One For The Books
The students of Royal Prep returned for another school year.
"Hi, Vivian." Sofia smiled.
"How was your summer?"" Madeline added.
"It was great." Vivian beamed. "I went to a music festival, an opera, three ballets, and I made both floating friendship bracelets."
Vivian held up the two bracelets, which floated over to the sisters.
"Oh, thanks!" Sofia grinned.
"Nice one, Vive." Madeline nodded.
"Welcome back to Royal Prep, children." Flora announced.
"A most exciting new school year awaits!" Merryweather added. "New classrooms, new teachers, new challenges..."
"So let's get started right away!" Flora continued. "New students, please report to the Noble Novice classroom."
"And for those of you moving up to the Regal Rotunda, come this way." Merryweather urged.
"And for those students starting the new year in the one and only Majestic Hall, line up and follow me!" Flora declared.
The students followed Flora down the corridors.
"I can't believe we're finally in the Majestic Hall!" Amber beamed. "Exactly the right place for me to be."
"It just means there's gonna be more tests, and harder homework." James groaned.
"I know." Desmond beamed. "Isn't it great!"
"Not for me." James sighed.
"Don't worry, James." Desmond declared. "I'll still help you with your homework whenever you need it."
"Thanks, Desmond." James smiled.
And here we are." Flora stopped at a new corridor. "Majestic Hall."
Up ahead was a set of twin doors with a phoenix carved into them.
"Welcome to your new classroom, children." Flora waved her wand, opening the door. "And please meet your new teacher, Professor Peculiar."
As they entered the classroom, a faun in a suit appeared in a flash of light.
"Call me 'Mr. P!" He declared. He smiled at the students, who were all staring in awe at him. "I can already see that you are quite the collection of inquisitive young minds. This will be a wonderful year of wondering wonderful things! So let's begin. Take a seat!" He vanished and appeared around the room. "Or a spot on the floor! Or the wall! Or the ceiling if you can reach it!"
"Off you go." Flora told the students. "Have a great first day, my dears!"
The students all took their seats.
"Book, book." Desmond starting taking things of out of his bag. "Pencil, sharpener, back-up pencil, more books, brand new eraser... I treated myself. I'm ready to learn!"
"Students, this is a big year!" Mr. P declared. "And so, I want everyone to look at things... a little differently."
Mr. P waved his hand, and the students chair moved onto the ceiling.
"My books!" Desmond yelped, as the books tumbled to the floor. "What is happening?!"
"Just shaking it up a bit!" Mr. P smiled, as the desks shuddered. "Expanding your views, and hopefully, your minds!"
"I don't like it!" Desmond groaned.
"It is different." Sofia admitted. "But kinda fun!"
"I'll say." Madeline grinned. "Look at our hair!"
"I think it's brilliant!" James grinned.
"Look!" Sofia pointed downwards. "I never noticed that the floor tiles formed a picture!"
"Yeah, it's a phoenix!" Madeline noted. "Never realized that before..."
"Exactly, Princess!" Mr. P smiled. "With every new view, you have new insights. And new outsights."
"Mr. P?" James raised his hand. "Is class always gonna be upside-down?"
"I'm so glad you asked." Mr. P grinned. "No."
Mr. P waved his hand, and the chairs returned to the floor.
"Sometimes, it will be sideways!" Mr. P waved his hand, and the whole room turned sideways.
"Oh please, no..." Desmond cringed.
"Or diagonal." Mr. P waved his hand again, and the room slanted to the left.
"Can't we just learn right side up, like every other class I've ever been in?" Desmond groaned.
Mr. P waved his hand, and the room returned to normal. Desmond's book slipped off the desk.
"My book!" Desmond yelped.
"Allow me." Mr. P picked up the book.
"Oh, thank you." Desmond smiled.
"Ha!" But today, we won't be using books." Mr. P made the book float over to a bookshelf. "The books are wonderful, of course. They're bounded blocks of boundless information. But right now, we're going to learn by doing, instead of reading."
