by Ahmet Zappa
Emma’s dad ran onto the gym floor, and Astra jumped up to follow and collect her energy. He picked Emma up and spun her around. “I am so proud of you,” he said.
Proud. The magic word. Astra turned to Emma, ready for the onslaught of wish energy. She held out her wrists, a smile of eager anticipation on her face. But there was nothing. What was going on?
She looked up at Emma, who wore a wistful smile. She didn’t look happy at all. She actually looked kind of sad.
Astra shook her head. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Your wish came true!”
Emma frowned. “My wish?” She laughed. “Maybe my father’s wish, but not mine.”
“But you said you wanted to make your father proud of you,” Astra argued.
“Not this way,” said Emma. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it firmly. She shook her head. “Listen, I’ve got to go.”
Dumbfounded, Astra watched Emma walk across the gym floor and out the door.
Astra glanced down at her Countdown Clock. It was still ticking. She didn’t know what to do. She knew that she was wasting precious time. How did I mess this up so badly? she wondered. She thought and she thought and she could not come up with an answer.
She waved good-bye to Emma’s family and sat there as the teams packed up and everyone left. She sat as the custodian moved all the equipment back to the corner of the gym and started sweeping the floor. And when he turned out the lights, she sat in the faint gloomy glow that came through the high gymnasium windows. She had no idea what to do.
Suddenly, there was a big bang as the heavy gym door swung open. Astra whipped her head toward the sound.
“Need a little help?” said a very familiar voice.
Astra could have wept with joy when she realized just who was making her way toward her in the darkened gymnasium.
“I do,” she said, standing up in the bleachers. “I really do.”
It was Libby. “Lady Stella sent me,” she said gently. “Your energy levels were dropping and she started to get worried. You’re running out of time.”
“Thanks for pointing that out,” said Astra sarcastically.
“Don’t get mad at me,” said Libby. “I’m here to help you.”
Astra sighed. “I know. Star apologies.”
“Why don’t you just fill me in on everything that’s happened so far?” Libby suggested, sitting down on the bleachers. So Astra did.
When she was finished talking, Libby sat in silence, digesting the information. Finally, she spoke. “So you confirmed that her wish was to make her father proud of her?”
Astra sighed. “Yes, she was very clear about it,” she said.
“Exactly how much time is left?”
“Eighteen hours,” said Astra.
“So that takes us to…”
“A little after one o’clock tomorrow,” said Astra.
Then she heard a delicate snore. “Stay right there!” she said to Libby, who clearly wasn’t going anywhere. Astra ran to the girls’ bathroom and grabbed a couple of paper towels. She returned to the gym and rooted around in her backpack until she found the polish of removal. She poured some on a paper towel and began to scrub Libby’s nails. It was very slow going, but finally, when the last nail was polish-free, Libby sat up.
“Where were we?” she asked. Astra held up the now-empty bottle. Libby gave her a huge smile and looked down at her nails. “Star salutations, Astra,” she said happily. “I feel so awake!”
“That’s great,” said Astra. “But what isn’t so great is that we only have eighteen hours left—until one o’clock tomorrow.”
“That seems like an odd deadline,” said Libby. “Does something important happen at one o’clock tomorrow?”
Astra shook her head. “I just don’t know.”
“Hmmm…should we try to find Emma and ask her?” Libby asked.
Astra sighed. “Sure,” she said dejectedly.
They walked into the hallway. Astra tore down a poster advertising the gymnastics meet. She reached for the next poster and stopped. “Moons and stars!” she said. She pointed to it.
“Oooh, paper,” said Libby. “Pretty cool.”
Astra shook her head. “No. Look.” She pointed to the words:
ART SHOW!
20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
SCHOOL CAFETERIA
SATURDAY AT 11:00 AM
But it was the last line that was the most important:
WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT 1:00 PM
It all came to her in a rush. “Emma’s a great artist,” she explained to Libby. “Her room is full of beautiful paintings and drawings, and someone—I guess it was the art teacher—was trying to get her to work on a project.” Astra’s face got warm as she remembered how dismissive she had been to the teacher. She shook her head, recalling Emma’s words: Not this way. “Emma wanted her father to be proud of her, all right. But it wasn’t for gymnastics. It was for her artwork. Moons and stars! How did I miss that?”
“So all we have to do is find her and convince her to submit something for the art show?” Libby asked. “When’s Saturday, by the way?”
“I think it’s tomorrow!” Astra answered. “And that’s got to be it!” she added. “I think I know where she is. Follow me.”
Astra led Libby down a hallway, then up a flight of stairs. She paused in front of a classroom door, waiting for Libby to catch up. She put her hand on the doorknob and quietly opened the door. There was Emma, standing in front of a large sculpture. She was concentrating so hard she didn’t hear the girls enter the room. She had an expression on her face that Astra did not recognize. She almost gasped when she realized what it was—pure happiness.
“Oh, Emma,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”
And it was. Emma had created a large sculpture of a beautiful woman with wild, flowing hair. Astra took another look and blinked. Well, it was a beautiful woman from the waist up. From the waist down was a completely different story. It was some sort of odd creature.
