My name is Lucy Worthington, and I am fourteen years old. Or, at least, that’s how old I was when I first met my true love for the first time. I’d like to tell my story beginning at that time, but I suppose I’d better introduce myself properly first. I was born on December 19, 1938, which was probably the worst time for a girl to come into the world. My father soon left to go and fight in the war. My mother and I were living in London, and we never saw him again. I was only five when the letter arrived, the letter telling of my father’s death in France, but I still remember how bitterly Mother cried that day. I had never seen anyone so sad before.

 

Mother died soon after that: the doctor said it was smallpox, but I always thought to myself that she couldn’t bear to live without my father. I was still a small girl, not even in school yet, when I went to live with my Uncle Gordon and Aunt Ruth in Rockheadsham, a small village in Lancashire. Since then little has changed in my life: sometimes it felt like I would be spending the rest of my life here. A small country village has its share of delights, it’s true, but once you grow weary of them you begin to wish for an escape.

 

Though my aunt and uncle were seldom particularly friendly to me, I never really disliked them. Mostly they were indifferent to me; they made it known that I was not their child, but they still cared for me, in their own fashion. My two cousins, Fredrick and Edward, were another matter. They seemed to have made it their lives’ goal, to make my life as miserable as possible. Fredrick, being four years older than me, eventually matured beyond that face, but Edward, who was two years younger than me, continued to take great pleasure in tormenting me, his shy, timid cousin, with all kinds of mischief. Needless to say, I soon grew to hate him, even though I knew it was wrong to hate.

 

You probably have an image of me in your mind already, but I suppose a self-description is necessary. At fourteen years old, I had dark blue eyes and dark brown hair. Unlike the other girls in my class, I never wore my hair in what was considered a ‘fashionable’ or ‘proper’ style. I also seldom wore pretty dresses or anything of that sort, except when we went to church on Sundays. My cousins, of course, would get anything they asked for, but I had to make do with whatever my uncle decided would cost him the least amount of money.

 

But I’ve talked about my past long enough, so I shall begin to tell the story of how my life gradually changed. It was during the spring holidays of 1953, sometime in late April, but I can’t remember the exact day. My cousins had gone camping with several other boys from school, for which I was immensely thankful. Only my aunt and uncle remained at home, and, as long as we stayed out of each other’s hair, we were all content. I had spent the day wandering through the woods and fields, finding ways to amuse myself. I had made friends with several other girls from school, but most of them had gone off on holidays as well, and the few that stayed behind weren’t really that close to me.

 

My bedroom was on the top floor of the house, in what had once been an attic. It was quite small, but it was private, and I didn’t complain. There was also a bathroom next to it, with one of those cast-iron bathtubs usually found in old homes like this. I usually took a bath just before heading down for supper. After I said goodnight to my aunt and uncle, I went back upstairs to my room. One of my clearest memories of my mother, from before the time Father died, was of her telling me how important it was to brush and floss my teeth every day, and, whenever I did so, this memory always came back to me.

 

I was just about to go to my bed when something very unusual happened. From the corner where the bathtub stood came a bright flash of light, almost like lightning. But I knew it couldn’t be lightning, because there were no clouds outside. I went over to bathtub to take a look, wondering what it could be. What I saw startled me so much that I had to stifle a shriek. At first I thought it was some sort of great, horrible insect, but when I took a closer look, I saw it was nothing of that sort at all.

 

It was a girl, a very small girl, and I gasped in disbelief. She looked only about five inches tall, though I couldn’t be sure. She looked roughly the same age as me, and her hair was a sort of golden blonde colour, with a hint of red: it didn’t look like any colour of hair I’d seen before. It was very long compared to her body; about two inches, I guessed. Her skin was very pale, almost as if she’d never been out in the sun before. She was wearing what looked like bits and pieces of green and blue rags, and it looked as if her clothes had been torn. She looked lost and scared, and when she saw me she gave a tiny scream. I nearly screamed myself, but somehow I gathered up the courage to take a closer look.

 

When the tiny girl saw me approaching, she desperately tried to climb up the sheer sides of the bathtub. She jumped as high as she could, trying to catch hold of the wet, slippery iron sides. I knelt down next to the tub, and wondered if I should reach out and grab her. She turned and looked at me with large blue eyes, clearly terrified out of her wits. Her eyes had a strange little sparkle in them, which, like her hair, made her look very odd. I decided not to make a move, to wait for her to grow calm, and then see if I could talk to her.

 

But she didn’t calm down, and kept scrambling around, trying to find a way out. I reached out my hand to her, which made her scream again, and curl up into a tight ball. I wrapped my finger and thumb around her as carefully as I could, and lifted her up and out of the tub. Then, just as carefully, I put her down on the floor, where she remained curled up, motionless.

 

“Um…hello,” I said, not sure how else to start. “My name is Lucy. Can you understand me? If you can, you must know that I’m not going to hurt you. If you could tell me who you are, and where you came from, I can help you get back.”

 

She looked up at me, and I could only imagine how unimaginably huge I must have looked to her. No wonder she was so frightened; I know I would have been if I were in her place. Suddenly she jumped to her feet and began running towards the bathroom door. She slipped on a wet patch of floor and fell down, which caused some of the bits of clothing on her body to come loose and fall off. I heard her groan in pain, and it made me feel very sorry for her. She got up slowly and began to collect the remains of her clothing. I went over to her to help. The floor was cold, even though it was spring outside, and I saw the miniature girl shivering. She was almost naked, and I decided to do something about it.

 

Stepping carefully over her and through the door, I went to my clothes cupboard and took out a knitted scarf. It was the only scarf I had, and the best way I could think of to keep her warm. She was sitting miserably in a pool of water, and I bent down and wrapped the scarf around her. There was no sound or movement from her; the poor thing seemed to have accepted her fate. I picked her up and folded the scarf around her once again. Then I took her and put her down on my bed. She looked up at me again, and I saw that she was crying now.

 

“Don’t cry, little girl,” I said sweetly. “You’re safe now; I’m looking after you, and you have nothing to be afraid of. Do you have a name?”

 

No answer. I asked a few more questions: how did she get here, how did she get so small, and so on. In each case she remained silent. Eventually I gave up, completely at a loss at what to do next. Then I had an idea.

 

“Just wait right here,” I told her. “Don’t go anywhere, do you understand? I’m going to fetch some food and water, and I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

 

I headed quietly downstairs, not wishing to attract attention. Aunt Ruth had already gone to bed, but Uncle Gordon was still awake. He was sitting in the living room, smoking his pipe. Luckily his back was turned to me, so I snuck past the door and into the kitchen. A few moments later I snuck back out. In my hands were a slice of bread with butter and marmalade on it, a pear from the fruit basket, and a teacup filled with water. When I got back to my room I locked the door: unlike the other bedrooms, mine had a door with a lock, and Uncle Gordon had allowed me to keep the key for myself.

 

The tiny girl was still where I left her, wrapped in my scarf, with only her little head sticking out. She was no longer crying, for which I was glad. I sat down on the bed next to her and offered her the cup of water.

 

“Here, have some of this,” I said. “You’ll feel better afterwards, I promise you.”

 

With trembling hands she reached out grabbed the lip of the cup. She bent over it, dipped her hand into the clear water, and brought it to her mouth. Then she did so several times again, after which she splashed her face a few times. When she did so I noticed her ears for the first time: they were not round, but slender and with a sharp tip. I wondered what this meant. Could she possibly be…no, no, of course she couldn’t! Everyone knows there’s no such thing…

 

When she was finished, to my great surprise and delight, I heard her say “thank you” in a small, soft voice.

