The Blue Dust, as Fairy Gary had put it, was one of 'nature's mightiest multipliers'. It was why Pixie Hollow had an endless supply of pixie dust. And as long as fairies have pixie dust, they weren't bound to depend on their feet.
However, when a s...
"Can you believe it? I mean, one day early! It's so exciting."
The dust depot was dim except for the blue glow that originated from a big glass bowl stationed at the center. It was secured by a cover, decorated by glossy metal, which has a tiny, blue gem glowing right in the middle.
"Uh, six clicks to the right." Zarina directed, unnecessarily.
Fairy Gary paused from rotating the dials. "Yes, thank you." He then continued to turn the dials in accordance to the combination of locks; six clicks to the right.
The lid rose up and slid itself into the side, emitting a mystic sound as it revealed the adequate amount of glowing blue dust. Misty air hugged the place as soon as its cover opened, giving the space an icy impression.
"Wow," Zarina exhaled in awe. She leaned over the bowl and started to dip the tube she's holding.
"Be careful now!" Fairy Gary said. "After last time I'm sure I don't have to remind you just how potent and powerful–"
"No touching, I promise." She dipped the tube on the bowl. The blue grains tinkled faintly as the tube sipped it in.
"Atta girl! All right then, exactly 26 specks."
Zarina held the tube up and examined it, sapphire grains twinkling against the small glass. "But why 26?"
"And, here we go..." the older man muttered, more to himself.
"Why not 25? What would happen if we put in, say, 27?"
"We put in 26."
"But why?"
Fairy Gary inhaled a deep sigh. "Zarina, you're the most inquisitive fairy I've ever known." He rectified almost promptly as he held his forefinger up, "Correction, it's a tie. Let's just say, you're the Tinkerbell of dustkeepers."
"Why do you say it like it's a bad thing?" She turned to transfer the contents of the tube into a flask. The glowing specks flowed freely into the glass container.
"Because, we don't work with twigs and acorn caps. We work with pixie dusts. It's our life blood," Fairy Gary said. His tone was serious, and Zarina turned to look at him. "There's no room for error."
—
Thin streams of gold flowed steadily on the Pixie Dust tree as Zarina and Fairy Gary stood on the top perch. Zarina passed the flask towards the older man, and they flew to pour its contents on the shell-shaped glass held in the center.
Fairy Gary laughed in relish. "Blue dust. One of nature's mightiest multipliers. It takes the golden dust from a trickle to a roar."
The glass' narrowed bottom dent gave way as the specks of blue dust proceeded to fall on the pixie dust. The pixie dust glowed more gold, and it visibly rose in voluminous amount with every speck that fell into it. Overflowing in no time, the golden dust poured onto the other perches below.
"No matter how many times I see it, just— wow." Zarina sat at the edge of the perch, watching the bounty stream in wonder.
"Indeed," Fairy Gary agreed.
"Okay, but if there's blue dust, why can't there be other colors?"
"Because there aren't."
"And maybe those other colors do other things?" she continued, not really listening to the answer to her previous question. "What if there was– I don't know, purple?" She gasped and smiled thoughtfully, "What if there's pink?"
Looking up from stirring the dust, Fairy Gary laughed. "The day someone finds pink pixie dust is the day I trade in my kilt for trousers." He then placed the stick to the side.
"But what if we don't find it, what if we make it?"
Fairy Gary froze. He flew over directly in front of Zarina. "Listen carefully, Zarina. We do not tamper with pixie dust. It is far too powerful." He flew down on a lower perch and brought out a leaf to write on.
"But if we don't, we'll never fully understand what it's capable of," Zarina reasoned, watching him occasionally write something down.
"That is not our job, we're dustkeepers," he said, still busy with the dust and the scratched leaf. Zarina glanced on the flowing pixie dust with a thoughtful look, not really paying attention to what Fairy Gary was saying as he continued. "We nurture the dust, maintain it, measure it, package it, and distribute it..."
Checking if Fairy Gary was still busy talking and if the dust still has his undivided attention, Zarina carefully pulled a bangle from her wrist. She dipped the tiny accessory down the pool of pixie dust, and it floated before her. She blew it towards the shell-shaped glass, which still had specks of blue dust falling from it.
"...a beautiful tradition day and day I'll pass from one generation, to the next, to the next, to the next—"
"Oh!"
Two specks of blue dust had managed to fall into the floating bracelet. It started to tremble as if ready to explode as the pixie dusts clinging onto it tripled in volume. It finally ricocheted into the air, bouncing in a triangular path from one branch to another and into a perch, producing banging sounds. Finally, it fell to a stop when it hit Fairy Gary, who fell on his back with a grunt.
"Oh, no!" Zarina flew to him in an instant and pulled him to his feet. "Fairy Gary! Are you okay?"
"Hmm." Fairy Gary placed his hands on either of his hips and looked at Zarina. His meeting brows showed that he was not impressed.
Her head bowed as she said, "Technically, I didn't touch it this time."
"The cap?" Fairy Gary demanded and held the flask up.
She withdrew the cap and placed it on the flask's opening.
"Let me be absolutely clear, Zarina." Fairy Gary said earnestly, his voice held warning. "Dustkeepers are forbidden to tamper with pixie dust."
Her eyes followed the overseer as it turned its back and went off.
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