Jim Henson's Enchanted Sisters

by Elise Allen

  Spring, Dewdrop, and the dolphin all blew. When Spring opened her eyes, she saw the whole world through twinkly specks of dancing rainbow fluff. Everything looked so magical, Spring was sure their wish would come true. She urged her dolphin onward, already imagining herself holding that beautiful blanket in her hands.

  Dewdrop saw it first. The minute they rounded a bend, he neighed and stomped his feet. He was so excited that Spring would’ve known exactly what he meant even if she couldn’t speak Unicorn.

  “You did it, Dewy!” Spring squealed.

  The blanket was caught in a knot of branches at the river’s edge. Spring carefully untangled it while perched on her dolphin. She had to work slowly so the blanket wouldn’t tear, and Dewdrop had to use his horn to loosen the trickiest snarls, but soon it was free, and as gorgeous as Spring remembered it. She hugged it close, enjoying its silky feel against her cheek.

  “Wait until I tell my sisters!” Spring enthused. She grabbed Dewdrop’s horn for balance and climbed onto the riverbank, then reached her scepter high into the air.

  “Careful where you point that thing,” a boy’s voice warned. “You could hurt someone.”

  Spring screamed and spun around, hiding the blanket behind her back. She looked for the source of the voice, but all she saw was a bush with swirl-shaped flowers. The flower on top was orange.

  “That’s funny,” she told Dewdrop. “I don’t remember an orange flower on that bush.”

  Then the orange flower moved. It rose up until Spring saw it wasn’t a flower at all, but the swirl of hair on top of Twister, one of the Weeds. “My apologies,” Twister said as he stepped away from the bush. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Twister wore high brown boots, short pants, a yellow shirt, and a long, high-collared coat. His hair scorpion-curled to a tall point above his head. His bushy orange eyebrows moved a lot when he talked. He moved closer to Spring and bowed low. “I do hope you can excuse my intrusion into your Sparkledom.”

  Spring was charmed by Twister’s manners and almost invited him to her home for a tea party, but then she reminded herself that he was a Weed. He had to be up to no good. He might have even been sent by Sleet to look for Mother’s blanket. Keeping her hands behind her back, Spring tucked the precious item in the folds of her dress.

  “Consider yourself excused,” Spring said. “And now it’s your turn to excuse me. Dewdrop and I have to go.”

  Yet before she could hop onto Dewdrop and fly somewhere far enough away to call her sisters, Twister sighed.

  It was a terrible sigh, filled with sorrow, and it pierced Spring’s heart. Only something horribly sad could inspire a sigh like that.

  “Are you okay?” Spring asked.

  “What?” Twister jumped, surprised. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to hear that. I was just hoping I could show you something, but if you have to go …” He sighed again, and Spring could feel his heartache as if it were her own.

  “I guess I could stay for a minute,” Spring said.

  “Really?” Twister said. His eyes glowed with hope, and Spring felt proud to be the cause.

  “Of course! What would you like to show me?”

  “How I play with hummingbirds,” he said. He beckoned her toward the bush, where several hummingbirds flitted around the flowers. Then Twister pulled out his gnarled stick of a wand.

  “Oh, no!” Spring gasped. She backed away, but Twister touched her arm gently.

  “It’s okay,” Twister assured her. “I promise.” He pointed the stick at the bush and whispered, “Swivveleeood.” Suddenly, several hummingbird-size tornadoes appeared in the air. Spring almost cried out again, but then she realized the hummingbirds weren’t frightened. They were fascinated. They flew close to the tiny windstorms, then moved with the storms in playful unison.

  “They’re dancing with the baby storms!” Spring cried. “It’s so adorable!”

  “Isn’t it?” Twister agreed.

  The two of them stood in companionable silence a moment, happily watching the birds. Then Twister cleared his throat. He shuffled his feet and looked at the ground as he asked, “Um … Spring? Can I ask you a question?”

  “Is the question ‘If flies can fly, and ducks can duck, and bees can be … why can’t otters otter?’”

  “Um … no.”

  “Oh, good,” Spring said, “because I don’t know the answer to that one.”

  “I was wondering,” Twister began, “if you would join me for a picnic.”

  “A picnic?”

