by Gail Herman
Copyright © 2008 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Disney Press, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney Press, 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10011-5690.
ISBN 978-1-4231-5930-8
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Table of Contents
All About Fairies
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IF YOU HEAD toward the second star on your right and fly straight on till morning, you’ll come to Never Land, a magical island where mermaids play and children never grow up.
When you arrive, you might hear something like the tinkling of little bells. Follow that sound and you’ll find Pixie Hollow, the secret heart of Never Land.
A great old maple tree grows in Pixie Hollow, and in it live hundreds of fairies and sparrow men. Some of them can do water magic, others can fly like the wind, and still others can speak to animals. You see, Pixie Hollow is the Never fairies’ kingdom, and each fairy who lives there has a special, extraordinary talent.
Not far from the Home Tree, nestled in the branches of a hawthorn, is Mother Dove, the most magical creature of all. She sits on her egg, watching over the fairies, who in turn watch over her. For as long as Mother Dove’s egg stays well and whole, no one in Never Land will ever grow old.
Once, Mother Dove’s egg was broken. But we are not telling the story of the egg here. Now it is time for Silvermist’s tale….
SUNLIGHT SPARKLED ON the cool, clear waters of Havendish Stream. Silvermist waded in. She took the oak-leaf cover off her tiny birchbark canoe.
She lifted her face and sniffed the air. “Mmmm-mmmm.”
Silvermist was a water-talent fairy. She loved everything about water: the sight, the sounds, and the feel of it. And she especially loved the damp, sharp smell of it.
But this day, the smells of freshly baked muffins and cakes were mixed in with the smell of the stream. The fairies and sparrow men of Pixie Hollow were getting ready for a picnic—a special picnic on an island not far from the shore. Water fairies filled birchbark canoes with food, drinks, and supplies. Grass-weaving talents carried picnic blankets. Harvest talents brought fresh berries. Baking talents flew over to the boats with picnic treats.
Silvermist smiled as she stepped back to the shore. “It all smells delicious!” she told Dulcie, a baking talent. “This picnic will be the best ever.”
Dulcie nodded. She held out a basket for Silvermist to take. “Here are some muffins and berry juice.”
“I’ll help!” said Silvermist’s friend Fira, a light-talent fairy, as she reached for the basket to put into the canoe.
Silvermist smiled at Fira. Some fairies thought it odd that they were friends. The two were so different. Fira was quick tempered and fiery, while Silvermist was calm and quiet.
They were opposites, but they were drawn to each other.
Rani, another water talent, pushed off in her canoe. She began to paddle toward the island.
One by one, the rest of the water fairies followed. The Fairy Ferry was under way. Other talents hovered above the canoes. They trailed the boats toward the island.
“Come on, Silvermist!” Fira said. “You’re going to be late!”
“I know. But I promised Iris I would take something for her,” Silvermist replied. “I’ll just wait a bit longer.”
Iris, a garden-talent fairy, wanted to bring flowers to the picnic. None of the other fairies thought that was necessary. After all, there would be all sorts of flowers growing on the island. But Iris had insisted.
“Okay, Silvermist. But hurry,” Fira said. “Right now is the perfect time for a picnic. It’s almost high noon. The sun will be right over our heads.”
Silvermist watched Fira join the others. Then she settled back and took in the scene. It all looked so lovely. The canoes drifted in rows while the fairies flew gracefully above. Silvermist didn’t want to miss any of the picnic. But if I’m going to be late anyway, she thought, I may as well relax.
“Silvermist! Silvermist!” Iris rushed up with an armful of messy-looking wildflowers. As usual, her long narrow nose was red at the tip. “Here I am!”
She stood the flowers at the back of the canoe. “Whew! That took a while. But I knew you wouldn’t leave before I got here!”
Silvermist glanced over at the flowers. “What are they?”
“They are very rare chrysanthe-poppies. I searched every field in Pixie Hollow just to find them.”
“Chrysanthe-poppies?” Silvermist had never heard of them.
“Here, I’ll show you!” Iris flipped open her huge book about flowers.
Iris was the only garden fairy who didn’t have her own garden. Instead, she put all her energy into writing her plant book. She claimed to be an expert on every plant, flower, and seed in Never Land.
Silvermist examined the flowers. Honestly, they looked more like weeds than anything else. But taking these flowers to the picnic meant a lot to Iris. So Silvermist was happy to help her.
“I’m going now!” Iris said as she flew away. “Don’t bump the canoe too much, Silvermist. The flowers are very delicate!”
Silvermist paddled away from the shore. Most of the other fairies were already on the island. But the day was so beautiful, Silvermist decided to take her time and enjoy the trip.
“Moving a bit slowly today, sweetheart?” asked Vidia, a fast-flying fairy, as she landed lightly on the end of Silvermist’s canoe.
Vidia gave Silvermist her usual smirk. It showed a mix of scorn and boredom. Vidia always acted as if she had someplace better to be and somebody better to be with.
“Are you going to the picnic?” Silvermist asked, though she already knew the answer. Vidia didn’t bother much with fairy gatherings.