 

“You…you do speak English!” I exclaimed. “Oh, that’s wonderful! You can understand me after all!”

 

She nodded. I gave her my biggest smile, and a small portion of the bread. She took it gratefully and ate it up with great speed. I dug my fingernail into the pear and gouged out a tiny piece, which she ate up hastily as well. When she was done she drew the folds of my scarf around her little body again. I ate the rest of the food myself, not wanting it to go to waste.

 

“Well,” I said, “since it seems you do understand me, would you like to tell me a bit more about yourself?”

 

She snuggled in deeper into my scarf. I knelt down by the side of my bed, so that my face could be closer to her.

 

“My name is Livia,” she said. “I’m sorry I was so rude earlier, but, well, I was so frightened of you, I thought you were going to kill me!” She sniffed back a few tears.

 

“Oh dear! I suppose I did look quite terrifying, didn’t I?” I said, trying to make light of the situation. “But I hope you can see now that I only want to help you.”

 

She nodded. “I know, and I want to trust you, but all my life I’ve been told how dangerous humans are, and…”

 

“Wait a minute!” I interrupted her. “What do you mean, ‘humans’? Aren’t you a human of some sort?”

 

“No, no. I’m…well, you wouldn’t understand what we call ourselves, but you’re kind has always called us fairies.”

 

My mouth promptly fell open. A real, honest-to-goodness fairy? I couldn’t imagine it, but, the more I looked at her, the more I realized how obvious it was. If I were five or six years younger, I would have believed it at once. Livia brushed her hair behind her strange ears, allowing me to see them properly. When I came back to my senses, I was overflowing with questions.

 

“R-really? You’re actually a fairy, just like those I’ve read about in stories? Where are your wings? And can you cast magic spells and all that? How did you end up here? Do you live in an enchanted forest, where everyone always lives happily ever after, and no-one ever dies? How old are you, anyway?”

 

“Fifteen,” she answered. “I’m still very young, for a fairy, in any case.” She hesitated a little. “Could I answer your questions tomorrow, please? I’m really tired, and I’ve had a horrible day, and I wish I could get back home, but I don’t know where I am!”

 

I was burning with curiosity, but she did look dreadfully tired, so I decided to respect her wishes. I told her a little bit about myself, and where I live, but it was no help to her at all. She still seemed a little bit frightened of her new environment, so I decided to put her mind at ease. I picked her up, still wrapped in my scarf, and placed her in the top drawer of my bedside cupboard. The only other things in that drawer were some of my schoolbooks and various other small items. She rolled around a little, and I waited until I was sure she was comfortable, before saying goodnight.

 

“You’ll be completely safe in there,” I said. “I’ll even lock the drawer, if you wan me to.”

 

“Oh, no, thank you,” came her soft voice. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for everything, Lucy. You’ve been most kind to me, and I wish I could give you something in return.”

 

“Well…you could accept me as your friend, you know? I have hardly any friends, and having someone…special like you for a friend would be brilliant! Would you like to have a friend like me?”

 

 She merely nodded sleepily. Her eyes were already shut, and I was feeling quite sleepy myself. I closed the drawer, turned of my little bedside lamp, and snuggled in under the covers. I could hardly wait for tomorrow to come, to finally learn all about my surprising guest. Just before I fell asleep, I wondered if all this had merely been a dream, and if I would wake up tomorrow and find the drawer empty. This worried me so much that I had to take another peek, to make sure that she was still there. She was.

The next morning I was up bright and early. I rushed to get dressed and eat breakfast, and of course I managed to sneak up some food for Livia as well. I told her I planned to take her to my favourite spot in the forest, and she agreed to come along, though she seemed a little frightened of the outside world. The fragments of her clothes had now fallen apart completely, but I had an idea. I took with me some thread, a needle, scissors, and a pink blouse I hadn’t worn in five years. With these, I could make her some new clothes in no time at all. Naturally, she was overjoyed to hear it.

 

We set off at about eight in the morning. Livia was safely hidden beneath my coat, where she wouldn’t be accidentally seen by any passers-by. Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn’t show her around either, but we both understood how important it was to keep her a secret. If anyone knew about her, I would undoubtedly have to give her up, so that scientists or doctors could study her. I down a little path which led out of the village and into the adjoining forest. Once I was under the cool shade of the trees, I began to relax and walk a little slower.

 

At last I reached my destination: an enchanting little clearing, surrounded by dense trees on all sides, except where a little brook flowed through it. It had been difficult to get here, but it was worth it. The sun shone brightly and the air was filled with the singing of birds. I sat down on the soft grass and spread out my long skirt around me. Then I took off my coat – for it was getting rather warm already – and carefully took out my tiny friend. She was wrapped in one of my pocket handkerchiefs, which was as big as a large blanket to her. I placed her in the centre of my skirt, and she began to look around.

 

“Oh, how lovely!” she said. “Lucy, this place is beautiful! It…it’s almost like my home, only bigger, of course!”

 

“Really? You mean, in your land, everything is smaller?”

 

“Yes, everything. Of course, we could use our magic to change it if we wanted to, but everyone enjoys it as it is right now.”

 

“So you do have magic powers? Why don’t you use them to get back home?”

 

“Well…I suppose there’s no harm in telling you everything. You seem like a trustworthy person, and after all you’ve done for me, I think it’s only right that I explain it to you.”

As she told her story, I began to get started on making her a new dress. I didn’t want to embarrass her by measuring her naked body, so I merely guessed at the measurements. With trial and error, I was certain I’d be able to make her something that fit like a glove.

 

“In the land of Faerie,” she began. “there is a law: a fairy may only use her magic abilities when she reaches the age of adulthood. For me, that age is still three years away. Until then, I am not allowed to learn about magic spells, or potions, or anything of the sort. I only begin to grow my wings at that age as well. Until then, there is nothing I can do that you mortals can’t do as well.”

 

“Mortals? What do you mean? Aren’t you a mortal too?”

 

“No, most fairies can live forever, if they so wish. The only way a fairy can die is if she gets killed, either deliberately or accidentally, or if she chooses to stop living. We can’t catch any diseases like you humans, though we can be affected by dangerous curses and evil magic. There are evil fairies, and other creatures, in our lands, but we are usually able to deal with them effectively.”

 

“Was it an evil fairy who sent you here?”

 

She hesitated a bit before continuing. I was almost sorry I brought up the subject, since it seems to have spoiled the gay mood.

 

“Not a fairy,” she answered. “A trow, a hideously evil creature, who lives underground and likes to capture fairies and pixies for his own amusement. They say he takes his prisoners to the human lands, where he has his way with them, and where no-one can stop him. I never believed those tales, they sounded too horrible to be true. But, well, on that day…I was playing with some of my friends on the hills by the seashore, when that…thing, that despicable, evil thing, cam shrieking and running at us! It grabbed me and tore my clothes, and then it…it said some horrible spell, and there was this blinding light, and when I woke up, I was here, in your house…”

 

As she’d said the last few sentences, she’d sounded more and more upset. To my dismay, she began to cry again. I lifted her up and held her just beneath my chin, running my finger down along her hair and back.

 

“My friends…” she sobbed. “It…must have gone after them too! That’s why it didn’t follow me here! It must have caught them, and…oh, no! Poor Ellaren…she was only ten!”

