Chapter 12

When Cory and Noodles strolled into the kitchen the next morning, Flicket was perched on the table, nibbling a walnut. Cory’s uncle had a newspaper open on the table and seemed engrossed in one of the articles. “What are you reading?” Cory asked him.

Her uncle looked up from the paper. “It’s about Santa Claus again. It seems the reporters just won’t leave him alone. He and Mrs. Claus were on vacation at a hotel. The reporters found out and stormed the hotel looking for him. See—here’s a picture of the elves trying to fend off the reporters.”

“So the Clauses take the elves on vacation with them,” said Cory. “I’m not surprised. Perky did say that the Clauses treat the elves like family. Oh, I forgot to tell you: the elf who punched the reporter in the nose is living in town. He joined Zephyr last night. He plays the bells and has a very nice baritone.”

“That’s wonderful!” said Micah. “Joining your band should help him feel like he belongs here.”

“What’s that picture?” Cory asked, shifting in her seat. The picture showed the couple getting into the famous sleigh.

“That’s the Clauses leaving the hotel earlier than planned. That’s too bad. I’d be mad if I had to cut my vacation short because someone was pestering me. That’s not a very flattering picture of either Santa or Mrs. Claus. They both look tired and worn. I guess that wasn’t a very restful vacation.” Micah set the paper aside and turned to Cory. “So, what are you doing today?”

“I’m going to put an ad in the paper for odd jobs.”

“You don’t have any set up already? You really should keep track of them in a notebook or something.”

“Good idea. I have an old loose-leaf notebook that I can use. And no, I don’t have any jobs lined up, but I hope to soon!”

Cory’s uncle left for work while she was eating her breakfast of mashed berries on whole-grain toast. When she was finished, she retrieved her notebook from the bedroom and got to work listing all the jobs she’d done and where she’d performed each one. After that, she wrote her ad and sent it to the paper.

“While I’m at it …,” she said, and took another leaf from the pile to write a quick message to Marjorie Muffet.

Cory was going over the entries in her notebook when she heard a ping! Thinking it was Marjorie, she hurried to the basket. The message was from Gladys, however. She wanted Cory to babysit that day. A moment later, there was another ping! and the message Cory had been expecting appeared.

“Good!” said Cory. “Then I have one more message to write.”

Cory was cleaning up the breakfast dishes when his response arrived in the basket.

Cory smiled, feeling as if she’d already accomplished something before her day had really begun.

The boy who met Cory at the door of the shoe house stared at her with such distrust in his eyes that she wondered what he thought she’d done wrong. “I’m Cory Feathering,” she said, giving him as warm a smile as she could. “Your mother contacted me,” she added when he didn’t respond. “To babysit?”

“Patrick knows what you’re talking about,” a girl said, coming up behind the boy. “He just doesn’t think we need you here. None of us do. We’re old enough to take care of ourselves for one afternoon.”

When Cory stepped into the house and shut the door, the boy glared at her before going down the hall.

“Why are you home?” Cory asked the girl. “Isn’t this a school day?”

“It was, but they closed our school early. A water nymph came into her powers all of a sudden and flooded the cafeteria. They took her to Junior Fey School right away, but they had to close our school while they cleaned up the water. Did you know that your shoes don’t match your outfit?”

Cory nodded. “My pet woodchuck chewed up all my other shoes yesterday. This is all I have till I can go shopping.”

The girl’s eyes lit up. “I love to shop! Where are you going to go? My favorite stores are at East Side Market. I went there last week with some of my older sisters and they bought me a whole bunch of clothes. They have jobs and share a house, but they come home and take us out to buy us stuff every couple of months. They know that Mom doesn’t have much money, so they help out however they can. My name is Heather. Want to see what they bought me? Jamie Linn got me the coolest dress! Mom thinks it’s too short, but Jamie Linn says—”

“This is the babysitter?” said a slightly older girl who had just walked into the room. “I thought Mom had gotten some old woman to watch us.”

A girl with long brown hair that reached almost to her knees started tugging on Cory’s sleeve. “I want to do the lemonade stand today. It’s a nice day out and Mom said we could do it the next nice day.”

“She meant on a weekend when she was home,” said Heather. “We can’t do it without an adult here, Mary Alice.”

“How many of you are home now?” asked Cory.

