“I wouldn’t eat that if I were you,” Ben told her.
Pearl rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m not going to eat it,” she whispered to him. “I’m just trying to be polite.” When the sasquatch wasn’t looking, she quickly dropped the gooey truffle into a garbage can that was filled with candy wrappers. Then she pointed to the top shelf. “But I’d sure like a few peanut butter cups.”
Ben climbed onto a stepladder and reached into a bowl. He tossed a few of the foil-covered cups to Pearl, then took some gumdrops for himself. “Sugar fairies are so lucky. My mom never lets me eat candy,” he said with a huge grin.
“My dad says sugar makes me hyper,” Pearl said. “I don’t think that’s true. I’m always hyper.” She ate three peanut butter cups, then reached into a jar of papaya-flavored jelly beans.
“Attention, please.” Mr. Tabby stood in the doorway, wearing his usual serious expression. He was holding a big plastic container.
Pearl dropped the beans. Would they get a stern lecture from Mr. Tabby and then be assigned some sort of punishment, like cleaning earwax from the sasquatch’s ears or flossing its teeth? “Did we break a rule?” she asked, ready to defend her actions. After all, how could they be expected to work all night without some sort of food?
“Not that I am aware of. But as past behavior predicts future behavior, I expect you will break a rule or two before the night is through.” He strode into the room and removed the truffle bowl from the sasquatch’s chocolate-covered hands.
Ben jumped off the stepladder. “Where’s Dr. Woo?”
“Dr. Woo is answering a telephone call from the Imaginary World.”
“What’s wrong?” Pearl asked. “Is the call about Maximus Steele? Did he do something bad?”
“Did he hurt another creature?”
Mr. Tabby didn’t respond. Pearl fidgeted. It drove her nuts when Mr. Tabby ignored their questions. “Why would he hurt another creature?” she asked. “There’s no way for him to sell horns if he can’t travel through the Portal.”
“Right,” Ben said. “He’s stuck on a roof with no ladder, just like Dr. Woo planned.”
“Indeed.” Mr. Tabby glanced away, which made Pearl sense that he was hiding something. Then he smoothed his vest, the way he often did before launching into a series of instructions. “Now, listen very carefully. Tonight you will venture into the forest beyond Button Lake and catch as many fairies as you can. Sugar will serve as your bait.” He opened the container that he’d brought into the Fairy Lounge. It was the size and shape of a barrel. He filled the bottom of the container with kiwi-flavored jelly beans, then closed the lid. “This is a special trap, designed by Dr. Woo. If you shake the trap, the kiwi scent will be released through microscopic pores. The fairies will fly in through this one-way chute. They will be distracted by the jelly beans, and by the time they realize they can’t get out, you will be carrying them back to the hospital.” Mr. Tabby handed the trap to Ben, who could barely fit his arms around it.
“What if they bite us?” Ben asked.
“It is highly likely that they will. Fairies are notoriously temperamental. Are you allergic to fairy bites?”
“Obviously I’m not,” Pearl said, pointing to her earlobe, which felt totally normal again.
“Uh, I don’t know,” Ben said with a shrug. “I’m allergic to other things.”
“Well, if after a fairy bite your eyeballs get itchy, then return to the hospital immediately for a fairy antivenom shot.”
“I hate shots,” Ben grumbled.
“Me too, but itchy eyeballs sound way worse,” Pearl told him.
The sasquatch had grabbed a bowl of milk chocolate coins and wasn’t bothering to remove the gold foil. Mr. Tabby swiftly took the bowl from him. “That is quite enough. It is time to get to work.” He led the sasquatch into the hallway, with Pearl and Ben right behind.
“Why is the sasquatch coming with us?” Ben asked, waddling as he carried the trap.
“In case there are forest predators, the sasquatch will protect you.”
Pearl thought this was a great idea. While she knew the sasquatch was nice, a bear wouldn’t know that. But she also knew the sasquatch got distracted easily. Would it actually protect them? “What about Metalmouth? Couldn’t he come with us?”
“Metalmouth is…” Again, Mr. Tabby looked away. What was he hiding? “He is engaged in an important activity at the moment.” The words important activity sent a new list of questions straight to Pearl’s tongue, but she knew Mr. Tabby wouldn’t provide any answers. And she didn’t want to further annoy him. His mustache was twitching something fierce already.
“Can the sasquatch carry this thing?” Ben asked. “It’s pretty heavy.”
“Under no circumstances are you to hand the trap to the sasquatch,” Mr. Tabby said. “It would eat all the jelly beans.”
Pearl couldn’t help herself. One question popped out. “Hey, Mr. Tabby, is the sasquatch a boy or a girl? I mean, I can’t tell.” Pearl patted its arm. “No offense,” she told it. The sasquatch picked a piece of gold foil from its teeth and grunted.
“The sasquatch does not have a gender.”
“Really?” Pearl frowned. “Uh, what does that mean?”
“It is neither a he nor a she. It is simply what it is.” He took a ring of keys from his pocket and locked the tiny fairy door with a tiny key. “After you catch the sugar fairies, release them inside the lounge. Then close the big door. They will not be able to escape.” He folded his arms behind his back and looked down at them. “Do you understand your instructions?” Pearl and Ben nodded. The sasquatch didn’t nod. It just scratched its bum.
Pearl helped Ben carry the trap into the elevator and through the downstairs lobby. Mr. Tabby slid the five dead bolts and opened the front door.
“Mr. Tabby?” This time, Ben was doing the asking. “Metalmouth said that you’d just returned from a quest. What kind of quest?”
“That is none of your concern.” Mr. Tabby ushered Pearl and Ben outside.
“If Dr. Woo’s still talking on the phone, then that’s a pretty long conversation,” Pearl pointed out, hoping Mr. Tabby might give them a clue as to what was going on. But he didn’t take the bait.
“Make your way quickly,” he told them. “It would be regrettable if something were to happen to you.” Was that a look of concern in his yellow eyes? “Be careful.”
“Careful is basically my middle name,” Ben said.
The hospital door shut, leaving Pearl, Ben, and the sasquatch on the front steps. A lone howl rose in the distance. The sasquatch whimpered and stepped behind Pearl.
And darkness closed in.
