Farrah in Fairyland (28 page)

“Farrah, is it
true that you beat the rookie record, just before you were
attacked?”

“Yeah, I guess
I did,” responded Farrah, hesitantly, not wanting to revisit the
events.

“I don’t
really feel like talking about it right now though Giuseppi. I’d
rather hear about your new job?”

Sensing that
Farrah was in no mood to talk about what happened, Giuseppi changed
subjects voluntarily.

“Well, Farrah,
when I started working with the other Forest Fairies it was pretty
cool. We were on a search for different plants that could be used
to heal the wounds of the fairies that were attacked by the Cornuto
Creatures. I actually found this white flower called a Yeude. It
has a pencil thin stem and no leaves. I learned how to make it into
a lotion for curing flesh wounds. It’s pretty simple. All you need
is some Arbero dust to make the flower really hot. The stem of the
flower is then crushed into a paste. It kind of smells like vanilla
ice cream. Anyway, I was able to help a few injured Fairies.
Unfortunately, on the third day, they asked me to gather a few
branches and some freshly cut tree trunks. These were going to be
used to repair the mills and the other damaged buildings. That’s
basically all I’ve been doing for the last four days. Gathering and
chopping, gathering and chopping. Even with the potion to fly the
wood back and forth, it’s still a long tedious process.”

“Doesn’t sound
too fun, but it must beat gutting those stinky fish, right,”
chuckled Farrah.

“Yeah, I guess
it does,” laughed Giuseppi.

The two had
not noticed that the Queen had quietly entered the room. She was
floating at the entrance and did not want to disrupt their
conversation. Having spotted her, Giuseppi got down on the floor
and gave her a bow.

“Up, my fairy.
I should be bowing to you. I’ve heard that you have been doing a
great job keeping up with the Forest Fairies.”

“Oh,
thank-you, my Queen,” said a blushing Giuseppi as he stepped aside
so that she could get a better look at Farrah.

“You look much
better, my dear fairy,” said the Queen as she looked at the
contraption hooked up to Farrah’s wrist.

“Giuseppi, can
you give us a minute,” requested the Queen politely. Giuseppi
winked at Farrah and then headed out of the room.

The Queen sat
in the chair, and looked deeply into Farrah’s eyes.

“Farrah, it’s
actually a good thing that you are here and not wasting your time
down on earth.”

“What do you
mean?” Asked Farrah feeling confused.

“Let’s just
say that when you are better, you don’t have to go on anymore
missions.”

“No missions,
but why?” Asked a shocked Farrah, as she once again tried to sit
up, and once again, the pain in her neck did not permit her to do
so.

“Farrah, I
don’t want to get into it now. You are still very weak and I don’t
want you to worry.”

“My Queen,
respectfully, I want to know,” said Farrah, sounding stern, but not
so stern as to offend the Queen.

“Very well,
Miss Fancycracker. I guess the news is very grim. Yes, with the
help of practically everyone in Fairyland, we are slowly putting
our land back together. Mills are being rebuilt, and human
children’s teeth have been coming in at a pretty decent rate. Of
course, this is largely due to your efforts, my dear,” said the
Queen, shooting her a glimpse of a smile.

“Unfortunately, despite all of this hard work, I fear that the
population of Fairyland has taken too big a hit. Even with the city
rebuilt, we just don’t have enough Fairies to do the labour needed
to sustain our way of life.”

“What do you
mean, my Queen?” asked Farrah, sounding concerned, as she bit the
fleshy part of her fingers nervously.

“Well, Farrah,
sure the Mills will be rebuilt, but we just don’t have enough
millers to make our Pixie dust. There aren’t enough Forest Fairies
to produce the medicine needed for our older, ailing fairies and to
we don’t have enough fairy power to cultivate the wood needed to
build our homes. There aren’t enough Acqua Fairies to ensure that
we have enough fresh water to drink. We’ve resorted to having the
Princess Fairies and the Fairy Godmothers join the medical and
teaching staffs. Not to mention that the number of Securo Fairies
has dwindled to devastatingly scarse numbers. It is only a matter
of time until the Cornuto creates another portal. I fear that a
second attack by would wipe us all out completely.”

