"Excuse me, did you say, 'faerie'?" Finley asked politely (but suspiciously).
"Yes. You have never heard of faeries?"
"No. I mean, yes. But I never thought they were..."
"Real?" Mr. B grinned. "You would never have thought a creature with button eyes could be real, either. This world holds many secrets and surprises for those who know where to look. Come, we must go upstairs."
They left the flat with the bricked-up door and were about to head upstairs when they saw a wild-eyed Miss Spink hurrying towards them.
"Wait! Wait for me! I'm coming with you!"
They waited until she caught up with them, panting and holding her side.
"I am proud of you for making the right choice," Mr. B told her.
"Oh, Mr. Bobo," Spink said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. It will give me a chance to dust off my talents."
Finley looked up at her, "And you're helping to save my mother."
"Yes, that to, dear. Now where are we heading?"
Finley pointed, "Up. Mr. B is going to summon a faerie. Or try to, at least."
Mr. B smiled, "It has been many years since I spoke to one, but I will do my best."
For a moment, Spink looked lost. Then a knowing expression crossed her face, "Ah, yes. The faeries. Quite right."
She leaned close to Finley and whispered, "I get it. We're all acting. Mr. B is a natural, isn't he?"
Finley wasn't sure what to say, so she kept quiet.
The group made their way up the stairs and into Mr. B's flat.
It doesn't smell like medicine anymore, Finley noticed. But it's messier than I remember.
"How exactly does one 'summon' a faerie?" Miss Spink wondered, looking inquiringly at Mr. B.
"I will tell you. Once we find the book."
"The book?"
"Yes. It was a field journal I used to record my observations when I was abroad. Inside it, there should be a strip of parchment with faerie writing."
"Faerie writing?"
"The language of the faeries is very bold and strange."
"Can you speak it?" Finley asked, very curious about this subject.
"I am fluent," he nodded proudly, then sheepishly. "That is, I was twenty years ago. But I should be able to decipher enough to serve our purpose. Now, help me find the book. I know it's around here somewhere."
Spink surveyed the cluttered room, "Mr. Bobo, dear, what does it look like?"
He scratched his chin, "If I am remembering correctly, it is a grey book with a silver emblem on the cover. I will search in the bedroom. You two can look here," Mr. B instructed.
Miss Spink looked over at Finley. Finley shrugged and began looking around her.
Finley was the one who found it. The hardback book was lying alone on the bottom shelf of a partially-hidden bookcase. Finley got down on her knees to pull it out.
"Did you find it?" Miss Spink asked, waddling over.
"Yes," Finley said. "I think so."
Mr. B came rushing into the room, "Did I hear you correctly? Has it been found?"
"Yes," Spink said with delight.
"It was down there," said Finley, pointing.
"I would have found it," Spink giggled, "if I could reach that low."
Mr. B took the book from Finley's outstretched arms. He ran his hand fondly over the dusty cover.
"Yes. I remember this book. I first purchased it in Tanzania, when I was—"
"What about the faeries?" Spink asked.
"I was getting to that," Mr. B coughed. "I was twenty-seven when I met my first faerie. I won't go into details now, but let us say that, over the years, I had occasion to summon faeries several times."
"They don't mind being summoned?" Finley questioned.
"I do not remember. Let us hope they do not, for I am about to perform the ritual."
Mr. B flipped through the book until a sheet of thin, crackly parchment fell out.
"Hand that to me, please."
Finley retrieved it from the floor.
"Ah, yes. This is what we are looking for, my friends. Please step back and give me room.
They did as he said. As they watched, Mr. B shouted a large, awkward word, skipped around (three times) in a circle, and spit onto the floor.
A blinding flash lit the room. Finley uncovered her eyes and—
"I knew it wouldn't work," Miss Spink grumbled. "Real magic exists only in the theatre."
"Before you say anything else, I would advise you to look to your left, Miss Spink." Mr. B said in a careful tone.
"Why? You don't think—"
Spink covered her mouth with both hands when she saw it.
A tiny creature, no bigger than a hand, hovered with tiny wings that were made of a glittery, silvery substance.
Spink was shocked, "It's a faerie!"
Finley clapped her hands in delight, "You're really real!"
The creature flew into the middle of the group.
"Of course I'm real," it said, sounding a bit resentful.
I don't want to offend it, Finley thought.
She apologized, "I'm sorry. It's just that I've never seen a faerie before—except in books."
The faerie rolled its tiny eyes. "Hmph! Of course. It's because we don't want humans to see us. Before we adapted, we were bigger."
"But why didn't you want them to see you?" Finley asked it.
"Silly girl!"
It puffed it's wings out wide, causing Miss Spink to gasp in admiration. The wings sparkled like diamonds.
"People began to trap us and sell us. And, of course, our old enemy found it much easier to catch and kill us when we were larger."
"How large were you?"
It looked Finley over, "Our ancestors were about your size, I would say."
"Remarkable," Spink said.
"But you didn't summon me here to learn about faerie history, did you? I hope not."
Mr. B shook his head, "No, no. We have a problem that requires more than we alone can provide."
"Tell me about it," the minuscule creature replied. "I'll just sit on your shoulder while you explain. My wings are getting tired."
It rested on Mr. B's broad shoulder while he (along with Finley), tried his best to catch the faerie up on the disturbing events. When he told it about the Other Mother's button eyes, Finley thought she felt the air chill, and the faerie seemed to grow dimmer.
When the tale was told, the faerie spoke in it's small, airy voice, "So this girl's mother has been captured by a beast with buttons for eyes, and is being held against her will in this 'Other World'. You need my help to get into the Other World."
"Yes," agreed Mr. B. "That is our situation."
"Seeing as you have no other options, and seeing how this girl would like to have her mother back as soon as possible, I will grant your request for help."
Mr. B smiled and squeezed Finley's shoulder.
Finley had been tense while the story was relayed to the faerie, but now she relaxed.
"Any more questions?"
"I have one," Miss Spink said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but my eyes are not what they used to be, and since you are very small, I cannot tell whether you are a 'he' or a 'she'."
The faerie shrugged it's tiny shoulders. "We've gotten so small that there aren't any differences between us. Or if there are, we don't notice them. We don't define ourselves like you humans."
Miss Spink seemed satisfied by this answer.
"I'm going to open a portal with my magic that will take us into the Other World," the faerie said. "Are you ready?"
Mr. B nodded and looked at Finley.
Finley took a deep breath and tried to look (and feel) courageous.
"Yes, yes," Miss Spink grumbled. "All this talk about portals and Other Worlds and button eyes is confusing me. Let's go and be done with it."