"Oh, a tree sprite!", Laurel said when she arrived.
"I haven't met one of them before but they're cousins to the sprites who
live in our Great Forest." Laurel's wings flapped and she began to leave
the ground. "Don't worry," Laurel told them as she ascended, "if he
didn't want to talk to us we wouldn't be able to see him."
Laurel glided up into the birch to speak to the sprite. Julia was
enchanted by the graceful way Laurel's wings carried her up into the
branches. She could tell by Emma's sigh that she also thought the
woodfairy was beautiful.
"What's he saying?", Michael shouted up, ruining the mood. Julia
knew he was feeling badly about letting the crown fly off so she forgave
him for yelling in her ear. She put her hand on his shoulder.
The sprite was still jabbering and was kicking a little branch
with his foot. Laurel nodded and smiled, then said something to the
sprite that sounded reassuring though it was too soft for those below to
make out. She glided back down from the tree and alighted next to them,
landing on one toe, then the other like a slow-motion ballerina.
"His name is Acorn and he says that oak by the throne is his and
we were rude to pile all that 'trash' by it." Laurel smiled up at the
sprite and then went on in a quieter voice, "I believe he thought the
gifts were for him and he was angry when 'that clod' shooed him away,"
she grinned as she nodded toward Michael.
"It sounds like he needs a special gift to exchange for the
crown", Julia said thoughtfully, then she asked Isabella to get her a
certain treat from her Easter basket.
