A Fairy's Journey

         Flying through the air into the magnificent sunset is a mystical fairy. Her wings are a light yellow and they flutter fiercely as she fights against the upper level winds of the atmosphere. Her pale blue outfit covers only what is necessary and her long golden hair flows in waves as the wind courses through it. She is covered in sparkles from head to toe and she leaves a trail of fairy dust wherever she goes. This lonely fairy searches day and night, over many lands, for her long lost love.

         I am this fairy. My name is Constance. I search for the so-called “right one” and yes, he does exist in the fairy world just as he does among the mortal realm. Sure, I could use my magic to make any male fall in love with me, but that is not the way I wish it to happen. I want it to be natural, you know? Two people traveling through life and then one day, after long bouts of suffering with loneliness, they meet. Whether it is under normal circumstances or very unusual ones, I believe that love will find the lonely and make their lives much more magical, in terms of sensuality. However, if I don’t find the man I am looking for, I do not know how I will go about functioning for the rest of my fairy life.

         The sun is setting lower behind the horizon and I know I must return home... Home to a castle in the midst of a mighty rainforest. I must go to sleep sometime.

         I know this as well as any fairy, but I dread sleep for I fear that I will be sleeping alone. There will be no man to keep me warm on cool nights, when blankets may not be enough, and no voice of reassurance that I am loved, in a way such that is different from family love.

         The stars are popping out now, as the colors of the sky are fading toward non-existent. I dive down through the treetops and make my way toward home. My travel speed slows down, as I know what awaits me: a cold, empty bed. Oh, forget it! I’m not going home. It’s too lonesome there. Okay, so all of the fairies, in this part of the rainforest, live in this huge castle, but have you ever been to a party and in the midst of all those people, you still feel abandoned or lost? If you have I know how you feel.          

         You are probably wondering where I have flown to, so I will tell you. About a mile away from my home there is a stream where most of us fairies come to play or relax. I am in the hub of this stream, sitting on a small rock as I give my wings a rest. They are tired and dreadfully sore from my long day of searching.

         I scoop up a small amount of water in my hands and splash it on my face. It feels warm and greatly refreshing to me. I dive in suddenly, and float up to the surface. How this warm, gentle water relaxes my aching muscles! Mmmm. I think I will stay here awhile, as I have another lengthy day ahead of me.

         I close my eyes and unwind while I float on my back. I think I will be a rebel and stay out here all night. It might be against the rules of the elder fairies, but I don’t care. No one will miss me anyway! Without so much as another thought, I fall into a deep and peaceful sleep.          

         Come morning, I wake up as the sun speaks to me with its arms of golden rays. I glance around and see that I am still in the stream, but what is this land all around me? It is extremely unfamiliar. I am lost and have no idea how far from home I have drifted! What am I going to do?

         With no other idea in mind, I climb up on the banks of the stream and look around. Nature here is dead and the atmosphere is exceedingly dark. I can see ahead of me that the path I am on is long and winding, but wait! There is a castle at the end of it! It looks well built, but I can sense that it is as dreary and forlorn as I feel. 

         I take a few steps forward and gaze at the trees on both sides of me. They are surely dead. They carry no leaves and most are rotting away. This is pretty much the same for the grass, as it brown with death, if it has not already dissipated into dust. Another issue I have noticed is that there aren’t any animal sounds. All is quiet, but yet I continue to peer around the trees and brush just to see if I can find a rabbit or a squirrel. The only things I found which resemble any animal are the carcasses of those who could not survive in this barren land.

         I persist along this path, clutching my stomach as I don‘t feel very well. I am royally disgusted after what I have just seen. Surely, no one in his or her right mind could live here! The pain of nature I perceive is unbearable. It is crying for help... I can hear its whispers . . . I can’t take it anymore! I must make it to the castle to see if anyone is there and can help me find my way home.

         I dodge up the path, running as fast as I can. I could fly, I suppose, but most of us fairies take our wings for granted and therefore, in one way or another, end up losing them.  Because most of us use our wings so much, we are really out of shape when it comes to running and we lose our breath quickly. That is what is happening to me now. I must stop running to regain some air.

         I lean up against a tree and glimpse at the sky. Nothing but mean, dark clouds hovers over the castle and its province.  There doesn’t seem to be any end to them but I know there must be, so I take a quick flight up into the air. I pass through the clouds and come out to blue sky on the other side of them. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I look around me to all edges of the horizon and see that the sun glimmers brightly there. It is just this land that I am above that is under the lock and key of gloominess.

         I also notice that the distant lands I am peering at are nothing like what is near my home. I really must have gone far. In desperation, I make my descent back to land. I am puzzled as to where I can be or what kind of life forms I will encounter here. Should I be calm or afraid? Oh, how I hate perplexing situations!