“Eight,” said the older girl. “James is reading a book, Steven is cleaning his fish tank, and Rory, Joey, and Patrick are probably playing with their miniature fairy warriors. My name is Sarah Beth and that’s Mary Alice.” She pointed at the younger girl with long brown hair.

“Our big brother Erik is an artist. He made little clay figures for the boys. They like to reenact the big battles of the fairy wars,” Heather added. “Joey has the trolls, Rory has the fairy warriors, and Patrick has everybody else.”

“I want to do the lemonade stand!” Mary Alice said again.

“I suppose I could help you with the stand if you have everything you need,” said Cory. “Do you make it with real lemons?”

“We do,” Sarah Beth told her even as Mary Alice latched on to Cory’s arm and began to drag her to the kitchen. “Aunt Sally grows lots of things. We help her out on the weekends and holidays and she gives us fresh fruit and vegetables. She has a big greenhouse and grows lemons all year.”

“We have a stand and everything,” said Mary Alice. “I’ll ask the boys to set it up.”

“But it’s Monday,” said Cory. “I don’t know how many customers you’re going to get.”

“Oh, we’ll have plenty,” said Sarah Beth. “Wander Lake is the most popular fishing spot around, and it’s just a block away. People fish in the lake every day and they come past our house to get there from town.”

While Sarah Beth, Mary Alice, and Heather made the lemonade, Steven and Rory set the stand up by the street. Cory helped the girls carry the lemonade outside and sat with them while they waited for customers. It wasn’t long before they had their first sales to an old man and his son who were arguing over who should ride their donkey. A water-lily fairy hauling her cart stopped for a cup as well. A few minutes later, two round-faced men dressed in identical striped shirts laid their fishing poles on the ground to purchase their cups of lemonade.

Mary Alice had just poured the lemonade for the men when dark clouds appeared overhead and the first fat raindrops fell, splashing on the children’s upturned faces.

“That’s odd,” said one man. “It didn’t look like rain a moment ago.”

“Maybe we should—” Cory began, but then the rain truly started to fall, pouring from the sky so that they were all drenched in seconds. “Run!” Cory told the children. “I’ll bring the lemonade!”

As the children dashed into the house, Cory picked up the pitcher and the bowl of lemons and ran after them. Her hair and clothes were streaming when she finally set everything on the kitchen table.

“Wow!” said Mary Alice, peering out the window at the water pouring from the sky. “That’s a lot of rain! And it looks like it’s just here at our house. The house across the street still looks dry.”

“Look at that!” said Sarah Beth as the clouds disappeared as suddenly as they had arrived. The bright sunlight made the raindrops glisten and sparkle like tiny prisms.

“That’s so pretty!” cried Mary Alice. “I’m going back outside.”

The girls left the house, skirting the newly formed puddles. Before they had gone far, however, Heather began to shriek, Mary Alice froze in place, and Sarah Beth started flapping her hands and making odd sounds.

“What is it?” Cory said, running out the door. “What’s wrong?”

The three girls were staring at the ground; Cory could see why when she looked down. Every inch of the yard was covered with squirming earthworms writhing over each other, through the grass, over the stone walkway, and the bare patches of mud.

“It’s the Tooth Fairy Guild,” Cory said through clenched teeth. “They’re never going to give up. Well, neither am I!”

“What did you say?” asked Heather.

“Never mind,” said Cory. “Stay where you are. I have an idea.” She turned to go back inside and found the boys standing behind her, peering out at their sisters. “Boys, I need you to find every empty jar, can, or sturdy box and bring them to me.”

“Why?” asked Joey.

“I have a brilliant idea, that’s why. Now hurry before the worms are gone.”

“Worms!” said James.

“Do you think my fish would eat a worm if I put it in their tank?” Steven said as the boys ran to look for containers.

Cory was still trying to figure out how to get the jars to the girls when the boys returned. “Good!” she said, seeing how much they had brought back. “Each of you choose one of your sisters. Start walking toward her while collecting all the worms in front of you. When you reach your sister, give her a container so she can start picking them up, too. Try not to step on the worms. Joey, you stay with me. We’ll start collecting in that direction,” Cory said, pointing away from the girls.

“I have squished worm on my shoes!” cried Heather.

“Just don’t step on any more,” said Cory. “We’ll clean your shoes off later.”

“Why should we collect worms?” Sarah Beth wailed. “I don’t want to touch them. They’re gross! Some of them are huge!”

