| Fantasy Fiction posted January 1, 2022 |
  |
It's nice to believe...
Once Upon A Fairytale
by Begin Again
"You need to calm down!" Covering her mouth, Carina giggled at her sister's dilemma.
"Easy for you to say, Carina. I'm the one dangling above a raging river and a howling giant." Mia glared at her sister sitting on the ground.
"And I'm the one with a lump on my head because you broke the tree branch," Carina smirked at her sister and, with a petulant scowl, added, "Now I can't see."
"You are safely on the ground, Miss Whiner. I could fall at any moment and become that creature's meal."
"Oh, Mia, what a fishy tale you tell the wife." Examining the fallen log, Carina dusted it off with a large green palm leaf and found the perfect place to settle. "Your lies are falling on my deaf ears."
"What? Carina, you make no sense. I'm telling you what happened; that's not a fish tale, and you are certainly not my wife." A gust of wind slapped Mia in the face and sent her swinging precariously through the air. She screamed, but no one heard a sound.
"See, Mia, I do have deaf ears because I saw your mouth open, but I didn't hear you scream." Carina was enjoying her new game of tormenting her sister.
"If I get down from here, I am going to knock you to the moon and back." Mia took a deep breath and added, "You aren't blind, Carina. You fell when the branch hit your head, but you're not blind."
" How would you know since you are hanging out up there and I am down here?" Carina snickered, "I swear it knocked me out. How will I ever see to get home?"
"You weren't knocked out. But I promise I could assist with that thought if I ever get down." Mia hissed, "Open your eyes, and you'll see."
Carina squinted through narrow slits and then pressed her eyes closed again when she saw the monster near the river's edge.
"You are about to die at the hands of the growling monster or be swept away by the poisoned water; why would I open my eyes for that? Besides, I don't understand why I didn't hear your screams."
"Don't you ever pay attention in class? Our science teacher said that our vocal cords could freeze when we are frightened. They vibrate, but we can't hear the noise because the pitch isn't there." Mia yelled at the top of her lungs but didn't make a sound. "See?"
"I told you I can't see, so quit asking." Carina sent a miffed look in Mia's direction and then schooled her. "Well, Miss Know-it-all, I know more than you. I'm not the one caught on the limb. Mom told you to stay out of the trees, but no, you think you know everything. It serves you right that you are up there. Which I still don't believe."
Mia seethed with anger but reminded herself to remain calm. Unless she remained focused, she would not be able to yell at her sister, something she desperately wanted to do. A slight squeaky sound came out of her mouth, followed by a loud command. "Carina, open your eyes so you can see."
"See, you lied! Your vocal cords aren't frozen." Carina was bored with this game, so she turned her back on Mia and took another peek at the monster.
A breeze caught the branch and tossed Mia from side to side, banging into the limbs. She squeezed her eyes tight, holding her breath as she waited for the big splash. Terrified and sick of listening to Carina's mindless dribble, Mia screamed but once again produced a tiny squeak.
"You're faking. I already heard you scream." Carina fluffed her lavender skirt and stuck out her tongue. "I wish they'd freeze forever so I wouldn't have to listen to your threats. When we get home, I'm telling Mom that you said you would knock me to the moon and back. That's cruel cause you know I get sick if I fly."
"Carina, we're fairies. We all fly."
"Okay, then why can't you fly down here and sit with me? This game is boring."
"It's not a game, Carina. I told you I caught my dress on a branch, and I can't get loose. You won't go for help, and if I try to wiggle off, I'll land right in the monster's lap, and it will eat me."
"Mia, that's disgusting. I know I would puke if I heard the monster crunching and snacking on your bones, and my new dress would be ruined." Carina pondered on a new thought for a moment and then added, "But if that happens, can I have your record collection? You won't need it, and I would think of you every time I played a song."
Mia tried to scream a string of cuss words at her sister, but nothing would come out of her mouth. She rolled her fist into a ball and shook it at Carina.
Carina giggled. "You don't have to get so mad. I was kidding."
"Shut up, Carina." Mia peeked from beneath the tree leaves at the monster below. "It's funny shaped. Its long legs are twisted and folded under the dirty thing it's wearing. Our dresses and wings are far prettier than it."
"There you go again, making fun of others. Faires are supposed to be nice. I hope it hears you and haves you for lunch." Carina giggled, "And then, I'll take the records without having to ask."
