Celia and the Fairies Read online

  Grammy’s words—she can only see things from her point of view—echoed in Celia’s brain, and suddenly she knew her wish. Lifting the flute to her lips, she softly breathed into the blowhole. Immediately, a stream of music swirled around her, filling her heart with joy. Oh, such a beautiful melody! She tingled with anticipation, like coming down the stairs first thing Christmas morning.

  Then she spoke. “I wish,” Celia said solemnly, “that Vicky McClutchy’s heart will soften so she’ll always feel how other people feel.” She glanced up at Mira, who nodded approvingly.

  Vicky jolted upright. Her eyes snapped shut, and she stood perfectly still. A few moments later, when she opened her eyes, her face had softened. The sharp chin and narrowed eyes had been replaced by an expression of wide-eyed wonder. To Celia, it looked as if the mean part of her personality had melted away, revealing a completely different sort of person underneath. “My goodness,” Vicky said, glancing around the clearing, “It’s awfully late for someone your age to be out in the woods. I bet you’d love to be home in bed right now.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Celia didn’t fall asleep right away. She lay in bed for a long time, thinking over the night’s events. Vicky McClutchy had walked her home, talking kindly to her the whole way. At first Celia thought it might be a trick. She waited for Vicky to revert back to her old self, snatching the flute away and threatening her again, but that never happened. Instead she asked questions about Paul. Celia found it easy to chat about Paul and their school. Vicky didn’t seem to know much about her own nephew. She was surprised, for instance, to hear that Paul had a birthday coming up in a week. “What kinds of things does he like?” Vicky asked.

  Celia shrugged. “The usual boy stuff, I guess. Big water guns and science kits and spy stuff. He said his mom might have his birthday party at a hotel pool so everyone could swim, but he said that last year and it didn’t work out.”

  “Hmmm,” Vicky said.

  When they got to Celia’s back door, Vicky leaned over and said, “Would you do me a favor? Could you tell your grandmother I’m sorry I had her flute for so long?”

  “Okay, I will,” Celia said, putting her hand on the knob.

  Vicky said, “She was always so nice to me when I was a little girl. I used to come over here so much that this house was practically a second home for me.”

  This was news to Celia, who nodded and said, “Thanks for walking me home.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I’m not sure what got into me. It’s funny, but I feel completely different now.” Vicky reminded Celia to lock up once she was inside, and they exchanged good-byes. Celia watched from the window and saw Vicky walk away with a spring in her step, her fingertips resting on Clem’s head. It had been a long, peculiar night.

  Later Celia dreamt Mira came into her room and whispered in her ear, “Well done, Celia. Tonight you have proven to be a brave and smart girl, outstanding in every way, every bit as special as your grandmother, the original Celia. The Watchful Woods fairies are forever grateful and will be at your service if ever there’s a need.”

  The dream felt so real that when Celia woke up in the morning, she half expected the fairy girl to be sitting on her pillow. But she was alone, and it was Saturday. The sun had been up for a long while. Her alarm clock said ten o’clock, the latest she’d ever slept.

  She put on her slippers and meandered downstairs, where she found her grandmother, parents, and Vicky McClutchy in the living room drinking coffee. “Here’s our little sleepyhead,” her mother said, setting down her mug and holding out her arms. “Come here, sweetie.” Celia sat between her parents on the couch and took in the whole scene. Her heart thumped. Was Vicky here to tell her parents about last night? She hoped not.

  “Celia, this lady is Vicky McClutchy,” Grammy said. “She’s Paul’s aunt, and she went to school with your father.”

  “It’s nice to meet you?” Celia said, her voice squeaky and unsure.

  Vicky smiled. “I’m glad to meet you too. I saw you at the house with Paul the other day, but we weren’t properly introduced.”

