It was a bright, summery day in Pixie Hollow as Tinker Bell and her good friend Terence flew together side by side over Needlepoint Meadow, on their way to an old trinkets shop where fairies could trade in lost things or other whimsical items for antiques, inventions, or enchanted objects.
"I think you're gonna like Fairy Mo," said Tink, grinning at Terence. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement, and the sun lit up her blonde bun from behind with her bangs flapping in the wind. Terence thought she looked quite pretty.
"Oh, really? What's he like?"
"Well, he likes lost things, and luckily I got plenty of them." Tinker Bell gestured to the sack around her waist. "And he's actually a Tinker fairy, too. He liked Tinkering so much that he decided to open up his own pawn shop dedicated to displaying all his strange inventions."
"That's awesome!" said Terence. "I've always wondered what it would be like to invent stuff."
"But you do invent stuff," insisted Tinker Bell. "With me, all the time. Terence, you're a natural. You're practically a tinker, too."
Terence felt himself blushing. He wasn't used to receiving compliments like this from Tink. It got him feeling all flushed and embarrassed.
"Yeah . . . Well, how far are we from the shop, anyway?" he asked, changing the subject. Tink smirked.
"Almost there, follow me!"
She flew faster, did a little loop around a tree, and soared above the leaves, catching the wind as she extended her arms. Terence struggled to keep up.
"C'mon, slowpoke!" she called. Terence flew noticeably faster. "I still gotta boat to work on with Clank and Bobble after this!"
"Another one after last time?" Terence asked, cocking an eyebrow. Tink rolled her eyes.
"For your information, Terence, this time we have way more resources, and more time, and instead of giving it legs we put more power behind the motor. Its design is practically flawless."
Terence tssked at her, shrugging. "We'll see about that."
"Fine, I guess you won't get to be our first test subject," said Tink lightly, folding her arms, turning her head up stubbornly.
"No, no, I do, Tink, I do," Terence protested, laughing in spite of himself. "I'm sorry. Forgive me?"
Tink sighed. "Alright, alright. Now, look off in the distance. See that brown, acorn-looking thingy?"
Terence glanced up and saw the brown, acorn-looking thingy.
"Yeah, is that it?"
Tink smiled at him, and extended her hand for him to take. "Come on!"
Terence couldn't contain his smile as he reached out and took her hand. Tink flew them surprisingly fast, laughing all the rest of the way.
It had been a rather slow morning at the shop, Fairy Mo decided as he took a sip of his tea. He hadn't had a single fairy come in, and was considering closing shop and taking the day off when he heard a rattle at the door, and the chorus of bells that signified someone came in.
He looked up from the book he was reading, and as soon as he saw that golden bun he knew exactly who'd come to see him. He leaped with joy.
"Well, hello, Tinker Bell! How are you?"
"Hi there, Fairy Mo!" Tink greeted excitedly. "It's your lucky day, I've brought someone."
A blonde sparrow man emerged through the door, smiling shyly. "Hi, I'm Terence," he said. He looked around the shop. It had a sort of dusty feeling to it, like the shelves were kept clean enough to keep out rodents but still dirty enough to look weathered, and aged. Shelves stood tall with many layers all around the shop, filled with books and inventions and antiques.
"Terence likes lost things, too," said Tink eagerly. "Terence, this is Fairy Mo. One of the oldest-"
"Hey!"
"-and best tinkers I know."
"Oh." He felt quite flattered. Tinker Bell really knew how to tickle a fairy's heart.
"Pleasure to meet you," said Terence. He took another look around. "I like your shop."
"Thank you," said Fairy Mo, beaming with pride. "I'm proud to say that over half the strange little trinkets you see in here are mine."
"That's incredible. You seem like you're a great inventor."
Fairy Mo laughed, embarrassed. "Why that's very nice of you, I'm-"
"Whatcha lookin at, Tink?" Terence had flown up to the upper half of the shelves where Tink was fluttering over something that Fairy Mo couldn't see.
"Terence, come look at this," she said.
Terence flew over to her, curious. Tink stood aside and pointed to the object that caught her eye.
It was a flower, presumably a water lily, but it looked . . . Dead. Grey, frayed at the edges. A little more than worse for wear. He wondered why Tink was so interested in it.
"It's a . . . grey flower," he said carefully, not wanting to upset her.
"But it's not dead," Tinker Bell insisted. "Look! The petals aren't shriveled up, the stem still looks healthy. It's just . . . discolored. I wonder what happened to it."