Mia pressed her lips tight and counted to three before she spoke, "Please be quiet, Carina. You and the monster's howling are driving me mad. I can't think because its noise is louder than you, which I didn't believe possible."
Perturbed by Mia's constant complaining, Carina decided to investigate. She opened her eyes and looked at the monster. Suddenly, her fairy heart felt sympathy for the creature. "Mia, there are pieces of the river spilling out of her eyes. She looks sad."
"The ugly old thing is probably sad because it can't reach me. It's plotting how to do it. You better watch out before it gets you."
"I don't think it even knows we are here." Carina jumped off the fallen tree branch and edged closer to the monster. She gasped in surprise and stammered, "I think it's—it's hu—human. It's one of those girl thing-a-bobs. She has long blonde hair and a gorgeous blue dress, except for the big mud stain on the front. Mia, I think she's a princess."
"A princess? Now I know you are crazy. And, pray tell, how could you possibly know what she looks like if you can't see?"
Indignant by Mia's questions, she snapped, "I imagined her! Mom read a story about a princess called Cinderella, so I know what they look like, and she's a princess." Carina stole another glance. "And she's not howling. She's doing that weeping thing Mom said sad princess's do when their Prince goes off to war."
"You might be right since Mom's never wrong, but everyone knows princesses don't come into the forest because the wicked witch will catch them."
"Maybe she was being chased, and that's how her dress got soiled. Or she was running to catch her Prince." Carina looked around. "Silly me, I can't see if there's a witch around here or a prince. I forgot I'm blind. Can you see one from up there, where ever that might be?"
"No, I don't see one, but if you'd get me down from here, I'd be glad to introduce you to one. Maybe Hansel and Gretal would share, or better yet, there are plenty of wicked witches in Oz. I bet the one with the green face would love to have you in her clutches."
"I hate you!" Carina looked for something to throw at Mia but stumbled over a small branch and fell down the embankment, rolling over and over, landing near the giant girl's feet. Ker plop!
Mia's heart stopped. She instantly regretted arguing with her sister. "Carina, hide. I'll save you." She didn't know how, but being the oldest by thirty minutes, she knew she carried the responsibility of keeping them safe.
She tugged and yanked, trying to get loose. Then she heard and felt her skirt as it loosened. Rip-p-p!
A high-pitched squeal exploded from deep inside Mia's body. Her eyes widened when she heard the snap of the branch as it lost its grip on her tiny body. The little fairy tumbled through the air, spinning upside down. Both fairies screamed as Mia plopped onto the mushy ground.
"Oh, Mia, it's disgusting." Green slime and brown mud oozed between Carina's fingers and toes. Her dainty pale green wings and lavender dress weren't pretty anymore. Trails of brown ran down her face as she started to cry.
Mia landed face down in the brown yuck. She lifted her head and squirmed as the slime oozed down her face.
Carina's earlier courage disappeared. "Mia, where are you? I'm drowning." As she shook her hands in the air, the squishy slime flew everywhere, splattering the princess as well. "I can't see for real this time."
Mia tried to wipe the mud from her eyes, but it was useless. "I can't see either. Maybe it's a spell, and we're both blind. We need to hide."
Carina's tears turned to frightened screams as the giant girl's pinchers lifted her out of the mud and into the air. Carina flung her arms and kicked her legs, anticipating a quick death with one crunch. "Mia, it's got me. You were right! I'm a goner."
The girl placed Carmin in her palm and then plucked Mia out of the mud, too. When she spoke, her voice was soft, like an angel. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." She frowned as she examined the little fairy. "You are much messier than me."
Carina's eyes flew open and stared into the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. She stammered, "Mia, I can see her. She is a princess."
"Hm, so you can see. Interesting? Your eyes are playing tricks, are they?" Mia glared at Carina.
Carina shrugged and smiled, "No, I opened my eyes."
"You opened your eyes? Have you gone mad? We're in danger, and you closed your eyes."
"I guess. I figured if I told mom I couldn't see, she wouldn't be mad at me. You'd be the responsible one."
The giant girl took her handkerchief and dipped it in the sparkling river, offering it to Mia. "Maybe this will help you wash away some of the slime." She gently wiped the mud from Mia's face and eyes. "the yuck gives me the creeps."
