Pumpkin Patch Princess

CHAPTER TWENTY: Diamond Glass

The sound of voices singing reached our ears. To my surprise, I recognized the tune: it was an old sea shanty Dad had picked up from a tourist from Marina. He often sang it to the pumpkins, claiming that it helped them grow.

"Hey, ho, to distant shores I go. To where the sea winds blow," the voices sang. "To where the ocean meets the sky, whether tides be high or low."

I hummed along as we followed the voices. Eventually we came to a wide space ablaze with light, where five small men hacked at rocks and shoveled piles of dirt. Well, four of them were working . . . the fifth was fast asleep on his feet. They stopped singing when they saw us.

"What are you kids doing down here?" one of them snapped. "Do you have a license?"

"Calm down, Crank, you're starting to sound like M.D.," said a fat dwarf with a kind face and a deep belly laugh. "They must be lost."

"M.D. sent us here," I said quickly, introducing Geoff and myself. I made sure to mention Maud and Madam Chu, too, and even Crank's frown disappeared at the sound of their names. "We're looking for diamond glass."

"What for?" asked a thin dwarf, who blushed cherry-red when we looked at him.

"I want to make shoes with it." I braced myself for the ridicule, but it only came from Crank, who rolled his eyes and threw his head back in disbelief.

One of the dwarves, who had been sitting in the dirt, looked up. He had a sweet, smiling face and curious eyes. "Diamond glass?"

"That's right, Fuzz, your favorite," the jolly dwarf said. "How much do you need, young lady? We've got plenty here and would be happy to share some."

Crank glared at him. "Hold on now, Grinnen! You know the law. Half of this loot goes to the royal treasury! We can't just give it away to every stranger who asks."

"I don't need very much," I said quickly.

The one called Fuzz jumped up from the floor. He rummaged around in a wheelbarrow and produced a silvery brick that shone in the lantern light. "Pretty," he said, holding it out to me. "Shiny."

"Fuzz, put that back!" Crank warned.

His brother ignored him and shoved the brick into my hands. "Pretty glass. Shiny shoes."

The brick felt like heavy ice in my hand. "M.D. said you knew all about melting diamond glass," I said to Fuzz. "Can you please show me?"

He nodded eagerly and held out his hand for Geoff's lantern. Taking the brick of diamond glass, he passed one corner of it through the flames. Nothing happened. "No good, see? You need special fire." From a corner of the wheelbarrow, he pulled out a stone jar that glowed with a rose-pink fire, like dancing quartz.

Geoff gasped. "That's dragon fire! How did you find it?"

"Collected it myself," Fuzz said, beaming with pride.

"He's the only one crazy enough to get near those giant lizards," Crank sneered.

Grinnen, the jolly dwarf, shook his head. "No, it's easy for him because Fuzz has a gentle heart. Animals aren't afraid of him."

I watched as Fuzz passed the same corner of the brick over the strange pink fire. Instead of melting, it merely softened. My heart pounded as I imagined shaping that glass to create the shoe I dreamed of, the one that sparkled like a thousand diamonds melted together.

"Touch it. It's not hot," Fuzz said. He pressed the corner with his thumb to show us. It made a small indentation.

Geoff and I each took a turn touching the cool, soft glass. It reminded me of the clear glue Mom used on shoes sometimes. Within seconds, the brick solidified again.