Christmas Fairy Magic (6 page)

“And if she doesn't?”

For a moment, Rosy was tempted to say that Clara was right: If Tink didn't arrive, Christmas would be ruined. But then she thought of the way Goldie was trying so hard to make do with just a few presents, and how Squeakie was struggling to be understood, and how Sylva had been so brave when the guest of honor did not arrive at her own surprise party, and of course the way Clara held them all together.

“If she doesn't come,” said Rosy, “we'll make it the best Christmas we can.”

“You know what?” said Clara, taking off her apron. “Let's start right now.”

thirteen

“S
ylva! Goldie!” Clara's voice was brimming with mischief. “Come down here right now.”

“What is it, Clara?” asked Rosy.

“You'll see,” said Clara.

Sylva and Goldie came down to the great room in their pajamas, while Squeakie slept soundly in her crib.

“Tink's not here, is she?” asked Sylva.

“Nope, not yet, and let's stop talking about when she'll come and what she'll bring. Let's celebrate being here together with one another. If she arrives tomorrow, it will be lovely to see her. And if she doesn't—”

“If she
doesn't
?” said Sylva, her face falling.

“If she doesn't,” said Clara firmly, “then we will send her our love and promise to come visit her in Neverland next year.”

“We'd go to
Neverland
?” said Rosy.

“Why not?” said Goldie. “I wonder what exactly those Lost Boys are like.”

“We'll go together, and see Tink next year, and bring Christmas to her,” Clara said. “By next year I should have just about enough magic to get us there.”

“Maybe Queen Mab will send us in her Royal Balloon!” said Sylva.

“You're right!” said Clara. “But why are we talking about next Christmas, when it's practically Christmas right now? We've got some presents to open!”

“Are you sure Tink won't mind?” asked Sylva.

“I'm very sure,” said Clara. “Tink may get distracted and not do everything quite as she hopes to, but I know for a fact she would not want Christmas to be spoiled for us.”

“Let's take a vote. All in favor of opening our presents right now, say aye!” Goldie declared.

“Aye!” said Rosy, Clara, and Sylva.

“All opposed, say nay!” said Goldie.

No one said nay, but Ginger said
Mow
, which made them all laugh.

“Then let's begin!” said Goldie.

They gathered their small pile of presents around them. In the light of the fire, it looked like a treasure.

“Let's go oldest to youngest this time,” said Sylva. “I want to save mine for last.”

Rosy handed Clara a package. “I was your Secret Christmas Fairy,” she said. “I wrapped it in a tea towel, see?”

“Ooh, I love it, Rosy,” said Clara.

“It's part of your present,” said Rosy.

Clara secretly hoped that Rosy's entire Secret Christmas Fairy gift was not going to be about drying dishes, but she didn't say anything in case that's what Rosy had chosen for her.

When she opened up the tea towel, she could hardly believe her eyes.

“It's the shawl I wanted, from the Cobweb sisters! Oh, Rosy, how did you do that? It cost far more than three polished stones.”

“The Cobwebs were kind,” said Rosy. “They gave me the pattern, and I crocheted it myself. Don't look too closely!” She did not say that she had been up hours every night since the Christmas Fair finishing the shawl for Clara. Her reward was the happiness on Clara's face.

Clara wrapped the shawl around her slender shoulders. Its warm turquoises and corals set off her dark skin and dark eyes. “You should wear that at the next Valentine's Games!” said Sylva. “Rowan won't be able to take his eyes off you!”

“He already has trouble doing that,” said Goldie.

Clara's cheeks flushed. “How about you, Rosy? Here's one for you! I was your Secret Christmas Fairy.”

Rosy looked at the tiny package in front of her.

“Three stones is not a whole lot to work with,” said Clara.

“Oh, I love tiny packages, you know that, Clara,” said Rosy. “I just like to take my time.” She gave her big sister a hug, then unwrapped the little box to find sweet shell earrings inside.

“This was just what I'd hoped for,” she said. “How did you know?”

“I wanted to get you coral, but the mermaids wouldn't cooperate,” said Clara. “I had to make these myself, so if they're a little clumsy, you'll know why.”

“I think they're lovely,” said Rosy, slipping the earrings on. “I wouldn't have wanted coral, anyway.” That was only a little bit of a fib. “These suit me perfectly.” She gave Clara another hug. Her big sister loved her so much.

“I know I said I'd go last, but can I go next?” asked Sylva. “I can't wait anymore!”

“Of course you can go next,” said Clara. A tree branch rattled against the windowpane. “Just listen to that wind.”

“I know. It's really howling,” said Rosy. “It almost sounds like a cat or a bird or—”

“No one would be out on a night like this, Rosy,” said Clara.

Goldie handed Sylva her present. “It's not much,” said Goldie. “But I hope you like it.”

“This paper is amazing!” said Sylva. “It's practically a present itself.”

“I designed it myself,” said Goldie. “It's part of my line.”

“Let's see what's inside,” said Sylva. She peeked into the package. “Oh! It's laces for my fairy running shoes!” she said. “I love these, I love these,” she sang. “They are perfect colors and just what I wanted. I'm going to put them on right now!” She flew over to the mudroom and fetched her running shoes. The new laces were tied up in no time. “These look great!” said Sylva, admiring them on her feet. “Thank you, Goldie. Merry Christmas!”