"You touched the water. Mother always tells us to stay away from the river because we might die. Isn't the water poison?"
"It's not poison, but it is dangerous if you don't know how to swim."
Mia shuddered as she stared at the water. It didn't look like a raging river anymore. Turning her head to face the girl, she asked, "Are you going to eat me with those?" The tiny fairy pointed at the large open cavern with sharp daggers hanging inside. "Do the smaller monsters live in there?"
The girl giggled and touched her fingers to her face. "This is my mouth, and these are my teeth. Nobody lives there, and I don't eat fairies, so you are safe with me. But it is late, and I should get home. Do you live around here?"
Carina chimed, "We live—"
"We live far away, and we should go home too." Mia glared at her sister and hissed, "Remember the rule. We tell no one where we live."
The girl smiled, "I understand."
"Well, I guess Carina and I should go."
"I could sprinkle my fairy dust and wish us back home. Then we wouldn't be late." Carina searched for her little bag and found it lying in the mud.
"You creep! You had fairy dust in your pocket while I was dangling at death's door? Can you tell me why you didn't think of this earlier?"
Carina giggled, "Because it was fun watching you, and when we met our princess, I guess I forgot." Carina pretended to appear sheepish, but Mia could see her grin.
The girl laughed, causing the two fairies to tremble. Being the bravest, Mia found the courage to ask, "Was that how you roar?"
"Roar? You mean like a lion?" She smiled and set both the fairies on a patch of clean grass. "I'm not an animal. It was a laugh but much louder than yours."
The bright yellow orb in the sky was nearing the horizon. "Carina, it's been quite an adventure, but we need to go home."
"But we just met the princess. I don't want to leave."
Mia snatched the bag of dust from Carina's hand. "Little sister, I'm going to sprinkle the dust, and your princess will fall asleep. When she awakens, she'll believe it was a dream."
Mia opened the tiny bag and tossed a pinch of the golden dust into the breeze. "Carina, you better start flying home because if I catch you—"
"Mia, does she have to forget?"
"Yes, she does. Can you imagine the trouble we'd be in if they all knew we existed other than in fairytales? You know it's the right thing to do."
She crossed her fingers behind her back, where Mia couldn't see. Carina nodded her head and said, "I do." But she couldn't resist one last shot, so she stamped her foot in protest. "But, Mia—"
Knowing Mia's spell wouldn't work because she'd crossed her fingers, Carina whispered to "her" princess, "Don't forget me, please." She slipped her tiny bracelet from her wrist and let it drop on the grass.
"Carina, you need to go now." Mia watched her belligerent sister disappear at the edge of the forest before tossing the rest of the fairy dust.
She looked at the sleeping beauty and picked up Carina's bracelet. "Thanks for saving us and being so kind. I'm sorry I called you a monster." She smiled as she placed the shiny gold in the girl's palm and closed her fingers around it. "Don't tell Carina, but I know we will meet again."
This Sentence Starts The Story contest entry
"You need to calm down!" Covering her mouth, Carina giggled at her sister's dilemma.
"Easy for you to say, Carina. I'm the one dangling above a raging river and a howling giant." Mia glared at her sister sitting on the ground.
"And I'm the one with a lump on my head because you broke the tree branch," Carina smirked at her sister and, with a petulant scowl, added, "Now I can't see."
"You are safely on the ground, Miss Whiner. I could fall at any moment and become that creature's meal."
"Oh, Mia, what a fishy tale you tell the wife." Examining the fallen log, Carina dusted it off with a large green palm leaf and found the perfect place to settle. "Your lies are falling on my deaf ears."
"What? Carina, you make no sense. I'm telling you what happened; that's not a fish tale, and you are certainly not my wife." A gust of wind slapped Mia in the face and sent her swinging precariously through the air. She screamed, but no one heard a sound.
"See, Mia, I do have deaf ears because I saw your mouth open, but I didn't hear you scream." Carina was enjoying her new game of tormenting her sister.
"If I get down from here, I am going to knock you to the moon and back." Mia took a deep breath and added, "You aren't blind, Carina. You fell when the branch hit your head, but you're not blind."
" How would you know since you are hanging out up there and I am down here?" Carina snickered, "I swear it knocked me out. How will I ever see to get home?"
