The Perfect Match

by E. D. Baker

  “Why did you want to turn marbles into cockroaches?” Cory asked her.

  “They make great party favors. I’m going to my friend Griselda’s birthday party tonight and she asked me to bring them.”

  “Couldn’t you turn all the cockroaches back into what they were originally?”

  “Sure, if I had enough dried salamander spit, but I have only enough for one or two attempts. If I don’t choose the right one, Theo is going to stay a cockroach for the rest of his life, which might not be long if I accidentally step on him.”

  “What do you want me to do?” asked Cory.

  “Help me figure out which cockroach is really my boar. I met your friend Marjorie at your party and she told me what you did about the spiders that were taking over her house. I’ll pay you back with a favor when you need it, if that’s all right with you.”

  “That’s fine,” said Cory. “Although I don’t really expect you to pay me back. You’re my neighbor and I’d be happy to help you.”

  “Nope, one favor deserves another,” Wanita declared as she opened the door to her house.

  Although it had looked like a hovel at the edge of a swamp, it was actually quite comfortable inside. Even so, Cory noticed the musky smell right away. So that’s what a boar smells like, she thought.

  Wanita led the way to a round table with a large pink doily. A wooden box sat on the middle of the table. “Here we are. See, I put the cockroaches in the box. I’m going to lift the lid, so be sharp. I don’t want them to get out.”

  Cory leaned over the table as the witch took the lid off the box. It was filled with a seething mass of shiny black cockroaches. “Maybe it’s this one,” said Wanita, reaching into the box. “He’s bigger than the others.”

  She was fumbling around, trying to grab the bigger cockroach, when the rest discovered that the lid was off. They swarmed out of the box, darting across the table and falling to the floor in their haste to get away.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” Wanita exclaimed. Pointing a finger at them, she said something in a language that Cory didn’t understand and they all froze in place. “Good! That should make it easier. Take a look and see which one you think is Theo.”

  Cory didn’t know what to do. The cockroaches all looked alike, although some were a little bigger than others. Crinkling her nose in distaste, she picked one up and examined it. Still frozen, it didn’t even wave its antennae, although she had a feeling that it was looking at her. She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know how to tell them apart. Unless . . . Can you unfreeze them one at a time?”

  “Sure,” said Wanita. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Theo just turned into a cockroach, so he wouldn’t know how to be a cockroach yet. He’s used to being a boar, so wouldn’t he move differently from the others?”

  “Now why didn’t I think of that?” Wanita said. “Let’s give it a try. We can start with that one.”

  When she pointed her finger at the one Cory was holding, Cory hurried to set it down. As soon as the spell was lifted, the cockroach started to scurry away, but Wanita snatched it up and stuck it in the box, clapping the lid on tightly. “Not that one!” she said.

  They had tried twenty or thirty cockroaches when the next one turned around and shambled toward Wanita instead of running away. “That’s got to be my Theo!” the witch cried. When she dusted him with powder, he turned back into the boar. Dropping to the floor, Wanita wrapped her arms around Theo and hugged him so hard that he grunted. “I thought I’d lost you, boy! It’s good to have you back.”

  “I have to go now,” Cory said, starting for the door. “I’m glad we found Theo!”

  “Thanks to you!” Wanita called as she raised her face from the boar’s side. “I won’t forget about that favor.”

  CHAPTER

  9

  As soon as Cory returned home, she sent a message to Jonas McDonald about a date with Goldilocks. While waiting for his response, she looked through the newspaper. “Perfect!” she said when she saw that a new exhibit had opened at the local art gallery.

  As soon as Jonas wrote back saying that he was interested, Cory sent messages to both Goldilocks and Jonas, setting up a date at the gallery and dinner that very night. By the time she sent the messages, it was time to get ready to leave for rehearsal. Noodles wasn’t back yet, so she left a note on the kitchen table for her uncle, telling him about her meeting with the wild woodchuck and that Noodles should be home before dark. The pedal-bus arrived just minutes after she summoned it. All anyone seemed to be talking about was the accident at the performance of Swan Lake that afternoon. When they heard that Cory had been there, they plied her with questions all the way to the stop by Olot’s cave.

