The Fairy Phenomena
Have you ever thought of the
possibility that fairies exist? I mean, I never even gave it a thought before.
Sure, Ma and Pa would tell my little sis Sarah and me all kinds of stories
about fairies, elves, and all sorts of mythical creatures. I suppose when I was
younger, I always hoped that one day I would be sitting at my window, and all
of a sudden a little fairy would pop in, greet me with a warm smile, and
flutter back out. I've always been somewhat of a realist though, and I guess
the thought that these stories were true never occurred to me.
You might be thinking by now,
"Has this girl gone mad?" Perhaps I am. I will even admit, I don't feel quite
sane all the time, especially since the rumor of "fairies" have spread through
out my quiet little town. With our town, the smallest, pettiest thing creates
an uproar for the entire village. The gossip flows through here like a plague.
Everyone knows every tiny detail in everyone else's personal lives, weather
they'd preferred it kept secret or not.
Well, you can bet once people
began talking about glittery fairies, everyone knew, and no one could get it
off their minds. Just walking down the street is completely murderous for me.
As I walk, I hear numerous voices shouting and greeting each other. The most
common greeting would be, "Have you heard the news about the man in Tuxacanty
who saw a fairy?"
Only few people have actually
seen a fairy (none in our town yet) but it still gets everyone all riled up.
People would be simply dumbfounded if someone actually saw one here. (I don't
think I could really care less)
I usually bring something to
sell when I go in town. We live in a cabin just outside the hustle and bustle
of Jarksbury Square. Jarksbury Square is where everyone talks, chatters,
gossips, giggles, gabs, and any other thing you can think of that nosy, loud
people do. Of course the people buy and sell there as well. I personally like
quietness, myself. It's entirely grand
to step outside on our back porch at night, when everyone's asleep, and only my
cat Casper and I are up. I sit in Mama's rocking chair and rock back and forth
as the wind rustles my hair, and I can hear the whispers of the trees as the
wind passes by them. Oh, but you should see the sky! That is the most amazing
part! The stars, just sitting there, in a giant pool of black, twinkling. Some
twinkle faintly, and others burn white holes in the sky. Either way, just
looking at them makes me shiver. It's so peaceful. Absolutely nothing like
Jarksbury Square!
In the bookstore, the people
move about as if they were on fire, everyone searching for some book on the
fairies, to educate them in the gossip further. Although I love to read, lately
I've been staying clear of the bookstore. Sadly, I can't avoid Jarksbury Square
altogether. I must sell mama's dresses.
After a grueling struggle to
pass the ladies in the clothing store, I finally get to the front so I can talk
to the owner. She says she can sell Mama's dresses right away, and they will
certainly being in a pretty penny for Mama's trouble. That's one of our ways to
pay for our things; Mama, Sarah and I sew dresses. Well, Sarah and I don't
exactly sew dresses yet, but we're both very talented in sock and mitten
making.
I make my way though the group;
each lady is too tied up in their fairy gossip to say hello. I'm too short for
them to really notice me anyway. Oh well. I finally step out the door, shouting
back to the owner that I'll be back in a week or so to see if any of the
dresses have sold yet. She smiles and tosses me a gumdrop. I thankfully pop it
in my mouth, smile brightly to show my appreciation, and continue my walk back
to the house.
When I get home, Father is out
hunting, Mama's making bread, and Sarah's playing outside with her homemade
dollies. I made them for her myself.
"Dara," Mama calls, "you ought to read a book if you're idle."
Don't you think a girl who's
fourteen should be out, doing something, rather than reading? I don't complain
though, like some of my friends do when their mothers insist on them reading a
book. Personally, I love reading.
I decide that I'll read the book
I've had out for awhile( and no, it's not about fairies). It's a story about a
dragon, a princess and a knight. A classic tale, indeed. I read for a few hours,
after reporting to Mama what the store owner said.
Finally, father comes home,
after a nice hunt with the dogs, and sits down in a chair, exhausted. He
brought us home a few rabbits. Mama said they'll go excellent with the bread
and soup she made earlier. I agree.
After dinner, Sarah is sent off
to bed, and Father decides that's the best thing for him to do as well. Mama
shoos me off to bed, and I reluctantly go, although I wish deep down that I
could have stayed up and sewn with Mama, by the light of the candles. Sarah and
I share a room, so snuggling in, I say my prayers and fall asleep.
A few hours later, I suddenly
awake to soft whispering. Completely awake now, I notice Sarah is happily
cuddled up with her dollies. I get out of bed, and make my way down our hallway
into the living room. The whispering stopped. Casper then crawls out from
behind the chair. I hadn't noticed him there.
"Casper couldn't possibly have
been making those noises, " I sigh to myself. I turn around and retrace my
steps back to bed. Yet then again I hear it, only this time a little louder. It
sounds more like singing. Racing to the door, I'm hopeful that this time it
won't stop.
The door swings open, as I
launch myself out onto the cold grass beyond the porch steps.
I follow the sound into the
forest, through the trees, and near the brook.
Suddenly, ahead of my, I notice, sitting on a rock, a pixie, just like
the ones described in the fairy tales I've heard time and time again. Her
beautiful wings are pressed together, shimmering. Her tiny feet and hands are
placed on the rock, and she is sitting happily, with a content look upon her
face. She just sits there and sings, melodiously. It is a very soft singing, so
I cup my hands on my ear so I can hear more clearly. Now I can hear the words,
but I cannot understand them.
The words are apparently in
another language/ Even in the dark forest, a moon beam falls upon her, I draw a
breath. She hears the sound and stops singing, looking around to figure out who
is watching her. I try to duck out of sight, but she spots me. Surprisingly,
she smiles at me. Then, she flitters up, plucks a single flower from the tree
behind her, and touches it softly. The flower was white before, but as she
touches it, a splash of blue, pink, and gold melt down the flower, staining it
beautifully. It sparkled with dew and dripped with glitter. Then she leaves it
on the rock, and flutters away. I stand, astonished, not wanting to move,
hardly breathing. Finally, summoning my courage, I walk over and pick up the
magnificent flower, and lightly pick it up. I kept it safely in my hands until
I reached the cabin. Wouldn't the town gossips love to get their hands on my
story? Or even my flower? Well, that's entirely too bad, because I won't tell a
soul...I saw a fairy. The Fairy Phenomena
The End
© 2002 Copyright
held by the author.