Thirteen: the first gift

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“Hellooooooo?”

“Is she gonna wake up?”

“How long can she honestly still be sleeping at this hour?”

“What do we do if she’s dead?”

“Heaven forbid...!  She’s not dead, Jinx!”

“But what if she is?”

“Don’t get my - I think she just moved.  Poke her again.”

“I’ve poked her enough, Harlow.  Any more and it’s downright rude.”

“Do it, Jinx!  I have orders from the King and Queen to help her-“

“Help me what?”

Jinx squeaked and flew to Harlow’s shoulder.  “We didn’t know you were awake.”

“You didn’t?” Harlow and I chorused.

The pixie shrugged.  “You seemed dead to me.”

I laughed.   “My dad used to make fun of me for that.  Said I slept like the dead.”

“That’s cute.”

“Adorable.” Harlow ripped the covers off of me.  “Up!  We’ve got to go.  The sun is nearly... well, I guess it’s not that high, but we need to get moving if we’re going to make it on time.”

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“We’re taking you on a tour through the country.”

“Cool.”

“No, it’s actually really warm outside,” Jinx said.

“No,” I laughed softly.  “Not what I meant.  It’s cool that you’re taking me on a tour.”

They paused.  “Still don’t get it.”

I shrugged.  “Cool.  That’s cool.  I’ve been curious as to what’s all out there beyond the pastures.  I was too afraid to look down when we rode on the Pegasus yesterday to look.”

“What do you mean by ‘cool’, though?” Jinx asked.

I sighed.   “Well, in Reality ‘Cool’ is also used to describe something you like.  For example, I wanted to explore the place, so I thought that was ‘cool’ that you were taking me.  I love the Pegasus, they’re ‘cool’.  I’ve always wanted to be an artist.  I love art and drawing and painting, so I think its ‘cool’.”

“I think we get it,” Harlow said.  She came out of the closet, carrying a white poufy-shouldered shirt, black pants, and a black corset to wear over the shirt.  I was okay with the outfit, except for her choice of shoes.  She held out heels.  Adorable black heels, sure, but not exactly suitable for exploration.

“Are we going to be going through any forests or walking for long periods of time?” I asked.

They exchanged looks before laughing.  “Duh!”

“Then shouldn’t I have flats or trainers so I’m not in pain when walking for so long?”

Jinx pulled Harlow’s ear.  “Give ‘em to her!”

“No, she’ll need these for when we visit certain people.  You know the ancients only allow females inside who are wearing dresses and heels, unless they’re cleaning,” she argued.

A bag appeared on a bed beside my bed.  I picked it up, running the beautiful fabric through my fingers.  It was light, but appeared strong and sturdy.  The fabric looked thick, like a green rug with red and gold intricacies sewn in shaped into a bag.  However, when I pinched it, it was soft and rather thin.

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