Copyright © 2005 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
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ISBN: 978-1-4231-5828-8
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Table of Contents
All About Fairies
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IF YOU HEAD toward the second star on your right and fly straight on till morning, you’ll come to Never Land, a magical island where mermaids play and children never grow up.
When you arrive, you might hear something like the tinkling of little bells. Follow that sound and you’ll find Pixie Hollow, the secret heart of Never Land.
A great old maple tree grows in Pixie Hollow, and in it live hundreds of fairies and sparrow men. Some of them can do water magic, others can fly like the wind, and still others can speak to animals. You see, Pixie Hollow is the Never fairies’ kingdom, and each fairy who lives there has a special, extraordinary talent.
Not far from the Home Tree, nestled in the branches of a hawthorn, is Mother Dove, the most magical creature of all. She sits on her egg, watching over the fairies, who in turn watch over her. For as long as Mother Dove’s egg stays well and whole, no one in Never Land will ever grow old.
Once, Mother Dove’s egg was broken. But we are not telling the story of the egg here. Now it is time for Rani’s tale.…
RANI PAUSED At the gleaming metal door to Tinker Bell’s workshop. She bit her lip. I’m not going to cry, she told herself. This time, I’m not. Rani could hear her friend hammering away inside the teapot. Tink was busy, as usual.
Tink was a pots-and-pans-talent fairy, and the best fixer in Pixie Hollow. She could fix almost anything—a ladle that leaked, a stubborn pot that never boiled, a colander that refused to let water run through its holes. Rani was hoping that Tink could fix her problem.
Rani took a deep breath and walked into her friend’s workshop. “Hi, Tink,” she said.
With an impatient frown, Tinker Bell looked up from the copper pot she had been hammering. But when she saw Rani, she smiled, showing her dimples. “Rani!” she said. She put down her hammer. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you—”
“—making the fountain?” Rani finished. She did that sometimes—got excited and finished other fairies’ sentences for them. “It’s because—” Rani stopped.
“Because—” She tried again, but she didn’t get any further before she burst into tears.
“Rani, what’s wrong?” Tink flew over to her friend and patted her gently on the back. Her fingers avoided the place where Rani’s wings used to be. Rani was a wingless fairy—the only one in Pixie Hollow. She had cut off her wings to save Never Land. That made her a hero. It also made her the only fairy who couldn’t fly on her own. A bird named Brother Dove helped her when she needed him.
On the other hand, Rani was the only fairy in Pixie Hollow who could swim. Fairy wings become very, very heavy when they are wet. That’s why fairies never swim—they’d get dragged under the water. And as a water-talent fairy, Rani adored water.
Rani pulled out a damp leafkerchief and blew her nose. Another crystal tear trickled down her face. “Tonight is the Fairy Dance,” she began.
Tink grabbed a handful of fresh leaf-kerchiefs. She always kept some handy in case water-talent fairies came to visit. “I can’t wait,” she said.
The Fairy Dance was the reason she had been working so hard to fix the copper pot. The cooking-talent fairies needed it right away. The pot had recently decided it was a skillet, and served up stack after stack of pancakes, no matter what the cook was trying to make. But the cooking-talent fairies couldn’t serve pancakes at the most important party of the month! Frowning, Tink tapped the pot with her tinker’s hammer, but the dent in its side stubbornly refused to budge.
The Fairy Dance was held once every full moon. That was when the moon was at its fattest, brightest, and merriest. All the talents worked together to make the party the best it could be. The light-talent fairies hung glowworms from the branches of the Home Tree. They also set fireflies loose over the clearing where the dance was held. The baking-talent fairies made stacks of sweet, crisp butter cookies. The cooking-talent fairies made crustless mushroom sandwiches as light as a feather, and acorn caps full of pumpkin soup. The decoration-talent fairies made sure the leaves of the maple trees in Pixie Hollow sparkled. And the water-talent fairies made a fountain at the center of the clearing. The fountain was important because all the fairies danced around it.
