Daisy Takes Charge (6 page)

I
t was almost dark. The candles hanging from the fairy orchids had been lit, filling the air with a flowery perfume and bathing the garden in golden light. The clearing was already half-filled with fairies, eager for the performances to begin, when Nen, Efa and Aunt Acacia arrived with Vu and Nelli.

Daisy raced over. She was welcomed with a snuggle to her cheek from Vu. Two days was a long time to hardly see each other.

Aunt Acacia held out a leaf-wrapped parcel for Daisy to take.

‘Thank you,' Daisy breathed.

‘Wish Maggie luck,' said Efa.

‘And give her a hug for me,' added Nen.

‘Tell Maggie there's something extra for her hair,' said Aunt Acacia.

‘I will,' said Daisy. ‘Can Vu and Nelli come too? It might help calm Maggie down.'

Nen nodded and the two beetles settled on Daisy's shoulders as she hurried to the gum-leaf and spider-silk change rooms that had been set up for the contestants.

At Maggie's change room, Daisy pulled back a leaf and handed her sister the parcel, giving her the messages from all the family.

‘Everyone's here,' Daisy told her. ‘And they brought a special surprise.'

Maggie squealed in delight as Nelli flew through the gap in the curtain. ‘Thank you, Daisy,' said Maggie. She cuddled Nelli close. ‘I couldn't have done this without you.' Maggie gave Daisy a quick hug. ‘Now, go and get a good seat.'

Daisy found her family at a table close to the stage. The band was ready and waiting. The Festival would be starting soon.

At the surrounding tables were some familiar faces. Daisy waved to Pod. He was sitting with a lady fairy who looked very much like Pea. Lark gave her a thumbs-up from where he sat with two elegantly dressed older fairies.
Most probably his parents
, thought Daisy. Grevillea sat alone.

Nelli landed on the table as an irrepressibly joyful beat began to thrum through the air. The audience clapped in time and seven nervous fairies made their way to the chairs below the stage.

Grebe was the first in line, followed by Pea, a proud smile plastered across her face as she half walked, half skipped, only tripping once over her own feet.

Boronia was next, with the twins behind her. Daisy glanced at Grevillea in time to see her scowl. Behind the twins was Ash, with Maggie the last in line. Her slinky black dress shimmered in the candlelight, perfect in its simplicity.
Thank you, Aunt Acacia
, thought Daisy, noting with delight the white corella feathers that adorned Maggie's long, black hair.

Glancing back at Lark, Daisy noted with amusement that he couldn't take his eyes off her sister.

‘She looks so beautiful,' Nen said.

‘And grown up,' added Efa. ‘Where did my little girl go?'

‘Did you notice the headpiece, Daisy?' asked Aunt Acacia. Daisy grinned.

Once the singers had taken their seats, Waratah flew up to the stage. ‘Good evening, everyone! It is with great pleasure that I introduce . . . Her Majesty, Queen Jasmine.'

The band began to play again, grandly heralding Queen Jasmine's arrival. High up in the canopy, a ball of light, growing larger and brighter by the second, descended towards them.

A small group of fairies flew in a circle, like a guard of honour, around the white-clad Fairy Queen. Each fairy held a softly glowing lantern, lighting up the space around her.

As Queen Jasmine landed on the stage, her guard of honour took off in all directions, the light from their lanterns trailing behind them, like golden petals circling the Queen.

‘What a wonderful night of entertainment we have ahead,' Queen Jasmine announced. ‘I thank you all for coming. Tonight, we shall see the best and brightest of the young fairies Called to music, one of whom will be awarded a life-changing prize.'

A low hum of anticipation flowed through the audience as fairies whispered amongst themselves, wondering what the prize could be.

Queen Jasmine's voice cut across the chatter. ‘But for now, I give you welcome. Let the Songbird Festival begin!'

As Queen Jasmine fluttered to the ground, taking a seat on a throne of twisted branches, Waratah took centre stage again.

‘For the first round of our competition, each fairy will play an instrument of their own creation,' Waratah announced before introducing Grebe, the first fairy to perform.

Grebe tapped out a fast-paced rhythm on a set of gumnut drums. He was good. Very good! Despite feeling nervous for Maggie, Daisy soon found her feet tapping to the rhythm. When Grebe finished, Daisy joined in as the crowd clapped and hooted its appreciation.

Pea followed after Grebe, playing a hollow grass flute. The tone was sweet but the notes were a little shaky. As Pea held the final note, Pod leapt out of his chair.

