‘Yes, we’ve really missed you!’ burst out Midnight. ‘And I’d love to hear more about your carvings. Whatever gave you the idea to do such a thing?’
Shadow ducked her head shyly. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I started carving things because I was lonely, but . . . then it just seemed to me as though the teeth should have things carved in them.’ She made a face. ‘I know that sounds mad.’
‘Not at all,’ said Miss Shimmery in her low voice. ‘I did some reading about tooth fairies today, and that’s how the pact between humans and tooth fairies first began. The tooth fairies have always been artists – and their favourite things to make art with have always been teeth.’
The tooth fairies looked stunned. ‘Really?’ said Moonbeam. ‘But – but if that’s true, then it’s been forgotten for years and years! None of us have ever made art. We just collect teeth because . . . well, because we always have.’
Miss Shimmery lifted her rainbow wings. ‘It’s a shame that your love of art has been lost,’ she said. ‘But it seems to me that you should be able to find it again . . . with Shadow’s help.’
The tooth fairies stared at each other, and then slowly turned and looked at Shadow. ‘Carving things,’ mused Moonbeam. ‘I’ve never thought of it before, but it sounds really interesting.’
‘Yes, Shadow, would you teach us how?’ asked Midnight. The other tooth fairies crowded about, echoing agreement.
Shadow’s face was flushed with pleasure. ‘Of course, if you want me to!’ she said.
‘Yes, please,’ said Moonbeam firmly. ‘I can see now that we tooth fairies have become very gloomy and set in our ways over the years. Something new to think about is exactly what we need.’ Then she grinned. ‘And just imagine, now we’ll have a reason to collect teeth. It’ll make it so much more fun!’
The tooth fairies talked excitedly to each other, their eyes shining. Looking at them, Twink could scarcely believe that these were the same fairies who, just a few hours ago, had been too downhearted to even think about escaping!
Midnight gave Twink a warm smile. ‘And I think we could learn something from Twink, too, about being more positive,’ she pointed out. ‘Why, if it wasn’t for her, we’d still be stuck in that wardrobe.’
‘Yes, three cheers for Twink!’ said Moonbeam.
Twink’s face grew hot as the tooth fairies hip-hip-hoorayed her, fluttering their silvery wings. ‘That’s OK,’ she said awkwardly. ‘I was happy to help.’
And all at once it was true. Though it had been horrible being a captive, she was delighted that the tooth fairies were free now, and so much happier. Perhaps it was lucky that Shadow had tricked her, after all.
The two groups of fairies said goodbye to each other. ‘Thanks for everything, Twink,’ said Midnight, hugging her tightly.
Twink nodded, too emotional to speak. The tooth fairies were like old friends now, and suddenly she realised that she was going to miss them very much.
Then she remembered something, and pulled the bag from her shoulder. ‘Here,’ she said, wiping her eyes as she handed it to Shadow. ‘This is yours.’
Shadow grinned. Opening the bag, she took out Timmy’s tooth and turned it this way and that. ‘Thanks – I’ll have to carve something extra-special in this one! Goodbye, Twink.’ She clasped Twink’s hand. ‘I hope I’ll see you again sometime.’
She and the other tooth fairies flew away then, waving over their shoulders. Twink stood waving back until she couldn’t see them any longer. Finally she dropped her arm with a sigh.
Sooze was hovering next to her, looking thoughtful. ‘Where do tooth fairies live, anyway?’ she asked.
Miss Shimmery adjusted her sparkle specs. ‘I must confess to not knowing a great deal about tooth fairies before today, when I did some research,’ she said. ‘They’re quite a strange branch of the fairy family, but very fascinating! To answer your question, Sooze, they normally live in garden sheds.’
‘Garden sheds?’ repeated Bimi in surprise.
The HeadFairy nodded. ‘Yes – they like to be near humans so that they don’t have far to go to collect their teeth. Shall we return to school now, girls? It’s very late.’
The fairies took off into the warm summer night, skimming over the trees at the bottom of the garden. The stars stretched above them in a sea of lights.
‘Bimi, you and Sooze fly on ahead a bit,’ said Miss Shimmery. ‘I want to have a private word with Twink.’
Twink gulped as her friends flew slowly away, looking worriedly over their shoulders. In all the excitement, she’d forgotten that she was likely to be in a great deal of trouble for sneaking out!
