How William Saved a Fairy

It was the first full day of summer vacation, and I’d spent the entire day doing exactly what I wanted – nothing. Of course, my dad didn’t think that nothing was a good thing to do, so after dinner, he sent me outside to play with my friends.

         “Dad, I’m fourteen. I don’t play with my friends,” I argued.

         “Fine, then go hang out with your friends,” he commanded.

         I huffed a sigh. “They don’t want to hang out with me,” I grumbled and trudged down the short hall to my bedroom to get my shoes.

         My dad followed me. “Why not? Were you being a butt again?”

         “Maybe,” I answered.

         “What did you do?” He wrinkled his forehead and narrowed his dark blue eyes.

         I made my own annoyed face back at him.

         He raised an eyebrow and I looked away. I look like a younger version of my dad; we have the same color eyes, and light brown hair, and I guess he’s pretty good looking for a dad.

         I focused my attention on tying my shoe and mumbled, “I threw the ball over the fence and didn’t feel like going to get it, so they’re mad at me.”

         “Well, you’re not spending your summer watching television or playing Xbox, so you should go apologize and see what they’re doing,” he said.

         I rolled my eyes.

         “Don’t start with me,” he said.

         “Whatever,” I grumbled. “There’s nothing to do outside.” I left the apartment, and slogged down the stairs.

         Our apartment complex is pretty big, and the section where we live has lots of kids. That night, they were getting ready to play hide and go seek. They invited me to play with them, but I didn’t feel like it so I just kept walking.

         As I turned the corner to walk towards the mailboxes, Bailey, the annoying nine-year-old girl who lived in the apartment building next to ours, came running to try and walk with me. Bailey has a crush on me; she’s always playing with her long hair and smiling at me, and she always changes her outfit before she comes to follow me around. It’s so annoying. I’m fourteen, and I can’t hang around with a nine-year-old little girl.

         “Go away, Bailey,” I said quietly, without looking back. The other boys already teased me enough about her, and I could feel them watching us now. I had to ignore her or they’d only start to tease me.

         “I wanna go with you,” she said when she caught up to me.

         I had to think of some way to stop her. “You can’t. I’m going to the college and you’re not allowed off the property after dark,” I said, proud of my quick thinking.

         I stepped off the sidewalk that marked the end of the apartment property, and crossed the road to the college campus. “Go home, Bailey,” I said from the opposite sidewalk. She just stood there pouting, so I went on with my walk.

         At the end of the campus, there is a big area of woods, with lots of trees and underbrush, and a gravel road that ran through it. Most people walk around the woods at night, since campus lights and security doesn’t go in there, but I was looking for something better to do than playing hide and seek, so I took the gravel road through the trees.

         The gravel crunched under my feet, and there was a strange damp smell in the cover of the trees. It was pretty dark under the thick canopy of tall oak and dogwood tress, but the pink sunset sky cast dim light through their branches and cast strange shadows. A stray cat darted across my path and disappeared into the underbrush. I looked around at the low tangle of ferns, fallen trees, and blackberry bushes, trying to see where the cat had gone. A signpost near a tight cluster of trees caught my eye. It was too far away for me to read. I took my phone out of my pocket and switched on the flashlight app, then trekked through the brush.

         The sign read: “Feral cat feeding station. Please do not disturb residents.” I shined my cell phone’s light on the ground to see what they’d set up for the cats. One of those igloo shaped doghouses with a scratchy looking blanket covering the door was sitting close to the trees. A set of empty metal food and water bowls sat next to the igloo. There was dry hay spread all around the area.

         I was curious if the cats actually used the house, so I crouched down next to the opening and moved the blanket aside. A faint glow seeped out. Just as I was about to look inside, a crow cawed in the trees overhead, and I dropped my phone.

         The plunge into darkness and the ominous, lurking crow made the woods incredibly terrifying. I fumbled around on the ground in front of me, searching for my phone, then high stepped through the brush back to the road, and ran straight home.



         “Where have you been?” my dad asked when I came in the front door.

         “Nowhere, I just didn’t realize it was so dark out,” I said, still panting from my sprint home.

         My dad just looked at me like I was supposed to know what he was thinking.

         “What? I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late,” I said, frustrated.

         “Watch the tone, Buddy. Where were you?”

         I looked at my feet. “I was at the college,” I answered.

         “What’s the rule about being out after dark?”

         “On the property or in the house,” I mumbled.

