The Plant Pixies Read online

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  251 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010

  Copyright © 2017 by Little Bee Books

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

  Names: Pearl, Alexa, 1967– author.

  Title: The Plant Pixies / by Alexa Pearl; illustrated by Paco Sordo.

  Description: First edition. | New York: Little Bee Books, 2017.

  Series: Tales of Sasha; #5 | Summary: Sasha learns what her special, royal power is when she tries to stop plant pixies from stealing feathers from the flying horses.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017004959

  Subjects: | CYAC: Horses—Fiction. | Animals, Mythical—Fiction. | Princesses—Fiction. | Pixies—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books. | JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Horses. | JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Mythical.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.P425 Pl 2017 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017004959

  ISBN: 978-1-4998-0464-5 (hc)

  First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  ISBN: 978-1-4998-0463-8 (pbk)

  First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  littlebeebooks.com

  Contents

  1. Pixie in a Jar

  2. The Goat Plan

  3. Super-Flyers

  4. So Much to Talk About

  5. Enchanted Somersaults

  6. Pixie Talk

  7. Keeping Up with the Pillywiggins

  8. Wing Hunt

  9. Make Like a Tree and Leave

  CHAPTER 1

  Pixie in a Jar

  “Let’s talk pixie!” said Sasha.

  Sasha wore a gold crown. It twinkled with white diamonds and pink crystals. Sasha was the Lost Princess of the flying horses.

  Sasha hadn’t always been a princess. She also hadn’t always been able to fly.

  Sasha grew up in Verdant Valley. She thought she was a regular horse, like all the other horses she knew.

  Then one day, wings popped out. She could fly!

  That was Surprise #1.

  Sasha went to meet other flying horses that lived in Crystal Cove.

  Then came Surprise #2. She was their Lost Princess. (Except now she wasn’t lost anymore.)

  Sasha had to pass a tricky test to get her crown. The flying horses said that passing the test would unlock her royal powers.

  Now, Sasha was in a cave having a secret meeting with four other flying horses. They were the rulers of Crystal Cove. Sapphire was a kind blue horse. Xanthos was a serious yellow horse. Crimson was a proper red horse. Mercury was a quiet turquoise horse.

  “What else can I do?” asked Sasha.

  She could fly. Could she also read minds? Change into a dolphin?

  “We don’t know what else you can do,” Sapphire told Sasha. “Your royal power is unique to you. It’ll only appear when you need it most.”

  Sasha hated waiting—especially for good things like presents, birthdays, and royal powers. “I need it now. The plant pixies are on the move.”

  “Exactly!” Xanthos gave a loud whinny in reply.

  Six hummingbirds flew into the cave. The hummingbirds were the flying horses’ helpers. They held open a large map of Crystal Cove in their beaks.

  “The plant pixies are dancing here,” Xanthos said, pointing to a jungle on the map.

  “The plant pixies are skipping here.” He pointed to some mountains.

  “The plant pixies are twirling here.” He pointed to a meadow.

  “Soon, they will come here.” He pointed to a beach.

  Oh, no! Sasha gulped. The flying horses lived in the caves along the beach on the map.

  “The plant pixies are coming to steal our wing feathers,” said Crimson.

  “We must stop them,” said Sasha.

  “It won’t be easy.” Xanthos brought her to a nearby shelf that held a large glass jar.

  Sasha pressed her nose to the glass. A little fairy face stared back at her! A plant pixie!

  The plant pixie had a pointy nose, pointy ears, and a pointy chin. Her skin was light purple, and her hair was long, flowing, and the color of grass. Her dress was made of tiny leaves.

  “Her name is Collie.” Xanthos pointed to a tiny necklace around her neck that spelled Collie in fancy script.

  Collie sat cross-legged on a leaf at the bottom of the jar. A tiny tear trickled down her cheek.

  “Oh, poor pixie,” cried Sasha. “Why is Collie trapped in a jar? She looks so sweet.”

