GBE 2: Blog On
Hidden : Week #64
The Faeries scatter as petals on the wind. Someone was coming. It’s smell was disconcerting; like a human,
yet like sweet milk, yet like lavender. This
was not the smell of the besotted human male, staggering from the pub with two
too many pints in him. His would have been an odor they were accustomed
to. They knew what to do with that
type. Always looking for
Leprechauns. Usually mumbling something
about ‘changing their luck’.
Hiding amidst the
woodland groundcover, one after another they took turns peeking for a glimpse of the interloper.
What kind of creature would dare this far into the grove? The Fae had chosen this spot specifically for
the privacy it offered. The trees here
grew thick and dark, creating a frightening specter most humans dared not enter.
Rounding the bend, the human child pushed her way through
the undergrowth. Her stubby little arms
pushing the tall ferns aside. She seemed
to be making her way to the stream.
Flying low, staying out of sight just under the fern fronds,
Juniper flew taking careful inspection of the human child. Not wanting to be noticed, he took on the
flight characteristics of a dragon fly. Hovering
and darting, he noticed much detail about the human. The human had few but small teeth. The human
had pudgy arms and legs. The human had
rosy cheeks and hair the color of corn tassels.
It seemed to stagger more than
walk. It didn’t appear to know that the
forest is dangerous.
Reporting his findings back to the elders, it was determined
this was a human child. The elders also reminded
all of the clan, that where there is a young human child, an adult is sure to
be nearby. Patrols were dispatched to locate the adult. Once the patrol found the adult, they were
then to ascertain whether male or female.
The elders began preparations to lure adult humans to the
human child. The women would be easily
led to the child; one of the Faeries would simply lure her into the forest with
cries simulating the child. The men would
be more difficult, unless the whole town was looking. Then it could be a catastrophe! They may come
beating the underbrush with machetes, cutting down Faerie homes and
buildings. They would tramp all over
their finely cultivated mushroom gardens.
Luckily, the wintergreen berries wouldn’t be fully ripe for few more
weeks. They would call and call the child’s name, out-yelling one another, so
loudly they couldn’t possibly hear any return calls. Adult humans have no
consideration to any other than themselves.
Juniper and his patrol zigged and zagged along the edge of
the forest. There was no sign of any
humans. Juniper sent one of his sentries to fly to the top of a hill and check
further away from the forest edge. The
sentry, Ivy, set her wings in motion flying quickly to the cover of a small
choke cherry tree. The underbrush was
thin here with little cover should a hawk or an owl appear. Ivy did not want to be invited to their next
meal!
Scanning the area with her binoculars, Ivy saw no movement
of humans. Then she spotted the
leg. There sticking out from a small dip
in the side of the hill, was the foot and lower leg of a human, lying down.
Signaling
back to Juniper, she signaled there might be a problem. The entire patrol skimmed their way to the
choke cherry tree. Buzzing amongst
themselves, the speculation as to why the obvious female adult human would let
her child wander away, for that long, began to escalate to a high pitch. Their deliberations began to sound like a
cicadae. Juniper shushed them. Drawing to his full height, puffing out the
chest of his green tunic, he began his flight to where the adult female lay in
the grass.
Weaving from cover to cover, it took much longer to get to
the dip in the side of the hill where the woman lay. Carefully, Juniper landed and peered in her
direction, several time during his trip.
Danger lurked everywhere. Juniper
imagined snakes and toads and birds during each leg of the flight. Each time he landed, he unsheathed his
makeshift sword.
Unsheathing the blue
plastic cocktail garnish spear, Juniper held it aloft. He cried out to the Fae to protect him by
empowering his Sapphire Saber . Thus building his courage, he moved ever
closer. At last able to see more than
just the calf and foot of the woman, he could see she was not breathing. He could see there had been some sort of
struggle and the woman was no longer alive.
His heart went out to the woman and her small child who was now alone in
the forest.
It was human business.
Juniper searched the horizon for other humans, again. He saw none.
The blood on the woman’s clothes was black and flies were lazily buzzing. There was nothing the Fae could do to help
her.
Juniper, Ivy and the rest of the patrol quickly flew back to
the safety and cover of the forest floor.
Comparing notes among the patrol, they efficiently pieced together their
report for the elders. Once back at the
encampment, Juniper gave a full detailed outline of what they encountered.
Without hesitation, he asked who had been sent to watch over
the safety of the human child. A child safety patrol had been assembled from
those who had experience in the camp’s daycare.
Along with several young Faeries, an Elder, Blossom, who was a Sister-Queen
of their court, went to check on the human child. Blossom had much experience, in her day, with
humans. Blossom would know what to do,
if anything.
Juniper and Ivy dashed to where they had last seen the human
child. Flying as two dragonflies, zipping
through the underbrush and over the brambles.
Two forest green dragonflies.
Veering direction, they both heard the cries and followed.
There on the bank of the stream, the child had fallen. Her knees were skinned, her hands were
muddied, and her little face had rivers of tears streaming through the dirt
smudges. She had fallen down the incline
to the stream. There was no chance she
would drown, as the stream was only a trickle.
Hypothermia, that was the real fear of everyone gathered around her.
Blossom chided the others, “Now make sure you stay out of
her reach. She is a baby and doesn’t
know when she has hurt you.” The Faeries
surrounding the baby tried darting back and forth to distract the human child
from her pain and loneliness.
