The Fairy's Hovel

The Fairy's Hovel

         Jessica stood at the window and watched the gray clouds roll in. As they came, the earth below them darkened, and sun-mantled buildings put on cloaks of shadows. Checking her watch, she pulled the drapes shut, sighing impatiently.
         When the windows were covered, the place was as cozy as any fairy hovel. The floral-pattern sofa with its throw pillows lent a lot of charm, and each of the two upholstered armchairs was commodious enough to permit guests to curl up entirely on the seat with their legs tucked under them if they wished.
         When the doorbell rang, Jessica’s heart buzzed with excitement. She quickly flitted to the front door and swung it open.
         A young human stood at the threshold, her auburn hair attempting to cover half her face. “Jessica Sunbright?”
         Jessica smiled. “Yezzz?”
         The girl looked doubtful. “Jessica Sunbright . . . the fairy?”
         Jessica rolled her multifaceted eyes. “Yezzz! Yezzz! Come in, child!” She ushered the human inside and motioned for her to sit on the sofa.
         “But . . . but you’re not at all like I pictured you.”
         “No? Well, you don‘t look much like a reporter either.” The fairy sat down beside her, folding her wings flat. “I suppose you were expecting Tinkerbell or something?”
         “Well, yeah . . . kinda.”
         “We fairies live in two realms. This is how I appear in yours.”
         “Did you use real fairy magic to make me this small?”
         “Yezzz.”
         “Wow, that’s something.” She flipped open her notepad. “It really gives you a whole new perspective on life, doesn‘t it? To be this small, I mean.”
         Jessica was becoming irritated. She scratched at her big eyes. “Yezzz . . . so, what do you wish to know?”
         “Well, we’ve always thought that fairies were gone from this world, but there must be thousands of you, literally millions!”
         “Yezzz . . . there are.”
         “And do you all look like houseflies?”