2—Real or Make-Believe?

Lucy and Hannah enjoyed their forest magic adventure with Great Aunt Nature Walker. Hannah liked her fairy wings and going under the elf bridge. But mostly, she liked being on an adventure with her big sister. Being more grown-up, Lucy began having some serious thoughts about the forest magic. 

Lucy's serious thoughts began the day after she and Hannah got home after their forest adventure with Great Aunt Nature Walker. She took a picture of Great Aunt Nature Walker to school for Show and Tell. She showed the picture and told how Great Aunt Nature Walker talked to the Banana Slug and they they all the fairy house and the elf bridge. “Oh, my,” exclaimed her teacher Miss Fact, “Great Aunt Nature Walker must have a very good imagination! How lucky you are to have such an interesting friend.”

Performance Best

After Lucy sat down, Performance Best went to the front of the room for her turn. Performance Best was wearing a new red sundress and had her blonde hair all fluffed up in curls. Performance Best was always bragging about how many stickers and stars she had on Miss Fact’s Sticker and Star Chart. “I deserve my name,” she would say, “because I am the best.” Lucy found this very tiresome and annoying.

Performance Best

For Show and Tell, Performance Best had two pictures of herself in the woods. In one, she was wearing her red sundress but with a hat to match and white stockings with hearts. In the other she was wearing a blue and white flowered play outfit and sitting on a little brown pony. 

“These pictures are going to be in a magazine,” she told the class. “My uncle got me a job as a model. This means people will look at my picture in their magazines and then go to the store and buy clothes like mine. I get to keep all the clothes and wear lipstick. The people who make the clothes will also pay me a lot of money.”  
“Oh, my,” exclaimed Miss Fact, “what an exciting experience! Congratulations.” 

In the playground at lunch, twenty girls were crowded around Performance Best, looking at her picture and asking if she would teach them how to be a model so they could wear lipstick and earn money. “If I have time,” Performance Best told them with a flip of her blonde curls. 

Only two girls were looking at Lucy’s picture and asking if Great Aunt Nature Walker would take them on a forest magic adventure. Suddenly, Performance Best walked over and grabbed Lucy’s picture. “Your show and tell was really silly,” she said. “Everyone knows elves and fairies are only make-believe. And slugs are just big yucky worms. They can’t talk. Did you hear them talk?”

“Well . . . not exactly, but . . .” Lucy hesitated, unsure of what to say. 

Performance Best waved the picture of Great Aunt Nature Walker in her face. “Great Aunt Nature Walker is a ridiculous name for a crazy old lady. And look at the crazy lady's big ugly shoes." The crowd of girls laughed. Performance Best fluffed up her curls. "Only babies think you can call up someone up on a banana phone," she said. "Grownups use smart phones. When I get my first paycheck as a model, I'm going to buy a smart phone.” 

Great Aunt Nature Walkers Shoes and Socks

With that, Performance Best dropped the picture of Great Aunt Nature Walker at Lucy’s feet and announced to the girls, “Tomorrow, I’m going to get shiny silver slipper shoes for my next magazine picture.”

Lucy was trying to think of what to say. But all her words got crowded out by confusion. She had to admit that a lot of what Performance Best said seemed true. She hadn't really heard the Banana Slug talk. She didn’t actually see the fairies and elves. And Great Aunt Nature Walker did wear those big clunky shoes with big fat purple socks. Still, the forest magic had felt real.

But before Lucy could put her feelings into thoughts, Performance Best skipped off with the crowd of girls behind her. And Lucy heard her say, “I can’t believe that Lucy and her silly little sister would believe that old lady and her ridiculous stories.” The two girls with Lucy were still very polite but went quietly off to swing by themselves.

"Hannah is not a silly little sister," Lucy muttered after them all. But she felt the excitement about the forest magic go out of her like a big balloon that just got popped. 

Back in the classroom, Lucy did her best in reading and numbers. But she was worried inside and didn’t get her usual sticker and stars to put on Miss Fact’s Sticker and Star Chart. When Performance Best went up to put her stickers and stars on the Sticker and Star Chart, she wrinkled up her nose at Lucy.

When Lucy got home, she tried to forget her day by coloring with Hannah. Then she went out to help Hannah learn how to water the flowers in their new garden. Hannah was doing a very good job. And Lucy’s thoughts drifted to who was right—Performance Best or Great Aunt Nature Walker? Lucy wished Hannah was the big sister. Then Hannah would have to figure out the big problems in life.

“Maybe it’s time to take a break,” their mother called as she put down a bowl of fruit so they could choose a snack. There were apples, pears, and bananas. Hannah picked up a banana and held it to her ear. “Tree,” she said. “Fairy.” Then she picked up the other banana and gave it to Lucy. Lucy took it and thought a moment. If Great Aunt Nature Walker was telling them the truth, she would answer the banana phone. 

Sadly, there was no answer. Lucy felt very dejected.

Great Aunt Nature Walker's House

But then a very strange thing happened. They were suddenly standing in front of a white house with a gray roof, a bright yellow door, and a very large garden. And who came walking around the side of the house but—Great Aunt Nature Walker!

"Welcome," she cried.

“Welcome,” she cried. “I just got your banana phone message. Which was funny because I was just about to call you. I have the mystery of the rolling pumpkins in my backyard. And I thought you could help me solve it.”

A mystery! Wow. This was very exciting. So Lucy took Hannah’s hand, and they followed Great Aunt Nature Walker around her house to learn more about the mystery of the rolling pumpkins.

Next: The Mystery of the Rolling Pumpkins