Lily in Full Bloom by Laura Driscoll

A LIGHT BREEZE whispered through the long grasses by the pond. It rustled the leaves of the Home Tree. It bent the stems of the primroses by the courtyard. It tickled the wings of fairies and sparrow men throughout Pixie Hollow. Everyone was busy and happy and hard at work.
    Everyone, that is, except Lily, a garden-talent fairy. She as busy, but not so happy.
    Lily was in her garden, which was one of the most beautiful spots in Pixie Hollow. Fairies came there to relax on soft clover beds. Others came to smell the flowers—jasmine and lilacs and roses. Lily liked to sit and watch the grass grow.
    But today, she was crouched next to a bare patch of sandy soil. She was carefully digging out a drooping plant. Its leaves were brown and wilted.
    Lily frowned. She knew some plants needed extra love and attention to grow strong. But this was the fourth time she had tried to plant in this patch of her garden. And the fourth time she had failed.
    By her side, Lily had a pot ready with fresh soil. She placed the droopy roots deep into the dirt and patted down around the stalk. More than anything, she hated to see a plant that didn’t know where to bloom.
    Lily stared down at the bare patch. She was completely stumped. “If only I could get something to grow here,” she muttered.
    The soil was sandy—not the best type for most plants. Lily had tried fruits and herbs and two different kinds of flowers. But none of them had taken root. Still, she didn’t want to give up yet.
    She stepped out of her corn-husk slippers and dug her toes into the sandy soil. Maybe if she could feel what the soil felt, she could figure out which plant might have a chance of growing in this patch. Something that liked dry soil, such as sage or rosemary? Maybe a hardy flower, like a black-eyed Susan?
    Lily’s bee friend Bumble buzzed over while Lily worked. She was concentrating very hard and barely noticed him. It wasn’t until he’d buzzed around her head twice that she finally looked up.

    “Bumble!” she said. “When did you get here?” Bumble dove into a flower and Lily’s thoughts returned to her problem.
    “What am I going to do about this spot?” she asked.
    Bumble popped out of one poppy and dove into another. As Lily watched her friend, her stomach rumbled. Her garden had kept her so busy that she’d forgotten about teatime!
    Lily wasn’t normally one to trade time in her garden for chitchat over tea. But that afternoon, a short break was just what she needed. Maybe Iris or Rosetta or one of the other garden talents would know what to do with her problem patch.
    She hopped out of the sandy soil and put her slippers back on. Then she left her tools in her garden shed, rinsed her hands, and fluttered off toward the Home Tree.
    When Lily got to the tearoom, most of the fairies and sparrow men already were seated. She felt an unusual energy in the room. She grabbed a slice of cake and slid into a seat next to Rosetta.
    “What’s going on?” Lily whispered.
    “Lily!” Rosetta exclaimed. “Have you heard the news?”
    “What news?” Lily asked. “I just got here. There’s a problem patch in my garden that—”
    “Did you hear?” Iris interrupted. She flew between her two friends. “Tinker Bell has a new invention.”
    “An invention?” Lily looked at the pots-and-pans table across the room. All the tinkers were out of their seats and crowded around Tinker Bell. Fairies from other talent groups also hovered nearby.
    Pots-and-pans fairies were known for creating new and useful things out of the scraps in their workshops.
    “It sure must be fascinating!” said Iris. She flew over to the tinkers’ table to get a better view. Lily, Rosetta, and the other garden talents followed.
    Peeking between fairies’ wings, Lily saw an odd-looking hat on Tink’s head. It looked like it had been hammered out from an old teapot. Clipped to the front was a small, round mirror.
    The crowd pressed in closer as more and more fairies came to