by Ahmet Zappa
Piper headed outside for the big leafy tree and the bench. A shiny silver plaque was nailed onto the back slats. Piper read the inscription out loud: “‘In memory of Rose MacDonald. Thanks for the great food and the even better company.’”
“In memory of” must mean Rose had completed her Cycle of Life. Big Rosie’s must have been her diner. Piper gazed up at the clouds, wondering if Rose’s star beamed its light right at that spot. Was the star twinkling right then, unseen, in approval of this mission? Piper’s mind was wandering, considering the cosmos and its connection to all life-forms, when a boy and girl walked past.
Piper snapped to attention. Could one of those Wishlings be her Wisher? They both had light hair and similar-shaped noses and lopsided grins. Brother and sister, Piper thought. The two laughed and pushed each other playfully. It was the kind of relationship she’d always wanted with her own brother. She glanced hopefully at her pendant. Nope, it wasn’t either of them.
Another girl hurried past, her nose in a book. The pendant stayed dark.
Wishling after Wishling walked by while Piper sat on the bench. Still, there was no sign of her Wisher. “Patience, Piper,” she counseled herself. This was such a different, new, and exciting experience. She couldn’t quite hold on to her calm. So much could go wrong; so much depended on her.
But she’d been waiting on that bench for a long time. What if there was a problem with her pendant and that was why it wasn’t lighting up? She shook the bracelets lightly, then harder and harder.
Stop it, Piper! she ordered. It was time for her Mirror Mantra. She crisscrossed her legs in her favorite meditation pose. “Dreams can come true,” she said out loud. “It’s your time to shine!” The pane revealed Piper’s shimmery skin and hair, but just for an instant, and just for her to see. Immediately, she felt energized.
A moment later, Piper felt a tingle at her wrist. Finally! she thought, glancing at her pendant. The bracelets were glowing faintly. Smiling, Piper peered down the street. A group of girls was approaching, and with each step they took, the pendant lit up brighter and brighter.
The girls stopped directly in front of Piper. Her pendant flashed even stronger; the jewels sparkled fiercely. One of these Wishlings was definitely her Wisher.
There were four girls, huddled together so closely Piper couldn’t see their faces or hear their words. It didn’t seem like happy chatter to Piper, though, with the girls talking about the cute boy in class or the latest fashion. Something was up.
The group broke apart, and three of the girls drew away, leaving one girl standing alone. “Bye, Olivia,” the shortest one of the three called back in a commanding way. “Everything will be fine.” She tugged at the other two, and they walked quickly away.
Maybe the short girl was the Wisher. Piper thought it was a definite possibility. But she wasn’t thrilled. The girl seemed a little bossy.
Meanwhile, the girl left behind—Olivia—stood still for a long moment, lost in thought. Piper gazed at her. She was sweet-looking, with a round face and long dark brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her blue eyes were large and searching. Surely, Olivia was a deep thinker. But her eyes had dark circles beneath them, as if she was losing sleep. Piper liked her immediately.
By then the other girls were down the block. Olivia stepped past Piper, heading into the diner, and the pendant glowed with extra intensity.
Piper straightened her shoulders. She had found her Wisher.
Now what? Piper wondered. Should she follow the Wisher and go inside the diner, too? She felt hesitant. The woman at the desk already thought she was strange. And while Piper never minded when other Starlings thought she was a little weird—let’s face it, not everyone liked to do downward-facing glion poses while meditating in P.E. class—this seemed different.
Piper cared what these Wishlings thought, and she wanted to make a good impression. Maybe because they were the first Wishlings she’d ever met. And maybe, just maybe, it might help her complete her mission.
Through the glass door, Piper saw Olivia drop her backpack behind the front desk. She gave the curly-haired woman a kiss on the cheek. Then she walked around the long counter and slipped behind it to the other side. She waved hello to a woman wiping up a spill at the other end—a “waitress,” Piper had learned—and tied on an apron. It seemed that people, not Bot-Bots, served food on Wishworld.
Olivia works at the diner! Piper realized. Now she had no choice but to go in again. This time, she would think carefully before she spoke.