 

I didn’t know what to say; there was nothing that would have seemed appropriate. The day might have started out beautiful, but now it has become a day of sadness. In my mind I told myself that maybe it wasn’t so bad: maybe her friends had escaped, maybe the trow had been captured, maybe they were searching for her right now, an it would be only a matter of time before they found her. I put Livia back down on my skirt, but kept my hands folded around her. She wiped her face and blew her nose with my handkerchief.

 

“Don’t worry, Livia,” I said, not altogether convincingly. “Don’t give up hope! We’ll get you back home, no matter what happens! I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to help you! It doesn’t matter how difficult it might be, or how long it might take, but I’ll get you back to your home, and your friends!”

 

“Th-th-thank y-you,” she whimpered. “I-I believe you, a-and I’m s-sorry I b-b-broke down like this. I-I sh-should have b-been stronger and b-braver…”

 

“It’s not your fault,” I reassured her. “Don’t be so hard on yourself! And don’t you dare think again that you’re not brave, because you are! In fact, you’re the bravest fairy I ever met!”

 

It was a poor joke, but it made her smile through all the tears. The clearing became hotter as the sun rose, and I went to sit in the shade of the trees. My first attempt at a dress for Livia was complete, and I gave it to her to try on, while I looked the other way. The dress turned out be nearly perfect, just a little to big, and I felt sure I’d be able to fix it in a flash. Sure enough, the next time she slipped into my little pink creation, it fit her perfectly. The dress sat snugly about her waist, the bottom reached just above her ankles, and her arms fitted comfortably into the sleeves. I placed her on a nearby rock, where she turned around a few times, letting me see how good a job I’d done.

 

“You look like a proper fairy,” I said. “Maybe not a fairy princess, but still…”

 

“It’s wonderful!” she said, and then she added: “Oh, I wish I could take you to see my home, Lucy! You’d love it there, you really would! I’m sure the queen would let you live there if I asked her; I mean, you’re such a good person…”

 

She sighed and looked at me with a strange look, one that I had never seen in a girl before. I cupped my hands around her and placed her back in my lap. She really was a delicate thing, and I wondered if my constant liftings and carryings were hurting her or not. I asked her to tell me more of her world, and I was not disappointed. When she was done, I could well believe that the land of Faerie was the most enchanting, magical place on Earth, if indeed it was anywhere on our Earth.

 

Just as I’d guessed, it was ruled by a fairy queen, who was usually one of the oldest fairies in the entire realm. Not that you could have guessed so from looking at her, though. When a fairy reaches adulthood, she stops aging, but, if she so wishes, she could always cast a spell upon herself to make her grow physically older. Livia used the word ‘she’ whenever she spoke of any fairy, and at last I simply had to ask: why aren’t there any boy fairies? She told me there were, only they were called pixies, and they lived among the fairies as equals. They weren’t truly equal, though: they never grew wings, and their magic powers were much weaker than those of the girl fairies. But they all got along happily, and there had never been a war or even a fight between the two groups for a long, long time.

 

The queen, who apparently possessed great power, could even control the weather over the entire realm. Mostly she let it go naturally, though. It was also her responsibility to make sure that every fairy, and other inhabitants of her realm as well, had enough to eat and drink, and a decent place to stay. She had to lead the fairy army in case an enemy kingdom attacked, which was seldom. The current queen, Aldavien, was almost two thousand years old, and had sat on the throne for almost three hundred years.

 These things, and many more, I learnt as Livia told her story. However, when it was time to head back in the afternoon, I still hadn’t learned most of what could be told about Faerie. I wanted her to continue, but it was only fair that I should tell her just as much about my own life herein England. As you can imagine, it wasn’t nearly as enchanting as hers.

I was back home by three, with my little fairy friend safely hidden beneath my coat. Aunt Ruth asked her usual questions about what I’ve been up to all day, and I gave my usual vague answers. After dinner I headed to my room with a borrowed glass bowl, for Livia to bathe in. We took turns in using the bathroom, even though Livia said she didn’t mind at all if I watched while she bathed. She told me that fairies loved bathing together; it was a favourite activity of many, and there were even special houses with hot and cold baths, just like in ancient Rome. I replied that it was considered rather immodest among humans, and she let the matter go.

 

We went to bed early, partly because we were tired, and partly because I had to be up very early tomorrow morning. My cousins would be coming back from their holidays, and my Aunt and Uncle will have to drive to the train station in Blackburn, twenty miles from here, to fetch them. I was dreading their return, and I hoped I could find a way to avoid them as much as possible. Livia lay on my stomach, listening to me describe that vile younger cousin of mine. I kept stroking her gently, as if she were a small, adorable animal. When I stopped talking, she gave a mighty yawn.

 

“I’m so tired,” she said, stating the obvious. “I don’t know why; I haven’t done a thing all day, except sit and talk. You must think I’m poor company.”

 

“Not at all! I couldn’t ask for a better friend than you! You are my friend, aren’t you?”

 

“Actually…no, I’m not your friend! I’m a vicious, ferocious goblin spawn, and I’m coming to get you!”

 

She gave what was meant to be a fierce roar, but it sounded more like a squeak. With surprising speed, she leapt up and grabbed at my dangling hair. I played along and pretended to be extremely scared, as she hung from my hair and swiped at my face with her hands.

 

“Defend yourself, human girl!” she demanded. I made a half-hearted attempt to pry her off of me. When that didn’t work, I grabbed her forcefully in my fist, but immediately I regretted it.

 

“Owwwww!” she screamed, which startled me so much that I dropped her onto my bed. When she tried to get up, she groaned intensely. It took her a long while to manoeuvre into a sitting position. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes; I felt like the biggest idiot in the world.

 

“I’m so sorry,” I whimpered. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was just playing! Oh, Livia, I’m so terribly sorry! I’ve ruined everything!”

 

“It’s…nothing,” she said, clutching her painful sides. “You…couldn’t have known you’d…hurt me.” She gave another groan. I wanted to assist her, but I was now extremely wary of touching her; I’d undoubtedly just make it worse.

 

“I’ll think twice…before attacking you…again!” she said, and managed to smile. “Perhaps…I’ll just be…your friend…from now on, alright?”

 

“That sounds fine to me,” I replied. “And I’ll be much more careful from now on. Will you…be able to sleep? I mean, I haven’t hurt you…too much, have I?”

 

“Oh, no, I’ll be…I’ll be just fine. We fairies heal much faster than you do. Although…a few soft kisses would help a lot…”

 

She looked at me so beseechingly that I couldn’t refuse her wish. I slid my hand in carefully beneath her and lifted her to my face. She lay down on her stomach and pointed to her sore back. I kissed her there, very lightly, a few times. She turned over onto her back and showed me more places where it hurt: her hips, her tummy, her chest and her shoulders. Each of them received a tender kiss. Finally she pointed to her face. I wanted to say no: something didn’t seem right, and I wanted to resist. But I felt I owed it to her, so I kissed her face, my lips covering it completely. When I drew back she was looking at me and smiling. Her eyes were sparkling much more brightly than usual. I didn’t know what to say, so I laid her down on my scarf in the cupboard.

 

“Thank you,” she said. “I feel much better now; the pain is almost gone.”

 

“I’m glad. Does that mean I’m forgiven?”

 

“Of course! Good night, Lucy.”

 

 “Good night, Livia, and sweet dreams.”

