by Kiki Thorpe
“I’ve … almost … got it!” Kate pulled the nail free, and the board swung sideways.
“Gabby!” Mia cried, leaning through the fence. “Gabby, we’re here—”
Mia broke off. Pixie Hollow wasn’t there. Once again, Mia found herself staring at Mrs. Peavy’s backyard. She knew they’d found the right board this time. But the way back to Never Land was gone!
Iridessa scanned the trees, searching for a landmark—a twisted branch, an oddly shaped leaf, anything familiar. But in the growing gloom, one tree looked the same as the next.
Iridessa was furious with herself. How could she have gotten lost? And how could she have come into the forest so unprepared—without food or her basket of sunbeams or even a daisy umbrella to stay dry? It was unlike her to do anything without a plan.
It’s because of Gabby, Iridessa thought. I let myself get distracted. Oh, if only she hadn’t agreed to look after her!
But there was nothing she could do about it now. She had to get them both out of the forest.
She fanned her wings and was relieved to discover that they had dried. She fluttered off Gabby’s shoulder, where she’d been riding. “Let’s hurry,” Iridessa urged. “The way back must be somewhere around here.”
Gabby didn’t seem to hear her. She stopped to pick another dandelion.
“Come along now, Gabby,” Iridessa tried again. “We haven’t got time to waste. It will be getting dark soon.”
Despite the thick clouds, Iridessa could tell that the sun was lower in the sky. The day was passing quickly, and she did not want to spend the night in the forest.
Gabby blew all the seeds off the dandelion, then threw the stem away. “I’m hungry,” she said.
“We’ll get something good to eat just as soon as we get back to Pixie Hollow,” Iridessa promised. “Acorn soup or butter cookies—anything you want!”
“I want something now.” A whine crept into Gabby’s voice. To Iridessa’s dismay, she suddenly sat down.
“We can’t stop!” Iridessa wailed. But the girl refused to budge.
Desperately, Iridessa looked around. Her eyes lit on a bush a short distance away. It was dotted with tiny fruit. Blueberries!
Relieved, Iridessa flew over and plucked two berries from the bush. She handed one to Gabby. Then she settled onto a tuffet of moss to eat the other one.
As Iridessa bit into the berry, sweet juice filled her mouth. She closed her eyes. Mmm, that’s good! She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. Quickly, she gobbled up the rest.
Iridessa patted her full stomach. Then she caught Gabby’s eye. The girl was watching her longingly. It would take more than a single blueberry to fill up a hungry Clumsy, Iridessa realized.
She led Gabby to the berry bush and hovered anxiously as Gabby ate her fill. Just as Gabby finished, there was another clap of thunder. The rain began to fall again.
This time they found shelter in a mossy hollow log. As they huddled together, Iridessa stared out at the rain. She was tired, cold, dirty, and damp. She didn’t know what to do. The other fairies were all so busy, Iridessa knew it would be at least another day before anyone thought to look for them.
“Tell me a story, Iridessa,” Gabby said, looking out at the rain.
“We haven’t got time for—” Iridessa broke off. Right now, time was all they had. They couldn’t go anywhere until the rain stopped. She searched her brain for a story but found only worries. “I can’t think of one. Why don’t you tell me a story instead?”
“All right.” Gabby thought for a moment. “Once upon a time, there was a fairy who lived in a place called Pixie Hollow.”
“What was the fairy’s name?” asked Iridessa.
“Iridessa,” Gabby said without any hesitation.
Iridessa smiled. “That’s a good name.”
“Iridessa was friends with a girl,” Gabby went on. “They were very best friends. They did all sorts of stuff together.”
“What kinds of stuff?” Iridessa asked.
“Like once when they went into the woods. At first the girl was a little bit scared because it was dark, but then Iridessa showed her firefly magic. And when they got hungry, Iridessa made a blueberry bush grow.”
“I didn’t—” Iridessa stopped. It was just a story, after all. “Then what happened?”
Gabby yawned. “Um … then they went home and had hot chocolate,” she murmured. Her eyelids were growing heavy. “The end.”