"Excellent!" James grinned.
"Excuse me? I don't understand." Desmond raised his hand. "How do you learn without books?"
"Allow me to explain." Mr. P nodded.
Books are really great for learning facts
For finding out the who, what, when and why
But sometimes you have to push aside the stacks
And take a step into the world outside
If you want to feel the thrill of the ocean
As a mermaid guides a ship through her realm
You will never know the serge of emotion
Till you climb aboard and step up to the helm
You gotta live it to learn it
You gotta dive in and do it
You gotta show that you know it
And work your way through it
You can read about King Arthur's knights
A book will tell you every tale and plot
But if you want to witness their true might
Well try shaking hangs with Sir Lancelot
If you want to grow a beautiful flower
Dig into the dirt like a gnome or an elf
Cut a little fruit will be as sweet as sour
Till you take a bite and find out for yourself
as Madeline try the Lemand too Sour' " oh no wonder Chef Ander never Make Lemand"
Sofia said But the Apple is sweet"
You gotta live it to learn it
You gotta dive in and do it
You gotta show that you know it
just work your way through it
Some of you look a little uneasy." Mr. P declared. "Even a little queasy. That's natural. My methods are entirely new to you. So remember, if you're ever lost in the woods, don't be afraid to ask for directions."
"Woods? What woods?" Desmond groaned. "I don't understand anything that he's saying!"
"I think he means that we should ask for help if we need it." Sofia declared.
"I think I want to ask for a different class." Desmond buried his head in his desk.
You gotta live it to learn it
You gotta dive in and do it
So don't sweat it 'cause you'll get it
Just set your mind to it
You gotta live it to learn it
(Live it to learn it)
You gotta dive in and do it
(Dive in and do it)
You gotta show that you know it
(Show that you know it)
Just work your way through it
(Live it to learn it)
"Now then, students." Mr. P declared. "Let us talk about our first class assignment. It is going to be a gardening project."
"Finally, something that I know how to do." Desmond smiled with relief. "And that I'm good at."
"You're good at everything, Des." Madeline pointed out.
"Yes, but I'm especially good at Enchanted Gardening." Desmond pointed out.
Mr P suddenly appeared before him.
"Ah, well, I've got some important news for you." He declared. "It's not Enchanted Gardening. It's Mystery Gardening!"
"What is that?" Desmond yelped.
"Why, it's a mystery of course, young Prince!" Mr P flew into the air. He snapped his fingers and said "Pop!" repeatedly, causing potted plants to appear on each desk.
"Oh, hello." Amber said to her plant.
"Spiky." James inspected his. "I like it!"
"I'm going to name you 'Piney'." Vivian told hers.
"Each Mystery Tree is unique, just like each of you is unique." Mr P explained. "And the mystery you must solve is to figure out what each little tree needs to thrive. And remember, each plant will need something different."
"How will we know when our tree is thriving?" Sofia asked.
"Excellent question." Mr P smiled. "It's thriving when it grows fruit."
"Yum!" James grinned.
"And it gets yummier!" Mr P winked at James. "Once every tree has sprouted fruit, we will make Magical Mystery Jam!"
"But Mr P, how will we figure out what our trees need?" Desmond asked.
"By doing!" Mr P waved his hand, causing the wall to vanish. "Go outside and experiment with them! Look, listen, touch, taste if you have to! Just do whatever you need to do to discover what your particular tree needs. Time to start doing, and going!"
The students all started heading outside.
"Des, are you coming?" Madeline asked.
"You guys go in and... do." Desmond declared. "I'm just gonna look for the right book." He looked through his backpack. "I've gotta have a Mystery Gardening book in here somewhere."
"Oh, I doubt that." Mr P appeared. "Because there aren't any books on Mystery Gardening."
"No books?!" Desmond yelped.
"Nope, 'afraid not." Mr P shrugged. "But do you have any questions? Because I am here to help." He disappeared, then reappeared in several places. "And here! And here! And here!"
