Lola-Beans Magic Potions

Lola-Bean was all packed with new summer clothes in her Ballerina Backpack. She was going on a magical vacation to Florida, to the beach with Gramma. She had packed two new floral bathing suits Mommy had bought at the store and her pair of water shoes to walk the beach. This was her first time traveling on a plane with Gramma and she was very excited to share this adventure.

Gramma had told her of the wonders she would find on the beach. Strange creatures with names like starfish, something called a jelly fish and crazy enough, a sea creature that was named after a horse! How odd she thought to herself, a sea creature named after something that shined bright in the sky at night, another named after the fruity spread Mommy put on her peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunchtime and something named after an animal with a long tail and flowing mane with four legs that walked the earth! Gramma told her if she was very lucky, she could possibly find all three. They had to get up very early in the morning to explore and look for them, being careful not to disturb these creatures if they were on the sand but to place them back in the ocean if the tide brought them in to shore. Gramma explained that the tide was the way the ocean kept time. The ocean water rose and ebbed according to the sun, the moon and how our earth moved. The tides would create currents which would rise and fall, flowing towards the shore and away from the ocean. These currents created by the tides, would push and pull, forcing the sea creatures to be deposited onto the sand if they got caught in the tides. This was all according to someone called Mother Nature. Lola-Bean was hoping to find some of these creatures and use her magical potions to help them get back into the ocean if they needed help. She was sure Mother Nature was a nice person and wouldn't mind if she helped the sea creatures.

Lola-Bean was so excited thinking about her vacation with Gramma that she almost forgot to pack her newest magic potions. You see, Lola-Bean considered herself a fairy who made all her magic potions using tiny bottles, flowers and colored glitter with beautiful ribbons Gramma had given her. She worked very hard on her potions and was very careful she made only the brightest potions that would help people. Lola-Bean worked on these potions that very afternoon so she would be confident she would be able to help anyone she met along the way that needed help. Maybe, she thought as she skipped up the stairs to her room, they would also work on the sea creatures they would find on the beach that needed help. Wouldn't that be amazing Lola-Bean thought to herself as she ran back to her fairy tent and gathered up her small precious bottles. Lola-Bean was known in her neighborhood for her special potions and loved to help people by casting helping magic spells. If your head hurt, she would use her yellow potion to cure it, if your tummy ached, the purple potion worked every time, but her most special potion was the perfect pink potion. This was her happy potion. Lola-Bean had used some pink flower pedals from Mommy's roses, and some bright pink glitter from her magic kit to create the perfect pink happy potion. Gathering her bottles she placed them carefully in her potion bag and hurried out the door. Gramma was waiting downstairs with a big smile, and Lola-Bean, determined, with her wild curly blonde hair and bright brown eyes had a plan in mind, a plan that included her latest bottle, her perfect pink happy potion.

Mom along with Violet, Lola-Beans younger sister drove Gramma and Lola-Bean to the airport. After many hugs and kisses they waved goodbye shouting have a fun vacation and they both entered the waiting area to board the plane for Florida. Lola-Bean then told Gramma about her plan to use the perfect pink happy potion. Lola-Bean was so excited to be going to the beach she wanted everyone else to be happy too. Gramma laughed and said there was probably someone very special that needed the perfect pink happy potion today and all we had to do was look around to see who might need help.

As they headed the waiting area for the plane Gramma noticed a woman at the counter with a worried look on her face. Gramma pointed her out to Lola-Bean remarking the woman was a flight attendant and looked like she could use your help today. She looks very sad to me. What do you think Lola-Bean, do you think you could help her today? Lola-Bean with a smile on her face, walked up to the worry looking flight attendant at the counter and asked what her name was and if she was indeed in need of a happy potion this very minute? The lady replied her name was Donna. With a sad look on her face Donna explained she was trying to get all the passengers on the plane in time to leave and it was difficult to find seats for everyone. All the passengers were excited to go to Florida she said, and she wanted to make sure she helped them get there safely and on time, since that is what flight attendants do. Donna sadly said yes, I could surely use some happy magic today! Gramma informed Donna that Lola-Bean was a special fairy and made different potions to help people, and that Lola-Bean had a very special perfect pink happy potion that would work! Lola-Bean happily took out her pink happy potion, asking Donna to close her eyes and proceeded to sprinkle some drops near the flight attendant. Magically, Donna's eyes lit up and a bright smile spread across her face. Donna instantly became so happy, and it showed by the big smile now spread across her face. Donna was so grateful she gave Lola-Bean some cookies and pretzels to eat on the plane. That magic perfect pink happy potion worked every time Lola-Bean thought as she boarded the plane. She couldn't wait to get to Florida and see if there were any sea creatures that might need her help also!

The next morning after they had breakfast of pancakes at the gazebo near the water, Lola-Bean and Gramma headed for the beach area. Wearing her new pink and purple bathing suit Lola-Bean strapped on her water shoes and headed purposely toward the sand. In one hand she carried her perfect pink happy potion and for emergencies. Gramma had also given her a special shell gathering bag that morning and Lola-Bean was anxious to fill it with interesting seashells and Lola-Bean carried that in the other hand. As they both walked nearer to the shoreline, Gramma narrowed her eyes noticing something odd, shaped like a star floating near the edge of the water. Bending down they both examined the sea creature. Gramma asked Lola-Bean if she knew what it was? No, exclaimed Lola-Bean, I've never seen anything quite like it! Gramma proclaimed that today was Lola-Beans lucky day because they just found a starfish!

Gramma explained that starfish floated in the water and moved in the water by hundreds of tube feet on their arms and bodies and that they couldn't swim. Mother Nature and the current must have pushed the sea creature almost out of the water. Gramma told her that they weren't really a fish, that they were also called sea stars. Starfish usually had 5 arms and that they could live up to 35 years in the right conditions. Gramma said they couldn't pick it up because the sea creature wouldn't be able to breathe out of the water. Starfish had tiny eyes on the top of each of their arms but couldn't see very well.

Looking at the five eyes the creature had, Lola-Bean instantly thought that the starfish looked five times as sad and desperately needed help. Lola-Bean knew she would be the one to do it. Telling Gramma to stand back, Lola-Bean opened her bottle of perfect pink happy potion and sprinkled some above the starfish while it floated on Grammas hand in the water. All five of the starfish's arms started to wiggle at once in delight and both of them thought the starfish looked instantly happier. Lola-Bean couldn't have been happier if she had used her perfect pink happy potion on herself.

As Gramma gently released the starfish it seemed as though as it floated away it waved goodbye, happy to be free back in the warm waters of the ocean. Lola-Bean and Gramma waved back, smiling at a job well done, turned back to the beach to find the next adventure to use the perfect pink happy potion again. It was certainly Lola-Beans lucky day.