Melody Harp’s back stuck to the back of the bus seat. Sweat poured down her back like Niagara Falls and her face felt hot. She took her coke bottle out of her backpack, but the grouchy old bus driver saw. "No drinking anything other than water on the bus, Melody Harp." She sighed.

Melody opened up her book when a boy yelled, "Wow! Cool! Look at that!" She thought it was just some typical WWF billboard (typical boys always say "Wow" to stuff like that. It’s just typical boy behavior), but when a girl yelled, "MAN! THAT IS COOL!" She looked outside her window, and what she saw shocked her.

I guess I better tell you about Melody. Her name is Melody Paono Harp (do not laugh at the name, and, yes, Paono is pronounced Piano) and she lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She goes to school and reads and writes. Her best friend is Olive Sherman. She lives in Austin, Texas. Her brother’s name is Jake Harp, one of her sister’s names is Mandy Clark (she’s married), one of the twin’s names is Sally Harp, and the other is Sara Harp. Her parent’s names are Duke and Lillian Harp. Sally and Sara have a disgusting bulldog with no hind legs named Lucy. Jake has a goldfish that sheds whitish-brownish scales (She calls him the grayfish) named Elvis. Mrs. Harp has a canary that screeches like the brakes to their old pick up and he’s practically brown named Lop. Mr. Harp is a vet so he doesn’t need any animals. Mandy has a gorgeous golden lab she calls Dopey. And Melody has a pretty little white baby bunny she named Fuzz-ball. Olive has a golden retriever named Goldilocks. Melody has green eyes and strawberry blonde hair. The twins have blue eyes and red hair. Mandy has brown eyes and brown hair. Jake has blue hair and hazel eyes. Now that you know all about her, I guess we must get back to the story.

There was a girl with neon pink eyes staring at them. They all expected the bus to clatter to a stop, but, instead, the bus glided on. Melody was scared.

Gyiure smiled after the bus. It did not look like a bus now, instead, it looked liked a Great White Fairy. She felt sad about the new set of servants coming to serve the Madame Lipolo. That was when she stopped smiling. She had not known a world except this one, the world she was raised in. She was raised to serve the Madame Lilopo. She was taught to serve she. Still, she wished she could live as that girl, what was her name? Ah, yes, Melody. Melody Paono Harp. What a pretty name for a pretty person. Gyiure smiled. That was nice of her, she smiled and her eyes smiled also. She looked pretty when she smiled. She ducked into the woods to tell the Madame Lilopo that the new set of servants had arrived.

"I’m frightened," Stated Melody to her second best friend, Jillian. "Did you see that girl with the weird eyes?" She shivered.

"Yeah, she was creepy." Answered Jillian, who acted as if Life was a breeze. "But, she might have been wearing wacko colored contacts. You know, she looked as if she was sixteen. You know how crazy Jake is." Jillian blushed when she said this.

"Yeah, and the whole world knows you have a crush on him," Snickered Melody. "Besides, the girl had Purple-and-Green hair color, and she didn’t look like she had put it on in two washes."

"Well, duh, dope!" Said Jillian, smacking her head with the palm of her hand. "She must have dyed her hair green, and then put the purple streaks in!"

"I dunno," Said Melody nervously. "I mean, don’t you feel the bus kind of, well gliding, along?"

Jillian rolled her eyes. "Miracle invention?" She suggested sarcastically. "You are such a worrywart, ‘Songsheet.’ Why don’t you lay back and enjoy life for a change?" She put her hands behind her back as the bus screeched to a halt.

A girl with neon pink eyes stood at a gate that was made of pure gold.

Gyiure greeted the Great Fairy Steerer with the formal wave of the hand. The man waved it away and said, " ‘Tis not I that is the Great Fairy Steerer, as you have thought. ‘Twas only my father. I am only following in his footsteps." Gyiure laughed.

" ‘Tis the formal greeting," said she. "that we of the servants of the Madame Lilopo greet each newcomer to the gates with. I am the Humble Servant Gyiure of the Madame Lilopo. My father is the Potter Nicoigoe. My mother is the Baker Avyerti. My brother is the Athlete Jicoviu." She did not add that Jicoviu was given over to the First Bapertherue because of battling against the Madame Lilopo’s trust.