"No, that's okay." Desmond declined. "I don't need help with school. Never have, never will."
"It's true." Sofia smiled. "he's the one who helps everyone else."
"You must be so busy." Mr P mused. "But for now, out you go. Go forth, and make fruit!"
Reluctantly, Desmond followed Sofia and Madeline outside.
Soon, the students were all attending to their plants.
"What do you need, my little green sprout?" Amber asked her plant. "Are you warm? Cold? Are you thirsty?"
"You like cheese?" James put a wedge of cheese in his plant's pot... only for a root to push it out. "No. Broccoli?" He tried again, with the same result. "Don't blame you." He dipped a spoon in pudding. "Pudding?"
James put a dab of pudding in the pot. The plant shook, dipped under the dirt, then rush up, even larger, with a single yellow fruit growing from a branch.
"Yes!" James cheered. "You like pudding! My favorite too!" He called to the others. "Check it out, my plant is thriving... on pudding!" He added more pudding, and another fruit appeared.
"Well done!" Mr P smiled. "It's our first fruit!"
"I finished... first?" James beamed. "I... I never finish first at anything in school! I'm first in the class! Boom goes the cannon!" He lifted up his cannon and made an explosion noise.
Desmond looked on, dismayed. He then added some water to his plant, with no result.
"Why isn't mine growing?" He groaned.
"Maybe a little water?" He added more, to no avail. "Arrrgh! Nothing!"
"Oh, I got fruit!" Vivian called out.
"Me too!" Madeline smiled.
"Sofia, our plants thrive when we him to them." Vivian revealed. She hummed to her plant, which produced more fruit.
"What?" Desmond frowned.
"Mine does, too!" Amber called Madeline over. "It grows fruit whenever I give it a compliment. Allow me to demonstrate: You are so adorable!" Her plant grew a new piece of fruit. "And you have the prettiest fruit!" Another fruit. "You are the best little tree in the whole wide world!" More fruit emerged.
"I still haven't figured out what mine needs." Sofia mused.
As Sofia carried her plant over to Vivian and Madeline's, it suddenly changed color and sprouted.
"Whoa!" Madeline gasped.
"How'd you get it to do that?" Vivian asked.
"I don't know." Sofia frowned. She brought her plant over to Amber's, and it sprouted again.
"It did it again!" Amber declared.
Sofia moved her plant away from Amber's, and it wilted. She moved it back to Amber's, and it rose up once again.
"I think mine likes being near over trees." She deduced, placing it on the same table as Amber's plant. It sprouted fruit. "That's it! It thrives on friends!"
"How sweet!" Amber smiled.
"Look at that!" Mr P grinned. "Answers are popping up everywhere!"
"Phooey!" Desmond pouted. "Everyone else found answers. Why can't I?" He suddenly perked up. "Wait a second. Everyone else found answers. So why won't those answers work for me?"
"La, la, la, la..." Vivian sang to her plant, which sprouted more fruit.
Desmond tried humming to his plant, but it wilted.
"Guess that wasn't the right answer." He frowned. He saw James feeding his plant more pudding. "Maybe pudding will work!" He put some of his own pudding in the pot. "Here you go." A root flung the pudding into his face.
"You are so adorable." Amber told her plant.
"Ugh, fine." Desmond frowned. He started stroking his plant. "You are so adorable..."
The plant smacked Desmond in the face, making him stumble into Madeline.
"Sorry, Des." Madeline apologized. "I just wanted to see how you're doing."
"Still figuring it out." Desmond sighed.
"Do you need any help?" Madeline asked. "Because Mr P's right over there."
"No, I do not need any help." Desmond insisted. "This is a school project, Madeline. And school is what I do best. I'm going to solve this my way, in the library, with a book."
Desmond took his plant and headed back to the school. He entered the library soon after.
"There has got to be some kind of book with some kind of information on Mystery Gardening." Desmond declared.