"You weren't knocked out. But I promise I could assist with that thought if I ever get down." Mia hissed, "Open your eyes, and you'll see."
Carina squinted through narrow slits and then pressed her eyes closed again when she saw the monster near the river's edge.
"You are about to die at the hands of the growling monster or be swept away by the poisoned water; why would I open my eyes for that? Besides, I don't understand why I didn't hear your screams."
"Don't you ever pay attention in class? Our science teacher said that our vocal cords could freeze when we are frightened. They vibrate, but we can't hear the noise because the pitch isn't there." Mia yelled at the top of her lungs but didn't make a sound. "See?"
"I told you I can't see, so quit asking." Carina sent a miffed look in Mia's direction and then schooled her. "Well, Miss Know-it-all, I know more than you. I'm not the one caught on the limb. Mom told you to stay out of the trees, but no, you think you know everything. It serves you right that you are up there. Which I still don't believe."
Mia seethed with anger but reminded herself to remain calm. Unless she remained focused, she would not be able to yell at her sister, something she desperately wanted to do. A slight squeaky sound came out of her mouth, followed by a loud command. "Carina, open your eyes so you can see."
"See, you lied! Your vocal cords aren't frozen." Carina was bored with this game, so she turned her back on Mia and took another peek at the monster.
A breeze caught the branch and tossed Mia from side to side, banging into the limbs. She squeezed her eyes tight, holding her breath as she waited for the big splash. Terrified and sick of listening to Carina's mindless dribble, Mia screamed but once again produced a tiny squeak.
"You're faking. I already heard you scream." Carina fluffed her lavender skirt and stuck out her tongue. "I wish they'd freeze forever so I wouldn't have to listen to your threats. When we get home, I'm telling Mom that you said you would knock me to the moon and back. That's cruel cause you know I get sick if I fly."
"Carina, we're fairies. We all fly."
"Okay, then why can't you fly down here and sit with me? This game is boring."
"It's not a game, Carina. I told you I caught my dress on a branch, and I can't get loose. You won't go for help, and if I try to wiggle off, I'll land right in the monster's lap, and it will eat me."
"Mia, that's disgusting. I know I would puke if I heard the monster crunching and snacking on your bones, and my new dress would be ruined." Carina pondered on a new thought for a moment and then added, "But if that happens, can I have your record collection? You won't need it, and I would think of you every time I played a song."
Mia tried to scream a string of cuss words at her sister, but nothing would come out of her mouth. She rolled her fist into a ball and shook it at Carina.
Carina giggled. "You don't have to get so mad. I was kidding."
"Shut up, Carina." Mia peeked from beneath the tree leaves at the monster below. "It's funny shaped. Its long legs are twisted and folded under the dirty thing it's wearing. Our dresses and wings are far prettier than it."
"There you go again, making fun of others. Faires are supposed to be nice. I hope it hears you and haves you for lunch." Carina giggled, "And then, I'll take the records without having to ask."
Mia pressed her lips tight and counted to three before she spoke, "Please be quiet, Carina. You and the monster's howling are driving me mad. I can't think because its noise is louder than you, which I didn't believe possible."
Perturbed by Mia's constant complaining, Carina decided to investigate. She opened her eyes and looked at the monster. Suddenly, her fairy heart felt sympathy for the creature. "Mia, there are pieces of the river spilling out of her eyes. She looks sad."
"The ugly old thing is probably sad because it can't reach me. It's plotting how to do it. You better watch out before it gets you."
"I don't think it even knows we are here." Carina jumped off the fallen tree branch and edged closer to the monster. She gasped in surprise and stammered, "I think it's—it's hu—human. It's one of those girl thing-a-bobs. She has long blonde hair and a gorgeous blue dress, except for the big mud stain on the front. Mia, I think she's a princess."
"A princess? Now I know you are crazy. And, pray tell, how could you possibly know what she looks like if you can't see?"
Indignant by Mia's questions, she snapped, "I imagined her! Mom read a story about a princess called Cinderella, so I know what they look like, and she's a princess." Carina stole another glance. "And she's not howling. She's doing that weeping thing Mom said sad princess's do when their Prince goes off to war."
"You might be right since Mom's never wrong, but everyone knows princesses don't come into the forest because the wicked witch will catch them."
