go next, Lucy?”

  Willa Bean watched as Lucy walked to the front of the class with her owl. The rest of Class A watched, too. Willa Bean wondered if any of them were thinking the same thing she was.

  “This is Mr. Wingston.” It was hard to hear Lucy, since her voice was so soft. As she spoke, she pulled on the hem of her uniform dress and looked at the floor.

  “WELCOME, MR. WINGSTON!” said everyone in Class A.

  Well, almost everyone. Willa Bean did not say a word.

  “Lucy?” Miss Twizzle asked gently. “I know it’s hard, since you don’t know anyone yet, but try to speak up, dear. What kind of owl is Mr. Wingston?”

  Lucy lifted her head a little bit. “He’s a long-eared owl.” She pointed to the top of the big owl’s head, where his tufts were. “Even though those aren’t really ears. They’re feathers. But they look like ears. During the day, Mr. Wingston sleeps in my closet.”

  “Just like me,” Snooze whispered in Willa Bean’s ear. “How about that?”

  Willa Bean wrinkled her nose.

  “I love Mr. Wingston’s glasses,” Miss Twizzle said.

  “Thank you.” Lucy smiled. “They’re called spectacles.”

  “They make him look very important,” Miss Twizzle said. “Which, of course, he is. Welcome to Class A, Mr. Wingston!”

  “Thank you very much,” Mr. Wingston replied. He had a low, deep voice. “It’s a pleasure to be here.”

  Willa Bean watched as Lucy walked back to her desk. Mr. Wingston turned his head almost all the way around as he sat on Lucy’s shoulder. His yellow eyes blinked behind his silver spectacles. Lucy sat back in her chair. She breathed in deep and let out a big sigh.

  Willa Bean knew that wearing spectacles meant Mr. Wingston was super-smart. Harper wore glasses, and she was super-smart-plus! Miss Twizzle had said that Mr. Wingston was very important. Could it be that he was smarter than Snooze?

  “Your turn, Willa Bean!” Miss Twizzle said.

  Willa Bean did not move.

  Snooze nibbled gently on her ear. “Willa Bean,” he whispered. “Let’s go! It’s our turn!”

  Willa Bean stood up slowly. She shuffled to the front of the room. She tugged on one of her curls and bit her bottom lip.

  “Willa Bean?” Miss Twizzle said softly behind her. “Go ahead, dear. Tell us about your flying friend.”

  Willa Bean scratched her nose. “I have an owl, too,” she mumbled.

  Snooze cleared his throat and opened his eyes wide. “Bonjour!” he said to the class.

  Pedro raised his hand. “What does bonjour mean?” he asked.

  “Willa Bean?” Miss Twizzle asked. “Can you tell Pedro what bonjour means?”

  Willa Bean looked at the floor. “It means hello,” she said.

  “Yellow?” Pedro called out. “Did you just say it means yellow?”

  Miss Twizzle raised her eyebrows. “No shouting out in class, Pedro. Willa Bean said it means hello.” She clapped her hands together once. “How marvelous!” she said. “Two owls in the same class! I’ve never had that happen before!”

  Willa Bean stared at the floor. She did not think it was marvelous. She wanted Snooze to be the only owl in Class A. Just like Click was the only lightning bug. And Octavius was the only bat. And Buttercream Thistlepopper was the one and only butterfly.

  Onlies were special.

  Onlies were the best.

  Everyone knew that.

  “Can you tell us what kind of owl he is?” Miss Twizzle asked.

  “He’s a pygmy owl,” Willa Bean said. “From France. That’s why he sometimes speaks French.”

  “He’s absolutely adorable,” Miss Twizzle said. “So sweet and tiny! What’s his name, Willa Bean?”

  “Snooze,” Willa Bean mumbled. She wished Miss Twizzle had not mentioned Snooze’s size. Especially
in front of Mr. Wingston.

  “Snooze!” Miss Twizzle repeated. “What a sweet name! Class, can we give Snooze a big Class A welcome?”

  “WELCOME, SNOOZE!” shouted all of Class A.

  Harper shouted the loudest of all.

  “Merci!” Snooze sat up straight. “That means thank you,” he added.

  “Maybe Snooze and Mr. Wingston can be friends,” Miss Twizzle said.

  Willa Bean tried to say something, but there was a lump in her throat.

  “Thank you for telling us about him, Willa Bean,” said Miss Twizzle. “You may take your seat now.”

  Willa Bean slid into her chair.