Placing the pot on a table, Desmond scanned the shelves.
"Enchanted Gardening, Enchanted Gardening, Very Enchanted Gardening..." He mused. He then spotted a book. "Mystery Gardening!"
Desmond opened the book and started reading.
What?!" He gaped. "'It's a mystery'?! Arrrgh!"
"Desmond?" Madeline walked over. "You really don't sound okay."
"What?!" Desmond spluttered. "What are you talking about? I... I.. I'm not okay at all! I've never had this much trouble at school! I've never had any trouble. I used to be really, really, really good. And now I'm struggling just to complete our first project!"
"You know, sometimes even the best students, the smartest kids, need a little help." Madeline declared. "And it's okay."
"No, it's not!" Desmond yelled. "I shouldn't need help, especially when no-one else does!"
Just then, they heard humming. Mr P was nearby.
"Mr P?" Madeline asked.
"What are you doing here?" Mr P asked. "And how are you doing?"
"We're doing great." Desmond lied. "Totally great."
"Des." Madeline frowned.
"Don't say anything." Desmond whispered. "Please."
"Everything is really good." Madeline told Mr P.
"Fabulous." Mr P smiled. "That means the fruit is blooming!"
"Yeah." Desmond smirked. "Got lots of it."
"Jolly green good!" Mr P beamed. "That means everyone has fruit now, so forth we go to the next project: Making Mystery Jam!"
"What?!" Desmond gulped.
"Gather up your fruit!" Mr P instructed.
"Now?" Desmond cringed.
"No, now's way too soon!" Mr P shook his head.
"Oh, great." Desmond sighed with relief. "I mean, I'm completely ready now, but later's okay too."
"Oh, good!" Mr P smiled. "We're on the same page, then." He took out a pocket watch. "So how's five minutes from now? We'll meet back in the classroom."
"Um, Desmond?" Madeline elbowed him. "Are you sure there's not something you want to ask Mr P?"
"Nope, nothing!" Desmond lied. "See you soon... with lots and lots of fruit!"
Giving Desmond an odd look, Mr P left the library.
"What have I done?!" Desmond groaned.
"You've given yourself five minutes to make your tree grow fruit!" Madeline summarized.
"I'm doomed!" Desmond sighed.
"I can try to help you." Madeline offered. "Or Sofia. or maybe James could. He seems to really understand this project."
"I do not need help from James!" Desmond slammed his fist on the table. "Or anyone else. I'll be fine, okay?"
As Desmond looked away, he spotted a book on one of the shelves.
"I think I know what to do now." He pushed Madeline away.
"Really?" Madeline asked.
"Uh-huh, yes." Desmond nodded. "See you in class! Bye, thanks, buh-bye!"
"Okay..." Madeline frowned. "Bye!"
After Madeline left, Desmond picked up the book.
"Okay, I need answers somewhere, fast!" He grabbed another book. "Let's see... Enchanted Gardening can't be that different from Mystery Gardening."
Desmond grabbed his plant and headed for the greenhouse.
"Fruit, fruit, fruit... aha!" He found something in the book. "'To make an Enchanted Plant grow fruit, add three pinches and half a smidgen of enchanted plant food'." He did as instructed. "Done. 'Then add... two ladybugs'? Okay..." He went along with it. "That should do it..."
The plant started shaking, then grew taller.
"Yes, finally!" Desmond cheered. "Something is happening!"
A pair of eyes suddenly appeared within the leaves, then an ugly face and hands emerged.
"Gah!" The new creature snarled, as the leaves fell off it completely. It threw everything off the table, forcing Desmond to duck. It then ran around the greenhouse, knocking down all the hanging plants.
"Stop!" Desmond yelped as he ran after it. "Stop that! Slow down!"
The creature sprayed some water on Desmond, cackling madly.
"What's wrong with you?" Desmond asked.
The creature jumped down and advanced on Desmond. Desmond ran out of the greenhouse and closed the door behind him, but the creature jumped out of a window.
