Daisy's Quest Read online

  Daisy’s heart sank.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said the fairy, seeing the look on Daisy’s face. ‘The Fairy Queen wouldn’t give you anything you couldn’t handle. You’ll make it on time.’

  The fairy seemed so confident that Daisy felt a flicker of hope blossom inside her. ‘Thank you . . .’

  ‘Holly.’ The fairy smiled, but it was a sad sort of smile that made Daisy stop and wonder.

  ‘Why are you out here walking all alone?’ Daisy asked.

  A tear slid down Holly’s cheek. ‘I’ve been learning to look after the tadpoles at the frog pond. That’s my Calling, you know. It’s been wonderful really, and I wasn’t missing home at all . . . until the message arrived.’

  ‘What was it?’

  ‘It said that my mother was not very well and wanted me to come and see her. She’s very old and now I’m petrified that she might be Fading. So I’m heading across the forest to be with her.’

  ‘That’s awful!’ cried Daisy. ‘But, wouldn’t it be faster to fly?’

  ‘I can’t,’ said Holly. ‘I put everything into my Calling, all my magic and my time. And I forgot to renew the magic to make my wings fly. I started the journey flying but that’s when I felt the magic run out. If I hadn’t landed quickly I would have fallen out of the sky.’

  Daisy’s hand automatically felt for the pollen in her belt. I need this pollen, she told herself. I can’t turn up at the Fairy Queen’s Tea-Tree house without it or I’ll fail the Quest, and then I might never get my wings. But when she turned back to Holly and saw the worry in her eyes, she knew what she had to do. A fairy Faded when they were about to die. What if Holly didn’t make it in time?

  Daisy took the leaf from her belt, gently untwisting it until the pollen was revealed. Trying not to think about the consequences of what she was about to do, Daisy gave the leaf to Holly.

  Holly’s face lit up. Holding the leaf in both hands, she swung it up over her head so that pollen rained down upon her wings. They began to sparkle as their magic was renewed.

  ‘Thank you, Daisy,’ Holly gasped, giving Daisy a tight hug of thanks before fluttering her wings and flying off into the night.

  ‘Look at how her wings shine in the moonlight,’ Daisy whispered to Vu as he emerged, shivering, from beneath her hair. Then the realisation hit.

  It was past moonrise.

  13

  Journey’s End

  Daisy sank down against the trunk of a gum tree, unsure what to do next. Vu chittered a question.

  ‘I’ve failed the Quest, Vu,’ Daisy sobbed. ‘I gave the pollen to another fairy, I have no magic to be able to get any more and the moon has already risen so I’m late for the Fairy Queen. I’ll never earn my wings now,’ she sighed sadly.

  Vu buzzed a reassuring chitter. ‘Thanks, Vu.’ Daisy tried a smile. ‘Come on, we still need to find the Tea-Tree House to end the Quest and go home. The Fairy Queen will be waiting.’

  Just as Daisy was wondering where on earth she was going to find the strength to walk any further, a vibration rumbled through the trunk behind her and the leaves rustled far above her head. Daisy looked up, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. A huge black shadow was slowly moving towards her down the trunk.

  Vu’s claws dug into her shoulder. Daisy tensed, ready to jump up and run, then slumped against the tree trunk in relief. Her exhausted muscles relaxed as the round-eyed face of a ringtail possum was revealed by the moonlight.

  Grunting softly, the possum introduced himself as Pere. He explained that Holly had sent him to carry them to the Fairy Queen’s Tea-Tree House to thank Daisy for her kindness.’

  And with that, Pere reached out a soft-furred paw so that Daisy could climb onto his back.

  Daisy hesitated. Will the Fairy Queen be angry that I didn’t complete the journey on my own? she worried. Vu chittered that it was way past his bedtime, and could she please just hurry up.

  Too tired to argue, Daisy grabbed hold of Pere’s soft fur and dragged herself up onto his back where she snuggled into the warm safety of the hollow between his shoulder blades. Daisy felt herself being gently rocked as Pere moved through the trees. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered if this was how Vu felt when he was nestled under her hair.

