Narcissistic Fairy Folk Narcissistic Fairy Folk As Regina went from rose bud to rose bud, she scowled at herself in the reflective dew drops she gathered. Muttering to herself in a mimicking voice of Jessica, the high priestess and her mother. “Now Regina, don’t forget to gather the dew drops for the morning sun ritual. Make sure only to pluck the fattest dew drops Regina.” She dropped the voice as she lay another dew drop in the hollow acorn she held by the crook of her arm. “She treats me like I’m still a hundred years old.” Regina stated to her wide headed reflection in another dew drop. She Picked it gingerly from the moist skin of the rose bud and placed it in the acorn with the others. Regina hung in the crisp morning’s air in front of the rose bud and looked at the forest as it woke up. The animals began their day as the sky turned a lighter shade of blue. Regina saw a toad hop into a toadstool ring and sailed down. The largest toadstool in the middle had a wide flat dimpled top witch had collected a small pool of dew water. Regina a lit on the edge of the toadstool and set the acorn carefully in it’s tender meat. She then waded into the pool and knelt so her knees were covered, the chill of the water filled her. She looked smartly at her reflection, Her long purple hair flowed around her like water and her eyes matched her hair. Her almond eyes scanned her body, and she then craned her neck to look at her wings. She reached back and preened the luminous sails of prismatic color seeping out of her back. She pulled her hair back and secured it in a bun with the stem of a lily of the valley, she then placed the flower over her bun as a hat. After inspecting herself one last time she flew in a tight circle above the toadstool snatching up the acorn, and flew off to join the others in Oaken shire. Regina flew quickly down to the stone ring where Jessica waited impatiently but complacently. Regina landed and offered the acorn to Jessica, The high priestess looked into her youngest daughter’s purple eyes and then at the hat. “Take your position Regina.” she said taking the acorn. Regina flew up to her platform of artists fungus that grew in a large sturdy crescent from the trunk of the large oak she shared with nine others. She then stood at the edge to watch with all the others. Jessica set the acorn in front of her in a divot made especially to hold the acorn. All eyes of Oaken shire were on her as she raised her hands above her head, she began a mantra repeated very fast under her breath, and the dew drops soared out of the acorn to circle the air above the stone ring. Jessica smacked her hands together and the drew drops splashed into each other forming a large glob of water. It then sailed straight up into the sky above the clearing. A tiny shower came to the clearing and every fairy stood very still on their perches of plant and stone, and each had a droplet stop and hover in front of their eyes. Regina could see behind her main droplet, a multitude of even smaller droplets stretching up and out of the clearing, and she knew this chain was connected to the large glob of water hovering above the tree line to catch the morning sun’s rays. Jessica folded her hands and stopped her mantra. The thin chains began to emit prismatic glints filtering the sun to all the citizens of Oaken shire. They all closed their eyes and felt the warmth of the sun filling them with, power, and ease. As always the morning sun ritual was regrettably over as soon as begun, and it wouldn’t happen again until next Sunday. The populace of Oaken shire went back to their business and Regina went into her apartment. A largish hole in the trunk of the tree that was well furnished and adorned by multiple outer artifacts. Regina walked over to a pile of maple leaves and stacked them in a neat pile uncovering a large smooth circular case. Regina held one handle down while she pulled up on the other right next to it. This was her most prized possession. Regina had found it while chasing butterflies in the outer woods. With a grunt she unfolded her case and her reflection came into view, Regina then climbed up and sat on the circular cushion facing herself. She still felt the sun’s energy coursing throughout her body and yet still couldn’t help feeling depressed. She craved freedom, adventure, she wanted to get lost. “Why must I stay here?” Regina asked her reflection as she pulled the stem out of her hair letting it cascade again. “I like it better that way.” Said a voice from her doorway Regina jumped and a small puff of nice smelling dust billowed out from under her. She shifted and looked at Charles through the mirror. He was a boy fairy with dark green hair and eyes, a nice sturdy physique, and beautiful dark blue wings that Regina knew sparkled in the sunlight. In her apartment they almost seemed to loom over him like shadowy bodyguards. “I didn’t mean to scare you Regina. You were