Still, she thought glumly, she probably deserved it. She was a fourth-year student now, and really ought to have known better. ‘I’m sorry, Miss Shimmery,’ she said. ‘It was a daft thing to do. I – I know that I’ll deserve any punishment you give me.’
Miss Shimmery’s snowy white eyebrows rose. ‘Is it daft to want to help someone, then?’ she asked mildly. ‘Shadow told me what she’d said to you.’
Twink squirmed. ‘No, but . . . well, helping Shadow wasn’t the only reason I went,’ she admitted. ‘I wanted a bit of excitement, too.’
Miss Shimmery smiled. ‘Ah, now we’re getting somewhere! Thank you for being so honest, Twink. Yes, it is exciting to leave school at night – but as you’ve seen, it can also be very dangerous.’
That was certainly true, thought Twink. She couldn’t hold back a shudder as she remembered the Terrible Timmy’s leering face.
‘Now, I do understand what it’s like to be a young fairy at school,’ continued Miss Shimmery, ‘and so I try to turn a blind eye to things like midnight jaunts to the Dingly Dell – within reason, of course! However, this was something very different, as I think you’ll agree. The outcome might have been disastrous.’
Twink’s wings felt heavy with guilt. ‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘I – I’m sorry.’
Miss Shimmery’s sparkle specs caught the moonlight as she gazed at her. ‘If you were me, Twink, what sort of punishment would you give to a student who did what you did?’ she asked.
Startled, Twink tried to think. ‘Well – I’d want it to be serious enough so that she wouldn’t do it again,’ she said slowly. ‘But I’d want her to really have to think about what she’d done as well, so that she’d see why it was wrong.’
Miss Shimmery nodded approvingly. ‘Yes, that’s what I think, too. Would you agree, Twink, that restricting your free time for a month, plus asking you to write a report on the dangers of sneaking out at night, might accomplish both of those things?’
The punishment was far milder than she’d been expecting. Twink nodded in relief. ‘Yes, Miss Shimmery.’
The HeadFairy smiled. ‘That’s what we’ll do, then. And, Twink . . . I was talking to some of the tooth fairies before, and I’m very impressed at how you helped them to escape. Well done, my dear – you acted with both courage and resourcefulness.’
Twink’s pointed ears grew warm at the praise. ‘Thank you,’ she said. Embarrassed, she quickly changed the subject. ‘Miss Shimmery, there’s one thing I still don’t understand. What was that little branch at the top of the tree first used for?’
The HeadFairy laughed. ‘Apparently, a long, long time ago, there was a tooth fairy who taught at Glitterwings. I’ve read about how cosy she found it up there – so you see, Shadow had good reason to feel drawn to it!’
Twink thought of how prickly Shadow had seemed when they’d first met. She had a feeling that Shadow would be much happier now that she was back home again, teaching the other tooth fairies how to make carvings like she did!
Miss Shimmery squeezed her shoulder. ‘Come along,’ she said. ‘Let’s go and join your friends.’
Twink felt like singing as the cool evening breeze tickled her wings. Catchi
ng up with Bimi and Sooze, she smiled at them. ‘Is everything all right?’ whispered Bimi.
‘Better than all right,’ Twink whispered back.
Just ahead, she could see Glitterwings Academy, rising up from its hill in the moonlight. Her heart swelled. Oh, she was the luckiest fairy in the world! Not only did she go to the best school ever, but she had the most wonderful friends that anyone could have wished for.
‘Look, Opposite,’ said Sooze, nudging her with her wing. ‘There’s the branch that started it all.’
Twink smiled as she gazed at the tiny branch at the top of the tree. How funny to think that the only reason she’d gone up there in the first place was for her term project! She grinned at her friends, linking her arms tightly through theirs as they flew.
‘Well, I definitely learned something new about Glitterwings, didn’t I?’ she laughed. ‘I’m going to have the most glimmery report ever!’
.
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, Berlin, New York and Sydney
First published in Great Britain in 2010 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
36 Soho Square, London, W1D 3QY
Text copyright © Lee Weatherly 2010
Illustrations copyright © Smiljana Coh 2010
The moral right of the author has been asserted
This electronic edition published in September 2010 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
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A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 4088 1182 5
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Fairy in Danger Page 6