Read Online Piper's Perfect Dream by Ahmet Zappa - Free Book Online

with everything hold the mustard,” a cook cried, plopping plates on the window’s shelf.
    Odd,
thought Piper. None of her friends had mentioned that Wishlings used numbers, not names, for food.
    Then she noticed a separate counter—more of a desk, really—with a woman seated behind some kind of metal machine.
    The woman had short curly hair and a nice smile. She reached for a long flat book and stood up. Obviously, she was going to the library down the street.
    Instead of leaving, though, the woman carried the book over to Piper and asked, “Seat at the counter?”
    â€œYes,” Piper agreed. “There are seats at the counter.” To demonstrate, she moved closer to a stool and tried to pick it up. It didn’t budge. But it did spin around.
    â€œOh!” said Piper. She couldn’t resist sitting on it, pushing off from the counter as it twirled squeakily. “Starmendous!” she said. It reminded her of the starry-go-round rides back home. Of course, those rides flew through the air, too.
    The woman held up the book. “Would you like to look at—”
    â€œYour book?” Piper said.
    â€œA menu,” the woman answered. She handed it to Piper, who saw it was a list of food choices. “Or are you waiting for—”
    â€œA bus?” finished Piper.
    â€œNo,” said the woman, looking puzzled. “Friends.”
    Piper gulped. Her first decision. “Oh, I am waiting,” she tried to explain, “but not for friends. Not really. But maybe I will find a friend here. Why else am I here, unless it’s to make some sort of connection with a…” Her voice trailed off.
    She was babbling, she knew, and while the woman waited patiently for Piper to stop talking, she was also giving her a slightly funny look.
    â€œI’ll just go outside,” Piper finished. Her Wish Pendant was dark, so there really was no reason to stay inside, anyway.
    â€œYou do that, honey. There’s a nice comfy bench right under the oak tree.”
    Piper headed outside for the big leafy tree and the bench. A shiny silver plaque was nailed onto the back slats. Piper read the inscription out loud: “‘In memory of Rose MacDonald. Thanks for the great food and the even better company.’”
    â€œIn memory of” must mean Rose had completed her Cycle of Life. Big Rosie’s must have been her diner. Piper gazed up at the clouds, wondering if Rose’s star beamed its light right at that spot. Was the star twinkling right then, unseen, in approval of this mission? Piper’s mind was wandering, considering the cosmos and its connection to all life-forms, when a boy and girl walked past.
    Piper snapped to attention. Could one of those Wishlings be her Wisher? They both had light hair and similar-shaped noses and lopsided grins. Brother and sister, Piper thought. The two laughed and pushed each other playfully. It was the kind of relationship she’d always wanted with her own brother. She glanced hopefully at her pendant. Nope, it wasn’t either of them.
    Another girl hurried past, her nose in a book. The pendant stayed dark.
    Wishling after Wishling walked by while Piper sat on the bench. Still, there was no sign of her Wisher. “Patience, Piper,” she counseled herself. This was such a different, new, and exciting experience. She couldn’t quite hold on to her calm. So much could go wrong; so much depended on her.
    But she’d been waiting on that bench for a long time. What if there was a problem with her pendant and that was why it wasn’t lighting up? She shook the bracelets lightly, then harder and harder.
    Stop it, Piper!
she ordered. It was time for her Mirror Mantra. She crisscrossed her legs in her favorite meditation pose. “Dreams can come true,” she said out loud. “It’s your time to shine!” The pane revealed Piper’s shimmery skin and hair, but just for an instant, and