         Feeling the earth under my feet, I make my move towards the dreary castle door. While knocking, I notice that the heavy wood door feels clammy, as if covered by an intense amount of moisture. Loud, weighted footsteps echo inside the castle walls, making me shiver. Do I really want to stand here and wait for this person, or whatever it is, to open the door? I have to, so I can ask for directions, or I fear that I will never find my way home.

         The door creaks slowly open. “May I help you miss?” a large humpbacked man asks.

         “I’m not sure,” I tell him with a shaky voice.

         “Are you lost, child?”

         “Yes, sir. I’m afraid that I am.”

         I watch as the man grins and gestures to me, “Please, come inside.”

         Reluctantly, I walk inside the castle doors and into the parlor. It’s dark in here, just as I imagined that it would be, and the air is extremely musty.  I cough hoarsely and wave my hand in the air, as if trying to wave the mustiness away. It is like a dense fog has taken shelter inside these walls. I have never seen anything like it! “How can you live here?” I mutter more to myself.

         “How’s that?” The man wonders aloud.

         “Nothing,” I state through another rough cough.

         “Are you okay, Miss?”

         I shift my eyes to the man and away from the room. “The air is thick in here. How can you breathe?”

         “It is? I guess I am used to it. You see I have lived here for many years, as my master and everyone who lives in his house, have been cruelly placed under a curse.”

         “Why? What has he done?” I inquire, finding myself more interested in another person’s affairs than I have ever been before.

         “He didn’t do anything and that is what we don’t understand. It was about twenty years ago when my master, Deverell, or Dev, as we usually call him, was invited to a party that was given in the honor of Queen Josie and King Xelter of the fairies.

Deverell was a little fairy of nine and he had flown many miles to be there in the King and Queen’s presence and to honor them in the birth of their eighth child. This child, a daughter, was said to be special and that she would posses some power or strength, to bring hope or love to those who have none. Many before her were said to have this power too, but they failed in their attempts, as many fairies died due to hopelessness or broken hearts. These fairies were then put to death because failure was not allowed in that tribe.”

         “That’s awful! But what did Deverell do, sir?” I pull up a chair from a table that is positioned behind me and wait patiently while the man did the same.

         “Please, call me Chester.” I shake my head in agreement and then listen to the rest of the story. “You see, everyone at the party received a chance to see and hold the baby. That was normal, but when it came to the males, the King and Queen would debate on whether or not that man looked good with their daughter. If their Highnesses liked how they looked together, then that man would be their daughter’s suitor.” Chester takes a break for a minute, chases down some wine, and brings it back to the table.

         “I’m glad I wasn’t in that tribe. Their way of life is too harsh for my taste!” I proclaim, taking my glass of liquid and drinking the first sip.

         “Yes. I would imagine that it would be for anyone who isn’t used to it.” Chester gulps his wine, to quickly wet his whistle, and proceeds with his tale. “When it was Dev’s turn to hold the baby, the King and Queen dismissed him as with the previous men. However, the Higher Power of the King and Queen spoke up. His message was sent through the sun, which suddenly grew eyes and a mouth, and through all of the birds in the sky. The sun sang with a lovely tune delivering the message that Deverell and the baby were a match made in Heaven. The birds chirped along with the sun in their own uplifting melody. Everyone at the party was left in awe at this cheerful event.

         “Queen Josie quietly talked with her husband and they came to an agreement. And that was to go against God and curse Deverell for being born. All the people in the tribe knew that a curse from the King and Queen was worse than death itself. So with that decision in mind, the baby was ripped away from Deverell and he was sent here, to this castle, to live out the rest of his days in sadness and loneliness.”

         “Wow! Talk about unfairness! I can’t believe that the King and Queen would do something so horrible like that. Do you know where they are now?” I keep prying into Chester’s mind and I don’t mean to do this, it’s just that there is something familiar about this. You know? Like may be I have heard of this story before.

         “Well, the King and Queen were killed by their own people, as the population was tired of how the King and Queen were ruling them. And not to mention how they were destroying their people’s lives.” Chester pours himself another glass of red wine.

         “What happened to the baby then?”

         “It is widely held the baby was shipped away to a kinder and more trustworthy fairy tribe. I think she may have been placed in the tribe just north of here. You know the one with Queen Gloria and King Ainsley as the rulers?”

         “I know them! That is where I am from, only I seem to have wandered away . . .”

         Chester finishes my sentence for me, “And you can’t find your way back.”

         “Yeah,” I sigh leaning back in my chair, being careful not to crush my wings.

         “There is something I must tell you about the baby. A strange marking was placed on her body before she was shipped away so that the people would know how to find her if they needed her.”

         “Do you know what this marking is of?” I ask curiously.

         “Yes, but what good will it do if I tell you? You will be no better at finding this woman than we are. We must face that we are doomed to live in this gloomy satire.” Chester bows his head and sighs. I thought that he was going to cry.

         “Chester,” I start, leaning forward and placing my hand on his. “You must think that what you have told me will do some good, otherwise you would not have spoken up.”

         He looks up at me. “You know, you’re right! But still, what could you do that we haven’t already tried?”

