Daisy breathed in deep through her nose. Her wings fluttered in the soft breeze.
“Do you smell that?” she asked the other wild fairies as they hovered nearby. “Spring is in the air!” Daisy’s blond curls bounced with her excitement. Her friend and sidekick, Bumble, whizzed in a circle around her. He was excited, too.
Spring was definitely in the air in Sugar Oak, the fairies’ grand oak tree home. Tiny buds of green were starting to appear at the ends of the old oak’s branches. Birds were returning from their winter homes. They sang sweet songs to the fairies.
The wild fairies and their animal friends were very busy. It was time for the festival to celebrate the first bloom of spring. Blossom Bash was the biggest party of the year. This year it was the fairies’ turn to host the festival. It was a big responsibility, and there were lots of things to prepare! Everybody was excited, especially Daisy.
Daisy was in charge of the festival preparations. It was her job to make sure that everyone had a task and that the tasks were completed in time. Daisy was a natural leader. And she loved helping her friends.
Poppy zoomed past Daisy and the other fairies. The red blooms of her dress flapped up and down as she flew by. Spot, Poppy’s ladybug friend, beat her speckled wings, trying to keep up.
“Whoa!” said Thistle, as he somersaulted out of Poppy’s way. Now his spiky purple hair stood up even more. “What’s the hurry?”
“Fiddlesticks!” Poppy cried. “There’s so much to do! I don’t know how we’re going to get ready in time!”
Daisy smiled at Poppy. She wasn’t worried. She was about to tell Poppy not to worry either when a raindrop tickled the end of her nose.
Fiddlesticks!” Poppy cried again.
The wild fairies flitted into the Great Hall of Sugar Oak. They watched through the windows as the rain came down strong and hard. It was the first big rainstorm of the season.
“It’s beautiful!” Celosia said. She wiggled her nose, and the freckles dotting her cheeks wiggled, too. “All this rain will help the flowers grow. This is going to be the best spring bloom we’ve had in years!” Daisy added. She could already see the festival coming to life with colors everywhere.
“But we’re not ready!” Poppy sighed. “The more rain we get, the sooner the bloom is going to happen.”
“I didn’t think about that,” Indigo said. She touched the purple bandana around her neck and looked worried.
“What should we do?” Heather asked.
All the fairies looked at Daisy. She held up her hands and smiled one of her warm, easy smiles. “Everything is going to be fine!” she said. “We all have our jobs for the festival, so the work is being done. We just need to decide on decorations for Sugar Oak, and we have a meeting about that tonight.”
“Do you have a to-do list?” Poppy asked. “What about a clipboard?”
Daisy laughed. “I don’t have a clipboard, Poppy. And the plans are all up here.” She tapped the side of her head, making the daisy flower in her hair jiggle.
Poppy frowned and plopped down on a tree knot. She was such a worrier!
Daisy flew over and gave her a quick hug. “It’s going to be great. I promise!”
Copyright © 2019 by Brandi Dougherty. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