The rain drummed on the hollow log above them. Iridessa felt herself getting sleepy, too. She brightened her glow to try to stay awake. “Everything will be okay, Gabby,” she said. “We’ll get home soon.”
“I know,” Gabby said as her eyes closed. “Because you have fairy magic.” A moment later, she was asleep.
Iridessa sat watching her. She had never known anyone, fairy or Clumsy, who had so much faith in fairy magic. Gabby thought Iridessa could do anything.
If only it were true, Iridessa thought. If only I had the right magic to help us now.
Warm sunlight touched Iridessa’s face. She opened her eyes. She was lying at the entrance to the hollow log. Outside, the rain had stopped. Rays of morning sunlight shone down through the trees, making the wet forest sparkle.
Iridessa sat up quickly. She remembered that they were lost. How could I have fallen asleep? She turned to wake Gabby. But the log was empty.
Iridessa flew outside. She spotted the little girl a short distance away. Gabby was staring at something in the trees.
She smiled as Iridessa flew up to her. “Look,” she said, pointing.
A trail of dandelions led through the forest. All Gabby’s wishes hadn’t been for nothing after all, Iridessa realized. They had left a path of seeds behind them—and after the rain, the flowers had sprouted. Their yellow dandelion heads pointed the way home. There must have been some magic in those wishes for the flowers to sprout so quickly, Iridessa thought.
“Oh, you clever girl!” Iridessa cried. All this time I thought I was taking care of Gabby, she mused. But really, she’s been taking care of me.
“If we hurry, we’ll be back in time for breakfast,” Iridessa said. “Come on, Gabby. I’ll race you!”
Iridessa and Gabby arrived back in Pixie Hollow to find everything ready for a party. Colorful paper lanterns hung from the branches of the Home Tree. Walnuts roasted on spits over tiny fires, and vats of honeysuckle punch stood around the courtyard. The sound of musicians tuning their finger harps drifted through the air.
Iridessa’s first thought was that Pixie Hollow was holding a party to welcome them home. Then she realized—the fairies must have finished fixing the bridge during the night. The party was to celebrate the bridge’s reopening.
“Ah, home!” Iridessa exclaimed. The smell of the walnuts made her mouth water. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat.”
Gabby didn’t reply. She looked around with a forlorn expression. Suddenly, a tear rolled down her cheek.
“What’s wrong?” Iridessa asked in surprise.
“My wish didn’t come true,” Gabby said, then burst into tears.
Iridessa had been so happy to be back that she’d forgotten about Gabby’s problem. Now she remembered how far the girl was from her own home. “Did you wish the hole would be fixed?” she asked gently.
“No.” Gabby sniffled. “I wished Mia wouldn’t be mad at me anymore. I wished she would be right here in Pixie Hollow waiting for me. But she didn’t come. She doesn’t care about me.”
“Oh, Gabby, of course she does,” Iridessa said.
Gabby shook her head. “She says I mess everything up.”
“You don’t mess everything up,” Iridessa said. “You’re the one who got us back to Pixie Hollow. And you rescued me from the flood. And you’re the one who found all the fireflies in the forest. You did everything right. You are sweet and brave and imaginative. I would be glad if you were my sister.”
Iridessa realized that it was true. If it weren’t for Gabby, she n
ever would have seen the dancing fireflies or the trail of wishes. Those things hadn’t been part of her plan, but Iridessa wouldn’t have wanted to miss them for the world.
Gabby had her own kind of magic, she thought. And in its way, it was as powerful as any fairy magic.
But Iridessa’s words didn’t seem to comfort Gabby. The tears continued to trickle down her face.
Nearby, a silver dandelion was growing in the grass. Gabby halfheartedly plucked it and blew away its seeds. “I want to go home,” she said.
On the other side of the fence, Mia clutched her head. “It didn’t work!” she cried. “Why didn’t it work?”
“Let me try,” Kate said. She swung the board shut, then pulled it open again. But all they saw was the neighbor’s yard.
