Be Brave, Willa Bean!

by Cecilia Galante

  “I am too fun,” Willa Bean said quietly. “I just don’t want to do this.”

  “Fine.” Harper stuck her legs out straight in front of her. She looked up at the ceiling and crossed her arms across her chest. “We can just stay here, then.”

  Willa Bean sat down next to her best friend. “Staying here’s okay, isn’t it?” she asked.

  Harper nodded.

  But Willa Bean knew it didn’t mean yes.

  A little while later, Harper and Willa Bean were in the middle of another round of Go Planet. Suddenly, a loud noise sounded at Willa Bean’s window. Harper jumped. So did Willa Bean. “Toodle-doodle-wing-wang!” Harper yelled. “Look!”

  All three of Ariel’s friends were trying to get into Willa Bean’s room. So was Ding. Ariel’s friends were carrying her in their arms. Ding was flying very close to Ariel’s left ear. Ariel was crying.

  “What happened?” Willa Bean asked.

  “I fell!” Ariel clutched Willa Bean’s hand. “I hurt my wing, and I can’t fly. It hurts too much. And I …” Ariel cried harder. “I took Daddy’s golden arrow, Willa Bean. I just wanted to try it. One time! But after I got hurt, I accidentally left it on Cloud Two. You have to go back and get it for me! Please, Willa Bean!”

  Willa Bean’s face turned white. “I can’t,” she said.

  “You have to!” Ariel said. “No one else is allowed to touch it! You know that! Please go get Daddy’s arrow so I can put it back. And then we can all do something together. In my room.”

  Willa Bean looked out the window again.

  Cloud Two was all the way on the other side of Nimbus. It was up very high. In fact, of all of Nimbus’s nine clouds, it was the highest.

  She stuck her hand out the window. It was so dark that she could barely see it in front of her.

  There was no way she could do it.

  No way, nohow.

  Nope, nope-ity, nope, nope, nope.

  Her inside crying feeling was starting to bubble up. She could feel her nose getting wrinkly. Her eyes were starting to burn. She swallowed hard and stamped her foot. She was not going to cry in front of Harper. Or Ariel and all her friends!

  “Willa Bean.” Ariel sniffed. “Please. You’re going to have to hurry. Mama and Daddy will be coming upstairs soon. You have to get that arrow for me.”

  Willa Bean bit her lip. Why couldn’t she have a magic red hat, like Raymond had? Or a lucky bow tie, like Mr. Bibby’s? She wasn’t even tall, like Hannah. She was tiny. After Sophie, she was the shortest cupid in Class A! There was nothing about her that would make her brave. Nothing at all.

  “I’ll go with you,” Harper said. “The whole way, Willa Bean.” Harper leaned in close, so that Ariel couldn’t hear. “And I’ll hold your hand, too, if you want.”

  Just then, Snooze appeared. He settled down on the ledge of Willa Bean’s window and closed his wings.

  “Snooze!” Willa Bean said. “What are you doing here? I thought you left for Morocco.”

  “I did,” Snooze said. “But on my way down, I saw Ariel’s friends flying back here. I thought there might be trouble, so I turned around again.” He raised an eyebrow at Ariel. “And it looks like I was right.”

  Ariel looked at the floor. “It was an accident,” she said.

  “Come on,” Snooze said. “I’ll go with you, too, Willa Bean. We don’t have much time. And we have to get that arrow.”

  Willa Bean took a deep breath. She thought about what Snooze had said to her the night before. About companionship. He’d said it made him feel better when he was sick. That it even made him feel stronger after a while.

  Maybe, just maybe, Harper and Snooze’s companionship would do the same thing for her now. Maybe she would start off scared, the way Snooze had started off sick, and then it would change. She would get stronger. Braver. Because she was with them.

  “Okay.” Willa Bean’s voice was very trembly. Her fingers shook. Her knees felt a little wobbly. “Let’s go,” she said.

  Ariel and her friends watched as Willa Bean stood in her window. Snooze settled in on Willa Bean’s shoulder. “I’m right here,” he whispered. “Courage, Willa Bean!” That meant Be brave! in French.

  Harper stood on the other side of Willa Bean. She took her best friend’s hand. “You ready?” she asked.

  Willa Bean shook her head from side to side. “No,” she whispered.

  “Go anyway!” Snooze said. “One, two, three!”

  The two cupids pushed themselves off the window ledge. They flapped their wings and soared into the darkness. The very dark darkness. Willa Bean squeezed her eyes shut. Her cheeks were cold. Her hair whooshed around her face. She felt like crying.

  But Snooze flew up ahead and then turned around. “Look at me, Willa Bean!” he said. “You’re doing it! You’re flying up high! The highest you’ve ever been! And in the dark!”

