Speaker 1: The mystery of the missing Marshmallows. Lacey loved marshmallows. She
Speaker 1: liked large pink ones, tiny white ones, twisted rainbow ones,
Speaker 1: and star shaped ones that melted into hot chocolate. She
Speaker 1: liked them toasted until golden and gooey, squashed between crackers,
Speaker 1: or straight from the bag. Although Mom sat eating six
Speaker 1: at once was not technically a snack, It's more of
Speaker 1: an event Mom liked to tease. On the hottest Saturday
Speaker 1: of summer, Lacey spent all morning in the backyard. She
Speaker 1: bounced on the trampoline, raised her scooter around the patio,
Speaker 1: and tried to teach Muffin, her enormous orange cat, to
Speaker 1: jump through a hoop. Muffin stared at the hoop, stared
Speaker 1: at Lacey, then wandered beneath a bush and fell asleep.
Speaker 1: I'll take that as a no, Lacey said. By lunchtime,
Speaker 1: she was exhausted. She hurried into the cool kitchen and
Speaker 1: opened the pantry. A large bag of marshmallows should have
Speaker 1: been on the middle shelf. Lacey knew because she had
Speaker 1: counted them that morning. There had been forty three. Now
Speaker 1: there were none. She searched behind the cereal flour and
Speaker 1: bread bin. Nothing Mom, she called. Yes, Mom answered from upstairs.
Speaker 1: Did you eat forty three marshmallows? There was a pause. No,
Speaker 1: are you sure? Quite sure? Somebody had stolen them? Then
Speaker 1: laceyn a tiny white footprint, no larger than her thumbprint
Speaker 1: and dusted with powder. More footprints trailed down the cupboard,
Speaker 1: across the counter, and onto the floor. Interesting, she whispered.
Speaker 1: She followed them into the living room, where they disappeared
Speaker 1: beneath the couch. Dropping to her knees, Lacy peered into
Speaker 1: the shadows. Mum num nung. Beneath the couch sat a
Speaker 1: creature no taller than a pencil. He had fluffy white hair,
Speaker 1: rosy cheeks, silver wings, and a pointed hat folded from
Speaker 1: what looked like a paper napkin. His cheeks bulged with marshmallows,
Speaker 1: and the missing bag lay beside him. The creature froze.
Speaker 1: Lacey froze too. He slowly swallowed Hello. Lacey reached underneath
Speaker 1: and gently lifted him onto the coffee table. Put me down.
Speaker 1: He cried. This is an outrage, a scandal, a complete misunderstanding.
Speaker 1: Who are you, Lacey asked. He straightened his hat, mellow
Speaker 1: marshmallow pixie. Marshmallow thief? You mean, Mellow gasped, thief. You
Speaker 1: stole my marshmallows. I borrowed them. You ate half the bag.
Speaker 1: I was checking the quality. He picked up another, excellent quality.
Speaker 1: Lacy snatched it away. Those are mine? Would you deny
Speaker 1: a starving pixie? One tiny bite? You have marshmallow dust
Speaker 1: in your hair. That proves nothing. You're sitting on the bag.
Speaker 1: The wrapper crinkled beneath him. This bag, Mellow said, weakly,
Speaker 1: could belong to anyone. Then he darted forward, nipped Lacey's finger,
Speaker 1: and zipped toward the kitchen. Catch me if you can,
Speaker 1: oh I will. Mellow landed on the counter and raised
Speaker 1: a wooden spoon like a sword. Stand back. I am
Speaker 1: extremely dangerous. You're holding a spoon. It is a dangerous spoon.
Speaker 1: He hurled a grape, Lacy ducked a second, bounced off
Speaker 1: a cupboard. Then Mellow wrapped both arms around a banana
Speaker 1: and tried to lift it. I've got it. The banana
Speaker 1: slipped and landed on his foot. Oh my toe, he screamed,
Speaker 1: Hopping in circles. You're wearing boots, Lacey said, laughing. I
Speaker 1: may have broken the boot o. Mellow grabbed a bag
Speaker 1: of many marshmallows. Where did those come from, Lacey asked,
Speaker 1: A good marshmallow Pixie always has supplies. He ripped it
Speaker 1: open and scattered marshmallows across the floor. Then he spotted
Speaker 1: a drinking straw beside the sink. Oh, he said, smiling.
Speaker 1: Lacey frowned, What I've had A wonderful idea. He pushed
Speaker 1: a mini marshmallow into the straw and blew. It bounced
Speaker 1: off Lacey's forehead. It works. Another hit her shoulder. A
Speaker 1: third landed in her hair, a marshmallow cannon. Mellow cheered,
Speaker 1: that does it. Muffet, the enormous orange cat appeared at
Speaker 1: the top of the stairs, stretched, yawned, and slowly began
Speaker 1: coming down. Mellow's smile vanished. A tiger, he's a cat,
Speaker 1: Lacey said, he has stripes. He's an orange tabby. He
Speaker 1: has gigantic paws, their normal cat paws. Muffin reached the
Speaker 1: kitchen and spotted Mellow. His ears perked up, stayed back.