Goldie began to feel a little bit better about the presents her sisters were getting for Christmas. Maybe Sylva, too, had picked out the perfect present at the Christmas Fair.
There were so many things that could have been perfect for me,
she thought.

“Open yours, Goldie!” said Sylva. “Open yours!”

Goldie tore through the wrapping paper, which had been haphazardly put on by Sylva. “It's just what you wanted, isn't it? You said, you said!”

Goldie's face fell. It was the secondhand green-and-orange bandanna. The one she had been making fun of with Avery at the Stitch sisters' stand.

“You really thought I'd like this?” said Goldie. She was close to tears.

“At first I didn't really believe that you and Avery would even notice such a thing, but then you talked about it so much I knew you really meant it,” Sylva said. She was so happy with her gift that she didn't notice Goldie's eyes were glistening. “You're so good at accessorizing, Goldie. I know you'll make this look fabulous somehow.” She gave Goldie a big hug. “I'm so happy I could get you exactly what you wanted for Christmas!”

Goldie gave Sylva a hug back. “Merry Christmas, Sylva,” said Goldie softly.

Clara saw Goldie brush away a tear, and her heart melted. She whispered something to Sylva, who whispered to Rosy, who nodded.

“What is it?” asked Goldie.

“Wait there just one minute . . . ,” said Sylva. She flew over to the stack of Christmas ornaments laid out for Tinker Bell and pulled something out from the bottom. “It's the
second
part of your present,” said Sylva, her face shining. “We're giving you the Christmas tree skirt, Goldie!”

“But that belongs to everyone,” said Goldie.

“Not now!” said Clara.

“Try it on, Goldie,” said Rosy.

“Really?” asked Goldie.

“Yes, please!” said her sisters.

Goldie whipped the elegant Christmas tree skirt around her waist. She tied a bow in the back. The golden fabric glowed in the firelight and caught the light in Goldie's long hair.

The sisters had seen that tree skirt around the Christmas tree for years, but on Goldie it took on new life.

“You're gorgeous!” said Clara simply.

“Oh, thank you!” cried Goldie. “Thank you, all!”

The four Fairy Bell sisters sat in the glow of the dying fire. There was no tree, just a few gifts, no Christmas feast, and Tink had not come. And yet, this was the best Christmas they had ever had.

“Shall we get ready for bed now?” asked Clara. “Tomorrow's Christmas Day. We'll visit everyone in the fairy village—”

“And we'll feast at Queen Mab's palace,” said Sylva.

“And we'll help Squeakie open all her presents when she wakes up bright and early. Won't we, Squeak?”

The sisters got up to look into Squeak's fairy crib. “She must have been awfully tired. I haven't heard a peep from her for ages,” said Clara.

“Are you asleep, Squeak?” asked Rosy softly as she leaned over the crib. “Or are you—”

Rosy let out a gasp.

“Oh no! Oh no!” she cried. “Squeak's gone!”

fourteen

C
lara, Rosy, Goldie, and Sylva looked all over their fairy house for baby Squeak. They did not find her. Anywhere.

“She must be hiding somewhere to play a trick on us. Squeak, come on now. It's not funny anymore. Where are you?”

“She's not here, Clara,” said Rosy. “I can feel it. She's gone. I don't know how or what has happened, but she has gone.”

“If she's gone, she can't have gone far. She's too tiny. She must have crawled under one of the beds. Sylva, go check again.”

Sylva flew upstairs to the bedrooms, but Rosy felt in her fairy wingtips that something was not right. Squeak had been acting so strangely for the past few weeks. “I should have known something was the matter with her. What did she want me to know?” Rosy's wings kept quivering. “She was trying to tell me something. But what?”

Some instinct made Rosy go to the back door of the fairy house. “Clara, look. It's open a crack. She went outside for some reason. Oh, it's freezing out there.” Clara took one step out the door and knew Rosy was right. It was freezing outside. In fact, the temperature had been dropping all evening. “We have to find her!” said Clara. She, Rosy, Goldie, and Sylva gathered what hats and coats they could find and rushed out the back door, Goldie with a lantern in hand.

“Follow her tracks in the snow!” said Sylva. “Look! I see them! We'll find her in no time now!”

None of the sisters wanted to say what they were all thinking. It was bitterly cold out on Sheepskerry Island, with the wind whipping and the snow swirling. A little baby fairy could not get far.

“Here are more of her little footprints!” said Sylva. “They're heading straight out our front garden to—”

Sylva stopped short. The tracks disappeared. “There's nothing else here,” she said. “It's as if . . . she disappeared.”

Goldie, Clara, and Rosy rushed over to where Sylva stood. “Those are her footprints,” said Goldie. “But where did she go from here?”

“Did someone come fetch her?” asked Clara.

“No, they would have brought her back home,” said Rosy.

“Did she fall and hurt herself?” Sylva asked.

“There's no sign of that,” said Clara.

“Then where oh where can she be?” Rosy cried.

Sylva leaned down and looked carefully at the footprints in the snow. “Look, everybody,” she said. “They get closer together right here.”

“And then . . . nothing,” said Rosy. She was on the verge of panicky tears. “It's almost like someone snatched her away.”

“Or . . . ,” said Clara, “as if she flew.”