Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

 

Pixies and the Thankful Tree

S.L. Donnelly

 

Chapter 1 – The Thankful Tree

The leaves were mostly gone from the trees as nine-year-old Elizabeth Spencer got off the bus and met her brother Noah at the bus stop. “Is Mom still inviting the pixies in for an afternoon of being thankful?” Elizabeth asked as the wind whipped her brown tresses around her face. Several strands got caught in her eyelashes, and she wiped at the riot of curls to get them out of her way.

Noah nodded. “After last year, she feels kind of guilty leaving them out of the festivities. And, since we’re going to Aunt Emma’s for dinner tomorrow, Mom wanted them to join in.”

“Last year was fun. It was our first Pixie-giving,” Elizabeth said as she skipped happily alongside her brother. It used to frustrate her that he walked so fast until she realized it gave her the opportunity to skip.

Noah snorted. “And you burned the waffles.

“No,” Elizabeth retorted, sticking her nose up with a dismissive snort. “I burned the popcorn. The waffles were fine.”

Brother and sister fell into step, but Elizabeth was deep in thought. When she was six years old, a flutter of six pixies had revealed themselves in her backyard. There were six fairies in the flutter. Oberon and Tati were the leaders, and there were four others, Silver Frost, Radish, Drake, and Suki.

Each pixie had their own job within the flutter. Suki was their explorer, making sure everything in the backyard was in working order. Drake was their storyteller who collected stories and kept them all entertained in the evenings. Radish was their gardener, ensuring their group was well-fed. Silver Frost was responsible for liberal applications of ice and rime on all the surfaces.

Since then, they had gone on lots of fun adventures. Last year, Elizabeth had wanted to teach the pixies about one of her favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. It hadn’t been a terrible thing but had definitely left Elizabeth more than a little cautious about cooking on her own again.

This year, her parents were invited to Aunt Emma’s house, and the fairies would be on their own. So, Mom had come up with the idea of a Thankful Tree for Pixie-giving. On it, Noah and Elizabeth had written down things they were grateful for, and their mom would read them. Elizabeth had written down some of the things the pixies appreciated and, well. It left Elizabeth pretty sure her mom was going to regret her idea.

“I still think you should have put nice things on the tree,” Elizabeth scolded. At fifteen, Noah was probably a little too mature for this kind of game but insisted on joining them.

“I put nice things on the list,” Noah objected, but the little smirk around his lips told Elizabeth all she needed to know. Her brother had some mischief up his sleeve.

Elizabeth gave him a droll look as they entered the house. “What are you planning?” she accused.

Noah merely put his hand to his chest in an innocent “who, me?” gesture and walked into the kitchen. “Mom, we’re home. Do you need anything?”

Honor Spencer hugged Elizabeth and dropped a kiss on Noah’s forehead. “Wash your hands and set the table for the pixies. Plastic plates, please,” she said. Honor turned to her daughter. “Do you have any homework for the long weekend?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “And no quizzes until Tuesday. I’m free, free, free,” she said as she danced in a circle. “Thank you so much for inviting everyone in for Pixie-giving again.”

“It’s been a rough year filled with a lot of changes,” her mom said. “We should all remember to be thankful for being together again this year. For having food to share and loved ones to share it with.”

“Can I put on my tutu for the party, Mom? Please?” Elizabeth begged.

Her mom looked hesitant and bit her lip. “Oh, honey. Are you sure you want to risk it getting dirty? You wanted to wear that to Emma’s tomorrow, didn’t you?”

Elizabeth felt a little pout form. “Yes, but I want to wear it today, too. I feel pretty in it.” Ever since her parents had signed her up for ballet classes, she had wanted to wear her dance clothes all the time.

“Pixies are not known for being neat,” her mom warned one last time. “But it’s up to you. If you get food on it, you may not be able to wear it tomorrow.”

Elizabeth smiled up at her mom. “I’ll clean it if it gets messy. Pinky promise,” she said, holding up her right hand with her smallest finger extended.

Honor accepted her daughter’s promise, and they shook on it. “Be careful of those pinky promises,” she warned. “Aunt Emma and I used to do them all the time. We take them very seriously.”

“I do, too, Mom,” Elizabeth vowed. She hung up her coat and backpack and raced upstairs to get dressed in her leotard and bright pumpkin-colored tutu. She couldn’t wait to see Suki, Radish, and all her other flying friends.

 

Chapter 2 – Leaves of Gratitude

Once dressed for the party, Elizabeth scrambled down the steps. She paused as if waiting for her cue and then leapt across the living room and into the kitchen. Elizabeth spotted a flash of pink by the sliding glass doors and knew it was Suki. “Can I let them in, Mom?” she asked as she danced and pirouetted around the room.

Her mom held up one hand. “Let me get the cupcakes onto the table,” she warned. “Pixies can be a little,” her voice trailed off as she tried to think of the right word.