While Aunt and Uncle were away the next morning, I remained behind to do some chores. I had to sweep most of the rooms clean, wash the dishes, dust the shelves, and anything else Aunt Ruth could think of before they left. For once I didn’t complain. I’ll be able to spend the whole morning with Livia, alone in the house. While I was busy washing the dishes, she sat on the windowsill, eating the food I’d given her. She seemed to find the experience of being in an oversized world fascinating. As I worked she told me more tales about her home; after a while I began to get really envious of her. Her life seemed like a paradise compared to mine.

 

Inevitably, the discussion turned towards love and relationships. Livia asked me if there was someone special in my life. I laughed, and told her no. Somehow, I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about boys, and I’ve never met a boy who was in any way interested in me. It didn’t bother me, though. The way I saw it, most of my life still lay ahead of me, and there would be plenty of time later pursue relationships of those kind. Right now, I just wanted to be the same carefree young girl I’ve always pictured myself being.

 

“How about you?” I asked her. “I bet every pixie you meet is immediately smitten!”

 

“Oh, come on, I’m not that attractive!” she laughed. “And, to be honest, I’d much rather have a fairy girlfriend than a pixie boyfriend. In fact, I don’t find boys attractive at all. Not in a romantic way, in any case…is something the matter?”

 

“I…maybe I’d just heard you wrong, but…did you say you’d rather have a girlfriend than a boyfriend?” I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard; my ears must have been deceiving me.

 

“No, you heard correctly. Lots of fairy girls fall in love with other fairies. One of my best friends, Riala, has a girlfriend, too. They spend most of their time making out – I get quite jealous sometimes! But I’m sure that, somewhere out there, there’s a wonderful, beautiful girl who’s perfect for me.”

 

“Stop! Livia, just…just stop! Don’t you know what you’re saying?” I had stopped dusting and was staring at her, aghast. She seemed to retreat inwards a little bit, evidently taken aback by my behaviour.

 

“Um…Lucy? I…I don’t understand what you mean. Did I say something wrong?”

 

“Something wrong? You mean, you don’t know? Livia, girls don’t belong with other girls – it’s completely wrong! Men are supposed to love women, and women should love men! Anything else is wrong!”

 

“But…why?” She shrank back even more.

 

“Because…because it just is!”

 

“Well, that’s not a very good reason!”

 

“Because that’s what it says in the Bible!”

 

“Oh, really? Well, our holy laws say that love, in any form, is sacred, and that anyone who is against two people loving each other is the one who’s wrong!”

 

She stared back at me defiantly now, and I realized that I had nothing to say. She had won the argument, or so it seemed. We were both silent for an uncomfortably long time, before Livia spoke up.

 

“Sorry about that,” she said belatedly. “I didn’t realize that things were different over here. I guess I just assumed…”

 

“So did I,” I said. “I shouldn’t have shouted at you like that, and I’m sorry too. Shouting never made anyone change their mind.”

 

“You still want to change my mind, then? Then I’ll save you a lot of trouble, and tell you that you won’t succeed. I could explain it to you, if you’re willing to listen, that is.”

 

“Er…all right. I suppose it won’t do any harm just to listen. Come on, let’s go and sit somewhere more comfortable.” I put everything down and held out my hand for Livia to climb in. My chores were nearly done in any case, and I doubt anyone would be able to tell the difference once they returned. I sat down on a sofa in the living room and lay back comfortably. I put Livia down in my lap again. She took a moment to compose herself before beginning.

 

She certainly had a gift when it came to explaining strange concepts, and pretty soon I was able to see from her point of view. She explained that, since they were practically immortal, most fairies had little desire to have children. If more people keep getting born, and nobody dies, then pretty soon there wouldn’t be anywhere left for people to stay. That is why most fairies choose as their life partner the person they would want to spend their immensely long lives with, not the person who’ll provide them with the most children. In many cases, this person might be another girl fairy, or it might be a pixie; to the people of Faerie, such things didn’t matter. Livia’s own mother had married a pixie and had a child by him, but fairies were also capable of having children by themselves; they were, after all, creatures with great magic abilities, and there were many magic spells which would have such an outcome.

 

“I’ve always been attracted to other girls, as long as I can remember,” she explained. “My parents didn’t mind at all, and neither did anyone else. But now you tell me that you humans think it’s…I don’t know, evil or something? You don’t really think I’m a bad person, do you?”

 

“Oh, Livia, I…”

 

I couldn’t finish my answer, because at that moment I caught the sound of an automobile’s engine just outside. I quickly grabbed my little friend and rushed upstairs.

 

“They’re back!” I told her. “I’m so sorry, I must have lost track of time! I have to hide you now, but don’t fear, I’ll be back for you as soon as possible.”

 

Into the cupboard she went, and back down the stairs I dashed, arriving just in time to greet everyone. Fred, my elder cousin, was his usual disinterested self, and Edward…well, I could tell that my time of peace and harmony had come to an end. I had to make them all a big lunch, and Edward, true to form, had all manner of insulting remarks which he addressed to me. I ignored him: as long as they were merely words, and not actions, they didn’t bother me.

 

I went to my room at the first possible moment, desperate to get away from my unpleasant cousins. I decided to show Livia around my room, hoping to avoid bringing up the subject of our earlier discussion. She was interested most of all in my books, especially the ones containing all the fairy tales I used to love, and still do. We read a few of them together, and she laughed at the hopelessly inaccurate descriptions of her people which the human writers had drawn from their imagination. Of course, there were many things the writers got right as well, and Livia believed this was because fairies had often visited our world in the past and had told the humans about their ways. Nowadays, however, visits from fairies were almost unheard-of; there was a general agreement in the land of Faerie that the human lands had become too dangerous.

 

After we’d finished the third book, I went to the bathroom, leaving Livia sitting on my pillow. Just as I was about to return, I heard a loud scream coming from the adjacent room. I quickly dried my hands and hurried back. What I saw nearly scared me to death. Livia was still on the pillow, but she was not alone. A strange little creature had appeared, and it had grabbed Livia and was tearing at her clothes. The thing was about eight inches tall and covered in dark green hair. Apart from that, it looked almost human, and it was wearing clothes made from some kind of animal skin.

 

Livia screamed again, and I was shaken out of my daze. The thing had now pinned her to the ground, and had spread her legs apart. It tore again at her dress, trying to get it off of her. I ran to the bed, ready to help. Despite my great fear, I couldn’t stand to see my friend treated in such a despicable manner. I grabbed the furry thing and yanked it away from her. It screamed and yelled at me, but its words were in some strange language and I couldn’t understand them. Then it bit my hand. I shrieked in pain, and dropped the thing. It fell by my feet and began to attack me.

 

It got in one or two vicious scratches before I could do anything. Without thinking clearly, I suddenly lifted up one foot and stomped down on the creature. There was a sickening squeal, and dark green blood oozed out from beneath my shoe. I lifted my foot and, to my relief, saw the thing’s body dissolving into a strange green vapour, which smelled absolutely awful. Just then, the door flew open, and my heart nearly stopped.

 

“What’s all this racket?” Aunt Ruth yelled, gazing around angrily. Then she sniffed the air, and said: “And that smell…what on earth are you up to?”

 

“N-nothing, Aunt Ruth,” I stammered. “I…I was playing with m-my dolls, and…and one of them broke, and I’ll…I’ll fix everything, I promise…”

 

“Then do so! And if I ever hear such commotion again, I’ll have Uncle lock you up for the rest of the holidays, understand?”

