As he was watching his face in the mirror, fragments of old memories came to his mind—thoughts that wouldn't let him be at the time, happenings that made him wonder and wonders he couldn't find the answer to.
He remembered his mother's look on the nights with a full moon when she was putting him to sleep; there was both wonder and worry in her eyes. He remembered the fear on his father's face when sometimes, they met under the walnut tree in the backyard when evening came and the moon was up in the skies. And he also remembered May's delight, that beautiful autumn evening when the moon appeared over the forest. No, he never looked at his face in the moonlight. He never liked to look at his face, anyway. For it always reminded him how different he was.
Now, he finally understood. When the moonlight caressed his face, his forehead looked like a magical, radiant map. The moon shone in the middle of his forehead and bright stars, smaller or bigger, were rippling on his temples. It was as if the night's stars and the moon were tattooed on his forehead in bright, shimmering lights.
"I'm a Moon Fairy..." he whispered.
Lavender Sky took a seat next to him, on the divan. She didn't dare to make any gesture, afraid she might trouble him more.
"Who am I, Miss Lavender?" he asked. "What am I? You said I was a changeling. But who would do that? And why? Please, you have to tell me!"
The fairy looked like she wanted to say something, but then she changed her mind. Ferry could tell that no matter what the fairy was about to tell him, it was to change his life forever. Was he really prepared for such a confession? He couldn't escape the feeling that danger would be appearing at every corner once he would know the truth.
"I'm not the one to tell you," she said, looking away. "I'm sure that soon, someone from your homeland will come to you. And then, everything will be clear."
"How can you tell?"
"Because they came to me, too, a long time ago... They brought you to me that night. I was the one supposed to take care of you, in this world. But I─ I just couldn't care about anything or anyone, at the time. James was long gone. And my children were missing. To me, fairies meant only tears and misery..."
"Then why did you bring me here? Why telling me all these? Why now?"
The fairy took his hand in hers, then put it on his chest. The raven's stone.
"For this," she said. "The raven's stone. It's a─"
"It's a magical stone, I know," Ferry interrupted her. "You can see magical beings through it. Unseen beings. You can see fairies."
"That is not all," she added. "It is much more powerful than that. It can show you the future, too. Follow me," she said rising from the divan.
They went out in the garden, in the cottage's backyard. The fairy covered herself with a large cloak. The garden was lit like in the daytime. The fairy led him to the fountain in the middle of the garden. Only now he noticed what a strange fountain that was. It was an artesian-well made out of marble, with fantastic beings encrusted, the same Ferry kept seeing on almost all the objects in Lavender Sky's house. The basin was round while in the middle an odd structure was rising. It was made of once-white stones, just as beautifully crafted as the basin. Ferry thought he has never seen such stones in Goodharts. What was really strange about the fountain was the lack of water.The fountain was covered with a fine coating of moss. A sign it hasn't been used in a long time.
The fairy stepped closer to the fountain, and she caressed the frozen beasts of stone with her fingertips.
"I need your help, Ferry," she said. "I need the raven's stone to─ To see if my children are still alive. I need to know if I'm ever going to see them again. If through the raven's stone you can catch a glimpse of the future, if my children are still alive, then the raven's stone will show me."
Ferry didn't have the strength to say no to her plea. He took off the raven's stone and gave it to her. She took the stone, thanking him with her eyes. With unsteady hands, she adjusted the stone in a small hole of the structure in the middle. The stone fitted perfectly, although Ferry could have sworn the hole was much bigger before. The fairy stepped away and closed her eyes. Ferry felt something was about to happen. He could feel a shift in the air. The whirlwind of petals appeared again, slowly moving towards the fountain, then scattered into thousands of sparkling fragments. Ferry stepped back, not because he was afraid of the fairy's powers. He rather felt his presence would trouble the magical show he was about to witness.
Then the fairy began to sing. An amazing, unearthly song he has never heard before. It was a strange language who seemed somehow familiar. Like he had heard it before. Under the spell of that voice, the whole nature seemed as if transforming itself, trembling as a living, breathing being. The flowers bent their heads, like in a bow. The trees rustled, swinging. Even the moon in the sky seemed somehow bigger and brighter.
When the fairy finished her song, the moonlight fell like a spear in the middle of the garden and from the depths of the earth, pure water emerged, blenching in pure drops. When the water quieted down, Ferry could see the fountain's basin filling with silver water, in which the whole garden was reflecting.
The fairy removed the raven's stone from the hole and looked through it at the trembling water. The water was shivering, casting beams of light all around. After a few moments, the fairy took away the stone from her eyes, and then kept it in her hands and pressed it to her heart. Tears were falling from her eyes, as bright as the water in the fountain.
