By Terri C.
Michael had been working on his costume for weeks. Halloween was finally here. He had not decided, up until today if he was going to attend the party or if he was going to Trick or Treat with his younger sister Lacy. He had been thinking that at the age of thirteen, that he might be too old to Trick or Treat. He had made the decision that it might be best to have Lacy go out with the neighbor kids.
The party was being held at Bobby’s house, a little less than a mile away. He would walk there. He would have to leave the house in about an hour in order to arrive on time. This was just enough time to put the finishing touches on his costume.
Michael had decided over the summer, that he would dress up as Merlin. His Mom had helped him make the robes and ties. Decorating the purple fabric with gold moons and stars. His Mom had really gone all out this year on the costumes for Michael and Lacy. They were both very excited. They even found a wizard’s hat, with long gray hair attached, that worked well with the costume. His Dad had found the perfect stick out in the woods. He had sanded it down and made the perfect wand for Michael’s Merlin.
He finally decided that it was time to head over to Bobby’s house. It wasn’t that long of a walk, but he did have to pass by the woods. He had played there many times, in the past, but only during daylight hours.
Bounding down the stairs, taking care to hold his robe up, so he would not trip, Michael shouted a goodbye to his family. The next thing he knew, he was already down the driveway and was turning left onto Singer Street. He passed the Johnson’s house and then the house where the new family had moved in.
His family did not live close to town, but there were homes spread out here and there, but there were still many parcels of land, that were not developed. It was a very fun place to grow up.
Dusk was just approaching as he started to pass the woods. Traces of sunlight could still be seen through the trees. He did not know who owned the property, but his Dad had told him that it was safe to play there during the day.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a little flash. He turned to look, but did not see anything but trees. He could smell evergreen’s and moss.
He started walking again, towards Bobby’s. While walking, he was thinking about how much fun he was going to have. He hoped that Shelly was going to be there. He thought she was really cute, but had not had the nerve to talk to her yet.
All of the sudden there was another flash of light in front of his face. It was bright white, like the flash of a camera. In a blink it moved to his side and shot off into the woods. It stopped mid-air about 15 feet from him. He thought maybe it was a firefly, until it started shimmering a beautiful green.
Once he noticed the color change, a brilliant gold begin to surround the green. Then the green shifted to a deep purple and the gold morphed into white. Now, Michael was very intrigued.
The spark of light quickly shot another 5 feet deeper into the woods. It flashed green and gold again. Michael decided to take a couple of steps forward. Quickly, what ever it was that he was following moved another 10 feet further into the woods.
At least, he was familiar with the terrain. He knew where most of the snags, were on the trail, so he was not afraid of tripping. The further he walked, the darker it became.
Just as fast as the thoughts of darkness and tripping crossed his mind, the spark increased in size and brightness. This happened, as if the little spark could read Michael’s mind. This startled Michael.
He began to wonder, just what exactly this was all about. Watching the little spark grow and get brighter, he now knew, that this was something quite spectacular. He also wondered, if he should turn and head back.
When those thoughts crossed his mind, he instantly felt a sense of comfort wrap around him like a warm blanket. He decided to keep moving forward, deeper into the woods. He realized that what ever this little spark was, it definitely had something to show him.
He walked on, following the light, for what felt like at least a half hour, maybe a little more. The spark stopped before a stump of an old growth tree. It was so big, that it would take at least five, if not six teenagers, to reach all of the way around it.
The roots of the stump created a slight separation, just big enough for Michael to slip through. Michael had never noticed this particular stump before, but then again, he was not quite sure he had ever gone this deep into the woods.
The spark disappeared through the separation and Michael decided to follow it through. Before passing through, he removed his hat and placed it at the base of the stump. Feeling the damp bark in his hands, hoping not to get splinters, he pushed his way through, the opening. As he entered, what seemed to be a doorway, the rich smell of the bark, was a bit overwhelming. It only took a couple of seconds for him to become comfortable with the smell.
When he made it to the center of the stump, he looked up and could see right out through the top. The surrounding evergreen trees created a beautiful canopy, but he could just make out the first stars of the evening. He pushed on further.
The stump was much wider on this side and the passageway through the back of the stump was within reach. It was quite bright on the other side. One more step and he would be out of the stump.
He poked his blonde head out first. He was completely astonished by what he saw. Before him was not just one little spark of light, but hundreds, maybe thousands. Flittering and fluttering here and there. All the colors of the rainbow and some colors that Michael had never seen.
As his eyes adjusted to the change, he noticed something else was changing. These were not just little splashes of light, nor were they any type of little bugs, that he had ever seen. They were taking on a very human like form, except one thing, they had wings. They were about the size of large dragonflies. Michael rubbed his eyes, thinking that they were playing tricks on him. He let his eyes adjust again, only to discover that his eyes were not deceiving him.
He was wondering where the little being that he was following had gotten off to. As soon as this thought crossed his mind, there it was. She was a she and she was right in front of him, like magic.
He could not help but wonder if he was losing his mind. When all of the sudden the little being said, out loud, “No, you are not!”
“What the h…?” Michael started to say. After giving this a quick thought, he asked instead, “What are you?”
The little being responded, “Well, of course, you’ve probably never seen anything like us before, except maybe out of the corner of your eye. But we are the Little People of the Forest.”