“Rambunctious?” Noah supplied.

“Reckless?” Elizabeth asked with a giggle.

“Flighty,” Noah added.

Honor bit back her laughter as she put the plate of tiny cupcakes on the table. “Yes, all those things,” she agreed. She stepped back as she checked to make sure they had everything ready. With a twist of her fingers, she added rainbow sprinkles. “Okay. Let them in.”

Elizabeth slid back the door, and four impulsive fairies flew into the kitchen and flitted around. They carried with them the scent of the cold November wind. “Brr,” Elizabeth said as she slid the door shut. She looked at Suki and the other fairies. “Where are Oberon and Tati?”

“It’s just us tonight,” Radish said. “And we are under firm orders to behave.” He wagged his finger in a decent impression of Oberon. “Don’t break anything, don’t fly into the adults’ faces, and whatever you do, don’t play keep-a-way with Elizabeth.”

Honor’s smile grew tight. Having four very curious fairies in the backyard did come with a few pitfalls. “Welcome to our celebration. Elizabeth told me that you helped her fill out some of the leaves on the Thankful Tree.”

Drake puffed his chest up a little bit. “I gave her the most ideas,” he bragged.

Elizabeth felt a sick sensation in her belly as she looked at the brightly colored paper that made up the leaves of the tree. In school when the teacher asked what they were thankful for, students gave answers like their moms and dads. Sometimes, they were grateful for ice cream or a toy, but there were almost always weightier answers, too. Elizabeth was unsure how her mother would take some of these answers, especially the ones Noah picked.

Her mom let each fairy select a petit four-sized cupcake while Noah and Elizabeth took their seats. Her mom had practiced weeks to perfect the timing on the tiny treats. Elizabeth grinned, thinking how even her dad, who loved sugar and all things sweet, had grown sick of eating the trial batches.

Noah rose to get the special fairy-sized cups her mom had purchased. “I’ll get the milk, Mom.”

“Thanks, honey,” Honor said as she put the Thankful Tree on the table. It was just some twigs her mom spray painted white. Colorful tags in red, yellow, and brown decorated it. Each autumn-colored leaf had neat printing outlining what a person was thankful for.

“These are perfectly fairy-sized,” Suki said with a twitch of her iridescent wings. She smiled with happiness as she took her seat. “Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome, Suki.” Honor grinned at the pink-haired fairy as Drake, Silver Frost, and Radish sat in front of their plates. Their gazes darted between Elizabeth and her mom as they waited to see what to do next.

“Can I read the first one, Mom?” Noah asked, chuckling as Elizabeth groaned.

Their mom frowned and looked between her children. “I think since this is Elizabeth’s party, she should go first.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes and made a silent wish for one of the leaves to not have something Noah wrote. She opened her eyes and selected one. “I’m thankful that Elizabeth has a friendly laugh,” she read. Elizabeth blushed a little but preened at the words.

“That was mine,” Silver Frost said in a stage whisper.

“Thank you. You have a lovely laugh, too,” Elizabeth said.

Radish plucked a leaf while the other fairies dug into their special treats. The gardener read out, “I’m thankful that pixies like to play.” He winked at Elizabeth. “We like playing with you, too.”

As each of the other fairies picked a leaf and read it, Elizabeth felt her shoulders begin to relax. Maybe Noah had only been teasing her. The leaves all had perfectly normal things to be thankful for.

Drake was jotting things down in his notebook. His job was as the flutter’s storyteller, and Elizabeth was sure he was describing the event for future generations to learn about the holiday. One day Elizabeth wanted to hear Drake’s stories.

“Toilet paper,” Sukie read out. Noah snorted with humor and Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

“Yes, I can see that,” their mom said with a carefully hidden smile. “A toilet paper shortage would be terribly inconvenient.” Elizabeth giggled, but not too much. She didn’t want to encourage Noah when he was in that kind of a mood.

As Elizabeth relaxed into the celebration, it was Noah’s turn to read a leaf. “Corn,” he said with deadpanned inflection.

Their mother frowned in confusion. “Corn? Just corn? Because you like popcorn?” Honor guessed.

Noah chuckled. “Of course, corn, Mom. You can see it in your poop!” The fairies stared at him for a moment before dissolving into giggles. He lifted the leaf in front of Suki. “And then you can use toilet paper to wipe your bottom.”

“Fine. Corn,” Honor interrupted him with a groan, as she hid a smile behind her hand.

After that, and much to Elizabeth’s astonishment, the suggestions on the leaves got sillier. “I’m thankful for bubble gum,” Suki said while Honor shuddered. “If Elizabeth hadn’t coated me in bubble gum, her mom wouldn’t have given me a bath and freed my wings.”

