Lavender Peachgarden's First Anniversary: Surprises are Surprises

TheCuriousSeed

I figured it was a good time to tell a new story, so here it is.

~Lavender was quite excited for her first Arrival Anniversary. Foxglove had just had hers as did Heather and Labyrinth a while ago, so it was her turn to get the One Year cupcake. She picked up her green ladybug Zalena and spun around singing in her own way: almost no readily discernible consonants because she was far too slow-spoken, but she loved to play and vocalise to her ladybug. After a few minutes, Lavender checked her closet brimming with green clothes and picked out a shirt with lighter green at the shoulders than the rest paired with a chipper green pair of Team Spirit shorts and green tennies before having Zalena ride atop her head almost like a hat.

~I wonder what excitement awaits? Lavender thought, running out to the main areas of The Hollow.

~Xenops, Nilla, Daylily J, Pumpkin and Susie found some beautiful pink decor when…

~"Stop!" called Lenora. "Lavender's favourite colour is green, remember?"

~"But green is a Tinker colour and no one here thus far is a Tinker," said Nilla.

~"We have to find some green foliage too," Grace pointed out. "It is almost Lavender's Arrival Anniversary, you know."

~"And I know just what to get her!" said Daylily J.

~"It better not be yellow," said Xenops. "That's more your colour than Lavender's."

~"Besides," began Foxglove as she flew by. "Not everyone can pull off yellow; I know I can better pull off purple than yellow."

~"I was thinking of a flower, not an outfit," said Daylily J.

~"Better idea: how about a satchel of seeds?" suggested Pumpkin. "Seeds almost no one else can grow without exhausting their daily Fairy Dust rations? Ehh? Ehh?"

~"Or we could get her something highly durable that'll keep her healthy," suggested Susie. "She's almost never sick, you know."

~Everyone offered her suggestions for Lavender's gift, but they didn't yet know Lavender was nearby, hearing every syllable they were saying until…

~"She's here!" cried Sapphire, carrying a water bead in her hands. "Everyone, disperse!"

~"Wait, what?!" cried Xenops. "Lavender's here?!"

~Wherever they gathered, everyone made sure to make themselves and the décor scarce. Unfortunately for them, Zalena was a terrible secret keeper and was so excited…

~"You will never guess who's Arrival Anniversary Party is coming!" Zalena exclaimed to her fellow ladybugs.

~"Who?" asked Iolantha, a purple ladybug that never was in Beck's Animal Nursery.

~"My Fairy Friend Lavender! She's almost one! We have to let the Hollow know now!"

~"What's this I hear of a party?" asked Lilacsong, Strawberry's Bee Friend.

~"Spread the buzz; Lavender's having an Arrival Anniversary party really soon!"

~"But Zalena, you know how bad eavesdropping and gossiping is," scolded Violet Beacon. "Lavender won't like that you did."

~"Oh, what harm would come of it?" suggested Francesca, floating to the bugs in her bubble.

~"Violet Beacon does have a point," announced Jordy, hovering in his bubble. "Just because Lavender is too slow-spoken for most doesn't diminish her intelligence. She'll know."

~Spinel joined the group and said, "If it's anything like Foxglove's party, Lavender might freak out. Remember when Saffron accepted me as her Animal Friend and kept trying to call me Amethyst Lazuli? The nerve. Anyway, I must tell all the other butterflies."

~"The goodness you will, Spinel!" called a female voice. "And I ought to alert Daylily the Animal Scout for this!"

~"Oh, don't tell me," pled Lilacsong.

~It was true: Lexi Meadowbright, a nearly white hummingbird, was never adopted, but was often useful to the Animal Scouts, namely those able to speak Hummingbird fluently, even those that still had accents. Daylily Sunspring was often the first she'd report to since she was one of the youngest Animal Scouts to speak every animal language without a notable accent, not even in the language of predators. Of course, Daylily almost always wanted to make sure Lexi was telling the truth and her and her findings were well-founded.

~"Please don't alert the Animal Scouts!" cried Zalena. "My discovery of a party for Lavender was an accident!"

~But Lexi thought it better to notify Daylily S. first.

~"Lexi, are you sure?" Daylily S. asked as she and Lexi flew to the congregation site of the Animal Friends.

~"Quite positive," answered Lexi. "Zalena was eavesdropping and gossiping again."

~"Lexi, you can't keep pointing out all these accusations lest you end up like the…" the pair then stopped and Daylily S. felt her heart. She sensed guilt and knew both the source and the reason, so…

~"Zalena, what have we told you about gossiping?" Daylily S. scolded Zalena.

~"I know it's wrong, but this time the eavesdropping was accidental!" pled Zalena. "Plus, you know goodness well I'm really trying to learn to keep a surprise just that, but it's just so hard! My Fairy Friend Lavender can't really speak that fast, you know!"

~"That is still no excuse." Daylily S. picked up Zalena and flew straight to…

~"Lavender, are you sure your ladybug was around here somewhere?" asked Heather.

~"Yeeeeeeesssssss," drawled Lavender. "Ssssshhhhheeeeeeee caaaaaaaannnnn nnnnnnoooooot keeeeeeeeeep aaaaaaaaa ssssseeeeecrrreeeeeeeet."

~"You can understand what she's saying?"

~Daylily S. carried Zalena to Lavender. Zalena looked quite guilty.

~"Zzzzzzaaaaaaallllllleeeeeeennnnnnaaaaaaa?" drawled Lavender.

~"I'm really sorry for spoiling the surprise! Please don't be mad! I wish I could promise never to do it again, but it's just so hard!" Zalena blurted out. "Really and truly I didn't even mean to eavesdrop! We didn't mean to eavesdrop!"

~But instead of getting angry, Lavender understood how sorry Zalena was for all the gossip… this time she really meant that she would work on not being so quick to gossip, showing how sorry she was. Thankfully Lavender's temper was even taller than she was, and she was the tallest of all of the Neverfairies alive. She hugged Zalena in a way that showed that she was forgiven.

~"My work here is done," said Daylily S. "And don't worry, we Animal Scouts will try to curb any gossip spreading before it gets out of hand, but that is the most we can promise."

~"Ttttthhhhaaaaaaannnnnk yoooooooouuuuuuuu," drawled Lavender.

~"Just… please try to stay away from any of the other places that are off limits." Daylily S. returned to her duties as an Animal Scout.

~"So, what're you going to do now?" asked Heather.

~Lavender and Zalena decided to fly around the Hollow, but wherever decorations were being set up for Lavender's Arrival Anniversary, the fairies made sure to hide themselves and the evidence until Lavender and Zalena were out of sight, then resumed. Lavender knew to avoid those areas until the time was right. She even sang to Zalena a song with almost no consonants because consonants took a little longer for her to pronounce, plus Lavender and Zalena had a connexion like no Gardener and ladybug ever had… at least, that anyone could remember. When the sun went down, Lavender and Zalena headed home and were quite sleepy. Time to bed down for the night.

I hope you enjoyed this tale, and happy reading.