  “That’s the other reason I came here,” Twister said. “I like picnics, and there are no good picnic spots in the Barrens. I thought I’d picnic by myself, but a picnic’s a lot more fun when you share it with someone.”

  Spring agreed. She certainly didn’t want Twister to have a picnic all alone, but how could she join him? Her sisters were still looking for the blanket. They had no idea Spring had found it. She needed to call them and let them know.

  “It’s okay.” Twister sighed. “It was a silly question. You probably wouldn’t want to have a picnic with a Weed anyway.”

  He dropped his head lower. He looked so sad Spring thought it would rip her apart. She looked up at the sun. It was late, but she did have the blanket, so she and her sisters weren’t really in a hurry. Spring knew it wasn’t right to keep the other Sparkles waiting, but she just couldn’t leave Twister all alone when he looked so miserable.

  “I’d love to have a picnic with you,” she said, “but I can only stay for a minute.”

  “Truly?” A huge smile lit up Twister’s face. “That’s great!”

  He reached behind the bush and pulled out a large basket made of sticks and rocks. “I made it myself,” he said proudly. “And it’s filled with delicious food!”

  He lifted one side of the basket top. It didn’t smell delicious to Spring. It smelled more like feet.

  “I’m not really hungry,” she said, “but I’m happy to sit with you.”

  “Wonderful,” Twister said.

  But he didn’t sit. He just looked at the ground.

  “Is everything okay?” Spring asked.

  “Oh, yes! I just wish …” Twister sighed. “I wish we had a picnic blanket. It’s not really a picnic without a picnic blanket.”

  “That’s true,” Spring agreed. “Oh! I know! I’ll ride Dewdrop and get a blanket from my castle!”

  “That’s okay.” Twister stopped her. “I’d rather have the company. It only made sense if you had a blanket nearby. You know, for a proper picnic.” He sighed again, then added, “Ah well. You get what you get and you don’t get upset.”

  He plopped down on the ground and started setting up the meal. For Spring, that settled it. Twister might be a Weed, but he was not like the others. He was nice! He deserved a proper picnic, even if it was just for a couple minutes.

  “I just remembered!” Spring chirped. “I do have a blanket!” She took Mother’s blanket from the folds of her dress. “It’s not really mine, so we can’t sit on it, but we can lay it down.” She shook out the blanket and spread it gently on the grass. “How’s that?”

  “Perfect,” Twister said. He smiled, and the corners of his mouth curled in a mean funnel shape Spring hadn’t noticed before. A tiny prickle of alarm played on the back of her neck, but it was too late.

  “Swooriviroonu!” Twister cried.

  With a flick of his wand, a thick black tornado swirled up from the ground, scooped up Twister and Mother’s blanket, and whooshed them both out of sight.

  What were you thinking?” Winter roared.

  Once Twister left, Spring had called her sisters by rainbow so she could explain what had happened. They were all stunned, but Winter was having the most trouble understanding it. Spring answered her question as best she could.

  “Well,” Spring said, “first I was thinking he is a Weed and I shouldn’t trust him, but then I was thinking he seemed so nice and so sad about not having a proper picnic. And then at o
ne point I was thinking about how funny it is that both halves of the word ‘picnic’ rhyme: pic-nic. And I was thinking of other words like that, like ‘backpack’ or ‘tepee’ …”

  “SPRING!” Winter exploded.

  “But mostly I was thinking about the way you’d sound when you heard how badly I messed up,” Spring added sadly.

  “You didn’t mess up, Spring,” Autumn assured her. “I did. I lost Mother’s blanket. You were just trying to help. All three of you were. Thank you.”

  She gave each of her sisters a big hug, then raised her scepter in the air. She knew what she had to do.

  “Oh, no,” Winter said, catching her arm. “I know what you’re thinking, but no way. You’re not going to tell Mother. Not yet.”

  “I have to,” Autumn said. “The blanket was my responsibility. It was up to me to keep it safe, and I didn’t. I have to tell Mother the truth.”

  Too painful to say out loud were the words Autumn added inside her head: Even if it means Mother never trusts me again.