         My dad gave me another long look before he said, “Okay. Keep it down when you go to bed.”

         “Okay,” I said and walked down the short hall to my room.

         “Love you,” my dad said as I walked away.

         “Yep. Love you too,” I said. I lay back on the bottom bunk and thought about the igloo in the woods, wishing that I’d gotten a better view of what was glowing inside.

***

         It was about twelve thirty when I woke up the next day. I checked my phone first, and wasn’t surprised to see that I had three messages from my dad. The first two were to tell me to take out the garbage and vacuum, and the third was to ask if I was awake yet. They’d all come in hours ago, but I responded anyway. I wasn’t surprised that his reply included a reminder that I’m not going to spend my entire summer in bed, so I decided to get started with my day.

         I did my chores, ate a sandwich, and went to find out what was inside that igloo. The sun was high in the sky as I walked, and I was in a great mood. Then I heard the familiar sound of flip-flops slapping against the pavement.

         “Where ya goin’?” Bailey asked when she caught up with me.

         “None of your business. You’re not invited,” I said.

         “I don’t care. You’re not the boss of me,” she said.

         I started to walk faster, but she sped up. “You’re so annoying,” I mumbled.

         “Well you’re grumpy,” she replied.

         “Whatever,” I said, and walked faster.

         Bailey kept up, but when we got to the woods, she stopped. “I’m not allowed to go in there, ” she said, as if I’d asked or something.

         “Good,” I said and walked down the gravel road. I didn’t remember exactly where the igloo was, but as I looked around in the woods to my right, I saw a stray calico cat creeping through the brush. Sure enough, it was going towards the feeding station so I crept along behind it.

         High in the trees, dozens of crows were watching the cat and I. As the cat got closer, one of the birds swooped down with a loud caw and dive-bombed it. The cat darted to the left, out of the brush and the crow returned to its tree. More crows in the trees cawed and flapped their wings, as if to say, “And stay out!”

         “They’re protecting something,” I said to myself very quietly.

         “Yeah,” I heard Bailey whisper from right behind me.

         I turned around fast. “I thought you weren’t supposed to be here,” I snapped, annoyed and a little embarrassed that she’d been able to sneak up on me.

         She put a hand on her hip. “Are you going to tell on me?” she asked with a sassy look on her childish face.

         “Maybe I will,” I answered.

         “Sure you will,” she said. “What are you doing here anyway?” she asked.

         “I told you. None of your business.”

         She looked around for something interesting enough to lure me off the road and then saw the igloo. She pointed to it. “What’s that then? Is that where you’re going?”

         I was frustrated with her and about to go back to the road, but I stopped. I just had to know what was in the igloo, and I wasn’t about to let this little girl keep me from finding out. “You know, Bailey, if I wanted you to know, I wouldn’t have said that it’s none of your business. I don’t want you to follow me around. Go away,” I told her.

         She looked at me with a scowl. “No.”

         I huffed. “Fine, but stay away from me. And if you don’t leave me alone, I’m going to tell your mom,” I said and then kept on my path. Of course, Bailey followed me but fell behind. Her short legs struggled to step over the fallen trees and blackberry bushes.

         I slowed down and looked up at the crows. They stirred on their branches, but stayed quiet, so I moved forward until I was very close to the igloo. Without looking, I could tell that Bailey was still trying to get to me, so I reached for the blanket. There was a rustling in the trees overhead as the crows shifted on their branches, but they stayed where they were, so I uncovered the opening and ducked down to look inside.

         Inside the igloo, red, blue, purple and yellow lights glowed from thin female bodies, about twelve inches tall and dressed in leaves from the trees. I leaned in to get a better look, and the lights moved closer together until their colors blended and it was impossible to tell where one stopped and the other started. “What the heck are those?” I whispered.

          “What is it?” Bailey asked from over my shoulder. She startled me, since I was distracted by the lights. I fell forward, whacked my head on the igloo and toppled into a fern.

         “Get away!” I shouted as I tried to get up and block Bailey from seeing whatever was inside, but she was too fast. She reached for the blanket and yanked it aside.

         “Fairies,” Bailey whispered as she peered through the opening.

         “I saw them first,” I said, glaring at her while I wiped dirt off my shorts. “How do you know their fairies, anyway?”

         Bailey didn’t answer. She was watching as a crow floated down from the branches and landed on top of the igloo. It looked at us with a beady eye. The red light came to the opening and seemed to turn its face to the crow. The bird looked down at the light, bobbed its head, and flew back to its branch.

