Lisa's eyes grew wide as the tiny blue fairy came into view. "Whoa... Your host mother is a shift shaper."

Peep needed to smooth things over before Locket turned Lisa into a toad or worse—Wilma from The Flintstones! "No... It's uh... my... "  Then he did his best SpongeBob SquarePants imitation and hoped they didn't have to go to Bikini Bottom. He couldn't breathe under water.  "You're only seeing my
I-MA-GI-NA-TION..." He made a flourish with his hands and just for fun threw in jazz hands.

"Liar." Lisa looked Peep dead in the eyes. When Locket sat on Peep's shoulder Lisa yelled, "Mom! I'm telling my mom!"

Locket flew over to Lisa and doinked her on her round yellow nose. "Now why would you do that girly?"

Lisa rubbed her nose. Although she imagined all sorts of magical possibilities she didn't like this fairy one bit.  A bubble popped up above Lisa's head revealing her inner thoughts. "I hope this annoying bee can at least grant me three wishes."

Locket corrected her. "First of all,I'm not a BEE—I'm a fairy and secondly I don't grant wishes—especially to annoying little girls!"

Peep did not like where this was going. If he couldn't lighten the mood something bad would happen. "Listen ladies..."

They both ignored him.

Lisa rebuked Locket, "I'm annoying? Who pretended to be an exchange student's host mother then got all jealous of my blossoming relationship with Peep?—Hold on!" She turned her venom toward Peep. "Peep? If that's your real name... Are you even an exchange student? ARE YOU ACTUALLY FROM SWEDEN?"

Peep talked out of the side of his mouth to Locket. "You better get us out of here..."

"I wish I could, but fairy rules clearly state: Unresolved conflict must be resolved and no magic can be involved." Nervously she swung her legs.

Peep became annoyed. "You know for a bunch a free spirits you certainly have a lot of rules."

Locket retorted, "My mother always says, 'You can't rule without rules.'"

Peep thought he'd better smooth things over. "Hey Lisa... I'm not from Sweden. I'm from an enchanted land called, The Island of Long."

Locket rolled her eyes.

Peep continued schmoozing.  "Lis, I really wanted to meet you and your family. My fairy-friend here came up with the cockamamy story about exchange students and named me Iceberg." He flicked Locket off his shoulder and stood up.  "Please forgive me, I shoulda been upfront with you from the start."

Lisa remained suspicious. "Fairy friend huh?"

Locket felt like messing with the cartoon girl a bit more. She flew to Peep and asked, "Fairy friend darling?" Then she hovered in front of Lisa's face. "We are much more than friends. Why don't you ask Peep about our recent engagement. See the lucky horseshoe betrothal mark between his eyes?"

Lisa swatted Locket out of her way and marched two rows back to where Peep was now slumped down in his seat. "Engaged? You're engaged?! You let me believe we were gonna get married and have one and a half children?!"

Locket asked, "One and a half children? Creepy..."

Peep muffled, "I know." He slunk further down and peeped, "Help me!"

Lisa threw her head back and yelled, "MOM!"

Locket tried to shush the girl. She attempted swirling around her to create a noise barrier but only a few sketchy white lines appeared.

Lisa yelled again, "MOM!"

Peep shrugged. "Let her call her mom. We're a half a mile away. Marge will never hear her."

"Peep this is Cartoon World. Things are different here. On the Island of Long it's a half a mile a way. Here everything is only a page away!"

Lisa continued summoning her mother. "MOM! Momma! Mom... Mommy..."

Frantically Locket zipped back and forth on the bus. "Marge is on her way. I can feel it!"

Peep jumped up and said, "Locket! I'm breaking up with you!"

Mid "mom" Lisa stopped yelling for her mother.

Peep continued, "Locket, it's not you... it's me. I'm too young to be engaged and besides I sorta have a crush on Lisa here..."  He crossed to Lisa and took her yellow hand in his. "I really want to get to know you better Lisa."

Lisa melted into a yellow puddle with eyes. She blinked and said, 'You do?" She returned to her perky cute self.

"I do." Peep kissed Lisa on the cheek.

Locket couldn't help herself and said sarcastically, "I now pronounce you cartoon and boy."

Lisa looked at Locket and said, "Jealousy not a good color on you." All of sudden Locket turned a bright green.

Peep laughed out loud. He enjoyed how Cartoon World messed with Locket.

Locket became irate. "You think I'm jealous of a cartoon girl?" She began growing larger and greener like the Hulk until she filled up the bus. She bellowed, "I'M NEVER JEALOUS OF ANYONE!"

Peep and Lisa were smooshed together, barely able to breathe. The busdriver continued to sleep throughout the entire ordeal until Locket's girth pushed him out the open driver's side window. He landed on the ground with a THUD then curled up in the fetal position and fell back to sleep.

Peep managed to squeeze out a few words. "Locket... please... don't..."

Locket was frustrated. She remembered her fairy-therapist telling her, "Your moods sometimes manifest themselves in unhealthy ways."  She calmed down then shrunk down to her normal size and brilliant blue color.

Lisa looked out the window and saw Marge's unmistakable blue bouffant bouncing towards them. "Uh oh... Mom's coming."

Locket thumped Peep on his forehead and said, "See? I told you! One panel away!"

Peep put his hands on Lisa's shoulders. "Lisa we gotta go. It was really nice meeting you!"

"Wait! I don't ever want to forget you. Do you think we have time to get matching tattoos?"

Peep answered her, "I don't think that's your brand Lisa. I still have the marble you gave me." He held it out to show her. "I'll keep it forever."

"But..." Lisa objected, "People always lose their marbles." She looked quite sad as a single tear dripped down her cheek.

As Marge neared the bus they heard Maggie sucking on her red pacifier. Locket exclaimed, "She's almost here!"

"Before you go... "

Locket huffed and thought, "This mushy goodbye stuff is gonna take forever." She had no idea what a cartoon mom would do to a naughty fairy and a precocious boy and she didn't want to find out.  She blurted, "Lisa put your hand on Peep's throat."

Lisa and Peep were confused. Both said, "Huh?"

Locket exclaimed, "Just do it!"

Lisa did. When she removed her hand she gasped.

Peep got nervous. "What? Locket-what-did-you-do?"

Lisa stared at Peeps neck. "It's beautiful..."

Locket agreed. "Thank you kindly. I do my best."

Peep ran to the bus's rear view mirror. Locket had given him a tattoo of Lisa Simpson shouting for her mom.  Cartoon steam came out of his ears and he shouted, "Locket!"

Locket zipped over to Peep, holding onto his pink hair, and said, "We gotta fly! Bye-bye!"

With that they were gone.

Marge tapped on the bus door. In her scratchy voice she asked, "Lisa is everything alright?"

Lisa used the lever to open the door. "It's the best mom, the best!"

"The bus doesn't look very clean Lisa. Let me help you."

Together Lisa and Marge cleaned up bus #23 while Maggie got herself stuck in blue Gatorade on the floor.

-End of Chapter 23-

Author's note: Thank you for making "20 shine teen" a spectacular year! 🤩2020 will be brilliant for all of us! Your votes and comments make my day! Love y'all! 😍