  Slowly, Willa Bean opened one eye. And then the other. Snooze was right there, flying in front of her. He was flapping his brown wings and talking with his little yellow beak. She could see him!

  Next to her, Harper squeezed her hand. Willa Bean looked over. Harper’s hair was streaming behind her. Her white wings glowed in the dark. She could see Harper, too!

  “Look up ahead,” Snooze called. “Do you see the North Star? Can you see how bright it is? It will give us lots of light—the whole way!”

  Willa Bean looked at the North Star. It was as big as a pumpkin. It pulsed a soft white color. It was like a night-light in the heavens. Maybe two night-lights.

  “And look at all the other stars!” Harper said. “There’s a million of them!”

  Willa Bean looked around. Harper was right. There were a million other stars out, besides the North Star. Each one burned bright. Each one lit up the darkness a little bit. It was not so dark here, after all.

  Willa Bean squeezed Harper’s hand tightly when they came close to the top of Cloud Two. It was very high up. Extremely high up. But somehow, with Snooze and Harper there, it did not seem so terrible. It did not seem so scary.

  Daddy’s golden arrow was off to one side. It was lying next to the cloudbridge. Willa Bean picked it up carefully. It was heavy! She tucked it inside the waistband of her dress. She tightened the belt so that it would not slide out.

  And then, with Harper and Snooze on either side of her, Willa Bean flew back home.

  Up high.

  And in the dark.

  Much later, after Daddy’s arrow had been put back in his quiver and Ariel’s wing had been fixed and bandaged, Willa Bean heard a knock on her door.

  “Willa Bean?” It was Ariel. “Can I come in?”

  Willa Bean looked at Harper. Her best friend was dressed up as a moonqueen. She had Willa Bean’s blue comforter over her head, with a crown on top of it. Mama’s big gold shoes were on her feet. There was a sparkly wand in her hand. “What do you think, Queen Harper?” Willa Bean asked. “Can Ariel come in?”

  “Ah, yes,” Queen Harper said. “Enter, Ariel!”

  Ariel came into the room. She did not look at Harper. Instead, she sat down on Willa Bean’s bed. “Willa Bean,” she said, “I’m so sorry for the way I acted before. For calling you a baby and a whiner, and all that. And for saying you couldn’t hang out with us.”

  “You were pretty mean,” Willa Bean agreed.

  “You had no reason to help me,” Ariel went on. “But you did anyway. And I just want you to know that it means a lot to me. You’re a great little sister, Willa Bean.”

  Ariel hugged Willa Bean tight.

  Willa Bean hugged her back.

  Behind them, Harper raised her sparkly wand. “Ah, yes!” she said. “Queen Harper can fix anything!”

  “You didn’t fix this, you little squirt,” Ariel said. “Willa Bean did.”

  There was another knock on the door. It was Mama. “I hate to bring bad news,” she said, looking at everyone. “But it’s time for bed.” She raised an eyebrow at Ariel. “You included, Ariel.”

 
Ariel stood up. “Okay, Mama. Good night, Willa Bean.”

  “Good night, Ariel,” Willa Bean said.

  “Oh, I like the sound of that,” Mama said. “I knew you two would figure a way to work things out.”

  Willa Bean and Harper got into their pajamas. They brushed their teeth, and gargled with mouthwash, and spit everything into the sink. Willa Bean turned on her night-lights and slid under the covers. Harper was right next to her. Mama gave them both an eyelash kiss good night.

  “Mama?” Willa Bean said as she left the room. “Don’t forget to leave the door open a little.”

  “Don’t worry,” Mama said, keeping the door open a crack. “I won’t forget.”

  Harper sat up. “Actually,” she said, “would it be okay if you opened it all the way?”

  “Of course.” Mama left the door open wide and blew another kiss into the room.

  Willa Bean stared at Harper.

  Harper looked up at the ceiling.

  “Harper?” Willa Bean said finally.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?”

  “No.” Harper rolled over and looked at Willa Bean. “But I’ve never slept over at anyone’s house before. And I’m just a little bit nervous.” Harper nibbled on one of her fingernails. “You don’t think I’m a baby, do you?”

  Willa Bean thought about what Mr. Bibby had said on the bus. About how best friends needed to stick together and tell the truth. “I think everything’s a little bit easier with companionship,” she said.

  “You mean like being together?” Harper asked.

  “Yes!” Willa Bean hooked her arm through Harper’s. “Like being together.”

  “I would definitely be more scared if you weren’t here,” Harper said. “Being with you makes it easy.”

  Willa Bean smiled. Underneath the covers, she opened her hand a bit. Inside was a tiny piece of cloud that she had grabbed from Cloud Two. It was purple and fluffy and just starting to melt.

  It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.