         The red light light stepped outside of the igloo. We could see that it was for sure a little woman with shimmery wings that poked out of her back. She had a pretty face and short dark hair. Her dress was made of a maple leaf. She studied Bailey for a moment and then looked at me.

         “Hello,” the little woman said. When she spoke, her voice was no louder than the rustling of branches, but with a slight ring that made it understandable.

         “Are you a fairy?” Bailey asked.

         The creature nodded. Bailey stuck her tongue out at me.

         I was amazed, and suddenly not at all annoyed with Bailey. I moved to crouch next to her to get a better look.

         “What’re you doing here?” I asked.

         “We’re trapped,” the fairy answered.

         “How?” I asked.

         “On the last moonless night, we met the wild cats who live in these woods before we could find the right portal home. They caught Daffodil, and she was badly hurt. The crows chased the cats away and have protected us since. We’ve nursed her while we’ve waited on the moon, but she must get home to be truly healed. We must find the portal to take us home before it’s too late for Daffodil,” the fairy said. She looked back at Daffodil, the dim yellow light on the floor of the igloo, with the blue and white lights nearby.

         “What portal?” I asked.

         “Fairy rings are portals between our world and yours,” the fairy explained.

         “Magic,” Bailey whispered in amazement.

         “Yes. Magic,” the fairy agreed.

         “Why can’t you just use the same fairy ring?” I asked.

         “Fairy ring portals are for one way travel. Each has a different direction,” the fairy said.

          “I can find you a fairy ring?” I said.

         “Could you do that? Would you?” the red fairy asked.

         I shrugged, “Sure. How will I know which one can get you home?”

         “Rings of white mushrooms will take us home.”

         I nodded. “We have lots of those around here,” I said, sure I’d be able to find one in no time at all.

         “You must hurry. The portals are only active on moonless nights and the next moonless night is tonight. Daffodil won’t live another cycle. And you must keep us a secret,” the red fairy said. “Children are innocent, but adults do not understand our magic.”

         “I will hurry,” I said. “I’ll find one in no time.”

         “I’ll help you,” Bailey said. I shook my head at her. I thought it wouldn’t be good to let the fairy see us argue, but I really didn’t want her help.

         “Be safe,” the fairy said, and she went back into the igloo.

         I looked up into the trees at the sentinel crows, keeping watch from the branches. As I walked slowly back to the road, I scanned the area for the bright white mushrooms. Bailey tromped along behind me.

         “How do you think they know English?” she asked, and completely interrupted my search.

         “I thought you should know that since you know what fairies are and everything. Now go away, Bailey.”

         “But I want to help you,” she answered.

         “Well I don’t need your help, so you can go home,” I said.

         “I’m not going to,” she said.

         “Fine, but you’re not helping me,” I said, and continued my search.



         At the edge of the woods, we ran into some of the neighborhood boys. Since I was with Bailey, I was sure that they were just going to tease me. When you’re fourteen, it’s never cool to be seen with a nine year old.

         “Where have you two been?” Sammy said, exactly as I’d expected.

         “She was following me,” I said, trying to stay calm.

         “We were just walking in the woods,” Bailey said.

         “Shut up, Bailey,” I said, and glared at her.

         She glared back at me. “Be nice.”

         “Yeah, be nice to your little girlfriend, William,” Sammy crooned.

         My neck got hot, and I was sure it was red. “Shut up, Sammy. She’s not my girlfriend, she just follows me around,” I said, almost yelling. Just to make sure he got my point, I turned to Bailey and added, “She’s a pest.”

         Bailey didn’t say anything. She just blinked, and let a tear roll down her cheek, and then turned and walked towards home with more dignity than I thought a nine year old could have.

         “You guys are jerks,” I said to the boys.

         Danny looked at me like I was nuts. “You just called her a pest, Dude. Who’s the jerk?”

         “Whatever. You know she’s not really my girlfriend, you just want to make me mad,” I said, and then turned around and walked away. I felt bad about what I’d said to Bailey, but was too angry to do anything about it. When I reached the intersection, I looked down the street to my left, and saw that Bailey was still going home. I wasn’t about to follow her, so I turned right to look around the other side of the campus for the fairy ring.

