Excerpt from For Love of Children: The Meeting
The smile had left Peter’s face. His ears stood up straight. He leapt to his feet, and his whiskers twitched. His eyes showed fear and hope at once. He turned around slowly, and his feet barely touched the floor.
Nicholas got to his feet. “Peter, what is it?”
The rabbit’s eyes darted to the center of the room. A moment before, it had been empty. Nicholas followed the path of Peter’s gaze. There, spinning on the wood, was a single coin.
Slowly, the lids over Peter’s eyes lowered as he called attention to his other senses. The hairs in his ears danced, his nostrils flared and curled, his mouth opened slightly as he tasted the air. Peter swallowed once, and said, “She is here.”
“Where?” Nicholas asked. “My sense is not as keen.”
“Not where,” Peter answered. “She is around us. She explores every inch of this shop. All of it. She is everywhere. She is too fast for place.”
Nicholas focused his thought. The rabbit slowed before him as he wove time thinner and thinner. Soon Peter was frozen. Now he saw streaks of movement. Even still, she moved quicker than his eye. He drew out time more and more, but it wasn’t enough. Finally, he grew impatient, and reached into his pocket. He took out his vial of time and opened it. He put it to his lips and swallowed a drop.
“There you are,” he said kindly to the fairy that flew slowly before him.
She was small, a few inches from toes to wing tip. She was draped in the tattered remnants of a gown, torn to little more than rags, whose color had all but faded away. A piece of string served as a belt around her waist, and a small pouch dangled at her side. She carried a sack, as well, large enough for a few teeth or coins. Her wings were like those of a dragonfly, long and slender, with veins of gold and silver. Her hair was wild, and there were rings that circled her eyes. She looked in shock at Nicholas, who seemed to move as fast as she. It had been a long time since anything had kept pace.
“Please,” Nicholas said, “slow down. We are friends here.”
Nicholas returned himself to the stream of time. The fairy appeared before them, hovering above the wood floors and the furniture. She flew in slow arcs in front of the pair and folded her arms. “What is this about?” she asked. “I have work to attend to.”
Peter’s mouth dropped and a tear formed in his eye. He slouched over a bit and felt a lump in his throat. It had been more than a hundred years since he had seen a fairy.
“Do not concern yourself with time,” Nicholas answered. “Hours here are seconds in the world.”
“I received your message,” she said. “Never do that again. I dislike tricks.”
“If I another way of finding you, I’d have used it,” Nicholas said. “Until recently, I had no idea you were real.” He chuckled nervously to himself then coughed once, placing a hand over his mouth.
“There was no reason you should,” she answered back with a glare.
“You must see the importance of this meeting,” Nicholas said. “Our goals are the same. Think of the benefit in an alliance. Think what we could offer one another.”
The fairy scoffed. “I see you every Christmas Eve. If I wanted anything from you I would have introduced myself. I see the rabbit even more, usually sulking in that grove of his. There was also an archer, once, though it has been a great while since I last set eyes on him. Is this all you have to say?”
“Please hear me out,” Nicholas said. “This world is coming apart. I’m sure you’ve seen that for yourself. I am doing what I can, but I am not without limits. The Goose told me of your hardships. She said–”
“The Goose? She never spoke of you, and had no right.”
“This world can be saved!” Nicholas exclaimed. “We can stop this from happening again. The three of us together–”
“I’ve heard enough,” the fairy answered.
“Wait!” Peter said. “Please! We can help you!”
“Help me with what?” she asked.
Peter stuttered, looking for an answer. He hesitated, and, without a flash or a sound, the fairy vanished.
Nicholas got to his feet. “Peter, what is it?”
The rabbit’s eyes darted to the center of the room. A moment before, it had been empty. Nicholas followed the path of Peter’s gaze. There, spinning on the wood, was a single coin.
Slowly, the lids over Peter’s eyes lowered as he called attention to his other senses. The hairs in his ears danced, his nostrils flared and curled, his mouth opened slightly as he tasted the air. Peter swallowed once, and said, “She is here.”
“Where?” Nicholas asked. “My sense is not as keen.”
“Not where,” Peter answered. “She is around us. She explores every inch of this shop. All of it. She is everywhere. She is too fast for place.”
Nicholas focused his thought. The rabbit slowed before him as he wove time thinner and thinner. Soon Peter was frozen. Now he saw streaks of movement. Even still, she moved quicker than his eye. He drew out time more and more, but it wasn’t enough. Finally, he grew impatient, and reached into his pocket. He took out his vial of time and opened it. He put it to his lips and swallowed a drop.
“There you are,” he said kindly to the fairy that flew slowly before him.
She was small, a few inches from toes to wing tip. She was draped in the tattered remnants of a gown, torn to little more than rags, whose color had all but faded away. A piece of string served as a belt around her waist, and a small pouch dangled at her side. She carried a sack, as well, large enough for a few teeth or coins. Her wings were like those of a dragonfly, long and slender, with veins of gold and silver. Her hair was wild, and there were rings that circled her eyes. She looked in shock at Nicholas, who seemed to move as fast as she. It had been a long time since anything had kept pace.
“Please,” Nicholas said, “slow down. We are friends here.”
Nicholas returned himself to the stream of time. The fairy appeared before them, hovering above the wood floors and the furniture. She flew in slow arcs in front of the pair and folded her arms. “What is this about?” she asked. “I have work to attend to.”
Peter’s mouth dropped and a tear formed in his eye. He slouched over a bit and felt a lump in his throat. It had been more than a hundred years since he had seen a fairy.
“Do not concern yourself with time,” Nicholas answered. “Hours here are seconds in the world.”
“I received your message,” she said. “Never do that again. I dislike tricks.”
“If I another way of finding you, I’d have used it,” Nicholas said. “Until recently, I had no idea you were real.” He chuckled nervously to himself then coughed once, placing a hand over his mouth.
“There was no reason you should,” she answered back with a glare.
“You must see the importance of this meeting,” Nicholas said. “Our goals are the same. Think of the benefit in an alliance. Think what we could offer one another.”
The fairy scoffed. “I see you every Christmas Eve. If I wanted anything from you I would have introduced myself. I see the rabbit even more, usually sulking in that grove of his. There was also an archer, once, though it has been a great while since I last set eyes on him. Is this all you have to say?”
“Please hear me out,” Nicholas said. “This world is coming apart. I’m sure you’ve seen that for yourself. I am doing what I can, but I am not without limits. The Goose told me of your hardships. She said–”
“The Goose? She never spoke of you, and had no right.”
“This world can be saved!” Nicholas exclaimed. “We can stop this from happening again. The three of us together–”
“I’ve heard enough,” the fairy answered.
“Wait!” Peter said. “Please! We can help you!”
“Help me with what?” she asked.
Peter stuttered, looking for an answer. He hesitated, and, without a flash or a sound, the fairy vanished.