 

“Yes, Aunt Ruth. I’m sorry, really…”

 

She slammed the door and was off. I heard her mutter some rude things about me, but I didn’t care; I was just glad that she fell for my excuse. The smell had almost disappeared, and there was now no trace left of the strange creature. I sat down on the bed and softly called my friend’s name. She emerged from behind the pillow, deathly pale and trembling. When she saw that we were alone, she sprang up and ran towards me, sobbing uncontrollably. I scooped her up with my hands and held her against my chest. Her dress was torn in a few places, something I would have to fix as soon as I could. Deep down, I felt it was somehow unfair that all this had to happen to her. Suddenly, the life of a fairy didn’t seem so ideal after all.

 

“It’s all right,” I said soothingly. “It’s gone now. Everything’s all right again.”

 

When she had calmed down sufficiently, I gently asked her what that thing was.

 

“The trow,” she answered. “The same one that attacked me back on the hills by the beach. I was hoping I’d never see it again, but…it just appeared, out of nowhere! It would have killed me, I know it would have! You saved my life, Lucy!”

 

“Just looking out for my little friend,” I said. “Please don’t start talking about you ‘having to repay me’ again! I just want your friendship, and nothing else!”

 

She pressed herself against me, hugging me as best as she was able. We may have argued earlier that day, but I no longer held anything against her. I even stopped caring whether she preferred to fall in love with girls or boys; it no longer mattered. She was a beautiful person just as she was. All these thoughts I wanted to say to her, but at that moment I didn’t have the chance. The handle of the door moved downward, and I just had time to drop the startled Livia down the front of my blouse before it opened. To my horror I saw that it was not my aunt or uncle, but my cousin, Edward. He came into the room as if it were his and smiled at me unpleasantly.

 

 “Who are you talking to?” he asked, and I realized with a shock that he’d been listening at the door for quite some time.

“I…I wasn’t talking!” I tried to defend myself. “I was…reading a storybook, that’s all! What are you doing here? Eavesdropping?” I could feel Livia shifting around this way and that, trying to find a safe location. She grasped and clutched at my underwear and tucked her legs underneath it, against my left breast. Her feet actually poked against my nipple, and she slid around clumsily. All the time I tried to cover that area with my left hand without attracting attention.

 

“You’re a liar!” Edward yelled; he liked to yell at me, as if he thought I couldn’t hear properly. “I heard you talking to someone, I know I did! You know Daddy said you’re not allowed to bring any friends here!”

 

“But there’s no-one here! See for yourself!”

 

“Really? Then what are you hiding under your clothes, some kind of animal? Daddy said you’re not allowed to bring pets here either!”

 

He lunged at me and tried to pull my hand away from my breast. I reacted by kicking him on the leg, and he backed off. Even though he was only twelve, he was big for his age, and he could easily overpower me in a fight. I didn’t want to start a fight, of course, so I tried to get him to leave.

 

“Why don’t you go play outside?” I said. “I’d hate to think you have nothing better to do than harassing me.”

 

“I can do what I want!” he yelled again. “This is my house, not yours! That means you listen to me!”

 

He gave me a slap on the cheek, and I shrieked in pain. Edward and I had never gotten along, but lately his behaviour has become much more hostile, and I got the feeling that he wanted me out of the house as soon as possible. He had hit me once or twice before, but in those cases I didn’t react, and I had kept silent. This time, however, I had had enough. He was just about to burst out laughing when I gave him my strongest punch, right beneath his eye. This was not what he had expected at all, and he howled in pain.

 

“Cry-baby!” I yelled after him as he ran out, crying. For an instant I felt extremely pleased with myself, before I realized what was about to happen next. I hurried over to my cupboard, tugged Livia out of my underwear and dropped her in the drawer with the scarf.

 

“What happened?” she asked, but I silenced her and shut the drawer. Just at that moment, Uncle Gordon came in, his face dark with fury.

 

“I had hoped I would never have to do this, Lucy,” he bellowed, “but disobedient children must be punished, and you’ve been very badly behaved!”

 

“Uncle, I didn’t…”

 

“Silence! Or I swear to God I’ll whip you!”

 

I’ve never seen my uncle this enraged before, and my heart nearly stood still with panic. He grabbed me roughly by my arm, forced me to bend over, and gave me the worst beating I’ve ever had in my life. It hurt beyond anything I had felt before, and I collapsed on my bed afterwards, sobbing loudly. Uncle Gordon told me what further punishment awaited me: I would be locked in my room for the rest of the holidays, and my only food and drink would be bread and water. Once the school term had begun again, he and Aunt Ruth would find somewhere else for me to stay, where I would no longer be a ‘danger’ to Edward.

 

He took my key from the bedside table and went off, locking the door behind him. I still lay there crying, for it still hurt very much. My only thoughts at that moment were thoughts of hate directed to Edward, and to Uncle Gordon for having been stupid enough to believe that brat’s version of the story. I had completely forgotten about Livia, until I heard a small voice call out to me from inside the drawer.

 

“Lucy! Lucy, can you hear me? Please, let me out of here! Please, Lucy, please!”

 

Without lifting my face from the pillow, I reached out and pulled the drawer open. At once I felt something small grab hold of one of my fingers. I pulled my hand back and saw Livia, clinging on to my finger with her arms. She let go as soon as my hand was above the pillow, and ran over to where my face lay. I didn’t want to look at her, so I buried my face in the pillow, which was already wet from my tears.

 

“Oh, no! Lucy, what happened?”

 

I just kept crying. I felt so horrible, I didn’t want to talk to her. She asked me again, and, when I didn’t answer, she came and lay down right next to my face. With her tiny hands she caressed my cheeks, wiping away some of my tears. I turned just enough to be able to see her.

 

“We never seem to have it easy,” she said, giving me a wistful smile. All the while she kept stroking my face, sometimes using her hands and sometimes pressing her whole body against my cheek. Every now and then she’d kiss me softly, and as the evening drew on she would do so more and more frequently. I didn’t protest: it really felt good whenever she did it, and I would have asked her to do it all the time if I knew how.

 

The sun set, and I had grown much calmer now. There was almost no pain anymore, just Livia’s gentle touch against my face. My tears were busy drying, and I took a handkerchief from my drawer to wipe them off. Then I lay down again, and Livia came and sat by my face. Her dress was still in tatters, but she didn’t seem to mind. She ran her hand along the length of my cheek, took hold of a few strands of my hair and began to play with them.

 

“Once again, thank you,” she said. “You must be tired by now of having to protect me all the time.”

 

“No,” I sniffed. “No, Livia, I…I’d do anything to keep you safe. But…I must say…some peace and quiet would make a nice change.”

 

We both smiled. It was completely dark by now and, since it didn’t look like I’d be getting any supper tonight, I decided it would be best to go to bed early. We took our separate baths, and I promised Livia I’d mend her dress the next day. We were both tired, but I asked her to tell me a bit more about her home.

 

“Do you think you’ll ever see it again?” I asked her, after she had told me about the house in which she lived.

 

“I hope so,” she said, though she didn’t sound very hopeful. “I really hope so, Lucy. And if I ever do go back, I’ll ask you to come with me.”

 

“I’d love to come with you, even though it’ll only be for a short while. For a fairy, at least.”

 

“No it won’t!” she laughed. “Queen Aldavien will change you into a fairy; she has the power to do so, and she’s done it before, long ago, or so I heard. You’ll be able to live forever, just like me, and I’ll be able to show you everything that is wonderful and beautiful in the land of Faerie. And, eventually, you’ll forget all about this awful life, and your horrible cousin and uncle, and everyone else, and we’ll live happily together as long as we wish.”

