The Last Fairy Tale (8 page)

 “Don’t hurt me!” cried Olivia.

 “Hurt you? I thought you were about to hurt me! With all that screaming and whatnot…”

 Olivia lowered her hands and noticed the creature still behind the tree. A face had appeared on its brown, wood-grained skin. Its eyes were small, shiny black holes that glinted as it moved. A long nose had sprouted from the center of its face that curled up at the tip and a slit below the nose served as a mouth.

 “But I’m not a monster or anything,” said Olivia, wondering why a creature as frightening as this would be the least bit frightened by her.

 “You’re just as much of one to me as I am to you,” it said. It slowly walked back around the tree to face Olivia. “But I don’t mean to frighten you at all. I’m sorry if I look weird, but that’s just how imps look.”

 “You’re an imp?” asked Olivia. She knew the term from an encyclopedia at the orphanage. She had read that they were mythical creatures and didn’t exist in the real world.

 “Yep. And you’re a human, right?” asked the imp.

 “Yes. Well, sort of…I’ve been genetically modified,” said Olivia, looking at the ground.

 “I don’t know what you just said, but you appear to be human to me,” said the imp, smiling. “You look just as weird as those pictures in our old fable books.” It looked at Olivia, its eyes widening. “But I meant that in a good way! Oh, no…I’m sorry.”

 Olivia looked back at the imp and smiled. She had no idea how all this was happening or whether she was dead or alive, but she didn’t care. She was beginning to like the imp and whatever place she had managed to fall into. She decided she would play along, dream or not.

 “What’s your name?” she asked, bending down to pick up her journal that she had dropped.

 “Oh yeah, I forgot all about that, didn’t I,” it said, scratching its head with its pointy, stick-like fingers. “I’m Locke, and it’s nice to meet you.” He gave Olivia a deep bow.

 “I’m Olivia,” she replied. “And it’s also nice to meet you.” She smiled at Locke. He rose from his bow and looked in the direction of the sun.

 “I’d like to stay here and chat, but we have to get you to my hut before nightfall,” Locke said.

 “Why?” asked Olivia.

 “Those were my orders,” Locke said, shrugging his shoulders. “Given by the Great Fairy himself. I feel sort of honored, actually. He hasn’t given orders in more than a thousand years. At least, that’s what Old Sequoiak says, so you must be pretty important.”

 Olivia chuckled, still not fully sure whether this was really happening or if it was all in her head. For the time being, she decided to go with it and tossed the thought from her mind. “Well, you must be pretty important if he gave you the orders.” She giggled as Locke put a finger to his chin and stroked it, as if thinking.

 “You know, I didn’t think about it like that,” he said after a few moments. “You could be right. Either way, I have to get you to my hut. Will you follow me?”

 “Sure,” Olivia said. She was eager to see more of this place before she woke up. It reminded her of the magazine photograph in her father’s journal.

 “Then off we go!” Locked turned in the opposite direction and started walking, Olivia trailing behind. There was no path on the forest floor, but Locke seemed to know exactly where he was going. Olivia turned her head this way and that, taking in her surroundings. She couldn’t believe the sheer beauty of the place. The way the sun shone through the trees as it sunk into the horizon was enough to keep her happy for the rest of her life. She was in a daze, entranced by what was happening around her.

 A gust of wind suddenly blew through the trees, and the leaves waved down at her. She looked up and waved back. It felt a bit strange, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Another gust of wind blew, and this time, Olivia closed her eyes and listened. She thought that she could hear music. She was then reminded of the song that she had heard before she met Locke. She glanced at him and saw that he had what looked like a violin slung across his back.

 “Was that you playing the song back there?” she asked.

 Locke glanced back at her and quickly returned facing forward, embarrased. After a few moments, he said, “Yeah. It sounded terrible, didn’t it?”

 “No, not at all!” she exclaimed, shaking her head. “It was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. Did you compose it yourself?”

 “Yep,” replied Locke. The compliment seemed to wash away his embarrassment, and he held his head a little higher. “I actually composed it as you rested. It’s a song that sort of mixes how I felt when I first saw you and the time of day it was.”

 “It was lovely,” said Olivia. “Can you play it again?”

 “I’d be happy to,” said Locke, looking toward the sun, “but we need to pick up the pace and get to my hut. It’ll be dark soon.”

