’No-one can beat Hudson the Great, strongest man in the world.’

Lily cracks open one eye. Bright sunlight is pouring through her polka dot curtains and something sharp is sticking into her cheek. FACT!

Lily props herself up on her elbows to see what it is. It’s her notebook. She must have fallen asleep writing her final ‘going method’ rule. Just as she’s pondering what the rest of might be, Lily notices she’s still wearing her school uniform and that her little brother is standing in the doorway.

Sonny is dressed in his cape and speaking in a big, deep voice. ’And YES! I can fly too!‘ he announces, swishing his cape from side to side. Brothers! So annoying!

Lily D flops onto her stomach. She feels super-weird … like she’s Sleeping Beauty, waking from a looooong sleep.

She goes to yell her brother’s name, but no sound comes out! Just a squeaky ‘So—’. Then comes the pain … OUUUUUCCCCHHH!

Lily’s throat burns. It burns like she has smooshed up a mountain of red-hot chillies and drunk the juice.

Every swallow feels like when you don’t chew up a cracker properly before you swallow it, but multiplied by a gazillion! It feels as though Lily has pricked all her fingers on one hundred spinning wheels, stubbed all her toes, jammed all her fingers in a door and banged both her funny bones, all at the same time … and then shoved all that pain between two bits of bread and eaten it. Yep, Lily has definitely chomped down on a pain sandwich, a hurt-burger … and now her throat throbs so bad Lily doesn’t think she can ever eat again!

‘Hey, Lily,’ says Sonny. He has his serious battle face on. ‘I know you need to practise fighting your fears for drama class, but what about fighting Hudson the Great to defend your castle first?’

Lily wants to tell him that she is busy enough trying to choose a character from Into the Woods to play without fighting a battle, but she only has a tiny little voice left. ‘What time is it?’ she manages to squeak.

‘Huh? Breakfast time, silly. But only if you can get past Hudson the Great!’ says Sonny, twirling his light-up plastic sword.

Lily is seriously confused. It’s morning?! So Lily really did have a Sleeping Beauty-style looooong sleep! Did she sleep through dinner?

‘You slept through dinner last night,’ says Sonny. ‘Mum said to let you rest because you weren’t feeling well.’

‘Lily!’ At that moment, Mum bustles through Lily’s bedroom door, like one of the good fairies from Sleeping Beauty. She is carrying a mug and a little bottle of medicine. ‘How are you feeling?’ Mum asks gently.

Lily just shakes her head. It hurts too much to talk.

‘Oh, dear,’ sighs Mum. ‘Open up, let’s have a look.’

Lily opens her mouth wide.

‘Well,’ says Mum, with a great big sigh that goes from her head to her toes. ‘It’s back again.’

Lily knows exactly what’s back, and it isn’t Christmas, the Royal Show, or that neighbourhood cat that liked to sit on the front fence and meow in the middle of the night. It’s Lily’s own EVIL FAIRY. It’s tonsillitis.

Lily has had tonsillitis three times already this year. And five times last year!

Last time, Dr Rodriguez had told Lily in a super-serious voice, ‘If it comes back again we will have to do something about those tonsils.’

Lily isn’t exactly sure what that meant, but she guesses Dr Rodriguez wasn’t talking about giving Lily’s tonsils detention or making them do extra chores. Whatever it is Dr Rodriguez had planned, it couldn’t be good … even if Dr Rodriguez is the nicest, gentlest doctor in the entire galaxy and always remembers to warm up the stethoscope before listening to your chest.

‘I’m fine, Mum!’ Lily croaks.

‘No, you’re NOT fine!’ insists Mum. ‘Now drink this while I call Dr Rodriguez.’ She hands Lily the mug filled with warm honey and lemon juice.

As Lily sips, she thinks about how ‘doing something about your tonsils’ probably means having them removed. Lily’s friend Missy said it was kind of a teensy bit awesome getting her tonsils removed, because she got to eat nothing but ice-cream for a whole week! But before the all-you-can-eat-ice-cream bit, there’s the having-the-tonsils-removed bit. And that means doctors, and hospital … and needles!

Lily sits up straight so fast her warm honey and lemon spills a little bit on her polka dot doona cover.

NEEDLES! Of course! Just like Sleeping Beauty and spinning wheels. That is Lily’s greatest fear! Needles are the opposite of ultra-coolness.

Lily lies back on her pillows. This time she thinks even harder. Maybe this is her chance to ‘go method’ and follow her Little Princess Snow Bean rules. If she faces her fear of needles, then maybe she can learn to be a fairytale character. If Lily can learn to be brave, she can have her own happily ever after! FACT!

Lily D finishes her honey and lemon juice and then swings down from her bed. She rummages through her top drawer, pulling out her big box of beads.

Running her pointer finger through the rainbow of beads, Lily selects a handful that she thinks look tough, courageous and ultra-cool. She then chooses a bunch of beads with tiny red letters painted on one side. Cutting a length of thin elastic, Lily threads her beads on before tying the two ends together and slipping her brand-new bracelet onto her wrist. It joins the bracelets that run all the way up one arm and all the way down the other. Lily spins the beads around so the letters are on top. BE BRAVE.

She feels a bit more fearless already! Maybe she can become a fairytale character and fight her fear of needles at the same time.

But needles … Lily keeps her bracelet on but spins the BE BRAVE beads under her wrist and out of view. On second thought, Lily D likes hanging out with her tonsils … and she is determined they will live together happily ever after. FACT!

Dr Rodriguez puts down the giant icy pole stick she was using to poke around in Lily’s mouth.

‘Yes, my dear,’ she says. ‘I’m afraid those tonsils of yours need to be removed as quickly as possible.’

Lily grips Mum’s hand, hard. Right next to her is a trolley with little plastic drawers. Lily feels sure those drawers are full of needles.

‘I’m going to give you a super fast-acting antibiotic,’ Dr Rodriguez tells Lily, scribbling on her prescription pad. ‘I’ll also book Lily in at Chester Hill General Hospital for Friday,’ Dr Rodriguez says to Mum.

‘B-b-but I have DRAMA CLASS on Fridays! I’m performing Into the Woods!’ croaks Lily. She knows Dr Rodriguez only wants to help her, not put her to sleep for one hundred years. But what will Miss Oscar say if she misses drama class? Lily D has to perform!

Dr Rodriguez clasps Lily’s hands between her own. ‘Just you wait,’ she says. ‘Once those tonsils are out, you’ll feel like a new girl!’

‘O-kaaaay, it’s just that—’ mumbles Lily forlornly. She is actually pretty happy being Lily D, V.A.P. just the way she is – tonsils and all. She wants to explain, but at that moment Dr Rodriguez gently takes hold of Lily’s wrist.

‘Beautiful bracelet. What does it say?’ she asks.

‘BE BRAVE,’ reads Lily, twisting the beads towards Dr Rodriguez before giving them a little shake, one quick round of applause for courage.

Lily loves beads. When you give them a shake, you have an instant audience clapping! Everyone needs a round of applause sometimes, so why not applaud yourself?!

‘Be brave,’ repeats Dr Rodriguez. ‘Very clever. I couldn’t have said it better myself.’ She gives Lily a crinkly little wink that makes her smile twinkle.

Lily gives a teeny little half-smile in return. Brave or not, she is still determined to hold onto her tonsils, be they pink, green or tangerine. But at least she has discovered she has a fear … that has to mean she is one step closer to becoming Little Princess Snow Bean!