A week and a half had passed since Andrea had had her adventure as Bumblebee. It was a Saturday afternoon, and Betty Harper was walking with Andrea and Natalie to her house for a party.
"What I don't understand, Betty," Andrea commented, "is why you insisted on walking us to your house instead of just letting our moms drive us there."
"Oh, we've got something special planned for you, Bumblebee," Betty replied with a grin.
"'We', huh?" Andie queried. "Uh, Natalie, I don't suppose YOU know what Betty's talking about, now, do you?"
Barely suppressing a giggle, Natalie changed the subject: "I understand Betty's mom made some special Powerpuff treats for us!" The way Nattie had dodged the question, Andrea knew she was in on whatever Betty had planned. The Micropuff Girl understood Betty was giving a party to make up (at least partly) for the way she had bullied so many of her schoolmates. The tall girl had been secretive about what the party was for, however, or even who had been invited. All Andrea could do was guess.
Natalie spoke up again and asked, "Hey, Andie, we came by for you right around lunch and you weren't home. Where were you right after noon?"
Andie replied, "Sorry I missed you then. I biked over to The Shadow's Sanctum right about that time."
"You went to the comic book store?" Betty asked. "Andie, the newest Powerpuff Girls comic book just came out a week or so ago. The next one won't be in until next month at least!"
"Oh, I was checking out the collectibles; figures and card sets and stuff," Andrea explained. "You'll never believe who I saw there!"
"Mr. Foster?" Natalie suggested.
"DUH!" Andie retorted. "Of course I saw the owner! And by the way, when he saw me he said, 'Hello there, Bumblebee!'"
"He called you Bumblebee?!" gasped Natalie.
"Yeah, a bunch of our friends went there and told him about my adventure," Andrea continued. "And I hope you two got copies of that Powerpuff Girls comic; Mr. Foster said they had a run on that issue and his stock is gone!!" (Andrea noticed that, when she said that, her two friends looked at each other, grinning. The anticipation of what Betty had planned was starting to drive her nuts!)
"So, Andie," Betty asked, "just who DID you see at Shadow's Sanctum?"
"I went to the back where the collectibles are kept, that little room on the side of the store," Andie answered, "and who should be waiting there but Florina!"
"FLORINA?" the two girls cried in unison. Then Natalie added, "You mean your fairy godmother, don't you?"
"That's right!" Andrea replied. "I ran up to her and gave her a big hug--"
"Wait a minute," Betty interrupted. "I thought you told us that Florina was only about three inches tall."
"I wondered about that, too," Andrea explained, "and I asked her about it. She told me, 'Well, dear child, if my magic can make a big girl like you into a wee little Bumblebee, does it not make sense that it can make an old fairy godmother big like you?'" Andie smiled and added, "I guess if you're three inches tall I might look sort of big!"
Betty smiled at her friend and added, "It's just like you and Nattie say all the time," and the trio said in unison, "there's nothing wrong with being kinda small!" The girls all laughed together at that.
After their laughter died down, Natalie asked, "What did Florina come back for?"
Andrea said, "Well, you remember how I left Townsville? The vibrating, the ringing, everything turning black?"
"Yeah," Betty answered. "I'll bet the Powerpuff Girls thought you'd been destroyed like Bunny was that one time!"
"I was afraid of that, too," Andie continued. "Florina opened this book she had, though, and I saw the Girls again!"
"You mean, she had a laptop?" asked Natalie.
"Kind of, but the image was on one piece of paper," Andrea clarified. "Anyway, the Powerpuff Girls were looking out from the page, and when Blossom saw me she called out, 'There she is!' All three of them waved at me and yelled, "Hi, Bumblebee!', and of course I waved back at them.
"After they greeted me, Bubbles said, 'Your, uh, emergency-challenged carefully-empowered... No wait, I mean your naturally-challenged vertically-powered...' Then Buttercup cut in and said, 'Bubbles! Just call her a fairy godmother!' and Bubbles replied, 'Well, that's what she said she was!!'"
The friends all snickered as Andrea continued, "Anyway, Blossom spoke up and said, 'What my sisters are trying to tell you is that Florina appeared to us right after you vanished the other day. She told us that your adventure was over and you were back in your own world, safe and okay. We all just want you to remember that you'll always be the Micropuff Girl, even in your own world!'
"Then Buttercup added, 'And more than that, remember that you're still our sister, and sisters are sisters even when they're far apart!'
"Then it was Bubbles' turn, and she said, 'And remember, we all miss you a lot! Please come back so you can have lots more fun and adventures with us!'
"Florina let me know the time on her spell was almost over, so I told them I loved them all and I'd be watching for their new adventures. I waved them goodbye, they waved me goodbye, and suddenly the page changed back to a still picture."
"Does that mean," Natalie asked, "you might go back someday?"
"I asked Florina about that," Andie replied. "She told me that not even her magic could tell the future like that. But she did tell me, 'If there ever comes a time in which the people of Townsville need The Micropuff Girl once more, perhaps it shall come to pass.'"