         It was really hot outside by the time I’d walked around the entire campus, and I still hadn’t found the fairy ring. The grounds were recently mowed, and all the mushrooms were gone. All I could see were the green rings of grass. It was impossible to tell what color the mushrooms had been. I was frustrated, and about to give up and go back to tell the fairies, when I saw Bailey coming around the corner. She was coming to give me an earful about being nice or something; she had that look on her face.

         “I found a fairy ring,” Bailey said as soon as she was close enough to be heard.

         “How do you know what a fairy ring even looks like?” I asked, annoyed that she’d probably actually found one.

         Bailey looked at me like I was stupid and said, “I do read, you know? Plus, I was right there with you when the fairy told you what you to look for.”

         Oh yeah, I thought. “Fine then, show me.”

         She folded her skinny arms across her chest. “Not until you apologize for being such a butt to me in front of Sammy and Danny.”

         I looked away with what my dad would have called a defiant look.

         “I mean it. I don’t have to show you. You can’t expect people to want to help you, or even hang around with you, if you’re just going to be rude to them,” Bailey said. She sounded so wise, but I was getting pretty tired of being told how to act.

         I took a deep breath and swallowed my frustration with the little girl. I thought about how the yellow fairy was fading and that the new moon was that night. There really wasn’t much time at all. I guessed that it didn’t really matter who found the portal; it wasn’t like we were going to actually be able to tell anyone about it anyway. “Fine. I’m sorry,” I said.

         “Sorry for what? And say it like you mean it.”

         I puffed out a big breath. “Ugh, you’re so…”

         She scowled at me.

         “I’m sorry I wasn’t nice to you in front of Sammy and Danny,” I said, really fast.

         Bailey narrowed her eyes at me, but it must have been good enough. “Follow me,” she said. She turned on her heel and strutted back to the woods.

         We walked a short way down the gravel road and then turned left into the underbrush.

         “I didn’t get a chance to check over here yet,” I said as she led me to the spot.

         About fifty feet from the road, Bailey stopped. “See? All white mushrooms,” she said, pointing to the circle of white mushrooms surrounding a green patch of ferns and weeds.

         “I see it,” I snapped. “Let’s go get the fairies.”

         I walked faster than Bailey, and tried to beat her to the igloo. As we got closer, we saw that the crows were on high alert. Two striped cats came bounding out of the bushes. They sprinted down the gravel road with puffed up tails and squished back ears.

         “I hope they didn’t get them,” I said and started to run, taking high steps to not trip over the brush. Bailey hurried, too.

         The igloo looked undisturbed. I reached out to move the blanket and saw that all four of the fairies were still inside. The red fairy came to the opening again.

         “Did you find a fairy ring to take us home?”

         “Yes. What do we do now?” I asked.

         “We must wait until the sun sleeps. We need the cover of the moonless night to safely travel through the fairy ring,” she answered.

         “Will you fly there?” Bailey asked. Excited curiosity sparkled in her eyes.

         “We will try, but we will need to watch for cats and Daffodil may need your help. Will you help us?”

         Bailey looked at me, worried. “I’m not allowed to be off of the apartment property after dark.”

         “I’ll find a way,” I vowed. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t allowed off the property either. I’d think of a way.

***

         By dinnertime, I’d made my plan and was just waiting to put things in motion. There’d be hell to pay if I got caught, but that was a risk I was willing to take. After dinner, I went to my room until my dad sent me outside to hang out with my friends, which was exactly what I’d needed to get my plan going.

         As I was hoping, the kids had organized a rather large game of hide and go seek, since it was Friday night. I blended right in, and played a few rounds of hiding so that parents and kids would see me there. Then, once I’d seen enough people, I slipped away from my chosen hiding spot and off the property. So far, the plan was going perfectly.

         The woods were dark so I used my phones flashlight. I pointed its beam ahead and crept with caution through the brush to the igloo. When I arrived, the fairies were standing near the entrance, except for Daffodil, who was still huddled in the back.

         “Daffodil can’t fly,” the red fairy said. “She is too weak. Will you carry her?”

         Now I was really excited. I had considered the possibility that I’d get to carry the fairy earlier in the day, but it was really mind-blowing that it was actually happening.

         The fairy must have thought my excitement looked like worry, because she said, “Don’t be frightened. She won’t hurt you. Fairies are the source of all magical creatures, and we’re purely benevolent.”

         I wasn’t sure what benevolent meant, but it didn’t matter. “Of course I’ll carry her.”