  “You did not sound very excited about introducing me,” Snooze whispered in Willa Bean’s ear. “What’s the matter?”

  Willa Bean shook her head. She did not want to tell Snooze what she was thinking.

  In fact, she did not want to think very much right now at all.

  “Now that everyone has introduced their flying friends,” said Miss Twizzle, “I have one more special announcement.”

  Willa Bean looked up. She loved Miss Twizzle’s special announcements. They were always special. And always fun.

  “As you know,” Miss Twizzle went on, “we’ve been working hard all week getting ready for Noble Nimbus Day. Tomorrow is our big celebration, and your parents will come and see all the beautiful things you’ve been making in class. We’ll perform our school song. Afterward, we’ll take them to the arena, and you’ll show them the lovely twirly-wing dance Mr. Rightflight and I have been teaching you.”

  “That twirly-wing dance isn’t lovely at all,” Pedro whispered to Willa Bean. “It’s a pain in the wing. I can’t remember any of the steps.”

  Willa Bean giggled. Her inside grumpy feeling was starting to lift a little. She loved the twirly-wing dance. It was almost as much fun as finding cloud treasure.

  “Mr. Rightflight and I have been talking,” Miss Twizzle went on. “We decided that if your flying friends joined in the dance, too, it might make the show even more special.”

  Vivi shot up in her seat and held up her hand. “Maybe Buttercream Thistlepopper can lead the special twirly-wing dance!”

  Miss Twizzle raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Rightflight and I thought the flying friends could all come in at the end of the dance. One of them will be holding the school flag and will fly it to the top of the arena, while the rest will form the letter N, for Nimbus. It will be a perfect finish to the celebration.”

  Class A cheered.

  “Whew,” said Snooze softly. “For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to learn how to dance.”

  Willa Bean giggled.

  Miss Twizzle clapped her hands. “I’m glad you’re excited,” she said.

  Vivi raised her hand again. “Miss Twizzle, can Buttercream Thistlepopper hold the flag? Since she’s a queen?”

  Miss Twizzle tapped the side of her cheek. “I don’t think that will work, Vivi,” she said. “We’re going to need a larger flying friend to hold the flag. It’s a little heavy.” Miss Twizzle’s eyes swept the room. “Mr. Wingston will do perfectly. Mr. Wingston, would you do the honors?”

  Lucy’s eyes were wide. She stared at Mr. Wingston and held her breath.

  Mr. Wingston stuck out his wing and bowed deeply. “It would be an absolute pleasure,” he said.

  Lucy beamed.

  But Willa Bean’s heart quivered.

  She forgot about the twirly-wing dance. She forgot about Noble Nimbus Day. She put her head down on the desk.

  “Willa Bean?” Snooze gave her ear a little nibble. “What’s wrong, ma chérie? Don’t you feel good?”

  “No,” she whispered back. “I have a stomachache.”

  “Do you want me to tell Miss Twizzle?” Snooze asked.

  Willa Bean shook her head.

  “Now that everything is settled,” said Miss Twizzle, “let’s line up for music class. We need to practice that school song!”

  Snooze sat quietly on Willa Bean’s shoulder as the cupids lined up at the door. Harper scooted in behind Willa Bean. She gave one of Willa Bean’s purple wings with the silver tips a little tug.

  “Ouch!” said Willa Bean crossly.

  “What’s the matter?” Harper whispered. “You look un-Snoogy-ish.”

  Willa Bean frowned. “What does un-Snoogy-ish mean?”

  “Well, Snoogy Bars make me happy,” Harper explained. “And when I don’t have one, I’m sad. Which means that when I’m sad, I’m un-Snoogy-ish.”

  “Oh,” Willa Bean said.

  Snooze shook his head. “I’m dizzy,” he said.

  “Are you worried that your talk about Snooze didn’t go well?” Harper asked. “ ’Cause I thought you did great! Everyone loved Snooze!”

  “No.” Willa Bean poked the floor with her big toe. “I’m not worried about that.”

  “Are you tired?” asked Harper.

  “No,” Willa Bean said.

  “She has a stomachache,” Snooze said.

  “You have a stomachache?” repeated Harper.

  “No,” said Willa Bean. “I don’t have a stomachache.”

  “You just told me you had a stomachache,” Snooze said.

  “Well, I did,” Willa Bean answered. “But now I don’t anymore.”

  “I’m dizzy again,” said Snooze.

  Just then, they heard Miss Twizzle up front. “Lucy? Mr. Wingston? Could you come to the front of the line? That way, I can show you around as we go to music class.”

