“This is the most fun I’ve had in weeks!” he enthused. “Go on! You’d better check on them!”
The scene in the basement was just as she had feared. Sleeping dwarves lay heaped on each other, snoozing where they’d dropped. The fairies had festooned them with daisies and dandelions, their long hair and beards had been braided one to the next, joining them together in a chain, and their faces were made up with rouge and lipstick.
Willa burst out laughing but composed herself before emerging. She stomped into the woods.
“Mab! RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!”
The only way to get them in line was to mean-teacher them. If it was at all possible to intimidate the Queen of the Fairies, that is. It didn’t help that she could hear Robert behind her, laughing and stomping with glee. That’s okay, thought Willa, maintaining her scowl. I have a secret weapon.
Mab sauntered up, hovering in the air at Willa’s eye level. Sarah followed, a little less sure of herself, hiding behind her boss. Willa narrowed her eyes.
“Mab. This is no joke. Wake them up this instant!”
“Wake who up?” Mab batted her eyelashes.
Willa bit her lip, furious. She stared Mab right in the eye.
“If you don’t wake them, I’ll tell Miss Trang.”
It made her feel like a schoolyard tattletale, but it got results. Mab hesitated, her eyes flashing. Then she turned to Sarah.
“Did Sarah put someone to sleep? Bad Sarah-pie! Go wake them up. Go on!”
Sarah smiled sweetly, bowing her head. “It’s already being done, your High-and-Mightyness.”
Willa turned to see a crew of fairies running the end of the garden hose into the basement.
“Noooo!” she wailed, rushing over. Too late. She arrived just in time to see the water hit the dwarves, who jumped up, stumbling over their entwined beards and hair, crashing into each other, knocking heads, roaring in anger. The fairies let loose with peals of laughter. The dwarves lunged at them, tripping over each other again, and the wee folk buzzed away, up and around Willa, out into the sunshine.
After that outburst all was quiet. The dwarves shut themselves up in the basement, and the fairies disappeared into the woods. It was so quiet, Robert grew bored and retreated into the darkness of the stable for a nap. The dwarves are plotting something, mused Willa, and I don’t blame them one little bit. She was starving but afraid to go home for lunch. She had no idea what might happen next.
It was while she paced back and forth that she saw a dark shape slip into the yard.
“Horace! Am I glad to see you!” Willa started to tell him about the fairy-dwarf war, but she could see he wasn’t listening. He was a million miles away, his brow furrowed with worry.
“Horace, what’s wrong? Did you find your cufflinks?”
He looked at her in confusion. “My what? No, no, something strange is happening. I’m seeing worrisome signs.”
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