  When Olot opened the door, he noticed the scratches on Cory’s face, so she told him that she’d been at the Swan Lake performance.

  “Skippy was just telling us about it,” said Olot. “Do you mean to say that you were one of the people who were swept away?”

  Cory nodded. “Along with Blue. He grabbed me and kept me from slamming into anything.”

  “Are you all right?” the ogre asked. “Maybe you should have stayed home and rested.”

  “I’m okay, except my throat is a little sore. I’d rather not sing tonight if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not!” said Olot as they stepped into the cavern, where everyone was gathered.

  When Olot told them that Cory had actually been at the accident and had been one of the people sitting where the water had fallen, she had to answer questions all over again. She told them everything she could remember, including how Blue had grabbed her and how he’d helped the brownies and the imp.

  “Blue’s a hero!” Daisy declared. “We should let the officials know. Maybe they’ll give him a medal or something.”

  “Maybe,” said Cory. “Look at what he gave me at lunch today.” She held up her bracelet for her friend to admire. Skippy’s two girlfriends hurried over to ooh and aah over it, too.

  “That’s beautiful!” cried Daisy. “It’s certainly nicer than anything my old boyfriends ever gave me. I’d never take it off if I were you.”

  “I don’t plan to,” Cory told her.

  “It’s time to rehearse,” Olot told them. “Places, please, everyone!”

  They played then, but Cory felt odd when she didn’t join in the singing. When they were finished and everyone was packing up to go, Chancy announced that she had the rest of the clothes ready and that she’d brought pictures of Misty Falls. Cory admired the gowns that Chancy had made for her, but she was too sore to try them on. She did note that her bracelet would go well with both of them, however. When she joined the others to look at the pictures, she listened as Chancy told them about Rupert’s kingdom.

  “The kingdom itself is called Dorrigal and the main river that runs through it is the River Torrent. Here’s a picture of the castle. It’s at the base of Misty Falls. See how the river divides to go around it? The only way you can get on or off the island where the castle is located is to take the ferry when the Head Water Nymph calms the river enough to let you through.”

  “I bet I could fly there,” Daisy said.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Chancy. “They say that the air is so turbulent around the falls that most people who try to fly get tossed around like a dried-out pea in an old pod. I don’t think your wings would be strong enough, Daisy. Here are some more pictures. This is a close-up of the castle, and this is the great hall where the wedding is going to be held.”

  “Who is that?” Cory asked, pointing to a figure in the next picture.

  “That’s Prince Rupert,” said Chancy. “Isn’t he handsome?”

  Stunned, Cory was unable to say a word. She had seen Prince Rupert’s face before, although she hadn’t known it was him. He had appeared in her vision of Goldilocks, meaning that she had actually seen him. Prince Rupert, who wanted them to play at his wedding, who was planning to marry someone else, was actually
Goldilocks’s one true love and soul mate.

  Cory was quiet as they looked at the rest of the pictures. She nodded and pretended to be interested when Olot told them what they needed to pack and that the carriage he had hired would pick them up outside his cave early in the morning the day after next, but all the while Cory was thinking about Rupert and Goldilocks. While everyone chattered about how exciting it was and how much fun it was going to be, she wondered what she was going to do. Should she disrupt a royal wedding or let the prince marry someone when Cory knew he should be with someone else? It was enough to give her a headache, especially after the day she’d already endured.

  No one seemed to notice that she was quiet and withdrawn as she left Olot’s cave, or if they did they might have thought it was because she was tired and sore. Because she really was tired and sore, she took the pedal-bus instead of flying home. She was thankful that no one tried to talk to her, and relieved when she got off outside her uncle’s house and there were no neighbors walking their pets down the street, ready to start a conversation.

  Micah was home and awake when she walked in the door, and he rushed to see her when she flopped into a chair in the main room, too tired to go any farther.

