A Pinch of Magic

by Kiki Thorpe

  She turned the beaters on again, sending a puff of flour into the air. The mixer shook in her hand, but Mia kept at it until the batter started to take on a creamy cookie dough consistency. She was about to dump in the chocolate chips when she thought better of it. She pictured chopped-up pieces of chocolate chips flying everywhere! She shut off the hand mixer and stirred them in by hand instead.

  It was hot in the kitchen. By the time she slid the cookie sheets into the oven, she was sweating. “Baking is hard,” she told Bubbles as she set the timer.

  Soon the kitchen began to fill with a mouthwatering chocolatey aroma. It won’t be long now, thought Mia.

  Ding! Mia put on a pair of oven mitts and pulled out the trays, admiring her creations. The cookies really did look—and smell—delicious.

  Gabby wandered into the kitchen. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the treats. “Yum! Cookies! You made them all by yourself?” she asked.

  “I did!” said Mia. “But it wasn’t easy. I think they’re cool enough now. Let’s try one.”

  She picked up two still-warm cookies and handed one to her sister.

  Gabby bit into the cookie. She made a horrible face and raced over to the garbage can to spit out her mouthful.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Mia. She took a bite, and her mouth flooded with a salty, metallic taste. Somehow managing to swallow, she put her cookie on the counter.

  “Yucky, right?” Gabby said.

  Mia was confused. What had gone wrong?

  The back door opened.

  “Hey, guys,” Kate said as she and Lainey walked into the kitchen. “Are you ready to go to …” Kate’s voice trailed off. “Cookies!” She grabbed one.

  “Don’t do it!” Gabby warned.

  Kate ignored her and took a huge bite. Right away she reached for a napkin to spit into. “Wow, that’s salty,” she said.

  Mia sighed. “I don’t understand. I followed the directions exactly.”

  Lainey picked up the empty chocolate chip package. “Did you accidentally put in too much salt?” she asked, studying the recipe on the back. “This recipe calls for one teaspoon.”

  Mia held up the measuring spoon. “Yeah, see? It has a big T on it. For teaspoon.”

  Lainey grimaced. “That’s a tablespoon,” she explained.

  “I’m a disaster in the kitchen!” Mia wailed. “I’m just going to quit.”

  “No way!” cried Kate. “You have to beat the Taylor twins! I won’t be able to live it down otherwise.”

  “Well, the cookies look amazing,” said Lainey. “You’re halfway there.”

  “But they’ve got to taste good, too,” said Mia. “Let’s face it, the Taylor twins are going to beat me, and I won’t help raise any money for the Davises.”

  “Too bad you don’t have the baking talent,” joked Gabby.

  Lainey’s eyes lit up. “Mia doesn’t. But we know someone who does—Dulcie! We can ask her for advice as soon as we get to Pixie Hollow.”

  Mia felt a small glimmer of hope. “That’s a great idea!” she said. “Come on, let’s go!”

  The four girls were about to head upstairs when Mia’s mother appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Hold it right there!” Mrs. Vasquez said. “You’re not going anywhere until this mess is cleaned up.”

  The girls looked around the kitchen. The counter was littered with eggshells, oily butter wrappers, dirty spoons, and sticky bowls.

  With a sigh Mia tossed the cookies into the garbage and rolled up her sleeves. Even with her friends’ help, this was going to take a while!

  “There,” said Dulcie as she finished drizzling melted chocolate on the last cream puff. She hoisted the platter of puffs onto her shoulder and made her way outside. Fairies and sparrow men were cleaning up the remains of Lily’s mushroom house. Dulcie walked around, offering cream puffs to everyone. Funny—none of the fairies were rushing up to grab one, like they usually did.

  She paused for a moment and forced herself to take a look at Lily’s house. The roof had completely collapsed and the walls had started to sag. Fairies were removing the last of Lily’s belongings—her pollen collection and camellia pillows. They placed them on the grass beside the rest of her things.

  Many fairies in Pixie Hollow were pitching in to help. Dulcie was lending a hand by doing what she did best—making tasty desserts. The workers needed to keep up their spirits and energy, she reasoned. And being busy in the kitchen helped her take her mind off the disaster.

