Pixie Hollow was not always the small patch of Never Land's forest that it is now. Once it was a great kingdom, covering forests, canyons, mountains, and lakes. Back then, it was a separate place from Never Land. To get there, you had to fly through a secret portal hidden behind a waterfall. At that time, the fairies made their homes in flowers, mushrooms, tree stumps, and other places all over Pixie Hollow. There was no Home Tree. In its place stood the Pixie Dust Tree. The charmed dust billowed endlessly from the heart of this enchanted tree, giving the fairies the magic they needed to travel to the world of children and inspire their belief. The fairies lived this way happily for many years. Then came a battle that destroyed the Pixie Dust Tree. Pixie Hollow itself began to disappear, for without dust there could be no magic, and without magic there would be no belief in fairies. The fairies feared for their existence. And then they found Mother Dove.



Mother Dove is a magical creature and the closest thing to pure goodness in Never Land. She makes her nest in a hawthorn tree at the edge of Pixie Hollow. It was at the base of this tree that the fairies first found her, drawn by her goodness. Mother Dove restored magic to Never Land and brought life back to Pixie Hollow. Mother Dove was once a bird like any other. Then a terrible fire swept Never Land, burning everything in its path. Sitting in her hawthorn tree, Mother Dove burned along with the rest of the island, but she was not hurt. Instead, she was transformed into a magical creature invested with great knowledge. She taught the fairies a new way of making pixie dust by grinding the magical feathers she shed each year at molting time. Mother Dove knows each of the fairies by name, and she loves every one of them. They often come to her for guidance. But the fairies aren't the only ones who rely on Mother Dove. It is Mother Dove's egg that holds the secret to all of Never Land. Day in and day out she sits on it, making sure it comes to no harm - for as long as her egg stays well and whole, no creature in Never Land will ever grow old.



Once, Mother Dove's egg was destroyed in a hurricane. To save Pixie Hollow - and all of Never Land - three fairies were sent on a perilous quest to restore the egg. They faced many dangers to collect three rare and valuable items: a mermaid's comb, a feather from the golden hawk, and Captain Hook's cigar holder. These they bartered with the wicked dragon, Kyto, in return for his help restoring the egg. The quest was successful, and once again, life returned to normal on the magical island.



Although Mother Dove is dear to all who live in Pixie Hollow, the ones who know and understand her best are the animal-talent fairies. These fairies have the unique ability to speak with any animal in its native tongue, whether it be Raccoon, Bird, Tree Frog, or Squirrel. They are extremely sensitive and can 'read' an animal's thoughts or emotions. They know when an animal is frightened or sick and can tend to its needs to help it feel better. Like the animals they work with, animal-talent fairies in Pixie Hollow, including many subtalents, such as caterpillar shearers, cricket whistlers, and butterfly herders. All animal-talent fairies are deeply integrated into Never Land's animal world and strive to keep it harmonious.



So long ago that only Mother Dove can remember, the animal-talent fairies built an elaborate system of underground tunnels on Never Land. This labyrinth of passages stretches for miles under every part of the island. Animal-talent fairies use them to get anywhere they need to without being seen and without setting foot outdoors. The tunnels connect countless burrows, tree hollows, nests, and dens that have been abandoned by animals. Occasionally, though, they bump up against a den that is still in use. When this happens, the fairies use their understanding of animal behavior (plus a great deal of tact) to negotiate passage. The tunnel network is constantly expanding as new pathways are added, both by fairies and by animals. Every animal-talent fairy arrives in Never Land knowing the tunnels like the back of her own hand. To this day, the tunnel system remains a baffling maze to all other Never fairies.



Not far from Mother Dove's hawthorn tree, on the banks of Havendish Stream, sits the dust mill. This is where the dust-talent fairies grind Mother Dove's old feathers into pixie dust. The mill is built from peach pits. Its large double doors open into a work-room, where dust-talent fairies make separate piles of wing feathers, back feathers, neck feathers, and belly feathers, each of which has a different magical potency. It takes just the right amount of each kind of feather to make a perfect batch of pixie dust. Once they are sorted, the feathers are loaded into a hopper and fed through the grindstone. The dust-talent fairies store the dust in canisters made from dried pumpkins. The fairies are very careful as they work. Pixie dust is so precious that they make sure not a single grain blows away. When dust-talent fairies aren't using the mill, the tree pickers use it to grind acorns into flour.