 

She gave me a kiss on the corner of my upper lip and hugged her body against my mouth. When I picked her up, I saw her eyes glowing like never before. I was about to lower her onto her bed, when she called out for me to wait.

 

“Lucy, I…there’s something I have to tell you,” she said urgently. “I want to be honest with you. There’s no point in hiding it any more, so I’ll just go ahead and tell you. About this morning…”

 

“Oh, never mind that!” I said. “I was the one who was rude, and I apologize. You’re free to fall in love with whoever you want, even if it is another girl.”

 

“Even if it’s you?”

 

“I…I’m sorry?”

 

“Lucy, I know it’s not what you want to hear, but…I’ve fallen in love with you. I know it’s only been two days, and I know we’re so different, and that we’re not even the same type of being, and, after all you’ve done for me, I would very much like you to be my friend, just like you have been thus far, and if you don’t love me back, that’s fine, but…oh, Lucy, I wish I could change how I feel about you, but I can’t! I love you, I know I do! I truly love you, and from now on I never want to leave you!”

 

She was out of breath after getting all those words off her chest. Her eyes seemed like deep blue wells which were about to flow over. Her body was trembling in anxiety. I stared at her, utterly dumbfounded by what she had said. Never in a thousand years had I expected her to say this. Looking back later, I saw that it was pretty obvious how she felt towards me; all those kisses she gave me, that I gave her…It was almost as if she had fallen in love with me the moment she first knew I wasn’t going to hurt her. Right now, I couldn’t answer her, couldn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to feel, whether I should be joyful or sad. I laid her down on the scarf, and managed to sputter out a few words.

 

“Livia...Livia, I…I need time…time to think…I-I’m sorry, I can’t…”

 

I closed the drawer and took several deep breaths. My heart was racing along at a great speed. So many feelings rushed through me, all conflicting with each other, that I felt I would burst at any moment. I went to the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water. It helped, a little bit. For a long time I looked at my reflection in the mirror, trying to see myself the way she saw me. When I went back to bed, I did one last thing before trying to fall asleep.

 

“Please, God,” I prayed. “Please help me. I don’t know what to say, what to do…help me make the right choice, please. I’ve never felt so confused before, and I’m scared, really scared. I just want to be happy, and I want her to be happy too…”

 

That night I didn’t sleep much. My mind was too busy, trying to find an answer to all my problems. After a while, the only thing I was certain about was that thinking of Livia, of what she was going through, made me sad. I pictured her in my head, laughing and smiling, and that made me happy. I thought of all those kisses she gave me, each one coming from her love for me…it had felt so wonderful. Surely something that felt so great, that had brought both of us comfort and joy and peace, couldn’t be wrong, couldn’t be evil…

 

“Living forever…with her…together in love…she really is very beautiful…kind…and vulnerable. So vulnerable, and scared, and alone…no, not alone! She’ll never be alone…not as long as I…as long as I love her!”

 

 These thoughts filled my dreams, all through the night, until the sun rose, and I awoke. I reached over and pulled open my drawer, ready to tell Livia that I loved her too, and that we belong together, no matter what might happen...

I was silent as we drove home from church, just like I had been silent all morning. This was probably the last time I would be allowed outside my room for some time, but I didn’t care. I hadn’t listened in church, and I wasn’t listening now to my aunt and uncle, discussing my future. There had been only one thing on my mind since I woke up. When we were back home, I ate my lunch (some bread and butter, and a glass of water) in silence, and afterwards I was summarily sent back to my room. Edward gave me a few nasty remarks, but I ignored him: to my delight, his eye had now swollen up quite grotesquely. I climbed the long stairs to my room with Aunt Ruth, and once I was inside my door was locked. I sat down on my bed and released Livia from her hiding place.

 

To describe her reaction when I told her I loved her, would be impossible. At first surprise, then a gradual realization that I was sincere, and finally a well of delight burst open within her. She had leapt onto my hand, and I had kissed her, with meaning this time. We had spent probably an hour laughing, crying, and kissing each other. She had asked how it happened that I changed my mind, but I had no answer. All I could tell her was that, perhaps, I had been in love with her for some time, unknowingly, not willing to admit it to myself. How it happened wasn’t important, and she agreed.

 

I took her out now and put her down beside my plate of food. Unlike me, she didn’t have any breakfast, so she wolfed down all the food she could, which was still only a small amount. I knelt down on the floor so that we could be closer together. When we had finished eating I bowed my head and gave her a kiss on top of her head. I wrapped her luscious hair around my fingertip and tugged it lightly.

 

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “Don’t do that! I combed it this morning!”

 

“Hmm, really? What did you comb it with?”

 

“My fingers.”

 

I chuckled softly. She pulled her hair loose from my grasp and began rearranging it.

 

“You should let me brush it for you,” I said. “I have a tiny little brush, for my dolls’ hair, you see. Oh, and I’d better fix your dress too. You can’t keep going about looking like you’ve been hit by a hurricane.”

 

“Thank you, Lucy, my love,” she said, hugging and kissing the tip of my finger. “And, once you’re finished, I shall…paint your fingernails, and your toenails, and wash your feet, and…”

 

“And,” I interrupted, laughing, “you shall tell me more tales of Fairyland, and of the wonderful people who dwell within it!”

 

“Of course! I can do that easily enough! Where would you like me to begin?”

 

As I mended her dress, she lay wrapped in my scarf, telling her tales. She apparently had no objection to me seeing her naked, but I told her I wasn’t ready, so I had turned away while she undressed herself. Soon my work was finished, and when she put it on again, it looked almost as good as new. For the rest of the afternoon, she and I enjoyed ourselves by telling each other stories and playing with each other. Occasionally I would stop whatever we were doing, pick her up, and hold her firmly against my chest.

 

“You’re so beautiful,” I said, as she looked up at me, squeezed against my breast. “Even at this size, you’re simply, amazingly beautiful. I can’t even imagine how gorgeous you’d look if you were my size.”

 

“If I ever find my way home, you’ll find out,” she said. “You’re still coming with me, right? There’s no way I’m going back if I have to leave you here. We belong together, and if that means I’ll have to live in a world of giants, then so be it.”

 

“You say such sweet things, my brave little fairy.”

 

“But I mean it! I’m not just saying it to impress you, or…”

 

“I know.” I laid my finger on her lips. She gazed at me with her bottomless eyes. It was as if the perfect moment had settled on us. Nothing needed to be said; we could each feel what the other was thinking.

 

 

 

 

Night had fallen. In the house below all were asleep, but Livia and I were too absorbed too sleep. She lay right by my face, where my lips could easily embrace her tiny body. She was singing a fairy song, softly, of course. I had asked for a lullaby, but she said she didn’t want to put me to sleep so soon. So she sang a love song, a cheerful one; I had been through enough harrowing events the past few days, and I didn’t think I’d be able to handle a melancholy tune. As I lay and listened, my eyes closed, I felt myself drifting off to a far-off land. A land without war, sickness or death, where love was universal and cherished above all else. Warm breezes blew through the trees and into the open windows, carrying happiness and contentment wherever they went.

 

When the song ended my mind was still in fairyland. I didn’t notice Livia pressing herself against my lips at first, and when I did, something didn’t seem right. I opened my eyes, and immediately let forth a sharp shriek. Livia was lying on the pillow, and from head to toe she was completely naked. My yelp of shock caused her to sit up straight and curl into a ball, her legs pressed tightly against her chest.

