Dropping onto a forest floor, Jazmine's first thought after her topsy-turvy journey through rainbow light was, "I'm huge!" She had landed on her feet in a small clearing surrounded by ponderosa pines. From her new stature, she was amazed at how the dirt, stones, tuffs of grass, and shrubs looked so different from a human's perspective. Instead of feeling protected by nature, she felt exposed and vulnerable.
A rustling caught her attention. Seeing the reason for the sound, she smiled. A family of four deer cautiously sniffed the air and slowly approached.
"Everything's okay, deer family; I'm the fairy Boss-at-the-Top sent for you to lead out of the forest."
Reassured by her voice, twin fawns ventured closer. Reaching out, she patted each in turn and introduced herself. "My name is Jazmine, but you can call me Jazzy. My assignment is to help a little boy named Jake Lucas. Will you take me to the parking lot of the High Desert Museum?"
With a nod of their heads, the deer family of one accord turned and pranced back through the forest. Jazmine's heart thumped as she followed. Her assignment had begun in earnest. She followed the deer to the edge of the trees. From the tree line, a road could be seen. The deer remained hidden, but Jazmine was so curious she walked to the edge of the road.
"So this is a highway." She knelt to feel the pavement. Just then a large vehicle whizzed past and blasted a loud noise. Several smaller vehicles followed that one, also filling the air with shrill blasts of sound.
Jazmine ran back behind the trees. From a safe distance, she watched vehicles of every shape and size speed past. After the last one, the deer family suddenly leapt from the covering of pines and bounded across the highway. Jazmine watched and then remembered she was supposed to follow them.
Racing toward the other side, she saw another vehicle fast approaching. She ran faster. The car made a terrible screeching noise and came to a halt at the side of the road. Jazmine stood on the other side watching a man jump from his vehicle that she now remembered was called a car. He appeared to be very angry as he stalked toward her. Jazmine took a step backward. What was the angry man going to do?
"Are you some kind of nut, lady? Do you realize I almost ran you over? What the hell are you doing running across the highway? I should call the police on my cell phone! You're a danger not only to yourself, but to others! What were you thinking?"
Jazmine watched the angry man's gestures as he closed in on her. She shrank back some more. "I…I'm looking for the High Desert Museum parking lot."
"Lady, the museum is through the trees behind you, but the main entrance is farther down the highway. For the love of God, how did you get here? Where's your car?"
"I don't have a car. I'm supposed to be picked up by a taxi in the parking lot of the High Desert Museum. Do you know Boss-at-the-Top, too?"
"What?"
"You said, 'for the love of God.' So do you know Boss-at-the-Top, too?"
Jazmine saw confusion in the man's eyes. He inhaled a deep breath. "What's your name?"
"Jazmine."
"Where are you from?"
"The forest."
The man scratched his head. "You said a taxi is waiting for you. Where are you going?"
"Bend, Oregon."
"Where in Bend?"
"My home."
"Where is your home?"
"In Bend."
"My God…where in Bend?"
"I don't know; the taxi is taking me there."
The man uttered a profanity.
"You shouldn't talk like that."
"You're making it difficult not to."
Jazmine opened her mouth to speak, but could think of no reply. Turning on her heel, she started walking toward what she hoped was the museum parking lot.
"You're going the wrong way."
She stopped, glanced around, and saw the deer family a short distance away. She started toward them.
After several steps, the rude man called again, "Hey lady, I'm sorry, okay? Look, why don't you let me take you to someone who can help you? Do you have a phone number of family or friends?"
Jazmine turned back around. "No, I am perfectly capable of completing my assignment. Boss-at-the-Top wouldn't have sent me if he didn't have faith in me. Good day."
"Suit yourself, lady. I don't have time to play word games."
Jazmine ran toward the waiting deer. The man's words and presence were unnerving and she had wasted precious time talking to him. When she heard his automobile roar; however, the temptation to turn and watch him drive away was irresistible. She watched until his car disappeared in the distance.
Stumbling backwards over a rock, she regained her footing and started toward the deer family again. They leapt into the forest.
"Wait!" Jazmine ran after them. When she reached the spot where the deer had disappeared, a glint of reflected sunlight caught her attention. Rounding a stand of pines, she saw a parking lot a short distance away.
"Yes!" she shouted to the trees. There were several dozen cars and she searched for a taxi. One of the classes taught at Fairies-in-Training School had been about taxis. They were yellow in color, and cost a lot of green paper that was called "money" to ride in. Money had been another subject exhaustively covered. Teacher-fairy had reiterated over and over that it was impossible to operate in the human realm without it. In a panic, Jazmine reached into first one pocket, and then the other of her human clothing. Relieved, she pulled out a wad of green paper. Shaking her head in disbelief, she frowned at the significance humans had given it.
Returning her attention to the parking lot, she looked for a yellow vehicle with a sign on top that said, TAXI.
After scanning the parking lot twice, she was disappointed. There were no yellow TAXI cars.
"Hey lady! You lookin' fer a cab?"
Jazmine turned toward a short man with a big belly standing beside a blue vehicle. The door was painted with the word, TAXI.
"Why isn't your car yellow if it's a taxi? And why isn't there a sign on top," she asked when she reached him.
He gave her a strange look, and replied, "I'm breakin' the mold."
Jazmine didn't understand his answer. But instead of wasting time pursuing understanding, she decided it was more important for her to reach her destination. "I want to go to Bend."
"Okay, hop in."
"Huh?"
"Hop in. Let's go. I got another stop to make after I drop you off."
Puzzled, Jazmine walked to the door he held open and, with difficulty, hopped while lowering herself into the back seat.
The taxi driver muttered something unintelligible and slammed the door. He opened his own door and slid inside. "Where to, lady?"
"Bend."
"Yeah, okay. Where in Bend?"
"Oh, um…" Jazmine tried to recall the address she had memorized from her instructions. "The address is…the address is…"
"Any day, lady."
"No, I need to go there today.
"Go where, lady?"
"Bend, Oregon."
The man turned around and his face was so red that Jazmine felt concerned for his health.
"Where in Bend?" he said slowly and evenly.
"Oh, I got it now…I want to go to 1111 Airplane Butte Circle."
"Where?"
"Oops, I mean—Pilot Butte Circle. Sir, are you feeling okay?"