The Son of the Great Fairy Steerer said, "And I am the Human-Watcher Brety. My father is the Great Fairy Steerer Govitano. My mother is the Sewer Storyum. My sister is the Seller Gerswer."

"What does your cargo hold?" Asked Gyiure, trying to draw Brety’s attention away from her family.

"Servants for the Madame Lilopo!" Yelled Brety. "High Empress of All We Stand On! May her Children Live Forever!"

"Highho!" Yelled Gyiure and Brety together.

"What is the password?" Asked Gyiure.

"May the High Empress Emperor Ruler Chief Chieftess President Leader-of-the-Pack Duchess Duke Queen King Prince Princess Monarch Female Ruler Crowned Head of State Royal Personage Her Majesty Master Mistress Authority Leader Superstar Top Dog Madame Lilopo Live Forever And Ever!"

"Highho!" Yelled the two together.

"You may pass," Said Gyiure. "But first, I must inspect the cargo."

Brety allowed her to get on the Great White Fairy. It looked a lot different on the outside than the inside. It stank, and up on the walls was signs that she could not read. Brety was different, too. Instead of a well-tempered, handsome young man, he was a grumbling, grouchy old bus driver.

She walked down the isle as kids stared at her. She wondered, How strange their eyes are, not at all the way her people were. Instead of everything powder pink, there was green, brown, blue, and colors that would change when light fell on them.

And, oh, the hair! Instead of two colors on everyone, there was only one! Browns and reds and whites and yellows, and specks of blues among here and there in the black, but it was strange. When she dug into their minds she found fear, exasperation, annoyance and laughter.

She stopped at Melody Paono Harp’s seat. She knew it was she because she read into her mind, and along with "Melody Paono Harp," she found fear. The girl sitting next to her was Jillian. Jillian Diamond Ross. That one would be a troublemaker. She saw annoyance in that one.

"Hello. I am the Humble Servant Gyiure of the Madame Lilopo. Who are you?" Asked Gyiure. The two did not understand her. Jillian turned to Melody.

"Kisaole Mureiojfkdsdn jandiwkl ikwqpoooewe? Uidsjkdhjcnnj jduc djisndji Melody, Jiujdks vjs fhjjjund gjdhj ikjs!" Jillian laughed. She turned to Gyiure and said, "Viods jnghsj thk jurym is, iNDK fjksudbhha. Yiusas iaudhs aindme amjjjjj iandiuhds elds onti eweh asf!"

Gyiure was annoyed. She did the formal greeting and everything, and what did these girls give her? Annoying babble!

"I…hate…you!" Yelled Gyiure, slapping Jillian. She ran outside the bus, dying to see the beautiful fairy.

"You know," Suggested Brety. "They do not understand our language. Maybe if you give them a chance…"

"No!" Bellowed Giyure. She was really mad. All she could see was red. She felt like a Killytuphie, ready to charge at anything she saw.

"So," Said Brety cautiously, knowing that she could kill him with her mind powers, "May I, uh, pass?"

"Go, before I change my mind!"

The Fairy Creature Sped off into the palace road.

"Wow, what’s her problem?" Asked Jillian to no one. She rubbed her cheek where the girl had hit her. There was green tentacles sprouting around the red spot.

"Oh my gosh!" Screamed Melody. "You’re an, you’re an, octo-octop-p-p…" Melody broke into a fit of laughter and clasped her side.

"What’s so funny?" Growled a frowning Jillian.

Melody shook her head and pointed to the mirror at the front. When Jillian saw the green stuff on her face, she sputtered with rage.

"I…am…so…mad!" She hollered. She reminded Melody of a grouchy old bull, which made her laugh at her even more.

Jillian tried to pull out the tentacles, but they only grew longer.

Melody shrieked as Jillian gave it one last hard tug, and then she turned into a slimy, three-legged hairy and scaly creature. Then she disappeared.

"Jillian!" She was the only one who noticed anything because all the rest were staring at a castle. Then, Melody saw it too.

She gasped.

It was unlike anything Melody had ever seen. She first noticed all the powder pink eyes, and then she noticed the children. And then she noticed the castle.

It was made of swirling blue and white, kind of like marble, but prettier. The doors were golden, and today, decorated with (as Melody learned later on) the country’s flower, the Ryukian. The golden flower looked very much like a rose, but more petals.

