Like all schools, Fairy Rubber Nursing School had final tests. Some 4 months before, there was a notice that a list of 2400 questions would be published and available for a few florins, a nominal price, really. Now, if you did your work, You could pretty much answer them. Form this list would be chosen 108 from each of the classes you had, which was usually a total of 12 and your teachers would make up 96 of their own of which each girl would get 12. If these numbers seem strange, Fairies count by 12 and 5 and this would equal 120. There were all kinds of questions, some with one-word answers, some essay, matching, picture identification, etc. They would be mixed up so that no two persons got the same group of questions. They would be on sale for a week, which for the Fairies is 10 days, and then go away. I bought one of these lists. Even at 2400 questions, I knew I could answer pretty much any of them but having the list would not hurt. The final would be one test with all 120 the questions and from 10 until noon, break then from 1 until 3. We were to be dressed in a special way. our gold-trimmed pink cloaks fastened over the left shoulder and what would be our Rubber Lady tiaras but with the center area empty. Upon graduation Rubber Lady would put in the Rainflower shaped stone that would show we were Rubber Ladiess. This was to show the girls yet to have their finals who we were.
Well, early in the evening before, I got a visitor. I knew her, she was a freind of a lady I knew. She came in with a story that our mutual friend's little girl needed special chastizement that would take all morning and afternoon and offered a tidy sum. I thought and this was too tempting, I would explain to the test proctress later or something. So I did not show up for the test and instead went to the lady's home, was greeted at the door and shown to the little girl's room, the door was closed, I opened it and went in. where I found Rubber Lady Tarilyn and Proctress Ariandra. Rubber Lady said. "Well, Bridget Alicia La Rochelle what have you to say for yourself? I think you had best come with us. And save the explanations, I am sure that I have heard them before. This is how you reward me for my help and use of my good name? Not to mention Mam'selle and Lady Jorgensen. Just what would they say if they heard about this? We shall see what the future holds for you". I was too scared to cry and just wnated to hide behind the very tiniest doll in the room
So off we went, I felt like a trollop, would I be put in a rubber babydoll? What would Mama and my beloved Sandra be told and what would they say if they saw me like this? I wanted to hide behind a small pebble. Back to Rubber Nursing School and into the auditorium where I was to take the test. Maybe we could take the test after all... There were a number of persons in the front including Mam'selle, Lady Jorgensen, Mama and Sandra. Then I noticed about 6 other girls stting in the front row where I was to sit, 6 out of a class of 20, all looked like they had lost their favorite tiara. I knew them, they had also bought the questions list
Rubber Lady went to the front of the room and said "Well, now that we have all these little rebels together, I think it is time that we all told the sorry stories that got us here". At that moment Lady Truthfinder entered and said "I hope we are not going to be disingenuous". So each in turn told her story, it was pretty much the same. a Fairylet needed special chastizement and a tidy sum of money was offered.
Rubber Lady said "Are we understanding this?" and went through the parts of each story that matched. "I had high hopes for all of you girls and especially you; Bridget Alicia La Rochelle, of whom I shall make the first example". then she retold my story. Then she said "Out of the 20 of you, 13 bothered to spend the time and florins to buy the list and go through it. Now for a Fairy, this was no easy task but for one like you Bridget Alicia La Rochelle, it must have been hard so why did you make the decision to miss the test?"
"My Lady" I said "Lady Dorielle badly needed her little girl chastized and there was a good deal of money waiting for me. Do you know what 72 florins is to a student? I was tempted beyond my ability to say 'no' and I though I could straighen it out later...I guess..."
"Enough" she said " I need hear no more. That all of you knew the answers to a final test is beyond doubt or cavil, so what would be its use? You, Bridget Alicia La Rochelle, have quite a bit of confidence, bordering on being proud if it were not well-earned. I can count on my two hands the number of non-Fairies who attended our advanced schools and on one hand the number who passed; and that is over six thousand years. For one thing Lady Dorielle would not have asked you to do this if she did not absolutely trust you. If the test was not a test of knowledge then what was it? It was a test of character. You were challenged to put your skills to good use and for a handsome fee, well that fee, since you did not perform the agreed upon task is a bygone issue. Now what?"