“These worms are worth money, especially the big ones,” said Cory. “They’re night crawlers. The fishermen who pass by here might buy one cup of lemonade, but they’ll buy a lot of worms. If you want to make some money, here’s a great way to do it!”

“Oh!” said Heather, looking at the worms as if they might not be disgusting after all. “Maybe I could make enough money for that bracelet I wanted. Quick, James! Hand me that jar!”

The children collected the worms as quickly as they could. The girls picked them up gingerly at first, but the more they collected, the easier it became. After a while it grew into a competition, seeing who could collect the most worms, or the biggest worms, or even the grossest worms before they slipped back into the mud. By the time all the cans and boxes and jars were full, the only worms that Cory could see were the ones that the girls had stepped on as they ran out the door.

The day was hotter now than it had been when they had started selling lemonade. It had already dried out the dead worms as well as the girls’ clothes and hair. Cory had everyone put their containers of worms on the lemonade stand, then sent them back to the house to brush their hair and wash their hands. “Leave your shoes outside so I can clean them!” she told the girls.

Steven was the first one to come back out. “I’m going to make a new sign,” he announced.

While Cory cleaned the shoes the best she could, Steven found a large leaf and a small jar of paint. WORMS FOR SALE! read the sign when he was finished. He took the lemonade sign down and propped the worm sign up in front of the stand, angling it so people coming toward the lake could see it.

When the stand was ready, Steven sat down beside Cory. They sold the first worms before the girls came back outside. By the time they sold the last worms, the children’s mother was walking down the street.

“Thank you so much for watching the children!” she told Cory. “I work in the Clinic for Ailing Fey and I can’t take time off when the school closes. How much do I owe you?”

Cory told her a lower rate than she would anyone else. It didn’t make sense to help the family raise money, then take it all away. She thought about not taking anything, but they would probably consider it charity and she doubted they would accept it.

The children clustered around as Cory said good-bye to Gladys. “We want you to come back,” said Sarah Beth.

“And bring your woodchuck,” Heather told her. “I’ve never seen a pet woodchuck before.”

“I will,” said Cory. “As soon as your mother needs me again.”

“Finally, a babysitter that they actually like!” said Gladys.

That evening Cory flew to the Shady Nook, wearing her blue dress and the new pebble-gray shoes she’d bought on the way home from babysitting. She’d bought a fresh-cream-colored pair as well and had set it high on a shelf in her room where even the most determined woodchuck couldn’t reach.

When Cory stepped into the restaurant, Marjorie was already there, seated at a table by the window. Marjorie looked up and smiled as Cory took a seat across from her. “Oh, good. You’re here! Jack Horner came over and introduced himself when he heard that I was in your party, but he was called away. He said he’d be right back.”

“That’s fine. It gives us a chance to talk first,” said Cory. “How have you been? Are the spiders still as bad?”

“Worse!” said Marjorie. “Oh, it’s not like they try to bite me or anything, but they’re forever getting into things and stealing my possessions. Why, just this morning one stole my cereal bowl while I was still eating! They’re making it nearly impossible for me to get any work done. As soon as I set down an ink stick, they take it!”

Cory thanked the waiter as he filled her glass with water. “I probably should have asked before this, but what kind of work do you do?” she asked when they were alone again.

“I’m a writer,” said Marjorie. “I write big books with lots of pictures. You’ve seen some of them at my house.”

“You mean you wrote the books that you use to smash spiders?”

“I did,” Marjorie replied. “Although that wasn’t why I wrote them, but they do work very well, don’t you think? So tell me about yourself. What have you been up to since I saw you last?”

“I’ve been doing odd jobs like house-sitting, doing inventory, mowing lawns … Actually, things would be going pretty well if it weren’t for the Tooth Fairy Guild. They keep trying to sabotage my work. Today they made it rain while I was babysitting. Then they had worms come out all over the ground. You should have seen it. There were worms everywhere!”

“So … you had to stay inside?”

“Not at all! I had the children collect the worms in jars and sell them to fishermen. They made quite a bit of money.”

Marjorie clapped her hands and grinned. “What a good idea! I never would have thought of that!”

Cory glanced up when Jack Horner took one of the empty seats. “Very few fairies would have,” he said. “Most would have found it discouraging.”