Terence sighed. He didn't see anything extraordinary in this flower. But if Tink liked it, he was willing to give it a chance.
"I wonder how it got like this," said Tink, continuing to inspect the flower.
"It is strange," agreed Terence. "We could take it back to your place and try some magic on it if you like."
No sooner than he spoke did the flower begin to rise above its home on the shelf, shocking the fairies. They both fluttered back, transfixed, as they watched the water lily. Its petals began to open, and the grey slowly began to fade, as a soft, faded pink washed over in its place.
"Whoa . . ." said Terence softly.
The flower was now a healthy, beautiful pink, and Terence detected a small trace of amber gold, almost like a glow, coating the edges. He was enchanted by the flower's ethereal beauty. The two fairies sat in a comfortable silence, gazing at the water lily, basking in its glow. Tink turned to look at Terence.
"Terence, it's . . . glowing."
"By the Second Star-"
"But why?" Tink's curious tone cut through, severing the spell. Terence turned his gaze away from the flower to look at her.
"Why is it glowing? What could it mean?"
Here Tinker Bell went again, trying to solve the mystery and fix everything like usual, Terence thought. But he had to admit, now that it glowed this flower had started to take a hold on him, too. He wanted to learn more about it.
Tinker Bell picked up the flower and flew back down to Fairy Mo, Terence in tow.
"Fairy Mo," she said eagerly, "look what we've found-"
"Great heavens," Fairy Mo breathed. Could it be? "Never, in all my years . . ."
"A glowing flower!" Tink exclaimed. "Have you ever seen anything like it in your entire life?"
"That flower," said Fairy Mo, "is old, ancient. And enchanted with one of the rarest, most powerful forms of magic in all of Neverland."
"What is it?" asked Tink and Terence at the same time.
Fairy Mo could have sat them down and explained that the flower glowed a beautiful golden amber and didn't go out until the day a certain fairy in his life passed away. But he didn't. He decided, with a nod of his head, that he'd let Tinker Bell and her handsome young friend figure it out on their own.
He smiled at them.
"It was enchanted many, many years ago, by a very talented sorceress. Its power lives through her now, and will continue to glow until the magic expires."
"Expires . . ." Terence muttered. That was frustratingly vague. "I didn't know magic could expire."
"What's the magic?" Tink asked.
"That," said Fairy Mo, "is for you two to find out."
"What?" asked Terence, indignant. "You're telling us that this flower is powered by the rarest form of magic in all of Neverland, and you won't even tell us what it is?"
"Don't worry," said Fairy Mo. "You'll find out eventually."
Irritated, Terence looked at Tink. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
He pulled her to the side, far enough away so that Fairy Mo couldn't hear.
"This flower seems suspicious," he said, and Tink's excited expression fell.
"Suspicious? It is rather strange, but don't you want to know more about it?"
Terence had to admit he did, but his suspicion of the flower being riddled with dark magic overrode his curiosity.
"Tink," he said, "I think it might be dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Tink laughed. "How could it be dangerous?"
"Fairy Mo said it was enchanted with a rare form of magic," he began. "What if it's dark magic?"
"Don't be silly," said Tink. She turned back toward Fairy Mo.
"Wait, Tink, just think about it for a second," said Terence.
Tink turned back around, cocking a brow. "Huh? What's there to think about?" she asks, sounding slightly irritated. "Terence, it's a glowing flower. A magic glowing flower. This could be the coolest lost thing we ever find. And you're telling me to think about it?"
Terence narrowed his eyes at her.
"You don't know what kind of magic it possesses. It could be evil."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're scared."
"I am not," said Terence hotly. "Maybe you're just so desperate to have something to fix, because no one at Pixie Hollow has needed you in months, that you'll pick up the first strange, useless object you find."
Tinker Bell's mouth dropped open in shock and she crossed her arms, turning away from him and glowering.
Had he gone too far?
Suddenly, to his dismay, the flower's glow began to flicker. The bright, amber gold faded down to a sheer yellow, lingered for a moment, and then went out entirely.
Fairy Mo felt deflated. So it wasn't after all.
"Uh, Tinker Bell," he said cautiously, "you might want to check this out."
Tink turned back around, and Terence wasn't at all surprised to see her cheeks painted red.
"What is it, Fairy Mo?" she asked, trying as hard as she could to keep her tone in check.
"The . . . The flower, it's . . . it's gone out."