“How can this
be, my Queen?” asked Farrah as she shook her head in disbelief.

“Truth be
told, Farrah, Fairyland has been in trouble for a number of years
now. With no more human children believing, we have not been able
to populate our land sufficiently. With our population at an
all-time low, I fear that we are doomed,” said the Queen as she
grabbed a hold of Farrah’s wrist.

“What will
happen to Fairyland, my Queen?”

She paused,
choosing her words carefully before she stared into Farrah’s
eyes.

“Without fresh
water, sufficient labourers, and a strong workforce of fairies to
cultivate food, process medicine, generate Pixie Dust, Fairyland
will cease to exist.”

Farrah looked
at the Queen. She had so much concern on her face. It was like
something terrible was happening to a child and the mother was not
able to do anything about it. It was heartbreaking for Farrah, who
had hoped to be a main cog in restoring Fairyland to the incredible
land that it once was. There was still one question on her mind
however. Finally, she worked up the nerve to ask the Queen.

“What will
happen to all the fairies?”

The Queen
shook her head slightly as she tried to snap out of a daydream.
Farrah felt kind of relieved that she couldn’t read the Queen’s
mind at that moment. She feared that the Queens thoughts would
reveal further unbearable details about the dire state of
Fairyland.

“My dear,
Farrah, the fairies of Fairyland will cease to have powers.”

For a second,
Farrah actually thought the Queen’s words to be somewhat
comforting. After all, she had been to earth on a number of
occasions and despite the devastation of their land, many humans
like Keilani remained happy. Realizing that Farrah wasn’t on the
same page, the Queen continued, this time sounding much more
ominous.

“Farrah, most
fairies won’t be able to cope. I fear that many lives will be
lost.”

This time
Farrah gasped as a vision of her family had entered her mind. Her
mom and dad were baking as they always did. However, it wasn’t the
lavish baked goods that the Fancycracker Bakery had become known
for. This time they were cooking the carcases of dead animals.

“There must be
something we can do,” responded Farrah, her sense of passion
returning as she looked at the Queen.

“Farrah, I
fear that there isn’t anything we can do to save Fairyland. The
devastation is too far-gone. The best I can do now is to reinstate
King Bertrand’s Utopian Clause.”

Farrah tilted
her head on an angle, much like a dog when it hears a strange
sound.

“You mean that
you are going to allow the fairies of Fairyland to give up their
powers to live on earth like regular human beings?”

“It’s the
right thing to do, Farrah. At least our people will be given a
fighting chance.”

The Queen
stood up and began to pace the room once again. The Medico Fairy
had popped his head in for the third time, and once again seeing
that the Queen was still in the room, he decided not to press the
issue of visiting hours.

“My focus will
no longer be dedicated to saving Fairyland; it will be to arrange
for the smooth transition to earth for our fairies. If my instincts
are right, I can anticipate many fairies wanting to leave our world
when they are made aware of how much trouble Fairyland is really
in. After all, is a fairy truly a fairy if they no longer have
Pixie powers?”

Farrah paused
for a moment, thinking about the Queen’s question. She then began
to think of what a life on earth would be like. At first, she
pictured herself flying on Bella’s back over the crowded streets
below. Then she realized that Bella would not be making the voyage
to earth.

“Farrah, I
will need your help. It will be a challenge to convince the fairies
of Fairyland that their life in Fairyland is indeed over.”

There were
several minutes of silence, as Farrah did not want to succumb to
the notion that Fairyland was through. Instead, she brainstormed
the entire time about possible ways of saving Fairyland. Then a
tiny light bulb finally went off in her head. She sat up, feeling a
sense of excitement for the first time in a long while.

“What if I am
able to convince human boys and girls about Fairyland? What if they
choose to come and live here with us?”

“Oh, Farrah,”
chuckled the Queen - her belly pulsating like a jellyfish.

“No Tooth
Fairy has been able to convince a human for over ten years.”