I answered "Well might we be allowed to take the final test? the day is young and..."
"Bridget Alicia La Rochelle; you are dense! there is no final exam: At least not like you were told, did you not get that? This was the final test. This whole thing was a ruse. We saw who did and did not buy the lists. Those who did not were disqualified for lack of interest. Then we arranged for the thirteen of you to get the same visit and offer. Those who turned it down failed. Not being a Fairy, you, Bridget Alicia La Rochelle, presented a special challenge and I hoped fervently that you would be "caught up" in our little net and was filled with absolute dread that you would not, maybe seeing through our little temptation but not understand the real meaning. You showed the instincts of an excellent Rubber Lady and your mother and Sandra, as well as the two Headmistresses here, have much of which to be proud. I said I would deal with you first, Bridget Alicia La Rochelle; and so I shall. come forward" I did so, tears streaming down my cheeks, "I wish to stone your tiara. I am using the pink stone of excellence and I wish you to come over to my home later".
When I got there , I found a typical Fairy home and met the person to whom Rubber Lady had been married, as I found out, for about 200 years. I saw no little girl and was told that they were taking a rest but would soon have one. Lady Rubber took me aside...
" Bridget Alicia La Rochelle. I have had many strange feeling about you. You remember how we met...Please do not answer: I know you do. and two more times after that. Your sobs and screams were Malicia's own torture to me yet I was powerless to stop doing those things since it is now part of my building blocks to do as Rubber Ladies do, and to make up for that I arranged and guided you through your training to be the best rubber nurse ever. No doubt you notice that I always call you 'Bridget Alicia La Rochelle' instead of your Fairy name 'Birzheta Alise Racielle'. That is on purpose. I love the sound of your name and use it whenever I can, which is part of the reason I felt bad chastizing when I did."
I though she might ravish me right there, something about "strange feelings" disturbed me.
"Now I wish to do two things. First, About Sandra, would you like to marry her? That is perfectly feasible if you marry as Fairies. As we did with you, we can do with her. Let me say 'Sandra Lynise Blancheta' would be a lovely name for her. She will need many tiaras but I can manage that and you have a title among us..."
"Title My Lady" I aksed
"Yes: Unless you slept though the last few months, you should be aware that you attended a Fairy Rubber Nursing school and are rumored to have done rather well. It follows that you are a Rubber Lady of the Hierarchy unless that tiara you are wearing and the Raiflower clasp of your cloak were purloined. As such you will need a wand. That may be a bit of a problem: If the Queen found out... But who would tell her?"
Then she went into her private room and returned with a silver box and said, "do not open this until you get home. I do not want the seal broken here. You may bring it with you when you returm but keep it a secret for now"
We spent the rest of the evening with Mama and Sandra discussing wedding plans and who would be the bride and who the housemistress. when I returned to my home and opened the box, I found a twin to Rubber Lady's wand and a tiara with the familiar Diama stone like the one that was and is part of all my tiaras and enables me to have most of the powers and attributes of a Fairy while in their land. and a twin to it as well with a gift tag "To Sandra Lynelle Blanchette: I hope one of many". There was also a note.
"Dear Bridghet Alicia La Rochelle.
I appear to have misplaced something, It is an ancient but very potent Rubber Lady's wand [the word was not 'wand' but something that meant 'doing stick']. If you find it, do bring it with you when you return to my land. It is ancient so the power stone has probably drained so I see no possibility of anyone using it to make mischief" I looked at it and the power stone was bright violet, like it was put in yesterday. " You are, after all, a Rubber Lady in your own right, as the pink Rainflower stone in your tiara shows, so I do not think anyone will have a claim against you if it turns up in your posession and I will file a claim for the return of the wand if I ever get the ambition to do so but that is soooo much bother: I would have to find out who has it. Get three witnesses to prove that it was taken without my consent, Hire a Detectress to ferret out the hisotry of all of this. Oh; the trouble it would put me through and even the, I would not have a strong claim since it is not my personal property but only kept as a Historical Artifact.",which made me cringe just thinking about the age of it and the responsibility I had to treat it with respect, "I am sure it will turn up. If you see it, let me know."
a year later, Sandra and I were married as Fairies