The Perfect Match

by E. D. Baker

  “This is so much fun!” Cory said as they got up from the table. “I’ve never gone to a water ballet before.”

  “Neither have I,” said Blue. “It will be interesting to see how they dance in the water.”

  The performance was being held at Turquoise Lake, one of the larger lakes within the town limits. Rows of seats had been set up at the water’s edge along one side of the lake. Cory and Blue found their assigned seats easily on the left side, just a few rows from the front. Soon after they arrived, the orchestra began to tune up and everyone hurried to sit.

  Cory didn’t know what to expect, but she never would have guessed that streams of water would rise up out of the lake as the music began. The streams moved like living creatures, and each one supported a nymph who leaped, twirled, skipped, and dove to the music.

  Glancing at the program, Cory saw that the performance was loosely based on a human ballet called Swan Lake. She thought that the dancers looked funny in their feathered costumes with costume wings and beaks. There were a few real swans in the dance troupe as well, swimming on the surface of the lake while the nymphs danced at various levels above them. Sometimes the streams formed arches above the dancers, and other nymphs swam up and over them as if they were flying. Other times, the water formed fountains that shot droplets into the air. When that happened, fairies darted through the spray, lighting it up in pinks and blues, greens and yellows.

  “How are they doing that?” Cory whispered to Blue the first time she saw the different-colored fairy lights.

  “I don’t know,” he whispered back. “But I think it probably shows up better at night.”

  About three-quarters of the way through the performance, the arches became bigger, the lights more numerous, and the music louder. Cory watched as an arch formed at the very edge of the lake, not far from where they were sitting. It towered above them, supporting the nymph who bent and swayed to the music, as graceful as the swans swimming below her. When the arch began to bulge on one side, Cory thought it was a little odd, but no one else seemed to notice. As the bulge became more pronounced, however, and the arch seemed to move closer to the audience, people began to point it out to each other. Suddenly, the nymph dancing on top of the arch noticed and waved her arms as if beckoning the water back where it belonged. Then, with a loud sploosh! the arch collapsed, dumping the water on the audience.

  People screamed and floundered about as the water carried them away from the lake over the grassy area beyond. Blue grabbed hold of Cory and held on tight as the water swept them away. When they slammed into a post, he wrapped his free arm around it, anchoring them there as the others were washed toward a refreshment stand and the lot where people had parked their carts and solar cycles. And then the water was coming back, weaker now, but still strong enough to drag people with it. Blue held on, even as two brownies and an imp slammed into him and clutched his arms as if he were a pole himself. When the water was past, they slid to the ground and lay there, stunned, while Blue hugged Cory.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, wiping her hair from her eyes.

  Cory coughed and nodded. She’d swallowed some of the water when it first hit and couldn’t get the taste of it out of her mouth. It tasted of fish and mud and the fear of people around her. She hated to think of what else it might have held.

  “What about you?” he asked the brownies and the imp. When they said that they were fine as well, he turned back to Cory and said, “I have to see if anyone needs my help.”

  “I’ll go with you,” she said, her voice scratchy and sore from the dirty water.

  He looked as if he was going to protest, but seemed to think better of it and nodded instead. They slogged across the sodden ground, helping people get to their feet and checking for injuries. The water had carried off only a few dozen members of the audience, including some students from the Junior Fey School who had been there on a field trip. When it turned out that the worst injuries were a sprained ankle and a bent wing, Blue turned to Cory again.

  “I’m going to have to stay to give a statement to the FLEA officers when they get here. They’re going to ask for your statement, too. After you’ve given it, I want you to go home. I’ll probably be here for the rest of the day, helping make some sense out of this and getting it all cleaned up.”

  “I want to tell you something before the officers show up,” Cory told him. “At first I thought that one of the guilds had done this because I was here, but now that we’ve seen those students, I don’t think the guilds had anything to do with it. Rina was sitting with the other students on the field trip. She’s been having a lot of trouble learning to control water and has broken the pipes at the school more than once. I’ve seen her pull water to her before. I don’t think she does it on purpose, so please, if it was her, make sure the officers know that it was an accident.”