  “Vicky’s not staying for long,” her father said. “She just dropped in and said she had some good news. Your grandmother invited her in for coffee while I was taking out the garbage.” He put his arm around Celia’s shoulders. “Apparently Ms. McClutchy had some kind of epiphany last night.” Celia recognized the sarcasm in his voice. She looked around the room and saw a different emotion on each adult’s face. Her mother appeared hopeful, her father doubtful, and Vicky eager. Only her grandmother looked like her usual self, relaxed and open.

  “What’s an epiphany?” Celia asked.

  “An epiphany is when you have a sudden understanding of something that hadn’t been clear to you before,” Grammy said. “It’s a very good thing.”

  “A sudden understanding,” Vicky said. “That’s exactly what happened.” She smiled shyly and took a sip of coffee.

  “Please, don’t make us wait any longer,” her father said flatly. “We’re all in suspense here.”

  “I couldn’t sleep all night,” Vicky said. “I realized that I’ve made some big mistakes, and I want to be a different person, a better person. I want to fix things I’ve done in the past. To start with, I’m going to reverse the county board’s decision to seize your property for the new highway. Instead, we’ll just expand the old highway on the other side of town. Your house and land won’t be affected at all.”

  Celia’s mother clasped her hands together. “Oh, thank goodness.” She let out a sigh of relief.

  Dad held up his hand. “Not so fast. What’s the catch?”

  “There’s no catch.”

  He laughed. “Sorry to be skeptical, but you have a reputation for double-crossing. Let’s just say I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  Vicky’s face fell, and it almost looked like, well—could it be that she blinked back tears? “I understand that given our past history you don’t believe me, but I give you my word this time. Your house is safe. Not only that, but I’ll make a motion to change the old law so it can’t happen again.”

  “And in exchange for all this generosity, you want what?” Celia’s father leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees. “A million dollars, my company, a kidney? What will it be, Vicky?”

  “I only want one thing,” Vicky said.

  “Here we go,” he said, turning to Celia’s mother.

  “I would like,” she said, speaking slowly, “your forgiveness.”

  This was not what her father was expecting. The room was silent until Grammy said, “Forgiveness for what, dear?”

  “For everything I’ve ever done to hurt you or anyone else. In the past I’ve been selfish and cruel. I realize that now. I can’t undo the past, but if you will forgive me, Jonathan, I promise I will be different from now on.”

  Dad didn’t say anything. Celia saw that he was trying to make sense of Vicky’s remarkable transformation. It was hard for him to trust someone who’d never been trustworthy before.

  Vicky said, “If you want some time to think it over, I understand.”

  Her father said, “Yes, I definitely need some time to process this.”

  Vicky looked like Paul did when Celia didn’t want to come over after school anymore. “Okay.”

  Celia’s stomach rumbled from hunger, but she didn’t budge. She wasn’t going to miss any of this. “Vicky, dear,” her grandmother said, “didn’t you say you brought something for Jonathan?”

  “Oh yes.” She reached down to open a canvas bag on the floor near her feet. “I have something that belongs to you, and I need to return it.” She pulled out a large silver trophy the size of a blender. The top was a miniature replica of the planet Earth, revolving on an axis.

  “The National Science Fair trophy?” her father said, his eyes widening.

  “It really belongs to you. You won, fair and square,” Vicky said. “I changed the judges’ scor
ecards so I came out ahead. You were the real winner.”

  Her father stared, incredulous. “I knew it. I knew you did something. I just couldn’t figure out what it was.”

  Vicky got up and handed the trophy to him. “I took the nameplate off. I’ll have a new one made up with your name and information on it.”

  Her father tentatively fingered the Earth, making it spin. “But the records still list you as the winner that year.”

  “I know. I’m going to notify them and let them know I cheated so they can correct the records,” Vicky said.

  “You and McClutchy Toys are really well known. This will probably get picked up by the news media.” Even as he talked, her father kept his eyes on the trophy.

  “Yes, I’ve thought of that,” Vicky said. “Once it gets out, everyone will know I cheated. It will make me look bad.”

