Shadow gulped. ‘I – I’m sure she’s all right,’ she faltered, edging towards the window.
Sooze leapt in front of it, blocking the way. ‘Yes, but where is she? Something’s gone wrong, hasn’t it?’
Shadow bit her lip. ‘Um . . . maybe. It’s sort of hard to tell . . .’
Sooze glared at her. What on earth was this silly fairy playing at? With a sudden inspiration, she held Shadow’s carving out of the window. ‘Tell us now, or I’ll drop it!’ she threatened.
‘No!’ burst out Shadow. She reached out an arm as if unable to stop herself. ‘You can’t – that’s my best one!’
‘Watch me!’ said Sooze. She dangled the owl loosely, swinging it back and forth. ‘What do you think, Bimi? Will it break when it hits the ground?’
Bimi hated unpleasantness, but to Sooze’s relief she played along. ‘Maybe,’ she said, folding her arms over her chest. ‘Teeth are hard, but they do crack sometimes, don’t they?’
Shadow pressed her hands against her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.
‘Oh dear – wouldn’t that be a shame, if it cracked to bits!’ said Sooze. ‘It’s getting very heavy . . . I don’t think I’ll be able to hold on to it much longer . . .’
‘Stop!’ shrieked Shadow. ‘All right, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you!’
Sooze brought the owl carving back inside. ‘Go on, then,’ she said. ‘Where’s Twink? And tell us the truth, mind, or out of the window it goes!’
Shadow gulped, her eyes on her precious carving. ‘She – she may have got into a bit of trouble. You see . . . the tooth she went to collect belonged to the Terrible Timmy.’
Sooze stared. ‘The who?’
The tooth fairy wrung her hands as she explained about the human boy and his collection of fairies. ‘You mean Twink’s been captured?’ gasped Bimi.
‘You horrible thing!’ burst out Sooze. ‘You never even warned her – I ought to throw your stupid carving right out of the window!’
‘Yes, and then you sneaked off so that you wouldn’t have to face us,’ said Bimi, looking angrier than Sooze had ever seen her. ‘You didn’t even have a hurt wing, did you?’
‘No,’ Shadow mumbled. ‘I – I was scared, that’s all. I’ve escaped the Terrible Timmy twice, but what if I couldn’t do it again? He almost got me last time! Just the thought of being trapped in a jar makes me go into a cold sweat.’
‘Well, how do you think it makes Twink feel?’ demanded Sooze fiercely. ‘Now, where’s this house?’
Shadow looked taken aback. ‘You mean – you’re going after her? But it’s really dangerous there. You could both be trapped yourselves!’
‘Well, we’ll have to take that chance,’ said Bimi shortly. ‘Twink’s our friend.’
Sooze nodded. ‘Come on, Shadow. You’re going to show us exactly where this house is.’
The tooth fairy went snowy pale. ‘Now?’ she squeaked. ‘But it’s practically daylight!’
‘So?’ said Bimi, flitting to the window. ‘It’s still really early; no one will be up for ages yet. Come on, let’s go!’
Shadow tugged anxiously at her black and grey dress. ‘But I’m a night fairy!’ she cried. ‘I can’t fly in the daylight for more than a few minutes without getting dizzy. Can’t I just tell you where the house is?’
‘No,’ said Sooze firmly. She tucked the carving into the belt of her dressing gown. ‘I don’t trust you one little bit, Shadow. Dizzy or not, you’re coming with us – now!’
Climbing through the window one after the other, the three fairies took off from the branch. Following Shadow’s directions they flew across the nearby meadow, and then turned and headed over a small cluster of trees. Soon a line of human houses became visible on the horizon.
‘It’s one of those,’ said Shadow faintly, pointing towards them. Her wing strokes had become weaker and weaker as they flew, and now she kept pressing her hand against her forehead as though it pained her.
‘Sooze, she doesn’t look very well,’ whispered Bimi, swooping close. ‘Maybe we should let her go back.’
‘We can’t!’ hissed Sooze. ‘What if it’s a trick?’
