by Gail Herman
Something was happening to the Comfort Cake. It trembled. It quivered and shook. Then, slowly, it began to grow.
“Stand back, everyone!” ordered Iris. “I’ve seen this happen with ivy. Give it room!”
The cake stretched wider and wider. It started to take shape.
“It’s finding its form. Like metal becoming a pot or a pan,” said Tinker Bell.
It was changing color…shifting shades…
“It’s like a rainbow,” said Bess, an art-talent fairy.
The cake kept rising and rising. Then it gave a soft whoosh, like a sigh, and it stopped.
“Why,” Lily gasped, “it’s lovely!”
Dulcie couldn’t believe her eyes. The now giant Comfort Cake was composed of layer upon layer of sparkling cream and cake. Swirls and whorls of colorful icing, frosted flowers, and gleaming spun sugar decorated every part.
“Ooh!” the fairies said, almost at the same time.
Ginger sniffed. “It looks okay. But how does it taste?”
Serving talents rushed over. They had to fly nearly as high as the ceiling to reach the top. They cut big tasty-looking pieces, fluttering down as they worked, until they had reached the bottom and each slice of cake had been placed on a table.
Fairies and sparrow men scattered to their seats.
“It looks so good, I hate to eat it,” Lily said.
“Oh, you must,” Dulcie urged. She stepped forward and smiled. “That’s what cake is for—to be enjoyed!”
Everyone lifted a fork. Dulcie closed her eyes. She couldn’t look.
The Comfort Cake had to be delicious. It just had to be!
Lily scooped up a forkful of cake. “Strawberry. My favorite!”
“No, it isn’t!” Tink called from the pots-and-pans-talent table. “It’s chocolate cake. My favorite!”
“It’s vanilla!” “It’s cinnamon!” “No, no! Toasted almond!”
Fairies and sparrow men called out their cake flavors. Each one tasted his or her favorite kind.
Dulcie clapped her hands. She gazed around the room. Everyone was eating. Everyone was happy. Even Ginger was spooning up bites.
“Dulcie, it seems that your vacation is over,” Queen Clarion said with a smile. “I should have known it wouldn’t last long.”
After breakfast, Dulcie flew through the Home Tree. She visited workshops, the laundry room, the storeroom.
Then she flew around Pixie Hollow. She stopped at the dairy barn, the mill, the fields, and the orchards.
Before her adventure, she’d never thought about other talents. She’d just ordered them around. Now she knew how hard each and every fairy worked.
“I’m grateful for all your hard work,” she told Lympia in the laundry room.
“I know how tricky this is,” she said to the egg-collecting fairies.
“And you harvesting fairies,” she sighed with admiration, “you know so much.”
It was fun flying from place to place. Every spot felt familiar. Not quite as familiar as the kitchen, but she was comfortable all over Pixie Hollow. She belonged everywhere!
Finally, Dulcie flew back to the kitchen. Cooking and baking fairies bustled about. Lunch preparation was just beginning.
For a moment, Dulcie just watched. It felt so good to be there!
“Oh!” Mixie saw Dulcie. “Every-one! Dulcie’s here!”
In seconds, baking talents crowded around.
“What should we do for lunch, Dulcie?” asked Dunkin.
“Should we bake banana bread? Puff pastries?” Mixie asked.
Dulcie glanced around. Ginger stood off to the side, stirring a bowl with jerky, angry strokes. She glared at Dulcie.
Dulcie yawned. “Uh-oh,” she told herself. “I really am tired.”
She pictured her cozy room, her soft-as-a-marshmallow pillow. It seemed so inviting! She’d been up all hours of the night. Truthfully, she could use a break.
A little vacation.
She flitted over to Ginger’s side. “Attention, baking talents!” Dulcie announced. “Ginger will be in charge of today’s lunch.”
Right away, Ginger set aside the bowl. She threw a look of victory at Dulcie. “So you finally figured out who should be boss,” she said.
She opened her mouth wide, ready to take command.
“But,” Dulcie interrupted, “I’ll be back for dinner!”