To my daughter Anna,
Who cried when I stopped telling her stories.

A Fairy's Story

ACT ONE
Casey rubbed the dust from her eye, which immediately burst into flame as it hit the ground then extinguished itself just as quickly. She needed to see clearly in the last few moments before Dwiddle gave birth. If she missed the exchange it could be fatal to the baby, forever lost in the mortal world, forever to roam as an immortal soul upon the earth. If she made the transfer at the exact moment it was destined to occur, she would bring another fairy into being, and another soul would be saved. She was good at her profession, never having lost a soul. Now the dust flowed freely and a circle of light began to grow from the center of the mother’s womb. Dwiddle moaned then exchanged a small smile with Casey. They both knew the moment of truth was near, and how, if successful, a new life would bring laughter, joy and adventure into the fairy realm. She felt a weight come into her hands and then her palms began to glow. from experience she new this was the moment of truth. Carefully and slowly Casey held tight to the substance in her hands, and directed it up toward the mother’s heart. The light continued to grow, going from gold to yellow with orange rays shooting in all directions. The being in her hands grew heavier and showed shape and substance; a child was being born. The fairy mother sang a shrill song at the moment of contact when the glowing form touched her heart and the light turned a brilliant white. Instantly, Casey pulled the form back and held it tight in her arms, covering it with her front and letting her blue-tinged wings fold in upon it. As all light faded, the shadows once more fell upon the mother revealing the question in her face, “was this child to be?” Casey looked up into Dwiddle’s sea green eyes and smiled. A well formed fairy infant was layed in her mother’s arms. The child open her eyes to match her mothers color and gold dust passed between them. The midwife checked her patient. Satisfied that the buds on the baby’s back were present, the sign of a fairy’s wings soon to come, Casey gave the child her sealed kiss and moved back as the father came in to join his family. Another girl and another disaster averted. Casey wandered to her tree, folding back the space fied with a wave of her hand. the entrance was dark, she was alone. Babbette her assistant wasn’t back as yet from the high grass people where she was conducting a routine prenatal exam. the white cotton fiber on the floor of her dwelling shine even in the dark, but when she reached out to spark the lamp, the room glowed evenily with the floor to illuminate the walls and the ceiling as well. Her image in the blue pool directly in front of the entrance startled her at first...but then she realized the disheveld flaming hair and wide dark eyes was a typical look after a long night with a laboring woman. Unconsciously she smoothed back her long red curls and went to the washing stand where warm water always flowed and allowed her to wipe the grime and tiredness from her face. Now the image she saw was more sane: dark amber eyes centered above the slightly over large nose and accuentuated sweetly with the heard-shaped, pouty mouth. She smiled a sleepy smile and dragged herself to the down comforter that dominated the next room of her small knot wood apartment. Just floating off to sleep, she heard the door squeek, and let someone in. Groggy, she lifted her head in time to see her assistant, Anthia, let herself in. The novice, all in pink, let herself into the parlor and a strong drink of ale. You wouldn’t believe what kind of a day I had. that witch, Brazell, thinks she can conjure the life force from the well of Ishta. I told her it was impossible but she tried, nontheless. So there I was, standing on the Ishta cliff, waiting for this...this conjurer to begin, when a sudden squall poked it’s way up from the bottom and I was suddenly standingin the face odf a storm. Good gracious,...madame Casey?? Madame??” Cassey heard only the simple words ‘goodnight ‘ as she drifted off. All else would have to wait till morning. the birthing of a new child unto the fairy rhealm took a lot out of a soul. The day dawned with a stream of golden light streaming through the knot hole, directly into Casey’s eyes. She had to awaken anyway, the new child and her mother needed her first day check, an important occasion. Not only did the child and mother need a phisical check, but the farie’s grasp on this would would hold after three days. After one day the spell might still slip. Casey’s job was not yet done. Standing naked in the stream of sunshine, Casey wiped away any signs of fatigue, any remnants of sweat from sleep. Even at 80 fairie clicks, Casy’s breast were still firm and high, her hair a shimmering gold and her legs still as long and slender as the day she first walked as an adult upon the earth. Covering herself with a thin sheet of film and dust, she made her way to the kitchen. Food was not something she needed, but something she had grown accustomed to, enjoying the flavor of a fruit, sweet and cool on her tongue. the fruit she pulled from the cupboard was known as Papei, a orange meat surrounded by a green shell. It was extracted with a spoon and was better cold. Just as she was wiping the last of the fruits drippings from her chin Anthia sat down beside her.
“OO, how can you swalow such a thing?”
“It’s delicious.”
“I’ll stick to nectur, thank-you.”
“Don’t know what you’re missing. Speaking of missing....do I remember you coming in late last evening and saying something about a party?”
“Oh, no. I mean, well, some of the others were going out to the grove and asked me a long. I...”
“You just missed Dwiddle’s birth.”
