Chapter 6: Jacquimo
Not too far away from where Thumbelina and Poppy were stranded, a blue swallow was flying along, humming a cheerful tune when he heard shouts of desperation.
"Help!" Thumbelina cried.
"Somebody! Anybody!" Poppy called.
Hearing that, the bird stopped. "Whoa, help?" the swallow repeated, "Who is saying 'help'?"
"Mr. Bird! Over here!" Thumbelina said, relieved that someone heard her and her best friend's call.
"Oh, little ones," he said as he landed on a cattail. "Are you having a bad day?"
"Is that a serious question, Mr. Bird?" Poppy retorted with her hands on her hips.
"Ahem, I got this, Poppy," Thumbelina said, placing a hand on the mouse teen's shoulder. "My best friend, Poppy and I were sleeping on the windowsill, waiting for Prince Cornelius to come back and he said he will come before morning because he loves me and-"
The bird gasped. "He loves you?"
"Yes."
"Congratulations." The bird shook both of the tiny girl's hands.
"Thanks, but, well," Thumbelina sniffed before continuing. "But Poppy came to my rescue when I was stolen away by Mrs. Toad, who says I have to marry her son! And I just-"
"A toad? Ptooey toad! That is a very bad day, Mademoiselle. Uh, Mademoiselle?"
"Thumbelina," Thumbelina replied with a curtsy.
"Poppy," the teen mouse said, doing the same.
"Thumbelina, Poppy. I am Jacquimo. How can I be of service to you, ladies?" He took off his hat with a bow.
"Well, we must get off this lily pad and Poppy has a knife to cut off the stem, but she doesn't have swim gear." Thumbelina sat down. "So that's impossible."
"Ha-ha-ha! Nothing is impossible!" Jacquimo declared before he dove into the water and bit off the stem under the lily pad. "Viola!"
Underneath the girls, they saw the lily pad floating.
"Oh, my. Well, that was easy," Thumbelina remarked. She then tried to find something to steer with. "Now, we can just reach the shore before those awful toads come back." Luckily, she found a twig.
Jacquimo stood on the cattail he landed on earlier, but was wet from cutting the stem with his beak underwater. "Do you mean if you can reach the shore before you go over the waterfall?"
"What waterfall?" Thumbelina asked.
"That one!" In reply, he pointed to the rushing waterfall.
Poppy gasped at the raging waters they were heading.
"Is it bad?" Thumbelina asked, trembling.
"Let me try steering it," Poppy offered and Thumbelina gave her the stick she used to steer, allowing her to take over. Poppy tried in vain, but it was no use.
Jacquimo swooped down and grabbed onto the lily pad with two hands, attempting to drag it to the other side of the river, but the current was too strong.
Thumbelina and Poppy both lost their stick used as a paddle.
"I am slipping!" Jacqimo cried.
"Hey, don't let go!" Thumbelina pleaded.
"Can you swim?"
"I can, but I was told I wasn't supposed to get my clothes wet!" Poppy replied.
"No, I can't swim! I can't even float!" Thumbelina shrieked. "Help!"
"Help, please!" Poppy shouted. "Somebody help!"
"Help!" Jacquimo cried.
Underwater, a catfish woman was hanging clothes, while her husband was reading a newspaper when they heard shouts above them, so they swam up to the surface to help those in danger.
Above our heroes were two jitterbugs cutting a cattail.
"Jitterbugs, help!" Jacquimo shouted.
The jitterbugs stopped what they were doing as they decided to form a rescue team.
The trio screamed as they neared the waterfall.
A little bumblebee jitterbug and his father were fishing when they heard screams, so they flew over to join the other jitterbugs.
Before the lily pad could reach the waterfall, the fish used their fins to toss the lily pad away from it.
The two fish used their strength to push the lily pad to shore. In the process, the jitterbugs joined them.
"Pull, mes amis! Pull!" Jacquimo commanded as he saw a skinny jitterbug and a chubby jitterbug pull the stem. "That is it! Higher! Higher!" He coughed. "I'm fine!" Just then, a fish's fin batted him onto shore and he coughed up some water.
The fish pushed the lily pad to shore with an unconscious mouse girl and a tiny human girl.
Jacquimo panted and muttered something in French, before finally passing out.
"What are they?" a thin jitterbug said.
"Yeah, who are they?" a fat jitterbug asked.
"Look, Mama. They're waking up," a little girl jitterbug said to her mother as the two teens started to gain consciousness.
"Oh, are you feeling better, little ones?" Jacquimo asked as the two started to sit up.
