The Secret Destiny of Pixie Piper

by Annabelle Fisher

  Alexa grinned and nodded. “You have such a fun job, Mrs. Piper. You get to do plays and wear costumes. My mother wears a boring black robe to court every day.”

  “I do love my job.” Mom eyed me for a second. Then she turned to my friends. “Would you girls like to come to our Family Fun Fair?”

  “It’s no big deal,” I added quickly. “The fair is run by a bunch of grannies.”

  “I’ll go,” said Lucy. “I love fairs and grannies. I hardly get to see mine since she moved to Florida.”

  “Well, my grandparents live five minutes away, but I’ll go if there’s bingo,” Alexa said.

  Mom put on a fake-sad look. “Sorry, no bingo. But we’re planning lots of fun games. Ask your parents about it and tell them I’ll drive.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Ye Olde Hat of Horror

  At bedtime I put Destiny into one of her diapers and smuggled her into my room. Mom said geese had dander, which is their version of dandruff, and she didn’t like it getting on my bed. But I was worried. The lock on the mudroom door didn’t seem strong enough anymore.

  Destiny snuggled into the crook of my neck, as if I really were her mama. I could feel her tiny heart beating against my throat. We were both safe for now.

  Mom tapped on my door. “Pixie? Are you too sleepy to talk?”

  “No—but I couldn’t leave Des downstairs. Please?”

  “That’s okay.” Mom came in and sat on my bed. “You two have had a bad experience.” She leaned down to kiss my head. Then she kissed Destiny’s.

  I realized she had a book with her. I recognized the worn brown cover right away. It was Sister Goose’s Cautionary Verse for Brats. As if she’d felt my heart jump, Destiny fluttered her feathers.

  “That book creeps me out, Mom.”

  “Have you read this one?”

  “I found it on your shelf after you told me there was a book you’d hidden from your grandma,” I confessed. “I’m sorry.”

  Mom stroked my forehead, as if she were trying to smooth out the wrinkles. “There’s no need to apologize. I never tried to hide anything on my bookshelf from you.”

  “I only read a few pages, Mom. It’s horrible!”

  “I know. But I kept it because I thought it might be important someday. And after what happened this afternoon, I remembered a poem I’d read in it.” She began flipping pages until she found what she was looking for. “Is it okay if I read it to you?”

  I took a deep breath. Braver than brave, I reminded myself. Then I met her eyes and nodded.

  She snuggled closer so I could read along:

  “A hat is a hat

  Except when it’s not

  It could be a basket

  It could be a pot.

  But beware of the hat

  That was once birdie’s bed.

  Its wearer is evil

  And birdie has fled.”

  A small black-and-white illustration beneath the poem showed a woman wearing a nest on her head. Around her feet were a few smashed eggshells. She didn’t look like Raveneece—she was plump, with round cheeks, and she was wearing a frilly apron over a black dress. But the words seemed to be speaking right to me.

  “Do you think it’s about her, Mom? Raveneece Greed?” I asked.

  “It can’t be. I think this book must be hundreds of years old. I know it sounds weird, Pix, but I think it’s a warning.”

  That gave me the shivers. Mom took my hand and braided her fingers through mine. “I think she’s after Destiny,” she continued. “That’s why we should give her away. It would be safer for both of you. We could find a good farm—a happy place with other geese that—”

  “No! Please, Mom!” I already loved Destiny as if she’d been mine forever. Besides, I hadn’t forgotten the Goose Ladies’ mission. I didn’t know how it worked, but I was pretty sure Destiny was a part of it. And even though I was scared, I wanted to be a part of it, too.

  Mom put a finger against my lips. “Shh, I won’t make you. For now. But if I ever see that woman around here again, we’ll have to find a new home for Destiny. It would be for her own good, too.”

  After Mom left, I took out my notebook. A poem was already on its way from my brain to my fingers and I could hardly write the words fast enough.

  I might seem peculiar,

  Except that I’m not

  It’s just I’m a Goose Girl

  And moxie I’ve got.

