Of a Boy Named Jack

The school halls by then had mostly been emptied except for the few stragglers waiting for rides and the jocks warming up in the commons before practice. I walked out the front doors and was greeted by a cloudy day. I zipped up the front of my jacket and started the half hour walk home. The sidewalks seemed less crowded than usual, not having to dodge the occasional jogger or group of younger kids cycling.

A little woodland brownie caught my eye as it struggled getting up a tree with a half full bag of chips in its mouth. I smiled at the idea of what someone else would see and kept walking.

“I didn’t expect you so soon.

I turned around and found a tall pale skinned man with black hair and pointy ears, leaning on the tree that the brownie had been struggling up. The brownie was now settled in his arms, very still with its eyes closed. The man stroked the small creature, and looked at me with his dashing smile. He would have been handsome if the whites of his were weren’t black and his irises white, or if he didn’t have four huge canines dominating his pearly white smile.

“Leave me alone, Deon.” I said, irritated. I turned around started walking away from the him, but heard his light footsteps follow.

“What’s the matter, pretty lady? Do you not like my company?” Deon questioned as he matched my pace, still stroking the poor brownie in his arms.

I stopped. “No, I don’t like your company, Deon. I don’t like the company of any vampire, and I would appreciate it if you would let that poor creature go.” I said, reaching back into my backpack, trying to feel around for the iron pole that I kept in there. The only reason I had it was for Deon.

“What foul language you use. I’ve always hated that term Vampire, you know that I’m a Dark Elf and I would wish that you would use that term.” Deon said, pouting.

I found the iron pole in my bag and pulled it out. “Just let go of the brownie and leave me alone, Deon, then I won’t have to smash your face in.”

He smiled and held up his hands in defeat, holding up the brownie by its feet. “Its already dead, pretty lady. No need to smash my face in; I’m already on my way.” Deon said, backing away from me, shaking the brownie’s body as if to taunt me.

In a blink he was gone, leaving me with a surreal feeling of wondering if what just happened really happened. I put the pole back into my backpack and started walking home again, clearing my mind of Deon and his dinner.

As I walked my thoughts lingered back to Jack, leaving a smile on my lips.



I placed my book bag next to my desk and I flopped down on my bed. I smiled at the thought of Jack again. Yes, I had to say that I had a crush. I mean, I thought he was cute, with his skinny jeans and v-neck.

Chattering stirred my attention from my thoughts of Jack to the corner of my bed as the sheets pulled tight and a small form crawled up onto my bed. I picked up the small brownie, scooted back on my bed and started looking around my room.

All the windows in my room were closed and covered by blackout curtains, and the soft yellow light from my lamp reflected off my dark purple walls and wood furniture. I had a very basic room. A full bed, a desk, a bookshelf, a night stand, and bright yellow Lay-Z-Boy that I had dragged home long ago when someone discarded it on the sidewalk.

The brownie started to to purr, if you could even call it a purr, and settled down in my lap. I scratched it behind its long brown ears.

"You guys did a good job cleaning up today," I muttered to the little thing. It purred louder and settled more into my lap. I smiled and rested my head on my pillows, thoughts returning to Jack. Maybe I would finally make a friend.

A small knock on my window startled me, making the brownie jump out of my lap. I smiled and hopped out of my bed and hurried over to the window. I opened my curtain to find two little figures sitting on my window sill.

“Well, Juniper and Bee, I haven’t seen you two in a while! Where have you guys been?” I whispered excitedly as I opened my window and ushered the two fairies into my room.

“We have news for you.” Juniper said, fluttering over to my desk and sitting on one of the bean bags I had there for them. Her lean figure barely made an indention on the makeshift chair, and her blonde hair seemed to be even more of a tangled mess than usual.

“And it’s not news of the good kind.” Bee said, still standing on the window sill as he brushed his shimmering dark green hair out of his face. I sat down on my desk chair, puzzled. The morbid world of the Fae never seemed to have trouble that concerned them; all their lives were filled with fun, happiness and partying.

“Bad news? That’s a first. What's wrong?” I asked them. Bee fluttered over to the desk as well and stood next to Juniper, his small beady black eyes for once filled with concern. Juniper started playing with the edge of his black fitted tunic, unaware of Bee’s concern.

“New Folk have moved into town, bad Folk, see-able Folk.” Bee said, staring up at me. I realized then that Bee’s eyes weren’t just full of concern, but of fear.

“Folk? What do you mean by Folk? What kind?” I asked Bee. He looked away.

“Don’t know what kind, never seen them before, but not the good kind.” Bee said quietly.

“A lady and her child, your size, living with humans! Her child seems human, but something is wrong with her, something magical.” Juniper said, not with nearly the same amount of concern as Bee. I looked back to Bee.

“What’s wrong with her?” I asked, a feeling of dread creeping over me.

“She has gotten hold of magic in a powder, sells it to the humans. Makes them magical too, but not for long. Makes them want more, makes them less human, makes them dangerous.” Bee said, almost darkly.

“Makes them have the sight! Makes us see-able!” Juniper squealed excitedly, jumping out of her chair and spinning into the air. Bee looked up at her sadly. My gut curled.

“Magic is being sold as drugs on the human market?” I asked. Bee nodded.

“What happens to these users, how does it make them less human?” I questioned him fearfully again. Bee looked at me again, no longer fearful, but angry.

“Makes them dark, makes them uncontrollable, and unpredictable.” Bee said sinisterly.

“No no no, makes them controllable, makes them our friends! Our pets!” Juniper squealed delightfully.

“Some seem to be happy, but most seem fearful of these humans. Fairies go missing when they see us.” Bee said, looking longingly at Juniper swirling in the air.

“What are you going to do? This doesn’t mean that only the world of the Fae is going to be disturbed, but the whole world of the unseen!” I nearly shouted.

“Don’t know. Politics are polluting the problem, Queen Mab is coming.” Bee said. The final note of fear stuck shivers down my spine. Queen Mab, Queen of the Fae and the Light Elves, the settler of disputes between the human and unseen world was coming.

Queen Mab, beautiful and terrifying, only came when things were out of control and never came up with a humane way of settling the problem, and Queen Mab was most likely coming to talk to me.

Bee looked up at me, knowing I was getting lost in thought. “We should leave now, we came to warn you.” He said, flying up into the air to join his mate, making their way over to the window.

I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts out, and grabbed two small, round candies before I went over to the window.

“Safe travels, and you guys quit being such strangers. Come visit me more!” I said to them, handing each of them a candy. They smiled and took the candies and flew out of the window without another word.

Memories of my childhood flashed back to me as I remembered the days when they would visit me during the summer. We would play outside, eat candies and they’d take me to their forts, showing me the beautiful side of the magical world. Juniper always seemed to get me into trouble, but Bee always got me out of it.

I sighed as I flopped back down on my bed. Dread lingered in my chest as I thought about what the fairies had told me. The more I thought the more tired I became. The small brownie returned to my lap and I scratched mindlessly behind its ears. Its loud purr helped me turn off my mind and relax.

My breaths slowly became heavier and I closed my eyes. The last of my thoughts returned to Jack as I closed them. Soon my world became nothing but a warm and dark place of dreams.