By Kai Strand -
A morning dove cooed from the tree above me. The soft breeze lulled me to sleep.
“WHOA!” I snapped awake. My heart pounded frantically. Wind whistled past my ears as I fell off my branch. I struggled to catch my breath. My flailing arm cracked against a tree limb causing me to cry out in pain.
“Lulu, fly!” Adrian called out.
Oh, yeah, I thought to myself. I passed my test, I can fly now.
I flung my long, thin wings out behind me. Too quickly, though. The brisk wind filled them from behind and they turned inside out like an umbrella on a blustery day.
I’m not very good at this! I panicked. Think fast. How do you take care of inside out wings?
My foot connected painfully against another passing branch. I curled into a ball and grabbed my throbbing ankle. My wings instantly popped right side out again.
That’s right; Pixie credo #15, round your back to right your wings!
I fluttered desperately. My descent slowed but it did not stop.
I heard a snide remark from behind a large white blossom, “A pixie who can’t even sleep in a tree!” The tittering of giggles drifted after me as I lost more altitude.
I spun in an awkward slow circle. Finally I saw that my lower right wing hadn’t popped back fully. I whacked it with my arm and it snapped into place. At last all four wings beat together and I hovered.
Embarrassed, but relieved I smiled at some of the other pixies peering from behind the leaves and apple blossoms. I pumped my lower wings a bit harder and flew upward. I had almost made it back to my leaf when my head yanked backward. A stinging sensation ripped across the back of my scalp. Switching my wings back to hover-mode I reached behind me to untangle my hair from the small branches.
That’s right; Pixie credo #4, tie up your hair-or get snagged by things!
After a lot of yanking and twisting I finally continued my ascent. I thought I heard a snicker from behind a blossom. When I looked down to check, WHAM! I flew right into a...
