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Post By Rhiannon Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 03:40:01 pm EST |
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The Girl Who Saw Fairies | |
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Lily pulled the large, battered old book onto her knee, tracing the gold lettered title with her finger before finally opening it and leafing through its aged pages. The title read Fairy Tales of Myth and Legend, the pages held few illustrations but the few images she could find where brightly coloured and seemed as if she was looking at the scene itself, not a picture in a book. Absently pushing strands of mouse-brown hair out of her eyes she flicked back to the beginning and began to read. The book was an old favourite that she had owned for as long as she could remember, the familiar words washed over her like water as they told her of far off lands and people. Of evil villains and courageous heroes, of magic and of mystery, how often she had dreamed of such things. There was only one thing that dwelled within the books pages though, that Lily had seen with her own eyes and heard with her own ears, that no-one else could see and hear, no one that Lily knew at least, that was constantly present in Lily’s life. The fairies. It seemed that Lily had been born seeing fairies and though far more sensible adults would tell her that she was just imagining it, she would not stop seeing them. As it was Lily rarely spoke of what she saw to anyone, she kept the fairies all to herself and felt no obligation to speak about them to anyone else who would never believe her anyway. The fairies themselves where delighted that someone could actually see them and where constantly present in the young girls life. Lily’s parents might mutter that a child of twelve aught to spend less time with her head in the clouds and concentrate on making some friends instead of dreaming of imaginary fairies, but Lily was never alone or indeed lonely as any other child her age would have been without any human companion to call a friend. Lily’s mother was a tall woman with brown eyes and black hair that was never loose, her husband stared out into the world with blue eyes and kept his fair hair as short as he could, he was rarely seen about the house as he worked full time at the shoe shop down the road. It was the worst of luck that two so practical and down to earth people should have a daughter like Lily. The girl’s long, tangled, mouse-brown hair was constantly loose, her features where delicate an elf-like, making her look as if she could be blown away on the wind, and Lily’s bright green eyes where forever shining with an adventurous fire. Far more difficult for her parents to cope with than her physical appearance though, was Lily’s spirit. When her parents thought that she was revising for school she as down by the woods, delighting at being surrounded by nature, playing in among the trees or bending over her sketchpad happily lost in her artwork. The only person who had ever truly understood Lily, or even tried to, was her grandmother. It was her grandmother, Lily had a sneaking suspicion, who had given her the book she now read. Certainly it was her grandmother who had so long ago, sat Lily on her knee and read to her as she rocked by the fire. Lily’s parents might tut, shake their heads and inform her grandmother that she should have outgrown all that ‘fairy nonsense’ long ago and aught to stop filling their daughters head with made up stories, but old Hannah Woodside told her granddaughter of many things, more than what could be found in any book; she taught Lily of the magic creatures that she saw and never questioned what Lily claimed to see. Gently the ancient old woman told the child of both the good and the bad of the fairy race, teaching her to be wary of her companions as well as thankful for their friendship. There was no-one to understand Lily now though, not since that terrible summer’s day when her mother had marched into her room only to inform her that her grandmother was dead. Lily missed her grandmother dearly though it was now two years since she had passed away, but was ever thankful of the gift that she had been given, the knowledge and understanding of the fairies. “Wake up Lili!” A tiny voice, much like the wind, called out, snapping Lilys concentration on the story that she had become absorbed in, “Stop reading now Lili!” Lily grinned recognising the voice as well as the strange nickname used for her by the fairies. “I’ll have you know, Whisper, that I was enjoying that story,” She replied, and then with a sigh added, “What is it?” “I want to play, Lili,” The tiny winged creature replied, “Heatherbush and Wisk do too.” This remark prompted Lily to note that there where indeed three of the playful winged creatures spiralling around her. “Hold still please all of you,” She instructed them, reaching for her sketchpad and pencil, “Like that, thanks.” Familiar as she was with this trio she knew that the worst mischief they would get up to was the occasional nip or pinch and so held no fear of them as she focused on drawing the scene in front of her. Whisper was perched on her knee, hands on hips. He was craning his head back to see her face. He wore a pair of dark purple trousers and a green jacket that greatly resembled a rose leaf. On his head was a bright red hat shaped like a pointed dome. His face was smudged with dirt though he was grinning and his eyes where full of unsatisfied mischief. He sported no wings, nor needed any as he flew just as well without. Different