  Xanthos snorted. “Don’t be fooled. Watch this.”

  He unlatched the lid from the jar. He slid a horse feather inside and touched Collie with its tip.

  She startled and cried out.

  Whoosh!

  Thick vines sprouted from Collie’s wrists. They grew and grew, twisting and climbing. They shot toward the top of the jar. Collie scampered up the vines like a rope. Her hazel eyes shone brightly. She was very near the top. Soon, she would be out of her glass prison.

  The pixie was about to escape!

  CHAPTER 2

  The Goat Plan

  Bam!

  Xanthos slammed down the lid.

  The vines disappeared. Collie fell back onto the leaf. She rested her head in her tiny hands.

  “That was mean,” Sasha told Xanthos.

  “Plant pixies are dangerous. I wanted to show you that,” said Xanthos. “When they’re scared or upset, they grow vines.”

  “What’s so bad about vines?” asked Sasha.

  “They use the vines to travel and to trap us,” he explained.

  Sasha peered through the glass. Collie was the size of a horsefly. Sasha was the size of a horse.

  “She’s too little to trap me.”

  “Pixies don’t work alone. They travel in large groups,” he said. “They surround a flying horse and tangle her up with thick vines. Then they pluck out two feathers.”

  Sapphire stepped closer to explain. “Plant pixies don’t have wings of their own. See that harness they wear?”

  Sasha spotted a tiny silver harness on Collie. It wrapped around her waist and strapped over her shoulders.

  “If she puts two horse feathers into the harness, she can fly,” said Sapphire.

  “Is that so bad? It’s only two feathers,” Sasha pointed out.

  “Only two? CLEMENTINE!” roared Xanthos.

  A horse limped into the cave. Her orange coat was dull. Her eyes were cloudy. She wheezed and coughed.

  “Oh, dear. What’s wrong with her?” Sasha moved away.

  “Clementine was healthy yesterday. Then the plant pixies used their vines to take two of her feathers. Today, she is weak and sick,” said Xanthos. “Now the pixie can fly, but she can’t.”

  Suddenly, Sasha understood how serious a pixie attack was. She didn’t want to get sick. “What do we do?”

  “Call Bill,” Xanthos instructed the hummingbirds.

  “Who’s Bill?” Sasha looked around.

  “I am Major Bill, your highness.” A billy goat entered the cave. Military medals hung from ribbons around his neck. He saluted Sasha. “I lead the goat brigade.”

  How wonderfully strange Crystal Cove is, thought Sasha. Winged horses lived in caves. Beavers paddled a ferry boat. Flamingoes played jump rope, spider monkeys rode scooters—and a billy goat was in charge of the guards.

  Sasha waved her tail in
his direction. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Major Bill, it’s time to send the goats to the meadow,” Xanthos said, tapping an area on the map.

  “The goats are ready and hungry, sir.” Major Bill saluted again.

  Why do we need a bunch of hungry goats? Sasha tried to puzzle it out.

  She looked back at Collie inside the jar. The pixie wrapped the leaf around her tiny body, curling up inside it.

  Then Sasha understood.

  Pixies slept inside plants. Goats ate plants. The goats would destroy the pixies as they were resting. Sasha’s stomach began to turn. “Wait! I don’t want to hurt the little pixies.”

  “Plant pixies are enchanted. They live forever and ever. You can’t really hurt them,” said Xanthos.

  “Then why send in hungry goats?”

  “The goats’ nibbling slows the vines from growing,” said Xanthos. “The pixies use the vines to travel. This will keep the pixies from reaching our beach quickly.”

  “What do you say, Lost Princess?” asked Major Bill. “You wear the crown now. It’s up to you.”

  Sasha watched Collie sleep. She remembered the climbing vines that shot from her wrists. She pictured hundreds of plant pixies, all with vines reaching for her wing feathers.