“Oh? really? Did...did it go well.”
“Yes, no thanks to you. You were suppose to wittness this one for your apprenticeship.”
“I’m so sorry. But... there will be others, right?”
“Maybe.”
“Please don’t be angry with me. Don’t you remember what it was like, just young and out of your web, dying to explore and see the world?”
“I remember. I also know that your family expects me to watch out for you.”
“I won’t tell, if you won’t.”
“I give you too many chances.”
Anthia grabbed a nectur leaf and drew out it’s juices.
“Ummm.”
“Well, you have to come with me this morning for the first day check."
“Oh, but I promised Joodi I’d go with him to the big tree.”
“First check, Anthia, now!”
“Oh, all right, slave-driver.”
Casey could only shake her head as Anthia left the house. There was so little time, and Anthia took it all for granted. Her daily routine was begun with an accounting of the former lives she brought into this rhelm. Each one in its place and brought to the council. Today was a council day and time for assuring them that all Casey’s babes were secure and in order. The old oak tree stood in the center of the village. Set apart, it’s long, drooping branches shaded the clover ring that surrounded it. No other trees tried to grow in its shadow, and those who tried were soon burned and shrivled away. The COuncil always met early just as the sun reached the bottom brances. That way all chore could come after and no excuse could be used for not getting work done. The Fairy world believed in work for the sake of getting everything in order as it should be. Casey followed the low branches, hoping not to run into any of the council members. The old ones were kind and learned, but through experience, Casey found that being caught up in a conversation with one meant spending a lot of time listening to old stories and being late to where ever she was going. The air was cool and moist for early summer but she knew by time the sun rose to the tops of the trees it would too warm to fly and all her village would find shaded waiting places until night fell. Novices and non-fairies flittered by, a trail of golden dust leaving traces on her sholders and feet as she glided throught the air. Streaming with the new morning sunshine, the forest was alive with activity. Paulo was the first to approach her.
“Morning Miss Casey.”
Paulo flitted just above and to the right, leaving his dark trail which Casey had to push through to make her way. Because of his young age, his flit was opack, almost a dusky rust color. Casey hated to have the soot soiling her new white slippers. Even though she tried to side-fly him, he continued.
“Word is that the Council is agitated. Someone is in deep trouble.”
“What are you talking about Paulo?”
She moved past him one more time but he sided up to her and smudged her hem.
“Moofda is said to have an irritable stomach, sipping honey all morning. And Klem has been seen pulling his beard.”
“This does not mean someone is in trouble, Paulo, it just means our Council members are old and in need of the healers help.”
She couldn’t help but smile at Paulo’s young version of what has been a typical morning here in the glen.
“Oh, no, no. I heard this just a momennt ago that somone would be singled out for an infraction.”
This stopped Casey. Only certain wrongs were brought up for infractions. Most fairy life was free from infringment on others rights. As long as no one was hurt, anything was agreed upon to be acceptible. There were only three major crimes. Murder. The kiling of another was punishable by taking the life of the murderer in forfit. Theft. Taking that which did not belong to you was punishable by banishment, although fairies had little to really secure as their own. The only thing they treasured most was their essence, that which makes them....them. The primordial ooze that runs through their veins. In mortal world among the fairy hunters, their blood was valued for it’s longevity affect. Living among the fairy world were an occasional spy from the hunters of the real world. Those posing as fairies in any capacity, mostly Knomes and an occasional Druid. Any mortal or fairy hunter would deem a price for the asking least they capture just a pint of the priceless fluid. Most fairy life agreed to share and was willing to share anything so theft was relatively unknown. The third was intermarriage and intercourse outside a species. Punishment for this barbaric practice was to live the most horrific day of your life over and over again. Feeling all the emotions of that day, the criminal would awake on that day and die at the end, continuously, until his days of punishment were over (sentence completed). Then the person would be banished, not to be seen in any rhelm, or all the members of any town can drive them out by any means SAVE killing. To live the rest of their days forever monitored and cast out. Science was beginning to intrude into the lives of many of the learned and ancient fairies. All levels of species was being classified and categorized. There were a lot who agreed that once this filing was complete, the fairy civilization would take an evolutionary leap. If this was true then the cast system they lived in would be their base for the next leap. The higher the balance for good to Evil would either lower or heighten the injection of essence into their life. The next life would be a harder test. The ultimate goal was total enlightenment and a nirvana existance for the rest of eternity. Thou are GOD, it exisits in each of us and we have but to tap into the power it can command by intense and hard lives. Work hard and expand your mind, says the fairy code. The wizened ones who created the ‘system’, however, ar eloathe to reveal the score until they are absolutley correct. There is one knome however who believes that the numbers have already been reached. That the wizened ones have been infiltrated and although many are untouched, there is a faction that refuses to let go of their power. They do not want the ideas of ascention. The direct opposition within the wizened ones, a riff of immesurable depth, is headed by the Cherib Down. This fiercely devote clansman is driven to recute wizened ones from all species to take over the mainstream. So PAulo may be right. There might be a reason to fear the meeting this morning. She would make an effort to make herself inconspicuous. She would hide behind the elvin who were taller by nature. She would only look out from under her brows and never speak. Her job may be important in this rhelm, but she didn’t have to report at every meeting. Moving on, Casey noticed that PAulo had grown tired of her meanderings and had taken his seat in the council chamber. He sat at the lowest level, where fledgelings were whelped and new parties offered honey up to the old ones. The arena was a-buzz with a hundred voices. The air shimmered in gold, bronze and silver. There wasn’t a space that was open yet Casey spotted an opening behind Golen and Meana, two frightfully busybodied Elven who never passed by ab opportunity to gossip of other’s affairs. As she knelt silently behind their folded wings she could hear them discourse on the state of the kings affairs.