  “Winter’s right. This isn’t over yet. We can still find the blanket,” Summer said. She had wandered off a short distance, and stared at a patch of bushes. “The damage from Twister’s tornado makes a path, and it doesn’t lead to the Barrens. It leads toward my Sparkledom.”

  “Why would Twister take the blanket to your Sparkledom?” Winter asked.

  “Maybe he wanted a beach picnic!” Spring bubbled.

  “Doubt that,” Summer said. “But maybe he was running so fast he got turned around inside his tornado. Whatever the reason, if he’s in my Sparkledom, I can find him. I know that place better than any Weed.”

  “I don’t know,” Autumn said. “The three of you have already gone through so much for me …”

  “We’re your sisters,” Summer said. “That’s what we do. So what do you say? Will you let me try this before you go to Mother?”

  “I will,” Autumn agreed. “Thank you.”

  “Perfect! Spring, can I borrow Dewdrop? I can surprise Twister better if I’m alone.”

  “Dewy would be honored,” Spring said.

  “Great. Once I leave, the three of you can follow the tornado damage trail and meet up with me. See it?”

  Summer showed her sisters a jagged line of windbeaten bushes and trees. The damage zigzagged in a path all the way to the horizon line, where Spring’s and Summer’s Sparkledoms met.

  “On it,” Winter said. “We’ll be right behind you.”

  Spring kissed Dewdrop’s snout. “Have a fun trip, Dewy, and take good care of Summer.”

  Summer climbed onto the unicorn’s back. Dewdrop took a running start, then leaped into the air. From this vantage point, Twister’s damage trail was even easier to see. Summer guided the flying unicorn along until they reached the jungle that separated Spring’s Sparkledom and her own. There Dewdrop landed and neighed. Summer could tell he wanted to stay in his own realm.

  “Okay, Dewdrop,” Summer said as she jumped off his back. “You did great. Thanks.”

  She broke off a wild sugarcane stalk and held it in her palm. Dewdrop took it gently into his mouth, nuzzled Summer’s cheek, then flew off to rejoin Spring and the other Sparkles.

  The jungle between Summer’s and Spring’s Sparkledoms was very long, stretching all across their border, but it wasn’t thick. Summer followed Twister’s trail through it, and soon emerged at the top of a large bluff. She took a deep breath of her home’s salty air and looked down at the familiar wide fields of brown-tipped grass, the shimmering lakes, the white-, pink-, and black-sand beaches, and the endless roll of ocean waves.

  The scenery was great, but right now Summer had a job to do, and it just got a lot harder. Now that she was out of the jungle, she had no trail to follow. Luckily, Summer knew where to find a pair of eyes a lot stronger than hers. She stuck two fingers in her mouth and blew a loud whistle: WHOOP! WHOOP-per-WHOOP!

  Within seconds, and without making a sound, Summer’s jaguar, Shade, appeared by her side. Shade was built like a hunter, sleek and low to the ground. Her spots were shaped like tiny suns.

  “Hey, fierce girl,” Summer whispered. The nickname was Summer’s little joke. Shade could be tough and she had razor-sharp teeth, but she was sweet as a kitten. The scariest thing about her was her jackhammer-loud purr. She purred now as she rubbed her head against Summer and Summer scratched behind her ears. “Twister’s somewhere in the Sparkledom,” Summer said. “I need to know where.”

  Shade’s ears perked up. Her tail and whiskers twitched as she scanned the horizon, left to right. Suddenly she stiffened. The fur on her back stood straight up, and her purr became a low growl. She leaned forward, her entire body now an arrow for Summer to follow.

  “Yes,” Summer said. “I see him.”

  Twister was far below, running quickly through a sparsely wooded area. He had a huge head start on Summer, but the Sparkle had a major advantage. She jumped onto Shade’s back. The jaguar knew exactly what to do. Soundlessly, she raced down the hill and among the trees. From down here Summer couldn’t see Twister at all, but she trusted Shade’s senses.

  Finally, she saw him far up ahead, darting from tree to tree as if too exhausted to keep moving. Each time he stopped, he looked around to make sure he was alone. Summer smiled. She felt confident she could catch him on her own from here. She slipped off Shade’s back and whispered, “My sisters are on their way. Meet them at the border and bring them to me.”