“Me?” Vidia laughed. “Goodness, no. I just happened to be flying by, and I saw all these fairies happily picnicking on the island. You, however, sweetie, seem to have…ahem…missed the boat. I thought water fairies were skilled at paddling. Are you feeling all right?” Vidia’s voice was full of fake concern.
“I’m fine, Vidia,” Silvermist said. She was nearing the island. Fira waved to her from the shore.
“Fine?” Vidia repeated. “There’s nothing fine about going at a snail’s pace. I’ve never seen a water fairy paddle so slowly.”
Silvermist just shrugged. She continued to move at the same speed.
Vidia frowned. Usually she could get a rise out of fairies. But her words had no effect on Silvermist. “Whatever could be—”
“How are my flowers doing?” Iris shouted to Silvermist from the water’s edge.
“Flowers? Is that what those weeds are?” Vidia leaned over to peer at the untidy bundle.
The canoe tipped.
“Oh!” Vidia cried. Her feet slipped out from under her, and she fell backward. Her wings dipped into the stream. They soaked up water like a sea sponge. Try as she might, Vidia couldn’t find her balance again.
Vidia fell into the water with a loud splash.
“Help! Help!” Iris shouted. “My picnic flowers are ruined. And Vidia’s drowning!”
VIDIA FLAILED IN the stream. The water continued to seep into her wings, dragging her down.
“Hang on, Vidia! I’ll get you!” Silvermist cried. She dr
opped to her knees and reached out.
Vidia waved her arms in alarm. “Calm down!” Silvermist shouted. “I can’t get hold of you!”
“Help! Help!” Iris shrieked loudly from the shore.
A crowd of fairies flew over. Quickly, they pulled Vidia out of the water.
“Look at this!” Rani said. She waded into the stream. “It’s not deep at all! The water doesn’t even reach up to my waist!”
Sitting on the sandy beach, Vidia glared at Rani. Her glow turned bright red.
“That’s a good joke on you, Vidia,” Prilla said with a giggle. “You could have just stood up!”
Silvermist’s canoe bumped against the shore. She climbed out.
“Shush, everyone!” Silvermist hurried over to Vidia. “Are you all right?” she asked.
Silvermist’s heartfelt concern seemed to annoy Vidia even more than the teasing did.
“I’m f-f-fine,” Vidia said. Her teeth chattered. She was shivering from the cool water. “I was balancing p-p-perfectly well. But then you had to squirm around and rock the boat.”
“How can you blame Silvermist?” Tink asked.
Vidia raised her eyebrows. “Oh, please! I d-d-didn’t arrive yesterday. You don’t think I’d just fall in, d-d-do you?”
“Accidents happen,” Silvermist said.
“Not to me,” Vidia snapped. She glared at the surrounding fairies. “Why don’t you go back to your l-l-little picnic!”
Fira shrugged and wandered away with the other fairies. Only Silvermist remained. “Do you need a blanket?” she asked. “Or something to eat?”
Vidia shook her dripping wings. Then she stood and drew herself up to her full five inches.
“If I could, Silvermist, sweetheart, I’d f-f-fly away right now. But since I’m stuck at this s-s-s-silly picnic until my wings dry, I’ll manage fine.”
Vidia tossed her long, wet ponytail and turned away.
Silvermist sat with Fira and Tinker Bell. She ate berries and tiny watercress sandwiches. Every now and then, she glanced over at Vidia.
She felt terrible about what had happened. No fairy liked to have water-logged wings. And she knew that Vidia hated to be made fun of. Still, Silvermist found herself enjoying the picnic.
As soon as she finished eating, cleanup talents whisked away her plate. Fira stood up and said, “We have hours before sunset. What should we do?”
Beck, an animal-talent fairy, jumped to her feet. “I know! Let’s play spots and dots!” she said.
Silvermist smiled. She hadn’t played that game in a while.
Beck cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. Then she made a loud clicking noise with her tongue.
A moment later, dozens of ladybugs flew to her side. She whispered to the bugs. She was making sure they wanted to play.
“Now, does everyone remember the rules?” she asked the fairies. “We give the ladybugs ten seconds to hide. You have to find as many ladybugs as you can and count the dots on their backs. Whoever scores highest wins!”
She handed out lily pads and berry-ink pens to record the spots and dots. “Ready?”
“Ready!” shouted everyone but Vidia.
“Count!”
Silvermist began counting slowly with the others. “One Pixie Hollow. Two Pixie Hollow. Three…” As they counted, the ladybugs flew off to hide.
As soon as the fairies and sparrow men reached ten, they darted away. They flew here and there, trying to find as many ladybugs as they could.
Silvermist trailed the others. She wasn’t in a hurry. She checked every hiding place…every nook…every cranny. She looked under every leaf and behind every rock.
She found one ladybug between the roots of a hickory tree, and another in the dense branches of a mulberry bush. A third was hiding in a bird’s nest.
Silvermist sat under a shady leaf to add up her points. Wait a minute! she thought. She saw a silhouette through the leaf. It was shaped like a ladybug!
This could be it—the one that would give her more points than any other fairy! She stepped away from the leaf for a better look.
It was a ladybug. But it was the strangest ladybug Silvermist had ever seen. It was milky white, from tip to tip.