         The fairies started moving around inside the igloo and I scanned the area for cats. One by one the fairies flew out. Their lights grew brighter as they fluttered their shimmery wings, hovering over the igloo. I reached into the igloo and picked up Daffodil as if she was made of glass and eggshells. She felt light as a feather, but very warm in the palm of my hand. Her tiny hand rested against mine. I thought she might be trying to hold on; I felt was a strange sensation, like tiny blunt pins being pressed against my palm.

         “Are you okay?” I asked very quietly.

         The tiny woman whispered, “Yes.”

         I moved my hand closer to my chest to protect her, and looked at the other fairies floating in front of me. “Ready?” I asked.

         The fairies flew a little higher.

         “Keep an eye out for cats,” I said to the fairies and we set off.

         It was very dark, but the fairies lights helped to show the way through the trees. Soon, their light reflected off of the pearly white caps of the mushrooms in their perfect circle. “It’s there,” I said, pointing, but the fairies had already seen it. They flew to hover over the ring and waited for Daffodil. I crouched down and laid the back of my hand on the ground.

         “Thank you, human boy,” Daffodil said as she climbed out of my palm.

         “You’re welcome.” I felt like I should thank them for something since seeing a real fairy seemed like something to be grateful for, so I added, “Thanks for letting me find you and help you get home. Maybe I’ll see you again someday.”

         “These woods are full of magic, if you know where to look,” the red fairy said.

         “I’ll remember that,” I answered. This was good news since I was sure I’d need more ways to entertain myself over this summer.

         The red fairy smiled at me. “You might want to give us a little space,” she said.

         I stepped back and watched as the fairies landed and stood around Daffodil. Their lights grew brighter until they were almost blinding. A high-pitched screech came from the mushrooms as they quivered and started to glow. Then, when the mushrooms lights were almost as bright as the fairies, the ground within their circle vanished, and the fairies dropped through what used to be ferns and grass. I tried to see what the inside of the portal looked like, but it was just nothing and darkness.

         As quickly as it started, the screeching stopped and the mushrooms glow was extinguished. The darkness of the woods surrounded me again. I was still somewhat shocked by what had happened, but knew that I had to get back to the apartments before someone noticed that I was missing.

         I ran straight home and picked up the pace when I realized that most of the other kids had gone in for the night. Bailey was waiting for me at the edge of my apartment building.

         “Did you make it?” she asked.

         I nodded, out of breath from running.

         “Are they home?”

         “I think so. I have to go in,” I said.

         “Tell me about it tomorrow?” Bailey asked.

         “Okay,” I said. I did want to tell Bailey about the portal, since she was the only other person that I could tell, and so I figured it wouldn’t be that bad to be friends with a nine-year-old. She was pretty helpful.

         Bailey grinned. “See you tomorrow,” she said, and then ran to her apartment.

         I ran up the stairs. When I opened the door my dad was standing in the living room, as I expected.

         “Where’ve you been?” he asked.

         I’d prepared my answers when I was making my plan. “Hiding. They couldn’t find me. I didn’t realize they’d stopped playing,” I answered with a shrug, as if to say that this was completely normal.

         He looked me up and down and stopped at my feet. “Where were you hiding?” he asked.

         I mentally kicked myself. “I was in the woods,” I mumbled.

         “None of these kids are allowed off property after dark, and you know that, so there’s no reason you’d hide or seek someone off property. Why were you in the woods?”

         I wanted to tell him the truth, but I knew he’d never believe it, and I hadn’t planned on being so foolish that I’d forget my shoes, so I went with my favorite answer. I shrugged and said, “I forgot.”

         “Well you should know better, it’s not a new rule. For this, you’re grounded.”

         I opened my mouth to protest, but he stopped me.          

         “Don’t argue. You know the rules. Grounded to your room,” he said.

         My shoulders sagged. “Fine,” I said, truly disappointed that I wouldn’t be allowed to go outside.

         “Wait. I know what you’re doing. This is what you wanted in the first place. No, no. You’re not grounded to your room; you’re grounded from your room,” my dad said, sure that he knew I was secretly happy about being made to stay in my room.

         Yes! I thought, but put on a good show of fake disappointment. “Aww Dad, don’t do that!”

         “You should have thought of this before you went off property,” he said. “Now, to bed. Love you,” he added.

         “Love you, too,” I muttered. I stomped lightly down the hall, just to drag out the show of my misery over being grounded. I was really excited about what the next day would bring, even if it meant I couldn’t play Xbox or watch web shows. There was magic to find.