  Shade ran off to obey, while Summer continued the chase. She pushed herself to close the distance between herself and the Weed. Every time Twister stumbled, Summer grinned. Every root seemed to break his stride, but Summer felt this land in her bones. Nothing slowed her down. Soon Summer was so close she could almost reach out and touch Twister’s coat.

  It was time. Summer reached for her scepter.

  CRACK!

  A giant tree branch snapped, fell, and landed right in front of Summer. It happened so quickly she couldn’t stop moving. She tripped over it and fell face-first into the dirt.

  Cackling laughter rang out from above her. It sounded like the squeal of someone sucking on a helium balloon. Summer knew the sound.

  “Thunderbolt!” she roared.

  “You called?” the Weed laughed. He floated on a low storm cloud that drifted out from its hiding spot, behind the high canopy of the same tree whose branch he’d broken off. The cloud was as dark as Thunderbolt’s ratty black pants and jacket. His hair was purple and spiked, he wore a black shirt slashed with a purple lightning bolt, and his normally pale face was red from wheezy laughter. Summer tried to leap to her feet when she saw him, but she’d twisted her ankle in the fall. She winced and dropped to her knees, which only made Thunderbolt laugh harder.

  Summer raised her scepter and pointed it at his cloud.

  A burst of yellow sparkles shot from her scepter into Thunderbolt’s cloud. It disappeared instantly. Thunderbolt thumped to the ground.

  “Hey!” he yelled. “What did you do that for? I never did nothing to you!”

  “Except blast a branch with a lightning bolt so I’d trip on it?” Summer asked.

  “Yeah!” he said. “Except that!”

  “Don’t argue with her, Thunderbolt.” The voice was Twister’s. He stepped out from behind a nearby tree. He had a nasty smile on his face. “We have her exactly where we want her.”

  Summer understood now, and the pain in her ankle was nothing compared to the torture of knowing she’d been outsmarted by Weeds—in her own Sparkledom! She wasn’t giving up though, and there was no way she’d let Twister and Thunderbolt see how upset she really was.

  “Yeah, you’re both really impressive,” Summer said. “Now give me the blanket and get out of here before I vaporize something else.”

  “This blanket?” Twister asked. He pulled it from his coat pocket and wiped his sweaty face, then held it out to Summer. “Here you go.”

  Ew. The blanket had Weed sweat on it now, but it was still Mother�
�s. Summer reached for it, but as she was about to pinch the corner between her fingers, Twister nodded to someone behind her.

  “Now, Quake,” he said.

  Summer spun just in time to see Quake holler and wave his stick in the air.

  She heard the noise first. It was a deep rumble that shook her bones. Then the ground split beneath her. She tumbled backward, bouncing and rolling until she thumped down on the bottom of the newly created hole.

  When the shaking stopped, Summer looked up. All four Weeds peered down at her. Even Sleet, who must have been waiting for the right moment to show his face. They looked so proud of themselves. Summer wondered if Shade had found the other Sparkles, and if they were on their way. Summer hoped so. She also hoped she could keep the Weeds right here and distracted until her sisters arrived.

  “I’m starting to see why the four of you have no friends,” Summer shouted up to them. “Hanging out with you is really annoying.”

  “We won’t be in your hair much longer,” Twister called down. “In fact, we’d like to offer you a deal. We know you want this blanket, and we will gladly give it to you. All you have to do in return is toss us your scepter.”

  Summer laughed out loud.

  “Seriously? That’s your big plan? Keep the blanket. No way am I giving you my scepter.”

  “You will, because if you don’t …” Twister gave a sad sigh Spring would have recognized. “Sleet told me you saw what he did to the polar bear. That was nothing compared to what he’ll rain down on you. And Thunderbolt has his own special skill to share.”

  “Zizzlzzlzz!” Thunderbolt yelled. He shot a bolt of lightning from his stick into the hole. It exploded into the ground only a hop away from Summer. The bolt hadn’t touched her, but she could feel its heat and smell the electric sizzle.

  “I’ll give you to the count of five,” Twister said. “One … two … three …”

  Summer took a deep breath. She wiped her sweaty palm on her dress so she could clench her scepter tightly. She could not lose the scepter to the Weeds. She’d fight back as long as she could, and hope her sisters would show up before it was too late.