 

“What are you doing?” I exclaimed. “Livia, why…why did you…”

 

“I’m sorry!” she pleaded. “I wanted to touch you, and…feel your lips against me, and your skin against mine…please, I didn’t know you’d be upset! I’ll get dressed again, right now!”

 

She looked around for her dress, but didn’t see it. I saw it, though; it had fallen off the pillow, and I picked it up. Before I gave it to her, however, I apologized for yelling at her.

 

“Is this another fairy custom I’m unfamiliar with?” I asked, trying to make it up to her.

 

“Well, you see,” she replied, “between two people who love each other, there is often…intimate contact. You know, exploring each other’s bodies…perhaps we just do it differently than you do. I don’t know…” She seemed at a loss for words.

 

“But…what did you think would happen?” I asked. “Am I supposed to undress now as well?”

 

“No! Of course not! I would never ask you to do that! It’s your choice whether or not you want to do that! I just thought…I mean, I’d hoped…hoped you might like to see me like this, and touch me, and kiss me. It’s too sudden, I know. I should have waited, but I guess I was just being selfish.”

 

“But aren’t you shy about…exposing yourself to me like this? Aren’t you afraid I’ll hurt you?”

 

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Lucy, I trust you with all my heart. It’s just…well, I’m a fairy, and you’re a human. I suppose my wants and desires are different from yours. But it would have been nice…Can I have my dress now please?”

 

“Not so fast,” I replied. It took me some effort to say this, partly because I was uncomfortable and partly because I was afraid I was doing something that wasn’t right. But I worked up the courage to say it.

 

“Livia, I’ve been thinking – well, what I mean to say is, I’d like to give you what you want. Or, at least, as much as I am comfortable with. If it’s truly what you want, I wouldn’t mind looking at you naked, and even…even touching you, a little.”

 

Slowly, deliberately, she stood up and dropped her arms to her sides. I was looking at her entire nude body, and my first thought was that she was the most perfect being, the most perfect thing, in all the world. I ran my fingers across her skin: it was smooth and soft, almost like a liquid. I noticed that her entire body, from her neck down, was completely hairless. Even her private parts didn’t have any hair – not that I gazed at that area for long, in any case. I was still not completely comfortable doing that. Her breasts were rounder than mine, but since neither of us have matured completely yet, I wasn’t envious in any way. I stroked my fingertips all the way down her back, across her delightfully soft buttocks, and around the front to her belly-button. She giggled when I tickled her just above her legs and caught hold of my finger just as I slid it up between her breasts.

 

“Hold me,” she whispered. “Hold me tight and kiss me.”

 

“Anything for you, my love.”

 

I wrapped two fingers around her and lifted her to my mouth. After moistening my lips, I pressed her gently against them. Her body was warm and supple as I pushed my tongue against it. She made little pleasurable sounds as I slid my tongue in between her legs. I pressed down for one last kiss; there can be too much of a good thing, and tonight had had enough good things. I laid her carefully down on my scarf, which was lying on my bedside table, and wrapped it around her.

 

“Love you…forever,” she sighed, before drifting off into a peaceful sleep. Before putting her in the cupboard, I held her for a while and rubbed her.

 

“Hard to believe it’s only been four days,” I said to myself. “Can two people really fall in love this quickly? Because if what we share isn’t true love, I don’t know what is.”

 

 I tucked her safely away, propping her folded dress in beneath her head, as a pillow. Yes, things were certainly changing fast for me, and for her. And they were about to change even more, for that night was the last night that Livia would sleep with me in my room.

Monday came and went without anything significant happening during the day. Livia and I grew much more comfortable around each other, which wasn’t surprising, considering the events of the night before. Dinner arrived at about six in the evening; there had still been no change to the ‘bread and water’ routine. Afterwards I asked Livia to sing me another fairy song and, though she started it, she never finished it. About halfway through I noticed something strange happening at the foot of my bed. A bright, round light had appeared in mid-air – not a ball of light, but what looked more like a hole. It grew larger and larger, and I motioned Livia’s attention towards it.

 

“A gateway!” she exclaimed, whether in fear or delight I couldn’t tell. “It’s what the trow used to send me here, what he came through himself.”

 “But you said there was only one trow! Who could it be this time, then?”

“I don’t know. I think…Oh, look!”

 

I looked, and saw a sight I had never seen before. In a blaze of white light, a small figure came flying through the glowing hole. It was clad in golden fabric, and on either side of its body were shimmering golden wings, beating to and fro at a great speed. Once it had landed on the bed, it was far enough from the gateway to make it out clearly. I gasped loudly, and so did Livia. The figure was another fairy.

 

Her golden tunic ended just above her knees; the rest of her legs downwards were covered by some kind of leather boots. In her one hand she carried a tiny sword, and in her other a glowing ball of light resided, shooting off little sparks in all directions. Her hair was as golden as her clothes, and, like Livia’s, it was long and flowing. Even her skin appeared yellowish in colour, though I didn’t know if this was just an illusion caused by all the light around her or not. When she landed on the bed, her wings seemed to vaporise. She came striding towards me, and extended her hand with the ball of light in my direction. I was still mesmerized by her appearance, staring open-mouthed at her, but Livia was running towards her, and her yelling shook me loose from my daze.

 

“Stop! Don’t do it!” Livia shouted frantically. “Don’t hurt her! She’s my friend! She wasn’t hurting me! Please!”

 

“Livia? Is that really you?” the fairy asked, lowering her hand. The ball of light in it disappeared, and she ran forward to embrace Livia. I watched with bated breath as the two fairies wrapped their arms around each other. The golden fairy had now sheathed her sword. I decided to remain silent and let Livia explain the situation to her.

 

“We thought you were lost!” the older fairy said, having momentarily forgotten about me. “We captured the trow, but he refused to tell us anything. Then, when he escaped, we feared he’d gone after you, to finish what he’d begun…”

 

“My friends!” Livia interjected. “Ellaren and Nina and Oriel…”

 

“All fine, my dear! They’ve all escaped unhurt, and they managed to warn us about the trow before anyone else was captured. But they’ve all been worried sick about you, your mother especially.”

 

“Oh no! Poor Mom! She told me to be careful, and I ignored her!”

 

“Oh, she’s not angry with you, child! She just wants to see you alive again, that’s all! And we’d better get back to her as soon as possible. Let me just erase this human girl’s memory, and we’ll be off.”

 

“No!” Livia screamed, placing herself before the other fairy’s hand, which once more carried a ball of light. “Zanthia, please don’t bewitch her! This is Lucy, my friend! She helped me survive, she gave me food and clothing…she even protected me from the trow, and kept me hidden from all the other humans! I’d be dead if it weren’t for her! Zanthia, listen to me, please!”

 

The fairy’s golden wings suddenly appeared on her back, unfolding from out of thin air. She flew up to my face, keeping her hand raised all the time. I meekly greeted her and told her my name.

 

“Is Livia’s story true?” she asked me. “If you’ve been holding her against her will…”

 

“For the last time,” Livia yelled, “Lucy is my friend! If you have to know, I’ve fallen in love with her, and I’d like her to come back to Faerie with me.”

 

“It’s true,” I added. “Livia and I love each other, but if you don’t like it, you’ll just have to put a spell on me, or whatever it is you’re planning to do. But at least let me say goodbye to Livia, and kiss her one last time.”