  As if sensing that she thought of him, Vu chittered lovingly, brushing his face against her cheek before settling down beside her to sleep.

  Daisy woke to a warm huff of berry-scented breath as Pere announced their arrival. Daisy stretched and rubbed her face. They had stopped on the edge of a clearing. Pere looked over his shoulder at her expectantly.

  ‘We’re here?’ Daisy asked.

  He nodded yes.

  Daisy tapped Vu on the back. ‘Wake up, sleepyhead! We’re here.’ She smiled at Pere. ‘You’ve been so kind to us. Thank you for finding us and bringing us here. I don’t know what we’d have done without you.’

  Embarrassed by all the fuss, Pere grunted that it was nothing, and stretched out his paw so that Daisy could climb down. As she stepped back onto the ground, Daisy glimpsed a wooden house hanging amidst the waxy, white flowers of a tea-tree. It blended with the tree seamlessly, as if it had grown from it.

  ‘The Fairy Queen’s Tea-Tree House!’ Daisy whispered.

  All around the tree house, there was movement and light. There seemed to be a celebration going on. Fireflies swooped through the air in mock battles, the losers tumbling down to be caught by laughing fairies who danced in a circle on the ground below. High up in the surrounding trees, owls hooted, creating music for the fairies’ dance. Only at the Songbird Festival had Daisy seen so many fairies gathered together.

  Acutely aware of her Questing failure, Daisy hid behind Pere’s leg, afraid to go on. Standing on Pere’s shoulder, Vu chittered indignantly that by giving the pollen to Holly, Daisy had done a good thing, and if the Fairy Queen couldn’t see that then she wasn’t as wise as everyone said.

  Pere chuckled his agreement and gave Daisy an encouraging nudge forward.

  Taking courage from her friends, Daisy stepped into the clearing. Like blowing out a candle, the music and dancing stopped. A group of fairies stepped aside, creating a passage to the centre of the circle. Daisy glanced back at Vu who chittered that he would be waiting for her when she was done. Taking a deep breath, Daisy nervously walked through the opening.

  14

  The Fairy Queen

  The Fairy Queen was small, even for a fairy, but she seemed to glow like a shining star. Her long hair was pure white and her skin a rich brown like the earth, with eyes that sparkled with wisdom.

  She sat on a throne woven with orchid blossoms, her pink and white feathered wings spread out behind her like a bird in flight, while her deep orange dress, like a sunset sky, trailed across the ground beneath her.

  Too awed to speak, Daisy knelt and bowed her head before her. But the Fairy Queen spoke with a smile in her voice.

  ‘Welcome, Daisy, to the end of your Quest. Come, sit with me and remember.’

  Daisy looked up. The Fairy Queen beckoned her with one hand, patting the mossy cushion beside her with the other. The music and dancing started up once more as Daisy moved to sit beside her.

  ‘Now,’ said the Fairy Queen, taking Daisy’s hand, ‘tell me about your Quest.’

  With a deep breath Daisy began her story. She told her about the frog, the butterflies and Pea, about the lilies and the waterfall and how Ripple had saved her life. She told her of the gum tree, the firefly and the pollen, of how Pere had brought them to the Tea-Tree House, and how Vu had helped her from the very beginning.

  And finally she told her about Holly and how she had given her the pollen.

  ‘I gave the Fairy Quest everything I had,’ Daisy said, her voice just a whisper. ‘And yet still I failed.’

  The Fairy Queen looked at her with gentle eyes. ‘How does that make you feel?’

  Daisy’s brow creased with concentration as she thought about it. If someone had asked her that question
yesterday, the answer would have been, ‘Terrible!’

  But after everything she’d been through today, she realised that wasn’t how she felt at all. She tried to explain her thoughts.

  ‘I used to feel like I wasn’t a true fairy,’ said Daisy, ‘because I didn’t have wings.’

  ‘And now?’ the Fairy Queen prompted.

  ‘Going on the Fairy Quest was a huge adventure. I explored the forest and met some wonderful new friends. I learnt that I’m strong and resourceful, and that I don’t give up. If I’ve failed the Quest . . .’