Its spots were difficult to see. They were white, too, just a shade darker than the rest of the ladybug—and there must have been a dozen of them!
She’d found a ladybug with the most dots she’d ever counted! Surely, she’d win the game.
Silvermist looked down to tally her score. As she did, the white ladybug hopped onto her head.
“Hey!” she called out to the other fairies. “Do I get extra points if a ladybug finds me?”
Beck and Fawn hurried over. “A white ladybug!” Beck peered up at the insect. “I’ve never seen one before!”
“It’s very rare,” Fawn agreed.
By now, other fairies had gathered around Silvermist. The ladybug sat perfectly still atop the water-talent fairy’s head.
“You know,” a garden fairy named Rosetta mused, “there’s an old superstition about white ladybugs. They’re supposed to bring—”
“Bad luck!” Iris said, screeching to a stop in front of Silvermist.
A few fairies chuckled uncertainly. No one took Iris very seriously. But fairies were superstitious creatures. They believed in wishes, charms, and luck—both good and bad.
“The white ladybug!” Iris’s voice rose higher and higher. “It’s cursed!”
A HUSH FELL over the picnic site. All around Silvermist, fairies stopped playing. They stopped talking. They even stopped moving.
Silvermist shook her head. She hoped the ladybug would fly away. But it didn’t. It just settled more comfortably in place.
“Oh, this is bad,” Iris moaned. “A cursed white ladybug. Make it go away!”
A murmur went through the crowd. Some fairies gasped.
“Stop that, Iris!” Fira spoke sharply. “You’re scaring everyone.”
“She’s not scaring me,” Silvermist said. “But going around with a ladybug on my head will be a bother.”
“Here, let us help.” Beck flew closer, with Fawn by her side. Gently, they lifted the bug and carried it to a tree.
The ladybug paused for a moment. Then it flew up and disappeared among the leaves.
“Well.” Silvermist looked around at the other fairies. “That was a little strange.”
Iris backed away from her. She had a wild look in her eye. “It’s not just strange, Silvermist. It’s bad, as in bad luck. A white ladybug is bad luck. And to have one land on your head? That’s the worst possible luck.”
Slowly, the fairies turned to one another. Their voices were hushed but urgent. “Silvermist has been touched by a white ladybug!” “It’s bad luck!” “She’s cursed!”
Silvermist couldn’t believe it. Every- one was scared of a harmless ladybug? And why? Because of a foolish myth?
Silvermist shrugged. “I don’t really believe in those old fairy superstitions.”
She smiled at Fira and her other friends. She was expecting to see nods of agreement. She thought they’d say, “Yes, we know exactly what you mean.” Instead, everyone was silent. The island was quiet, too. No birds cooed. No bees buzzed.
Everyone stared at Silvermist. They had frightened looks on their faces. Finally, Fira spoke. “I don’t know, Silvermist…”
Iris’s nose turned even redder than usual. “What’s not to know?” she shouted. “Everyone saw it! Right on Silvermist’s head!”
“Let’s stay calm,” Rani said. She sounded nervous, though. “Let’s not think the worst.”
“I’m not thinking any such thing. And I am calm,” Silvermist said in a level voice. “There’s no such thing as bad luck.”
Humidia wiped away a tear. “Are you sure?” she asked weepily.
“Yes, I’m sure. The curse means nothing. It’s an old fairy tale…like ‘step on a crack, break a sparrow man’s back.’ Right, Terence?”
“Right!”
the dust-talent sparrow man said, a little too quickly. He thumped himself on the back. “Not one broken bone!”
“So!” Silvermist grinned at her friends. “I’m not going to pay attention to this crazy superstition. And neither should anyone else.”
“The curse is real!” Iris insisted. “Why, back when I had my own garden…”
Everyone sighed. Iris was always going on about the good old days, when she had the most amazing garden in all of Pixie Hollow. They were tired of hearing it. They turned away.
“Maybe we should go back to the Home Tree,” Terence suggested. “You could get some rest, Silvermist.”
“Yes,” Rani agreed. “You must be feeling…strange.”
Everyone else is acting strange, Silvermist thought. She felt just as she always did. And she’d been having such fun. She didn’t want it to end.
“Really, I’m fine,” she told the others.
Fira stepped forward. “Do you know what I think?”
Silvermist caught her breath. Fira looked serious. Did she believe in the curse, too?
“I think we should play fairy tag,” Fira finished.
Silvermist smiled. She knew she could count on her friend.
“So you want to play?” Tink asked.
“Of course!” Silvermist said.
“Then…” Fira tapped Silvermist on the head. “Choose you!”
“Water talents are chosen!” Rani declared.
For a moment, no one moved. Not even Silvermist. Then she fluttered a wing.
Fairies scattered in all directions.
The water talents dashed here and there, trying to tag fairies from different talents.
Silvermist hovered above the beach. Let’s see, she thought. Which fairy should I tag?
She spied Beck just a short distance away. Beck was flying around a beehive. She wasn’t looking behind her.
“This should be easy!” Silvermist said to herself. All thoughts of the white ladybug and the curse were already far from her mind.
She neared the beehive just as Beck swung around.