The oldish-brownish-goldish archways were decorated with the Ryukian and another pink flower. The statues were made of the same blue-white swirl and figured into a lady Melody did not know. The road was lined with shells, huge shells, thirty feet tall and eighty feet wide. The road itself was big, but, as Melody looked on, she saw that all they were sitting on seats strapped to a big dragonfly.

A huge dragonfly. And when they pulled up to an archway, the children and adults ran up and tied the dragonfly with golden string.

A gruff looking person came on and said, "Cvdsj." The kids did not understand him. He pointed a spear at them and pointed a spear at the door and said again, "Cvdsj." He pointed a spear at them again and Melody could feel it piercing her heart.

She swallowed, but it did not help her dry mouth. "Let’s go." She said to the others. "He wants us to follow him."

The children marched off in a single line. Melody was the last one. She looked back and saw the bus driver. He was grinning. He had never grinned, let alone smile, so Melody was frantic with worry.

A kid approached her. He was tiny, and she knew that the girl that had made, it was painful thinking about Jillian, disappear could not speak English, only baby talk, so she wondered if this boy could speak it.

He could. He turned to a person and said, "Jivchacuru, may have one of these things?" He pointed to Melody.

Melody was so mad that she almost said, "I am not a ‘thing’ for your information, I am only a proud American Citizen with a dream" but she didn’t have time to, because she was moving on, and she heard Jivchacuru saying, "Minsd ski JKH Didsn kdkfk, jkd…" She was moving on and did not hear the rest.

Instead of going straight to the Palace, as Melody had predicted, they went to a small cabin behind it called the "Rurnij." The Rurnij, as Melody thought, was another word for "servants quarters."

After a cold dinner of something that looked like a carrot, Melody soon found out that the work started immediately the following day.

Melody’s first task during the day was to wash the Madame Lilopo’s (whoever that was) pool. It was a backbreaking task. First, she had to go to the field and ask the picking boys (who never seemed to do anything) for something that looked like potatoes, but it was hard asking them for some because most of them could only babble, so she had to go out into the field and pick some herself.

Next, she had to put on a stretchy, smelly, itchy, wooly thing that was supposed to be "waterproof." She always looked as if she had peed in her pants when she got out. Then she had to get a basket and the thing that looked like a potato, which was called a Nidosso, and put it in the basket. Then she had to dive into the pool, scrub the bottom with the Nidosso and pick up any loose leaves.

Her next chore was to make herself useful in the kitchen. Melody thought it would be a breeze, but the Madame (?) was a large woman and ate big stuff.

So, she found herself with a butchering knife climbing up a fifty foot tall Nidosso and trying to peel it, then cutting it up so you could pick it up with a fork.

Cutting up steak the size of a house, stirring soup that was as big as the Madame’s (?) swimming pool, kneading dough that was a hundred times bigger than she, certainly, she thought, nothing is worse than this.

She was wrong. Her next chore was to set the table for fifty so the Madame (?) could have her guests comfortably. The plates were as teeny as coffee saucers, and each guest got three. So, three times fifty is a hundred and fifty. Not including the silverware or the cups, or the plates that held the food.

Her next task (ugh!) was to pick the gigantic Cgyurs in the Madame’s (?) personal garden. This seemed to be a big job, for all of the pink-eyed people seemed to respect her.

The Cygurs looked and smelled like onions. The process of picking the Cygurs was long and hard. First, you take a sharp pair of scissors, but then you have to sharpen it doubly. Then you took a saw and sharp saw and sharpened it twice.

Next, you took the saw and sawed the rock hard stem until you got to the middle core. That was when you took the scissors and snap and snap and snap, until you got to the center core. Than you kissed the stem until your lips were dry, and until the center core was broken.

Than the Cygur would turn into a small tomato, and you would pick it up, put it in a basket, wet your lips, and move on to the next one.

You probably wonder "Why can’t they be picked as a small tomato?" Well, the reason is the Madame (?) likes the oniony taste in it.

She now got a breakfast of cold Cygurs, cold Nidosso and a cold Niksa (the thing that looked like carrot).