“Hello,” Piper said cautiously to the woman at the desk. Now she saw the woman wore a name tag. “Alice,” Piper added.
“Hello again,” said Alice. “Have you figured out if you want to—”
“Eat?” said Piper.
“Stay,” said Alice.
“Yes, I do.” Piper leaned over, closer to Alice. She didn’t say anything; she just concentrated on connecting.
A funny expression crossed Alice’s face. It was a wistful look, like she was remembering something from long ago. She sniffed deeply. “Rhubarb pie. Strawberry-rhubarb pie with crumb topping.” She smiled at Piper. “It smells just like the pie my mom, Rosie, used to make. I didn’t even know we were serving it today! Or that anyone else could make it the same way!”
Rosie…the plaque on the bench…the diner name…Piper wanted to ask her more, but she had to focus on the task at hand. Adult Wishlings always smelled favorite desserts from childhood when they got close to Starlings. And those memories made them open to suggestion—and to believing whatever the Starlings told them.
Piper stared into Alice’s eyes. “I am Piper, and I am here to help out.”
Alice nodded solemnly. Then she called, “Everyone! This is Piper, and she is here to help out.”
The cook came from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishcloth. “I think I’ll whip up a coconut cake. For some reason, there’s a smell around here that reminds me of coming home from school and finding a thick slice of cake waiting for me on the kitchen table.” He stuck out his hand for Piper to shake. She touched his fingers, unsure what to do. “I’m Pete,” he said. “Now, what is your name again?”
“I am Piper,” she repeated. “And I am here to help.”
“Of course you are,” Pete said, slightly dazed. Then he smiled. “We can always use an extra pair of hands around here.” He turned to the counter. “Olivia! Come meet our new employee.” He stopped, looking confused. “Wait a minute. Not an employee. A helper, I guess.”
Olivia walked over. “Just a helper?” she asked Piper. “Why would you want to help without getting a—”
“Star payment,” finished Piper. Oh, Starf! she thought. That can’t be right.
“Um…a paycheck,” said Olivia.
“It’s for a school assignment,” Piper told Olivia as the two girls moved off to the side to talk.
“You don’t go to the Lincoln School, do you? Where do you go?” Olivia sounded curious, not accusing. But Piper felt angry—at herself: why hadn’t she thought about that earlier? Walking over, she had come up with a pretend last name: Smith. She had read somewhere it was a common Wishling name. She had even thought of a pretend address: 123 Main Street, again very common. But her school? She had no idea. And she couldn’t very well whip out her Star-Zap to request information about common Wishling school names. Not that it would work anyway!
Her gaze lit on a passing truck that said MAIL DELIVERY.
“Uh, the Mail School?”
“Male School?” Olivia said, puzzled. “You go to a school for boys?”
“No!” Piper said quickly. “It’s Mayle…M-a-y-l-e, for the name of my town…Maylefield!” The name sounded kind of lame, Piper knew. Too much like Greenfield. But it was the best she could do with hardly any time to think.
“Maylefield,” mused Olivia. She shook her head. “I’ve never heard of it.”
Piper smiled. She had this part covered. “Oh, it’s floozels…I mean miles…away. And we’re on v
acation this week so I’m visiting my grandmother. I’m doing a work-study program for extra credit,” she said.
Olivia nodded. “Extra credit is good,” she said thoughtfully. “It could bring up your grade so you don’t get anxious when you take a test. It’s kind of like being thrown one of those rescue rings lifeguards use to save people from drowning.”
Piper had just studied beach recreation in Wishling Ways, and she could picture the safety device—like a floating doughnut. Then, just as Olivia started talking again, she had another vision. It was from a bad dream. She was trying to swim to shore at Luminous Lake, but that same evil presence she’d felt before was trying to pull her down…down.
“So if you have that sinking feeling during a test, you—” Olivia was saying with a laugh.
“Go underwater,” Piper finished for her. “You don’t scream, you don’t breathe, you don’t even think.”
Olivia took a step back, startled by the dark image. “No…I was going to say that you can just relax. It would make you feel better knowing you had help—like a rescue ring.”