Michael scratched his head, in even further confusion. She continued on, “Your name is Michael and mine is Shay. We are the Little People of the Forest. We are here to watch over the plants, flowers and to help you humans, when you need it.”
Michael thought this over for a second and asked “How do you know my name? Why have I never seen you before? Do other people know about you? Why did you…”
Shay interrupted, “All in good time, dear Michael, all in good time! …And we have lots of time!” She continued, “Dear Michael, I know your name, because I can hear your thoughts. …And guess what? I’ll tell you a secret, you can hear mine! If you choose to listen! Watch or I guess I should say, listen!”
The next thoughts that went through his mind made Michael realize, he had seen little flashes out of the corner of his eye before, but really hadn’t thought anything of it. He knew that other humans did in fact know of the Little People, but many don’t talk of it. He also felt comfortable with the answer to the question that he did not get to ask. Shay had brought him to what she called the Faerie Fort, because she thought he would be a good bridge between the Little People and the Big People. It took Michael a second to realize the meaning of Big People, she meant humans.
He also knew that he would have to talk to Lacy about this and probably bring her to visit Shay and all the other Little People. Shay responded to this by clapping her hands and twisting around in the air like she was doing a somersault!
Michael realized, that he and Shay were communicating without talking! He also understood, that Shay knew way more about him, than he thought. It was almost as if, she had been with him, his whole life. He thought he should be unsettled by this, but it came as more of a comfort, than a concern.
He knew now that it was safe to fully step out of the stump and into the Fort. He also knew that he was going to have to be very careful where he stepped or sat, in order not to squish a Little Person.
Shay led him to the middle of the Faerie Fort. There he found a downed log to sit upon. He looked closely first though! Other Little People kept fluttering by looking at him in awe! He knew that some of them had never seen Big People before, but he was okay with them taking a closer look. He came to understand the younger Little People stay fairly close to the Fort, at least until they are a little older.
It also seemed that many of the Elder Little People, where not in the Fort at the time. Shay reassured him, that a majority of the Elders had gone to visit another Fort and that they would be gone for a couple of days. She and a few others’ were in charge of the Fort until their return.
This caused Michael a bit of distress, he knew that Elders were like the bosses of a tribe and he hoped that Shay would not get in trouble for bringing him here. As before as soon as the thought was complete, he received that warm blanket of comfort again. With that he put his mind to rest and started taking in the scenery of the Fort.
There were Little People every where. They were up in trees, hanging from limbs, dancing under toadstools, just every where. It appeared to Michael, that they had become comfortable with him in their home. Shay was pointing at different Faeries and telling Michael their names, without whispering one of them.
As he watched the Little People work, play, dance and just flutter around, he realized that he had been in the woods for a very long time. He was sure that he’d missed the party. He stood up a bit too quickly and almost squished the little cobalt blue Fae named Phinnius.
Michael started to apologize, but instead sent a quick “sorry” to Phinnius, just by thinking. Phinnius, turned and gave Michael a sweeping bow. He then flew up towards Michael’s face and flashed him a quick smile and flew away.
Michael turned to Shay and gave her a questioning look. He instantly knew, that Phinnius had been seated at Michael feet, listening to the two of the “talk” as he was fascinated with Big People and always tried to learn as much as he could. He also understood that Phinnius was a very old Fae, from before Merlin’s time and was trying to understand why Michael was dressed like Merlin. Shay went on to explain that during the time of Merlin, Big People and Little People lived together peacefully. Phinnius had longed for a return of that life.
Michael again realized he had stayed in the woods for far too long. His family and friends must be worried by now for sure. Shay understood this immediately and led him back to the doorway in the stump. “Will you lead me out to the edge of the woods?” asked Michael.
“Sure, I’ll fly ahead of you big and bright, so you can find your way. Truly, Dear Michael, no one is worried.” Shay responded.
As he made his way back through the stump, he looked up again when he reached the center. It was very dark and as his eyes adjusted to this darkness, he could make out several stars.
He pushed his way through the smaller opening and out into the wood. He reached down and picked up his hat. As promised, Shay was on the other side waiting for him, looking like a big ball of light.
As they made their way to the edge of the woods, Michael noticed she was getting smaller and smaller, but he could still see. He was wondering why? Maybe his eyes had just adjusted. Then he remembered, Shay had told him that there was no reason to worry. He kept moving towards the road.
Once he reached the edge of the woods, Shay did one quick somersault in mid-air, tweaked Michael’s earlobe and shot back down the path. She looked like a tiny comet streaking further and further away, until he could see her no more.
Michael soon realized that it was not quite dark yet. The sun had not fully set in the sky. It was as if he had not been gone at all. He looked down at his costume, which should have been a wreck. He was pleasantly surprised that, not only was it still looking perfect, but there had been an incredible addition to it. He was covered in sparkly faerie dust, which completed his costume.
All of the sudden he heard, in his head, Shay’s sweet voice whispering “You’re Welcome! Come back soon!”
He thought back, “I will!” After which he thought to himself…”Ok, so this thought talk works from far away.”
Again, Shay responded, “Yep, it sure does!”
He continued on his way down Singer Street, towards Bobby’s, trying to get a grasp what just happened.
To be continued…