Downstream from the dust mill, Havendish Stream branches into a network of canals where the water fairies like to play. Water-talent fairies can manipulate water in astonishing ways. They can mold it like clay, make it freeze or boil, or create powerful waves in puddles and ponds with just a flick of pixie dust. Water fairies are often found exploring Pixie Hollow's waterways in boats made from leaves and in birch-bark canoes. These fairies also have a knack for divining and can seek out hidden sources of water. Only water-talent fairies can make bubble messages, which burst open only for the fairy who is meant to hear them. The most emotional of the Never fairies, water fairies cry when they're happy as well as when they're sad. But they can hardly be blamed. They are so full of water their tears spill easily. Although water fairies cannot swim, they always find ways to frolic near water.





Deep in the heart of Never Land lies a place called Pixie Hollow. Here, extraordinary creatures known as the Never fairies live, work, and play. There are man kinds of fairies in the world, but Never fairies exist only on Never Land. Unlike their larger mainland-dwelling cousins, these fairies are tiny, and their magic comes not from wands or spells but from pixie dust. Every fairy on Never Land has a talent. It is her calling in life - the thing she does best and loves best. Some fairies are experts in cricket-whistling. Some are skilled at turning berries into ink. There are fairies who spend all day soothing silkworms or talking to trees, or summoning gusts of wind. There are as many different talents in Pixie Hollow as their are jobs to be done.

Keep your ears tuned for the jingling sound of tiny bells - that is how fairies sound when they speak. Also, fairies smell like cinnamon. If you smell cinnamon rolls baking when there is no kitchen nearby, you may be in the presence of a fairy. Many humans - or "Clumsies" as the fairies call them - never come in contact with fairies. In fact, adult humans cannot see them at all. They can feel fairies, however. A grown-up Clumsy will often mistake a pinch from a mischievous fairy for a mosquito bite. Children, on the other hand, can spot fairies by their glow. The fairies' glow comes from pixie dust, which covers them like a dusting of sugar on a tea cake. Fairies can change the intensity and color of their glow depending on their moods. When a fairy is excited, her glow flares. If she blushes, it turns orange. Pixie dust also gives Never fairies their ability to fly. Without it, fairies can fly no more than a few feet at a time.

• A male fairy is called a sparrow man.
• Every fairy's wing pattern is unique. Like snowflakes, no two are the same.
• Fairy wings do not feel pain.
• Most fairies are approximately five inches tall.
• Fairies normally glow lemon yellow edged with gold.
• They weigh next to nothing. A fairy sitting in your palm feels no heavier than a handful of dandelion fluff.

Although fairies are indifferent to adult Clumsies, they love children, for without them they would not exist. It is children's belief in magic alive. The moment a child stops believing, a fairy will cease to exist. The only ones who can save a fading fairy are other children, who must clap to show they believe.




All fairies are born from laughter. When a baby laughs for the first time, the laugh flies out into the world. It dances and flits about, looking for its home. At last, when it has arrived in the place it belongs, it explodes, turning into a fairy. More often than not, the laugh will stay on the mainland (that is, in the world of Clumsies). There it may become a Great or Lesser Wanded fairy or a Giant Shimmering fairy. The laugh that turns into a Never fairy is a rare laugh indeed. To become a Never fairy, the laugh makes a dangerous journey across a great ocean to reach Never Land. This can take up to several weeks, as many laughs get lost on the way. More importantly, Never Land must want the laugh. Only then with the island allow the laugh to arrive and find its place among the Never fairies.



Occasionally on its journey to Never Land, a piece of a laugh will crack off before it turns into a fairy. When that happens, the fairy arrives "incomplete." This may mean that the fairy's ear tips are missing, or that she has only a partial glow. SOmetimes the fairy's incompleteness may be invisible, but is usually easily detected by her fellow fairies. For example, she might have no sense of etiquette, or be unable to pronounce the letter q.