Not too far away, Madeline was tending to her plant.
"Psst!" Desmond hissed.
"Des?" Madeline walked over. "What's wrong?"
"I um, I think I might need... help." Desmond sighed.
"Huh?" Madeline frowned.
Moments later, they rushed back to the greenhouse.
"I don't know what happened." Desmond declared. "I did exactly what the book told me to do. And then the tree started shaking, and then, and then... it turned into some kind of little tree monster! And then it destroyed the entire greenhouse!"
They entered the greenhouse, which was in shambles.
"Ooh, yikes." Madeline cringed. "Um, where is it?"
"I locked it in... or I thought I did." Desmond groaned.
"Des, is this the book you used?" Madeline picked up the blue book. "An Enchanted Gardening book."
"I thought it would make that tree grow just one piece of tiny fruit." Desmond shrugged, as Madeline looked through the book. "Not turn it into an unfruiting fiend!"
"Oh." Madeline suddenly frowned. "You must have not gotten to the last page in the chapter."
"No, because it came after me first!" Desmond declared.
"Well, it says: 'Never, ever, ever use Enchanted Gardening on a Mystery Plant, ever." Madeline declared, as a picture of the plant monster was shown in the book.
"Oh, no..." Desmond groaned. "Please tell me there's another page that tells you how to undo it!"
"Actually, there is!" Madeline smiled.
"Really?" Desmond beamed.
"Yes!" Madeline nodded. "'Sprinkle two heaps of anti-food, spin, then re-pot'."
"We have to find that thing." Desmond picked up the anti-food. "Before Mr P does."
"I think it went that way." Madeline pointed to the open window.
They raced after the creature.
"At least it's not hard to follow." Madeline picked up an upturned pot.
"Over there!" Desmond pointed.
They headed toward the library. Inside, the creature was reading from a book. As Desmond and Madeline entered, Desmond hushed Madeline, and tried to sneak up on the monster. But the monster spotted him, and ran away just as Desmond dived for him.
"Come back here!" Desmond yelled.
The creature jumped behind a table, and hissed.
"How about I go that way, you go this way, and we corner it?" Madeline suggested.
"Sounds good." Desmond nodded.
They tiptoed through the library, following the creature. They spotted it reading a book behind a desk, and approached from either side. But the creature spotted them, slipping under the table and jumping on a pile of books. But the pile collapsed, and the creature fell onto the floor.
"Gotcha!" Desmond grabbed it by the tail. "I got it! I got it!"
The creature ran away, dragging Desmond with it. Desmond dropped the anti-food bottle, but Madeline caught it. Madeline ran after, and sprinkled the contents of the bottle on the creature as it doubled back.
"Anti-food!" She declared. "Now spin it!"
"I thought I was!" Desmond yelped, as the creature ran in a circle.
"I think it's just spinning you!" Madeline cringed.
"Pot!" Desmond called.
"Pot!" Madeline threw the creature's pot to Desmond.
Desmond caught the pot, and span the creature around. As it reverted back to a Mystery Tree, he put it back in the pot.
It's fixed!" Desmond smiled.
"Phew." Madeline sighed with relief.
The Tree started shaking.
"What's happening?" Desmond asked.
"I don't know." Madeline frowned.
The Tree popped under the dirt, then popped back up, its leaves and branches wilting.
"Oh, now it's even worse than before!" Desmond groaned. "Now it's like the saddest little tree in the whole universe! I am not the best student in the class any more! I'm not even at the middle! I'm at the bottom of the bottom!"
"Des, it's okay!" Madeline comforted him. "It's not over yet!"
"Really?" Desmond scoffed. "Because to me, it looks pretty over!"
"Well, you could still ask Mr P for help." Madeline suggested.
Desmond groaned.
"Come on." Madeline urged. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Soon after, the students returned to classroom.
"Hello, my fellow students!" James announced. "Need help with anything? Plucking, peeling, squishing, squashing?"