  “More desserts?” Cedar asked, without enthusiasm.

  “Cream puffs,” Dulcie said, holding out the platter.

  “Maybe later. You can just put it over there with the rest,” she said, pointing to a nearby table, which was covered with platters of cakes, turnovers, cookies, and muffins that Dulcie had baked.

  “Do you think there’s enough for everyone?” Dulcie asked.

  Cedar chuckled. “Oh, I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

  Dulcie scanned the table. Her sharp eyes noticed that a couple of treats had been taken. “Maybe I’ll just pop into the kitchen and make some more scones.…”

  A gentle hand touched her shoulder. Dulcie turned and saw Tinker Bell. “I think maybe it’s time to take a break,” Tink said. “We have enough baked goods to last us a week.”

  “Or two,” Vidia said, landing beside Dulcie. “Possibly even three!”

  Dulcie rearranged the cream puffs, ignoring them both.

  “What’s going on?” a voice asked. It was a Clumsy.

  Dulcie looked up and smiled. Mia, Lainey, Kate, and Gabby had entered the clearing.

  The girls said hello to various fairies as they made their way over to Dulcie’s table. “What’s all this for?” Mia asked, looking at the tiny fairy-sized treats.

  “Lily almost got squashed. And it was my fault,” said Dulcie with a sigh.

  “You know it wasn’t,” said Tink. She explained to the girls what had happened.

  “Poor Lily!” exclaimed Mia. “Is she okay?”

  “And poor fish!” Lainey added.

  “The fish and Lily are both fine,” Tink told them. “So don’t worry. Now we’re just cleaning up the mess.”

  Mia stared as a fairy lumbered by, pushing a wheelbarrow full of mushroom chunks.

  “Maybe they’ll be able to build Lily’s new house out of cakes and muffins,” said Vidia. “I mean, look at this towering table of treats right in the middle of everything.”

  “If the fairies can’t come to the dining room, the dining room will come to them,” Dulcie explained, glaring at Vidia.

  “It does seem like a lot of treats,” Mia said.

  “I can’t stop thinking about that fish crashing into Lily’s house,” Dulcie said. “Baking is the only thing that takes my mind off it.”

  “I think I have a solution,” Mia said. She told the fairy all about the block party and the bake sale and the Taylor twins. “I need some help, and you could use a change of scenery. Why don’t you come back with us?”

  Dulcie hesitated. “I’d like to help you, Mia,” she said. “But I’m needed here.”

  Tink spoke up. “Dulcie, we have enough baked goods. But Lily needs a place to stay, and if you’re not here she can—”

  “Sleep in my room while hers is being built!” Dulcie suddenly realized, cutting her off. “But are you sure I won’t be more helpful here?”

  “I’m positive,” said Tink.

  The thought that she could help Lily made Dulcie feel better for the first time since the disaster. She was also excited at the thought of a trip to the mainland.

  “If you stay until Saturday, you can come to our block party,” said Gabby.

  Dulcie brightened even more. “A party sounds wonderful,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute.” A couple of days away could be just what she needed. She flew off to pack her bags.

  “This is amazing!” Dulcie exclaimed as she looked around the Vasquezes’ kitchen. She goggled at all the appliances and cookin
g tools.

  Mia grinned. “Just you wait,” she told her. She opened a drawer and pulled out cookie cutters in different shapes and sizes.

  Dulcie lifted a flower cutter that was nearly as big as she was. Picking up another, she asked, “Is this a frog? What will you Clumsies—I mean, humans—think up next!”

  Gabby set out a series of measuring cups on the counter. Dulcie flew from one to the next. She sat inside the one-cup size and pretended to wash her hair. “This would make a wonderful bathtub!” she said. “What else have you got?”

  Lainey presented her with measuring spoons, whisks, and spatulas. Kate placed a rolling pin on the counter. Dulcie jumped on top of it and ran in place until it spun away.

  “Whew!” she said. “This is going to be so much fun!”

  “So what do you think we should make for the block party?” Mia asked.

  Dulcie sat on the edge of a muffin tin, her legs dangling over the side. She thought for a moment. “Well, you can’t go wrong with Never Berry Pie,” she said.