  For a moment Daisy faltered, not sure how to go on. What would she do? Then she realised. There was only one thing she could do. She squared her shoulders, her chin lifting with determination. ‘I’ll keep on trying for as long as it takes. With or without wings, I’m happy with who I am.’

  The Fairy Queen hugged her close. ‘You, dear Daisy, are a true fairy. The key to success wasn’t finding the pollen. It was about finding it in your heart to give it up. Fairies live as one with the forest and the animals. We must all look after each other. And sometimes, that means giving up something dear to us.’

  Daisy lingered over the Fairy Queen’s words, feeling like she was missing something important. And then it dawned on her. ‘Did I pass the Fairy Quest?’ Her eyes searched the Fairy Queen’s for the answer.

  ‘I would say you passed with flying colours,’ the Fairy Queen smiled.

  She stood gracefully, raising Daisy to her feet beside her.

  As though on cue, the gathered fairies became still and silent once more. When the Fairy Queen spoke, her gentle voice filled the clearing.

  ‘This young fairy proud and true,

  Her strength and kindness shown,

  When her wings are chosen,

  Will be a fairy grown.’

  The Fairy Queen placed her hands on Daisy’s shoulders. ‘Close your eyes now, Daisy,’ she whispered, ‘and picture the wings of your dreams.’

  Daisy closed her eyes, trying to summon an image of her ideal wings. They would be yellow and feathered, like the chest of an Eastern Yellow Robin. Slowly, a hazy picture began to form.

  ‘Concentrate,’ whispered the Fairy Queen. ‘See every detail.’

  Daisy focused all her attention. As the picture became clearer she was aware of a tingling sensation, spreading down from the place where the Fairy Queen’s hands rested. A warm, comforting weight settled against her shoulder blades.

  The Fairy Queen laughed, a trilling sound like a sweet bird call. Lifting her hands from Daisy’s shoulders, she clapped them together.

  ‘It is done!’ she said.

  Daisy opened her eyes to a throng of cheering fairies. Her family was at the very front, her dad waving furiously as Nen brushed a tear from her eye. Maggie’s grin was wider than the ocean as she clapped her hands more enthusiastically than anyone.

  Daisy laughed to see Pea hanging upside down in the tree above them, her legs wrapped around a branch and wings flapping wildly to keep her from falling off.

  ‘Come on, Daisy,’ Pea called. ‘Give them a flutter!’

  Surprised that her body seemed to know what to do, Daisy stretched her new wings out wide, feeling them gently beat the air behind her. The watching fairies roared their approval.

  Daisy shook her head, trying to take it all in. It seemed impossible that in just one day her world could change so much.

  And there was still so much more to look forward to. Soon she would learn how to fly, and with the whole forest hers to explore, she was sure to discover her Calling.

  She broke into a joyous grin.

  Though the Fairy Quest was over, Daisy had a wonderful feeling that her adventures had just begun.

  Golden Everlasting or Paper Daisy

  Xerochrysum bracteatum

  Hey! That’s my flower! Father named me after the golden one because, when I was born, I had spiky blonde hair. Paper daisies grow all over Australia, in many habitats, from shady forests to arid plains. They come in many colours and grow in different ways. Some grow sideways, never getting very tall. Others grow over a metre high.

  Some paper daisies are annuals, which means they have very short lives. They grow, flower, make seeds and die, all in the space of a single season. Others are perennials. They live for many seasons, flowering and making seeds again and again and again.

  But paper daisies are deceiving. They aren’t quite what they seem. Their centre is made up of more than 100 tiny flowers. And the yellow ‘petals’ surrounding the centre aren’t really petals at all. They are bracts. They feel dry and stiff like paper.

  Which is why we call them Paper Daisies. My namesake flower!

  All About Vu

  Menippus fugitivus

  Vu is a chrysomelid beetle. His scientific name is menippus fugitivus. He is very small, only 5mm long, and very rare. In fact, beetles like Vu can only be found in three places in Australia: coastal North Queensland, Lord Howe Island and Grays Point Reserve.