Relaxation! Piper, of all Starlings on Starland, knew about relaxation. Why hadn’t she gotten that right away? And now she’d scared poor Olivia on top of everything else. Not the best way to connect!
“So did Olivia tell you that anyone who works here is part of our family? Just like Big Rosie used to say?” Alice came over to put an arm around Piper.
“No, I didn’t,” Olivia said, taking another step away from Piper.
“Well, we’re one big family here,” Alice went on. “Pete is my husband, and Olivia is our daughter. Rosie was my mom, Olivia’s grandmother. She started the diner.”
“Wow,” said Piper. “That’s so nice that you’re all together. And it’s nice that you’re keeping the diner in the family.”
Olivia smiled but stayed where she was. “It is nice!” she agreed. “Big Rosie started a great tradition. But she wasn’t really very big,” Olivia confided, clearly happy to have someone to talk to about her grandmother. “She was actually shorter than you, Piper—and even shorter than my friend Morgan. And she was really skinny, especially for someone who spent so much time in kitchens! But she had a big, big personality!” She paused. “I really—”
“Miss her,” Piper finished. “I’m sure you do,” she added quietly as Alice went to help a customer. “My granddad left us, too, and it’s sad. But I think of him so often and imagine conversations. So sometimes I really feel like he’s here with me. Star apologies for your loss.”
Piper ended her speech with such warmth and understanding that Olivia’s eyes filled. Later, Piper realized she’d used the Starland saying. Luckily, Olivia was more focused on the meaning than the actual words.
Piper sighed. Olivia’s family was making her think of her own. Her brother, Finn, never very talkative, could still be a comfort. They were related, after all, and she never had to explain little things to him, let alone big things.
“Do you have brothers or sisters?” she asked Olivia.
Olivia brightened. “Yes, a sister. And she’s coming home from college for the summer in May.”
A grown-up Wishling, coming up to the counter, overheard. “Oh, your sister Isabel!” she said. “My son was in class with her all through elementary school, middle school, and high school. She was always an amazing student. Straight As in every class. I heard she never got a grade below that, in fact!” She turned to Alice, a hint of jealousy in her eyes. “You must be very proud.”
“Yes, we are,” said Alice. Piper was watching Olivia. While the woman was speaking, she had seemed to freeze, barely moving a muscle. But when Alice reached over to squeeze her arm and say, “And we’re just as proud of Olivia,” she grinned, and Piper thought maybe she had imagined it.
Anyway, it was time to get to know Olivia—to see her in action and figure out her wish. “Do you want to show me around so I can start helping?” she asked.
“Of course,” Olivia said happily. “We’re not some big fancy restaurant. My mom likes to run everything the old-fashioned way, just like Grandma Rosie did. Anyway, there’s the cash register.” She pointed to the machine on Alice’s desk, and Piper nodded like she understood what it meant.
Next Olivia led Piper behind the counter and showed her different workstations. The front station directly behind the counter held ice cream freezers, coffee machines, and a small refrigerator to store juice and milk.
Ice cream! Coffee! Piper knew the words. She’d even seen ice cream and coffee for herself. But she still needed to study them—and everything else!—to truly understand. Piper took out her Star-Zap, hoping Olivia would think it was just a regular cell phone. She pretended to hold it casually, the way she’d seen Wishlings do, when really she was taking holo-vids and recording Olivia’s voice.
Olivia gestured for Piper to follow her into the kitchen, then stopped by another workstation. “This area is for roll-ups,” Olivia explained.
Hmmm, roll-ups. Piper knew about push-ups and pull-ups from Physical Energy class. Perhaps roll-ups were another form of exercise. But truth be told, she’d never paid much attention. She’d discovered a starmat hidden behind some equipment in the gym, and if she wandered slowly to that corner, no one noticed. So while everyone else jumped and ran, she just meditated quietly. She was pretty sure Coach Geeta knew what she was up to but never called her on it. Most likely, the coach understood that Piper got more energy from meditating than from playing star ball.
“So,” Piper said to Olivia, “you keep in shape while you’re working by rolling up?”
