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Authors: Emma Carroll
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everyone looking at?’
Max doesn’t answer. He grabs my sleeve and tries to rush me up the nearest stairs. But not before I see the posters. There are tons of them, A4-sized on bright green paper, stuck all over the noticeboard on top of the football team lists or whatever was there before. In big purple letters are the words:
‘SAVE DARKLING WOOD!’
And something else underneath about a meeting.
My hand covers my mouth. This must be Ella’s work. I don’t know if I’m going to laugh or cry. But despite what Max said, I do take it personally.
12
That night I go to bed early but it’s impossible to sleep. Theo, the woods, Ella’s posters, all go round and round my head, and I can’t make it stop.
On the floor below, the toilet flushes then a door clicks shut. I listen as Nell settles down for the night. Soon enough, the house falls quiet but I’m more wide awake than ever, so I get up and go to the window.
That’s when I see Flo. She’s in the garden, directly below my window, staring up. I feel a shiver of excitement. By the time I reach the garden she’s vanished, but I’ve an idea where I’ll find her.
Sure enough, Flo’s at the same spot where we last met. She’s sat cross-legged, her back against the tree trunk. I crouch down beside her. The ground’s too wet for sitting, but she doesn’t seem to have noticed.
‘You couldn’t sleep either?’ I ask.
‘No,’ she says. ‘And I won’t until the fairies are safe again and Darkling Wood has been saved.’
This feels like a dig at me for not taking her seriously.
‘I’m sorry I don’t believe in your fairy stuff,’ I say.
One look at her face and it’s clear she’s not about to let me off the hook.
‘Then you’ll have to keep trying,’ says Flo. ‘Because bad things will happen if your grandmother destroys this wood.’
‘What bad things?’
She sighs. ‘I’ve explained this already, Alice. The fairies will take revenge. Weren’t you listening?’
‘I was, but … seriously ?’ I say. ‘Nell’s set on cutting down the trees. I don’t think she’ll change her mind if I tell her there are fairies in the wood.’
‘She doesn’t have to. You’re the one the fairies have chosen. They want you to believe in them. I mean it, Alice, if you don’t then their magic might not be strong enough to save the wood.’
It sounds nuts. But for some reason I feel a twinge in my stomach. I get to my feet.
‘You can’t just make someone believe in something that doesn’t exist,’ I say. ‘It’s ridiculous!’
‘Fairies do exist, that’s my point,’ says Flo. ‘Theyaren’t just tiny creatures from storybooks. They make trouble for people who interfere in their world.’
‘How do you know?’ I ask.
Flo hesitates. ‘Once, a long time ago, I did something that angered the fairies.’
I look at her.
‘Like what?’
‘Never mind that now,’ she says, fiddling with her coat cuffs because she can’t meet my eye. ‘But I know how awful their revenge can be.’
Sat there under the tree she looks so pale, so lost, I almost believe her. But I still can’t make sense of what she’s saying.
‘So let me get this straight,’ I say. ‘The fairies are already working against my grandmother.’
‘Yes. They rubbed the crosses off the trees, and they’re the reason no tree surgeon is willing to do the job.’
‘But a man came yesterday. You saw him.’
Flo sighs impatiently. ‘Yes, and there will be more delays, more mischief, just you wait and see. The fairies will use all the magic they can to try to change Nell’s mind. But it might not be enough. If it isn’t and the trees come down, then they’ll be out for revenge.’
I think of Theo. My stomach twinges, harder this time. Flo sees she’s got my full attention now.
‘The fairies should be able to stop your grandmother before it’s too late. But that’ll depend on you, Alice.’
I wish she’d stop saying that.
‘I just don’t see why it has to
Max doesn’t answer. He grabs my sleeve and tries to rush me up the nearest stairs. But not before I see the posters. There are tons of them, A4-sized on bright green paper, stuck all over the noticeboard on top of the football team lists or whatever was there before. In big purple letters are the words:
‘SAVE DARKLING WOOD!’
And something else underneath about a meeting.
My hand covers my mouth. This must be Ella’s work. I don’t know if I’m going to laugh or cry. But despite what Max said, I do take it personally.
12
That night I go to bed early but it’s impossible to sleep. Theo, the woods, Ella’s posters, all go round and round my head, and I can’t make it stop.
On the floor below, the toilet flushes then a door clicks shut. I listen as Nell settles down for the night. Soon enough, the house falls quiet but I’m more wide awake than ever, so I get up and go to the window.
That’s when I see Flo. She’s in the garden, directly below my window, staring up. I feel a shiver of excitement. By the time I reach the garden she’s vanished, but I’ve an idea where I’ll find her.
Sure enough, Flo’s at the same spot where we last met. She’s sat cross-legged, her back against the tree trunk. I crouch down beside her. The ground’s too wet for sitting, but she doesn’t seem to have noticed.
‘You couldn’t sleep either?’ I ask.
‘No,’ she says. ‘And I won’t until the fairies are safe again and Darkling Wood has been saved.’
This feels like a dig at me for not taking her seriously.
‘I’m sorry I don’t believe in your fairy stuff,’ I say.
One look at her face and it’s clear she’s not about to let me off the hook.
‘Then you’ll have to keep trying,’ says Flo. ‘Because bad things will happen if your grandmother destroys this wood.’
‘What bad things?’
She sighs. ‘I’ve explained this already, Alice. The fairies will take revenge. Weren’t you listening?’
‘I was, but … seriously ?’ I say. ‘Nell’s set on cutting down the trees. I don’t think she’ll change her mind if I tell her there are fairies in the wood.’
‘She doesn’t have to. You’re the one the fairies have chosen. They want you to believe in them. I mean it, Alice, if you don’t then their magic might not be strong enough to save the wood.’
It sounds nuts. But for some reason I feel a twinge in my stomach. I get to my feet.
‘You can’t just make someone believe in something that doesn’t exist,’ I say. ‘It’s ridiculous!’
‘Fairies do exist, that’s my point,’ says Flo. ‘Theyaren’t just tiny creatures from storybooks. They make trouble for people who interfere in their world.’
‘How do you know?’ I ask.
Flo hesitates. ‘Once, a long time ago, I did something that angered the fairies.’
I look at her.
‘Like what?’
‘Never mind that now,’ she says, fiddling with her coat cuffs because she can’t meet my eye. ‘But I know how awful their revenge can be.’
Sat there under the tree she looks so pale, so lost, I almost believe her. But I still can’t make sense of what she’s saying.
‘So let me get this straight,’ I say. ‘The fairies are already working against my grandmother.’
‘Yes. They rubbed the crosses off the trees, and they’re the reason no tree surgeon is willing to do the job.’
‘But a man came yesterday. You saw him.’
Flo sighs impatiently. ‘Yes, and there will be more delays, more mischief, just you wait and see. The fairies will use all the magic they can to try to change Nell’s mind. But it might not be enough. If it isn’t and the trees come down, then they’ll be out for revenge.’
I think of Theo. My stomach twinges, harder this time. Flo sees she’s got my full attention now.
‘The fairies should be able to stop your grandmother before it’s too late. But that’ll depend on you, Alice.’
I wish she’d stop saying that.
‘I just don’t see why it has to
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