Next, she was supposed to pick the Niksa. It took thirty people to do this task, for Melody found out that the Niska grew on five, big, hairy dogs named Midz, Oljo, Ioisj, Hksi, and Ijusd. They were like big Dobermans, and were very surly.

The process was long. First, you would take a ladder and five people would climb up, and the sixth person would hold the ladder at the bottom, all while the dog (and the one Melody was working on was Ioisj, and she never got to be the ladder holder) was asleep.

You would have to hold your knife between your teeth, then hold on to the sharp hairs of Ioisj. You would stick your hands to the next one up, then place your foot on a big lump a skin where the hair started to grow.

You would go to the eye and the eyelashes were the Niksa. You would take your knife, chop off as many Niksa as the basket could hold, and, quickly, climb as fast as you could to the bottom of the ladder. If you don’t you’ll be in for a bucking-bad time.

That’s what happened to Melody on her first try. She was to slow, and people kept yelling, "Gjio! Gjio! Lopsd! Hui Madame Lilopo jks akf fhks!" But Melody did not understand them, so they shook their heads and climbed back down.

Melody felt the hair on Ioisj rise, and her body went up and down, slowly, at first, and then faster and faster. She heard a growl, like the low rumble of an oncoming thunderstorm, coming from deep inside the body. She felt her bones quiver when the low, long, deep boom came from inside it throat. The onlookers watched in terror as Melody tightened her grip on the dog’s scraggly mane.

Melody’s heart pounded with fear. Her legs hung, useless at the side of the dog. She felt the dog get up, stretch, and yawn a long, loud snarl.

Her hands were sweaty and she had to re-grip a couple of times to keep from sliding off. A girl who said "Gyiure Gyiure Gyiure" over and over screamed words that were no use.

Ioisj turned his red eyes on Melody, and he barked a bark like a cannon hitting the side of a ship.

He just scratched, barked, growled, bucked, kicked and licked, until, finally, Melody’s arms collapsed and she flew into the air and landed in the Madame’s (?) soup.

She had a week of work for that.

She now had a lunch the same as breakfast

Melody also had to hatch baby fairies. This was her most favorite task, and she was the only one who could do it.

The Hollow Tree is one that stands in the Madame’s Wood. It is the tallest tree in all of Hyui (the country Melody was in). Melody had to sing a song to climb into the Hollow Tree.

It could be any song at all.

Melody would sing her song and then climb her tree. The grown up fairies were welcome her in, offer her some tea, then set to work hatching the babies by saying a short poem:

Dubid, dubidy dubidee, dubad.

Take the little children and teach ‘em to dogood.

Don’tdubid, don’tdubidy, don’tdubidee, don’tdubad.

Kiddies the wandering kind, and don’tteach’emtodubad

That’s what the poem was, and as soon as she was done, the tiny fairies would come out of their little bubble.

Melody could not imagine life without a journal, so she coaxed the "Gyiure Gyiure Gyiure" girl to lend her a notepad.

She did, and Melody wrote her dreams in it.

Dear Earth,

Hi! Remember me? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you! Or has it? I’ve completely lost track of time, & don’t know if I’ve been here for five days or five decades.

I miss you, Earth. I had a dream about you.

Here it goes:

I was running through a soccer field wearing my jersey. You know, the Green Cheetahs one. Then this soccer ball came flying out of nowhere at me, & another, & another, & another…

I kicked them all into the goal, & then, all of a sudden, I was wearing this dopey red dress & a boy with large, green eyes (kind of like the fairy babies that I hatch every day) came up to me & said, "There is a staircase back to Earth just over there,"

So I thank him & start running, but it was kind of hard to in a dress.

I got to the staircase & started walking down. In a couple of steps, it started to move up!

Remember, Earth, how I would go on the escalators at the Mega-Mall & walk down the escalator while it was going in the opposite direction? That was exactly what was happening!

Then the boy came up to me & said, "You are the servant of Madame Lilopo, Jinyter. Obey the fact." & he left.

My name’s not Jinyter.

