The strange shade of her bubblegum hair made Alyssa
increasingly uncomfortable. Typically, she chewed on something when she felt nervous:
gum, fingernails, even the ends of her hair. Without thinking, she grabbed
another piece of bubblegum and threw it in her mouth. “What am I doing?” She
started to spit it out, but the pink pearl was cool and sweet and seemed to
calm her nerves.
“I can’t keep doing this. I should throw away the rest of
the pack right now,” she told herself, but it all seemed a tad ridiculous.
Besides, who had ever heard of a piece of bubblegum changing one’s hair?
“Absurd.” She shook her head at the ridiculous notion. There had to be another
explanation for this.
She opened her locker door, grabbed her coat, and jumped
back. Inside, a gray mouse nibbled on half of her peanut butter and jelly
sandwich. “Good morning, your highness.” The rodent bowed. “I didn’t realize
this was yours. Forgive me, my queen.”
“Ahh!” Alyssa slammed the door shut.
Edna Ginny, the school counselor, heard her screams and
walked briskly around the corner. “Is everything all right? What seems to be
the problem?”
Suddenly a pair of pink, translucent wings sprung out of Alyssa’s
back. “No problem. No problem at all.” She threw on her coat.
“Wow, you look like a fairy princess.” Mrs. Ginny adjusted
her glasses. “Is what you’re wearing for Halloween? It’s only September, you
know.”
“Huh?” As Alyssa zipped up her coat, she noticed her
sparkling dress. It was pink and glittery and just a bit short. It felt as if
she were walking around in her nighty. Involuntarily, she swallowed her gum.
“Oh no, not another piece!” Alyssa gasped. At this rate, she
wouldn’t need lunch or dinner. She tucked her wings in her coat and finished
zipping it up. “Well, look at the time. I think mom’s waiting for me outside.”
Alyssa hurried out of the locker room.
“I’m here if you want to talk,” Mrs. Ginny shouted as Alyssa
exited.
Suddenly the little girl’s wings popped out of her coat and
began beating rapidly. In the blink of an eye, Alyssa was out the door and down
the hallway in a trail of sparkling dust. Before she knew it, she was at the school
entrance.
Everything was a blur. “Where’s my coat?” She looked around.
Fortunately, she still had her backpack, but again felt like she were standing
around in her underwear. Then there was the minor inconvenience of those wings.
She reached for another piece of bubblegum and stopped herself. “Not a stick
more!” She shook her head defiantly.
Abruptly, something came thundering down the hall. A
thousand squeaks filled the corridor, followed by the rumble of tiny feet. An
army of mice came from every corner of the school to greet her. “Hail, my
beloved queen!” they shouted.
“Eek!” Alyssa was out the door in a flash. She gazed down as
the dark horde of mice poured out of the building. The air smelled different
now: crisp and clean, allowing her thoughts to be more precise. It took a few
moments before she realized that she was gliding high above the school on her
new wings.
“If I can fly by the aid of a stick of gum, anything’s
possible.” She surged forward on a whim. “Anything’s possible!”
