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mentioning any names, but who has just arrived and is causing more than a little … disruption?”
    â€œYou don’t mean the dwarves, do you?” Willa asked in surprise.
    Horace raised his eyebrows meaningfully.
    â€œThere’s been some disruption, but it’s not their fault,” protested Willa. “The fairies started it all. Besides, you were the one who told me dwarves were trustworthy and good workers!”
    Horace frowned. “I did? Well, just keep your eyes open. Enemies lurk everywhere.”
    They’d arrived at Willa’s house. She leaned her bike against the garage door.
    â€œWould you like to come in for some lunch?”
    â€œNo, no, I’m meeting the birders at noon.”
    Willa looked at her watch. “It’s 12:35 now, you know.”
    Horace blinked. “Oh! Oh my. Must be going. Goodbye!” Willa watched him hurry off, shaking her head. The dwarves? “ Enemies lurk everywhere.” Good old Horace. A little befuddled, but he means well.
    She paused on the front step, thinking.
    Still … the dwarves are pretty odd … and secretive. I wonder….

    She ate her lunch at top speed, not that anyone was around to notice. Baz was asleep on the couch, Belle’s door was shut, and her parents were nowhere to be seen. In a flash Willa was out the door again, jumping on her bike and zipping back to the house. A block away she spotted smoke.
    â€œNo, no, no, no, no!” she moaned.
    Mrs. Hacker flew out her front door as Willa pedalled up.
    â€œIt’s on fire again, Willa! Look!” she called, pointing. Willa dropped her bike on the sidewalk and swung open the gate. The smoke was coming from the trees behind the building site, but to her relief she could see no flames. Tengu was strolling across the yard with a bucket of water in his hand. He waved cheerfully to her.
    â€œI’m calling 9-1 -1!” shrieked Mrs. Hacker.
    â€œDon’t! There’s no need! Everything’s fine! They’re just burning some brush. It’s all under control!” Willa tried her best to sound chipper. Mrs. Hacker narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Willa pushed her bike through the gate and shut it firmly behind her.
    â€œTengu! What’s going on?”
    Tengu grinned. “I had the most amazing nap. I feel great!”
    â€œNo, I mean what’s burning?”
    â€œOh, that. The dwarves were trying to burn down the woods.” He dumped his bucket of water over a smouldering bush.
    Willa looked around. Smoke was rising from three or four spots, but nothing was actually ablaze. Everything did seem under control, thankfully. Then she heard a high-pitched squealing in the woods.
    â€œWhat’s that?” She stepped into the trees, peering up through the leaves.
    â€œThe dwarves have been busy,” Tengu chuckled. Willa stooped to pick up a strip of paper lying on the path at her feet. It was sticky. Willa’s heart sank. They wouldn’t….
    Long strips of flypaper dangled from every branch, most of them with wriggling fairies stuck to them. When they saw Willa, they shrieked in rage and frustration.
    â€œTengu, help me free them!” Willa reached up to release Mab, gently peeling her off the flypaper. They worked as quickly as they could, and soon the fairies were all unstuck, swooping wildly and buzzing with fury.
    â€œYou need to calm down,” Willa began, but they had other plans. On a signal from Mab, the whole lot of them rushed to the base of the nearest fir tree. Each grabbed a small fir cone and carried it to the smould­ering embers of the dying fire. Before Willa knew what was happening, the fairies were lobbing blazing fir cones into the house basement.
    â€œNo! Stop! Stooop!”
    There were shouts from below, but what really flushed the dwarves out was the wasp nest the fairies dropped on them. Tengu covered his eyes and Robert whooped with delight as the dwarves exploded out of