Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies by William Joyce

Author:William Joyce
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 2012-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Plots, Plans, and Pillows

IT IS NOT EASY to fall asleep when an entire village, an army of Abominable Snowmen, a troupe of ancient Lunar holy men, and all your best friends are coming into your bedroom and wishing you good night. It is also not easy to sleep when you know you are going to be visited by a half-bird, half-human queen with magical powers. And it is really hard to sleep when you have made a secret plan with your dearest friend to do the one thing you’ve been told you absolutely MUST NOT DO when this particular queen arrives. So there Katherine sat, in her huge and feathered bed in her special room in the Lunar Lamadary, as wide awake as any twelve-year-old has ever been.

She’d just checked under her pillow for the eleventh time to make certain that her tooth hadn’t somehow rolled onto the floor when North opened the bedroom door again, just enough to stick in his head. “Still awake?” he asked in surprise.

Ombric and Bunnymund crowded in next to him, crammed so tightly in the doorway that Katherine could see only half of Ombric’s face and one of Bunnymund’s ears, with Ombric’s beard tangled around it.

“Perhaps if you chant the ancient Atlantan phrase ‘Sleep-o deep-o slumberly doo—’ ” Ombric began to suggest.

Bunnymund interrupted with, “Counting! That’ll do it. Count chocolate eggs jumping counterclockwise over a small wall also made of chocolate—”

Then North interrupted, saying, “A song! We should sing a song!”

Then they all began to talk at once: “It should be about eggs! A sleepy chocolate egg opera would be perfect!” . . . “No, no, no! A good old-fashioned Cossack lullaby. ‘Don’t cut my throat while I am sleeping, mother, my mother dear.’ ” . . . “North, that’s awful! No, she should chant, ‘Dream, dream, dream of chocolate ocean waves . . .’ ”

And so it went till Nightlight flew down from the rafters and, with a firm but caring swing of his staff, slammed the door shut.

The three Guardians muttered outside the door for a moment or two, then the Lunar Lamas could be heard suggesting that the centuries-old method of simply being left quietly alone tended to bring about sleep quite reliably. And so things finally settled down.

Nightlight leaped to Katherine’s bed and sat cross-legged on the footboard. He still seemed . . . different to her; no longer quite so sad or distant. But the cheerful half grin that had always been there was replaced by a look that seemed—well, she couldn’t really put a finger on it, but he didn’t seem quite so like a little boy now.

And whether it was the Lamas’ suggestion or just the result of a very full day, Katherine suddenly felt overcome with sleepiness and ready to close her eyes. But she propped herself up on one elbow for another minute, careful not to shift the pillow that covered her tooth. She wanted to go over the plan she’d concocted earlier with Nightlight one more time.

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