"Yes, I think so," Thumbelina replied.
"Me, too," Poppy said, rubbing her eyes.
"Who are you?" Thumbelina asked the jitterbugs.
"Yeah, who are you guys?" Like Thumbelina, Poppy, too, was surrounded by jitterbugs.
"Thumbelina. Poppy. These are the jitterbugs," Jacquimo answered.
"The jitterbugs?" Thumbelina and Poppy repeated in unison.
"How do you do?" Thumbelina inquired politely.
"Yeah, how are you?" Poppy greeted kindly.
"Are you really gonna marry the fairy prince?" the little girl jitterbug asked with a lovestruck look on her face.
"If he asks me," Thumbelina giggled, "He will call for me at my house." Her face turned despondent in the next sentence. "Well, that's why I want to go home. Besides, Mother will be terribly worried. If only I can find my way home."
"When I lived in the forest, I hardly found a place to call my own," Poppy lamented, "So I wanted to live with someone who understands me."
"Aww, we'll help you, Thumbelina and Poppy," the little girl returned.
"Yeah, nobody will hurt you, Thumbelina and Poppy!" one jitterbug said.
"Yeah!" another agreed.
"Not with us on the job, right?"
"Right!"
"Thanks, guys," Poppy told them gratefully.
"Oh, you are all very brave. Thank you," Thumbelina agreed before her tone became disheartened again, "But I'm afraid I'll never see my home again."
"Come on, Thumbelina," Poppy said, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"Aww, do you love the prince?" Jacquimo asked.
"Yes."
"Well then, follow your heart. It will lead you home. Now, where does the prince live?"
"Oh, he-he lives in the Vale of the Fairies!" Thumbelina's confidence then shattered once more. "Oh, but I don't know where that is, either."
"Do not worry. I, Jacquimo, will find it and bring him home to you."
"See, Thumbelina?" Poppy asked.
"It's impossible," Thumbelina scoffed, waving a dismissive hand.
"Impossible?" Jacquimo hopped off the rock he once stood on. "Nothing is impossible!" He started to sing:
You're sure to do impossible things,
If you follow your heart. Ha, ha!
Your dreams will fly on magical wings,
When you follow your heart.
Poppy and the jitterbug children pulled Thumbelina away from the lily pad she was sitting on, while Jacquimo went to join the female birds.
If you have to journey far,
Here's a little trick:
You don't need a guiding star.
Trust your thicker!
Get there quicker! Ha, ha!
Poppy danced along the catchy song. At the same time, she debated on whether she should live with Thumbelina, the jitterbugs, or Jacquimo because they all seemed to understand her. Even so, out of all of them, she got to know Thumbelina last night and through the next morning.
You're sure to do impossible things,
If you follow your heart!
Thumbelina and Poppy watched as Jacquimo flew up and grabbed onto two roses with shining morning dew on them and shook them. "Come on, Thumbelina!" he shouted, "You are going home! Your mother is waiting! Get up! Get up!"
Soon the female birds started to sing.
You're sure to do impossible things,
If you follow your heart! Woo!
"Ye, ha!" Jacquimo chuckled.
The little jitterbugs led Thumbelina and Poppy through the rocky path and to the old red fairy-tale book that made a hill to walk on.
Your dreams will fly on magical wings…
"Sing, my little chickadees!" Jacquimo cried.
When you follow your heart. Woo!
The swallow sat down for a moment as he resumed his song.
North or South or East or West,
Where to point your shoes?
He showed Thumbelina and Poppy his shoes.
Which direction is the best?
If the choosing gets confusing,
Maybe it's the map you're using.
Thumbelina covered her eyes fearfully.
You don't need a chart to guide you.
Close your eyes and look inside you.
Ha, ha!
Jacquimo used Thumbelina's hands to uncover her eyes and she took his wing as she and Poppy strolled with him down the book with the tiny girl's confidence returning. He and the chickadees sang together.
You're sure to do impossible things,
If you know where to start!
Ha, ha!
Your dreams will fly on magical wings,
When you follow-
Jacquimo:
Just trust the swallow!
Jacquimo and the chickadees:
And always follow your heart!
The creatures started to cheer as Poppy and Thumbelina followed the jitterbug children to their journey home.
"Bon voyage, Thumbelina and Poppy! Never fear! I will find the prince!" Jacquimo declared as he began flying away.
"Goodbye!" Thumbelina shouted. "He's wonderful and I'm going home."
"And I'm going to start a new life," Poppy added as she and her friend walked through the tall grass with the jitterbug kids.