One of the most joyous occasions in Pixie Hollow is the arrival of a new fairy. No fairy or sparrow man wants to miss welcoming a new member to their community. And each and every one hopes that the newcomer will be part of their talent group. The moment a Never fairy bursts forth from a laugh, the stray bits of laughter gather around her to become her Arrival Garment. The delicately woven strands of laughter are especially fragile. Once a fairy has received her wardrobe and no longer needs her Arrival Garment, it must be stored away carefully.



Upon the moment of her arrival in Pixie hollow, a new fairy makes the Announcement, telling all the other fairies her name and her talent. The Announcement is a solemn moment for the other Never fairies and sparrow men, who all secretly hope that the new fairy will be part of their talent group.

Most fairies arrive knowing the rules of social etiquette. In general, Never fairies scoff at teh habits and manners of Clumsies. When meeting another fairy for the first time, fairies never say, "Pleased to meet you." Instead they say, "I look forward to flying with you," or "Fly with you" for short. Fairies have no use for titles such as 'mister' or 'miss.' They call each other by their names only. One exception is Queen Clarion.

Clumsies Say: [C]
Fairies Say: [F]

[C]"Pleased to meet you."
[F]"Fly with you."
[C]"See you later."
[F]"Fly safely."
[C]"I'm sorry."
[F]"I'd fly backward if I could."
[C]"Good-be."
[F]"Fly again soon."


Fairies never bow or curtsy, not even for the queen.

In the heart of Pixie Hollow grows a towering maple tree that is home to almost all the Never fairies. The Home Tree is a magnificent sight to behold. Its trunk and limbs are aglow with light from hundreds of tiny windows and doorways, for each fairy and sparrow man has his or her own room here. Many fairies and sparrow men also have workshops in the great tree's limbs. The Home Tree is the center of the Never fairies' world, and they take great care of it. With so many fairies living and working close together, they quickly learn to get along with each other. But once in a while, a problem arises that calls for the wisdom of Queen Clarion, the ruler of the Never fairies.



The main entrance to the Home Tree is through the knothole door on the tree's west-facing side. The entrance opens into a grand lobby, which sparkles from top to bottom. This room is a source of great pride for the Never fairies, who have worked hard to make it beautiful.

• The massive spiral staircase leads up to the second floor. It is mostly used by fairies whose wings are too wet to fly. Beyond the second level, fairies with wet wings climb ladders to reach the upper stories.
• The brass directory lists the name, talent, and room number of every fairy in Pixie Hollow.
• The floor of the lobby is tiled with pearly mica. It took twenty masonry-talent fairies over two years to carry the mica in, piece by piece.
• The lobby windows are made from reground pirate glass.

Beyond the lobby is a corridor lined with paintings. Each picture celebrates a different fairy talent. Talents are very important to the Never fairies. Fairies of the same talent work together, play together, eat together, and their fellow talent members are usually, but not always, their best friends. A fairy's greatest joy comes from performing her talent. A picture of a feather would represent the pixie-dust-talent fairies. An acorn is for the tree-picking-talent fairies. A nose with half a mustache would be the symbol for the coiffure-talent fairies. A wedge of cheese would be for the cheese-making-talent fairies, a subtalent of the dairy fairies. Between main talents and subtalents, there are dozens upon dozens of different talents in Pixie Hollow.



The fairies' bedrooms are on the upper stories of the Home Tree. Every fairy and sparrow man has his or her own private quarters here. Every room is as unique as the fairy who lives there. When a new fairy arrives in Pixie Hollow, the decoration-talent fairies outfit her room in a way that best suits the fairy's talent and personality. A tree-bark-grading fairy's room might have a birch-bark canopy on the bed, while a water fairy's room would get woven seaweed curtains and sea-green walls.

Fairies can be a bit vain. Most rooms come equipped with a full-length mirror so they may admire themselves.

• Sycamore seeds make simple ceiling fans.
• Pillows are made from flower petals and stuffed with dandelion fluff.
• Spiderweb hammocks are popular for relaxing.
• Queen Clarion prefers Queen Anne's lace curtains.
• Seashell chairs make excellent furnishings for water-talent fairies.