Just thinking about the fountain made Rani burst into tears again. She wiped them away impatiently and took a deep breath. “You know I always make the large water jet that goes at the very top of the Fairy Dance fountain,” she started to explain.
“Of course you do,” Tink said. “You make the prettiest jet in all of Pixie Hollow.”
“Well, the other water-talent fairies think Humidia should do it.” Tears filled Rani’s eyes once more. Her nose began to run. “Because I can’t fly. They said Brother Dove’s flapping wings would mess up the shape of the jet when I placed it at the top of the fountain. They said his wings would probably destroy the whole fountain if we went too close!”
Tink tugged on her bangs. She knew how it felt to think you might be losing your talent. It felt awful. “The fountain won’t be the same without your talent. That’s—”
“—terrible,” Rani finished, shaking her head. “I’m a water-talent fairy, and I can’t even help with the water fountain!”
Rani squeezed her leafkerchief, dripping water onto the floor. She dabbed at her overflowing eyes again. Water-talent fairies are as full of liquid as a ripe, juicy berry. They perspire, cry, and sniffle more than other fairies. They just can’t help it.
“Well,” Tink said, “whether or not you work on the fountain, it’s still a party. And you love parties. I’ll save you a spot in the Fairy Dance. Until then, maybe you can use your talent to help another talent.”
“Another talent?” Rani repeated. She pressed her lips together, thinking hard. “I can help the cooking-talent fairies boil the water,” she said. She had done that once or twice before. It wasn’t as much fun as working on the fountain, but it was better than nothing. In fact, maybe she could help the cooking-talent fairies make something delicious to eat. That would be fun, Rani realized. “Thanks, Tink. I’ll go ask right now,” she said as she hurried out the door.
“Don’t mention it!” Tink called.
But Rani didn’t hear her. She was on her way to the kitchen.
Rani stood at the edge of the fairy circle and sighed. She had already been to the huge kitchen in the Home Tree. She had asked if she could help the cooking-talent fairies boil water. But they had told Rani that the food was already prepared. Then Rani had come to the clearing to see if she could help another talent. But everything was already done. There was nothing left for her to do.
A long table was heaped with all sorts of treats the cooking- and baking-talent fairies had whipped up. There were cream tarts, sticky muffins, and platters of mushroom sandwiches. The polishing-talent fairies had shined the forks, spoons, and knives until they gleamed. The table-setting-talent fairies were putting them out. The gardening-talent fairies
had cleared the grounds and planted bright blue pansies around the edges. The light-talent fairies had already placed the glowworms. The fireflies were gathering nearby.
“Moon and stars! The fountain looks beautiful, Rani,” said a voice.
Rani turned and saw Fira smiling at her. Her eyes were twinkling. Fira, also known as Moth, was a light-talent fairy. She glowed more brightly than a normal Never fairy. Even the tips of her long, dark hair sparkled.
Fira looked back at the fountain. She paused thoughtfully. Fira often considered her words carefully before she spoke. “I just wish I could find a way to light it up,” she said finally. “But whenever I try to get a flame near the water, it—”
“—goes out, I know,” Rani agreed.
“Still, it looks very good,” Fira said.
Rani sighed. “Thanks, but I didn’t have anything to do with it. I can’t fly, so Humidia took my job.”
“Oh, Rani,” Fira said.
Rani turned away. Tears prickled in her eyes—again.
“Try not to worry,” Fira said. “You’ll go to the dance tonight and have a wonderful time.” She snapped, and a spark flew from her fingers. It swirled above their heads for a moment, then blinked out. “Dancing will help you forget all about the fountain.”
Rani looked into Fira’s smiling dark eyes, which shone with happy pinpoints of light. She knew Fira was trying to help. Rani gave her a watery smile.
Fira could see that her friend was still feeling sad. “Don’t forget that you saved Mother Dove’s egg,” Fira pointed out. “You have more than one talent, Rani.”