  “Her name is Rina?” said Blue.

  “Rina Diver. Her mother is Minerva Diver. Talk to the teachers who were with the group. I’m sure they can tell you what happened. They have to be aware of Rina’s problem.”

  “I will,” Blue told her, and gave her a quick hug. “Here’s Officer Deeds now. Don’t let him bother you. Just tell him what you told me and you can go home. Most of the people have gone already, so you should be able to get a ride on a pedal-bus easily enough.”

  Cory turned to where Officer Deeds was stomping across the grass, kicking loose debris out of his way. “I’ll go,” she told Blue. “Although I have to say, if Deeds wasn’t here, you’d have a hard time getting me to leave while you stayed behind.”

  CHAPTER

  8

  Cory’s pretty blue dress was ruined. Everyone gave her worried looks and asked if she was all right as they climbed onto the pedal-bus, but she was less concerned about her cuts and bruises than she was that her favorite dress was torn and stained. At least her new bracelet was still on her wrist.

  All Cory wanted to do when she got home was take a hot bath and rinse her mouth out to get rid of the taste of the lake. She must have looked awful when she got off the bus, because the goblin driver offered to help her to her door, and no one got mad at the possible delay if she took him up on the offer.

  “I’m fine,” she croaked, her throat still sore.

  She turned and was walking toward the house when she saw that the gate to Noodles’s enclosure was open. “Oh, no!” she cried, and hurried across the side yard. “Noodles!” she called when she didn’t see him behind the garden shed. “Where are you, boy?” she shouted when he wasn’t in the backyard.

  “Cory!” her neighbor Salazar shouted from the street. “I’ve been waiting for you to come home.”

  “They kidnapped Noodles again!” she called, hurrying to where he stood with his iguana, Boris.

  “No, that’s what I wanted to tell you. I was walking Boris when I thought I saw Noodles run across the street to the park. I can help you look for him, but I have to take Boris home first. He’ll want to stop and eat every flower we see if I take him with us. Boris, get out of that yard! Those aren’t your flowers! Did you redo your lawn today?” he asked Cory.

  “No, the Flower Fairy Guild did it for me,” she said absently. “I appreciate your offer, but if Noodles went into the park, I think I might know right where to find him.”

  Cory headed straight for the spot that Noodles had favored the last few times they’d visited. It took her only a few minutes to find the tree and was relieved to see Noodles there. “What are you up to, Noodles!” she called as she made her way through the underbrush. “Why did you . . . Oh!”

  Cory stopped where she was and held her breath. Noodles wasn’t alone. A smaller, more delicate-looking woodchuck was sitting just past him, nibbling a leaf. Cory thought the woodchuck might be a girl. When they both turned to look at Cory, she couldn’t help but say, “How sweet! You found a little friend!”

  “You must be his two-legger,” the other woodchuck said.

  Cory gasped. She had met plenty of
animals that could talk, but none of them was living in the wild. Meeting one like this couldn’t have surprised her more.

  “You can talk!” Cory squeaked.

  “You said she was bright, but she hasn’t shown any signs of it yet,” the woodchuck said to Noodles.

  “I’m sorry,” Cory began. “It’s just that I wasn’t expecting Noodles to have a friend who could talk.”

  “Why not?” the wild woodchuck asked. “He’s smart, good-looking, and a real gentlechuck. I don’t think you give him the credit he’s due. You lock him in small spaces all the time, and don’t let him roam loose nearly as much as he’d like. What kind of life is that for a chuck? I told him he should run away, but he says he loves you too much and that you need him. Do you love him back? Because if you don’t, I think he should leave you right now!”

  “Of course I love him! He’s been living with me since he was a baby. Noodles was an orphan when a friend found him and I bottle-fed him until he could eat solids. I’ve loved him since the day I met him!”

  “So you’re sort of like his mother,” said the girl woodchuck.

  Cory shrugged. “I suppose you could say so.”