"No thank you, James." Amber replied. "We're good."
"You sure?" James asked. "Because I was first in the class to get fruit, so I really know what I'm doing."
"Um, excuse me?" Desmond called as he and Madeline entered the classroom. "Professor Peculiar?"
"Ah, my last two students." Mr P smiled. "Do you come bearing fruit?"
"Not exactly." Desmond revealed the wilted plant.
"Then do you come bearing explanations?" Mr P asked.
"Okay, so, the thing is... well... I need help." Desmond confessed.
"Desmond needs help?" James gasped.
"What?" Amber gaped.
"I don't believe it!" Penelope declared.
"Yes, I actually do need help." Desmond sighed. "A lot of it."
"I do admire a student who can ask for help." Mr P smiled. "Let me tell you a secret." He disappeared, then appeared in smaller form on Desmond's shoulder. "Even I need help once in a while. Like, uh... I just can't get this jar open!" He pulled out a normal-sized jam jar from behind his back. "Little help?"
"Uh... sure." Desmond nodded.
Desmond opened the jar, and Mr P returned to normal size.
"Thanks." Mr P smiled, lifting them both up to the ceiling. "As I pointed out earlier, sometimes when you're stuck, it helps to look at things from a new way."
"You mean in a new way?" Desmond frowned.
"No, from a new way!" Mr P insisted. "Now, let's see if you can't solve your mystery with a few clues!"
"Okay." Desmond nodded.
"There's one!" Mr P pointed. "Princess Vivian. Her tree responded to music."
"I already tried that on mine." Desmond sighed. "Did not go well."
"And James' tree? It responded to pudding." Mr P continued.
"Yeah, tried that too." Desmond shrugged.
"Yes, but think about what these solutions all have in common." Mr P instructed. "The answer to the biggest mystery in Mystery Plants lies in what connects them all. Ah, here's one more: Princess Amber's responded to compliments."
"Your fruit is unbelievably delicious!" Amber told her plant, causing more to bloom.
"Oh!" Desmond suddenly realized. "Vivian really likes music, and her tree thrived on music! James really likes pudding, and so does his tree! And Amber... really likes compliments!"
"I hear a breakthrough coming!" Mr P grinned. "Let's hit the ground!"
They returned to the floor.
"So each tree likes what each of us likes!" Desmond declared.
"I bet that's why your tree was going after all the books in the library!" Madeline beamed.
"Yes! It must like books!" Desmond nodded.
"Because you like books!" Madeline pointed out.
"Now, test your theory." Mr P told Desmond, bringing a book over to him.
"'Jack and the Beanstalk'." Desmond started reading.
The tree immediately sprang to life, and sprouted a single square-shaped fruit fruit.
"Keep going, keep going!" Madeline urged.
"'Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Jack'..." Desmond continued, causing more fruit to sprout. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"Alright, Desmond!" James cheered. "You finally got that tree to grow some fruit!"
"You certainly did!" Mr P winked. "And you know what's what?"
"What?" Desmond asked.
"This entire classroom succeeded in growing fruit." Mr P declared. "But only you solved the greater, underlying mystery of the Mystery Plants; That each plant was matched precisely for each one of you."
"Huh, I guess that's true." Desmond smiled.
"Great job." Madeline grinned, as the class applauded.
"Way to go, Des!" Sofia added.
"Congratulations, Desmond!" Vivian added.
"Thanks." Desmond beamed.
"Wait, so does that mean I'm not the best in the class any more?" James frowned.
"You, James, are thriving." Mr P smiled.
"Eh, I'll take it." James patted himself on the head. "Well done, me."
"Alright class, there's just one more stop on this magical mystery tour!" Mr P announced. "It's time to make Mystery Jam!"
"In here?" Madeline asked.
"No, no, no." Mr P shook his head. "In the Jam-nasium."
The room suddenly spun around, turning into a kitchen with lots of pots. The Mystery Fruits flew up into the pots, mixing into Mystery Jam as the students watched.