“No!” Olivia giggled. She grabbed a napkin. And before Piper could even blink, she had rolled a knife, fork, and spoon inside the napkin in such a way that it stayed wrapped even when she flipped it in the air. It was almost like magic.
“This is part of side work, and for now you should just focus on this kind of stuff. Roll-ups, refilling ketchup”—she pointed to squeezable containers that came to a point, filled with an unappetizing red liquid mixture—“and sugar dispensers. No waiting on tables. Not yet, anyway.”
“Okay.” Piper kept nodding as if she understood. Hopefully, it would all make sense when she studied everything later. It turned out, though, there wasn’t time.
“You can start right now and refill the sugar dispensers,” Olivia said. She took out a tray of empty dispensers. Then she waved toward a high shelf where a dozen large containers stood in a line.
Piper opened her mouth, about to explain how clueless she was, when the phone in front rang. Olivia backed away to answer it. “Okay, you’re on your own,” she told Piper.
Piper paced in front of the containers. Which one held the sugar? She glanced around helplessly and looked straight through the cabinet door above the containers. There were unopened jars labeled MUSTARD and PICKLES, plus bags labeled SALT, PEPPER, and—Piper grinned—SUGAR!
She took out the bag, then used her sunray vision to see what sugar actually looked like. Okay, now she realized the sugar dispenser was the third from the right. When she lifted the container off the shelf, though, she had to laugh. It was labeled on the lid!
Now Piper had the dispenser. She had the sugar. She’d even found a scooper. She mentally patted herself on the back for that one.
It should be simple from here on, she thought. The dispenser had a hole on top, and the sugar should slide right in.
She ladled out a heaping scoop from the container and poured the sugar over the dispenser. Sugar granules bounced off the top with a ping ping ping and scattered all over the floor. Only a few granules actually made it into the dispenser. Piper tried again and again with the same results.
“This is going to take a starday and a half,” she told herself. But she had to do it. She would acknowledge these negative feelings so they would pass like drifting clouds; then she’d get back to work.
She reached once again for the scooper. But then Pete walked in, holding another sugar dispenser—this one with its top
screwed off. “Here’s one more for you,” he said.
After that, it was easy to fill the dispensers. She just took off each lid, poured in the sugar, then closed it up. A short time later, she was done. But the table and floor were still covered with sugar. Piper gazed down, dismayed. Why couldn’t the floor be self-cleaning?
“That’s okay, honey,” Alice said, coming over to inspect the mess. “But it always makes me me feel better to leave a workstation as clean—”
“As you found it,” Piper finished.
“You too?” said Alice. “Good. Just use the broom and dustpan in the corner.”
Another confusing task! Piper eyed the long stick with bristles on one end in the corner. It didn’t look like any kind of pan, so that must be the broom. Experimenting, she pushed it along the floor. To her surprise, it moved the sugar granules into a neat pile, almost by itself! Then she swept it all into the flat pan-thing that had been next to it.
She gazed at the pan a moment, half expecting the sugar to disappear into thin air. But of course, she was on Wishworld, not Starland, and the pan stayed full. Next step: find a garbage can. She spied one in the opposite corner and hurried over. Ewww! She wrinkled her nose. It was stuffed with actual garbage that smelled. No vanishing garbage cans here! Disgusting! Quickly, she dumped the sugar on top, then turned on her heel.
“Nice work,” said Alice, returning. “Olivia is in a booth in the back, doing homework. Why don’t you join her, and in a little while you two can have dinner here? The least we can do is feed you!”
Olivia grinned. Her first Wishling compliment—it felt almost like Star Kindness Day. Now to find Olivia. She walked around the diner tables, all the way to the back and the very last booth.
Schoolbooks were spread across the table, along with pencils and pens and notebooks. But there was no sign of Olivia.
Piper’s heart sank. She’d spent way too much time filling sugar dispensers. And now look what had happened. She’d lost her Wisher!
Piper had no idea what to do next. So she sat down in the booth and idly leafed through the books, thinking. Wishling books were so heavy and cumbersome. How did students carry them around, much less hold them up to read?