  “But we don’t have Never Berries here,” said Lainey.

  “What’s the most delicious dessert you’ve made recently?” Mia asked Dulcie.

  “That’s easy. White almond layer cakes with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream frosting,” said Dulcie. “Each cake was going to be topped with a candied pansy. But I forgot the cakes in the oven when the fish fell on Lily’s house.”

  “I wish I could have tried one,” Lainey said.

  “Let’s make them for the bake sale!” Mia suggested.

  Dulcie smiled and began to list all of the ingredients from memory. Mia wrote a shopping list. “I used up the butter and flour and eggs for my cookies,” she said. “So we’ll have to get more. And we need milk.”

  “Milk is easy. Where do you keep your dairy mice?” asked Dulcie.

  Kate let out a loud laugh.

  “Things are different here,” Mia explained. “Most people don’t grow their own food. We get it from this big place called a grocery store.”

  Dulcie’s eyes widened. “Everything you need in one place?” she asked. “How strange! I can’t wait to see it. Let’s go!”

  At the grocery store entrance, Mia grabbed a shopping cart. Gabby immediately climbed onto the front and hung on. Dulcie peeked out of the top of Mia’s pocket. She gasped as the door slid open and a blast of cold air greeted them.

  “Look at all the food!” she squealed.

  Without a word of warning she darted out of Mia’s pocket and began zigzagging around the produce aisle.

  While Mia placed containers of fresh raspberries into her cart, Dulcie zipped over to the cucumbers. Then she swooped down to check out the tomatoes. She seemed fascinated by all the different types of lettuce. She reached out to touch the shiny purple skin of an eggplant.

  She flew back to the girls. “I’ve never seen anything like it! How does it all get here?”

  Lainey thought for a minute. “That’s a good question. I’m not exactly sure. I think they get deliveries from different …”

  But Dulcie wasn’t listening. “Oranges!” she cried, zipping off.

  She flew to the tippity top of a pyramid of oranges.

  “Dulcie, be care—” Mia started to say.

  The mountain of oranges collapsed, sending the fruit bouncing all over the floor. Dulcie darted into the air.

  “Whoops!” she called as the girls chased after the oranges.

  Dulcie settled down a bit after that. The fairy even managed to contain her excitement in the canned foods aisle and at the deli counter. But the baking goods aisle got her going again. All those boxes of sugar—and the spices! She flew over to study them.

  “ ‘Cream of tartar,’ ” she read. “ ‘Celery salt.’ I’ve never heard of some of these. Wait till the other baking fairies hear about this! They’ll all want to visit.”

  “Mmm,” said Mia, thinking that one fairy in the grocery store was plenty.

  They headed down the frozen foods aisle. Gabby jumped off the cart and threw open a freezer door. “We’re out of ice pops,” she said, grabbing one of the colorful boxes.

  “Sorry, Gabby. I only have enough money to buy bake sale ingredients.”

  Gabby clutched the box to her chest. “Are you sure Mami didn’t give you enough money for ice pops?”

  “Yes, please put them back.” Mia turned toward Dulcie. “Let’s go get the—” She stopped and looked around. “Hey! Where did she go?”

  The girls ran up and down the aisle. No Dulcie.

  “Maybe she went back to the baking aisle?” Lainey suggested.

  Gabby suddenly pointed to the freezer case. “There she is!”

  A clear spot had been rubbed into the foggy glass. Dulcie stood on a box of frozen waffles, waving frantically.

  Shaking her head, Mia opened the door. The fairy flew out.

  “The door was open, and I was curious. I fl-fl-flew in!” Dulcie said, her teeth chattering. “Then the door sl-sl-slammed shut. It was fr-fr-fr-freezing! What’s next?”

  In the dairy aisle, Mia grabbed two cartons of eggs. Then she remembered that her father had told her to always check to make sure none were broken.

  As she was examining the eggs, she heard Kate say, “Dulcie’s gone again!”

  “There she is,” said Lainey, pointing down the aisle. “Over in the cheese case.”

  Dulcie was examining a large piece of Swiss. At that moment, a woman in a red sweatshirt walked over to the display.

