Chapter 2
That night, Thumbelina and Ivalyn settle down to listen to their mother read a story to them.
"Now, here's a story about the noble dog who saved the king from the wicked wizard." In the background, Hero, the family dog, pretends to be the brave dog from the story. "Once upon a time-"
"Oh, Mother, please!" Ivalyn piped up from her perch on her mother's head. "Can you read us another story with people with wings in them? Like 'Pinocchio,' or 'Cinderella!'"
"Well, alright. Here, how about a story about fairies."
"Fairies?" Thumbelina asked. "You mean like the Blue Fairy, and the Fairy Godmother?"
"Well, actually, those are just the bigger fairies. Most fairies are little people with wings on their back. Why, I'd say they'd be just about your size."
"Really?" The sisters exclaimed together, excited. Their mother nodded, and flipped to a page with fairy illustrations on it.
"As a matter of fact, there are. Look," their mother tilted her head toward the book, causing the sisters to fall off of her head, and into her hand. She set them down on the page, where they stood next to a fairy illustration that was the same size they were.
"They are little," Thumbelina gasps. "Just like you and me, Ivalyn!"
"Well, except for the wings," Ivalyn adds.
"Of course, but they are still our size!"
"Mother? Have you ever seen a fairy?" Ivalyn asks, looking up at her mother.
"Well, I thought I did once."
"Really?" Thumbelina asks in wonder.
"Yes. And here, the fairy prince and princess are having a wedding." Their mother lowers her glasses so that magnify the image of the two fairies in love.
"And they live happily ever after!" Ivalyn declares.
"Oh, usually, dear."
"Hmm," Thumbelina slid under the glasses, looking up at her mother. "I suppose it works best if, if two people are about the same size."
"Yes, of course," her mother said, realizing where this was headed.
"Yes." Thumbelina repeated, crawling out from under the glasses, while her mother looks on sadly. "Well, that's not fair. Ivalyn and I must be the only people our size in the whole world. I wish we were big."
"Oh no, Thumbelina. No. Don't ever wish to be anything but what you are."
"But, Mother," Ivalyn spoke up, sitting down next to her sister. "We're so different. We're too small to be humans like you, and we don't have wings, so we can't be fairies. What are we?"
"Oh, Ivalyn. You two are my daughters, and being different isn't a bad thing at all. Now then, bedtime my dears. It's been a long day. You must go to sleep now."
The two sisters crawled into their mother's hand, and she brought them over to their walnut shell beds.
"Sleep tight."
"Mother?" Thumbelina asked. "Would you please leave the book open? I wanna look at the pictures while I go to sleep."
"Of course dear." Grabbing their walnut beds, their mother set them down on a book on a table, before opening the book to the page with the fairy pictures. "There."
"Good night, Mother!" The sisters chorused.
"Good night, Thumbelina. Good night, Ivalyn," their mother replied, before turning to Hero. "You take good care of them, Hero." And with that, their mother exited the room.
Climbing out of bed, Thumbelina and Ivalyn walked up to the picture of the fairy outside a mushroom home. Thumbelina sighed, before she turned around, and began to sing.
"I know there's someone. Somewhere. Someone.
Who's sure to find me, soon."
Ivalyn joined her sister by the window, and started singing herself.
"After the rain goes, there are rainbows.
I'll find my rainbow soon."
The sisters looked at each other, before singing in chorus.
"Soon, it won't be just pretend.
Soon, a happy ending.
Love, can you hear us?
If you're near us.
Sing, your song.
Sure, and strong, and soon..."
Thumbelina sighed.
"Do you think there really are such things as fairies?" Thumbelina asked Ivalyn, who smiled at her sister.
"I'm absolutely postive. If two girls can be born from a flower, then I'm positive that fairies can exist too!"
"Well, I suppose that must be true," Thumbelina sighed. "But then again, Mother hasn't even seen a fairy up close. What are the chances that we'll meet one?"
Ivalyn frowned at her sister's sad tone, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Thumbelina, if you truly wish for something to happen with all of your heart, someday, it is sure to come true."
Seeing her sister was still slightly sad, Ivalyn tried to think of how to make her happier. Suddenly, she got an idea.
"Wait here, I've got an idea that'll cheer you up." Hurrying over to Hero, Ivalyn clambered onto his head and whispered into his ear. Hero yawned before he dropped to the floor, padding over to a small chest filled with tiny clothing.