Paydirt and Pessimism

Tuesday, Feb 28, 2017

A local legend has found its way into the hearts of the world, and its implications have the residents of Westbury, Tasmania divided. Enthusiasts flock to the forests, while skeptics march on the streets, but some unfortunate souls remain locked in their homes in fear.What could illicit a reaction of this magnitude, you ask?

Faeries.

That's right: Faeries.

Sources confirm that the World Faery Society has publicly released information which they believe may prove the existence of these tiny mythological creatures, and hundreds of scholars, artists, and authors around the world have joined the investigation to see if, in fact, there is truth to the tale.

And I, Sarah T. Mullens, am just crazy enough to join them.

Like most global phenomena, the search for the Westbury Faery started small. Tracing its roots to an undisclosed location, presumably in Ireland, the investigation into faeries has been a pain and a passion for one Dr. Arthur Beck.

According to his granddaughter, Willow Beck (who was unfortunately unavailable for comment), her grandfather's research into faeries has been belittled, mocked, and even banned from scholarly circles. She believes, however, that his work has been shut down because of one glaring possibility: he's gotten too close to the truth.

A former colleague of Dr. Beck's, Dr. Jeanne Pultzer, had this to say: "[Beck] was clearly unstable. We all knew it. Always ranting and raving about one goblin or another, tossing salt around the room, and stowing shoes in the fireplaces. That, we could handle. But when he started refusing to work on anything else, we knew he had to go."

Another colleague, Dr. Harold Swimmer, confirms the tale. "In our line of work, being a little nutters is often a good thing. With Beck, though, it was... well, it wasn't good. He was obsessed with his [expletive] faeries, and he refused to contribute to anything of promise." Swimmer went on to mention his regret in letting Beck go. "It was more sad than anything. That [expletive] box only served to ruin his potential."

This box, the centerpiece of the global phenomenon, may indeed have stalled Dr. Beck's academic progress, but viewers around the world share in Beck's intrigue. After years of watching her grandfather toil over the faery box, Willow finally took the investigation to a whole new level--on the web.

Willow's YouTube video, shown at the beginning of this article, along with its accompanying support on social media apps like Facebook and Wattpad, blew the doors off the investigation's decade-long deadlock. With new and creative perspectives on the evidence collected by Dr. Beck, support began streaming in for his field of study, and things began looking up for the first time in almost twelve years.

Wattpad users, in particular, couldn't seem to get enough of the Westbury Faery. Fantastical takes of her adventures and history bombarded the World Faery Society's servers, and with each new piece of evidence, the stories grew more and more similar.

It wasn't long before the reality of the Westbury Faery had been agreed upon. One user, queenaasiya, sums it up concisely in the final chapter of her story, "Realms," currently the second-highest rated entry into the writing contest.

But as happens all too often in mythology, the truth is not always the most interesting tale. "Stolen" by DannyFleenor is poised to take the coveted wild card trophy for Wattpad users. This story intentionally deviates from the truth to create twists and turns that keep its readers interested.

But which story will win out in the long run? Is the truth too hard for humanity to accept? Are faeries like the one in Westbury doomed to forever live on only in fiction? Or will the world finally accept the truth for what it is and move forward into a renewed age of intangible faith?

The decision is up to you, dear reader. The fate of the Westbury Faerie is officially in your hands.