“Of course many of the court saw her come out of his chamber.”Meana gloated.
Golen rolled her eyes.
“No one would dare speak of it, however.”
“Of course not. Or of the way he gives her gifts and takes her with him to the forest’s edge almost every day.”
“Then it must be obvious.” Golen decided.
“But he is a lesser king, of no note. Hardly worth the trouble of telling tales.”
“But you told me yourself this was true.”
“Oh, dear, you can not believe all you hear.” Meana finished.
The eldest, King Rudolph was approaching his throne, held on each side by muscled drones, capable of lifting him is that were the need. However, Rudolph like to think he were more spry and occasionally fluttered his weary and battered web of a wing to propell him just a little further. Casey shusshed the two in front of her and craned her neck to see Rudoplh finally settle in his chair. The dried moss covered his lap and the courtisans smoothed down his wings and pinched his chheks to bring the color into them.
“All Fairydom wiwl wise nand nonor the eders.” Said the court monitor, a heavy fellow with a lisp and a limp, as he motioned for the din to subside. High council Fair Motlebaugh pulled out the brittle scroll leaf and read the creed as it has always been read before each session, “To see through and through the efforts of the world as a whole and be the guide to all spirits, great and small until each collective, common and on high, can agree, defend and tolerate the presence of the other and all.”
“So we say, “ all the crowd repeated then all sat to begin the day’s business.
Since he was the highest, King Rudolph spoke first.
“Good and morning to you all.”
He rose his hands as he presented himself to the attendence. Everyone hushed and tried hard to follow his whispered words.
“We have a matter of urgency that cannot wait until the meeting of new and greating from old.”
The crowd mumbled and fidgeted then quieted to hear more. Casey edged forward and dare to poke her face through the folds of Meana’s gown of heavy gold seeding.
“An immortal has been born!”
This brought the crowd to an uproar. Everyone searched around for the midwives in the crowd. Each king looked for the others for answers, but eah just shrugged his and her shoulders and fussed with his or her graying hair as it braided aound their back. Casey pulled back and tried to make herself smaller. Rudolph, however, had only to stike his hand once to the petrified tree knot and everyone cut short their astonishment and movement.
“Yes, an imortal has been born and at this moment is being raised as human. But in the short while since this occurance I have managed to assertain that the fault this time was not fairy in nature.”
“King Rudolph, sir, if I may?”
From the edge of the row of kings rose the youngest of the line. Newly crowned, this fairy was held in high regard and treated as an equall, so when he spoke the elders listened, however, with a salted ear.
“A trip to the other collective is in order.”
The new kings golden wings pulsed with strength and excitement. Blue eyes straighgt and true, this male was Apollo, the westender lord. Known for his fairness in a fihgt, he nonetheless had many occasion to use his strength as his section often dove into turmoil and he was their only law. Rudolph had to raise his voice a decible.
“Please, stay calm, stay calm. We have decided to follow young Apollo’s idea. But we will demand an expert in this field go along.....Mar Casey...”
The words echoed through the crowd, and as Rudolph decended his throne, the crowd parted until the old king stood infront of the nearly colapsing fairy. Casey saw determination in those old-grey eyes, not accusation.
“You know what has to be done.”
Casey fell to her knees and kissed the hem of the old king ’s diaphanous robe. When she looked up she saw herself in his eyes, calm and kind, they spoke to her of forgiveness.
“You will go with the party. You will go and find out what has happened to bring another mortal into the human rhelm. Then you will decide what must be done.”

The young man sat in his classroom. His classroom because he taught the 32 students each weekday, each hour he could muster just enough enthusiasm to bring history into focus, just a little clearer. But his abilities that stretched farther that the mortal world, interfered with the thoughts he tried to implant into the influential youth of America. "What can I give them today", he thought. "Aliens made the world in 21 days....or perhaps the LochNess monster has been transported to the Bay and searches for children to help send him back to his home world. What can I tell them today and make them believe?"