One of Our Fairies is Missing Ch. 2


~O~

A rapturous moan slipped through Tinker Bell's lips. "Oh. Yes. Mmmm. Terence, that's wonderful. Oh, more, please."

Tinker Bell had returned home from a relaxing hot bath to find Terence at her doorstep. He learned about her little accident in the kitchens and came to see if she was alright. She said she was, but her muscles were so tired and sore that he offered to massage away the soreness. He started with her shoulders, then her neck. He moved to her back and was now rubbing her tired feet.

"OW OW OW OW!"

"Sorry, Tink," he said. "I guess your toes are still a little tender."

"Yeah. I thought they wouldn't hurt so much, but I guess all that work really put a strain on them."

Terence was careful to rub around Tink's painful tootsies. He was such an attentive beau, how could she not love him. Every little thing he did for her just melted her heart that much more. After all those years of dancing around the other they were finally together. Tink never felt happier.

"So..., how was work today?" he asked her. "I mean besides nearly getting crushed by an oven."

She laughed at his description. "It wasn't all that exciting. We just pushed all those things back into place one by one." In her relaxed state she relayed her conversation with Ambrosia, the baker fairy who felt like she couldn't rise above her limited talent level.

"Do you really think she can be as creative as the others?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so. It may take a while longer, but I'm sure of it."

"Summer is coming up, any idea where we're going to spend it after our daily errands are finished?"

Tink didn't answer right away. She hadn't thought about the upcoming season other than getting all of the tinker made wares ready for transport. But the more she thought about, the more an idea began to form in her head. One that she hoped would be even more helpful to her new friend in the baking guild.


~O~

Ambrosia had always been the low fairy on the totem pole in her guild. It made her feel small to be thought of as the weakest talent. So Tinker Bell decided to introduce her to someone who might make her feel even better.

When Summer arrived and the assigned fairies arrived at Fairy Camp in the giant oak tree, Tink and Terence settled into their regular duties. Later, however, when time provided she met up with Ambrosia in the camp's kitchenette. When the two had a day off together she took Ambrosia to meet Lizzy and her father Dr. Griffiths. Lizzy was much older now. She was a lovely teenaged girl on the cusp of full blown womanhood. She was seventeen and spent a good deal of time studying as well as entertaining young male suitors.

When Tinker Bell left with Peter Pan for an extended period she never visited Lizzy, no matter how many times she and Peter went to the mainland. Tinker Bell kept asking him to go with her, but Peter didn't care to visit. It was just like him to be so self centered. It was just another reason she left him and came back to Pixie Hollow. When Tink finally visited Lizzy after her return the young girl was most cross with her pixie friend. She learned of Tink's departure from Periwinkle, who was just as saddened by Tinker Bell's sudden decision to leave.

Lizzy would forgive Tinker Bell and on more than one occasion the sisters visited the human girl and her father for the winter season together. Even sharing one Christmas with them. Lizzy made tiny fairy presents for both girls that year. Tinker Bell showed Peri around the Christmas Tree and explained the significance of the Nativity to the humans that the family had placed underneath it. As well as the lit star on top of the tree. This shared holiday bonded Tink and Peri even closer and helped to heal the rift that existed between the two sisters after Tink chose to leave with Peter without ever saying goodbye.

Now it was Tink's hope that Dr. Griffiths and his daughter could be of some service to Ambrosia. During Lizzy's formative years her father relied heavily on a sitter to help cook and clean. But Mrs. Perkins eventually retired and the good doctor decided to share some of those responsibilities with his growing daughter. Unfortunately, he wasn't a very good cook. Those awful biscuits were really more his mistake than Tink's, although the flour incident didn't help matters one bit.

Ambrosia could cook wonderfully, even if she was just following a recipe. But maybe helping Dr. Griffiths would bolster Ambrosia's confidence even more. After all, who better to teach baking than a baking talent. Tink knew Lizzy's father would never become a world class baker, but if he showed some improvement it would be a huge boost for both of them.

When the two arrived Lizzy happily greeted Ambrosia. Even now, eight years after her first encounter the human girl still believed just as strongly in fairies and warmly welcomed any of them into her home. Lizzy then introduced Ambrosia to her father, who also believed. Perhaps even more than his daughter. He was grateful for the help. Tink had arranged the meeting and won approval from both before ever bringing Ambrosia to the house.