  Don’t mess with my goose

  Or misfortune you’ll brew

  ’Cause I’m braver than brave

  And I’m truer than true!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Ye Olde Unwanted Visitor

  Monday was our class’s day to work on the rooftop farm. The school’s roof was covered with dirt-filled kiddie pools—the blue plastic kind—organized in rows. It wasn’t as pretty as Mom’s garden, but at least up here there was plenty of fresh air and sunshine. I plunged my spade into the soil—the dirt smelled surprisingly clean.

  Lucy, Alexa, and I were crouched beside one another, planting tomato seedlings and talking about our new favorite subject. “You’re not going to believe what happened last night,” I told them. “When I tried to put the prairie bonnet on Destiny, she waddled away. But when I showed her the red cowgirl hat, she marched right to me.”

  “That’s so funny!” Lucy exclaimed.

  “What is?” It was Gray. He’d been planting with Sage and Maya a few pools over. We were friends again, but in school he still hardly ever spoke to me. So maybe we were secret friends.

  “Destiny is,” I replied without looking up.

  Gray just stood there, poking the edge of the pool with a ratty sneaker. “Could I ask you something, Pix? Alone?”

  Lucy and Alexa looked at each other and moved away.

  “Okay—what?” I said.

  Gray crouched down beside me. “She wants me to ask you if she can see Destiny.”

  “She who?” I knew perfectly well who, but I wanted to make him say it.

  “Pix! Shh! Sage.”

  I rolled my eyes. “If you want to, you can show her Destiny’s baby album on the bus later. It’s in my backpack.”

  “No—in person. She wants to come to your house.”

  I wanted to act as if I didn’t care, but I could feel my throat getting dry and tight. “She hasn’t ever invited me to see Angel. Anyway, why doesn’t Sage ask me herself?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. If you ask her over, she’ll probably ask you back.”

  I knew it was useless to argue. “She can come if she wants,” I said.

  “Awesome!” Gray’s face was shiny with happiness. It made me feel like socking him.

  On Saturday morning I walked through our house, trying to see it as Sage might. Our round living room with its window seats was cool, but Sammy had recently crayoned one of the walls with his new favorite color, brown—which he called “chockit.” Unfortunately the splotch on the wall looked more like something else. That reminded me that if Sage needed to use the bathroom, she’d discover we only had one. Like Lucy and Alexa, she might think the claw-foot tub was cool, but the pull-chain toilet was so old-fashioned, Uncle B. could have put it in his museum.

  What made my heart hurt most, though, was the idea that Sage would be judging my room. There was so much I loved in it—the quilt Mom had sewn with patches of velvet, silk, and satin; the bookcase Dad had built and painted with peach-colored roses; and the lace curtains that had once been Mom’s bridal veil.

  Probably Sage would only see how tiny my room was. So small, I had to shut the door if I wanted to open my closet. Even my desk, which was in front of the window, was jammed in so tight, the drawers didn’t open more than halfway without hitting my mattress.

  As I straightened a pillow, I noticed my poetry notebook book sticking out from under it. I was stuffing it into my pajama drawer when I heard the doorbell. Smoothing down my hopeless hair one last time, I ran downstairs.

  “Hi!”
said Sage when I opened the door. She hugged me as if we were best friends.

  I was so surprised I stepped on her foot. “Oof, sorry! Hi.”

  She looked down and smiled. “Is this your brother?”

  I hadn’t even realized he was beside me. “Yes, this is Sammy.” Quickly I flicked a piece of macaroni out of his hair.

  Sammy gazed up at Sage as if he’d been struck by Cupid’s arrow. “Eat, guhl!” he commanded, holding out his mini box of raisins. He hadn’t even offered me any yet.

  “Thanks, Sammy.” When she popped one in her mouth, his round face lit up.

  With my brother following us, I led Sage on a tour of the cottage. “Everything here is so cozy and quaint,” she said. I wasn’t sure if “cozy and quaint” really meant dumpy and old-fashioned, or if I was just being oversensitive. Sage said almost everything with a smile.

  Mom was just getting off the phone when we came into the kitchen. “Hello, Sage,” she said.

  “Hi, Mrs. Piper.”

  They’d met before because Sage’s grandma lived at the senior residence.

