A Different Kind of Fairy

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  Once we got to my house, I asked her where she would like to sleep. “I have this extra leaf bed, or you can sleep on these dandelion cushions.” She sat on the dandelion makeshift couch and sighed. “I’ll take this one,” she said, and then promptly fell asleep. I shook my head and smiled at how tired she already was and walked over and covered her with a blanket.

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  When she woke up from her nap, I was ready with a list of people and places to visit and see what interested her. We decided to visit the water fairies first, seeing as they were the most abundant group of fairies. They supply us with water to drink, the kitchens to cook, and combine with the workshop to make telescopes, but they can also send messages through water. We have messenger fairies, but the water fairies still prefer to communicate with water, at least within themselves.

  At the water station, I coughed and Rina, one of the oldest water fairies came over. She was still holding a piece of the ice sculpture she was working on, or so I thought. “You’re here for her, right?” she asked. I nodded. She turned to Ella and smiled. “Ok, it’s Ella, right? I want you to hold this piece of ice. Got it? Not try to melt it.” Ella concentrated. She bore her eyes into it. Nothing happened. She squeezed it. Still nothing. “Okay, it’s alright,” she said. “Let’s try something else.”

  She led us over to the river that the water fairies stationed themselves around. She poured some water into Ella’s hand. “Do you feel anything? Nothing different?” Ella shook her head. “Alright, try to make something out of it.” Everything was the same as with the ice. Nothing. Rina nodded at me and said lightly, “Well, thanks for coming but I don’t think water is your talent.” We shook hands and said goodbye.

  Next we tried the gardens, which were right next to the water fairies’ headquarters. This was so the water fairies could water whatever plants were dry. Chrissie and Blossom both came over to help us. Chrissie was carrying some soil and Blossom had some seeds. Again Ella was told to hold it and try to make something happen. Nothing. I could tell Emma was getting frustrated. “Emma, you’re not supposed to be the first trade you try,” I told her. “My sorter had to go through 37 trades before we found out I was an animal fairy. I was with her for a month!” “Oh really?”Chrissie said, amused. “We found my trade on the first day. But we couldn’t find a house for two months. That’s so much worse because I had nothing to do with my sorter.” I laughed. “Well, I’m just guessing this isn’t for her, so I guess we’ll be going now.” We said our goodbyes and then left for home.

  As we flew, Emma said, “I get that you’re not supposed to have it on your first try. But I… I just wanted to be the fairy that immediately… fit in, I guess. That’s all.” She gave me a small smile. “It’s okay. It’s your first day; you’re probably really tired already. It’s late.”

  Sure enough, as soon as we finished dinner, she was out on her cot. I smiled as I remembered my first day and how I had fallen asleep into the acorn soup. I brought myself out of my reverie. On the sheet they had given me listing all the different trades, I crossed off water and gardening. Only 60 some more to go.

  The next morning I got up and startedmaking acorn pancakes. Emma was really quite unlucky coming in the fall. The only thing we weren’t stocking up on in the Storage Tree was acorns, and that was only because over three fourths the fairies live in oak trees.  The only thing we had to compete with was the squirrels for our acorns, but even with them, I was able to collect 6 acorns when I went outside to get my Fairy Times. Maybe we would visit the Mill today to test Emma and get me some more acorn flour.