7

Pearl and Ben had been to Dr. Woo’s office a number of times, so they were not surprised to find it cluttered as usual. Crates and boxes were stacked randomly. Weird things floated in jars. There were skeletons and fossils, feathers and shells, and books. Lots and lots of books.

Dr. Woo sat behind her massive, carved desk. Her long black hair cascaded over the shoulders of her white lab coat. Despite the late hour, she was wearing her work clothes, just like Mr. Tabby was. Pearl no longer stared at the scars on the doctor’s face and neck. They now seemed as normal as freckles.

“Sorry to get you both out of bed,” she said as she took a sip from her coffee mug. “Did you enjoy your ride?”

“Oh yes!” Pearl said. “It was the best ever.”

Ben nodded enthusiastically. Then he added, “But a seat belt would have been nice. There were a couple of times when I thought I might slip off.”

“Good to know.” Dr. Woo took another sip, then set her mug aside. “So, where is she?” Pearl placed the saltshaker on Dr. Woo’s desk. “I assume you’d like to be released,” Dr. Woo said to the fairy. The fairy jumped up and down. “Do you promise to be good?” The fairy nodded. “Mr. Tabby, will you please secure the door?” He closed the office door but remained there, as if guarding it.

Pearl and Ben watched eagerly as Dr. Woo slowly unscrewed the saltshaker’s lid. As soon as it was removed, the fairy unfurled her wings and popped out the top as if jumping off a trampoline. Then she zipped around the room so fast she was nothing more than a blur. Even though it was difficult to see her, there was no avoiding her piercing, high-pitched whine. She whipped around Dr. Woo, Mr. Tabby, and Ben. Then she came straight at Pearl.

“Ouch!” Pearl cried, grabbing her earlobe. “She bit me!”

“You are lucky she only bit you once,” Mr. Tabby said. “She appears to be enraged.”

“But I was just keeping her safe,” Pearl explained. The fairy hovered in front of Pearl’s face, motioning wildly with her arms and hands. “Now what’s she doing?” Pearl asked.

“Most likely she is trying to turn you into something unpleasant,” Mr. Tabby said. “A toad, a bat, or a flea, perhaps.”

“A flea?”

“Don’t worry,” Dr. Woo said with a dismissive wave. “Fairy magic will not work in the Known World.”

“That’s good news,” Pearl grumbled as she rubbed her throbbing earlobe. But it didn’t seem fair that the creature was mad at her when she’d simply been trying to help.

The fairy landed on the desk and kept squealing. Dr. Woo sighed. “Mr. Tabby, would you please turn on the translator?”

Mr. Tabby pulled out his creature calculator, a device he used when identifying, treating, and locating various creatures. He set it next to the fairy, then pushed a button. Immediately, the squealing was absorbed into the device, then shot back out in words they could understand.