almost late again.” Regina gave him a stern look as she picked up her hairbrush. “I made it didn’t I? What do you want Charles?” She began brushing her hair and he walked up behind her and plucked a tiny dewdrop from the tip of her left wing, and placed it casually in his mouth. His dark green eyes met with Regina’s dark purple eyes as he peaked over her shoulder. “I just wanted to tell you that you don’t have to stay.” Regina stopped brushing her hair. “Your crazy Charles, You know as well as I do that we’d need a mother fairy to perform the rituals that keep us alive.” Charles smiled at her and Regina looked away hating the look of it. “I need a mother fairy to survive yes. You however. You are the daughter of a mother fairy, and that gives you your own means of survival. You don’t need Jessica and neither do your four sisters.” With that Charles went about the apartment looking at the different artifacts Regina had procured. He stopped in front of a metal cup holding a hard translucent sphere with a small ribbon of blue inside, He gave it a spin and smiled. Regina had turned on her cushion amazed at what Charles had said. Could it be? Could she already have the self sustaining survival of a mother fairy without knowing, without being told? She got up and grabbed Charles’s wrists and wrenched him around to face her. “How did you come by this Charles? Why are you telling me?” Charles was slightly shocked at this girl fairy who stood up to him demanding an answer. “My father, that’s how I know. As you know he is the town scribe, He has a library full of volumes of our history handed down through the ages from scribe to scribe. In one of these books I read of a rouge fairy who left her clan to form her own. It took a while for the clan to grow but it did. This was thought to be a rare occurrence however in my studies I found it’s happened seven times before. Others tried and died the one’s that made it were daughters of the mother fairy of their clans. That’s how I know.” He paused and placed his hand on the side of Regina’s face. “As to why I’m telling you? I would like to accompany you.” Regina took a step backwards and searched his features for signs of deceit, but found none. “So you want to be the father fairy? Is that it?” Charles nodded. Regina sighed, went and sat down on her cushion again with a puff. “Charles leave me to think about this, we will talk in the morning.” “But.” Charles began however Regina put up her hand. “Please Charles I need to think.” Charles hung his head and shuffled out to Regina’s platform and dove into the air and swirled around the tree and then into the underbrush. Regina looked back into her own eyes and her shoulders fell a little. She was just wishing for freedom and adventure and here it was, however she wasn’t sure she wanted it now. It was that very same evening Regina sat on the edge of her platform with legs dangling in the air. She’d been sitting there since supper was over and now three hours later she made her decision. She would leave, but not with Charles. By herself. She beat her wings and stepped out into the air, then harder her wings bore her higher and higher still. The small lights of the residents of Oaken shire grew dimmer and dimmer. Regina broke above the treetops her personal glow surrounding her like an atmosphere. She looked up the half moon reflecting in her purple teary eyes, she said a silent goodbye to the towns folk of Oaken shire. A small light danced away above the treetops away to the north woods. The next morning a distress call was sounded interrupting a game Charles played with his brothers. Charles rode his monarch butterfly to the clearing and landed. He dismounted and stood to hear the distress. Jessica stood weeping in front of her towns people. She spoke to them through choked sobs. “My people. My youngest daughter stole away into the night last evening, only her innocence is to blame.” Regina was brought out by two young fairies on a stretcher fashioned of twigs and half a cocoon. Jessica fell to her knees next to Regina’s body. Regina’s wings were no longer filled with color, they were plain and translucent. Jessica stroked her hair. “ My dear daughter strayed to far from Oaken shire as a result all the magic seeped out of her. I wish I could bring her back but there has never been power of that kind.” with that said Jessica sobbed, others of the town joined her. Charles who stood by close choked back a sob and flew up to his platform. He turned back around but not to the scene below, he looked at Regina’s apartment witch has been kitty corner to his for as long as he can remember. Through the door way he was able to vaguely make out himself in the tiny reflection in her still open case. He looked down and no one in the clan saw his smirk, and took his held in laughter as held in sobs. That night he would go and steal the case for himself. The End
Copyright © 2007 Jimmy Mason |