The Griffiths could communicate very easily with Tinker Bell and Ambrosia. Both father and daughter went to great pains to learn the fairy language and both spoke it fluently. Though to anyone else it would have seemed strange to see a grown man and teenaged girl talking to two fairies who only sounded like jingling bells. But to the Griffiths it was just another day with these beautiful, magical creatures.

After formal introductions and a short period of "getting to know," Ambrosia was shown the kitchen. She was astonished at its size and the many pots, pans, bowls, spoons and baking dishes she found here. Ambrosia envisioned all the possibilities. She was shown the cooker, all the foods and ingredients she could work with and even the old cookbook Dr. Griffiths bought for his wife a few years before she passed away from influenza.

Lizzy was very young back then and never got to know her mother, but Dr. Griffiths missed his wife terribly. The cookbook was one of the few items he kept because, although it reminded him of the loss, it also brought back so many pleasant memories. Elizabeth was such a wonderful cook. The house in London always smelled so delightful when she took to baking. She was also a patient woman who was willing to tolerate her husbands long stints in the study reading texts, preparing reports and studying new specimens. Dr. Griffiths never remarried because he did not believe he could ever find someone like Elizabeth ever again.

Dr. Griffiths opened the book and flipped to the section on desserts. Ambrosia read through the recipes. It was as though someone had opened the floodgates. She knew every fairy recipe by heart, but some of the concoctions in this book were phenomenal. No one in Pixie Hollow was aware of some of these incredible delicacies. There were pages after pages of puddings like Yorkshire, Persimmon, Corn and something called Spotted Dick. Then she read about Victoria Sponge Cake, Trifle, Banoffee Pie and Bakewell Tarts. The little baker just about fainted at this treasure of English cooking.

Ambrosia then found a section on pies, but was horrified when they called for animal flesh. Tinker Bell explained that she was reading a section on meat pies, not dessert pies. Tink had warned her beforehand that humans ate animal flesh and to not be offended. Ambrosia thought she could handle it, but the shock was too much. She wanted to flip away from it, but then she started reading the instructions. The methods of cooking were interesting. Strip away the animal flesh from the recipes and the techniques were still solid.

Although not her actual specialty, Dr. Griffiths wanted some help with traditional pancakes. Before she started on the recipe she had to explain a few things, such as what was considered "wet" ingredients and "dry" ingredients. While it would seem obvious to a scientist, not everything wet was a "wet" ingredient and not everything dry was a "dry" ingredient. This tip alone informed Dr. Griffiths more than anything he had read in any cookbook.

While the baker and the doctor worked in the kitchen Lizzy wanted to speak with Tinker Bell privately. While ascended the stairs to Lizzy's room Tinker Bell kept looking around for the cat, Mr. Twitches. He wasn't very fond of fairies and Lizzy always had to keep him outside to prevent the feline from making a meal out of one her houseguests.

"Where is Mr. Twitches," Tinker Bell asked.

Lizzy stopped climbing the stairs for a moment. "I'm sorry Tinker Bell. Mr. Twitches was very old and he passed a way last season."

Tinker Bell was half relieved and half saddened. "I'm sorry, Lizzy. I know how much he meant to you." The little tinker fairy put a comforting hand on Lizzy's shoulder. The two friends continued to Lizzy's room. Tink noticed that while Lizzy's posters and drawings of fairies still dotted the wall of her room, they were now joined by dozens of books with long sounding names. Names the little tinker fairy couldn't even hope to pronounce.

That was when Lizzy broke the news to her.

"Tinker Bell," Lizzy began. "I brought you here to tell you something very important. I'll be graduating from school this next year and father wants me to attend university."

"University?"

"Yes. I've already decided on the University of Cambridge. I'll be studying to be a nurse."

"A nurse? Well, where is this..., university?" Tinker Bell asked. "Maybe I can come visit you here on weekends."

Lizzy's eyes began to tear up. "I'm sorry, Tinker Bell. Cambridge is approximately 120 kilometers north of London. It would take several hours by carriage. And father's motorcar won't make the trip because it can't hold enough petrol."

Tinker Bell's wings drooped with her sadness. "Can I still visit you during the summer seasons?"

