The Enchanted Forest of Mangga

2. A fairy that squeaks and blows raspberries

Bea and Ali were just finishing up their breakfast of scrambled eggs and red hot dogs when they heard the scream. They gaped at each other and then outside the window where the big shed stood. That was where all the mangoes were stored after harvest, and where their youngest sibling was screaming from.

"Uh-oh! It's Sez!" Ali exclaimed, followed with a tsk, tsk, tsk. "He's going to get in trouble."

The Matienzo siblings were fully aware that they shouldn't be playing in the mango shed forewarned by their parents and grandpa. Although being the oldest of the three, it was Bea's responsibility to watch her younger brothers, especially Sez, the most curious and troublemaker.

"Let's go!" Bea said as she and Ali dashed outside the door, leaving their plates on the table.

Reaching the mango shed, Bea kicked the door open with her hands on her hips. Her face scrunched up as her eyes scanned the interior. Ali peeked from behind his sister's back.

"Hey, Sez! Are you in here? Hellooo~" Ali called.

Bea squinted her eyes as she spotted a bobbing head. "He's over there!" She pointed. "Sez, what is the meaning of thi--" She halted in her steps when she reached where Sez was. He was sitting on the ground, scared yet amused. Although his hands clamped together shut, trembling in mid-air.

"Sez?"

Snapped into reality, Sez realized he was found.

"Ate!" He called his sister. His arms lifted for his older siblings to see.

Ali walked toward Sez and knelt beside him. "What's in your hand?"

"I thought it was a rat! But it's not!"

Bea knelt the other side of Sez as she too wondered what Sez was fuzzed about.

"If it's not a rat, what is it?" Ali asked.

"I don't know!"

"Open them," Bea said.

Sez nodded his head. Slowly, his hands opened. Little by little.

Bea and Ali gasped and stared.

The tiny fairy sat limpily with her head down, clutching on her broken wing. When she looked up from Sez's palm, she glared at the children and blew a raspberry.

Offended, Sez blew a raspberry back.

Ali giggled, but Bea couldn't stand the sight and touch of saliva spitting in the air.

"Stop that," she said gently as she crawled for a closer look.

"Why is she so tiny?" Sez asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"It's a fairy, Sez!" Ali said. "Whoa. She's pretty."

Hearing his words, the fairy shied away.

"Remember what Lolo told us in his stories?" Bea said as she examined the fairy's wings. The fairy shrunk in fear, covering her eyes. "It's an engkanto."

"En-can-two?" Sez repeated.

"Uh-huh," Bea nodded.

Engkantos were nature spirits who dwelled in the earth, mostly in trees or in the soil. Some could be dwarves or elves. Some could be good or evil spirits. But the fairy in front of them didn't look evil. Just rude. And scared. Bea immediately felt sorry for the poor thing.

"She's hurt," Bea said pointing.

"Oh no, look what you've done," Ali said but received a glare from Sez.

The fairy whimpered.

"Um," Bea hesitated. "I'm sorry, little fairy." Thinking it wasn't her fault to begin with, she turned to Sez and mouthed say you're sorry. Sez flinched and looked regretful.

"I-I'm sorry, little f-fairy," He said as he glanced at his older sister, checking if he said it properly. He gently, ever so gently with the tip of his index finger patted the fairy's head.

The fairy splitted her fingers, her purple eyes peeking in between. She dropped her arms and glanced at the children from Bea, to Sez, then to Ali who called her pretty. She puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms sadly.

"So what now?" Ali asked, his gaze never leaving the fairy.

"Hmm." Bea tapped a finger to her chin. "Maybe we should take her to Lolo. He knows what to do."

The fairy squeaks, shaking her head no.

"Huh? No?"

The fairy blows a raspberry. No.

"How about a band-aid?" Sez suggested. Bea thought about it and shook her head.

"That's not going to work. Look, her wing is too fragile and weak for the band-aid. The band-aid will stick onto her wings and it'll make it even worse."

Sez looked glumly. It was his fault the fairy was hurt. Sensing his guilt, Bea sighed as her hand landed and squeezed her younger brother's shoulder.

"It's okay. You thought it was a rat. Let's help her."

The fairy squeaks.

"What's she saying, Ate?" Ali asked.

"Um, I think she--" Bea said slowly.

The fairy put her hands with her middle fingers touching diagonally, shaped triangular.

"...home?"

The fairy squeaked twice and nodded her head. She wobbled as she tried to stand up and dusted her yellow, flower petal dress. A finger pointed to the outside. The children knew that right outside the mango shed, it was the forest.

The forest that Lolo's engkanto stories were told.

829 words

1575 total

I tried with this chapter. I might have to edit this chapter again before the 28th. Hopefully it still captures your interest to read friends! Vote and comment if you liked it! Thanks for reading!

-Mia