Your’s confusingly,

Melody Paono Harp

Another image came. It showed me in my messy room in our apartment playing with Fuzz-ball. Mom laughed when Fuzz-ball curled up next to her leg & twitched his nose as I fed him a carrot. The scene was so familiar that I longed for it. I ached to smell the homey smell of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. I longed to see Mom come home from work wearing her actress’s clothes, like Cinderella’s plastic slippers. I wanted, oh, I really, really wanted to have Dad come home with one of the animals that needed to stay overnight at the Vet Place, his work. I even missed the twins annoying gossip and Jake’s threatening to hack a lugy in my face. I really miss it all.

Gyiure tried talking to Dioretty in her language, but it didn’t turn out right.

Gyiure knew that here would be a Gysd soon, when all the nobles in Hyiu would come to a party. She was excited. The Gysd was the Madame’s birthday, and all the servants got a day of. Gyiure was as happy as a flutterbly, fluttering, fluttering, fluttering…

Gyiure was so happy that she went to the Smart One Riy. She tried to pry some English lessons, even bribed him some of her supper, but it didn’t work.

"I am a servant of the Madame Lilopo." Said he. "And a servant I shall remain."

A new servant had arrived, and she was a girl with jet-black hair. When she saw the Madame’s castle, Gyiure heard her say, " Yes, I am here, at last." Gyiure wasn’t sure what it meant.

Well, Gyiure and Melody got along fine, ever since Gyiure saved her life. Gyiure still laughed at the look on Melody’s face when Ioisj bucked her off.

Melody saw Gyiure marking things off a skinny piece of bark with squares. When she asked what it was, Gyiure explained.

"Eet eez a cawandew," She said. "Eet hewps mea mawk ovf dee deays untiw dee Madame’s bowthdeay baww. Dat is whean ve geat a deay ovf."

Melody translated it to this: "It is a calendar. It helps me mark off the days until the Madame’s birthday ball. That is when we get a day off."

When Gyiure made Melody one, Melody couldn’t understand it.

"Cee dese wittwe bootuns? Weww, vooo push dee wittwe bootuns, and dey pup ouwouwt and dey sey, ‘Eet ees twee mowe deays tiww dee Madame’s gettin’ weady fow dee bowthday baww. Guess whahhat? Vooooo awe inveeted tooo. Dee Madame wiww bea ‘appy tooooo cee vooooo. Some Noooobwes wiww bea comin’ so commme and bea tweated wike a noooooobwe.’ Do voooo undewstand?" Gyiure explained.

Melody’s translation: "See these little buttons? Well, you push the little buttons and they pop out and they say, ‘It is three more days till the Madame’s getting ready for the birthday ball. Guess what? You are invited, too. The Madame will be happy to see you. Some nobles will be coming so come and be treated like a noble.’ Do you understand?" I said I did, and the "Calendar" said two more days. One more day…

And then Gyiure came in wearing a purple dress.

"Ve havf toooo pwepawe dee veeeaaast beavore ‘dee geausts’ awwive." Gyiure tried to say.

Melody’s translation: "We have to prepare the feast before the guests arrive."

Melody yawned. "I thought you said we got a day off."

Gyiure’s eyes shined. "Ve douou, but eet eez nut untiw nighte. Commme, ve moost geaet dee meaws weady!"

Melody’s translation: "We do, but it is not until night. Come, we must get the meals ready!"

"I know what I’m going to do on my seven hour brake," Melody told Gyiure. "Sleep."

"O, boot vooooo wiww nut waaant tooo." Gyiure laughed.

Melody’s translation: "Oh, but you will not want to."

Gyiure took Melody into the kitchen (after changing into regular gray clothes). The kitchen was bustling with more life and energy than Melody had ever seen.

"Husdidsf iNidossa dkidf sg! Ikasd akd sja!" Cook shouted, followed by a laugh of all the people in the room.

When Melody looked at Gyiure questioningly, Gyiure said, "Cuk said, ‘I eam guin’ huume tu-nighte! Nu mowe peewin’ potatos fow mea tonighte!’"

Melody’s translation: "Cook said, ‘I am going home tonight! No more peeling potatoes for me, tonight!’"

Well, the only problem is your not peeling the Nidossas- Melody thought. –We are.

Melody was very cross. She was woken up at 2:00 AM, an hour earlier than she was use to. Plus, she was told she’d be sleeping in. She almost fell in the soup, when a chef that sounded Italian who spoke English came up to her.

