12

Difficult Decisions

Daisy looked at the firefly who was still hovering beside the message she had created.

‘Do you know the way to the Fairy Queen’s Tea-Tree House?’ Daisy asked.

The firefly nodded, and hope blossomed in Daisy’s chest. ‘Could you lead us there?’

With a wink of light, the firefly shot off through the trees.

‘Wait!’ called Daisy. ‘I have to get down from here first.’ But the firefly was already too far away to hear. Soon she was just a speck in the distance. Then, she was gone.

Daisy sat on the branch, gaping after her. Tears of frustration pricked the back of her eyes. She couldn’t believe it. The firefly was gone.

Knowing she didn’t have time to sit there moping, Daisy made a decision.

‘We’ll head in the direction the firefly flew and hope for the best,’ she said with a determination that she didn’t completely feel. A soft snoring answered her. Vu was asleep under her hair again.

As Daisy swung onto the rope to begin the long climb down, the magic flames began to fade. By the time she reached the ground, darkness was all around her. Crouching down and fumbling nervously at the ground at her feet, Daisy located her candle. Drawing her wand, she chanted, ‘Light of moon and light of sun, help me see which way to run.’

Nothing happened. Her magic was spent.

Daisy felt as though she’d been kicked in the stomach. How could she find the Fairy Queen’s Tea-Tree House with no directions, no light and no magic? What moments before had been a difficult task had suddenly become impossible.

Daisy exhaled a long, slow breath and tried to think calmly about what to do. One thing was certain – she had come too far to give up now. Magic or no magic, she would see the Quest through to the end.

Careful not to disturb the leaf that held the pollen, she tucked the candle into her belt and, with a flick of her wrist, untied the rope from the treetop. The rope shrank as it fell, returning to its normal size. Daisy looped it over her shoulder then felt on the ground for her boots. She would have to carry them, too. Travelling in the dark wasn’t going to be easy but Daisy was determined that she could do it. With a stubborn boldness, she stumbled forward in what she hoped was the same direction as the firefly.

The night grew colder and lonelier as Daisy trudged through the shadows, not sure where she was nor where she was going. She gently tickled Vu, who was nestled in the nape of her neck, but he wouldn’t wake up. A faint light winked in the distance. Daisy moved towards it.

It was a fairy, with spiky red hair and green cicada wings, walking through the forest with a candle. Daisy had never felt so relieved and happy to see another fairy.

‘Hello,’ she called. ‘Please, can you help me?’

The fairy turned and walked towards Daisy. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when Daisy stepped into the ring of candlelight.

‘You’re very young to be out at this time on your own. Where are your parents?’

Daisy found herself telling the fairy everything that had happened that day. ‘And now I need to find the Fairy Queen’s Tea-Tree House,’ she said, feeling exhausted at the thought of walking any more. ‘And I’ve no idea where it is.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said the fairy. ‘I don’t know where it is either. I’ve only been there once and it was a long time ago.’

Daisy’s heart sank.

‘Don’t worry,’ said the fairy, seeing the look on Daisy’s face. ‘The Fairy Queen wouldn’t give you anything you couldn’t handle. You’ll make it on time.’

The fairy seemed so confident that Daisy felt a flicker of hope blossom inside her. ‘Thank you . . .’

‘Holly.’ The fairy smiled, but it was a sad sort of smile that made Daisy stop and wonder.

‘Why are you out here walking all alone?’ Daisy asked.

A tear slid down Holly’s cheek. ‘I’ve been learning to look after the tadpoles at the frog pond. That’s my Calling, you know. It’s been wonderful really, and I wasn’t missing home at all . . . until the message arrived.’

‘What was it?’

‘It said that my mother was not very well and wanted me to come and see her. She’s very old and now I’m petrified that she might be Fading. So I’m heading across the forest to be with her.’

‘That’s awful!’ cried Daisy. ‘But, wouldn’t it be faster to fly?’

‘I can’t,’ said Holly. ‘I put everything into my Calling, all my magic and my time. And I forgot to renew the magic to make my wings fly. I started the journey flying but that’s when I felt the magic run out. If I hadn’t landed quickly I would have fallen out of the sky.’

Daisy’s hand automatically felt for the pollen in her belt. I need this pollen, she told herself. I can’t turn up at the Fairy Queen’s Tea-Tree house without it or I’ll fail the Quest, and then I might never get my wings. But when she turned back to Holly and saw the worry in her eyes, she knew what she had to do. A fairy Faded when they were about to die. What if Holly didn’t make it in time?

Daisy took the leaf from her belt, gently untwisting it until the pollen was revealed. Trying not to think about the consequences of what she was about to do, Daisy gave the leaf to Holly.

Holly’s face lit up. Holding the leaf in both hands, she swung it up over her head so that pollen rained down upon her wings. They began to sparkle as their magic was renewed.

‘Thank you, Daisy,’ Holly gasped, giving Daisy a tight hug of thanks before fluttering her wings and flying off into the night.

‘Look at how her wings shine in the moonlight,’ Daisy whispered to Vu as he emerged, shivering, from beneath her hair. Then the realisation hit.

It was past moonrise.