"What I don't understand, Betty," Andrea commented, "is why you insisted on walking us to your house instead of just letting our moms drive us there."
"Oh, we've got something special planned for you, Bumblebee," Betty replied with a grin.
"'We', huh?" Andie queried. "Uh, Natalie, I don't suppose YOU know what Betty's talking about, now, do you?"
Barely suppressing a giggle, Natalie changed the subject: "I understand Betty's mom made some special Powerpuff treats for us!" The way Nattie had dodged the question, Andrea knew she was in on whatever Betty had planned. The Micropuff Girl understood Betty was giving a party to make up (at least partly) for the way she had bullied so many of her schoolmates. The tall girl had been secretive about what the party was for, however, or even who had been invited. All Andrea could do was guess.
Natalie spoke up again and asked, "Hey, Andie, we came by for you right around lunch and you weren't home. Where were you right after noon?"
Andie replied, "Sorry I missed you then. I biked over to The Shadow's Sanctum right about that time."
"You went to the comic book store?" Betty asked. "Andie, the newest Powerpuff Girls comic book just came out a week or so ago. The next one won't be in until next month at least!"
"Oh, I was checking out the collectibles; figures and card sets and stuff," Andrea explained. "You'll never believe who I saw there!"
"Mr. Foster?" Natalie suggested.
"DUH!" Andie retorted. "Of course I saw the owner! And by the way, when he saw me he said, 'Hello there, Bumblebee!'"
"He called you Bumblebee?!" gasped Natalie.
"Yeah, a bunch of our friends went there and told him about my adventure," Andrea continued. "And I hope you two got copies of that Powerpuff Girls comic; Mr. Foster said they had a run on that issue and his stock is gone!!" (Andrea noticed that, when she said that, her two friends looked at each other, grinning. The anticipation of what Betty had planned was starting to drive her nuts!)
"So, Andie," Betty asked, "just who DID you see at Shadow's Sanctum?"
"I went to the back where the collectibles are kept, that little room on the side of the store," Andie answered, "and who should be waiting there but Florina!"
"FLORINA?" the two girls cried in unison. Then Natalie added, "You mean your fairy godmother, don't you?"
"That's right!" Andrea replied. "I ran up to her and gave her a big hug--"
"Wait a minute," Betty interrupted. "I thought you told us that Florina was only about three inches tall."
"I wondered about that, too," Andrea explained, "and I asked her about it. She told me, 'Well, dear child, if my magic can make a big girl like you into a wee little Bumblebee, does it not make sense that it can make an old fairy godmother big like you?'" Andie smiled and added, "I guess if you're three inches tall I might look sort of big!"
Betty smiled at her friend and added, "It's just like you and Nattie say all the time," and the trio said in unison, "there's nothing wrong with being kinda small!" The girls all laughed together at that.
After their laughter died down, Natalie asked, "What did Florina come back for?"
Andrea said, "Well, you remember how I left Townsville? The vibrating, the ringing, everything turning black?"
"Yeah," Betty answered. "I'll bet the Powerpuff Girls thought you'd been destroyed like Bunny was that one time!"
"I was afraid of that, too," Andie continued. "Florina opened this book she had, though, and I saw the Girls again!"
"You mean, she had a laptop?" asked Natalie.
"Kind of, but the image was on one piece of paper," Andrea clarified. "Anyway, the Powerpuff Girls were looking out from the page, and when Blossom saw me she called out, 'There she is!' All three of them waved at me and yelled, "Hi, Bumblebee!', and of course I waved back at them.
"After they greeted me, Bubbles said, 'Your, uh, emergency-challenged carefully-empowered... No wait, I mean your naturally-challenged vertically-powered...' Then Buttercup cut in and said, 'Bubbles! Just call her a fairy godmother!' and Bubbles replied, 'Well, that's what she said she was!!'"
The friends all snickered as Andrea continued, "Anyway, Blossom spoke up and said, 'What my sisters are trying to tell you is that Florina appeared to us right after you vanished the other day. She told us that your adventure was over and you were back in your own world, safe and okay. We all just want you to remember that you'll always be the Micropuff Girl, even in your own world!'
"Then Buttercup added, 'And more than that, remember that you're still our sister, and sisters are sisters even when they're far apart!'
"Then it was Bubbles' turn, and she said, 'And remember, we all miss you a lot! Please come back so you can have lots more fun and adventures with us!'
"Florina let me know the time on her spell was almost over, so I told them I loved them all and I'd be watching for their new adventures. I waved them goodbye, they waved me goodbye, and suddenly the page changed back to a still picture."
"Does that mean," Natalie asked, "you might go back someday?"
"I asked Florina about that," Andie replied. "She told me that not even her magic could tell the future like that. But she did tell me, 'If there ever comes a time in which the people of Townsville need The Micropuff Girl once more, perhaps it shall come to pass.'"