The Enchanted Forest of Mangga

18. The enchanted forest of Mangga

"Your wings are glowing!" Ali said, pointing to Danaya.

Sez immediately did a double look and smiled in relief. "Your wings are healing! They're healing!"

The glow on Danaya's wings lit from the tip to the end, spreading out through the thin lines and veins. Her wings leisurely inflated to a sturdier and healthier pair of wings. Bea was certain that she could hear an asmr effect ring as the glow healed the fairy's wings.

"It's the mangoes' magic," Danaya explained. She carefully glided her fingertips on her newly renewed wings and practiced flapping it gently. "I think I can fly now."

"Go ahead, try it," Bea encouraged her fairy friend.

"Fly! Fly, Danaya!" Sez cheered. He was happy that Danaya was able to fly again. The whole journey to help return her to her home made him a bit guilty, but now that she was all better, he wouldn't feel bad about it anymore.

And Danaya did fly. Graciously, she floated in the air and twirled, giggling together with the children. She somersaulted and made flips in the air, and then steadily hovered right in front of Sez's nose.

"Don't feel bad anymore," Danaya said. "It was my fault for being suspicious. You thought I was a rat."

Sez nodded. He reached a finger to Danaya and Danaya took his finger to shake an agreement with one another. Some of the mango fairies who were watching the scene waved and clapped. Some of them greeted Danaya and her friends as they passed by. Sez and Ali were more enthusiastic to chat to each one of them and saying, "whoa," "wow," "hello," or "nice to meet you." The more they walked closer to the main tree, Bea could smell the lovely sweet aroma of the ripe mangoes. She started to imagine drinking mango juice, mango crepe cakes, and mango pudding.

As they got near the main tree, Bea noticed that the tree had many tiny staircases and doors and pulleys that lifted any baggage. Fairies were flying everywhere around the tree. It almost looked like a city for fairies.

"I live at the very top," Danaya said. She pointed past the branches and to the crown of the tree.

"Are we going up there?" Bea asked. She couldn't imagine climbing up all the way there if not destroying the fairies' tiny, living city. "Aren't we too big to go up there?"

Danaya smiled. "I just know what to do with that."

"Oh! Are you going to sprinkle us some pixie dust?" Bea said as she thought of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell sprinkling pixie dust on their friends so that they could fly.

Danaya laughed. "Not pixie dust. Mango magic!"

Kaloy croaked, "Same thing. Mango dust."

"Quiet, you."

Kaloy rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Bea, Ali, Sez," Danaya called the children. "Close your eyes."

The children obeyed, but Bea sneakily peeked through her eyelids as she spied Danaya whistling over to nearby fairies who were carrying some orange dust in their hands.

"Why do we have to close our eyes?" Ali said, impatiently.

"No reason. It's fine if you open them then."

Danaya and the other mango fairies held hands circling the children in the center.

"You're forgetting about me!" Kaloy jumped.

"You don't need it. You can still fit inside the tree," Danaya explained. Now, looking at the children, she said, "Watch carefully—oh, and try not to sneeze."