EPISODE 5: THE PIXIE PROBLEM ## CHAPTER 1: THE ARRIVAL They came at three in the morning—all forty-seven of them. Penny woke to the sound of high-pitched chattering, crashing dishware, and what could only be described as organized chaos. By the time she made it downstairs, still in her pajamas, the damage was extensive. The parlor was covered in glitter. Not decorative glitter—living glitter that seemed to have opinions about where it wanted to be. It crawled up the walls, formed patterns on the ceiling, and spelled out rude words on the furniture before Penny could read them. "Pixies," Silas announced, his fur standing on end. "I tried to tell them we had no vacancies, but they don't exactly respect boundaries." "We always have vacancies." "Not for pixies. Hazel had a strict policy." "What kind of policy?" "No pixies. Ever. Under any circumstances." Too late. The swarm was already spreading through the house, leaving trails of destruction in their wake. --- ## CHAPTER 2: THE NEGOTIATION Pixies, Penny learned quickly, were not reasonable creatures. They were about six inches tall, with wings like iridescent soap bubbles and expressions that suggested permanent mischief. They communicated primarily through high-pitched squeaking that Silas could translate, though he did so with obvious reluctance. "They want asylum," he reported. "Their grove was destroyed by...