Chapter 8: A Little Pep Talk

Far away from the Beetle Ball, the jitterbug children were running on the dark, hard ground. The girl bug, Baby Bug, did her best to catch up to Gnatty and Lil Bee, who were much faster than her.

"Hey, wait for me!" Baby Bug cried out, trying in vain to catch up to them.

"Hurry up! Thumbelina and Poppy need help!" Lil Bee answered as the trio ran in front of a dead tree stump.

The atmosphere around them appeared eerie and dark as night.

As they were about to go through the dark place, a large clown-like figure dressed in lavender purple and had green skin, blocked their way through, frightening them. Apparently, he must've overheard Thumbelina's name.

The baby jitterbugs screamed as they went back the way they came when the said figure, Grundle Toad laughed as he pounded on a stump, making the logs fall, preventing their escape.

"Do I hear one of you say Thumbelina needs help?" the toad asked.

"Yes," Gnatty answered.

"Gnatty!" Lil Bee scolded, letting him know he shouldn't be giving strangers information.

But Gnatty wouldn't listen. "The beetle took her and her friend and flew them way up there!"

"Shh! Be quiet!" Lil Bee covered Gnatty's mouth before he could say anything else.

"The beetle?" the toad asked, biting his fingernail and spitting it out. Then he lost it, adding, "I want her BACK!" As he said this, he smashed the ground with his fist, making the wood rain.

As the bugs screamed once more, they ran underneath the ugly toad, making their way towards the exit.

"Come on, let's go!" Lil Bee ordered his friends and spat out the best insult towards the toad that he could muster, "You big ugly wart face!"

But Grundle Toad took no offense to it, so he laughed crazily before he found out what he'd just learned about Thumbelina's whereabouts.

"Now, we see about this beetle!" he said, before biting his finger nail, spitting it out, and walking away.

Meanwhile, Thumbelina and Poppy sat on top of a fungus, back in their regular clothes. Poppy put her hand on Thumbelina's shoulder as the latter cried, her face buried in her knees.

The two lifted up their heads upon hearing a faint singing sound, yet a familiar one.

You're sure to do impossible things,

If you follow your heart.

You're sure to fly on magical wings,

When you follow your heart.

Jacquimo concluded his song as he landed on the fungus Poppy and Thumbelina were sitting on.

"Why, what is ze matter, Thumbelina and Poppy?" Jacquimo asked, concerned as he saw tears in Thumbelina's eyes.

Thumbelina sniffled as tears streamed down her face. "I'm cold, I'm lost, and I'm hungry. And the beetle says I'm ugly."

Jacquimo gasped in shock when he learned the beetle mistreated his friend and Thumbelina looked at herself sadly in the dew as if it were a mirror. "Ze beetle?" he asked as he helped the tiny girl up.

"Yes," Poppy replied, "He attacked my friend, but I defended her and when he tried to attack me, I defended myself."

Jacquimo chuckled. "You are so brave, Poppy." To Thumbelina, he added, "Do you love ze beetle?"

"No," Thumbelina replied.

"Zhen never mind ze beetle. Good riddance to ze beetle. And good riddance to ze toad."

"Exactly," Poppy said. Then, she and Thumbelina ducked down as Jacquimo blew away a dandelion, leaving only one seedling left with a dew drop.

"Does Prince Cornelius think you are ugly?" Jacquimo asked with a shrug.

"No," Thumbelina smiled as she wiped her eye with the tip of her dress, "He thinks I'm beautiful."

"And so you are, mon amie. Look," the swallow turned her chin so she was facing the dew droplet.

Poppy stood next to her with a small smile on her face as Thumbelina started to grin beautifully in the droplet.

Thumbelina laughed. "I'm going home!" she said, her confidence finally returning.

"Atta girl, Thumbelina!" Poppy cheered.

"Jacquimo?" Thumbelina asked. She turned to see him lying against a tree, ready to turn in for the night. She and Poppy began to join him.

"Hmm?" Jacquimo asked tiredly.

"Will you find the Vale of the Fairies?" Thumbelina pulled the tip of his hat, so he could see her.

"I promise." Jacquimo yawned. "I promise. For now, we must sleep. Goodnight." Another yawn.

Thumbelina and Poppy both yawned along with him.

"Thank you, Jacquimo," Thumbelina said. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks," Poppy added.

"Tomorrow is a new day and I will go into ze forest and see if I can find your Prince Cornelius." The three started to drift off to sleep when dandelions flew into the night sky.