Suddenly Shadow gave a cry. Her silvery-grey wings faltered . . . and then stopped fluttering altogether. She plummeted towards the earth, tumbling through the air like a stone.
Sooze and Bimi dived after the tooth fairy, and just managed to grab her before she hit the ground. ‘Shadow!’ cried Bimi, laying her down on the grass and shaking her gently. ‘Are you OK?’
‘Too bright,’ mumbled Shadow, closing her eyes. ‘I can’t . . .’ She trailed off, her head lolling limply to one side.
Bimi slapped Shadow’s wrists lightly. ‘Oh, Sooze, she’s passed out!’ she wailed. ‘What are we going to do now?’
Sooze stared worriedly at the houses, wondering which one Twink was in, and whether she was all right. She took a deep breath. ‘I never thought I’d say this, but – but I think we’d better fly back and tell one of the teachers,’ she said.
Bimi nodded, scrambling to her feet. ‘You’re right. We were total moss brains not to go to them the moment Twink didn’t return!’ She grabbed hold of Shadow’s arms. ‘Come on, Sooze, take her legs. We’d better get her back to Glitterwings as quickly as we can.’
.
Chapter Six
Twink sighed as she glared up at the lid of her jar. Though she hadn’t been trying long, her arm and wing muscles already ached from attempting to unscrew it. Somehow she would manage to do it, she promised herself, slumping back on to the floor. She just had to rest a bit first.
It was morning now, and Twink could see the inside of the wardrobe a little more clearly. Eight other jars stood in the shadows around her, each holding a fairy that looked similar to Shadow – pale skin, dark hair and gloomy-looking clothes.
Midnight turned out to have soft brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair. ‘I’ve told you, you can’t escape,’ she called, leaning against the wall of her jar. ‘Are you convinced now?’
Twink gave her a sour look. ‘I’ve only tried a few times – I’m not about to give up yet!’
‘Oh.’ Midnight shrugged. ‘It’s just that you look really tired.’
Twink didn’t reply. Fluttering to the top of the jar again, she propped her hands against the lid and pushed with all her might. Her wings beat madly as she shoved and strained.
All at once she slipped, and crashed against the smooth glass wall. ‘Ouch!’ she muttered crossly. There had to be a better way to do this!
There was a click, and the wardrobe door swung open. Twink gasped, shielding her eyes in the sudden light. The tooth fairies sat up, looking more alert than Twink had seen them yet.
‘Breakfast time,’ said Midnight, rubbing her wings together in anticipation.
There was a scraping noise like a chair being pulled up to the wardrobe, and then the shoebox was taken away. Timmy’s face appeared, grinning in at them. ‘Good morning, fairies!’ he sang.
One by one, he began picking up the jars, unscrewing the lids and dropping in a bit of bread. Each fairy got a thimbleful of water, too, lowered down by a thread until they’d drunk their fill. Twink watched in amazement. Why on earth weren’t any of them trying to escape?
‘Now it’s your turn, Pinky,’ said Timmy.
Twink bristled at the awful name, but she had more important things to think about. She watched carefully as he picked up her jar, waiting for her chance. The moment he raised the lid, she flew upwards in a rush.
‘Hey!’ Startled, Timmy quickly slammed the lid shut again. Twink let out a squawk as she banged her head on it.
The Terrible Timmy peered in at her, his eye almost half as large as she was. ‘That wasn’t very nice,’ he said. ‘I’m only trying to give you your breakfast!’
Before she could respond, he’d opened the lid a tiny crack and shoved the bit of bread through. She spluttered in rage as it dropped on her head, but the Terrible Timmy had already screwed the lid tightly shut again.
‘I’d better save your water until you’re not so naughty, Pinky,’ he decided, placing Twink’s jar back on the shelf. ‘Bye, fairies – see you after school!’ And a moment later the wardrobe had been cast into gloom again, with the shoebox back in place and the door firmly shut.
‘What’s wrong with you lot?’ shouted Twink, kicking the piece of bread at her feet. They stopped eating and looked at her in surprise.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Midnight. She wiped a crumb from her mouth. ‘If we tried to escape, then we wouldn’t get fed – just like you didn’t get any water. It’s not worth it.’