"Vhat do you sink vou are doing?" He asked crossly. "Vou moust know zee vooda, not just trcheat eet like zome ozer sing. I am ashamed ov vhat vou haff dune." And he went away muttering.

A kitchen girl who was in Melody’s class came up to her. "That’s Mistro." She said rudely. "He thinks he’s the head cook because he was a pro chef in his country. He’s wondering why Cook has never heard of ‘Escargo.’" She shook her head in disgust as Melody burst out laughing.

"Heya, noa lauffing in ze kithcun!" Shouted Mistro. He had a gray moustache and eyes that were as red as fire. He was big and beefy and had absolutely no neck.

"Your no fun," Sneered Melody.

So she tried to bear Mistro’s scolding until he bonked into Gyiure. "Vhat do vou sink vou are doing?" He asked. "Vou are not peeling ze potatoes righta, vou is just going, how do Ia put it, going vic the ze ozers, shall I say? To be a rcheal shef vou moust go vic ze flowa. Vou are chridiculous in evrya single vay! I am ashamed ov vou! I am completely-"

"Idiotic?" Asked Melody. "Absurd? Foolish? Insane? Dumb? Stupid? Daft? Half-witted? Simple? Or just senseless?"

Mistro widened his eyes in horror. "How dare vou call my beuatifula self oll ov zo’s ‘orrible, ‘orrible names! I am and arteest and I meana to use my artisteec talentas in a vell order, unlike vou."

"Oh, excuse me, Mistro," Snapped Melody. "But in my country, America, we believe in ‘Our Food is the Best’ or ‘YOUR Pleasure is Our ONLY Hope,’ not ‘Vork, Vork, Vork!’"

"But, zat eez vhat eet eez like een my countrya, too…" Started Mistro.

"Italy? Is your Grandmama or Grandpapa or Papa or Mama or Girlfriend or Wife or Daughter or Son or Grandson or Granddaughter in Italy? Because let me tell you something Mr. Mistro, I have people down on Earth also. I have loved ones that I miss also."

"But," Started a surprised Mistro. "I am from Ouos on Jupiter."

"Oh."

Gyiure said, "Aut weazt ‘e’s fwom vouou gawacsee."

Melody’s translation: "At least he’s from your galaxy."

Melody was embarrassed, but she didn’t back down. She snapped every time Mistro scolded, hollered when he yelled, and whispered, "Keep up the good work," when he criticized.

"I’m pooped," Melody gasped when she flopped onto her cot in the cell she Gyiure shared.

"But voooo moost nut sweep." Gyiure said. "Dee Gweat Dwezzew ov Siovaints fow Bawws wiww be hewe, and she dwesses evewyone oop, nic and purty."

Melody’s translation: "But you must not sleep. The Great Dresser of Servants for Balls will be here, and she dresses every one up, nice and pretty."

"Who cares about a stinking ball? All I want to do is go to sleep." Melody yawned.

When she woke up, big guys with heavy armor came in through the door. Gyiure tried to stop them, but they were too big.

The man who seemed to be the leader gave Melody a scroll.

Miss Melody Piano Harp,

You are charged of murder of a man named Mistro. He was found, dead, in his

Private quarters. You are under arrest. Your trial shall be held in the morning.

Sincerely,

The First Bapertgerue

"What! I would never do a thing like this!" Shouted Melody. Oh, and it wasn’t the night of the ball. It was only a few months before. That gives you a hint of how big it was.

Melody was dragged into the castle and up nineteen flights of stairs. Finally, the guards pushed her into a damp, dark, cold cell at the top of the tower. When Melody was first led into the cell, the first thing she thought was wind.

Wind was everywhere. It blew the cobwebs off of everything and there was not a speck of dust in sight. It blew the small light that tossed and turned, and it blew the hay from her "bed" around the room. It blew her hair and was she, in a way.

"IT’S NOT ALWAYS THIS WINDY, IS IT?" Shouted Melody, but the guards left.

Melody was not taken to her trial, strangely, and no one ever brought her food, because no one would dare enter the cell she was in, so when Gyiure came up a few months later, Melody was to weak to say hello.

"Come, I will help you down the stairs." Gyiure said. Melody was too weak to even care that Gyiure could speak English so well.