  “I haven’t seen you around at Good Old Days in a while. I like your hair in that French braid.”

  “Thanks.” Sage reached up and touched the back of her head. “My mom’s been stopping to see Grandma on her way home from work, because it saves her time. So I haven’t gotten to go, lately. Anyway, I’ve been busy training my new golden retriever puppy.”

  “That sounds like fun,” said Mom.

  “It is! Angel’s the best.”

  I tugged the sleeve of Sage’s sweater. “Come on, let’s go see Destiny.”

  Sammy threw his arms around Sage’s leg, but Mom unwrapped him. “Time for a nap, Sammy Wammy,” she said, laughing. “Say bye-bye to the girls for now.”

  The mudroom wasn’t as “quaint” as the rest of the house, but Sage didn’t seem to notice. I lifted Destiny out of her playpen and we sat on the gray linoleum floor.

  “You’re acting just like Angel,” Sage said when Des pulled at her shoelaces. She met my eyes for a moment. “I never thought a gosling and a golden retriever puppy would have anything in common.”

  “Actually, two things. They both like shoelaces and they’re both adorable,” I said, popping the red cowgirl hat on Destiny’s head.

  Sage stroked her soft back, which was becoming a mix of yellow down and new feathers. “Yes—but a goose is the perfect pet for you.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because she fits in with this house and your family.” Sage giggled. Des was tugging the end of her shiny braid.

  “I think she could fit in a lot of places,” I said. “I’ve read all about geese. They’re very adaptable.”

  “Well, maybe. But Graham says my family is the golden retriever type.”

  “Why?” I asked, without looking at her.

  Sage shrugged. “I guess, because we’re more regular.”

  Suddenly I felt as spiky as a porcupine. “You mean normal?”

  “Not exactly. It’s just that your family is very, um, original? My mother would never let me have a wild animal as a pet. She doesn’t even like dogs that much. Doesn’t Destiny do her business in the house?”

  “Doesn’t your puppy?”

  Sage blushed. “I try to clean it up before Mom comes home.”

  “Well, that’s why I keep newspaper in Destiny’s playpen. And I don’t let her inside the rest of the house unless she wears a diaper.”

  Sage shrugged. “Nobody in my house would change a diaper.”

  “Then it’s a good thing you don’t have a baby brother.”

  “I guess so,” said Sage, but she didn’t sound like she meant it.

  Okay, so I was a little sorry I’d said it. Maybe she hadn’t meant to be insulting. Maybe she was just plain dumb.

  “Let’s walk down to the pond,” I suggested. “There are all sorts of baby animals out this time of year.”

  Sage licked her lips. “You mean you’re allowed to go there alone? I’ve never even been in the woods before. My mom freaks out if she sees a squirrel.”

  “Don’t worry. Our woods are perfectly safe.”

  “Can we bring Destiny?”

  I realized then that Des was magical—or at least, Sage seemed to be under her spell. “Sure, why not?”

  “Can I carry her?” Sage asked.

  “If she gets tired. For now, she’ll follow us.” I opened the mudroom door that led into the yard. “Come, Destiny!”

  My gosling let out an excited honk. Still wearing her cowgirl hat, she waddled outside.

  “Wow! I can’t believe you already trained her to come,” said Sage. “It took us forever to get Angel to do anything.”

  I shrugged as if it were nothing, though inside I was beaming. “I guess she’s just as smart as a puppy.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Ye Olde Malevolent Meeting

  “Look, a downy woodpecker!” I pointed up at the plump, red-crowned bird that was drilling into a maple tree. “Isn’t it pretty?”

  But Sage didn’t really seem interested in birds—or anything else in the woods. All she wanted to do was talk about “Graham.”

  “We play hide-and-seek with Angel all over the house. She loves Graham so much that when she finds him she yips and jumps all over him and bites his nose. And when Angel wouldn’t bring back the tennis balls we threw for her, Graham stuffed one in his mouth to show her how it’s done. He’s so-o-o funny!”

  “Let’s talk about something else,” I said when I couldn’t stand it anymore. “I don’t really care what Gray does.”

  “I know! I’m so glad, because I really like him. I used to think you liked him, too.”