‘Of course it’s worth it!’ cried Twink. ‘Wouldn’t you like to escape? Just imagine flying again! Stretching your wings and – and feeling the breeze blowing through your hair –’
She stopped, swallowing hard. Oh, what would she do if she didn’t manage to get out of this jar? And why hadn’t her friends come after her by now?
One by one, the tooth fairies had stopped eating. ‘Of course we’d like those things,’ said Midnight softly, staring down at her bread. Her large eyes looked deeply sad. ‘It’s just not possible, so – so I suppose we’ve given up trying.’
‘Yes, and we don’t need you reminding us of it all,’ said the storyteller, who Twink had found out was called Moonbeam. She was a sharp-faced fairy with grey wings, which she was fluttering crossly. ‘You don’t know what it’s like for us – most of us have been here for ages!’
‘But that’s just my point,’ protested Twink. ‘Maybe you don’t have to be! There must be a way to –’
She broke off as Moonbeam turned her back on her. ‘Who wants to hear the story of the tooth fairy who forgot her coin?’ she asked the others.
The fairies sighed in relief, clearly glad to put Twink and escaping out of their minds. They settled down on their floors, nibbling their bits of bread.
‘Once upon a time there was a very forgetful fairy,’ started Moonbeam. ‘She forgot everything! She forgot to comb her hair in the morning, and she forgot to put on her shoes, and –’
Twink bit her lip as the story continued. None of the tooth fairies were looking at her – not even Midnight.
I didn’t mean to upset them, she thought in bewilderment. She couldn’t understand it. It was as if the tooth fairies were so frightened they wouldn’t be able to escape that they’d rather not try at all.
Well, I can’t give up that easily, Twink told herself firmly. I am going to get out of here – and that’s all there is to it!
Looking down at her bread, she sighed and sat down to eat. Though dry bread without any water wasn’t very nice, she knew that she needed to keep her strength up. She had a long, hard day ahead of her.
‘Oomph!’ grunted Twink.
Her jar rocked from side to side as she flung herself about inside it. She paused, breathing hard. Had the shoebox moved slightly? She couldn’t be certain, but she thought maybe it had.
After trying for hours, Twink had finally decided the tooth fairies were right – it wasn’t possible to unscrew the lid from the inside. That left only one thing that she could think of: she would break the jar itself, by making it fall on to the floor. But first, she had to get rid of the shoebox blocking her way.
Setting her jaw, Twink threw herself about again, rocking the jar wildly. It thumped against the shoebox. This time she definitely felt the box edge forward, and she grinned. Ha! Almost there!
The tooth fairies had finished their story ages ago, and now just sat staring at her, clearly convinced that she was mad. Twink paid them no attention as she bumped her jar from side to side. The shoebox slid forward jerkily.
‘Er, Twink . . . what are you doing?’ asked Midnight.
‘Trying to knock the shoebox off the shelf,’ said Twink shortly, stopping to rest for a moment.
The tooth fairies gasped in horror. ‘But the Terrible Timmy will notice!’ squeaked Midnight. ‘He won’t be very pleased, Twink.’
‘Well, with any luck, I won’t be here to talk to him about it,’ muttered Twink.
She started rocking again, even harder than before. Her jar practically skipped forward, nudging the shoebox further and further off the shelf. Finally the box teetered at the edge, almost ready to drop.
Gritting her teeth, Twink banged against the side of her jar. The box slid over the edge, vanishing from view. CRASH! The sound echoed across the shelf as it hit the wardrobe floor.
‘Hurrah!’ shouted Twink, punching the air. Now it would be the easiest thing in the world to rock herself over the shelf’s edge. She just hoped that she could avoid being hurt when the jar shattered on the wardrobe floor.
I’ll have to fly away the moment it hits the ground, Twink told herself. She began rocking again, bumping her shoulder against the glass. The jar scooted towards the shelf edge.
‘Twink . . . are you sure that’s a good idea?’ called Midnight.
‘It’s the only . . . idea . . . I have,’ grunted Twink. Bump! Bump! Her jar crept forward.
