An Ordinary Fairy (56 page)

You’re four hundred and twenty years old…

A devilish twinkle brightened Willow’s eyes. “So, no, there’s no chance I’m your many times great-grandmother.” She giggled again, and Noah caught the infection and laughed with her, then shook her by the shoulders.

“Willow Brown!” he said, “or whatever your name is. You can be the most … frustrating … mysterious … irritating … incredible woman. The most wonderful woman I’ve ever known.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

Willow looked into his eyes. “You’re not angry with me?”

Noah hesitated. “No, I’m not angry. Maybe at myself for being so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid. Just a little naive. It’s a fault of the very young.” Those dark eyes twinkled at him. “I will say you took this much better than other humans I’ve told.”

“Other … men?”

Willow colored with embarrassment, then nodded.

Noah contemplated her, serious again. “No wonder we were fooled,” he said. “Fairies lie very smoothly. What else have you lied about?”

Willow frowned. “Nothing, I promise. There are things I haven’t told you, and my love, I can’t tell you everything, I just can’t, not even you. I have
not
lied about anything else.”

“Okay. I believe you.” Noah checked the time. “I have to go, little fairy. Will you walk with me to the truck?”

“Of course.”

Hand in hand they strolled down the path, past the cottage and on toward Noah’s truck. Words weren’t needed; their hearts spoke. Steps came slower as they neared the tree across the lane, but try as they might to avoid arriving, they found themselves there.

Willow turned a serious face to Noah. “I don’t know if this will mean anything to you, but I promise I will never lie to you again, Noah. I can’t say I won’t have any secrets, but I will never lie to you again.”

Noah smiled. “That issue is gone. Kiss me.” So she did. He tapped her nose with one finger. “I expect you to behave while I’m gone, which I know will be a struggle without me to keep you in line.”

Willow grinned. “I’ll try. You be careful in Louisiana. Oh, I almost forgot.” She reached into a pocket, withdrew a small metal object, and handed it to him. “This is a FairyNet key. It allows access to all the system features, including the secure email system. Plug it into an open port on your laptop and it will do the rest. I set up an account for you. Your ID is ‘Cowboy1.’”

“How many fairies did you have to piss off to get an ID like that?”

“A few. I have influence.”

“I only check email late at night so you may need to be patient.”

“Not my strong suit. Maybe you could come down around Christmas.”

“I’ll try.” They kissed a final time. Noah’s hand strayed to Willow’s bottom. Something in her back pocket didn’t feel right. He dug into it and extracted his comb, which had gone missing the day before. He held it up for Willow to see. Her face and feelings spoke guilt and frustration.

“How did this get there?” Noah asked.

Willow blushed deep red and smiled sheepishly. “It must have been a little fairy. You know how they are.”

“I’m beginning to.” Noah pocketed the comb. “See ya, sweet fairy.”

“See ya, Cowboy.”

He climbed into the truck and pulled away, watching in the mirror as Willow disappeared from view. She came into his thoughts.

I LOVE YOU.

Noah smiled. “I love you, too,” he said. Her presence slipped away as he reached the missing sign on the county road.

Things are just beginning to get interesting
.

Author’s Note

Most of the locations and businesses described in this story as being in Hoopeston are actual places that existed in the real city of Hoopeston, Illinois, at the time the story takes place, October 2006. Henning’s Root Beer Stand, Ruby Nell’s pub, Flowers by Molly Culbert, The Broom Closet, and the Hoopeston Public Library were where I described them and every bit as charming. The Broom Closet and the Witch School have since changed hands and relocated to Rossville, a few miles south, and more recently, to Salem, Massachusetts. Alas, Ruby Nell’s pub closed its doors, but has since reopened in a new incarnation. Chester Jones’s home is based loosely on a real house in Hoopeston, but should remain private. The motel where Noah stayed has not been built yet, but plans are underway. The nursing home is attached to the hospital, but the Jones family did not build the new wing. The Big House is based on a real structure located on the Illinois River near Starved Rock State Park in northern Illinois. I added the widow’s walk, but the remainder of the exterior is just as I described it.

Willow’s cottage is strictly a work of my imagination.

The Arches is a real place in Danville, as are all the wonderful parks I mentioned.

If you drive to Hoopeston to find Jones Woods and search the area southeast of town, I am sorry to say you will be disappointed to see only a large fertile field of corn or beans, depending on the year. Hoopeston was a convenient location to base the story, but to adequately Guard the Mystery, the true location of Jones Woods must remain just that—a mystery.

The characters created for this story are fictitious, but Noah Phelps, the Revolutionary War hero, was a real person.

And finally, names were changed to protect identities, with one exception. As Willow herself states in the story: “My name isn’t Brown, but it is Willow.”