Fira and the Full Moon Read Online Free Page B

behind a potted miniature raindrop cactus. She wore a light green smock, with lots of big deep pockets, and long gloves.
    “I didn’t mean to scare you,” Elixa said. She smiled at the triplets. “I was so busy working. I didn’t realize you were here.”
    Elixa held up a tube made from a plant stem. One end was stuck into the prickly cactus. “I’m extracting cactus juice.”
    “Is this part of a potion for the firefly flu?” Fira asked. “Along with the plants from Lily’s garden?”
    Elixa nodded. “I’m going to mix this with some ground-up mint. It should be an equal blend. One part soothing herb. One part sharp cactus medicine that gets right to the point of healing. Come look.”
    Fira hesitated. “Oh, the triplets will be fine,” Elixa said, as if reading her mind.
    Fira wasn’t so sure. But she really wanted to examine the healing potion. “Stay still,” she ordered the triplets.
    She ducked behind the cactus with Elixa. They both sat down, and Fira sighed. It felt good to rest. “See? Here comes the juice now,” Elixa said. “I’ll just give a careful squeeze to this part of the cactus. There!”
    “When will it be ready?” Fira asked.
    “Oh, not too long now,” Elixa said. “Maybe another hour.”
    “Another hour? You mean the fireflies will be better soon? They can light Pixie Hollow tonight? And go on the mining expedition?”
    Fira felt a burst of energy. Her glow flared. Things were beginning to look up.
    Elixa sat back on her heels. She carefully placed the healing potion on a worktable. “Well, the fireflies can take the medicine right after it’s finished. But I’m not sure how long it will take to work. It might be a few hours. It might be a few days.”
    “But tonight is the full moon! The expedition leaves no matter what.”
    Boom! The cactus gave a sudden jerk. Its spines shook. The plant stretched higher. It was growing!
    “What’s going on?” Elixa darted around, unsure of what to do.
    With another jerk, the cactus grew a bit more.
    “The triplets!” Fira said. She raced around the plant to find the three fairies.
    Silently, Glory held out an open jar. “‘Growing powder,’” Fira read.
    “I wanted to grow,” Glory admitted. “But I dropped some onto the cactus by accident.”
    “Silly little fairy,” said Sparkle. She reached for the jar.
    “Maybe it will work on my hair,” said Helios, reaching, too.
    As Glory pulled back, the others leaned forward. The jar tipped over. The rest of the powder poured onto the cactus.
    The plant shot up, knocking over jars and shelves. Its sharp spines scraped the walls. Fira grabbed the healing potion from the worktable just before a fast-growing spine knocked it over.
    Fira flew toward the ceiling, trying to outrace the growing cactus. The cactus stretched toward her. The workshop shook with the force.
    “I can’t go any higher!” Fira cried when she reached the ceiling.
    Afraid, the triplets pressed themselves against the wall. But the cactus spines kept coming…closer, and closer still, as the plant grew.

    “We’re going to get poked!” Glory shouted. “We can’t escape.”
    The fairies squeezed themselves into a corner. Glory gasped as a cactus spine pricked her clothes.
    “Stay calm,” Elixa ordered. She reached into a pocket of her smock and took out a small potions kit. “I always keep an emergency stash handy,” she said.
    She quickly mixed some green and red powders together. Then she soared between the needles, sprinkling the powder over the cactus.
    The plant jerked again. Then, slowly, it began to shrink.
    “Whew,” said Elixa. “That was close.”
    Fira helped the triplets out of the corner. But the laboratory was a disaster. Broken jars littered the floor. A layer of spilled powder covered tables, chairs, and shelves. Cactus spines stuck out of seat cushions and through potion recipe books.
    Everything was in shambles—again!
    “We’ll help clean up,” Sparkle offered. “Right, you