“Wow,” said Astra. “I really like your…sculpture.”
“It’s a mermaid,” explained Emma. “I’ve been working on it for months, whenever I could find the time. I was hoping to have it done for the art show tomorrow.” She shook her head. “But I never had time to finish.”
Libby stepped up. “It’s gorgeous,” she said.
“This is my friend Libby,” Astra explained. “From my old school.”
“You’re really talented,” Libby said, studying the sculpture.
“Thank you,” said Emma.
“What is it made out of?” Astra asked.
Emma’s eyes were shining. “It’s this special sand clay I made. The theme of the art show is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and I remembered all the fun summers we had when I was little, building castles and digging in the sand. So I decided to do a sand sculpture.” She paused and her shoulders sagged. “I didn’t get it finished in time.”
“Can’t you finish your sculpture tonight and submit it tomorrow for the show?” Astra asked.
Emma shook her head. “No, I needed to go to the beach and gather rocks and shells and seaweed and stuff and decorate it. But with all the practices and meets, I could never get my parents to take me. I’m totally out of time. It’s too late to finish it.”
Astra’s heart sank. If only she had truly listened to her Wisher, she might have been able to help her.
Suddenly, she had an idea. “Hey, Emma,” she said. “What if I told you we could get you exactly what you need?”
Emma smirked. “I’d say you were crazy,” she answered.
“Go home and have dinner with your family,” said Astra. “Tell them about the art show and that they need to come. We’ll take care of getting the stuff you need. You can finish it in the morning and enter it in the competition.”
Emma looked like she was trying hard not to get excited. “You’re sure? You’re really sure? It sounds impossible.”
“I’m sure,” said Astra. �
�But don’t wait up,” she added. “This could take a while!”
“I think you’re crazy, too,” said Libby.
“That’s because you don’t know my special talent,” said Astra. “It’s teleporting!”
“Ooh,” said Libby. “Now that’s a good one to have.”
The question was, would she be able to take Libby along with her? The two girls held hands as Astra wished. It did not work. They stood back to back and Astra tried again. No such luck. Astra was about to head off on her own when she had a sudden idea, inspired by her roommate. She engulfed Libby in a big hug. I wish I was at the beach, she thought. There was a whoosh, everything grew blurry, and there was a feeling of moving fast.
And suddenly, they were standing in the sand! They were surrounded by palm trees and crystal-blue waters. White foam flew as the surf crashed onto the shore. They took off their shoes and dug their toes into the soft, silky sand. Astra couldn’t help herself: she did a cartwheel of joy. Then another.
“That’s a new one,” said Libby. “You’re going to slay us all in Poses when you get back.”
“As usual,” said Astra cheekily. She looked around, taking it all in. “It really is amazing here,” she said.
The girls raced to the water’s edge, filling their pockets with all the treasures from the sea they could find—tiny whelk shells; bits of green and blue sea glass, their edges softened by the tides and the sand; driftwood weathered into interesting shapes and bleached by the sun. Libby gathered the edges of her skirt with one hand and filled the hollow with crab claws, sand dollars, and scallop shells.
Astra spotted something star-shaped in the surf and thought for a moment that her eyes were deceiving her. She reached down and cradled the creature in her palm. “Have you ever seen anything lovelier?” she asked.
“How startastic!” said Libby.
“Piper would love it,” Astra said. The creature moved its legs gently in her hand. “I wish I could take it home.” But she knew it needed to be returned to the sea. She waded out and gently placed the creature back in the water.
Then Astra got a sudden inspiration. She bent down and filled her arms with seaweed in all shapes and sizes—thin ribbons, wide sheets, curly bright green tendrils. They lay their treasures on the sand and began to fill Astra’s backback. The sun was sinking, its golden pink rays settling over the horizon. “It’s time to go back,” Astra said.
“Hey,” said Libby with a laugh. “One of my shells is making a run for it!” She pointed to a tiny spiral shell that was slowly sneaking away.
“That was a close one!” said Astra. “Let’s make sure we’re not taking anyone else for a ride!” They carefully checked their shells, then finished packing. They hugged each other and Astra wished that she was back at Emma’s house. Luckily no one noticed two girls magically appearing in the middle of Emma’s backyard.
As she walked up the stairs to Emma’s room, Astra thought she would burst with excitement. She also felt hopeful. But worried, too. Time was running out. This was their only chance. Emma had to convince her father to go to the show, finish her sculpture, win the prize, and make her father proud.
This had to work; it just had to!
When Astra woke up the next morning in her usual spot on the floor in the sleeping bag, she immediately sprang up to wake Emma.
But Emma was already gone.
On her pillow was a note.
Dear Astra & Libby,
I found the bag of sea stuff! I don’t know how you did it, but thank you so so so much! I’m going straight to school to finish the sculpture, so meet me there.
Love, Emma
P.S.: I told my family about the art show last night. Fingers crossed that they make it!
“Good morning, Astra,” said Emma’s mom when Astra and Libby entered the dining room. “And nice to meet you, Libby. Emma told me you would be staying over. Is she sleeping in this morning?”