Never fairies are extremely industrious and clever. In their world, nothing ever goes to waste. In fact, fairies have no word in their language for "useless". Occasionally, items from teh world of Clumsies will wash up on Never Land's shores. If found by fairies, these objects are always put to good use.

• A pirate's toothpick makes an excellent fairy sized dagger.
• A toothbrush makes an excellent brush for squirrels' tails.
• A horseshoe would make an excellent find for a garden-talent fairy.
• A thimble makes a fairy sized bucket.

The tearoom is a favorite gathering place for Never fairies, perhaps because of its serene atmosphere. The walls are papered with blades of pale Never grass, and teh floor is always carpeted with fresh flowers. meal times in the tearoom are splendidly lavish. The tables are set with elegant maple-leaf linens. Table-setting-talent fairies arrange full place settings and fold the leaf napkins into a different shape each day. Polishing-talent fairies make sure every knife, fork, and spoon sparkles. Serving-talent fairies have a perfect sense of timing and always know when to bring out the next course or another pot of tea.





Directly off the tearoom is the kitchen, one of the busiest rooms in the Home Tree. Fairies from more than twenty-five different taletns work here, including cooking, baking, and tea-making, along with many subtalents, such as bread buttering and salt sifting. With hundreds of fairies to cook for every day, the larder-talent fairies keep the pantry well stocked. A pot hardly has a moment to be dirty before a scullery-talent fairy whisks it away. A tree-bark side kitchen door leads outside. many of the fairies who work outdoors deliver fresh ingredients directly from the gardens, orchard, and fields.



Most of the foods the fairies eat come straight from the garden fairies' gardens or from the surrounding forest. Fruits, nuts, mushrooms, seeds, and the occasional potato make up most of their diet. Fairies also keep a herd of dairy mice for milk, cheese, and butter. They season their food with sea salt, which is made from sea-water collected on teh far side of Never Land. Although teh Mermaid Lagoon is closer, most fairies are wary of mermaid magic and find sea salt from the lagoon unfit for consumption.

• Fairies always keep plenty of nutmeg seeds on hand to make nutmeg pie, a Never fairy favorite.
• Despite their healthful diet, most Never fairies tend to have a sweet tooth.
• Most fairies arrive with the knowledge of which mushrooms are safe to eat.
• Berries are a staple of the fairy diet
• Fairies grow much of their own food. They prefer fresh fruit and vegetables whenever possible.

Tucked into an out-of-the-way branch just above the kitchen is the Home Tree library. Here the floor-to-ceiling shelves are filled with books on every imaginable subject, from dragon anatomy to the folk songs of earthworms to the history of pixie dust. A small group of scribe-talent fairies are constantly adding new volumes to the shelves. The library is a treasure trove of fairy knowledge. However, fairies are often so busy with their own talents that they forget to visit this quiet room. Unlike other parts of the Home Tree, it is never crowded and is always a peaceful place to read.



The earliest written language known to the Never fairies is called Leaf Lettering. Each letter in this alphabet is composed of a symbol resembling a different kind of leaf. The Leaf alphabet has only 25 letters - there is no symbol for the letter we know as 'x'. Never fairies are the only creatures who can read Leaf Lettering. In recent times, most fairies have abandoned it in favor of a more common alphabet that can be read by all literate citizens of Never Land, from mermaids to Peter Pan. But when a fairy needs to write a secret message that only other Never fairies may read, she will use the ancient Leaf alphabet. Fairies also use it when they want to be very formal. Because drawing each leaf symbol can be time-consuming, such correspondence is usually very short.

• Fairies use quills or wood splinters dipped in berry ink to write.
• Ink is made from blackberries.

The lower floors of the Home Tree house the workshops of many different talents, from keyhole-design fairies to carpenter fairies and everything in between. Tinker Bell is a pots-and-pans talent fairy. These fairies are responsible for repairing all of the metal tools and utensils used in Pixie Hollow. When fixing a leaky pot, they can quickly discern whether it is a pinprick leak or a squiggle leak, an instant leak or a gradual one. Although they're usually busy fixing things like bent ladles or dented pots, they have a knack for working on anything made of metal. Tinker Bell's workshop is made from a real Clumsy teakettle that washed up on the shores of Never Land. Tinker Bell shined it up and punched holes in the sides for doors and windows. She used pixie-dust magic to squeeze the entire teapot into the Home Tree. The awning over her door is actually the teakettle's spout turned upside down.

