Lara Bergen - Disney Fairies - Art Lessons by Bess

Bess groaned. She was pinned against the birch tree. “I’m fine! Embarrassed, that’s all.”

Finally sure that Bess wasn’t hurt, Scarlett started to giggle. “You did look funny.”

“I bet.” Bess laughed as she started to wriggle free. But she couldn’t quite tug herself loose from the vines. She pulled and pulled, but she couldn’t budge.

Scarlett said, “Bess? Are you sure you’re okay?”

Bess gulped. “I’m afraid — I’m afraid I’m stuck!”

“YOU’RE STUCK?” Scarlett clapped her hands to her cheeks. “Oh, no!”

Bess tried one more time to free herself from the vines, but she couldn’t budge. The ivy held her firmly against the tree trunk.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “I’m stuck.”

“Does this happen all the time too?”

Scarlett asked.

“No,” Bess admitted. “I think I’m the first fairy who ever managed to tie herself up with the ivy.”

She thought about what it would be like when Scarlett went for help. The others would set her free, but oh, they would laugh! They wouldn’t mean to be unkind, but who could help laughing at something like this?

Scarlett’s eyes widened as she looked at Bess’ face. “Are you embarrassed? You shouldn’t be. You were only trying to show me what to do.”

Bess’s glow turned pink. “I know you’re right, but I feel — well, pretty silly.”

“Trust me,” Scarlett said. Her expression became determined. “It’s okay, Bess. I’ll take care of it. Nobody else will ever find out.”

Scarlett grabbed the vines and started pulling. She tugged so hard that her wings beat faster than a hummingbird’s. There still wasn’t enough room for Bess to wiggle free. Scarlett pulled, and pulled, and pulled, and—

BOING!

She lost her grip and went flying backwards. After a couple of loops in the air, Scarlett landed flat on her back in the mud.

“Are you hurt?” Bess asked anxiously.

“I’m fine. What about you? Did it hurt when the vine snapped back?”

Bess shook her head. “Not a bit. Can you still pull with your wings all muddy?”

“I can use my feet and hands just fine.” Scarlett sprang up as though nothing had happened. “We’ll try again. This time, you push against the vines at the same time I pull. Ready?”

“Ready,” Bess said.

Scarlett took two fistfuls of vine. “One — two — three!”

Bess pushed as hard as she could. The vines were slippery against her hands. She grimaced, but she kept pushing, and Scarlett kept pulling, until—

BOING!

Scarlett went tumbling, head over heels. She somersaulted backwards until she landed, face-down, in the mud puddle again.

“Scarlett!” Bess cried.

But Scarlett clambered out of the mud once more. To Bess’ astonishment, Scarlett was grinning.

Scarlett held out her arms and feebly beat her mud-heavy wings. “So, how do I look?” She turned that way and this, as though she were modeling the latest creation of the dressmaking fairies. Instead she was only modeling a lot of reddish-brown mud.

“You look — really silly!” Bess started to laugh, and Scarlett joined in. Together they giggled for what seemed like a very long time, peals of laughter ringing in the glade. How ridiculous they both were! But — somehow — they were still having fun.

When they finally stopped laughing, Scarlett wiped happy tears from her eyes. Mud smudged her cheeks. “Okay, let’s try again.”

“Again?” Bess said. “Don’t you think you had better go for help?”

“Only if I have to,” Scarlett said. “I really think I can get it myself, if I just give it one more twist.”

Bess knew, if she were in Scarlett’s place, she would have given up by now. She would have flown to find other fairies right away. And if Scarlett were in her place — stuck against a tree — she wouldn’t be embarrassed. Scarlett wasn’t a bit scared of looking silly. Maybe she wasn’t scared of anything.

Bess wished she could be that brave.

Then she realized: She had just wished to be like Scarlett. Scarlett! The one with no talent! The one who put crazy twigs in her hair and wore strange clothes! Who would want to be like Scarlett?

Bess would, she thought as she watched Scarlett grab the ivy vines once more.

“All right,” Scarlett said, bracing her feet against the ground. “This time I’m going to twist the vines at the same time. That might break them. Got it?”

“Absolutely,” Bess said. “Let’s go!”

Bess pushed with all her might. Scarlett pulled even harder. The ivy vines twisted in her grasp, until—

SNAP!

Bess and Scarlett both fell down into the mud puddle as the vines gave away. Together they laughed even harder than they had before.

“Look at all these vines!” Scarlett held up a handful of Boing-Boing Ivy. “How much do we need for paint?”

“We’ve got more than enough now,” Bess said proudly. “All because of you.”

“I didn’t do much of anything,” Scarlett said.

“You did the most important thing.” Bess put one muddy hand on Scarlett’s shoulder. “You refused to give up.”

Scarlett’s eyes twinkled with hope. “First thing tomorrow, I’m going to start experimenting again. This time I won’t stop until I find my talent. No matter what.”

“Tomorrow?” Bess said. “Not today?”

Scarlett nodded toward the ivy. “Today, I’m making paint for Leo’s mural.”

Bess beamed. She pulled herself out of the reddish mud and held out a hand to Scarlett. “Need me to help you up?”

“I can manage,” Scarlett said. She sighed. “Seems like a shame, though.”

“What do you mean?” asked Bess, confused.

“Getting out of all this lovely mud.” Scarlett squished some of the mud between her fingers. “It feels so wonderfully goopy. Like I’d love to play in it all day. Don’t you feel the same?”

Bess gasped and clapped her hands to her cheeks. The ivy leaves fell in the mud, forgotten for a moment. “Scarlett! I’m not sure, but maybe — just maybe—”

“What?” Scarlett asked.

With a smile, Bess said, “I think I might know what kind of art you should create!”

TOGETHER BESS AND Scarlett raced through Pixie Hollow. Their wings were too muddy for them to fly, but fairies could run quickly when they wanted to. Bess was definitely in a hurry today!

“Where are we going?” Scarlett asked.

“To the pottery workshop!”

The Pixie Hollow pottery workshop was in a hollowed-out stump not far from Mother Dove’s nest. As they swooped downward, Bess and Scarlett saw fairies and sparrow men in aprons, setting out trays of beautiful clay jugs and plates. Other art-talent fairies — mostly painters, like Bess — gathered there, eager to decorate the new creations.

“Hello there!” Bess called as they hurried up. “I was wondering — could Scarlett try making pottery?”

She saw the painting-talent fairies glance at each other. Scarlett had a reputation for disasters. A few people even edged between Scarlett and the new pots, afraid she might knock them over.