"Maybe she was being chased, and that's how her dress got soiled. Or she was running to catch her Prince." Carina looked around. "Silly me, I can't see if there's a witch around here or a prince. I forgot I'm blind. Can you see one from up there, where ever that might be?"
"No, I don't see one, but if you'd get me down from here, I'd be glad to introduce you to one. Maybe Hansel and Gretal would share, or better yet, there are plenty of wicked witches in Oz. I bet the one with the green face would love to have you in her clutches."
"I hate you!" Carina looked for something to throw at Mia but stumbled over a small branch and fell down the embankment, rolling over and over, landing near the giant girl's feet. Ker plop!
Mia's heart stopped. She instantly regretted arguing with her sister. "Carina, hide. I'll save you." She didn't know how, but being the oldest by thirty minutes, she knew she carried the responsibility of keeping them safe.
She tugged and yanked, trying to get loose. Then she heard and felt her skirt as it loosened. Rip-p-p!
A high-pitched squeal exploded from deep inside Mia's body. Her eyes widened when she heard the snap of the branch as it lost its grip on her tiny body. The little fairy tumbled through the air, spinning upside down. Both fairies screamed as Mia plopped onto the mushy ground.
"Oh, Mia, it's disgusting." Green slime and brown mud oozed between Carina's fingers and toes. Her dainty pale green wings and lavender dress weren't pretty anymore. Trails of brown ran down her face as she started to cry.
Mia landed face down in the brown yuck. She lifted her head and squirmed as the slime oozed down her face.
Carina's earlier courage disappeared. "Mia, where are you? I'm drowning." As she shook her hands in the air, the squishy slime flew everywhere, splattering the princess as well. "I can't see for real this time."
Mia tried to wipe the mud from her eyes, but it was useless. "I can't see either. Maybe it's a spell, and we're both blind. We need to hide."
Carina's tears turned to frightened screams as the giant girl's pinchers lifted her out of the mud and into the air. Carina flung her arms and kicked her legs, anticipating a quick death with one crunch. "Mia, it's got me. You were right! I'm a goner."
The girl placed Carmin in her palm and then plucked Mia out of the mud, too. When she spoke, her voice was soft, like an angel. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." She frowned as she examined the little fairy. "You are much messier than me."
Carina's eyes flew open and stared into the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. She stammered, "Mia, I can see her. She is a princess."
"Hm, so you can see. Interesting? Your eyes are playing tricks, are they?" Mia glared at Carina.
Carina shrugged and smiled, "No, I opened my eyes."
"You opened your eyes? Have you gone mad? We're in danger, and you closed your eyes."
"I guess. I figured if I told mom I couldn't see, she wouldn't be mad at me. You'd be the responsible one."
The giant girl took her handkerchief and dipped it in the sparkling river, offering it to Mia. "Maybe this will help you wash away some of the slime." She gently wiped the mud from Mia's face and eyes. "the yuck gives me the creeps."
"You touched the water. Mother always tells us to stay away from the river because we might die. Isn't the water poison?"
"It's not poison, but it is dangerous if you don't know how to swim."
Mia shuddered as she stared at the water. It didn't look like a raging river anymore. Turning her head to face the girl, she asked, "Are you going to eat me with those?" The tiny fairy pointed at the large open cavern with sharp daggers hanging inside. "Do the smaller monsters live in there?"
The girl giggled and touched her fingers to her face. "This is my mouth, and these are my teeth. Nobody lives there, and I don't eat fairies, so you are safe with me. But it is late, and I should get home. Do you live around here?"
Carina chimed, "We live—"
"We live far away, and we should go home too." Mia glared at her sister and hissed, "Remember the rule. We tell no one where we live."
The girl smiled, "I understand."
"Well, I guess Carina and I should go."
"I could sprinkle my fairy dust and wish us back home. Then we wouldn't be late." Carina searched for her little bag and found it lying in the mud.
"You creep! You had fairy dust in your pocket while I was dangling at death's door? Can you tell me why you didn't think of this earlier?"
Carina giggled, "Because it was fun watching you, and when we met our princess, I guess I forgot." Carina pretended to appear sheepish, but Mia could see her grin.
The girl laughed, causing the two fairies to tremble. Being the bravest, Mia found the courage to ask, "Was that how you roar?"
