Marigold and the Feather of Hope, the Journey Begins by J. H. Sweet

Author:J. H. Sweet
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2007-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

The Feather of Hope

Soon all of the fairies had arrived, and they moved closer to the center of the gathering. Beth noticed for the first time what looked like the leader of the group, a very old fairy that was unmistakably a toad. Madam Toad, in fact. Beth couldn’t help staring at her. In contrast to all of the bright flowers and delicate insects, a toad fairy looked out of place.

Slightly wrinkled with age, Madam Toad was a muddy greenish-brown color, with small, dark green wings perched on her plump shoulders. When she spoke, there was no question of authority. Her voice was rich, loud, and very decisive, commanding immediate attention. “Welcome, welcome! Gather round and make yourselves comfortable. We have important business to discuss today. First of all, we need to welcome Marigold to our circle. Please make her feel at home and introduce yourselves later if you haven’t already.”

Beth moved forward with her aunt and the other fairies. Some stood, while others took the seats that Madam June Beetle had thoughtfully arranged. Beth sat on a smooth stone with her aunt, while her new friends sat on small branches and toadstools nearby.

Madam Toad waited until they had settled themselves before continuing. “We need a little extra light, I think.” She produced her wand, which was a tiny miniature red rosebud stem, and used it to ignite a fire in a small pile of twigs and leaves in front of her. Firefly rose to the occasion, and with a wink to her friends, increased her glow by double. On the other side of the group, a delicate tulip fairy placed her long crystal wand on a high toadstool, where it sat shimmering softly with light. And several other fairies whispered, “Fairy light,” to set their wands aglow.

Dragonfly was scowling at the fire that Madam Toad had lit, looking very mad. But Beth didn’t have time to wonder why Dragonfly was angry because Madam Toad started speaking again. “We have a guest speaker today. This is Brownie Christopher.”

With this introduction, a small brownie stepped from the shadows behind Madam Toad. He had straight dark hair and was dressed in tattered, shabby, tan clothes. He wore an acorn cap as a hat, and on his face he wore an expression that looked like he’d rather be anywhere else than a Fairy Circle. Looking sullenly around, he fingered a slingshot and a small leather pouch on his belt, shuffling his feet and kicking at a twig.

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