The window was open a little bit at the top. It was just enough so that Willa Bean thought she could squeeze through.
Harper stood on guard next to the gift shop, looking all around. She tapped the sides of her glasses with her fingers. Harper did a lot of glasses-tapping when she was nervous.
“Is anybody watching?” Willa Bean whispered.
Harper checked behind her. She looked to the right and then to the left. “Nope!” she called up to Willa Bean. “But hurry!”
“I will!” Willa Bean tried to stick her head through the window crack. But her hair was too wide. It got in the way—all over the place!
She tried to push the window open a little wider. But it was too heavy. She pushed and pushed. It didn’t even budge an inch.
Next, she tried smooshing her hair down on the sides. She used both hands and pressed down super-hard. Then she tried to squeeze through the window again. But now her elbows got in the way!
“Pooey!” Willa Bean said. She stared at the window crack for a moment. She thought and thought. “I know!” she said suddenly. She turned around. And then she wiggled her feet through the crack. They went in! So did her knees! And her wings! And her shoulders, too!
But when it came time for her hair to go in, Willa Bean stopped moving. There was simply too much of it. It stuck fast in the window. It was being very stubborn.
Again, Willa Bean thought and thought.
She moved her head to the right. Then she moved her head to the left. Slowly, slowly, her hair began to slide through the crack. She kept moving her head. Right. Left. Right. Left. All of a sudden, with a great whooshing sound, it came unstuck! Willa Bean was inside the gift shop!
She blinked a few times. It was very dark in there. Even with the window open, it was hard to see. Willa Bean felt nervous inside. She would have to move quickly. She was not a big fan of dark places.
A huge pile of rubber baby dolls sat in one corner. They were wearing Waterworld bathing suits. Next to the dolls were plastic slides, and toy trumpets, and even a blue rocking sea horse! Willa Bean tried to ignore the toys, but it was impossible.
She went over and sat on the sea horse. She had never been on one before. She had never even seen one before! She rocked back and forth. She leaned forward and pretended she was in a race, riding a real racehorse. Snooze had told her about racehorses before. He had watched a real, live horse race in Paris!
Willa Bean pretended she had a helmet on her head. Her feet were in the stirrups. She held the reins tightly in her hand. She clicked with her mouth just like Snooze told her real riders did.
“Let’s go, Mr. Blue!” she said. “We’re gonna win this race!”
Willa Bean pretended other horses were around her and Mr. Blue. To her right was a cream-colored one. TO her left was a black horse with a white star on his forehead. But Mr. Blue was the fastest. Back and forth Willa Bean rocked. Faster and faster, until … BAM!
Willa Bean found herself on the ground. Mr. Blue was still rocking. Willa Bean got to her feet. What a ride! She would try again. This time she wouldn’t fall off. This time, she would stay on Mr. Blue until the end and come in first!
She started to get back on. But then she saw the white bucket in the corner. Willa Bean sighed. Slowly, she slid off Mr. Blue. Now was no time to be playing around. She was down here for one thing, and one thing only.
She stepped over to the white bucket. She picked out the roundest, reddest, rubberiest star-bubble ball she could find. Then she stuck it in her pocket and flew back up to the window.
Willa Bean tried to wiggle through the window. But her hair had decided to be stubborn again. It made her stuck. She turned herself upside down. But her wings did not work when she was upside down. They only worked when she was right side up. Maybe they did not know how yet. Or maybe they were just confused.
Being upside down could confuse anyone.
Willa Bean put her mouth against the window crack. “Harper!” She made her voice into a whisper-scream. “Harper! Are you still there?”
There was no answer.
Willa Bean tried again. She made her voice a little bit louder than a whisper-scream. “Harper! It’s me! Fly up to the window again, okay? I need you!”
There was a noise down below. Willa Bean turned around. The noise was coming from behind the front door. “Willa Bean!” Harper whispered.
Willa Bean smiled and flew back down to the ground. Harper was such a good friend. She was always there to help Willa Bean. Sometimes Willa Bean didn’t even have to ask for what she needed. Harper just knew. She was the best friend in the entire universe.
Willa Bean ran toward the door. Harper would be so happy when she saw what she had found! She would laugh and clap her hands. Maybe she could even come with Willa Bean after school to give it to Baby Louie.
The front door swung open.
There was Harper.
And Vivi, and Raymond, and Sophie, and all the rest of the cupids.
And Miss Twizzle, too.
No one was laughing. Or clapping their hands.
Not even a little bit.