"Roar? You mean like a lion?" She smiled and set both the fairies on a patch of clean grass. "I'm not an animal. It was a laugh but much louder than yours."
The bright yellow orb in the sky was nearing the horizon. "Carina, it's been quite an adventure, but we need to go home."
"But we just met the princess. I don't want to leave."
Mia snatched the bag of dust from Carina's hand. "Little sister, I'm going to sprinkle the dust, and your princess will fall asleep. When she awakens, she'll believe it was a dream."
Mia opened the tiny bag and tossed a pinch of the golden dust into the breeze. "Carina, you better start flying home because if I catch you—"
"Mia, does she have to forget?"
"Yes, she does. Can you imagine the trouble we'd be in if they all knew we existed other than in fairytales? You know it's the right thing to do."
She crossed her fingers behind her back, where Mia couldn't see. Carina nodded her head and said, "I do." But she couldn't resist one last shot, so she stamped her foot in protest. "But, Mia—"
Knowing Mia's spell wouldn't work because she'd crossed her fingers, Carina whispered to "her" princess, "Don't forget me, please." She slipped her tiny bracelet from her wrist and let it drop on the grass.
"Carina, you need to go now." Mia watched her belligerent sister disappear at the edge of the forest before tossing the rest of the fairy dust.
She looked at the sleeping beauty and picked up Carina's bracelet. "Thanks for saving us and being so kind. I'm sorry I called you a monster." She smiled as she placed the shiny gold in the girl's palm and closed her fingers around it. "Don't tell Carina, but I know we will meet again."
"Easy for you to say, Carina. I'm the one dangling above a raging river and a howling giant." Mia glared at her sister sitting on the ground.
"And I'm the one with a lump on my head because you broke the tree branch," Carina smirked at her sister and, with a petulant scowl, added, "Now I can't see."
"You are safely on the ground, Miss Whiner. I could fall at any moment and become that creature's meal."
"Oh, Mia, what a fishy tale you tell the wife." Examining the fallen log, Carina dusted it off with a large green palm leaf and found the perfect place to settle. "Your lies are falling on my deaf ears."
"What? Carina, you make no sense. I'm telling you what happened; that's not a fish tale, and you are certainly not my wife." A gust of wind slapped Mia in the face and sent her swinging precariously through the air. She screamed, but no one heard a sound.
"See, Mia, I do have deaf ears because I saw your mouth open, but I didn't hear you scream." Carina was enjoying her new game of tormenting her sister.
"If I get down from here, I am going to knock you to the moon and back." Mia took a deep breath and added, "You aren't blind, Carina. You fell when the branch hit your head, but you're not blind."
" How would you know since you are hanging out up there and I am down here?" Carina snickered, "I swear it knocked me out. How will I ever see to get home?"
"You weren't knocked out. But I promise I could assist with that thought if I ever get down." Mia hissed, "Open your eyes, and you'll see."
Carina squinted through narrow slits and then pressed her eyes closed again when she saw the monster near the river's edge.
"You are about to die at the hands of the growling monster or be swept away by the poisoned water; why would I open my eyes for that? Besides, I don't understand why I didn't hear your screams."
"Don't you ever pay attention in class? Our science teacher said that our vocal cords could freeze when we are frightened. They vibrate, but we can't hear the noise because the pitch isn't there." Mia yelled at the top of her lungs but didn't make a sound. "See?"
"I told you I can't see, so quit asking." Carina sent a miffed look in Mia's direction and then schooled her. "Well, Miss Know-it-all, I know more than you. I'm not the one caught on the limb. Mom told you to stay out of the trees, but no, you think you know everything. It serves you right that you are up there. Which I still don't believe."
Mia seethed with anger but reminded herself to remain calm. Unless she remained focused, she would not be able to yell at her sister, something she desperately wanted to do. A slight squeaky sound came out of her mouth, followed by a loud command. "Carina, open your eyes so you can see."
"See, you lied! Your vocal cords aren't frozen." Carina was bored with this game, so she turned her back on Mia and took another peek at the monster.
A breeze caught the branch and tossed Mia from side to side, banging into the limbs. She squeezed her eyes tight, holding her breath as she waited for the big splash. Terrified and sick of listening to Carina's mindless dribble, Mia screamed but once again produced a tiny squeak.