“I know, I
know, but let’s just say that I am able to convince human children
about Fairyland. Wouldn’t that fix everything?”

The Queen
looked at Farrah strangely. One part of her admired Farrah’s
determination, the other was focused on her naivety.

“In theory,
yes. A repopulation of Fairyland is exactly what it would take. But
I wouldn’t get too excited Farrah, it would take upwards of one
thousand humans just to get us back on track.”

Farrah’s face
dropped. She was having a very hard time coming to grips with the
whole situation. She had finally begun her journey, living her
dream as a Tooth Fairy and now this had to happen. Her expression
turned to one of sadness, touched with anger.

“
I can
see you’re upset, Farrah. I do want you to know however, that I am
very proud of you. Do not belittle your accomplishments. You are
truly a special fairy. Unfortunately, there is nothing that
any
fairy can do. My suggestion is
that you go home and explain the situation to your folks. Tell them
about the option of going to earth. With any luck, they will make
the right decision,” said the Queen as she stood up and began to
float toward the door, with one flap of her wings.

“Okay, my
Queen, I will,” responded Farrah, despite the fact that she had
absolutely no intention of doing so.

As the
Queen left the room, Farrah kept repeating the words
one thousand
children
, over and over
again. She spotted her purse on a chair adjacent to her bed. She
slowly got up from the bed, peeking out the door to see if anyone
was around. Confident that nobody was in sight, she took the Star
of Fantaseea out of her purse.

“
Why didn’t the pirates take you
?” Farrah whispered aloud. Turning it around in
her hand a few times, she carefully put it back into her purse and
then took out the Veddo. With it held up in front of her face, she
began to talk into it.

“Picolotto,
come in!”

Farrah
repeated her words over and over again.

“Picolotto,
come in!”

After five
attempts, there was still no response. Hearing footsteps coming
form the hallway, Farrah placed the Veddo back into her purse and
slipped back into bed. The Medico Fairy peered into the room.
Satisfied that Farrah was sleeping, he continued along. Farrah had
in mind just to go to sleep when she heard a voice coming from her
purse.

“Are you
there, Farrah?”

Farrah jumped
out of bed and took out the Veddo from her purse. She could see
that Picolotto was staring back at her. He had black circles under
his eyes and his hair was all dishevelled, as if he had been
wakened from a sleep.

“Farrah, I’m
glad to see that you are doing much better. You had us all worried.
Do you need anything, my young fairy? I can send over some of my
fish egg wellness soup if you’d like.”

“No that’s
okay, Picolotto. Actually I need to know how I can convince 1000
human children to come to Fairyland!”

Upon hearing
these words, Picolotto nearly fell backwards. He steadied himself
before he spoke.

“Farrah, have
you gone mad? No fairy has been able to convince a human of
Fairyland’s existence in over ten years. I can’t believe that you
woke me from my dream for this? Oh, it was such a perfect dream. I
was smooching the most beautiful Bellasimita on the mouth.”

“Umh, thanks
for sharing that, Picolotto,” Farrah said sarcastically.

“I’m sorry,
Farrah, but it just can’t be done! It’s been ten years…”

“I KNOW!”
shouted Farrah, getting quite agitated about hearing this statistic
for a third time.

“It is
possible though, to convince a human, isn’t it? After all, didn’t
you know the last fairy to do so?”

Picolotto
sighed, he had hoped that he would never have to repeat the words
that he was about to utter.

“Sweet Farrah,
the story about Pido that you have been told is completely
false.”

Farrah sat
back on the bed, anticipating that what Picolotto was about to tell
her would be earth shattering. Picolotto continued, sounding much
more serious than Farrah had ever witnessed. He chose his words
very carefully.

“Farrah, it
was just a fluke – the Tooth Fairy that convinced the last human
child about Fairyland, wasn’t one of our more skilled fairies, to
say the least. You see, Pido was only in his third week on the job,
and up to that point, he had produced the least amount of human
teeth in history. He was actually very close to being dismissed as
a Tooth Fairy when word spread that he had convinced a human about
our existence. When the King and Queen verified that it was true,
he was made an honorary member of the royal family.”