A Fairy's Tale

“Mary, get down from there!” shouted Julia.

Mary sat high above Julia’s head on a branch in one of Pine Forest’s tallest oak trees. She kicked her legs in the air playfully, and laughed at her friend’s obliviousness.

“Oh, Julia,” Mary sighed. “I thought you’d nearly learned everything about me by now. Did I not tell you that I’ve been climbing trees ever since I was but six years of age?”

“Yes, I do recall you mentioning that,” Julia said with a hint of impatience in her tone. “Now, for heaven’s sake, will you please come down?”

Mary let herself fall back gracefully as she hung upside-down by her legs on the tree’s large branch. She crossed her arms, and squinting down at her friend, who seemed to be doing a headstand in the sky, she asked, “Why?”

“You heard what my mother said!” Julia shouted to her acrobatic friend. “It isn’t proper for young ladies to climb trees. Besides, you’re awfully high up. What if you fall?”

Mary rolled her eyes. “Julia, I’ve done this so many times that I’ve never fallen, and I never wil-”

Mary was cut short, for the oak tree from which she hung was not only one of the tallest in Pine Lake Forest, but also one of the oldest. That very branch from which young Mary hung had been through more storms and violent winds than she could possibly count! It snapped, and Mary let out a scream as she fell through the air. Her puffy, white, stockings and the long ruffles from her lacy dress flapped in the wind as she tumbled down from the tree, and landed face forward on a patch of tall, green grass.

Julia’s heart jumped, and fearing the worst, she ran over to her friend who lay moaning on the ground. She kneeled down over her friend, and asked her if she was all right. Mary sat up, and spat out some dirt that had gotten into her mouth when she had fallen. Julia helped her friend up, who had surprisingly survived such a fall. Mary smoothed out the ruffles of her dress and looked wearily at the torn seam in her stocking. Luckily, her dress ran below the knee, and covered the unsightly tear.

“You’re bleeding,” Julia said, wincing at the small trail of dripping blood underneath Mary’s swollen left eye.

“Well,” Mary said, “It’s not a very hard injury to live with considering I could have almost died.”

Julia could not believe her friend’s optimism after such an incident.

Mary’s face soon grew serious. “I think we should both head home for the day, but before you go you have to promise me you’ll not speak a word of this to your mother.”

“I promise.” Julia vowed.