"You're faking. I already heard you scream." Carina fluffed her lavender skirt and stuck out her tongue. "I wish they'd freeze forever so I wouldn't have to listen to your threats. When we get home, I'm telling Mom that you said you would knock me to the moon and back. That's cruel cause you know I get sick if I fly."
"Carina, we're fairies. We all fly."
"Okay, then why can't you fly down here and sit with me? This game is boring."
"It's not a game, Carina. I told you I caught my dress on a branch, and I can't get loose. You won't go for help, and if I try to wiggle off, I'll land right in the monster's lap, and it will eat me."
"Mia, that's disgusting. I know I would puke if I heard the monster crunching and snacking on your bones, and my new dress would be ruined." Carina pondered on a new thought for a moment and then added, "But if that happens, can I have your record collection? You won't need it, and I would think of you every time I played a song."
Mia tried to scream a string of cuss words at her sister, but nothing would come out of her mouth. She rolled her fist into a ball and shook it at Carina.
Carina giggled. "You don't have to get so mad. I was kidding."
"Shut up, Carina." Mia peeked from beneath the tree leaves at the monster below. "It's funny shaped. Its long legs are twisted and folded under the dirty thing it's wearing. Our dresses and wings are far prettier than it."
"There you go again, making fun of others. Faires are supposed to be nice. I hope it hears you and haves you for lunch." Carina giggled, "And then, I'll take the records without having to ask."
Mia pressed her lips tight and counted to three before she spoke, "Please be quiet, Carina. You and the monster's howling are driving me mad. I can't think because its noise is louder than you, which I didn't believe possible."
Perturbed by Mia's constant complaining, Carina decided to investigate. She opened her eyes and looked at the monster. Suddenly, her fairy heart felt sympathy for the creature. "Mia, there are pieces of the river spilling out of her eyes. She looks sad."
"The ugly old thing is probably sad because it can't reach me. It's plotting how to do it. You better watch out before it gets you."
"I don't think it even knows we are here." Carina jumped off the fallen tree branch and edged closer to the monster. She gasped in surprise and stammered, "I think it's—it's hu—human. It's one of those girl thing-a-bobs. She has long blonde hair and a gorgeous blue dress, except for the big mud stain on the front. Mia, I think she's a princess."
"A princess? Now I know you are crazy. And, pray tell, how could you possibly know what she looks like if you can't see?"
Indignant by Mia's questions, she snapped, "I imagined her! Mom read a story about a princess called Cinderella, so I know what they look like, and she's a princess." Carina stole another glance. "And she's not howling. She's doing that weeping thing Mom said sad princess's do when their Prince goes off to war."
"You might be right since Mom's never wrong, but everyone knows princesses don't come into the forest because the wicked witch will catch them."
"Maybe she was being chased, and that's how her dress got soiled. Or she was running to catch her Prince." Carina looked around. "Silly me, I can't see if there's a witch around here or a prince. I forgot I'm blind. Can you see one from up there, where ever that might be?"
"No, I don't see one, but if you'd get me down from here, I'd be glad to introduce you to one. Maybe Hansel and Gretal would share, or better yet, there are plenty of wicked witches in Oz. I bet the one with the green face would love to have you in her clutches."
"I hate you!" Carina looked for something to throw at Mia but stumbled over a small branch and fell down the embankment, rolling over and over, landing near the giant girl's feet. Ker plop!
Mia's heart stopped. She instantly regretted arguing with her sister. "Carina, hide. I'll save you." She didn't know how, but being the oldest by thirty minutes, she knew she carried the responsibility of keeping them safe.
She tugged and yanked, trying to get loose. Then she heard and felt her skirt as it loosened. Rip-p-p!
A high-pitched squeal exploded from deep inside Mia's body. Her eyes widened when she heard the snap of the branch as it lost its grip on her tiny body. The little fairy tumbled through the air, spinning upside down. Both fairies screamed as Mia plopped onto the mushy ground.
"Oh, Mia, it's disgusting." Green slime and brown mud oozed between Carina's fingers and toes. Her dainty pale green wings and lavender dress weren't pretty anymore. Trails of brown ran down her face as she started to cry.
Mia landed face down in the brown yuck. She lifted her head and squirmed as the slime oozed down her face.
Carina's earlier courage disappeared. "Mia, where are you? I'm drowning." As she shook her hands in the air, the squishy slime flew everywhere, splattering the princess as well. "I can't see for real this time."