  “If one more person asks me if I’m all right today, I’m going to scream,” Cory said before he could say anything. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be grumpy, but I’ve had a really bad day.”

  “Everyone in the teachers’ lounge was talking about what happened at the ballet,” her uncle told her. “And then Blue sent me a message that you said you were fine. He wants me to keep an eye on you, and if I think anything is wrong, I should rush you over to the health clinic.”

  “I am fine, really,” said Cory. “Just scrapes and bruises and a sore throat. I should be a lot better by tomorrow.”

  “In that case, you received a message while you were at rehearsal. I’m surprised you went, by the way. I would have thought you’d have stayed home and gone to bed early. But that’s neither here nor there now. Here,” he said, handing her the envelope. “What does it say?”

  Cory tore it open and started reading the message out loud.

  Cory,

  I thought I should tell you that the Flower Fairy Guild has started to persecute my mother again. It started right after she talked to the police yesterday and agreed to testify against the FFG. Last night, it rained just around her house. When she woke up this morning, her beanstalk was infested with bean beetles and her yard was covered with slugs. There was writing on the front door that said, “Back off, Traitor!” in big red letters. I have sent Mother on a vacation far away and told her to stay there until it is time to testify in front of the big jury. I suggest you lie low for a while, too.

  Your friend,

  Jack B. Nimble

  “Well!” said Micah. “It sounds as if things are really heating up.”

  “I’m glad Jack sent his mother away. Stella is a nice woman and has already had to put up with far too much from the Flower Fairy Guild. I’m glad that I’ll be leaving soon, too. Are you going to be all right without me? They might not know that I’m gone and could still do things to the house and yard.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” said her uncle. “I’ll be in good shape as long as you’re safe.”

  Ping! Another message had arrived in the basket. Cory sighed and picked it up.

  Cory,

  Jonas McDonald is not the one for me. All he does is talk about the problems he’s having on his farm. Jack Horner talked too little. Jonas talked too much. I want to meet someone who is just right. Please keep looking!

  Goldilocks

  Cory had known that Jonas wasn’t Goldilocks’s perfect match. Unfortunately, now that she did know who was right for Goldilocks, she wasn’t sure what to do.

  Cory rubbed the ache in her forehead. “I’m going to bed now. Maybe we can talk in the morning.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Micah said. “I’m going to check to make sure the doors and windows are locked.”

  Noodles was in bed when she reached her room, and he lifted his head to watch as she picked up her nightgown and staggered into the bathing room. He was still awake when she came back and got into bed. Although Cory was afraid that the news about Rupert would keep her awake, she was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

  She woke up only a short time later to the sound of Noodles growling. It was so unusual for him to growl that she didn’t recognize the sound at first. Opening her eyes, she sat up and saw a figure at the end of her bed, looming over her. She didn’t move at first, remembering her nightmare of the night before. When the figure started coming closer, she reached for the fairy light beside her bed and turned it on. There was a man standing there, dressed in the dark gray-and-black uniform of a sandman. The bag of dust attached to his belt was open and he had his hand raised as if he was preparing to throw the dust and send her a dream, a bad one if it was anything like the dream of the night before.

  “Uncle Micah! There’s a strange man in my room!” she screamed as loud as she could.

  The sandman dropped his hand and backed away. “I, uh, I was just going to—”

  “Give me a bad dream, I know,” said Cory. “Were you the one who brought me a nightmare last night, or was that some other sandman’s job? I didn’t scream just now because I was afraid. I just wanted a witness to see you here. And here’s my witness. Uncle Micah, this sandman was about to give me a horrible dream.”

  The sandman looked offended when he replied, “I wouldn’t call it horrible. I crafted it myself and I think I did a good job.”

  “But it is a scary dream, isn’t it?” said Micah. “You have no right to be here. I filled out the do-not-visit form and sent it to your guild ages ago. I’m filing a complaint over this. Give me your name.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary,” the sandman said, edging toward the door.

