Disney Fairies: The Trouble With Tink

by Kiki Thorpe

  “Where are the Lost Boys?” Tink asked.

  Peter thought for a moment. “They must still be hiding,” he replied finally. “We were playing hide-and-seek in the forest yesterday. But when it was my turn to look, I spotted a bobcat stalking a rabbit. Course, I wanted to see if he caught him, so I followed them. I guess I forgot to go back and look for the boys.”

  “Do you think they’re lost?” Terence asked.

  Peter grinned. “Course they’re lost! They’re the Lost Boys! I’ll go find them later.” He shrugged, then added, “Anyway, that bobcat never did catch the rabbit.”

  Peter lifted the lid of the cigar box. “Now…” Reaching inside, he took out a small object. He held it out toward Tink and Terence in the palm of his hand. It was yellowish white and shaped like a triangle, with razor-sharp edges that narrowed to a point.

  Tink clasped her hands together. “Oh!” she gasped. “You got it!”

  “What is it?” Terence asked.

  “A shark’s tooth,” Peter replied, just a bit smugly. “Isn’t it swell? I’m going to put it on a string and make a necklace.”

  “The first time I met Peter, he was trying to steal a shark’s tooth,” Tink explained to Terence.

  “That’s right!” exclaimed Peter. “I’d made a bet with the boys that I could steal a tooth from a live shark. I built a small raft out of birchwood and was paddling out to sea…”

  From the way he began, Terence could tell that Peter had told this story many times before, and that he loved telling it.

  “I had just paddled beyond the reef,” Peter continued, “when I felt something bump the underside of my raft.”

  “The shark?” asked Terence.

  Peter nodded. “He was looking for his lunch. But he didn’t know that I was looking for him, too!”

  “How did you plan to get his tooth?” Terence asked.

  “I meant to stun him with my oar, then steal the tooth while he was out cold,” said Peter. “But he was bigger than I’d thought, and before I knew it, he’d bitten my little raft right in half! I was sinking fast, and it looked like the end for me, when suddenly I heard a jingling sound over my head. I looked up and there was Tinker Bell. She yelled down at me…”

  “‘Fly, silly boy!’” Tink and Peter cried together. They laughed, remembering.

  “But I didn’t know how to fly,” Peter told Terence. “So Tink taught me how, right then and there. She sprinkled some fairy dust on me, and before I knew it, I’d zipped up into the air, out of the shark’s reach. Boy, was he mad!”

  “So, you went back and got the shark tooth this time?” Tink asked Peter, pointing to the tooth in his hand.

  Peter shrugged. “Naw. A mermaid gave this to me. But now I’m going to go out and get the whole shark!” He pointed to the fishing pole and the wooden hook he’d been carving.

  Tink and Peter both burst out laughing.

  Terence smiled, watching them. He felt glad that Tink looked so happy. But it also made him sad. What if she decided to stay here in the forest with Peter?

  Tink was happy. She had discovered that it wasn’t so hard to see Peter, after all! She’d only needed a friend to help her find that out. She saw Terence’s smile, and she smiled back at him.

  Just then, Tink caught sight of something in the cigar box. Her eyes widened. “My hammer!” she exclaimed.

  “I saved it for you, Tink,” Peter said proudly. “I knew you’d be back for it.”

  Tink reached into the box and picked up the hammer. It fit perfectly in her hand. She tapped it lightly into the palm of her other hand, then closed her eyes and sighed. She felt as if she’d come home after a long, long trip.

  Then, to Terence’s joy and relief, Tink turned to Peter and said, “It’s been so good to see you, Peter. But we have to go back to the fairy kingdom now.”

  Peter looked at her in surprise. “What? Now? But what about hide-and-seek?”

  Tink shook her head. She was glad to realize that she didn’t want to stay, not for hide-and-seek or anything else. She wanted to get back to Pixie Hollow, back to her pots and pans. That was where she belonged.

  Tink flew so close to Peter’s face that he had to cross his eyes to see her. She kissed the bridge of his freckled nose. “I’ll come back soon to visit,” she promised. And she meant it.

  Then, taking Terence’s hand, she flew back out of the jackfruit tree and into the forest.

  AS TINK HEADED back to the fairy kingdom with Terence, one last thing was bothering her.

  She didn’t want all of Pixie Hollow to know about the hammer and her trip to see Peter. Enough hurtful gossip had already spread through the kingdom. Tink didn’t want any more.

  She wanted to ask Terence if he would keep their trip to Peter’s a secret between them. But before she could, he turned to her. “I don’t think anyone else needs to know about this trip, do you?” he asked. “You’ve got your hammer back, and that’s what matters.”

  Tink grinned and nodded. What a good friend Terence was.

  “The only thing is,” Terence said, “how will we convince everyone that you have your talent back?”

  Tink thought for a moment. “I have an idea,” she said.

  Putting on a burst of speed, Tink raced Terence all the way back to Pixie Hollow.

  When they got to the Home Tree, Tink went straight to Queen Ree’s quarters.

  One of the queen’s attendants opened the door. “Tink, welcome,” the attendant said when she saw her.

  “I’ve come to fix the queen’s bathtub,” Tink told her.

  Terence, who was standing behind Tink, grinned. Tink was clever. This was the perfect way to prove that her talent was back. Terence didn’t doubt that Tink could fix the tub. She was the best pots-and-pans fairy in the kingdom.

  But the attendant hesitated. Everyone had heard about Tink and her talent. She wanted to refuse to let Tink fix it.

  Just then, Ree stepped forward. She had heard Tink’s request. “Come in, Tink,” she said.

  “I’ve come to fix your bathtub,” Tink repeated to the queen.

  Ree looked at Tink. In Tink’s blue eyes, she saw a fierce certainty that hadn’t been there the day before, when they’d talked in the gazebo.

  Ree nodded. “Take Tink to the bathtub,” she told her attendant.

  The attendant looked startled, but she turned and began to lead Tink away.

  Just before Tink left, Terence grabbed her hand. “Good luck,” he said.

  Tink held up her hammer and gave his hand a squeeze. “I don’t need it!” she said.