Mia tried to wipe the mud from her eyes, but it was useless. "I can't see either. Maybe it's a spell, and we're both blind. We need to hide."
Carina's tears turned to frightened screams as the giant girl's pinchers lifted her out of the mud and into the air. Carina flung her arms and kicked her legs, anticipating a quick death with one crunch. "Mia, it's got me. You were right! I'm a goner."
The girl placed Carmin in her palm and then plucked Mia out of the mud, too. When she spoke, her voice was soft, like an angel. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." She frowned as she examined the little fairy. "You are much messier than me."
Carina's eyes flew open and stared into the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. She stammered, "Mia, I can see her. She is a princess."
"Hm, so you can see. Interesting? Your eyes are playing tricks, are they?" Mia glared at Carina.
Carina shrugged and smiled, "No, I opened my eyes."
"You opened your eyes? Have you gone mad? We're in danger, and you closed your eyes."
"I guess. I figured if I told mom I couldn't see, she wouldn't be mad at me. You'd be the responsible one."
The giant girl took her handkerchief and dipped it in the sparkling river, offering it to Mia. "Maybe this will help you wash away some of the slime." She gently wiped the mud from Mia's face and eyes. "the yuck gives me the creeps."
"You touched the water. Mother always tells us to stay away from the river because we might die. Isn't the water poison?"
"It's not poison, but it is dangerous if you don't know how to swim."
Mia shuddered as she stared at the water. It didn't look like a raging river anymore. Turning her head to face the girl, she asked, "Are you going to eat me with those?" The tiny fairy pointed at the large open cavern with sharp daggers hanging inside. "Do the smaller monsters live in there?"
The girl giggled and touched her fingers to her face. "This is my mouth, and these are my teeth. Nobody lives there, and I don't eat fairies, so you are safe with me. But it is late, and I should get home. Do you live around here?"
Carina chimed, "We live—"
"We live far away, and we should go home too." Mia glared at her sister and hissed, "Remember the rule. We tell no one where we live."
The girl smiled, "I understand."
"Well, I guess Carina and I should go."
"I could sprinkle my fairy dust and wish us back home. Then we wouldn't be late." Carina searched for her little bag and found it lying in the mud.
"You creep! You had fairy dust in your pocket while I was dangling at death's door? Can you tell me why you didn't think of this earlier?"
Carina giggled, "Because it was fun watching you, and when we met our princess, I guess I forgot." Carina pretended to appear sheepish, but Mia could see her grin.
The girl laughed, causing the two fairies to tremble. Being the bravest, Mia found the courage to ask, "Was that how you roar?"
"Roar? You mean like a lion?" She smiled and set both the fairies on a patch of clean grass. "I'm not an animal. It was a laugh but much louder than yours."
The bright yellow orb in the sky was nearing the horizon. "Carina, it's been quite an adventure, but we need to go home."
"But we just met the princess. I don't want to leave."
Mia snatched the bag of dust from Carina's hand. "Little sister, I'm going to sprinkle the dust, and your princess will fall asleep. When she awakens, she'll believe it was a dream."
Mia opened the tiny bag and tossed a pinch of the golden dust into the breeze. "Carina, you better start flying home because if I catch you—"
"Mia, does she have to forget?"
"Yes, she does. Can you imagine the trouble we'd be in if they all knew we existed other than in fairytales? You know it's the right thing to do."
She crossed her fingers behind her back, where Mia couldn't see. Carina nodded her head and said, "I do." But she couldn't resist one last shot, so she stamped her foot in protest. "But, Mia—"
Knowing Mia's spell wouldn't work because she'd crossed her fingers, Carina whispered to "her" princess, "Don't forget me, please." She slipped her tiny bracelet from her wrist and let it drop on the grass.
"Carina, you need to go now." Mia watched her belligerent sister disappear at the edge of the forest before tossing the rest of the fairy dust.
She looked at the sleeping beauty and picked up Carina's bracelet. "Thanks for saving us and being so kind. I'm sorry I called you a monster." She smiled as she placed the shiny gold in the girl's palm and closed her fingers around it. "Don't tell Carina, but I know we will meet again."
 Recognized |
You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.
© Copyright 2024. Begin Again All rights reserved.
Begin Again has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
