Fairy Dust

My unicorn was riding me through Glavenia, a mystical world full of magical creatures. I needed to stock up on some potion, for my mother was dying at home. "Alright, Chikle," I said to my pink unicorn. "Let's stop here at the market and buy a bottle of potion." Call me feminine, but I am a twenty four year old guy who owns two unicorns. I mean, it's not THAT girly; I can't afford any horses!1

I hopped of Chikle in the glimmering snow and tied her to an old oak tree. I walked inside of the shop and browsed, trying to find the correct potion to heal her. Then the shop owner, a dwarf, shook my hand. "Need help?" he offered, scratching his white beard.2

"Yeah, actually I am trying to find medicine for my mother. Things aren't looking good at all for her right now, so do you have anything that will cure her?" I asked politely, reading every label of every bottle.3

"Well..." His mind kind of ran off, thinking of anything that might help. There was a long pause. "Only thing I can really think of is fairy dust!"4

"Oh... well, how much is it? Sir, if you could sell me that stuff to heal my mother I would pay anything!"5

The tiny dwarf broke out laughing, laughing so hard his eyes filled with tears. I rose my eyebrow madly. If he wasn't going to help me, than I would have to make my own potion! I started to stomp out of the store when the owner stopped me. "Fairy dust is priceless! Hell, they'd NEVER be able to put a price tag on it because it's so valuable! No shop in all of Glovenia would sell it!" 6

My jaw hung open and I started to cry. "Then I guess there's no way? To save my mother, I mean?"7

He put his wrinkled hand on my shoulder. "The only way, I do believe, to get fairy dust without buying it, is to find a fairy and to take some of their dust, simple right? Not at all! Fairies are extremely rare in Glovenia and only an idiot would waste their time trying to find one. I'm sorry, son."8

I removed his hand quickly and ran out of the store. "I'm that idiot!" I screamed, hopping back on my unicorn. There just HAD to be a way to find a fairy, and I would waste every minute of my own life to do so. Chikle galloped through the blizzard as we headed towards downtown. Maybe there was somebody that could help me. Maybe...9

The first place I stopped at was the library. I figured that they'd be able to give me some information about them there, and how to find one. I wiped my feet on the rug when I got inside and dashed over towards the librarian. This was probably the last place I'd be in my free time, but this time was precious. "Can you tell me where I can find any resources on fairies? I need to find one, NOW!" I told her quickly.10

The librarian was very old and looked to be wise. "I hate to tell you this, sir, but we don't carry any books on fairies. But-"11

I sighed. "Thank you for your time, but I need to save my mother. Good bye," I interrupted, running as fast as I could past the bookshelves. There wasn't enough time. In less than twenty four hours without the fairy dust, my mother would die. 12

"Wait!" she stopped me when I got to the front door. "I have some information about fairies even though I have no books. Care for a cup of sugar water while I explain?"13

I turned around slowly as I reheard her words. "No, just spit it out. My mom's dying and every minute counts. Tell me everything you know!" I said rudely. I didn't want to be unappreciative, but this was the way things needed to be before she is saved.14

The lady went on, "Believe it or not, I used to be a fairy. Yes, it was a magical and wonderful thing to be so unique. One day, someone caught me and used all of my fairy dust. Sadly, however, they didn't use it to save someone or anything good like that. They were too self centered and only used it on looks. So now my skin is bare without any fairy dust, so now I am... ugh... can I say it? Human! Yes, the most boring thing in the whole universe! Anyways, if I know anything about my old species, I know that they LOVE sugar water. Why wouldn't they? Sugar water and fairy sprinkles make of fairy dust! Mm... so sweet sugar water is! Am I dragging?" I grinned while nodding, walking towards her.15

"Thanks for that, though. So far I could use your help," I said, staring at the floor. "Now tell me tips on how to catch a fairy."16

"Ah. Ahem! You see, I was never a fairy HUNTER. I was a FAIRY. I'm probably not the best person to ask about this, but I'll try. When I was a fairy, I wandered around the Great Sugar Water Lake and Peach Orchards. Normally I'd be climbing a peach tree or absorbing sugar water for my fairy dust. If you, however, can't find one, I have to add that we loved the chime of a flute. So beautiful, don't you agree? You know what? I might just have a flute back in my office. Care to join me?"17

"No thanks. Here, could you please get the flute for me as quick as possible? I'm really sorry but I'm very paranoid about time," I replied, biting my lip nervously. I looked at the clock on the wall. Now it was seven hours until my mother would pass away...18

Instead of saying anything in response, the librarian walked to her back office, grabbed the flute in a small box, and handed it to me. "This is very old, so be careful not to break it. All you need to do," she instructed, pointing at the hole, "is blow through the hole. That's it! Make sure you hold it up high, boy, or they won't hear you!"19

When I finally received the flute, I gave the lady a hug. "Thank you, ma'am!" I hollered as I started off. She waved at me through the tiny window, typing on her computer like when I first arrived. I would definitely try to do what she told me, and if I could do everything just right... maybe I'd be able to pull this off.20

I jumped back on to Chikle, stroking her soft fur. I reached onto my sack and pulled out my map of Glovenia to find the Great Sugar Water Lake and Peach Orchards. Fortunately, they were right next to each other, so I wouldn't have to spend much time getting to each. Unfortunately, they were way up north, and it would take me at least a good hour to get there. "Might as well," I said to Chikle. "The storm's getting bad, so I should start my ride. Oh, and you can have some sugar water as a treat when we get out there."21