But there’s only one talent I want, Rani thought. Still, she knew there was no point in arguing. Humidia had made the fountain’s jet. That was all there was to it. Now Rani had to try to enjoy the Fairy Dance as well as she could.
“Thanks, Fira,” Rani said after a moment. “I’ll see you tonight at the dance.”
“DOWN THERE, BROTHER Dove!” Rani said excitedly. She leaned forward to peer over Brother Dove’s neck as he swooped toward the fairy circle.
The fireflies winked. They—along with the glowworms—sent a soft light through the clearing. The fairy fountain sparkled at the center. It was tall, rising almost as high as the trunk of the sycamore that stood nearby. The music-talent fairies were already tuning their grass-reed instruments. Rani bit her lip. She was a little late.
Brother Dove started toward a spot just under the trees where several branches met. Stars twinkled in the gaps between the leaves. Fairies flitted about, forming three circles and practicing their cartwheels for the dance. Even nasty Vidia smiled as she watched from a short distance away.
“There she is!” Rani cried. She had spotted Tink hovering between Beck, an animal-talent fairy, and Terence, a dust-talent sparrow man.
Just then, the music-talent fairies struck up the first notes of the Fairy Dance melody.
“Hurry!” Rani cried. “The dance is starting!” She wanted to take her usual place near Tink in the outer circle.
There were three circles in the Fairy Dance. All three circled in midair around the fairy fountain. The inner circle was the smallest and the easiest to dance in. The youngest fairies danced in this circle until they learned the dance. Then there was a middle circle. That was for fairies who knew the dance but weren’t experts. The outer circle was the largest. It was also the hardest to dance in. There was a lot of twirling, flipping, and cartwheeling.
Sometimes, the outer-circle dancers changed direction and danced in the opposite way from the fairies in the middle circle. It was like what Clumsies called a square dance, only it was round. It was also much more difficult. All three circles were in constant motion, moving one way and then another and switching dancers.
Rani loved dancing in the outer circle. A fairy had to dance very quickly to keep up with the music. If she didn’t keep up, she lost her place in the circle. Then she had to wait until the next song to dance again. This time, however, it would be different for Rani—she’d be on Brother Dove’s back.
Brother Dove flew toward the outer circle of fairies. Luckily, there was no breeze that night. A gust of wind could make the dancers bump into each other.
“Rani! Over here!” Tink called. She and Beck flipped from the outer circle to the center circle, then out again. Terence was right beside Tink. He’s going to crash into someone if he isn’t careful, Rani thought. He’s paying more attention to Tink than to the other dancers around him!
With two quick flaps of his wings, Brother Dove shot toward where Tink was doing a midair flip. But the musicians had reached the fastest part of the song. The fairies’ wings were moving so fast they were humming.
“Fly me here!” the fairies sang as everyone turned a cartwheel to the left. Clap-clap-clap! “Fly me there!” Cartwheel to the right, and clap-clap-clap!
Rani knew she should be grateful to Brother Dove even to be a part of the Fairy Dance. But she couldn’t help feeling left out as the other fairies flipped and zipped from one circle to the next. Since Brother Dove was so much bigger than the fairies, he kept to the outer circle. Still, it was nice to join in the dance.—
“Whoa!” Rani cried. She stopped clapping to hold tightly to the soft, downy feathers at Brother Dove’s neck as he did a little flip of his own. “Over there!” Rani pointed to the far side of the outer circle. Tink had flipped out of the inner circle and was now on the other side.
Rani stood up as Brother Dove flapped toward Tink. This was her favorite part of the dance. Kick and kick, then jump, jump, jump! A light little leap, then twirl to your right.—
My feet haven’t forgotten, Rani thought. She started to move in time to the music. I may not have wings, but I can still dance! Rani grinned and twirled to her right—
Oh, no!
With a cry, Rani felt her foot slip from Brother Dove’s back. She flailed her arms. A moment later, she plunged into empty space.
