Read by Matilda Longbottom

TTwinkle Star is an incredibly curious fairy, always yearning to know everything happening everywhere. This may be why she has such an affinity to children, who by nature are very curious creatures themselves. Although fairies are naturally curious, Twinkle Star’s excessive curiosity often leads her into trouble.

What fascinates her most? Gnomes! However, visiting the gnomes’ village is strictly forbidden in the fairy garden. Repeated warnings echo about the stone dragon protecting the bridge between the two lands. Legend has it that the stone dragon comes to life and stops anyone attempting to cross.

Despite the warnings, Twinkle Star’s curiosity persists. Almost daily, she ventures near the gnome bridge, hoping to catch a glimpse of the dragon and discover what lies on the other side. Her curiosity grows each day, bringing her closer to the bridge, but she always stops herself just in time.

With a grand adventure idea in mind, Twinkle Star spends her morning preparing her little home and eagerly awaits her afternoon meeting with her friends. Glancing at the sundial she impatiently hopes for the afternoon to arrive.

Finally, the time comes to head to the park and meet her special friends. Hoping they share her excitement, Twinkle Star, in a hurry, decides to fly over to their favorite bench, landing delicately. Her friends rush up laughing at the sight she made as she hovered above the swings.

As usual, they are all rushing to greet each other. Twinkle Star, Ellie, Lemon Drop and Aria all embrace and giggle as they start their afternoon ritual. Usually, they all try to take turns and share about their day. Twinkle Star just doesn’t have the patience today. She blurts out, rather loudly, “I have an idea!” Her three friends stop, stare, and wait for her to continue. Twinkle Star is a little hesitant and takes a deep breath. What if they don’t like her plan? What if they think she is crazy? But Twinkle Star decided that she just can’t contain it anymore. “I think we should cross the dragon bridge and meet the gnomes.”

Her friends just continue to stare. Twinkle Star looks at each of them. They are just standing there with their mouths gaping open. It is so quiet they can hear the rustle of the breeze in the leaves around them. After several minutes, she takes a deep breath and asks, “Who’s in?”

The three other fairies all start talking at once. “It is too dangerous!”, exclaims Lemon Drop.

Aria is shaking her head as she whispers “No one goes there”.

Ellie, her very best friend, looks her straight in the eye and firmly says, “It is against all of the rules”. Twinkle Star’s head droops as she realizes that her friends are not excited about this potential adventure.

Twinkle Star sinks onto the bench, feeling defeated, as her friends express their concerns. Ellie asks, “What are you thinking?”

Twinkle Star gazes at the ground and replies, “I thought it would be fun, and I can’t understand how they can be that different from us. Aren’t you even a little curious?”

Her friends shake their heads. Aria softly says, “I have never once heard music coming from there.”

Lemon Drop adds, “Have you ever seen any animals going in or out of that area? NO! It must mean that it is not safe!”

And Ellie, the rule follower, firmly says, “No, we must not break any rules! They are there for a reason.”

The once-enthusiastic friends become subdued. They chat for a few minutes but you could tell that the enthusiasm from before had faded away. They did not spend as much time visiting as they usually did. Their hearts just didn’t seem to be in it. They looked forlornly at the swings as they decided to just go their separate ways and head home. They were each lost in their own thoughts as they quietly left the square, each headed in a different direction.

Twinkle Star knew that her friends would not be quite as excited as she was by the prospect of an adventure, but she did not think that they would react like this! She walked home slowly, deeply lost in her own thoughts. Why should we be afraid of what we don’t know? Isn’t there beauty and purpose in everything? As Twinkle Star entered her home and sank onto her dandelion couch, a new idea blossomed. If her friends aren’t up for the adventure, maybe she should go alone! ❖