“So I can’t ever get home again.” Rosetta slumped. In the wrinkled doll’s dress, she looked like a wilted flower. Mia felt terrible. Just a few hours before, it had seemed like so much fun to have a fairy living in her dollhouse. But now that it was about to come true, it felt like a tragedy.
Tears pricked Mia’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Rosetta. It’s all my fault. I never should have brought you here. I should have been watching Gabby.”
Mia thought of Gabby that morning. How she’d wanted to play a game. If only I’d played with her! Mia thought. Now she might never have the chance to play with her sister again.
Mia wasn’t worried about getting in trouble with her parents. She wasn’t thinking of how she’d tell Gabby off. She just wanted her sister back.
Through the screen of her tears, Mia saw something white drifting through the air. Snowflakes—in summertime? Mia wiped her eyes. But then she saw that they weren’t snowflakes after all. They were dandelion seeds.
Lainey and Kate noticed them, too. “Where did those come from?” Kate wondered.
Rosetta caught one of the silky seeds. She pressed it to her ear, and her eyes widened. “This seed is from Never Land!”
Mia leaped to her feet. “Are you sure? How do you know?”
Rosetta lifted her chin. “I told you, I can hear the secrets inside a seed. It’s what garden fairies do.”
More dandelion seeds drifted down through the air. Mia looked up and saw that they were coming from Gabby’s open bedroom window.
The girls all looked at each other. “Do you think…?” Kate began.
“That the hole moved?” Lainey nodded. “It’s possible.”
“Anything is possible in Never Land,” Mia agreed.
The girls raced into the house, with Rosetta flying behind. Mia took the stairs two at a time. When she opened the door to Gabby’s room, she saw dandelion seeds drifting from beneath the closet door.
Mia held her breath, hardly daring to hope. She put her hand on the doorknob.
When she pulled the door open, she felt a warm breeze against her face. She smelled orange blossoms and sun-warmed moss.
Mia stepped through the door, crying, “Gabby! We’re coming!”
As Mia went through the dark closet, she had a moment of doubt. What if the opening had moved on the Never Land side, too? What if it led to a pirate’s ship or a dragon’s lair rather than Pixie Hollow?
But a second later, Mia and her friends emerged into sunlight. They were standing on the bank of Havendish Stream. From across the stream, they could hear the lively sound of fairy music.
“I’m home! Oh, it’s so good to be back!” Rosetta exclaimed. She did a joyous twirl in the air, then darted away without a backward glance.
She didn’t even say good-bye, thought Mia. But she didn’t have time to dwell on that. For just ahead, standing in the Home Tree courtyard, was her sister.
“Gabby!” Mia splashed through the stream, not caring that her feet got wet. A moment later, she had her wrapped in a hug so tight that she lifted Gabby right off the ground.
“You came!” Gabby exclaimed, hugging her sister back.
“Of course I came!” Mia said. “We’ve been trying to get here all day.”
“So you’re not mad at me?” Gabby asked as Mia set her down.
“Mad? I’m furious with you!” Mia exclaimed, giving her sister another big hug. This time Kate and Lainey joined in.
“I thought you closed the hole because you were mad at me,” Gabby said.
“What? No!” Mia laughed. “We couldn’t get here because Papi fixed the fence.”
“And when we got the board loose again, the hole was gone!” Lainey explained.
“But you’ll never believe where it showed up!” Kate jumped in. “Your room, Gabby! You’re so lucky. You can go to Never Land anytime you want, day or night.”
“No she can’t!” Mia said quickly. “You’re not allowed to go to Never Land without me.”
“Or me,” said Kate.
“Or me,” added Lainey. “But I still don’t understand why the hole moved.”
“Never Land must want you here,” Iridessa suddenly spoke up.
All the girls turned to the fairy, who was hovering next to Gabby. “What do you mean? Never Land is just an island,” Kate pointed out. “How can it want something?”
“It’s an island with a mind of its own,” Iridessa said. “Have you ever heard the expression ‘When one knothole closes, another one opens’?”
“It’s ‘when one door closes, another one opens,’ ” Lainey said.
“Door. Knothole.” Iridessa shrugged. “Never Land must have opened a path for you to reach it. It’s the only explanation I can think of.”