“I am certainly not thankful for gum,” Elizabeth said with a moue. Pixie-giving had taken a hard left turn and was way off track. “I’m thankful for the day we lost power in August.

“Why that day?” Silver Frost asked.

“Oh, it was so hot,” Honor said as she thought about the day. “We had to open all the windows, and we all got bitten by mosquitoes.”

“True, but you and Daddy pulled out flashlights, and the fairies used their shadows and acted out stories for us. That was the best,” Elizabeth explained. When Silver Frost and Radish agreed, Noah only shrugged and said it had been “okay.” Elizabeth’s annoyance with her brother grew.

“Okay. Last one,” Honor announced. She plucked the leaf and read. “Pumpkins.”

“You can spit the seeds,” Drake said as though announcing something quite meaningful.

“And, if you eat them, they also appear in your,” Noah said with a cackling laugh

“Stop!” his mother interrupted. “Do not say it, Noah Spencer.”

Suddenly, it all felt too much for Elizabeth. This was not how Pixie-giving was supposed to go!

 

Chapter 3 – All the Things

Elizabeth stood on her chair to make herself the biggest thing in the room. “Stop,” she shouted, wanting to stomp her foot but knowing that would be far too childish.

Noah stopped, lifted his brow in shock, and looked at her. “What’s the matter, Lilibet?” he asked.

“No one is taking this seriously,” Elizabeth said, feeling her eyes burning with unshed tears.

“Elizabeth?” She felt a slight tug on her skirt, and Elizabeth looked down to see Suki hovering near her. “We are taking it seriously. We do like spitting pumpkin seeds. Pixies love games.”

Noah shrugged. “Okay, maybe I was being a little silly, and I’m sorry that hurt your feelings but come on, Lilibet. It’s Thanksgiving. Why can’t we be happy for the funny things, too?”

“But what about dance and mom’s baking? Or Dad getting better when he got sick? Or being thankful that this year we get to spend the holiday with Aunt Emma and Uncle David when last year, we couldn’t go out?” Elizabeth was on a roll and pushed forward. “There are big things to be thankful for. Like, having pixies to play with or a brother who isn’t mean to me. Having Mom and Dad home every night.” She spread her hands across the fallen leaves with their various answers. “How does that compare with corn?”

Honor came and picked her daughter up before sitting down with Elizabeth in her lap. Elizabeth cuddled into her mom’s warmth, forgetting for a moment how angry she was. “Honey, that’s great that you’re thankful for all those things.”

Radish approached. Last year, he’d had a hard time understanding the meaning of Thanksgiving. “You and your family taught me that this time wasn’t just about turkey and gravy. You taught me to look at the world differently and to see all the good things that exist in spite of the bad stuff.” Elizabeth sniffled and snuggled further into her mom’s warm embrace.

“I love watching you dance,” Suki said as she flew to meet Elizabeth’s gaze. “Almost as much as I love flying.” The pink-haired pixie twirled in the air, and her braids went flying around her.

Elizabeth’s dad came into the kitchen carrying two large pizza boxes. “I thought we would carry on our tradition of take out on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving,” he said. Spence looked around the room. “Did I interrupt Pixie-giving?”

Honor set her daughter on her chair and stood to give him a welcoming kiss. “We’re just going over what everyone was thankful for this year.”

Spence put the pizzas down and tugged his wife closer for a hug. On cue, Noah and Elizabeth groaned even though Elizabeth secretly loved that her parents were so affectionate. “What are you thankful for, Dad?” she asked, trying to spare hers and Noah’s embarrassment at seeing their parents kiss.

Releasing his wife, Spence glanced at some of the answers scattered on the table. “Pumpkin seeds?” he asked.

“For spitting,” Drake pointed out.

“And growing more pumpkins,” Radish added.

“I see,” Spence said, holding back a grin. “Corn?”

“Because you can see it in your,” Noah began.

“Noah Spencer, enough,” Honor said, burying her face in her hands while Elizabeth and the fairies dissolved into collective giggles. Maybe her friends were right, Elizabeth thought. It was okay to like the silly things, too.

Spence chuckled. “Yeah, I can see how this night went.”

“You have no idea,” Honor said. She picked up the pizzas to put them in the oven to warm them.

“But Dad, what are you thankful for?” Elizabeth asked again.

After ruffling Noah’s hair and dropping a kiss on Elizabeth’s forehead, Spence stopped. “I am most thankful for my family. So, the thing I’m most thankful for is that your mom agreed to go out with me all those years ago.”

Ignoring her parents’ mooning at each other, Elizabeth thought for a moment. “So, it’s okay to be thankful for big things and little?”

“Exactly,” Honor said as she handed her husband dinner plates.

“Then I’m thankful for my family, too,” Elizabeth said. “Including the pixies.” She smiled around at everyone, and no one minded at all that they had their dessert before their dinner.