“Rani!” Tinker Bell shouted. She dove after her friend.
“Tink!” Terence cried. Around him, the dance turned into a jumble. Fairies crashed into each other.
The green grass of the clearing rushed up to meet Rani as she fell toward the ground. She didn’t even have time to scream before she felt a yank on her arm. Her fall slowed slightly.
“Thanks, Tink!” Rani said with a gasp. But Tink wasn’t strong enough to stop her. Now they were both falling.
There was another dreadful yank as Terence caught Tink under the arms and struggled to hold her up.
Screams and gasps came from the fairies. Terence, Tink, and Rani crashed through the fountain, shattering it. Water showered everywhere. But they were moving more slowly now. Seconds later, Fira caught Rani’s other arm. The strength of all three fairies was enough. They set Rani down gently on the soft green grass.
For a moment, everything was silent. Rani looked around at the wreck she had caused. There was a floating knot of fairies whose wings had gotten tangled up. A sparrow man had plunged facefirst into a pot of pumpkin soup. One of Terence’s wings was bent, and half of Tink’s hair had come loose from her ponytail. All that was left of the fountain was a damp puddle on the grass. Rani’s brand-new violet-petal dress was torn.
The musicians were quiet. The only sound Rani could hear was the beat of Brother Dove’s wings as he landed beside her.
Tink’s large blue eyes looked worried. “Rani, are you okay?”
Rani felt the hot tears begin to flow down her face. She whispered, “I didn’t mean to—”
“Didn’t mean to?” a voice interrupted. Cruel Vidia—the fastest of the fast-flying-talent fairies—flew down to land beside Rani. Tinker Bell folded her arms across her chest and glared at Vidia.
“Darling, you must understand that we’re all simply worried about you,” Vidia went on with a touch too much sugar in her voice. Her red lips curled into a smile. “Why, a fairy with no wings couldn’t hope to be a part of the Fairy Dance,” Vidia said. “I’m surprised you even tried.”
&n
bsp; “Be quiet, Vidia,” Fira snapped. “She was doing fine until—”
“Until she ruined the entire thing, including her own talent’s fountain?” Vidia finished. “Sweetie, it isn’t your fault that you wrecked the dance,” she said to Rani. “We all understand that you were only trying to belong. But you have to accept the fact that without your wings, you’re useless.”
“Vidia—” Tink growled. She balled her tiny fists in rage.
But Rani didn’t hear the end of Tink’s sentence. She had already started running. She didn’t stop even when she heard Tinker Bell calling her name.
RANI SAT BENEATH a tall willow tree, weeping. She cried until there was a puddle all around her. She cried until she had no more tears left. This had never happened to Rani before. She’d always been full of water.
When her sobs ended, the dark woods were silent. Rani was in a part of the forest she didn’t know. “I should go back to the Home Tree,” she said aloud. Her voice skipped between the trees and disappeared into the blackness of the night. Rani took a step toward the Home Tree. She could picture its comforting branches, the brightly lit rooms full of fairies.
Rani sighed. “They don’t want me,” she said, feeling sorry for herself. But where else could she go? “Well,” she reasoned, “I can’t go back. So I might as well go forward.” And with that, she turned and walked farther into the woods.
Past the tall, dark trees and beyond a moonlit clearing, Rani came to a little trickling branch of Havendish Stream. She picked up a small pebble and dropped it into the water. Then she walked to the edge of the stream and stepped in up to her ankles.
The cool, clear water ran over her tired feet. She felt her mood lift. With a kick, Rani splashed a frog that was sitting by the side of the stream. She laughed as he croaked and flopped into the water.
Rani splashed around a little longer, then made her way back to shore. She was just about to step out of the stream when she saw it—a pretty little birch-bark canoe. Water-talent fairies sometimes used them to go exploring. This one looked as if it had been swept downstream when a careless fairy didn’t tie it up properly.