  “All right, then. I can understand that. Although I can’t imagine why you would give him a name like Noodles!”

  “I named him that because he likes noodles so much,” said Cory. “What’s your name?”

  “Weegie,” said the woodchuck. “I’m glad I wasn’t named after my favorite food, or I might be called Grass or Leaf!”

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but how is it that you can talk?” Cory asked.

  “I met a witch once who needed to find a way through the woods where I was living at the time, so she cast a spell on me just so she could ask directions.”

  “Wow,” said Cory. “And she didn’t undo the spell afterward?”

  “Why should she? She got what she wanted and didn’t care what happened to me. As far as I know, all two-leggers are like that.”

  Noodles grumbled something and butted Weegie with his head. She grumbled back, then looked up at Cory and said, “Noodles says you’re not like that. Say, did you know that you’re all scratched up? Did you do that on purpose or do you fall down a lot? I bet two-leggers fall down all the time, without four legs to keep them steady.”

  Cory shook her head. “I was in an accident. I was going to go wash up, but then I saw that Noodles was gone.”

  “I’ll tell you what—you leave Noodles here with me and I’ll make sure he’s home before dark.”

  “Is that all right with you, Noodles?” Cory asked him.

  When Noodles just grunted at her, she assumed that he wanted to stay. “Then I’ll see you later,” she said, and started to go. Suddenly, Cory was so tired that she wasn’t sure she could even make it home.

  She was only a few steps away when she paused and glanced back. Both woodchucks were still watching her. “It was nice meeting you, Weegie,” she said.

  “You, too,” said Weegie. “Noodles was right about one thing; you do have good manners.”

  Cory crossed the street, thinking about how good it would feel to take a long, hot bath. She opened the front door and was on her way to the bathing room when she heard someone banging around in the kitchen. Wondering why her uncle was home early, she stepped into the kitchen and stopped. It wasn’t Micah; it was that awful girl Goldilocks, poking around in the kitchen cabinets!

  “What are you doing here?” demanded Cory. “How did you get in?”

  Goldilocks glanced over her shoulder at Cory. “Waiting for you and through the back door. The lock on your back door is lousy. I’d change it if I were you, especially considering how many people you’ve managed to infuriate. Where do you keep your tea bags? Surely you have tea?”

  Water was already boiling in the teapot on the stove, and Cory’s favorite mug was waiting on the table. Cory was tired and hurt all over. Her mind was muzzy, but it was working well enough for her to wonder how long Goldilocks had been there.

  “Next cupboard over, bottom shelf,” said Cory. “Why do you want to see me?”

  “I give as much money to someone as I gave to you, I expect personal attention. Ah, here it is. Chamomile? Is that all you have?”

  Cory shrugged. “It’s my uncle’s. I’m not a big tea drinker.”

  “I suppose it will do,” Goldilocks said, carrying the jar of tea to the table. Anyway, I . . .” She stopped halfway across the room, having gotten a good look at Cory. “Say, what happened to you? You look like something the cat dragged in after she chewed it up and spit it out.”

  “Blue took me to the matinee performance of the water nymphs’ ballet. There was an accident.”

  “I heard about that!” Goldilocks said, looking concerned. “Were you hurt?”

  Cory shook her head. “Just cuts and bruises. And my throat hurts from swallowing that nasty water.”

  Goldilocks turned off the stove and started for the door. “What you need is to get out of those filthy clothes and take a hot bath. Come on, I’ll get the water started.”

  “I don’t really think . . . ,” Cory began, but Goldilocks had already left the kitchen.

  “Where’s your bathing room?” Goldilocks called as she went down the short hallway. “Never mind. I found it.”

  The hot water was running in the tub when Cory reached the bathing room. She paused in the doorway and watched as Goldilocks rummaged through the cupboard. None of this seemed real, but Cory was too tired and sore to care.

  Goldilocks took a big, fluffy towel off the shelf and kept looking. “Wait right there and I’ll have a hot bath ready for you in a New York minute.”

  “What’s a New York minute?” asked Cory.