Melody was dragged down the staircase and laid on Gyiure’s cot. She was feverish and for nine days she was too sick to eat, drink, speak, or walk. Good old Gyiure gave her all of her food, forcing it down her throat, until Melody had enough strength to tell her about her experience.

"Nothing" was how she described it, and nothing was right. She did not want to relive all of those damp and dreary days and nights that just seemed to blend together. At the question of the first shock of hunger, Melody covered her ears, and when Gyiure wanted to know all about the wind, Melody closed her eyes.

One day Melody was asking questions about her trial.

"You found guilty," Gyiure had told her. "And your punishment was starvation. I wanted to be the one who checked to see if you were dead, but I never got to until about a week ago. I thought you were asleep all those times, but not until I heard you crying nine days ago."

"I was crying?"

"Why, of course. You couldn’t feel it because Nidossas give people the power to feel with there skin and you couldn’t."

Melody stated this question with regret. "How did you know I wasn’t… you know… dead?"

Gyiure laughed. "I know you, Melody, and I also know that Melody won’t give up."

Gyiure’s hair had turned from purple to reddish-brownish. Her neon pink eyes turned from pink, to purple, to red, to brown, to blue, to purple, then back to pink.

"Hey, your hair looks almost strawberry blonde and your eyes are almost hazel," Melody said.

Gyiure’s smile dropped to a frown.

"I have been thinking." Gyiure whispered. "I have been thinking about my past. I think I was two, when it happened. I have had pictures in my mind of a lady rocking my over and over, singing a song."

"Was it ‘Rockaby Baby?’" Melody asked. She sang the familiar lullaby:

"Yes, that’s it!" Gyiure yelled. "Then, another image was of a man lifting me up in the air with his feet. I have always been told that mother is the Baker Avyertie and that my father is the Potter Nicoigioe, and I believed, oh yes I believed, with my heart and soul. But now I am unsure."

Melody listened and went into a deep sleep.

She was awoken by a shadowy figure and handed a piece of paper that read:

Melody turned the piece of paper and wrote, in the same handwriting:

Melody went back to sleep when another one woke her up and said:

Melody crawled down on the floor and got herself a cloak. She wrapped it around her and looked at Gyiure, who was stirring softly in her cot. Melody crept out of the cell and down to the Hollow Tree.

Melody had only been to the Hollow tree during the day, and at night, spooky shadows called to her, really calling. Melody shut her eyes and pretended that the six suns of Hyiu were burning her back as she walked down to hatch the fairies.

She started reciting:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,

"it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,

"it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,

"it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,

"it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair

"we had every thing before us, we had nothing before us,

" we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going to the other place-

"in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest "authorities insisted on its being received,

"for good, for evil, in the superlative degrees of comparison only."

Melody heard quiet applauding and a boy stepped out of the shadows. "Who was that?" He asked.

Melody blushed. "Charles Dickens. From his book ‘The Tale of Two Cities.’ First paragraph. Book the First, Recalled to Life. Chapter I, The Period."

"Very impressive." The boy said. "Where did you learn it?"

"In Language Arts." Melody said. The boy looked confused. "It’s a class we take in school, on Earth."

"Oh." The boy said. "Can you teach me that?"

" ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.’" Melody told him. "Another saying." She added quickly.

"Mr. Dickens?"

"Um," Melody hesitated. "To tell you the truth, I don’t really know who made that. There’s also ‘One bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch’ and lots of others."

The boy blinked and stared, blinked and stared. It gave Melody the shivers. "What’s an ‘apple?’" He finally asked.

"Never mind." Melody sighed. She started down the path again.

"What’s an apple? I want to know what an apple is!" He shouted.

"Thanks for asking!" Melody yelled sarcastically. She tried thinking of a name Gyiure called her. "My name’s Dioretty!" She yelled.

She continued down the path to the shadowy tree. She sang hushaby baby and was let in.

"Welcome to the Hollow Tree. My name is Acorny." Said a small fairy.

"Never mind her, she’s somewhat annoying. I am her brother, Flapper-goiyng." Said the boy fairy that was standing next to Acorny.

"I am the Fairy Queen of the Tree. I take it you are Melody?" Said the oldest fairy, who was dressed in the finest holly.