         “I’m not sure. Chester, I must go outside now, and think things through to see if I can come up with something. I will return a half-hour before sunset.”

         “Alright, miss.”

         “Please, call me Constance.” I stand up to leave as Chester almost falls out of his chair. “Are you all right?” I ask concerned.

         “It’s you!” He cries. “It’s you! You’re the one we’ve been waiting for. The one who will bring us hope, and to Master Deverell, love!”

         I stagger backward and try to keep my balance as Chester abruptly grabs my arm. “What are you talking about?”

         “The baby’s name was Constance, the same as yours.” He pauses a moment in thought. “Wait a minute. How old are you?”

         “I’m twenty. Why?”

         “You are the same age as she. I knew it! I had that feeling when I first saw you at the door.”

         “Chester, calm down please. You’re scaring me! I am not the one you have been looking for.”

         “You are, though! How can you deny it?”

         “Simple. I don’t have that painted mark on my body. The one you spoke of.” I stare into his eyes as his hopes fall to the floor and shatter. He drops my arm and struts back to his chair at the table. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

         I was just at the door when he spoke again. “Nope! Not good enough. You’re going to see him anyway,” Chester replies, bolting out of his chair and clutching my arm again.

         “Huh? See who?” 

         “My master, of course!”

         Before I could stop what was happening, Chester flew me up over his shoulder and bounds up a long winding set of stone stairs. This seems to go on for hours, his taking two stairs at a time and my shrieking all the while. Finally, we reach a set of wooden double doors and I am let down onto my feet. Chester knocks on the door. “Excuse me, Master. I have someone you must meet.”

         “Chester, be a good man and show whoever it is away. I don’t feel much like company tonight.”

         “See, he doesn’t want to meet me. I’m leaving now,” I declare, but am held steadfast by Chester‘s arm.

         Little did I know that inside the room, the sound of a girl’s voice in Deverell’s ears is like the soft chime of bells or the quiet coo of a dove. 

         Chester makes a fist to rap on the door again but it quickly flies open. There before me stands the most handsome male fairy that I have ever seen. He stands tall with black shoulder length hair and shimmering light blue eyes. His body is well toned and he looks as though he could walk through the middle of a battle and come out with only a scratch. “Please, won’t you come in?”

         Chester pushes me inside, as I have become frozen in place at the sight of this man. “Tell him your name!” Chester demands.

         “Why? It’s just a coincidence. Can’t you see that?”          

         His voice grows harsh and impatient. “Just tell him!”          

         Deverell walks towards me and takes my hand in his. “Please, Love. Tell me your name.”

         “It’s . . . It’s Constance,” I choke out as I blush. No one has ever spoken to me like that before.

         Dev’s eyes grow wide and his grip on my hand tightens, but then he suddenly tears his eyes and hands away from me. He stands now at his window with a sad expression plastered on his face. “I want to believe, Chester, that she is the Constance God has sent to be my wife. But how can I after all these years?” Silence makes its way into the room, but only for a brief moment. “Does she bare the mark?”

         “I’m not sure, Sire. If she does, she is keeping it well hidden.”

         Deverell turns his attention to me and takes the same steps back to me, which he used to walk away. “Do you have the mark of a smiling sun on your body?”

         “How many times do I have to answer this question? I’ve already told Chester that I...” I stop short in my words, as I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror just off to my right. I notice right above the bikini bottom, on my hip, there is part of a symbol resting there on my skin.

         Without a word to either of the men, I step closer to the mirror and roll down the bikini bottom just enough to see the whole sun. I hesitate for a moment before speaking as I am in shock. I swore that I wasn’t the girl! “Um . . . What does this mean?”

         “What does what mean?” Dev asks.

         “This!” I turn my right hip towards him so he can see the smiling sun.

Chester looks on too.

         “It means that you’re the one! You are the Constance that has been sent to me.”

         “I knew it!” Chester shouts and starts dancing around. He stops abruptly.  “Master, shouldn’t the curse be lifted now? I mean, the King said that if you ever did find love, the curse would end.”

         I stand now in Deverell’s arms as he peers out the window and looks at the sky and then at the ground. “I don’t understand,” he says, looking down at me and then over at his butler. “I have found my true love, so the clouds should be disappearing and nature should be growing back. Constance, do you know why nothing is happening?”

         I shake my head. “No, I don’t.”

         “No matter. I have you now and that’s all that matter’s to me. I will never let you go again!” Deverell leans his head down and kisses me with the most passionate and sensual kiss I have ever witnessed.

         Instantly, the castle begins to shake and a loud deep moaning is heard somewhere outside. We all rush to the window and observe the dissipating clouds and the re-growth of nature. The sun is a blazing orange in the sky and a gentle breeze carries the dead leaves far away. Everything is beautiful in the land and the castle itself is bright in color. The mustiness I have once breathed in has been replaced with a light air and the heavy scent of spring.