Mia noticed how Iridessa hovered near Gabby’s shoulder. She didn’t seem to want to leave her side. Mia was about to ask what Never Land wanted them for, but at that moment, Rosetta came flying back. Tinker Bell was with her.
“I told Tink all about the grass machine and the hole I put in it,” she said. “She thinks she can fix it.”
Tinker Bell looked excited. “It sounds like an interesting case.”
“It didn’t seem right to leave it for your father to fix,” Rosetta explained.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to come back with us?” Mia asked. “What if the hole closes again, and you get stuck like Rosetta did?”
Tink puffed her chest out bravely. “I’ve been to the mainland before. I can manage.”
“But you must stay for the bridge-opening party!” Rosetta clapped her hands. “A party at last! I wonder what I should wear?” She looked down at the doll’s dress, which was looking bedraggled after her adventure on the mainland. “It’s a shame about this one, after all that trouble.”
“We can’t stay for the party. What about your mom?” Lainey reminded Mia.
“Oh! That’s right. Mami is coming home any minute. We have to get back right away!” Mia grabbed Gabby’s hand.
Gabby dug in her heels. “No, I want to stay.”
“Gabby…,” Mia warned. And just like that, the two began arguing again.
At last, Mia convinced Gabby to go home, swearing that they would return to Pixie Hollow as soon as they could. They said their good-byes to Rosetta and Iridessa. Then, with Tink flying alongside them, the girls headed back to the hollow tree.
Before she ducked inside, Mia turned for one last look at Pixie Hollow. She took in the flowers, the music, and the beautiful Home Tree, trying to tuck it all away in her memory. Mia was sure that they would be back—almost sure, anyway. But she wanted to remember everything, just in case.
Then Mia turned toward the hole that led back home. As she stepped through, she took Gabby’s hand tightly in her own.
Kate McCrady opened one eye, then the other. Early-morning sunlight streamed across her face.
Kate blinked, still half asleep. Was she in her own bedroom at home? Was she sleeping under the weeping willow tree in Never Land? For a moment, she didn’t know. She pushed her tangle of red hair out of the way and saw a large dollhouse in the corner.
Oh, that’s right, Kate thought. She was at her best friend Mia Vasquez’s house, sleeping over. Lainey Winters was ther
e, too, bundled in a sleeping bag a few feet away.
Kate tried to send them a silent message: Wake up! Wake up, so we can go back!
Only a few days before, Kate, Mia, Lainey, and Mia’s little sister, Gabby, had found a secret portal to Pixie Hollow, the realm of the fairies on the island of Never Land. Or rather, the portal had found them—even though the path to Never Land wasn’t always in the same place, it always seemed to be where the girls could find it.
Kate loved their visits to Never Land. There she had no homework, no chores—nothing to do but explore. Adventure waited around every tree, hill, and bend along Havendish Stream. Kate couldn’t wait to go back.
But her silent message didn’t work. Lainey let out a gentle snore. Mia turned over, burrowing deeper under her covers.
Maybe a nudge would wake them. Kate stretched so her foot grazed the bottom of Lainey’s sleeping bag. She scooted closer, then stretched again. This time, she bumped Lainey’s leg.
Lainey sat up, blinking sleepily.
“I was just stretching,” said Kate, trying to look innocent. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No … yes.” Lainey fumbled around by her pillow. When she found her glasses, she put them on, a little crookedly. “Is Mia awake?”
“I am now!” cried Mia, pulling the pillow over her head. Kate could only see a bit of her long, dark curly hair poking out. “What time is it? It feels too early to be awake.”
“It is early.” Kate jumped up, leaped over Lainey, and bounced on Mia’s bed. “Early enough to get back to Never Land.”
Mia glanced at the clock. It said 6:30. “My parents won’t be awake until at least seven.”
“Exactly,” said Kate. “And that could mean hours and hours in Never Land.” The girls had discovered that time worked differently on their trips to Pixie Hollow. Hours could pass there, while at home hardly a minute would go by. “Let’s go now!”