  “Your name or I’ll sic our attack woodchuck on you,” Micah announced. Noodles growled then, as if he understood what Micah had said, which made Cory wonder if he really did understand everything.

  “According to the laws governing sandmen,” Micah continued, “you have to give your name if confronted. I know because I’ve taught graduating sandmen at our school for years.”

  “Mr. Fleuren?” said the sandman. “Aw, heck, I didn’t know it was your house. It’s me, Abner Dreamsworthy.”

  “I thought I recognized you!” said Micah. “Who put you up to this, Abner?”

  “I can’t really say,” Abner said, unable to meet Micah’s eyes.

  “It was the higher-ups in the Sandman Guild, wasn’t it?” said Cory.

  Abner looked away, but he gave a barely perceptible nod.

  “Don’t worry, Abner, this isn’t your fault,” said Micah. “We’re going to make sure that the people who are really responsible pay for what they are doing. No one persecutes my niece and gets away with it!”

  CHAPTER

  10

  Cory woke up knowing that something wasn’t right, but it wasn’t until she was getting out of bed that she remembered about Rupert and Goldilocks. She had no idea what she should do about it, so she decided to turn to the one person who could give her informed advice: her grandfather, Lionel. Determined to get an early start, she got dressed before leaving her room. When she reached the kitchen, she found her uncle lingering over his last cup of berry juice, waiting to talk to her.

  “That was some surprise last night,” he said, pushing the pitcher of juice toward her. “It’s a good thing you woke when you did.”

  “It was Noodles. He growled and it woke me. You’re a good boy, Noodles!”

  The woodchuck was lying on his back under the table. When Cory rubbed his belly with her foot, he made a happy rumbling sound.

  “Here, he can have some of these,” Micah said, reaching for a bowl of beet greens that he’d left on the counter. He dropped a large bunch on the floor beside Noodles and turned back to Cory. “Tell me m
ore about the woodchuck you saw yesterday. You mentioned him in your note.”

  “It was a girl,” Cory replied. “At least she looked more feminine than our big guy here.” She nudged Noodles with her foot, but he just grumbled and kept nibbling the beet greens.

  When the finch chirped on the mantel in the main room, her uncle stood up. “Time for me to go. I should be home earlier tonight. I might even be back before you leave for rehearsal. Are you staying around the house today? I know you have to get ready for your trip tomorrow.”

  “I do have to do some laundry and pack my bag, but I want to see Lionel this morning. There’s something I want to ask him.”

  “Just stay safe,” Micah said, and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “And say hello to your grandfather for me.”

  Knowing that Lionel always fed her, Cory had a small glass of juice and a handful of nuts for breakfast. “Come on, Noodles,” she told the woodchuck. “You can stay in your enclosure while I’m gone. Just actually stay in it this time. I don’t want to have to go looking for you again.”

  Tempting him with a lettuce leaf, she got him to stand and follow her from the room and out the door. She gave him the leaf once he was inside the enclosure and was on her way back to the house to lock up when a tiny bag fell from the sky and landed at her feet, exploding into a puff of insects. When she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked up to see fairies dropping bags all over her yard. Each bag was filled with hopping, crawling, biting insects.

  “Stop it!” Cory shouted as another wave of fairies arrived.

  Grabbing the hose, she turned it on and began to spray them. Some dropped their bags early, and others flew off before they reached the yard, but the fairies soon fled, leaving Cory surrounded by a cloud of mosquitoes, gnats, and hornets.

  Cory was slapping at the mosquitoes landing on her arms when Wanita ran up, shouting, “I saw everything! Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this.”

  With a wave of her arms and a twiddle of her fingers, the witch summoned a flock of birds. Cory ducked as barn swallows zipped past, snatching insects out of the air. Starlings landed on the ground, devouring anything that wriggled or squirmed. Crows, finches, cardinals, thrushes, and jays helped themselves to the delicacies. The birds were so noisy that Cory had to cover her ears, but in less time than it had taken the fairies to deliver their bombs, the birds had eaten every insect in the yard.