Midnight was pressed against the side of her jar, her face screwed up with worry. ‘Yes, but what happens when –’
Whoosh! Suddenly Twink was hurtling through the air. There was a tremendous THUMP as the jar landed, slamming her against its smooth wall – and then everything went still.
Twink got up shakily, looking around her. Why hadn’t the jar broken?
Then she saw what had happened, and groaned in dismay. The shoebox had burst open when it hit the wardrobe floor – and now her jar had plopped right into one of the shoes, rising up out of it like a sail from a boat.
‘No!’ cried Twink, smacking her forehead with her fist. How unlucky could she get?
‘Twink?’ came Midnight’s voice from above. ‘Are you OK?’
‘I’m fine,’ Twink called back crossly.
There was a pause. ‘I didn’t hear the jar break,’ said Midnight.
‘That’s because it didn’t – I’m still trapped,’ Twink answered. She slumped down on to the floor, propping her chin in her hands.
Thankfully, Midnight didn’t say ‘I told you so’. ‘Well . . . what are you going to do now?’ she asked.
Twink traced a pattern on the glass floor. Though she hadn’t given up, she had no idea what to try next. Plus she was terribly thirsty, which didn’t help at all.
‘I don’t know,’ she admitted. ‘I – I suppose I’ll just listen to one of Moonbeam’s stories . . . if she’ll tell one.’
The day passed slowly, even with Moonbeam’s tales. No wonder the tooth fairies enjoyed stories so much, realised Twink as she stifled a yawn. It was so boring in here! At least listening to a story took your mind off things for a while.
Though it was hard to be certain from inside the wardrobe, she sensed that it was early evening – and still there was no sign of Timmy. ‘Sometimes he has activity clubs after school,’ Midnight told her. ‘But he always comes back sooner or later.’
‘Great,’ muttered Twink, wondering what Timmy would say when he saw that she’d tried to escape. If she were lucky, maybe he’d decide that she was too much trouble, and unscrew the lid and set her free!
I don’t think that’s very likely, though, thought Twink glumly. Suddenly her eyes narrowed. Maybe Timmy wouldn’t set her free on purpose – but could she somehow trick him into opening the lid?
For a moment Twink’s wings shivered with excitement . . . and then she le
t out a breath. That was all right for her, but what about the other fairies? She was starting to realise that she couldn’t just leave them here – they were so dispirited that they’d never escape on their own.
Moonbeam started another story. Twink only half listened as she turned the problem over in her mind. There must be a way that she could rescue not only herself, but the others, too!
‘Vera was the most nervous tooth fairy in the world,’ Moonbeam was saying from above. ‘Why, she was even frightened of the teeth she was supposed to collect!’
Twink smiled despite herself, reminded of Mr Woodleaf. He was practically scared of his own shadow unless he was with his beloved animals. Then he was braver than anyone. Like in their last lesson, when he’d brought the badger out –
Suddenly Twink gasped as she remembered the glamour that Mariella had cast. Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? If she could just get Timmy to let her out of the jar, then perhaps she could use fairy magic to rescue the others.
I’ll have to plan it out really carefully, thought Twink. What sort of glamour should she cast? Whatever illusion she chose, it would have to be perfect – and very distracting!
Maybe the others will have some ideas, she thought. But before she could ask them, someone came into the bedroom.
Abruptly, Moonbeam stopped telling her story. Silence fell over the wardrobe as every fairy in it craned to hear. ‘Thanks, Mum,’ called Timmy’s voice. It sounded like he was eating something. ‘These are great.’
Twink winced in the sudden light as the wardrobe door swung open. Timmy’s feet and legs appeared in front of her. She tilted her head back, trying to see his face.
‘Hello, fairies! Sorry I’m so late getting home, but – hey!’ broke off Timmy. ‘What’s happened? Where’s the shoebox?’
‘It wasn’t us!’ Twink heard Moonbeam pipe up. ‘It was –’
‘Sshhh!’ said Midnight fiercely.
The Terrible Timmy had already worked it out for himself. Squatting down, he peered in at Twink in her jar. She gulped hard.
Fairy in Danger Page 4