  “Dulcie, watch out!” yelled Gabby.

  But Dulcie’s back was turned and she didn’t hear her. As the girls watched, the woman grabbed the very cheese Dulcie was standing on! She placed it in her shopping cart and headed down the aisle and around the corner.

  “Why didn’t Dulcie fly out of the cart?” Kate asked.

  “She must have gotten trapped somehow,” said Mia. “We’ve got to help her!”

  “Let’s split up!” suggested Kate.

  Kate went left. Gabby and Lainey went right. Mia pushed their cart to the front of the store by the checkout lanes and peered down each aisle as she passed by.

  Just then, she spotted a flash of red in the beverage aisle. She steered the cart, wheels squeaking wildly, around the few shoppers in her way and followed the woman down the next aisle. When the woman stopped to reach for a jar of salsa on a high shelf, Mia leaned in close to her cart.

  She lifted a bunch of bananas. “Dulcie, where are you?” she hissed.

  Dulcie sprang out and slipped into Mia’s pocket.

  Glancing up, Mia saw the woman gazing at her curiously.

  “That’s my cart, dear,” the woman said.

  “Oh, sorry,” Mia said, replacing the bananas back in the cart.

  “Don’t worry,” the woman said. “Happens to me all the time. Why, last week I almost accidentally bought someone else’s groceries!”

  “Yeah,” said Mia. “I hate when that happens. Happy shopping!” She headed off with a wave.

  “Whew!” said Dulcie. “Thanks, Mia. That was a close one. Death by banana!”

  “I think that woman thought I was bananas,” Mia said.

  Gabby, Kate, and Lainey showed up, out of breath.

  “Did you find her?” asked Gabby.

  Dulcie popped her head out of Mia’s pocket and smiled.

  Everyone was ready to go home. The girls split up to track down the last items on the list, then got into the shortest checkout line.

  Of course, it also happened to be the slowest.

  “Hi, Mia,” said a voice behind her. She spun around. It was the Taylor twins. Mia hoped Dulcie would remember to keep herself hidden. She placed her hand over the top of her pocket, just in case.

  Tara peered into Mia’s cart. “Raspberries, huh?” she said. “I bet you’re making raspberry cheesecake.”

  Mia shook her head.

  “Raspberry turnovers?” suggested the other twin.

  “That’s not it,” said Gabby.
<
br />   “I know!” said Tara. “Raspberry thumbprint cookies!”

  “Wrong again,” said Kate. “You’re just going to have to wait to find out.”

  “May the best dessert win,” said Tina.

  “It will,” said a small voice from inside Mia’s pocket. “Ours!”

  Tina leaned forward. “What did you just say?” she asked Mia.

  “Nothing,” said Mia quickly. “I just wanted to wish you both good luck tomorrow.”

  Tina and Tara looked at her suspiciously and switched lanes, whispering to each other.

  “Oh, I hope you beat those two,” said Kate, shaking her head.

  The line started to move, and soon they were packed up and ready to go.

  “What a trip,” said Dulcie on the walk home. “Everything about the grocery store was so fantastic. Except for the baked goods.” She yawned. “Did you see those cupcakes wrapped in plastic?”

  And then she fell asleep, right in Mia’s pocket.

  Dulcie woke up bright and early on Friday morning in the comfortable bed in Mia’s dollhouse. She yawned and stretched, then looked over at Mia. The girl was sound asleep, her pillow over her head.

  “Rise and shine!” Dulcie cried. “It’s baking day!”

  Mia just rolled over.

  Dulcie flew downstairs. She found Gabby sitting at the kitchen counter eating a bowl of Sugar Os.

  “Are you hungry?” asked Gabby.

  “Does a bunny hop?” Dulcie replied. When Gabby looked confused, she added, “In fairy terms, that means yes.”

  Gabby ran upstairs to grab a tiny bowl and spoon from the dollhouse. Mia still wasn’t awake. Once back downstairs, Gabby discovered that only a single Sugar O would fit in the bowl. She added a few drops of milk and placed the bowl in front of the fairy.

  Dulcie gobbled it up.

  After breakfast, Gabby pulled out mixing bowls, large spoons, and cake pans of all shapes and sizes.