The tiny fairy shivered. For what seemed like the two-hundredth time, she wiped clear a small circle on the frosty window and peeked into the bedroom. Was she finally asleep?
During her hours perched on the window sill, she'd seen the young girl tossing and turning in bed, repeatedly summoning her Dad to ask his help in getting to sleep. She'd never seen a more patient father: Returning to the room each time his daughter called; giving her water; patting her back; singing her songs; whispering good night...
She looked with worry at the list of the other houses she had to get to tonight: "I always pick the wrong one to go to first..." So she reminded herself, again, why she had chosen to start with this house despite the wind and cold in this part of her territory, and the long wait: "She's a first-timer, my only tonight, and first-timers make it all worthwhile."
And now, at last, she seemed to be asleep.
Using a bit of magic she slid through the glass, feeling its chill before - at last - the warmth of the child's room.
She heard the soft sound of some baby lullabies coming out of a device on the floor, and the softer sound of the girl's deep breathing. She saw princess costumes lining the wall, and dress-up fairy wings lying at the foot of the bed. The fairy smiled to herself, thinking: "This is why I love the first-timers...she's 5 and she still firmly believes there's magic in the world. She wishes she could still be a baby, yet she also senses what the loss of a tooth means."
Another bit of magic, and she found the 'tooth pillow' with its secret pocket, carefully hidden under the girl's pillow, in the grip of a small hand even in sleep. In the pocket, she found a tiny tooth which she slipped into the pouch on her back.
With a wave of her fairy wand, she gave the girl the gift that she left for all first-timers: A tiny speck of pixie dust that would work its way deep into her heart and remain there forever.
She'd leave nothing else as she visited all of her other assigned houses that night, because it was only for first-timers that she did more than tooth-collecting. And that was okay, because she knew that at all the other houses, as with this one, parents would be leaving something they thought valuable for their kids; whether money, small gifts, or lovingly-written messages.
Her gift, though, given this one time only, was far more valuable than all of that. It was a tiny spark of wonder, nestled deep inside, that would provide a lifetime of hope and faith and innocence.
As she made her way to the window to go, she heard the door creak open and saw the girl's mom and dad slip into the room. She studied them carefully and then found what she sought: their own bits of pixie dust, still glowing, making the night magic for them as well.
A sense of deep joy filled the fairy as they tiptoed to the bed.
She always got a little sad watching the first-timers sleep and knowing that they wouldn't ever be first-timers again, but then the parents' arrival would always remind her that no one ever really has to say goodbye to childhood...completely.
She blew a tiny kiss in the direction of the sleeping girl and went on to the rest of the houses on her list.
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