  “I do,” I said quietly.

  “No, I mean like like,” said Sage, with a sideways grin.

  “Are you going to enter the poet laureate contest?” I asked to change the subject.

  “Yes! I already chose the outfit I’m going to wear to the medal ceremony—I mean, if I win.”

  “Good luck. I hope you do.”

  “Really? Aren’t you entering, too?”

  “Uh-uh.”

  “Why not?”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. My reasons had changed. At first I figured that being a poet laureate would make me seem even weirder. Now it was because poems meant something else to me. I only liked writing them in my notebook, where they’d stay private.

  “Look, wild strawberries!” I plucked two from a cluster as red as jewels and popped one in my mouth. I held another out to her.

  “How do you know they’re not poisonous?” she asked.

  “Because I eat them all the time and I’m still alive.”

  “Okay.” She took the berry and dangled it over her mouth, as if she were daring herself to eat it. I shook my head and kept on walking.

  “OH!”

  I looked back just as Sage tripped over a root.

  “Ow, ow!” Sage nearly landed on Destiny as she hit the ground. She grabbed at her ankle, which was stuck under the root. Startled, Destiny fluttered her wings. Then she waddled over to check out the grasses and shrubs.

  “Are you okay?” I crouched down to help Sage untangle her foot.

  “No, it hurts!”

  “Let me see.” I tugged at the root, but it wouldn’t budge. “Maybe I should go get my dad.”

  “Wait! Don’t leave me here.”

  “Okay, then you’ve got to try to wriggle it out. I’ll push, too.”

  She nodded. It took a while, but we finally freed her foot. When I helped pull her up, she let out a sharp gasp.

  “Pixie!”

  “I’m sorry!” I apologized again. It wasn’t until I looked up that I realized she was pointing at something—a red fox. It was slinking through the brush where Destiny was exploring.

  “NO! NO! Get away!” I screamed. I grabbed a stick and threw it, just missing the fox. It didn’t act the least bit frightened—which was even more scary. It must’ve had rabies or some
thing. Foxes were supposed to be shy—there was something wrong with this one.

  But the fox wasn’t interested in Sage or me, anyway. It was only after Destiny. My goose had never met a fox before, but when she saw this one she knew it was her enemy. She honked as loud as I’d ever heard her honk and fluttered her wings wildly. But she was still too little to fly.

  Sage clutched my arm. “What should we do?”

  “If it has rabies, it could attack us,” I whispered. “But I’ve got to save Destiny.”

  “If I live, my mom’s going to kill me!” Sage moaned.

  Keeping one eye on the fox, I edged closer to Des. I tried to grab her, but she was so frightened, it was as if she didn’t know me. When my fingers brushed her back, she sidestepped out of my reach. I knew if I didn’t get her fast, she was going to be fox chow.

  Without warning, the fox sprang. Its jaws opened over Destiny, ready to chomp her head off.

  “NO!” I shrieked. “No-no-no-no-o-o-o!” I could have kicked the fox—and it could have bitten me. But for a moment, we just stared at each other. Then it turned back to Destiny, who seemed hypnotized by its golden eyes. Behind me, I could hear Sage sniffling.

  SNAP! The fox’s jaws closed.

  “DESTINY!” I screamed.

  But the fox only got the little red cowgirl hat. Des had teetered away just in time.

  Suddenly I felt a great whooshing inside and words began whirling in my head. This time I knew a rhyme was coming and I shouted it as loud as I could:

  Laws of motion

  Your powers I seize.

  Until we are safe again

  Make this fox freeze!

  “Sweet Tooth!” a gravelly voice cried. “Look what you’ve done to her, brat!” My heart smashed against my ribs as Raveneece Greed rushed out from behind a tree.

  Sage squealed when she saw her. “Who’s that?”

  I was too shocked to answer. Where had Raveneece come from, and what was she doing here?

  The fox was frozen, but not like an ice sculpture. It was more like a creature in a museum exhibit that had been stuffed and mounted on a pedestal. The red hat was still in the fox’s mouth and its front feet were raised as if it were about to pounce. But even though it wasn’t moving, there was fierceness in its eyes. I didn’t trust it at all.