Many metal-working fairies protect their eyes with goggles made from sea glass.



Every Never fairy's wardrobe is as unique as the fairy who wears it. In a split second, measuring-talent fairies can size up the length of a fairy's arm or the circumference of her waist. Sewing-talent fairies then take care to design clothes that suit the fairy's talent. A water fairy's dress might have several pockets to hold extra leafkerchiefs. A scout-talent sparrow man's tunic would be made with greens and browns that blend into the forest, so he can spot predators before they spot him. Never fairies make their clothes out of natural materials. Irises, daffodils, and roses are often used for elegant fashions. The smooth petals of foxglove are ideal for creating streamlined clothing for flying. Weaving-talent fairies also make cloth from beetle hair, spiderwebs, silkworm threads, thistledown, dandelion fluff, and caterpillar wool. Fairies are very creative and often use found objects in their clothing. Half a walnut shell might become a helmet for a tree-picking-talent fairy. A Lost Boy's lost button makes a fine base for a jaunty hat.

• A flower parasol provides protection against sun and rain.
• Rose petals create a delicately perfumed skirt.
• Tulip slippers with rose pompoms are casual yet elegant.
• The difficult work of mining requires durable clothing.
• Their headgear comes with a firefly attachment.
• Tough leaves from a bimbim tree make a rugged tunic
• They wear sturdy beetle-shell boots.
• A dress for the Queen could have a bodice made from a velvety rose petal.
• Her train would be made from poinsettia petals.
• Forget-me-not bows would adorn her skirt.
• Her tiered skirt would be made from champagne-colored rose petals.

Shoes

Much of the time, fairy footwear never touches the ground. Cobbler-talent fairies custom-make all the footwear in Pixie Hollow, and each pair of shoes is a work of art. Some fairy footwear, such as shoes with pine-needle heels, is altogether too delicate for walking. When fairies aren't flying they'll opt for more comfortable footwear such as wasp skin boots or pussy-willow-pod moccasins.



Hidden away at the back of the Home Tree, behind the kitchen, is the laundry room. Here the laundry-talent fairies wash the clothes of all the fairies in Pixie Hollow. A network of laundry chutes reaching all the way to the uppermost branches of the Home Tree empties the fairies' soiled clothing and linens into laundry baskets. Springwater from Havendish Stream comes into the room by means of a huge spigot that opens from one wall. Since fairy clothing is very delicate, laundry-talent fairies hand wash every item. Once it is washed, the wet laundry is placed in balloon carriers - carts kept aloft by fairy-dust-filled balloons - which lift it up to the laundry lines where it can be hung to dry.



Tucked away on hidden branches of the Home Tree are the fairies' bathing rooms. Water from bathing must be carried in all the way from Havendish Stream and then heated. Bath-drawing-talent fairies are called on to help when a fairy wants a bath.

The Queen's Tub

The queen has her own bathtub in her quarters. Unlike the coconut-shell bath-tubs most fairies use, hers is made of pewter. The notches in the back are where she rests her wings to keep them dry. The tub has morning-glory leaves sculpted into the sides, as fairies believe them to be a symbol of good health.

• Fairy combs and hairbrushes are made from pine needles.
• When they are away from the Home Tree, fairies find a bit of soapstone to wash their hands.
• Fairies clean their teeth by chewing on peppermint leaves.
• Orange blossom petals make fragrant washcloths.

Wing cleaning is a difficult task. Since wings dry very slowly, it may be hours before a fairy with damp wings can fly again. The care of wings is usually left up to the wing-washing-talent fairies, who use special cloths made from the down of milk thistles. However, non-wing-washing-talent fairies may wash a friend's wings as a means of apology or a way of saying thank you. It is a special kindness to offer to wash another fairy's wings.