 Olivia noticed that the sun had almost disappeared behind the trees. The forest was growing darker by the minute, so she heeded Locke’s advice and began walking faster. They walked for a short while longer until Locke slowed. “We’re here!”

 They had come to a small hut built between two trees that dwarfed the hut. It was made entirely of intricately carved wood, as if its builder spent years handcrafting each curve and corner. Open windows flanked a small door in the center of the hut.

 Locke walked over to the door and opened it. He looked back at Olivia, who was still examining the hut, her mouth hanging slightly open. “Well, come in! I’ll make us some supper,” he said.

 Olivia slowly walked into the hut, admiring every detail on her way through the door. As they entered, a light suddenly filled the dark room. Olivia looked up at the light, shielding her eyes. It came from a round orb that hung from the center of the ceiling.

 “Is that… a lightbulb?” she asked.

 Locke followed her gaze and then chuckled. “Well, yeah, I guess you could call it a lightbulb.” He walked to the back of the hut and hung his violin on the wall next to many other wooden instruments. “Never seen one?”

“No,” said Olivia, still fascinated. “So this is…
electricity
?”

“Electri-
what
?” asked Locke.

 “It’s just that I’ve never really seen electricity working up close. It’s neat.” Olivia stared intently at the orb.

 “What on Aeldyn are you talking about?” Locke asked.

 “Aeldyn?”

 “Wait, let’s talk about your electri-whatever first,” said Locke. “I’m curious.”

 Olivia felt a bit confused. “That lightbulb is powered by electricity, right? It’s basically a vacuum with a filament made of metal inside that burns brightly when electricity gets to it.”

 Locke looked dumbstruck and then sheepishly grinned. “This is fascinating. First, I meet a real live human, which is already almost too hard to believe, and second, she’s telling me that science is a real thing. You’re talking about science, aren’t you?”

 “Well, yeah,” said Olivia. “You wouldn’t be able to turn on that light without some sort of science involved.”

 Locke laughed. “This is awesome. You’d be surprised how accurate those old storybooks are. I thought they were all just for fun. You know, to teach the children right from wrong and whatnot.”

 “I don’t understand,” Olivia said. She looked over at Locke. “If science is a myth to you, then what is running that light?”

 “Magic, of course.”

“Ah…right,” Olivia said, nodding. She was beginning to feel weak again.
When am I going to wake up
? she thought.

 “Are you feeling okay?” Locke asked. He walked over to Olivia and held her by the shoulders to keep her from swaying. “Why don’t you sit down over here?” He escorted her to a small wooden couch and helped her lie down.

 “Thank you,” she mumbled. “Maybe it’s just that I’m finally starting to wake up from this dream.”

 Locke looked at her concernedly for a moment. He put a hand on her arm and smiled. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll cook you up some special imp stew, and you’ll be feeling better in no time.”

 “Right,” said Olivia weakly. She didn’t know if she had said it out loud or just thought it. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, and soon she had fallen fast asleep.

* * * * *

Olivia woke to the sound of knocking and slurping, like someone was eating noisily with a spoon.
I must have fallen asleep in the dining hall
, she thought. After she rubbed her eyes with her fists, she stretched her arms, opened her eyes, and looked around. She noticed that she was in a small house made entirely of wood, consisting of one large room, with each corner serving a different purpose.

 One corner had a small hammock strung up near a collection of books. Another corner held a workbench for crafting objects, and many wooden instruments hung on the wall above it. The other two corners served as a kitchen and dining room and a sitting room combination. A round, floor-to-ceiling column stood in the center of the house. The base of the column was hollowed out and held a small fire with a pot hanging over it. Olivia sprang to her feet and quickly looked over at the creature eating noisily at the table.

“Aaaah!” she screamed. “
You are real
!” She began to back away, her hands in front of her as if to hold the creature back. “
Stay away
!” She ran around the column to hide from the creature.

Locke stared at her, his eyes wide in surprise. He held a wooden spoon close to his mouth, which hung open in mid-bite. He swallowed hard, and a drop of stew fell from the spoon and back into the bowl, making a loud
ploip
 as it hit. He smiled awkwardly, looking confused.

“I’m serious!” Olivia said as she peered around the column at the creature. “Why am I here, and how are you real? Am I insane? I’m
obviously
not dreaming. Where is this place and how do I get back to the orphanage?” She stopped for a moment as a thought struck her mind.
I have to get back to Nachton
.