Chikle seemed to smile when I said this. I do admit, it was pretty tough to see through the wailing snow, falling down hard on the ground. But in the end, we came to a gorgeous lake, so nice, not even a fairy could live there! A cloud of fog seemed to stretch across the lake and through the orchard. Birds hummed and wild unicorns roamed. Chikle's eyes grew wide as she stared at the male unicorns. "Knock out of it, Chikle!" I scolded, hitting her lightly on the head.22

I got off of my unicorn at the dock and tied her to a piece of wood jabbed into the ground. At the dock there was a fairy hunter with a fairy in his net. "Hey, there's a lot of them out there, man," he laughed. "Picked a good day. C'mon honey, you're going with me! Ha ha!" And the poor fairy moaned in pain, having its fairy dust get all sucked up. 23

In a way I felt bad for her. That girl would probably turn out just like the librarian. I made a vow right then to release the fairy back into the wild once I was done using her dust. After all, she had a life before I hunted her, and she needed to finish it. Then I sighed. Even though that guy was lucky, that doesn't mean I'll be the same way. Besides, that guy had all sorts of equipment in his hands; he even had some kind of vest on.24

I was next in line at the dock, and I got into a wooden boat below me with a loud splash! There was already a life jacket for emergency and an oar to stir through the calm waters. Carefully I started out. There was also a big net. After a few minutes I realized how shallow the water was. They probably only gave out life jackets so they wouldn't get sued. The ride was so soothing that I wanted to close me eyes and drift to sleep. But I couldn't. I wouldn't. My mother was dying at home! Focus, Adam. I could do this!25

In my sack that I carried with me were binoculars, for I used them through the blizzard. I looked through them to find a few children splashing through the water. "Yes!" I cheered under my breath. That guy was right; it was a good day. I pulled the magical flute out of my sack and blew as gentle as I could. The tune I tried to play was a lullaby, and it seemed to work. A little fairy with long pink hair swam towards the boat. 26

"No, Taylee! It's a trick!" called one of its friends. Thankfully, it was too late. By the time she started back, the girl was wrapped into my net, struggling to get out. 27

"I want my mama!" the little girl cried. 28

When I squeezed her hand, her skin was flawless. So smooth and moist... "I won't hurt you," I said, pulling back up to the dock. "All I'm doing is taking your fairy dust."29

The child made a terrified face. "W-why would you do that?" she asked with tears streaming down her face. "Why don't you like me?"30

"It's not that; it's just-"31

"Ha! Having conversations with your fairy is not cool, dude. Lemme see her," a voice said from behind. It was a tall wizard, dressed in a purple gown and holding a spell book.32

The wizard bent over and observed her. "Uh. Umm... I don't know if you've realized, sir, but this is a child. And children don't have usable fairy dust. They just have... well... some gross powder," he explained.33

I frowned. "You mean I can't use it?" I asked madly, hating all of this mystical facts.34

"I'm afraid not."35

I hopped back into the boat, opened the large net, and freed the girl. "Yay!" the girl screeched, swimming towards her friends. 36

I was hopeless after circling the lake three more times with nothing but child fairies. I got off my boat at a bank and walked through the sweet smelling orchard. The orchard smelled of peaches and sugar water, all mixed together. I gazed up into many trees to spot no faires whatsoever. 37

After three hours, I was exhausted. There was no way that I could find a fairy in less than an hour now. This was a good fight, but this guy could not fight the wild. I started to head back to the Sugar Water Lake slowly when I saw something glow. It was a light blow glow, brighter than the sun almost. It was wonderful and magical, all at the same time. Then I realized that that was the same exact words the librarian used to describe her fairyhood. It could not be. But it had to be. 38

As I crept closer to it, my body started to tingle. Was I just feet away from a fairy? It was way too good to be true! But it was true! There, right there, now steps away, I through my net over top of a full grown fairy. She was whimpering in pain, just like the rest of them. It must have hurt to be caught like that, with rope strangling your neck and what not.39

"Don't cry," I said, picking the net up. Oh, was the net light! I could carry it the whole way back to Chikle with only one hand. "You're a beautiful girl."40

"Who are you?" 41

"I am Adam. Adam Fisher. And I need your help to help me save my mother. Only your fairy dust can cure her." I hopped on Chikle and set the net beside me. This would be a long ride home.42

My time is running out, I told myself as I rode into Glovenia. Five minutes left. But I could do it. Right on the mountaintop was the sight of our tiny shack, piled on top of lots of snow that needed to be cleared out. "Yaw, Chikle, yaw, yaw!" I screamed, hitting her with a small whip. We rushed across streams, bridges, up hills, everything. Just to get to my house with one minute left.43

I threw the door open with a flourish. You won't make it, I thought to myself, opening the net. I absorbed all of her fairy dust into a potion bottle and shook it up. Twenty seconds left. "Hurry, Adam," my mother groaned, watching time collapse. Ten seconds left as I opened the bottle.44

"Mom, drink this!" I ordered, shoving this into her mouth. With four seconds left I was relieved. But when my mom's pale face turned into her cheery face, I was amazed. After the journey I went through just to get this fairy dust, it all paid off in the end. The End45