"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for giving hope to a lost soul..."
She gave him the raven's stone back, preparing to go inside her cozy little house.
"Are you coming, Ferry? It's getting cold."
After the fairy gave him back the magical stone, everything turned back to normal as if nothing had happened. Ferry wanted to say goodbye to her. He almost lost track of time. It was late, and his mother was probably worried. But something stopped him. The raven's stone was pulsing in his hand, just as every time it wanted to show him something. It was like that small, dark object had a will of its own Ferry had to obey.
The fairy understood what was happening. And in a blink of an eye, she was next to him.
"Ferry, DON'T! You shouldn't look at your future when you're at the beginning of your life! The future can be misleading. Please, stop!"
But it was too late. A silver puddle was still in the fountain, shimmering in the moonlight. Ferry brought the stone to his eye and watched. At first, he couldn't understand the bits and pieces of images passing by in front of his eyes. It was like watching fast images on TV. Then, little by little, the images turned clear. Pieces of a blurry future made him wonder and shiver. He recognized faces and places; new faces and new faces also appeared, as if an avalanche of incomprehensible images and sounds. Other faces of a far-off future were still blurry, caught up in a mist, waiting for their time to come.
He could see himself running with Matt and Ben, romping and laughing. He could see himself with May, hand in hand, while they were heading towards a white hill. He could see his mother smiling at him, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. Then the water was troublous again, and other images appeared. This time, they were different. He couldn't understand very well what he was seeing. He saw faces crowding. Familiar faces. Then he realized they were the faces of his classmates. Then he saw an agitated, troubled Miss Summer, running with no purpose. Then he saw his mother with tears in her eyes. And he just couldn't watch anymore. He put the raven's stone back on the leather string and then he just stood there, staring.
The fairy stepped closer. "I don't know what you just saw, but you seem troubled. Are you sure you don't want to come inside for a little while?"
Ferry shook his head no.
"Future can be deceptive, you know," she continued. "The fact that you took a glimpse of your future can make you take different decisions. So if you look through the stone tomorrow, you'll see something else."
But Ferry was not listening. He knew too much, yet he understood so little. And it troubled him beyond words.
"I should go," he said. "My mum is probably worried. Thank you for the soup and... everything," he added while heading towards the small gate.
"Think about what I said, Ferry," he heard Lavender Sky's voice behind him. "You can't run from who you really are..."
He looked behind and saw her standing still, bright and white in the moonlight.
Ferry ran and didn't stop until he got home. It was way over ten o'clock when he entered his house. His mother was walking along and across the room, wringing her hands. Luckily, it was a Friday night and on Fridays, his father used to spend a few hours at one of his workmate's houses to have a drink or two.
"Ferry, I've been worried sick," his mother said the moment she saw him. "I've been looking all over for you... Where have you been? You won't get away with this one, mister!" she added and her voice turned harsh.
Ferry didn't say a word. Instead, he rushed to hug his mother.
"I love you, Mum," he whispered.
Mrs. Donovan stood still for a few moments. Ferry was not the kind to show his affection too often. She felt like she couldn't scold him any more, let alone punish him. He put him to bed and brought some milk and biscuits to his room. She kissed him on the forehead and said good night, smiling that way only she could smile.
Ferry didn't touch the milk and biscuits. All he wanted to do was sleeping. He felt weak and troubled. He didn't want to think about anything. He felt his eyelids heavy and soon he fell asleep.
That night, he had the strangest dream. He was flying over the top of some tall trees, shrouded in thin steam. It was nice and warm, and a soft wind was blowing, making him feel invigorated. Below, the landscape changed. The trees became scarce, and some hillocks took their place. Their moist scent, of fresh grass, was reaching the skies where he was flying. Somewhere, far away, a castle emerged from the clouds. The dream rapidly carried him closer, to the castle's walls. As by magic, he found himself on the other side of the walls. He was floating above some sinuous slab stairs which led somewhere to the depth of the castle. He arrived in front of some solid, locked wood doors. He passed through the doors as if they weren't even there. It was a dark, cold, massive room. Somewhere in the middle, a big, stone throne was dominating the room. Someone was sitting on that throne; a dark presence that gave him the creeps. A thick, gray mist surrounded it. He couldn't tell the way it looked. But he felt it was evil. Pure evil. Whispers he couldn't understand were emerging from every corner of the room, making it spin faster and faster.
Suddenly, the creature stood up and said in a whispered, yet husky voice, "He knows..."
Thank you for taking the time to read this new chapter! Don't forget to vote and comment. I would also like to know your opinion about the revelation in Ferry's life. What will he do now that he knows he is a fairy? Who do you think is that dark presence in his dream? Can't wait to hear from you :)