snapped.
Sarah Thumb looked just as annoyed. “You might not have a choice. It tends to run in families. But there is one way to tell for sure.”
The little woman walked over the desk to a small wooden chest. She took the metal latch in both hands and flipped it up, saying, “Ms. White, our scout, visits classrooms all across the country, handing out our registration forms. They’re totally unnecessary, of course, but—” She grunted a little, struggling to lift the lid.
Miriam reached over the desk and flipped it open. Sarah Thumb glared at her.
“I could’ve gotten it,” she said, a little out of breath. “I’m small , not helpless.”
The corners of Miriam’s mouth twitched suspiciously, but she didn’t say a word. Neither did I. I liked Sarah Thumb and her fierce independence.
“Anyway, this is the real test.” Sarah Thumb climbed up to sit on the edge of the box. “It’s a shard from the mirror in ‘Snow White’—you know, the mirror on the wall.” This shard was shaped like a pear, different from the one Ms. White brought to my class yesterday. “Characters always see something. Rory had a go yesterday. That’s how we knew to recruit her.”
Sarah Thumb didn’t pause to ask me what I saw. She just looked at us eagerly. “Well? Philip, you first. The suspense is killing me.”
hilip peered nervously into the shard. “Nothing.” Then he added glumly, “No, there’s a guy. Wearing red.”
“Bummer,” said Sarah Thumb.
“He’s playing an instrument,” Philip went on. “Something like a flute, but made out of wood.”
“Interesting.” The little woman’s eyes glittered again. “Characters see different things. A lot of people see the Tree of Hope outside, or the door that will bring them here, but some see a glimmer of their future Tale.”
I remembered the chilly expression on the girl wearing the icicle crown with a stab of worry.
“Miriam?” said Sarah Thumb cheerfully.
Miriam looked and quickly glanced away, her cheeks red. “George. I see George.”
Sarah Thumb grinned wickedly. “Romance also tends to be part of most happily-ever-afters. Riches, too.”
“Miriam and George sitting in a tree,” sang Philip, “K-I-S-S-I— Ow! ”
Blushing even harder, Miriam had elbowed her brother in the ribs and hissed that he better shut up if he didn’t want their mother to find out who broke her favorite vase. (Times like this make me wish I had a sibling too.)
“Looks like you’re stuck with us, Philip. Okay, time for the tour.” Sarah put two fingers in her mouth and whistled.
A bird chirped from a fountain in the corner. He flitted over, landed on the desk next to Sarah Thumb, and ruffled his feathers, looking guilty and defiant. I wondered if he would start talking too, but apparently not.
“ Stop that, Mr. Swallow. No one’s going to tell the Director that you’re using her fountains as a birdbath again. Right, children?” Sarah added, eyeing Miriam, Philip, and me.
We all quickly shook our heads.
Mr. Swallow was a pretty bird with blue wings and a long tail that cleft into two sharp points. He didn’t need to talk to show us how vain he was. He puffed up his scarlet chest and preened his wings for us as Sarah Thumb struggled to fold her list.
Then the tiny woman settled into the saddle on Mr. Swallow’s back, and we followed the bird out the door.
As we hurried to keep up (I never noticed swallows were so fast), Sarah Thumb kept telling us how lucky we were to have a place like EAS. “I wish I had known about this place when I was a kid. I could’ve used the preparation. I didn’t even know anything about ‘Thumbelina’ when I started.”
“How could you not know?” Miriam said. “There are so many books, and movies—”
“Well, my childhood was a little sheltered,” she said.
We returned to the courtyard so that Sarah Thumb could point out the doors to each place. She said that for training, we would need to find them on our own
Sarah Thumb looked just as annoyed. “You might not have a choice. It tends to run in families. But there is one way to tell for sure.”
The little woman walked over the desk to a small wooden chest. She took the metal latch in both hands and flipped it up, saying, “Ms. White, our scout, visits classrooms all across the country, handing out our registration forms. They’re totally unnecessary, of course, but—” She grunted a little, struggling to lift the lid.
Miriam reached over the desk and flipped it open. Sarah Thumb glared at her.
“I could’ve gotten it,” she said, a little out of breath. “I’m small , not helpless.”
The corners of Miriam’s mouth twitched suspiciously, but she didn’t say a word. Neither did I. I liked Sarah Thumb and her fierce independence.
“Anyway, this is the real test.” Sarah Thumb climbed up to sit on the edge of the box. “It’s a shard from the mirror in ‘Snow White’—you know, the mirror on the wall.” This shard was shaped like a pear, different from the one Ms. White brought to my class yesterday. “Characters always see something. Rory had a go yesterday. That’s how we knew to recruit her.”
Sarah Thumb didn’t pause to ask me what I saw. She just looked at us eagerly. “Well? Philip, you first. The suspense is killing me.”
hilip peered nervously into the shard. “Nothing.” Then he added glumly, “No, there’s a guy. Wearing red.”
“Bummer,” said Sarah Thumb.
“He’s playing an instrument,” Philip went on. “Something like a flute, but made out of wood.”
“Interesting.” The little woman’s eyes glittered again. “Characters see different things. A lot of people see the Tree of Hope outside, or the door that will bring them here, but some see a glimmer of their future Tale.”
I remembered the chilly expression on the girl wearing the icicle crown with a stab of worry.
“Miriam?” said Sarah Thumb cheerfully.
Miriam looked and quickly glanced away, her cheeks red. “George. I see George.”
Sarah Thumb grinned wickedly. “Romance also tends to be part of most happily-ever-afters. Riches, too.”
“Miriam and George sitting in a tree,” sang Philip, “K-I-S-S-I— Ow! ”
Blushing even harder, Miriam had elbowed her brother in the ribs and hissed that he better shut up if he didn’t want their mother to find out who broke her favorite vase. (Times like this make me wish I had a sibling too.)
“Looks like you’re stuck with us, Philip. Okay, time for the tour.” Sarah put two fingers in her mouth and whistled.
A bird chirped from a fountain in the corner. He flitted over, landed on the desk next to Sarah Thumb, and ruffled his feathers, looking guilty and defiant. I wondered if he would start talking too, but apparently not.
“ Stop that, Mr. Swallow. No one’s going to tell the Director that you’re using her fountains as a birdbath again. Right, children?” Sarah added, eyeing Miriam, Philip, and me.
We all quickly shook our heads.
Mr. Swallow was a pretty bird with blue wings and a long tail that cleft into two sharp points. He didn’t need to talk to show us how vain he was. He puffed up his scarlet chest and preened his wings for us as Sarah Thumb struggled to fold her list.
Then the tiny woman settled into the saddle on Mr. Swallow’s back, and we followed the bird out the door.
As we hurried to keep up (I never noticed swallows were so fast), Sarah Thumb kept telling us how lucky we were to have a place like EAS. “I wish I had known about this place when I was a kid. I could’ve used the preparation. I didn’t even know anything about ‘Thumbelina’ when I started.”
“How could you not know?” Miriam said. “There are so many books, and movies—”
“Well, my childhood was a little sheltered,” she said.
We returned to the courtyard so that Sarah Thumb could point out the doors to each place. She said that for training, we would need to find them on our own
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