indeed was Heatherbush; her skin was so pale it was practically white and she wore a most amazing pale blue dress that was full length and had what can only be described as layers of material coming from it and floating as if in water. The butterfly wings on the fairy’s back were only a shade lighter blue than the dress and her blond hair was held up by an intricate pattern of silver clips above her pure blue eyes, Heatherbush appeared to shine in the sunlight. Then came Wisk. He sat upon one of the rare illustrated pages in Fairy Tales of Myth and Legend, Wisk was dressed identically to Whisper but had bat-like wings and was not nearly as talkative. “Lily Woodside! Are you daydreaming again?” Startled by her mothers voice Lily dropped the sketchpad. “No Mum, I’m not,” She replied, turning to face her mother as she stood up, and tried not to laugh as she spotted the faces Whisper was pulling at the oblivious parent. “Yes you where!” Alice Woodside contradicted her daughter, “Now, get down to the shops and buy us some milk. And no dawdling!” With that she stormed from the room. “She’s a bossy, shouty, meany. Don’t listen to her Lili.” Whisper’s comments were all that broke the shocked, if slightly amused, silence.  “Daydream! Where’ve you been?” Lily Woodside asked in a somewhat lowered voice as she wasn’t alone here and was considered odd enough without rumours going around about her talking to thin air. “Watching fish,” answered the newcomer, a fairy girl who looked about Lily’s age, wearing green trousers that stopped suddenly at the shins and a berry purple long sleeved top. Daydream had hair the same colour as Lily’s though amazingly long in comparison to her height. The fairy girls green eyes shone joyfully as she waved to her best friend. “Why?” Lily grinned. Fairies where such exiting creatures, so changeable, like water. Everything she did brought about some form of reaction. “Cos,” Daydream answered. “Well I’d better hurry up and get this milk home. Why does Mum always make me go shopping for her?” To this question all Daydream could do was shrug. “Y-yes,” She stammered, afraid of this stranger though unsure as to why. “Then if you would please come with me I will explain,” The mysterious man told Lily. “No, Mummy told me not to trust strangers!” Lily felt the fear rising. “I’m telling you to come with me!” The mans voice though quiet, was filled with anger. “Why?” Lily half shouted. “Because our… organisation has reason to believe that you can contact the supposedly legendary creatures known as fairies,” The explanation chilled Lily more than not knowing had. She suddenly found that she had backed into an alley with a dead end behind her. “If the power these creatures posses could be harnessed, if these creatures could be harnessed, then the possibilities are endless. All we need is a conduit who understands about them and can link between them and the machinery that we are constructing, you will do this.” “That’s not possible,” Lily denied, “Not possible at all.” “It is!” Now Lily realised her danger. This stranger understood nothing. She could not make him realise how impossible it was to do what he was intending, like trying to catch water in a butterfly net. She was alone and, she suddenly realised, surrounded. Four other strangers had appeared from the shadows and where circling her like birds of prey. “It is possible and you will help us.” The strange man hissed at Lily, suddenly moving forward. “No!” Daydream, who had been perched on Lilys shoulder throughout the conversation, flew at him suddenly, and though he couldn’t see her he noticed something out of the ordinary when she tripped him up. “Bad people will not hurt Lili! Bad people will leave Lili alone!” Lily dropped the bag she was carrying and ran, ducking under reaching arms and rushing through the near deserted backstreets. If she could just make it to the forest then she would be in her element. If. Without Daydream she never would have made it. Her pursuers where greatly hindered by her constantly tripping them, pinching them and moving obstacles into their way. With a last desperate burst of speed Lily crossed the river and seeing Whisper appearing out of nowhere, pointing her in another direction, she turned, suddenly tripped, and landed in the most perfect of natural hiding places. “Wisk, its okay,” Lily assured him as she cautiously made her way along the forest trail five minutes after her pursuers had given up. Heatherbush had watched them leave the area, “You only did it so you could get me to end up in a hiding place. I should be saying thank you, not telling you to stop apologising. Without all of you I don’t know what I’d do.” She stopped now sitting herself on a large rock voiced her fears. “What they wanted to do…” She ventured. “Was bad, was nasty.” Daydream announced, “Was also impossible.” “That doesn’t stop them trying,” Lily pointed out, “I can hardly go home now though, they’ll know where I live.” “So?” Wisk asked, “If Lili has to leave home, leave home. Lili doesn’t need to yet so Lili can stay home now though,” He paused then, glancing at the quiet young girl, “If that’s what Lili wants.” “I’ll go back,” Lily decided, “Mum’ll never believe how I lost the milk though.” Then Lily glanced up at the flight of tiny friends who had helped her so well that day, and then Lily smiled. Rhiannon Rose Watson Concepts, characters, and situations copyright © 2006 reserved by Rhiannon Rose Watson. The right of Rhiannon Rose Watson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. |
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