have to figure out new lighting spots. Havendish Stream was much too dark last night. But I have another plan.”
“ I have a headache just thinking about doing it all again!” Iridessa put in.
“I know it’s hard,” Fira admitted, “but—”
“Everyone!” Spring, the message-talent fairy, darted into the tearoom. “A laugh is coming. It’s almost here!”
A laugh! Fira drew a quick breath. She knew what Spring meant. Everyone did. A baby Clumsy—a human baby—had laughed for the very first time. And the laugh was so strong, so magical, it was coming to Never Land, where it would become a Never fairy.
“There’s going to be an arrival!” Luna cried.
Fira couldn’t hold in her excitement.
She jumped up quickly. An arrival!
And what if the arrival was a light-talent fairy? Another fairy to help light Pixie Hollow! Fira hardly dared to hope. It would be so wonderful.
Of course, there were so many talents. So many fairy groups deserved to have another member. What were the chances?
“Do you know where it’s going to land?” she asked Spring.
“In the orchard!” the messenger said over her shoulder. She was already flying off to deliver the news elsewhere.
Fira grabbed Luna’s and Iridessa’s hands. “Let’s go!”
A S THE THREE LIGHT-TALENT fairies flew to the orchard, they were joined by more and more fairies. Beck drew up beside Fira. “Moth, have you heard? This laugh is supposed to be special.”
“Aren’t they all special?” Vidia said snidely. She was always poking her wings into other fairies’ business, trying to stir up trouble.
Beck blushed. “Of course.”
Prilla appeared beside them, grinning widely. Prilla had an unusual talent. In the blink of an eye, she could travel to the mainland, the world of Clumsies. Fira had seen her do it. She’d get a strange, glassy-eyed look and wouldn’t seem to see anything or anyone. Then, all at once, she’d snap back to Pixie Hollow, with tales of the children she had just visited.
“I just saw this baby!” Prilla told the other fairies. “It’s the jolliest Clumsy, so happy and always smiling. Everyone’s been waiting for her to laugh. She’s been saving it, though, for weeks and weeks. But she finally did it! She laughed! It’s sure to be something extraordinary!”
“Hmmm,” said Vidia as the fairies landed in the orchard. “Then the new arrival must be a fast-flying fairy. Everyone knows we have the most extraordinary talent.”
“With you being the most extraordinary of all?” Fira retorted. Oops! She bit her lip. That snippy comment had just slipped out. Fira usually tried to think before she spoke. She tried not to say or do things in such a hurry that they came out wrong. But it wasn’t always easy.
Dozens of fairies and sparrow men hovered eagerly in the orchard. Fira waved to Tinker Bell, a pots-and-pans-talent fairy; to Lily, a garden-talent fairy; and to Orren, a mining-talent sparrow man.
It seemed as if every talent had come.
And each fairy hoped that this new arrival would belong to his or her talent group.
Then, suddenly, they all felt it: a slight shifting of the air. Everyone stopped. A wavery shimmer floated above their heads.
A murmur went through the crowd. “The laugh! The laugh!”
The laugh hung above the leafy tree branches for a moment. Then it flew down and settled on the soft green grass.
The shimmer burst apart. And there, before them, sat the arrival.
She rose to her feet, quick and sure. The leftover shimmer of laughter fell around her. It turned into her arrival garment, a soft-as-mist dress.
Fira squeezed Luna’s hand tightly. This was it! The arrival was going to make her Announcement. She would tell everyone her talent.
“I’m a light-talent fairy.” The young fairy spoke loudly and clearly. “My name is Sparkle.”
A sigh went through the crowd. Fira hugged Luna and Iridessa. A new light-talent fairy! What luck!
“Fira! Look!” Luna said urgently.
There, above
“ I have a headache just thinking about doing it all again!” Iridessa put in.
“I know it’s hard,” Fira admitted, “but—”
“Everyone!” Spring, the message-talent fairy, darted into the tearoom. “A laugh is coming. It’s almost here!”
A laugh! Fira drew a quick breath. She knew what Spring meant. Everyone did. A baby Clumsy—a human baby—had laughed for the very first time. And the laugh was so strong, so magical, it was coming to Never Land, where it would become a Never fairy.
“There’s going to be an arrival!” Luna cried.
Fira couldn’t hold in her excitement.
She jumped up quickly. An arrival!
And what if the arrival was a light-talent fairy? Another fairy to help light Pixie Hollow! Fira hardly dared to hope. It would be so wonderful.
Of course, there were so many talents. So many fairy groups deserved to have another member. What were the chances?
“Do you know where it’s going to land?” she asked Spring.
“In the orchard!” the messenger said over her shoulder. She was already flying off to deliver the news elsewhere.
Fira grabbed Luna’s and Iridessa’s hands. “Let’s go!”
A S THE THREE LIGHT-TALENT fairies flew to the orchard, they were joined by more and more fairies. Beck drew up beside Fira. “Moth, have you heard? This laugh is supposed to be special.”
“Aren’t they all special?” Vidia said snidely. She was always poking her wings into other fairies’ business, trying to stir up trouble.
Beck blushed. “Of course.”
Prilla appeared beside them, grinning widely. Prilla had an unusual talent. In the blink of an eye, she could travel to the mainland, the world of Clumsies. Fira had seen her do it. She’d get a strange, glassy-eyed look and wouldn’t seem to see anything or anyone. Then, all at once, she’d snap back to Pixie Hollow, with tales of the children she had just visited.
“I just saw this baby!” Prilla told the other fairies. “It’s the jolliest Clumsy, so happy and always smiling. Everyone’s been waiting for her to laugh. She’s been saving it, though, for weeks and weeks. But she finally did it! She laughed! It’s sure to be something extraordinary!”
“Hmmm,” said Vidia as the fairies landed in the orchard. “Then the new arrival must be a fast-flying fairy. Everyone knows we have the most extraordinary talent.”
“With you being the most extraordinary of all?” Fira retorted. Oops! She bit her lip. That snippy comment had just slipped out. Fira usually tried to think before she spoke. She tried not to say or do things in such a hurry that they came out wrong. But it wasn’t always easy.
Dozens of fairies and sparrow men hovered eagerly in the orchard. Fira waved to Tinker Bell, a pots-and-pans-talent fairy; to Lily, a garden-talent fairy; and to Orren, a mining-talent sparrow man.
It seemed as if every talent had come.
And each fairy hoped that this new arrival would belong to his or her talent group.
Then, suddenly, they all felt it: a slight shifting of the air. Everyone stopped. A wavery shimmer floated above their heads.
A murmur went through the crowd. “The laugh! The laugh!”
The laugh hung above the leafy tree branches for a moment. Then it flew down and settled on the soft green grass.
The shimmer burst apart. And there, before them, sat the arrival.
She rose to her feet, quick and sure. The leftover shimmer of laughter fell around her. It turned into her arrival garment, a soft-as-mist dress.
Fira squeezed Luna’s hand tightly. This was it! The arrival was going to make her Announcement. She would tell everyone her talent.
“I’m a light-talent fairy.” The young fairy spoke loudly and clearly. “My name is Sparkle.”
A sigh went through the crowd. Fira hugged Luna and Iridessa. A new light-talent fairy! What luck!
“Fira! Look!” Luna said urgently.
There, above
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