 “Wow, you humans are pretty forgetful,” said Locke, putting his spoon down and rising from his chair. “All I know is that I was to meet you at the Old Oak, take you to my hut, and then travel with you to the Great Fairy’s Hollow the next morning. I know that it’s weird, at least it is to me, but maybe eating some stew will help you calm down. We can talk about my world, and I’ll answer any questions you have. But please, just come and at least have some tea.”

 At the mention of stew and tea, Olivia noticed the pleasant aroma filling the hut. The smell made her realize how hungry she was and her stomach rumbled. Convincing herself that the imp wasn’t trying to harm her, she agreed to eat and walked over to the table. She saw her father’s journal at the edge of the table. Locke watched as she quickly picked it up and hugged it to her chest.

 “That dropped to the floor when you fell asleep,” Locke said. “What is it?”

 “It’s my father’s journal…or my diary,” she replied. “It’s both.”

 “Oh, okay,” Locke said. “It must be very special to you, the way you hold it and whatnot…”

 “Yes,” said Olivia, “it is very special to me.” She sat down at the table, still hugging the journal.

 Locke walked to the pot, dipped another bowlful of stew, and returned to the table. He handed the bowl to Olivia, along with a spoon and a wooden goblet of water.

 “We’ll have tea after.” Locke sat down and resumed eating.

 Olivia placed her diary in her lap and looked at the stew. Floating in the golden broth was a mixture of leaves, nuts, and mushrooms. Olivia wondered if it was edible. The steam coming up from the bowl carrying the wonderful smell almost made her not care.

 “What’s in this stew?” she asked, stirring it around with her spoon.

 “Cabbage, acorns, uh…” Locke poked around in his own bowl with his spoon, looking for other ingredients. “Honey mushrooms, salt, pepper, dried onions, and…I think that’s about it.” He looked up at Olivia and smiled. “It’s an old recipe my mother and I created. It’s basically the standard imp stew recipe, but with honey mushrooms instead of oyster mushrooms.”

 Olivia dipped her spoon into the stew, raised it to her mouth, and slowly slurped. She had never tasted anything but Crud before and had no idea what to expect from other foods. The stew had a sweet, earthy taste, not unlike the smell of the ground she had observed earlier. Accented with the dried onions and honey mushrooms, the concoction was delightful. It warmed her and immediately made her feel better. She felt her strength returning.

 “It’s delicious.” She slurped another spoonful.

 “Thank you,” said Locke. “Now, on to those questions. I have lots of questions of my own, but we’ll need to be going to bed soon, so I’ll let you ask them all for now. Deal?”

 “Sure,” she said, nodding. She took a sip of the water. It tasted clean and fresh. In comparison, the water at the orphanage tasted like chemicals. She took in a mouthful, then swallowed and asked, “Where are we exactly?”

 “Exactly? We’re in my hut in the northern region of the Elder Forest, which is in the southern parts of a land called Aeldyn,” said Locke. He picked his bowl up and tipped it, pouring the rest of his stew into his mouth. “Does that answer your question?”

 “Yes, I guess,” said Olivia, unsure. He had answered her question, but he had created so many more in the process. “And you were sent to retrieve me from the Old Oak? By the Great Fairy?”

 “Yep! Exactly,” said Locke. He stood up and walked over to a cabinet that held pots and pans where he grabbed a small pot and took it to the fire in the center of the room. “Would you like tea?” he asked.

 “Yes, please,” she said. “I’ve never had tea before.”

 Locke straightened up quickly, bumping his head on the hearth. He slowly turned around, wincing and rubbing the top of his head. “You’ve never had tea? Oh my. Oh wow…” He returned to the fire. “Well, you’re about to have tea, and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.”

 Olivia giggled. She felt much better after eating the stew and drinking the water. However, she was still having trouble convincing herself it was real. “So, who is this Great Fairy?” she asked.

 “Well, from what I can tell,” Locke started. He stood up and carried two wooden mugs of tea over to the table. He then continued, “he’s sort of like our village elder, Old Sequoiak, except he’s a lot older. Everyone sort of looks up to him, because he’s old and wise. He gives the people of Aeldyn advice when they seek it.” He sat the mugs down and slid one over to Olivia.