‘That's
my
daughter,' he shouted, whistling and drumming his hands on the table until Pea's mum pulled him back down.

Boronia seemed very nervous when she took the stage. In her hands was a short, thick stick, with leaves tied over the ends. She shook the stick and a soft, muffled sound, like moving sand, shushed across the audience.

The crowd clapped politely when Boronia left the stage. Daisy noticed sadly that, unlike Pod, Grevillea sat in silence, obviously not pleased with the reaction to her daughter's performance.

Rose and Ella were next to perform, with a most unusual instrument: a long, wooden, hollow box, wider at one end than the other, with small wooden rectangles of varying sizes laid across the top. Placing the box on the stage, the twins knelt behind it. Together, they pounded on the rectangles with padded sticks, creating a complicated melody. The crowd responded enthusiastically, with clapping and cheering from every table.

Next up was Ash, who almost sent the crowd to sleep with his laid-back stick-tapping routine.

Then, finally, it was time for Maggie to perform. Daisy's stomach flip-flopped. With some strong performances from the other contestants, would Maggie's gum leaf be able to compete?

T
here were whispers and chuckles from the watching fairies as Maggie raised the gum leaf to her lips. Uncertainty flickered across her face.

Come on, Maggie
, Daisy willed her sister.
You can do this.

A sharp whistle sounded nearby and a voice yelled, ‘Go, Maggie!'

Daisy turned to see Lark standing, hands cupped around his mouth and a smile in his eyes.

A look of determination came over Maggie's face. She raised the leaf again and blew. A high, pure note rang across the clearing, followed by an addictively foot-tapping melody. Lark began to clap in time, and soon the rest of the audience joined him. Up on the stage, Maggie danced a swirling, quick-stepped jig while she played.

When the final note faded into the air, the audience leapt from their seats, applauding wildly. Daisy, Nen and Acacia cheered, Efa shouted and stamped his feet while Nelli flew loops in delight.

Catching Lark's eye, Daisy mouthed, ‘Thank you,' and was answered with a wink.

Flushed with pleasure, Maggie flew to her seat as Waratah took the stage again.

‘What an amazing first round,' she shouted over the applause. ‘Now that they have you all warmed up, who wants to hear them sing?'

The crowd erupted with shouts and cheers as Grebe took his place at centre stage. When the music began, it was unlike anything that Daisy had ever heard. Driven by a pounding drumbeat, there was a sense of urgency and intensity to it that made her want to leap to her feet.

Grebe's voice began as a low howl, building to a ferocious roar as the beat got faster. Like a physical embodiment of the song itself, he whirled across the stage, stomping his feet. Vu chirped indignantly when Daisy leapt from her seat to join the fairies who danced on the moss beneath the stage to Grebe's infectious beat.

They jumped in time to the rhythm, as the air around them became electric, like a thunderstorm about to hit.

When the song ended, the dancers cheered and whistled their approval, and an exultant Grebe leapt back down the stairs to his seat.

Pea was the next to sing. She landed awkwardly on the stage before turning to face the audience. Daisy smiled reassuringly at her friend, crossing her fingers to wish her luck.

A single flute began to trill, a merry melody, like a bubbling stream. With a cheeky grin, Pea began to sing. Her voice was strong and sweet, bounding across the notes with exuberance and weaving a story – a humorous tale of love gone wrong.

The audience hooted with laughter, cheering and stomping their feet when she was done.

One by one, the other fairies sang. Boronia, with a sweet, pretty voice, sang a song about the waterfall, while the twins, Rose and Ella, sang a boppy duet about loving to dance. Ash's performance was more spoken poetry than actual singing – his rhythmic words casting the audience into a trance.

The audience clapped politely for the other contestants, but none got the reactions of Pea and Grebe.

Then it was Maggie's turn. Taking her place on the stage, Maggie breathed out a long, slow breath, closed her eyes and became still.

An ocarina, like a mournful wind, began to play softly. Swaying in time, Maggie started to sing. Her voice was high and sweet, singing a song of longing for an unattainable dream.

Every fairy fell silent. Whispers were cut off mid-word. All movement ceased as every fairy stopped to listen.

Closing her eyes, Daisy lost herself in the beauty of the music and in her sister's voice, so haunting and pure. Maggie held the last note until it faded to a whisper on the breeze. Daisy opened her eyes and held her breath, waiting for the audience to react.