  “I say . . . nibble away.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Super-Flyers

  “Come see!” Kimani poked her purple head into the cave. She was Sasha’s best friend in Crystal Cove. “The Super-Flyers are putting on an air show.”

  “What’s a Super-Flyer?” asked Sasha.

  “I’ll show you.” Kimani’s braided tail twirled with excitement.

  Sasha followed Kimani onto the beach. The sand glittered with gems and jewels. Horses of all colors craned their necks upward.

  Sasha stared up, too. The sunset glowed pink and orange in the empty sky. What was she looking for?

  Whoosh!

  Six magnificent white horses zoomed across the sky. Their shimmering wings stretched wide. They dove and dipped. They twirled and swirled. They flipped and soared.

  Faster and faster and faster.

  Sasha didn’t dare blink. She didn’t want to miss anything.

  One horse flew up. Another horse flew down.

  Then the sky grew dark.

  Soon Sasha couldn’t see the Super-Flyers. “Is it done?”

  “Wait for it.” Kimani grinned slyly, as if she knew a secret.

  “For what—? Oh!” Sasha gasped.

  Each horse lit up. One, two, three, four, five, six. Their bodies glowed in the night. The horses flew, swirling light overhead.

  Sasha’s heart danced along with them. She loved their speed. Nothing stood in their way up there.

  Then she thought of Collie. Collie was trapped inside a glass jar. A lump formed in the back of Sasha’s throat.

  “I’ll be right back,” she whispered.

  Kimani nodded, her eyes never leaving the sky.

  Sasha quietly made her way into the empty cave. The glass jar still sat on the shelf. Collie slept, using the leaf as a sleeping bag. Tiny air holes were poked into the jar’s lid.

  Sasha heard voices from outside. The Super-Flyers must be ending their show.

  Will Collie be okay? wondered Sasha.

  She knew she shouldn’t care. Collie was a plant pixie, and plant pixies were the enemies of the flying horses.

  But she did care.

  Suddenly, she heard voices getting closer. Xanthos and Sapphire would soon return. Sasha grabbed the jar’s handle with her teeth. She hurried out and slipped into Kimani’s cave for a sleepover they’d planned.

  Now what? Sasha’s heart beat fast.

  She didn’t dare take off the lid. Xanthos had said Collie was dangerous.

  “Sasha? Are you in here?” Kimani called.

  What would Kimani think about hiding a plant pixie? Suddenly, Sasha wasn’t sure why she’d grabbed the jar. Had she done a good thing or a bad thing?

  Sasha tucked the jar under her straw mattress.

  “I’m here,” Sasha told Kimani. “I was tired.” Sasha yawned and realized she really was tired.

  Sasha decided to keep Collie a secret for now.

  She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

  CHAPTER 4

  So Much to Talk About

  Hiccup, hiccup.

  Sasha kept sleeping.

  Hiccup, hiccup.

  What was that sound? She opened her eyes. She looked over at Kimani, who was fast asleep.

  Hiccup, hiccup.

  The sound came from under Sasha. How could that be?

  The jar! Quickly, she snatched it from under the mattress and then carried it outside.

  The beach was quiet, except for the waves lapping onto the shore. The jewels on the sand glimmered in the pale moonlight.

  Sasha rested the jar on a large rock. She peered inside.

  Hiccup, hiccup.

  Collie looked upset. She had the hiccups.

  “Holding my breath helps them go away,” said Sasha.

  Collie waved a hand by her pointy ear. She couldn’t hear from inside the jar.

  Sasha puffed out her cheeks with air. She motioned for Collie to do the same thing.

  Collie took a deep breath. She held it.

  Hiccup, hiccup.

  That didn’t work. Sasha had another idea.

  She raised her front hooves. She made a mean face, and her nostrils flared wide. “Ahhh!”

  Collie hid her eyes in fright.

  “Did I scare them away?” asked Sasha.

  Hiccup, hiccup.