The color evaporated from Tinker Bell's face instantly once she saw the water lily, and she gasped, clutching the flower and holding it close. "Oh, no."
She sounded really upset, and instantly Terence felt bad.
"Do you . . . Do you still want it?" asked Fairy Mo.
"I . . ." Tinker Bell was speechless. Terence watched her scrutinize the flower, turning it upside down and examining every inch. He could tell that for whatever reason, she really cared about it.
"We'll take it," Terence decided.
Tink looked up at him brightly, all traces of anger gone. "Really?" she asked.
Terence couldn't help but smile. Tink's happiness was contagious. "Sure, why not? Maybe it could use a little fixing."
Instantly the flower's color began to return, and a small golden glow cast around the edges again. Terence was astonished. What was with this thing? Why did it glow and go out and then glow again, back and forth? Was it some sort of trick?
Fairy Mo all the while watched them with heightened interest, the way they bickered, and made up, all within the span of minutes. The flower was glowing. He made up his mind.
"Tinker Bell, Terence," he said. "I'm about to do something I've never done before."
Terence and Tinker Bell exchanged an excited look.
"And if anybody asks, you'll tell them you paid me several lost things I see you've brought along in that satchel of yours."
Tink's eyes widened. "You don't mean-"
"I do," said Fairy Mo. "You're free to take the flower, and I want nothing for it."
Suspicion hit Terence like a sack of sprinting thistles. "You're just . . . giving it to us?" he asked Fairy Mo skeptically. "But why?"
"Terence," said Tink through her teeth. "Take the favor and stop asking questions."
"But Fairy Mo," insisted Terence. "Surely you want something for it?"
"Terence." Tink's tone was firm, falsely calm. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
She pulled him far enough away so that Fairy Mo couldn't hear.
"What are you doing?" she scolded, furrowing her brows.
"Tink, I'm sorry, but I don't like the idea of him giving it to us for free. Doesn't that seem a little suspicious?"
"He's being nice. I'm probably one of the only fairies that flies all the way out here to see him, and besides. His shop is full of trinkets. What's he going to do with an old flower? Us, on the other hand . . ." Excitement lit up her face. "We can fix it. For whatever reason, now that we're around, it's glowing, and . . ." Her face fell again. "Oh, no. Poor Fairy Mo . . . That's it! That's why he wants to give us the flower."
Terence was lost. "Why?"
"Because it doesn't glow around him anymore," said Tink, gesturing with her arms to accentuate her enthusiasm. "He was probably so excited to see it glow that he wanted us to have it so it would glow again."
"But why does it glow around us?" asked Terence. "That's what I still don't understand."
"I don't know, either," said Tink, looking to the ground with a small smile on her face. Then she looked back up to him. "But don't you wanna find out?"
Terence couldn't resist that face. He had apprehensions about the flower, but he was willing to put them on hold if it made Tink happy. "Okay, fine."
Tink leaped with happiness, and flew to him. "Yes!"
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug, spinning him in circles as they fluttered in the air. "Thank you, thank you!"
Terence laughed, holding onto her waist as they hugged before he set her back down. Then a trace of light hit his eyes. He turned back toward Fairy Mo and the flower, most surprised to see the glow back to where it was before, but even brighter this time. Now the flower was sparkling, little traces of pixie dust hovering over its petals. Stunned, he let go of Tinker Bell.
"Terence," she said, flying back to the flower. "Look . . ."
Fairy Mo was laughing heartily. "Look at the glow of this thing!" he exclaimed merrily. "If I didn't want to give it to you before, I certainly do now."
"Oh thank you, Fairy Mo, you're the best," said Tinker Bell.
She took the glowing water lily off the shop counter and held it out to Terence. "Wanna hold it? It's warm."
Terence reached forward hesitantly, gently gripping the bottom of the flower. Instantly a pleasant warmth spread through his fingertips. She was right.
"That glow will light even the darkest pirate cave," said Fairy Mo. "You can fashion it into a flashlight, a lamp, whatever you want. Just use caution. It may go out on you when you least expect it."
"Not to worry, Fairy Mo," said Tink determinedly. "Terence and I are gonna fix it right up."
Fairy Mo chuckled at that. "Alright then, Tinker Bell. And Terence, it was a pleasure."
Terence smiled back at him. He really was a sweet, jolly little sparrow man.
"Have a safe trip home!" He bid them goodbye, and after Tinker Bell said her goodbyes they were off. Terence held the warm, sparkling water lily, and it glowed all the way home.