"Of course, Tinker Bell; however...,"

Uh oh. Tink didn't like the sound of that one bit.

"What is it?"

"I've been seeing a young man. It isn't very serious just yet."

"But if it does he'll be here with you, won't he?"

"Yes, Tinker Bell. I won't know how he will take to seeing a fairy."

This hurt so much. Lizzy was Tinker Bell's one true human friend. Tink had made amends with Wendy, but it was with Lizzy that Tink shared a special relationship. Losing her would be devastating. Tink knew this day would come, but she just never thought much about it. Humans grew up so fast compared to fairies. Would there come a time when Tink would no longer be welcome in the Griffiths' household to protect her and all the fairies of Pixie Hollow? She hoped not.

Maybe this young man would be as open minded as Lizzy was or Dr. Griffiths once he got to know them. But if he wasn't, would Lizzy still love him? Would they marry and leave Tink without a friend on the mainland? Only time would give her those answers. At least she had these wonderful years with the human girl. Though Tink could kick herself. All that time spent with Peter Pan and she could have been here visiting and making more memories. But it could not be undone and Tinker Bell tried to be as pragmatic about it as she could.

"So why a nurse?" she asked her human friend.

During Tinker Bell's absence Lizzy's father fell ill. Lizzy and Mrs. Perkins nursed him back to health. Lizzy took a special interest in reading books on medicine, diseases and nursing. She discovered her calling and had been studying the subject ever since. Dr. Griffiths was so pleased he found all the books he could and helped her to learn the terminology and understand the often dense reading material. She had even volunteered a few times to help at a London hospital for sick children to learn what a nurse does in daily life. Lizzy felt a great warmth in her heart when she cared for others. It gave her such satisfaction.

"I suppose its how you feel when you get to tinker," she added. Tinker Bell understood immediately. Caring for others was Lizzy's joy. Tinker Bell gave her human friend a big hug.

"I'm going to miss you while you're away at university, Lizzy," Tinker Bell said. "But I hope you came back here every summer. I'll be waiting for you."

"Oh, Tinker Bell. I'm going to miss you, too. Maybe I can send letters home to father so he can read them to you and your friends. And he can pen letters from you back to me."

"That sounds perfect, Lizzy."

The two spent several minutes looking out the window at the giant oak tree in the distance where fairy camp was located. Tink and Lizzy began to wax nostalgic about their times together. Such as when they flew a kite. Or when Clank and Bobble got stuck inside the water pump and Lizzy had to rescue them. Vidia once had to put out a small fire with her winds when Dr. Griffiths tried an experiment that went up in flames. Or when both were invited to Never Land and they met with Queen Clarion herself. She was most impressed with the two humans and looked favorably upon them and their friendship with Tinker Bell.

"Pancakes, Lizzy," Dr. Griffiths called.

"Hungry, Tinker Bell?" Lizzy asked.

"Absolutely," she answered.

Back in the kitchen Dr. Griffiths put forth a stack of pancakes that Ambrosia had helped him to make. The looked and smelled delicious. On the counter behind him was a stack of burnt pancakes. Which looked awful. No doubt his first few attempts. Dr. Griffiths tried to hide those from prying eyes. The four sat at the table and ate. These were the most incredible pancakes Lizzy had ever tasted.

"Absolutely fantastic, Father," she said.

Indeed they were. Tinker Bell found them fluffy, moist, perfectly sweetened and cooked just right.

"Well, I had plenty of help. Ambrosia is an excellent teacher," the elder Griffiths said.

The little baker fairy beamed with pride. Tinker Bell was amazed at just how confident she looked right now. It was like she was a whole different fairy than the one she first met that day in the fairy kitchens so many weeks ago. I think she's going to be just fine, Tink thought.

Ambrosia enjoyed the pancakes. They were tasty, although the ones made by the pancake flipping talents were better, but that was their special gift. The four talked while at the table eating their meal. When they finished their pancakes the foursome kept on chatting and planned what would be Dr. Griffiths' next lesson. All the while Ambrosia kept eyeing that cookbook. Oh what she could learn from it. If only she could study it more.


Enjoy. Please review.

(Note: The biscuits Tinker Bell mentions in chapter one are English biscuits not American biscuits, which are completely different. I just wanted to avoid any confusion.)