  “I guess not.” Sasha watched Collie’s little body shake with each hiccup.

  Then Sasha remembered how her mother placed drops of sweet morning dew under her tongue to chase away hiccups.

  Dew dotted some nearby sea grass, but the only way to give it to Collie was to open the jar.

  I’ll do it superfast, decided Sasha.

  She unlatched the lid and quickly placed the drops under Collie’s tiny tongue. They waited together.

  No more hiccups!

  Her mother’s trick had worked.

  “Thanks a bunch.” Collie’s words came out like a song.

  “You’re welcome.” Sasha went to put the lid back on.

  “Please, don’t leave me in here,” begged Collie. “I’m so lonely.”

  “I can’t just let you out.”

  “Can we just talk for a little bit?” Collie’s emerald eyes widened. “I’m so far from home and from my family.”

  “Me, too. I miss my two sisters and my better-than-best friend, Wyatt.”

  “I have a sister, too. She washes my hair with nectar.”

  “My sister Poppy braids flowers into my mane and tail.”

  “What kind of flowers?” asked Collie.

  “Mostly daisies.”

  Collie pointed to her dress. “Daisies are my favorite.”

  Sasha and Collie had so much to talk about. They talked about their sisters and their parents. Collie’s mother was in charge of all the plant pixies.

  “That makes you pixie royalty, like me.” Sasha touched her crown, resting nearby. “Why are you in a jar?”

  “I got tangled in the mane of a flying horse.”

  “What a strange place to be. What were you doing in someone’s mane?” asked Sasha.

  “Making it beautiful. Plant pixies make the world more beautiful. We sprinkle pixie dust on plants so flowers bloom and vegetables grow. We turn brown fields green. My talent is braiding. I do French braids, fish tails, and diamond braids.”

  “What’s a diamond braid?”

  “I’ll show you. Help me get out of here, okay?”

  Sasha hesitated.

  “I won’t hurt you. I only want to braid your mane,” said Collie. “I’ve never stolen a feather. The other pixies think it’s funny, because my mom is in charge. They laugh at me.”

  Sasha had been laughed at in school by the horses that didn’t fly. She and Collie were a lot
alike.

  She helped Collie out of the jar.

  CHAPTER 5

  Enchanted Somersaults

  Collie scampered into her mane. She sang softly as she braided.

  The sun began to rise. Birds chirped to welcome the day.

  Suddenly, their chirps turned into frightened squawks.

  What’s happening? Sasha turned and gasped. Goats were somersaulting toward her!

  Kimani raced out of her cave. “The pixies enchanted the goats! The goats can’t stop somersaulting.”

  They rolled in from the meadow, one after the other.

  “It looks like the goat plan didn’t work,” said Sasha.

  Major Bill rolled up to them. “Go inside! We don’t want them to find you.”

  Sasha felt Collie nuzzle into her mane to hide. Then Kimani pulled Sasha inside her cave. Sapphire and Xanthos soon trotted in.

  “Kimani, your room is so messy.” Sapphire looked around. Crumpled blankets lay in heaps. Straw fell out of mattresses. Carrot cake crumbs littered the floor. “You must clean it before we allow you to fly again.”

  “No flying?” Kimani sounded sad.

  “No flying,” said Sapphire. She could take away flying because she was one of the rulers of Crystal Cove.

  “Who cares about a mess right now? It’s a pixie attack!” cried Xanthos. “The pixies want Sasha’s royal feathers most of all.”

  “Why my feathers?” asked Sasha.

  “Your feathers are more powerful than ours,” Xanthos answered her.

  A hummingbird flew in. The goats needed help. They were quite dizzy.

  “Stay here. We’ll talk about this later,” said Xanthos. He, Sapphire, and Kimani hurried outside.

  Sasha watched them go. Then Collie climbed out of her mane.

  “Wow! It was hot in there.” Collie stood between Sasha’s ears. Then she slid down Sasha’s nose and sat by her nostrils.