Juniper reported his findings to Blossom. Shaking her head and tut-tutting with her
tongue, Blossom conceded the dire straits of the young human. Blossom told Juniper the human child appeared
to be female. The child appeared to have
recently learned to walk, therefore would be less than two years old. Blossom’s eyes began to well up. “No mother to care for you, oh child. Whatever shall become of you?” Rocking back and forth, as though she already
held the child in her arms.
“The child is hungry and lost. Her mother is dead and lying in the
grass. What more do we need to
know? This child needs attention and I
think we should give it to her. For, as
surely as we do not, she will perish in the forest.” Blossom had her hands on her hips and her
mind made up. “Ivy, I will need help
keeping her attention so that she is looking at me.”
Ivy nodded in agreement.
Ivy buzzed near the child and back away, grabbing the little girls
attention. Just as Ivy flew back to
Blossom, Blossom released the spell along with the Faerie dust. Within
seconds, the human child had reduced in size.
“Quickly Ivy, bring the little one to me.” Ivy swooped into the baby clothing, grabbing
the now wailing child out. Ivy dashed to
where Blossom hovered, waiting with arms outstretched.
Holding the small child close to her. They flew back to the encampment. Juniper in the lead and the rest of the child
safety patrol all surrounding Blossom and the child.
“Blossom!” Maude. Queen of all Faeries. Maude was here, at our
encampment? Why? Had she been called? Over a human child? No, the human child was just a
coincidence.
Blossom carried the human child in her arms, into the Great
Chamber. The chamber where all the
Faeries gathered for camp meetings.
Handing the baby over to a nursery Faerie, Blossom straightened her emerald
green gown and curtsied to Queen Maude. Every Faerie under the protection of Sister
Queen Blossom wore some variation of green.
“Queen Maude.” Blossom acknowledged as she swept into her
deepest curtsy. “I hope your travels
have been pleasant. I am afraid we were
not expecting you until the next phase of the moon. Will you be honoring us with your grace until
the Solstice?”
Queen Maude, her gown bespoke her title. Woven spiders’ webs, the indigo bodice was
lace extraordinaire. There was enough
ornate lace, you could not tell where the ties were hidden. Her skirt billowed
as though made of an upside down iris, color matching the bodice. Her slippers were studded with diamonds which
glistened as she walked. Complete with a
purple under slip, just showing enough to prove she matched through and
through.
“I have not completely made up my mind as to the length of
my stay.” Queen Maude said as both
ladies made their way to the settee. “I
had come early to inspect your encampment.
However, the prospect of a baby in the camp may change my mind
entirely.” Queen Maude pulled a dragon
festooned hand fan and began to flutter it in front of her face. “What do you intend to do with it? Eat it? You do know the rumors of human babies
making the best pate are completely off base.
They have just too much fat on them. They don’t roast well, they don’t
fry well, babies just don’t taste all that good either.”
“I thought we would keep the baby with us and safe until we
can find alternate keeping for her. Preferably humans.” Blossom said quietly.
“Oh, so the human child is a female. I believe the right to name any new child is
mine. Any objection?” Queen Maude cast
an eye about the room. Faeries looked
back and forth among one another, glancing first this way and then that. In the end, they each began shaking their
heads.
“Oh Maude, we would be honored if you would name the
human. Shall you name her now? Or could we incorporate that honorific
splendor into our Solstice gala?” Blossom was clapping her hands with joy. This meant that Maude was going to allow them
to keep the baby. Babies hadn’t been
plentiful in a very long time. If a
human child lived within the Fae for twenty one years, it became a true Faerie
and earned the right to wear wings. It would be a wonderful way to increase the
size of the camp and hopefully continue Faeries in general.
“Naturally. I had
already thought the very thing. I shall
not only name her, I will be her Godmother.” Maude sat forward. Eagerness flowing from every pore. “I will raise her to take my place on the
throne!”
“Now, Maude.” Blossom
began, “You know as well as I do, there are too many underlings ahead of this
one in the secession to the throne. You will spin your kingdom out of control. You will have each of your heirs at one
another’s throats even more than they already are. We cannot afford any more
wars. The Faerie population is nearly
depleted. We need to live in peace for a
while, gather ourselves unto one another, increase our food stores, care for
one another.” Blossom placed her hand lightly on Maude’s knee.
Maude seemed to hear Blossom, for she sat back in her seat and
the glint in her eyes seem to fade somewhat.
In her designated dressing room, attended by her ladies in
waiting, Maude began to smile into the mirror again. “Lillie. Her name shall be Lillie. She will be of the
Indigo and the Green Courts. She will be
far greater than any expectation.” Maude
reached to the hidden drawer, pulling out the bloodied knife she had used to make
the child available…..
“Speak up, quit mumbling.” My Dad grumbles as he squints at
me. “If you wouldn’t talk so low while standing across the room, I could hear
what you have to say.” I’m in Florida
for a short vacation to check up on the folks. 
Dad has lost another ten pounds since I last saw him. He walks a little more hunched over. He is trying to join in the fun and walks
down the steep steps to the lake.
Jumping in off the dock rather than diving, he is a mere four feet from
the ladder. Dad is struggling and cannot
lift his arms to swim the crawl. Scott,
standing at the ready, tells him to do the breast stroke. Struggling, Dad makes it to the ladder in
what seems like an extraordinarily long time.
Scott and I exchange looks. Dad
sits on a deck chair for a while to catch his breath. We watch as he drags himself back up the
stairs to the house. 