“I got the idea from a former employer named Suzy,” Cory told them. “The TFG sent a huge swarm of crabs onto her property while I was there. Suzy filled a tub with the ones she caught so she could eat them later.”

“And why is the Tooth Fairy Guild doing this exactly?” Jack Horner asked.

“Because Cory quit being a tooth fairy,” said Marjorie. “Apparently, the guild doesn’t take rejection well.”

Cory wasn’t sure she wanted everyone to know what was happening between her and the guild. Telling her friend was one thing, but she regretted sharing the story with someone she barely knew. “Didn’t you say that you were going to invite a friend who had just moved back to town?” Cory asked Jack, hoping to change the subject.

“I did,” Jack told them as he turned to look around. “He should be here soon.”

“Where do bands set up when they play in the restaurant?” asked Cory.

“You can’t see it from here, but there’s a raised platform in the back of the room. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of space for your band.”

Marjorie set down her water glass. “Is Zephyr going to play in the Shady Nook? Oh, Cory! That’s wonderful!”

“I spoke with your bandleader, Olot, today,” Jack told Cory. “You’re scheduled for this coming Friday.”

“I can’t wait!” cried Marjorie.

“Wait for what? Me?” said a thin young man whose blond hair covered his eyes. He shook his head, flicking his hair back for a moment, revealing eyes of an intense blue.

“I’d like to introduce you young ladies to my friend, Tom Tom,” said Jack Horner. “He’s been away from town for a few years and just returned last week.”

Tom Tom, thought Cory. Where have I heard that name before? “Oh!” she said as she remembered suddenly. “You’re Gladys’s son! The one who stole a pig!” As soon as she’d said it, Cory wished she hadn’t. Jack Horner glanced at her in surprise while Marjorie’s eyes went wide. Tom Tom’s reaction was the strongest; his face turned red and he glared at her, saying, “Where did you hear that?”

“From your mother,” said Cory. “I babysat your brothers and sisters today.”

“That figures!” he said with a forced laugh, making an obvious effort to control his temper. “My mother gets everything wrong.”

“You mean you weren’t in jail for stealing a pig?” asked Marjorie.

“Not at all. I was in prison for kidnapping a talking pig. I thought I was stealing a normal pig until he started screaming and carrying on. I did it on a dare when I was in Junior Fey School. I’ve spent the last five years in prison, which turned out to be a lot like school. I earned a degree in roadside maintenance, and another in library science.”

“That means he worked on the road crew and in the prison library,” said Jack.

Tom Tom nodded. “Yes, but they taught us how to do it the correct way and we really did earn certificates. I was lucky. I found a job when I got out and I really like the work, although it wasn’t the kind of work I’d planned to do. To get the best jobs, you need to train for them in Junior Fey School, do an apprenticeship, and stick with it for the rest of your life. Look at Jack here. He always knew he wanted to be a chef and own a restaurant.”

“That’s true,” said Jack. “When I was a little boy, I wanted to make the best pastries in the world. I studied to be a chef in school, did an apprenticeship with the Sprats, and opened Perfect Pastry a year later. Two years after that I opened the Shady Nook.”

“What about you, Marjorie?” asked Tom Tom.

“I always wanted to write books. I studied writing in school, worked with Mother Goose for my apprenticeship, then started writing my own books.”

“See what I mean!” said Tom Tom. “And you, Cory?”

“I was in the pre–tooth fairy program in school and did my apprenticeship with them when I got out.”

“So you’re a tooth fairy now?” asked Tom Tom.

“I was … until I quit. Now I’m trying to decide what it is I really want to do.”

“Why would you quit a great career like that?” asked Tom Tom. “The big guilds have the best jobs.”

“I quit because it wasn’t right for me,” Cory said. “I hated it and couldn’t see myself doing it for the rest of my life. I want to help people, but I didn’t feel as if I was really helping anyone. I think you should enjoy what you do. Look at Jack and Marjorie. They both love what they’re doing.”

“We’re talking about you, not them,” said Tom Tom. “You quit when it got too hard! I don’t have any sympathy for someone who throws away a good job when some people have a hard time finding any job at all.”

“But if it isn’t right for you …”

“Yeah, yeah. I hear you. So, Marjorie, what kind of books do you write?”

Cory sat back in her seat, stunned. Not only was Tom Tom exceedingly rude, she was afraid he might be right.