It was traditional for this group of friends to gather once a month to drink and talk. They had to be mindful of where they met; after all, they were fairies, and while they were friendly towards humans, they didn’t want anyone coming across them. They changed up the locations where they met, but no matter where they had the same ritual. They’d conjure up mushrooms to sit on, and have lively discussions while drinking.
Tonight, the topic fell on humans who couldn’t keep quiet. The fairies had plenty of stories about that, of course.
“Remember that one old fart we found asleep on the ground?” groused one fairy. “We took him back to the palace, showed him around, then when he fell asleep again we took him back to the same spot and left him enough gold for the rest of his life! And what did he do? Told his wife the instant he got home! I tell you, I don’t think we should give gold anymore. It would be quicker just to give the humans the cockle-shells first!”
“Oh now, some of them aren’t so bad,” said another. “Remember that little boy I told you about? I left him a sixpence under a stone in the wall every day, and he never told a soul willingly. His dad threatened him, that’s the only reason he told. And I think he likes the shells anyway; he still takes them.”
The first fairy gave a snort. “That just means this starts early, when they’re young. I still say humans can’t be trusted.” The fairy took another swig of their drink.
“What about that mother with the child?” piped up a third fairy. “Remember? We’d visit her at night to sing and dance, and left her some money for her trouble. Then she got married and had a baby, and told her husband all about us one night!”
The first fairy nodded vigorously. “My point exactly! I mean, we had to change the baby to set a warning, otherwise humans will do whatever they want. Not that the warnings seem to mean much. Humans still talk!”
“Oh, it’s in their nature to talk,” said a fifth fairy. “And there are some who keep quiet, rare as they may seem. They just don’t make it known, of course. Let’s not give up totally on humans.”
At this point, it was getting time for them to wrap up their meeting. Everyone gathered their things and left, some on foot, some in the air, and some on the backs of corgis. All that was left was a ring of mushrooms.
3 comments:
Hey again! Great story here. It was short and sweet and still told an engaging story for the reader to enjoy. I particularly enjoyed your usage of old(e) english language, much like we have been reading in the recent units. The story itself and picture remind me of the rock gardens at OU, I kept expecting the fairy gathering to be taking place in Norman.
Madison,
Your extensive experience with books shines through here in your story. I like how you fill-in the reader in an indirect way, which is a sign of an effective, great writer. I'm not sure if there's anything here to critique. Even your included picture was incredibly relevant and a nice touch. Keep on writing like this, as I'm sure you will do awesome things with it.
-Lance J.
Hey Madison,
I really liked getting to read through your story! It was very interesting to see how you developed the characters and the setting with great descriptions, and the story really flowed and felt like someone was intently telling a story to someone else. The image and the author's note really add to the story and your thought processes, and I think you did an incredible job! Keep it up!
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