  “Why do it then?” her father asked. “This was a long time ago. Except for me, there probably aren’t many people who even remember or care about that science fair.”

  Vicky smiled, and this time it was a joyful smile. “I want to do it because it’s the right thing to do. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it’s always right.” She turned to Grammy. “Isn’t that what you used to always say?”

  Grammy laughed. “I didn’t know anyone was listening.”

  “I was listening,” Vicky said. “It just took a long time to sink in. Better late than never, I guess.”

  The mood in the room had changed like the sun coming out after a storm. The conversation turned to more boring topics. Celia’s grandmother talked about planting flowers now that the weather was warmer. Vicky and Celia’s mother chatted about the neighborhood and how Celia and Paul’s school had changed over the years. “When we went there, all the playground equipment was metal and there was gravel underneath. Remember how hot that slide got, Jonathan?” Vicky said, but Celia’s father was so preoccupied with the trophy he could only murmur an affirmative. Celia put out a finger to touch it, and her father snapped out of his trance to give her a grin.

  When the coffee mugs were empty, Vicky announced that she had to leave. “I need to go have a heart-to-heart talk with my sister and her family,” she said. “Thank you for your hospitality and for allowing me to speak my piece.”

  “Thank you for your change of heart,” Celia’s mother said.

  They all escorted her to the front door. Vicky had the empty canvas bag under one arm, while her father held his trophy. “You don’t have your car here?” Grammy asked, peering out the front door.

  “Oh no, I walked,” Vicky said. “There’s something nice about being out in the fresh air. It really clears your head, don’t you think, Celia?” She winked. As quick as a static shock, there was a jolt of recognition between them, an affirmation of the secret they shared. Last night really happened, Celia thought happily. I did all this. I fixed everything.

  Vicky was halfway down the walk when Celia’s father suddenly rushed out the door after her. “Vicky, wait!” he yelled.

  Celia watched as her father and Vicky exchanged a few words. When Vicky reached forward to shake hands, her father ignored the gesture and pulled her into a hug instead.

  “What in the world is he doing?” her mother asked.

  Grammy put an arm around Celia’s shoulder and said, “He’s forgiving her.”

  The look on his face when he returned to the house was one of pure jubilation. “Ladies,” he said, coming in the door, “I think we have just witnessed a miracle.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  In the weeks afterwards, life settled back to normal. There were no more fairy sightings or dreams, and Celia’s grandmother didn’t seem very interested in talking about Mira and the fairy world.

  Most upsetting, the flute, still on its chain, had disappeared. Celia searched everywhere, including the hiding space under the floorboards, but it was nowhere to be found. Her mother, the only one prone to tidying up and moving things, said she hadn’t seen it. It had vanished. Grammy said the fairies had probably reclaimed it. After all, Celia had used her turn at the wishing magic, so it was no good to her anymore. But without the flute as proof, it sometimes seemed like her adventure in the woods had never happened at all.

  Celia spent the first morning of summer vacation at Paul’s watching a team of excavators dig an enormous hole in his backyard. One digging machine scooped up all the dirt to one side, while another lifted the pile into a large truck. A man, dressed in coveralls, stood between the two machines pointing and yelling instructions.

  It was hard to imagine that in just a few weeks this crater would be an in-ground swimming pool with a water slide and diving board—a birthday gift to Paul from his aunt Vicky. “It’s gonna cost thousands and thousands of dollars!” Paul had told Celia when he first got the news. “My mom choked on her iced tea when she heard.”

  The morning of the groundbreaking, Celia and Paul sat cross-legged just inside the patio door. A front row seat, said Paul’s mother, and plenty close for the two of them. Paul would have preferred to be outside, right by the action, but his parents had decided it was far too dangerous.

  By the time Celia’s mother came to pick them up, the morning was over and the hole nearly finished. The two friends had eaten sandwiches and chips in their spot by the patio window just before noon. Watching had been fun at first, but for Celia, it had gotten monotonous. Now they were going to spend the afternoon at Lovejoy World, to see her father present his newest toy creation.