  Willa Bean watched Lucy and Mr. Wingston go to the front of the line.

  “Hi, Lucy!” said Harper.

  Lucy gave Harper a little smile.

  She gave Willa Bean a wave.

  Willa Bean waved back. Just a little.

  And then she turned around again, folded her arms, and pushed out her bottom lip.

  One by one, the cupids filed into the music room. Harper and Willa Bean sat in the second row by Hannah and Sophie.

  “Why don’t you sit there for now, Lucy?” Mr. Sunhorn, the music teacher, pointed to the empty seat next to Willa Bean.

  Lucy sat down next to Willa Bean. Mr. Wingston perched on the chair in front of her.

  “Good morning, cupids!” Mr. Sunhorn looked all around the room. “And good morning to all of your flying friends! My, what a diverse group of animals we have in here today!”

  Raymond raised his hand. “What’s diverse?”

  “It means all different kinds,” Mr. Sunhorn explained. “So many originals! How wonderful!”

  Vivi raised her hand. “Actually, Mr. Sunhorn, there are two owls,” she said. “Snooze and Mr. Wingston.”

  Willa Bean stared at the back of Vivi’s head. What would happen if she reached out and yanked Vivi’s hair? She would get into trouble, that’s what. Big Trouble. With a capital B. T. And not just at school. But back home, with Mama and Daddy, too.

  “Hmph,” Willa Bean said instead. She pushed out her bottom lip again.

  “I’m very excited that your flying friends have agreed to be part of our Noble Nimbus Day show.” Mr. Sunhorn tapped his long silver stick on the edge of his desk. “We have lots of work to do. Let’s start by going over our school song.”

  Class A groaned.

  “I know we’ve spent a lot of time on it already,” said Mr. Sunhorn. “But some of you keep forgetting the lines. This is your school song, cupids. It’s important that you know it forward and backward. You should be able to sing it in your sleep.”

  “My little brother yells in his sleep,” said Pedro. “Then he flies around the room until he bumps into something, and my mom has to come put him back in his bed.”

  Mr. Sunhorn’s lips twitched. “Thank you for sharing, Pedro,” he said.

  He handed Lucy a piece of paper. “Since this is Lucy’s first day, she can use the sheet music to follow along. Everyone else must try to remember the words. Sit up straight, please.”

  The cupids sat up straight. Willa Bean looked arou
nd nervously. She hoped she wasn’t the only one who still didn’t know all the words to the song.

  “Wings back!” said Mr. Sunhorn.

  Willa Bean straightened out her little wings.

  “Chins up!” said Mr. Sunhorn. He sat down at the piano. “All right now, cupids, sing out!”

  Willa Bean tried to sing the Cupid Academy song. It went like this:

  The sun is warm.

  The moon is bright.

  In here, we learn

  What’s wrong and right.

  This is our school.

  It’s only one.

  But every day,

  We have such fun.

  Willa Bean knew the first part of the song by heart. It was the second part that gave her trouble. She just could not remember all the words.

  Harper didn’t seem to be having any trouble. And on her other side, Lucy and Mr. Wingston were singing, too. Willa Bean tried not to look at the words on Lucy’s sheet music, but it was hard. It was so close!

  Mr. Sunhorn lifted his hands off the piano. “Eyes straight ahead, Willa Bean. Only Lucy may look at the sheet music.”

  Willa Bean felt her cheeks get hot.

  Snooze cleared his throat. “Willa Bean,” he whispered into her ear, “I don’t know it, either. Just do your best for now. We can practice together later.”

  “You don’t have to know it.” Willa Bean’s grumpy feeling was getting worse. “Only I do.”

  Harper gave Willa Bean a little nudge. “I keep forgetting some of the lines, too,” she whispered. “Don’t worry. We’ll go over it on the bus.”

  “One more time!” said Mr. Sunhorn. “From the beginning, please!”

  Class A started again. Willa Bean sang, too. “The sun is warm. The moon is bright.…”

  Suddenly, Mr. Sunhorn stopped playing again. “Where is that marvelously deep baritone coming from?”

  “What’s a baritone?” asked Pedro.

  “It’s a very low male singing voice,” explained Mr. Sunhorn. He looked at Mr. Wingston on the chair in front of Lucy. “Is that you, Mr. Wingston?”

  Mr. Wingston straightened his spectacles with one wing. “It could be,” he said. “I’ve been told I have a very deep voice.”