  In New South Wales, menippus fugitivus is an endangered species because only the Grays Point colony has been found. There are about 500 beetles in this colony, and their whole existence depends on a group of just 10-15 Native Hackberry trees (celtis paniculate, if you want to use the scientific name). The trees are only found in littoral rainforest, which is a type of rainforest that has also become endangered in Australia.

  Vu’s colony’s home is very close to a car park, on the edge of a public reserve. If people don’t take an interest in its conservation and make sure there is no more development in the area, the colony could lose their home and cease to exist at all.

  Recipe

  Lemon Myrtle Cordial

  Lemon Myrtle cordial is my favourite drink. I often help when Nen is making it. Follow the instructions here and you could make some, too. Be careful with the cooking parts, though. Boiling water can be very dangerous, so make sure there’s a friendly grown-up around to give you some help.

  Ingredients

  8 cups of sugar

  8 cups of water

  20g of lemon myrtle leaves

  Equipment

  a cooking pot

  a strainer

  a jug or bottle to store it in

  Instructions

  Pour the sugar and water into the cooking pot. Place the lemon myrtle leaves in, too.

  Place the pot, with the lid off, on the stove top and turn it up to high.

  Bring the mixture to boiling and continue to boil it until it has reduced to about a third of its original amount, or until it is as thick as maple syrup.

  To remove the leaves, pour the cordial through the strainer into your bottle or jug.

  Store your cordial in the fridge.

  Just before serving, mix your cordial with lemonade or soda water for the tingling fizz of Daisy’s favourite drink.

  1

  A Glorious Dream

  Daisy’s eyes fluttered open and a smile spread across her face. She’d been dreaming that the Fairy Queen had granted her wings – a dream so sweet that she didn’t want to wake up. She squeezed her eyes shut again.

  A thin beam of sunlight streamed through the knot in the tree trunk that was her window. Keeping her eyes shut, Daisy rolled onto her back to avoid it. The hammock curled around her in an unusual way, as though a large, soft pillow had been laid beneath her. Elusive images from her dream danced in and out of Daisy’s mind, images of the Fairy Queen and a brand new set of wings . . .

  Daisy’s eyes flashed open in an instant. She leapt out of bed and raced to the mirror. Instinctively, she flexed her new muscles and watched with delight as a pair of bright yellow feathered wings stretched out behind her.

  It wasn’t a dream!

  Memories of yesterday came flooding back, of the Fairy Quest with all its riddles and tests, of the Fairy Queen and of the moment when she had been granted her wings!

  Daisy’s best friend, a small, green beetle named Vu, huffed sleepily from his comfy nest beside Daisy’s hammock.r />
  ‘I’m sorry, Vu,’ said Daisy. ‘I didn’t mean to wake you.’

  Vu stood and stretched his legs, chittering that it was the sun’s fault really.

  Daisy gave Vu a scratch on the head, then stepped over to her wooden chest and took out her wattle blossom dress.

  Taking off her nightie, she pulled the dress on over her head and wriggled into it, only to find that her new wings were pressed tightly against her body. Vu chittered with laughter as Daisy scrabbled and squirmed the dress back up over her head.

  Daisy tried three more dresses before finding one that she could step into and tuck beneath her wings.

  Feeling hot and flustered, she stepped over to the washbowl to splash cold water on her face.

  Impatient of waiting, Vu chittered that he was hungry and could they please go and get some breakfast?!

  Daisy glanced outside. The sun was already at its peak. ‘I’d say we’ve missed breakfast. But if we hurry we might just make lunch.’

  Vu needed no further encouragement. Lifting the stiff green elytra that protected his flying wings, he buzzed into the air and disappeared down the stairs. Daisy’s tummy rumbled, reminding her that she’d had nothing to eat since early last night. She spun around to follow her friend, her new wings brushing against a shelf as she turned. Shells and feathers, seeds and blossoms billowed down to settle in clumps on the floor. With a sigh, Daisy realised that having wings might take some getting used to.

  As she bent down to pick up her belongings, something brushed against her knee. It was the pouch-shaped locket that held her Questing Things. Daisy had created the locket in preparation for the Fairy Quest.

  Though she’d eaten the food and used the clothes on her Quest, it still held tiny versions of her candle, rope, special spiderweb quilt and magic travelling shoes.