  When they arrived, the factory was buzzing with excitement, but Celia’s father wasn’t in sight. Her mother left Paul and Celia with the employees in the main area and set off to find him. Today, folding chairs filled what was usually an open area, and a small table at the front held something covered with a white cloth. The workers waited excitedly for the great unveiling. In the meantime, they were laughing and talking and dancing to music. J.J., the boy who usually pushed the broom, was trying to juggle, without much success. Everyone was eager to find out about the company’s new toy.

  In the past, Mr. Lovejoy’s announcements were always greeted with enthusiasm. Usually his ideas were developed with the help of everyone in the company, but this time, he and Manuel, the electronics wizard, had worked on it in secret. Even Celia’s mother had no idea what they’d come up with. Celia overheard one of the plush department ladies say the anticipation was killing her.

  “Hey, Celia,” called out Marge. “Come here and sit with us. I baked your favorite.” Celia and Paul went to sit in the front row, where they were handed brownies and cups of punch.

  “This place is so cool,” said Paul, chewing and swinging his legs.

  “I told you,” Celia said.

  “Attention, everybody, attention!” Her father strode to the front of the room, followed by Manuel and her mother. J.J. dropped the juggling balls, and they bounced to the back of the room. Someone turned off the music.

  “I want to thank all of you for being here today, and every day,” said Dad, standing behind the table. “Without all of you wonderful people, there would be no Lovejoy World, and the kids of the world would be missing out on a lot of great toys and games.” The room exploded in applause and cheering. Celia’s father held up a hand for silence. “Today I asked you all here to see our newest toy. I was inspired by my daughter,” here he bowed in Celia’s direction, “and by a dream I had one night. My newest invention was built in honor of Celia.” Marge reached over and squeezed Celia’s arm, while Paul whispered in her ear asking what it was. Celia shrugged to show she didn’t know. “Without further ado, I give you—” He pulled the cloth off the box. “The Lovejoy Magic Wand Flute Necklace!”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  That night at dinner, her father was still talking about his new invention. “I wish you had been there, Mother,” he said to Grammy. “Celia was so stunned, she was speechless!” Gleefully he explained how he had noticed the flute necklace on Celia’s dresser. When he realized it didn’t wo
rk, he took it in to have Manuel fix it as a surprise. The very next night, he dreamt of Celia playing the flute out in the woods. “Except it wasn’t just a flute!” he said. “In my dream, beautiful sparks flew out of it and the music was incredible. When I woke up, I got the idea that it could be a flute, magic wand, and necklace all in one. It’s the perfect toy because it has multiple uses: musical instrument, decoration, and pretend. Manuel and I got to work on a prototype right away. It didn’t take much for him to implant a computer chip that activated a light show when the flute is played. He’s an electronics genius, you know.”

  “So what did you do with Celia’s flute?” Grammy said. “You do know it was mine when I was little and I gave it to her myself?”

  “Yes, I figured as much. I remembered seeing that old flute around when I was a kid,” he said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have it anymore. It turned out we couldn’t fix it after all. And then we sawed it apart to see how it was constructed, and when we tried to weld the pieces back together it didn’t work. It was the darndest thing. Good thing it was broken already, so it wasn’t much of a loss.” Her father looked sheepish. “Don’t worry, Celia, you’ll get the very first Lovejoy Magic Wand Flute Necklace that comes off the assembly line. I invented it in your honor, so that’s only right.”

  That night when her parents came up to say good night, she told them not to turn on the nightlight. “Are you sure?” her mother asked, exchanging a look with her father.

  “I’m sure,” Celia said. “I don’t need it anymore.”

  “Okay then,” her mother said.

  “If you change your mind, just holler,” her father said after he’d adjusted the covers around her shoulders. They each gave her a kiss.

  When they left the room, Celia heard her mother say with a sigh, “She’s growing up so fast. Soon enough she won’t want us to tuck her in anymore either.”