FIVE

A CRY CAME from the other side of the kitchen. “Tink! Is that you? Come here!”

Tink flew off. Prilla started after her and collided with a fairy carrying a sack of hayseed flour. Both of them wound up covered with flour.

“I’m sorry,” Prilla said.

The fairy said, “Nobody says sorry,” and flew away.

Prilla dusted herself off while wondering what they did say. She began to fly after Tink but stopped mid-flutter. Tink was being embraced by a fairy who was standing in a coconut-shell tub and weeping.

The weeping fairy was Rani, the most ardent of the water-talent fairies.

Improbably, the two were fast friends. Three years before, Rani had brought Tink an egg poacher to fix. She had praised Tink’s repair so enthusiastically that Tink had been won over.

“The coating cracked!” Rani wailed.

Prilla came close and hovered behind Tink.

“What—” Tink began.

“—cracked?” Rani said, finishing the question she thought Tink was asking.

Tink shook her head. “—did you do to your wings?”

Prilla stared. Rani’s wings were covered with what looked like dried and flaking mucus.

“It’s just egg, for waterproofing.” Rani blew her nose on a leafkerchief. “Now my wings have to be washed, and I won’t be able to fly tonight.”

Rani wanted desperately to swim. Never fairies can’t, you know. Their wings absorb water and drag them under.

She had persuaded a baking-talent fairy to coat her wings with beaten egg. She’d hoped the egg would make them waterproof. So, when the egg had dried, she’d climbed into the tub and lowered her wings into the water. At first, all was well. But as soon as she’d moved a wing, its coating had cracked.

Tink began, “At least you didn’t use a—”

“—balloon.” Rani started laughing so hard she was weeping again. Because of her talent, Rani cried easily, sweated easily, and her nose tended to run. As she herself put it, she was as full of water as a watermelon.

She said, “I’ll never try to swim with a balloon again.”

Tink said, “Maybe not a balloon…” She smiled.

Prilla hadn’t seen Tink smile before. Tink had dimples! And when she smiled, she looked like someone you didn’t have to be afraid of talking to.

Tink went on. “But you’ll try something—”

“—else.” Rani smiled back. “Probably.” She noticed Prilla. “You’re the new fairy! Just in time for the celebration!” She wondered why the child wasn’t with her whole talent, trying things out. And why did she look sad? “I’m Rani. Fly with you. Everyone is so glad you’ve come.”

Prilla thought, Nobody seems glad. “Fly with you. I’m Prilla.” She braced herself for the talent question.

Rani stepped out of the tub. “I have the worst talent, Prilla. It’s breaking my heart. I hope you’re not a water-talent fairy.”

Prilla shrugged. She wished she were.

Rani looked questioningly at Tink.

Tink’s smile vanished. “She doesn’t know what her talent—”

“—is. Really?” Rani thought, Oh, the poor child. She said, “Lucky you. You can try them all out.”

Prilla felt like the least lucky fairy in Never Land. What if she tried them all and had none?

“Let’s see if you have a water talent,” Rani said. “Come closer to the tub.”

Prilla landed and approached the tub. If only, she thought. If only I could be a water-talent fairy.

“Watch.” Rani brushed a grain or two of fairy dust from her wrist into the water. Then she reached into the tub and scooped up a handful of water.

Prilla’s eyes widened. The water didn’t run through Rani’s fingers. Instead, it stayed in her hand, a ball of water.

With her free hand, Rani pinched the water here and pulled it there until it took the shape of a fish with a gaping mouth. She passed her hand over it, and its scales gleamed gold and its eyes turned iridescent.

Prilla drew in a breath. Tink’s smile returned.

Rani said, “That takes practice. This too.” She balled up the water again and tilted her hand. The ball dropped into the tub, but stayed a ball. She raised her hand a little, and the ball rose to meet it. In a moment she was bouncing the water ball into the tub and out again.

Prilla wanted to shout her delight or turn a somersault.

Rani threw the ball into the air and caught it. Again. Again. Then she missed. The water ball landed on the floor, rolled an inch, and stopped near Prilla’s feet.

Prilla drew back a step.

“Try picking it up,” Rani said. “If you have a talent for water, you’ll be able to.”

Prilla’s hands trembled. Please let me be a water-talent fairy, she thought.

She bent over and reached for the water ball.