vanquish it. Let’s hang your costume up at Sir Davey’s camper. Maybe it just needs a little airing.”
“A hurricane wouldn’t help this mess.” But maybe Janice could help. She could work miracles with her herbs. “Can’t we bury it, and tell Finch it finally died? Besides, if we air it outside, then everyone in the campground is going to know I’m Plumpkin. I can’t wait to get the tent up. Being inside the Swiss Miss Chalet is not going to work.”
“Bad news about the tent. I pulled it out to air it, and it was covered in mildew. It even had mushrooms growing on one side. Luckily, Davey says we can bunk with him.”
Keelie almost forgot about the stinking purple disaster she was holding. Hot showers! And no sleeping in a moldy tent or, worse, in the fairy-tale outhouse on wheels.
Zeke smiled. “Wearing this purple dragon suit will teach you a great lesson, more than anything I can say or do.”
“Yeah?” What was it with parents and life lessons?
“Not to go around making impulse buys and not thinking your decisions through to the end. By the way, I made the three-hundred-dollar deposit for your custom boots. Now you have to work it off, and pay off the balance, too. That means you have to wear a smelly purple dragon suit. Welcome to responsibility. And I need you at the shop, too. I just heard from Scott. He isn’t going to make it.”
“What? I can’t do both jobs.” She had a mental image of herself at the Heartwood shop, selling furniture while wearing the hideous purple dragon costume. Then what he said sank in. Scott, her father’s apprentice, was a little stiff, but he was one of the good guys. “Is Scott okay?”
“Finch gave me a couple of messages. Scott’s accepted a position at a Faire in California, and won’t be fulfilling his apprenticeship with me.”
“That turd! He’s gone and left us high and dry. Are you going to hire someone else?”
“Not unless the right person comes along. I have to feel the trees’ approval.” Dad made furniture only from downed trees. He soothed their passing into a new form, giving his furniture a spiritual glow that was apparent even to the mundanes.
“You know, Zeke, that sounds very woo-woo even for you.” Despite everything that went down with the Red Cap in the forest outside the High Mountain Faire, Keelie still wasn’t totally comfortable with her newly discovered elven heritage and magic.
“I noticed I’m back to being Zeke.”
“As long as I have to wear this suit, Zeke . As for the trees’ approval, hire someone until the right person shows up.”
“What can I say, Ke-li-el?” He emphasized all of the syllables in her elven name. He shrugged. “I am the Tree Shepherd. And the trees love you, Keelie. You are the natural choice to aid me. Besides, I don’t have to pay you.”
“Gee, I’m so lucky. Can’t I just work for you, and skip the Faire job?”
“No. You’ve committed yourself to the job, and you’re going to see it through. By the way, the other message was for you. Your friend Laurie called. She’s coming in on the eleven o’clock train next Friday.”
Keelie looked at the smelly costume draped over her shoulder. She had two jobs and lived in an RV with a dwarf, an elf, and Knot—or whatever he was when he wasn’t being a cat. Laurie was the only person who remembered her old life in Los Angeles, a life filled with tennis lessons, private school, and mall shopping. She was going to have a good laugh when she saw Keelie’s new life. Keelie hoped they could laugh about it together. Laughing with a friend was so much better than getting laughed at.
The suit smelled awful. There was no getting used to Plumpkin’s stink. Keelie stood just outside the Faire gates, surrounded by milling wenches, knights, and bleary-eyed Merry Men. The Faire workers were supposed to interact with the gathering crowd, getting them excited about the coming fun. Some of the Merry Men were clearly not up to it.
Lulu,
“A hurricane wouldn’t help this mess.” But maybe Janice could help. She could work miracles with her herbs. “Can’t we bury it, and tell Finch it finally died? Besides, if we air it outside, then everyone in the campground is going to know I’m Plumpkin. I can’t wait to get the tent up. Being inside the Swiss Miss Chalet is not going to work.”
“Bad news about the tent. I pulled it out to air it, and it was covered in mildew. It even had mushrooms growing on one side. Luckily, Davey says we can bunk with him.”
Keelie almost forgot about the stinking purple disaster she was holding. Hot showers! And no sleeping in a moldy tent or, worse, in the fairy-tale outhouse on wheels.
Zeke smiled. “Wearing this purple dragon suit will teach you a great lesson, more than anything I can say or do.”
“Yeah?” What was it with parents and life lessons?
“Not to go around making impulse buys and not thinking your decisions through to the end. By the way, I made the three-hundred-dollar deposit for your custom boots. Now you have to work it off, and pay off the balance, too. That means you have to wear a smelly purple dragon suit. Welcome to responsibility. And I need you at the shop, too. I just heard from Scott. He isn’t going to make it.”
“What? I can’t do both jobs.” She had a mental image of herself at the Heartwood shop, selling furniture while wearing the hideous purple dragon costume. Then what he said sank in. Scott, her father’s apprentice, was a little stiff, but he was one of the good guys. “Is Scott okay?”
“Finch gave me a couple of messages. Scott’s accepted a position at a Faire in California, and won’t be fulfilling his apprenticeship with me.”
“That turd! He’s gone and left us high and dry. Are you going to hire someone else?”
“Not unless the right person comes along. I have to feel the trees’ approval.” Dad made furniture only from downed trees. He soothed their passing into a new form, giving his furniture a spiritual glow that was apparent even to the mundanes.
“You know, Zeke, that sounds very woo-woo even for you.” Despite everything that went down with the Red Cap in the forest outside the High Mountain Faire, Keelie still wasn’t totally comfortable with her newly discovered elven heritage and magic.
“I noticed I’m back to being Zeke.”
“As long as I have to wear this suit, Zeke . As for the trees’ approval, hire someone until the right person shows up.”
“What can I say, Ke-li-el?” He emphasized all of the syllables in her elven name. He shrugged. “I am the Tree Shepherd. And the trees love you, Keelie. You are the natural choice to aid me. Besides, I don’t have to pay you.”
“Gee, I’m so lucky. Can’t I just work for you, and skip the Faire job?”
“No. You’ve committed yourself to the job, and you’re going to see it through. By the way, the other message was for you. Your friend Laurie called. She’s coming in on the eleven o’clock train next Friday.”
Keelie looked at the smelly costume draped over her shoulder. She had two jobs and lived in an RV with a dwarf, an elf, and Knot—or whatever he was when he wasn’t being a cat. Laurie was the only person who remembered her old life in Los Angeles, a life filled with tennis lessons, private school, and mall shopping. She was going to have a good laugh when she saw Keelie’s new life. Keelie hoped they could laugh about it together. Laughing with a friend was so much better than getting laughed at.
The suit smelled awful. There was no getting used to Plumpkin’s stink. Keelie stood just outside the Faire gates, surrounded by milling wenches, knights, and bleary-eyed Merry Men. The Faire workers were supposed to interact with the gathering crowd, getting them excited about the coming fun. Some of the Merry Men were clearly not up to it.
Lulu,
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