  “I have no idea,” Goldilocks told her. “It’s just something my father used to say. My real father, not the man who kidnapped me.”

  Cory peered at her through the steam rising from the tub. “Your last name doesn’t happen to be Piper, does it?”

  “That’s my adopted name. My last name used to be Sanders. I was Megan Sanders before I came here. The Pied Piper called me Goldilocks because of my hair and the name stuck. You don’t happen to have any bubble bath, do you?”

  Cory shook her head. “I don’t know what that is. So, you’re one of the children Gladys Piper raised.”

  Goldilocks expression softened. “You know my mother? Isn’t she great? I remember the day we all showed up on her doorstep. I could tell she was overwhelmed, but she welcomed us and loved us and raised us all by herself. We haven’t seen the Pied Piper since the day he brought us here and the FLEA took him away for kidnapping. Mama had to do everything. It wasn’t easy and we never had enough money, but she loved us and that’s what mattered.”

  “She told me that her oldest children had moved out,” said Cory.

  “I moved out three years ago. I send money back whenever I can. That’s part of the reason I visit people’s houses when they aren’t home. I’m an artist and I make decent money with my artwork, but my family needs the money more than I do. Even I have to eat, though. There, that should be enough,” Goldilocks said, turning off the hot water. She stuck her finger in the bath and jerked it out again. “That’s too hot. Why don’t you get undressed while I add a little cold water. Don’t worry, I won’t look!”

  Cory slipped off her clothes and dropped them on the floor. When the water was the right temperature, she stepped into the tub. The cuts stung as she lowered herself in the hot water, but she knew she had to clean them out before she put anything on them. Reaching for the soap, she washed herself as gently as she could. “What is bubble bath?” she asked Goldilocks, who was leaning against the sink with her back turned.

  “Stuff you add to the water that fills the tub with bubbles. It’s fun, that’s all. I miss it, just like I miss cotton candy, soda, pizza, TV . . . Anyway, I came to see you because I wanted to find out who you’re going to fix me up with next. Jack Horner didn’t work out. We didn’t have anything in common. He
barely spoke a hundred words to me the entire evening. Who else do you have in mind?”

  Cory set the soap down and leaned back in the tub. She was drowsy from the hot water and her mind still wasn’t very clear. She thought about the eligible young men she knew. None of them were Goldilocks’s Mr. Right, of course, but until Cory found the man she’d seen in her vision, she could still set Goldilocks up on a date. Jonas MacDonald’s face was the first one to come to mind.

  “I know a young man named Jonas McDonald. He has a big farm and is a hard worker,” Cory said.

  “He’ll do. Listen, I’ve got to go. Will you be all right by yourself? You’re not going to fall asleep in the tub and drown or something, are you?”

  “I’ll be fine,” Cory told her. “I’ll get out in a few minutes and go lie down for a little while. Thanks for doing this. You’ve been a big help.”

  “Hey, I ran baths for my little brothers and sisters for years. I’m a real pro at bath time! Let me know what you set up with the farmer.”

  “I will,” Cory said, but Goldilocks was already gone. A few seconds later, Cory heard the front door close. That was a surprise, she thought. I guess she’s not nearly as bad as I thought she was.

  After a good long soak, Cory rinsed herself off and climbed out of the tub. Finding some salve in the cupboard, she smeared some on her cuts. It was sticky, but it made her cuts hurt less.

  Cory had just put on clean clothes when there was a knock on the door. When she peeked out of the window and saw that it was her neighbor Wanita, she opened the door and stepped outside.

  “I hate to bother you,” said the witch, “but I’ve had a little magical mishap and I need your help.”

  “Was someone hurt?” Cory asked, locking the door behind her.

  She followed Wanita down the steps and across the lawn as the witch explained what had happened. “A new book of spells arrived today. I was trying one, but I forgot to lock Theo out of the room. He’s hard to stop when he gets curious, and he shoved the door open and came in at a crucial moment. I was turning marbles into cockroaches and my Theo got in the way. Now I have one extra cockroach and no boar.”