" Um, I am Melody, as you have taken. You are not the least bit mistaken." Said Melody. She had never actually talked with the fairies before, so she decided to talk like them and not take any chances.

"Melody is a pretty name. Doesn’t music mean the same?" asked Acorny.

"Music means the same thing. Now, why did you call me here, Mrs. Queen?" Melody asked.

"Your Fairy Godmother has something to share. You are to go out to there." The Fairy Queen of the Hollow pointed to the woods.

Melody saw a faint green light in the woods.

She went.

Melody followed the faint green light into the woods. Singing was going on, beautiful singing that made Melody wanted to twirl. It was a long, slow melody the made Melody wan to dance, sleep, run, shout, walk, whisper, cry, laugh, sing, sob, play, and howl all at once.

So she spun. She spun until she was dizzy. She tapped her feet and sang and shouted. And she danced.

Watching Melody Paono Harp dance was something the fairies would crowd to see. They didn’t care when she stopped, because they were fairies and locked it in their minds.

Melody stopped.

She walked on and came to a green fire.

There was an apple in the fire.

A big, delicious, juicy ruby red sat in the middle of the fire. It did not roast, but Melody felt her mouth watering. She reached towards the fire and pulled out the apple.

She bit into it. The taste of a-not-Nidosso made her feel so good.

A lady appeared out of no where. She had cat green eyes and long, dark hair. She wore a green dress and two golden wings stuck out of her back. When she smiled, the whole woods seemed to freeze.

"My name is Mrs. Ma’am." She said, still smiling. Melody was too awestruck to answer. "Would you like to see yourself?"

The lady muttered some weird words and, out of glittering stardust, appeared a mirror.

Melody peered into the mirror and saw a girl dressed in jeans and a Britny Spears t-shirt, just the same way she was dressed when she was kidnapped.

Mrs. Ma’am slapped her head. "Fairy mirror, Fairr Mirorry, appear before me." Melody saw a mirror appear, again out of glittering stardust.

When Melody looked in, she saw a girl with a lacy veil casting shadows on her face, a white dress with sparkling diamonds and pearls, a golden-silver crown, and hair made up in a bun. When she looked down on her feet, she found regular sneakers.

"Is that…me?"

"Why, of course it is you!" Mrs. Ma’am seemed shocked. "Who else would she be? And if you want to go to the ball tonight, you must hurry! Remember; get out of the ball by 12:00. I kept your watch on. On 12:00, all these things will disappear."

"Kind of like Cinderella?" Melody smirked.

"How is she, by the way?" Mrs. Ma’am asked. "Did she get to the ball alright?"

Melody was stunned. "You mean you were Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother? And that you’re my Fairy Godmother, too?"

"And who else would I be?"

"OK, I must have gotten a concussion on the way here." Melody said.

"Go, hurry to the ball!" Cried Mrs. Ma’am.

Melody set off and running.

Gyiure looked around the room. Where was Dioretty? Gyiure had been asleep a few seconds ago, but had gotten up and changed into her purple dress that the Great Dresser of Servants for Balls had given her.

Gyiure spun around when she saw a ghostly white figure speed through the night. She wondered who it was. Gyiure thought that Melody was probably already at the Birthday Ball.

Melody ran up the castle steps and screeched on the blue and white marble when a guard put out his hand.

"Halt." He said. "Who goes there?"

Melody did not know how she could understand him, but, suddenly, words started forming in her mind. She could feel her ears getting pointy and her back got tingly, and when she looked back, she could see silvery wings faintly glowing.

The guard started, and allowed her through.

Melody walked along the dimly lighted hallway, stepping carefully so she wouldn’t fall into swirling whirlpools that appeared every time her foot touched the floor.

"Please get out of the Queen of all Fairies way," Said a little elf. He had green eyes and a long pointed nose. Melody moved aside.

A big fairy cam hovering down the hallway. Her clothes were dark, her face was dark, and her wings were dark.

"Hover do you not know how?" Asked the Queen. "Annoying newborns are."

Melody felt a tug on her hair, a pull on her veil, and a nip at her cheek. Little lights buzzed around her, causing confusion.

Melody heard galloping, and a half horse half-human came running down the hall. She grabbed the things out of the air.

"Pixies." She said. "Banned long time from normal form. Not allowed even in castle. Nmae"