“She already left for the art show!” said Astra. She looked at the family, all eating bowls of cereal around the table. “So you all are going to come, right?”
Eva yawned. “Ellie and I have practice this morning,” she said. “And, Mom and Dad, you promised you were going to come watch us.”
“I did,” Emma’s dad said, nodding. “I guess I’ll have to go see Emma’s art another time.”
Astra gulped. This wasn’t exactly going the way she had imagined.
Emma’s dad stood and headed into the kitchen to refill his coffee cup. Astra followed him. She knew how to make him come to the show. It wasn’t ideal, but she couldn’t be choosy at that point.
She cleared her throat and Emma’s dad glanced at her. Looking deep into his eyes, she said: “You are going to Emma’s art show this morning.”
He frowned. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it,” he said. “You heard the girls. I promised to go to their gymnastics practice.”
Astra stood there, blinking. The rules of hypnotizing adults were very confusing.
She followed him back into the dining room. Libby looked at her hopefully, and Astra shook her head. Libby grimaced.
Astra could feel herself getting angrier and angrier. This wasn’t fair to Emma at all. Her family had all the time in the world for gymnastics, but they couldn’t be bothered to go to her art show? That was wrong, wrong, wrong.
Before she realized what she was doing, she slammed her hand down on the dining room table.
“Listen up,” she said.
Everyone stared at her, openmouthed. Elizabeth had been about to put some cereal into her mouth, and the spoon hovered in midair.
“This is really important to Emma. The most important thing in her life, believe it or not. She has given up so much to do what you guys like—gymnastics—and she did an amazing job yesterday. But art is her passion. And it would really mean so much to have you all there. You have to be there.”
The family looked at each other. “I guess we could leave practice early,” said Eva reluctantly.
“If it’s that important to Emma, we’ll be there,” said her father.
“But Saturday mornings are my only days to watch cartoons!” whined Elizabeth.
“Too bad, short stuff,” said Ellie. “Emma is always there for us. Now it’s our turn to be there for her.”
Emma’s mom put her hand on top of Astra’s. “Thank you, Astra,” she said simply. “Now you can sit down and eat.”
Whew. Astra felt relieved. After breakfast she and Libby ran upstairs to get dressed, then headed to the school. Now all that was left was to make sure Emma’s sculpture was finished in time.
When they arrived, Ms. Gonzales, the art teacher, was there, as well. “Hello!” she said when she saw Astra and Libby. “I am so thrilled that Emma is going to enter the contest! I gather you two had something to do with it.”
Astra smiled and nodded.
“Her sculpture is wonderful,” the teacher continued. “So evocative of the sea and childhood diversions.”
“Um, yeah,” said Astra. “Exactly.”
Emma turned to the two girls proudly. The mermaid was nearly finished. She wore a necklace of crab claws. Two large scallop shells served as her bikini top. Her tail was covered with a stunning mosaic of shells, pieces of seaweed, and sea glass. It was startacularly beautiful.
Ms. Gonzales glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to go and welcome the judges,” she said. “The show begins in ten minutes and all entries must be registered beforehand. So please don’t be late.”
“I’ll be done in a minute,” said Emma distractedly. She squinted at the sculpture. “Something is missing….” She grabbed some of the ribbony seaweed and artfully entwined it in the mermaid’s flowing hair.
Astra grinned. “That’s it. Perfect!”
It took the three of them to lift the sculpture and carry it down the hallway toward the auditorium.
“Be careful! Don’t drop her!” Astra said warningly. When they successfully reached the auditorium, she pe
ered through the doors, where she could see Ms. Gonzales, chatting with the judges and looking around nervously for Emma.
“Here we come,” said Astra. She leaned her back against the door and pushed it—but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hurry, Astra, this is getting heavy!” said Libby.
Astra pushed again. Then, after making sure the two girls could hold the sculpture on their own, she let go of it and pulled. She tried the other door. “I can’t open it!” she cried.
“This is the only way in,” Emma said. “It’s got to open!”
Emma looked at the clock on the wall. “We’re running out of time!” she cried.
Libby took a step backward. There was a strange sickly gray mist surrounding the door handle. What in the world—
She touched the mist and shivered. “It’s so cold!” she said, rubbing her hands on her skirt for warmth.
“What’s going on?” asked Emma. “I can’t see!”
Something very strange was going on. It was almost as if something—or someone—was deliberately trying to keep them out.
Emma was near tears. “We’re going to miss registration!” she said. “We have to get in there!”
Just then, Libby got a funny look on her face. “I’m not quite sure why I am doing this,” she said, “but reach into my pocket….”
Astra did and her fingers closed around an angular pink stone—Libby’s Power Crystal!
“Put it on the door,” instructed Libby.
“Put what on the door?” asked Emma, her view blocked by the large sculpture. “What is going on?”
To Astra’s and Libby’s amazement, the gray mist shrank back and disappeared.
“What’s happening?” Emma demanded. “What are you doing?”
Before they could figure out how to answer her, the door opened with a snap.
The Star Darlings looked at each other. They had no idea what had just happened, but they realized it was something very big indeed.
Would Emma’s wish come true? Or was Astra destined to be a wish energy failure?