Speaker 1: Enormous beast. Muffin leaped onto the counter. Mellows squealed and
Speaker 1: shot into the air before one orange paw landed where
Speaker 1: he had been standing. The kitchen irrupted into chaos. Mellow
Speaker 1: buzzed around like a tiny helicopter while Muffin chased him.
Speaker 1: A mixing bowl toppled, spoons scattered, and a tea towel
Speaker 1: landed over Muffin's head. It's a liah apuma, a furry horse,
Speaker 1: Mellow screamed. He landed beside a bowl of flour, skidded, wind,
Speaker 1: milled his arms, and fell straight in whoomp. A white
Speaker 1: cloud filled the kitchen. Lacey coughed, Muffin sneezed. Mellow climbed out,
Speaker 1: covered in flour. His hair, cheeks, boots, and wings were
Speaker 1: completely white. You look like a marshmallow, Lacey said, I
Speaker 1: am a marshmallow pixie. This must be my formal wear.
Speaker 1: Muffin stepped closer. Oh, I forgot about the tiger. Mellow
Speaker 1: shut upward again while he dodged Muffin's paws. Lacey grabbed
Speaker 1: a large glass bowl and crept closer. Mellow turned wait clunk.
Speaker 1: The bowl landed over him. Mallow pressed his hands against
Speaker 1: the glass, squashing his cheeks. This is extremely undignified. You
Speaker 1: stole my marshmallows, fired them at me, threw fruit and
Speaker 1: wrecked the kitchen. I did not wreck it. A spoon
Speaker 1: rolled off the counter and hit the floor. Mellow sighed,
Speaker 1: I may have slightly rearranged it. Why did you steal them,
Speaker 1: Lacey asked. Mellow's cheerful expression faded. He sat down and
Speaker 1: unfolded a tiny drawing of a white palace with fluffy towers,
Speaker 1: marshmallow bridges, sugar windows, and little flags. The marshmallow Palace,
Speaker 1: he explained. Every summer my village builds one for the
Speaker 1: Moonlight Feast. This year we ran out, and I promised
Speaker 1: to find enough for the final tower, so you stole mine.
Speaker 1: I planned to leave a thank you note. You ate
Speaker 1: half of them. I became hungry while writing it. For once,
Speaker 1: Mellow did not look cheeky. He looked worried. Why didn't
Speaker 1: you ask, Lacy said. Mellow blinked. Humans can see pixies.
Speaker 1: I can see you. He covered his face. This is embarrassing.
Speaker 1: I'll make you a deal. Help clean the kitchen, and
Speaker 1: I'll give you enough marshmallows to finish the palace. Mellow's
Speaker 1: eyes widened. Really, really, I accept Lacy lifted the bowl.
Speaker 1: Mellow carried spoons back to the drawer, swept flour with
Speaker 1: a tiny brush, and collected marshmallows from under the furniture.
Speaker 1: Muffin tried to eat one. No, Mellow shouted, tapping his
Speaker 1: nose with the brush. Those are building materials. By the
Speaker 1: time Mom came downstairs, the kitchen looked almost normal. Was
Speaker 1: it messy in here, she asked, No, Lacey replied quickly.
Speaker 1: Mellow hid behind the fruit bowl, while Muffin sat nearby
Speaker 1: with flower on his whiskers. Mom stared for a moment, shrugged,
Speaker 1: and walked away. That evening, Lacy filled a box with marshmallows.
Speaker 1: Mallow opened a tiny hidden door behind the flower, revealing
Speaker 1: a glowing village. Beyond, lanterns hung from silver trees. Pixies
Speaker 1: fluttered through the air, and in the center stood the
Speaker 1: unfinished marshmallow Palace, with fluffy towers, sugar windows, marshmallow bridges,
Speaker 1: and cracker stairs. Together, Lacey and the pixies completed the
Speaker 1: final tower. Everyone cheered. Mallow handed Lacey a tiny cup
Speaker 1: of hot chocolate to Lacey. He announced friend of Pixie's
Speaker 1: savor of palaces and owner of excellent marshmallows. Lacey raised
Speaker 1: her cup and to Mellow, terrible thief, but good builder.
Speaker 1: Mallow nodded fair. Then Muffin squeezed through the door and
Speaker 1: tried to bite a tower. The tiger is eating the palace,
Speaker 1: Mellow yelled. Lacey laughed and pulled Muffin away. After that,
Speaker 1: Marshmallows still vanished from the pantry sometimes, but Mallow always
Speaker 1: left a note borrowed for important pixie business. Underneath, in
Speaker 1: smaller letters, it said also ate three sorry. Lacy never minded.
Speaker 1: Sharing was much easier than stealing, and life was never
Speaker 1: boring with a marshmallow pixie living behind the pantry. The
Speaker 1: end