 

Livia ran over to my outstretched hand and climbed in. I lifted her to my breast and held her close to me. The golden fairy looked at us for a few moments with a bewildered expression. Then she flew over to my shoulder and sat down on it carefully. I didn’t move an inch, afraid of what was about to happen.

 

“You’d best explain,” Zanthia said. “Both of you. You needn’t worry: I’m not going to bewitch anyone. But I would like an explanation. And don’t take too long – the gateway only remains open for an hour.”

 

We hastily told her our respective tales, trying not to leave anything out. The older fairy when she heard what Livia and I had done last night, but my little lover quickly explained that it had been her wish, and that I hadn’t abused her or any such thing. When we were done, Livia quickly introduced Zanthia to me. She was a friend of Livia’s mother and, since Livia’s birth, had acted as her godmother. She remained silent after we had finished, and I braced myself for the expected condemnation of our relationship. But it didn’t come. When Zanthia spoke again, she told us that, although she’d heard of bonds of love between humans and fairies before, she’d never actually thought she’d see one.

 

“That doesn’t mean I disapprove,” she added. “On the contrary, I can see that you two truly wish to be together, and I, for my part, will do everything I can to see that it happens. But we need the approval of the queen, as you well know, Livia. Only she has the power to transform Lucy into one of us, and if she refuses, there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

 

“She won’t refuse!” Livia insisted. “Queen Aldavien is a kind ruler, and it is her duty to preserve love, not to destroy it.”

 

“Then we’d better go and tell her! The hour is almost up!” She flew up in front of my face again and addressed me.

 

“Lucy, I am afraid you’ll have to remain behind, for now. Humans cannot leave the land of Faerie once they’ve entered, and if you come with us now, we cannot guarantee that the queen will acquiesce to your wishes.”

 

“I understand,” I said. “I wish you good luck, and please return as soon as you can.”

 

“We shall,” Livia said. “I’m not leaving you, Lucy. If we can’t be together in my world, we’ll be in yours. Even if it is for a short while only.”

 

I brought her to my lips and kissed her. A warning from Zanthia reminded me that the time was almost up, and I let her go. Zanthia picked her up and held her against her. Her great wings were beating powerfully now, and she flew of towards the glowing gateway.

 

“I’ll see you soon!” Livia called, looking back at me. She was crying, and the light from the gateway made her tears shine on her face.

 

 “Goodbye!” I called, and, in the blink of an eye, they were gone. The gateway seemed to collapse inwards, and darkness fell in the room. I laid down and cried softly. For the first time since Mother’s death, I felt as if I’d lost someone irreplaceable, someone I couldn’t live life without. I hoped she was coming back with all my heart. Everything she’d told me had led me to believe that the fairy queen would allow me to live with her, but, deep inside me, a small speck of doubt remained. And as long as it remained, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about her, my true love.

A whole week went by, and Livia didn’t return. When Sunday afternoon arrived, I was starting to feel an awful feeling growing inside me. Early tomorrow morning I was to leave for boarding school, which was many miles away from home, in Bradford. I wouldn’t return until the summer holidays, and then only if Uncle Gordon and Aunt Ruth would still allow me to stay with them. From the fragments of conversation I’d overheard, though, it didn’t seem likely that things would turn out that way. I would almost certainly be sent away to live in an orphanage, and then Livia would never be able to find me again.

 

That Sunday evening I was allowed to eat supper at the table again. I sat and ate in silence, ignoring my cousins’ nasty remarks. After supper I went to bed feeling terribly depressed. For the few days that Livia had been in my life, I had experienced a joy and a love of life that I had seldom felt before, and, should I still be here tomorrow, would never feel again. I tried hard to focus my mind on something else, anything that would help me go to sleep easily. Just as I felt it was hopeless, though, something happened. Something marvellous.

 

That light! A gateway! She had come back, just like she’d promised! I was barely able to contain my excitement and happiness. The glowing ‘hole’ grew larger and larger, until it was big enough for a fairy to fly through. Scintillating golden wings vibrated through the air, and before my eyes another inhabitant of Faerie appeared, flying gently down and landing on my bed. It was not golden Zanthia, but a darker fairy, and, holding on to her with arms and legs tightly wrapped around her, was Livia.

 

She came running towards me as soon as they had landed, and I swept her up towards my face and kissed her. Tears were flowing freely now, and I laughed for the first time in many days. If anyone was listening outside, they would probably think that I was going mad; not that I cared in the least what people thought of me. I held my beloved’s little body fast against me, until I was certain she’d become soaked by all my tears. But she didn’t stop kissing me until I put her down again.

 

She was wearing a gorgeous red gown, which truly made her look like a fairy princess, and not at all like the scared, dishevelled little girl I’d found trapped in my bathtub. That incident felt so long ago now, almost like a distant memory. I tore my eyes off of her for a moment to look at the other fairy. She was also wearing a gown, but hers was dark green in colour. Her hair was even longer than Livia’s, and it was black with a reddish sheen. Her skin was a dark brown colour, against which her eyes shone like bright green stars. She looked significantly taller than Livia, and, from her wings, I assumed she was older than eighteen. Her wings had disappeared now, and she stood some distance away, looking at Livia and me with interest.

 

“I thought you’d never come back!” I blurted out, trying to make light of what had been a dark time for me. “But here you are…oh, Livia, I’m so, so happy! And…I’m so sorry I doubted you! I should have believed you, I know, but…”

 

“You don’t have to apologize!” she said, laughing. “Lucy, we’re about to begin a new life, you and I! You’re coming with me to Faerie!” She dashed over to my right foot and grabbed hold of my big toe. I stared at her, letting her words sink in. Were all my dreams really going to come true? I couldn’t believe it; it didn’t seem possible. She squeezed my toe as hard as she could, before letting go. She went over to the other fairy, who was still watching us with interest, and introduced her to me.

 

“Lucy, this is my friend Riala. I believe I told you about her? She has just finished several years studying magic, and she offered to take me to you, and to bring you back with us.”

 

“P-pleased to meet you,” I said. Talking to other fairies certainly was intimidating.

 

“And you as well, Lucy,” she replied. “I see Livia wasn’t exaggerating when she went on and on about how ‘wonderful’ you were. Now, don’t be afraid, I’m just going to cast a little spell on you. It won’t hurt a bit! Ready?”

 

She said a few words in a strange language and waved her hands in my direction. Immediately an indescribable feeling surged through me. I began to feel dizzy, and then I noticed that my clothing began to feel increasingly loose, and that everything around me was drifting farther away. With a gasp I realized that I was shrinking. Soon my legs were retreating into my skirt, and my blouse and coat ballooned above my head and collapsed on top of me. My underwear fell off of me, and I was now completely naked, and growing ever smaller beneath my increasingly heavy clothes. At last the strange feeling stopped. I lay gasping underneath the suffocating fabric of my clothes. Slowly I began to crawl, looking for a way out. Finally I saw light, and, when I poked my head out, Livia was waiting for me.

 

And she was no longer a tiny, delicate being the size of my finger, but a full-sized person, at least as tall as I was. I stared up at her and gaped. Only my nakedness prevented me from climbing out and embracing her. She knelt down by my head and giggled.

 

“The spell doesn’t shrink human clothes, only fairy ones,” she explained. “But I came prepared, thankfully.”

 

She gave me some type of pink outfit, which looked remarkably like the dress I had made for her. Unlike her elegant gown, it was only a simple dress, and I slipped into it in no time at all. I crawled out into the open air and clambered onto the heap of my former clothes. For a few seconds I looked around, amazed at how unbelievably vast everything now appeared. My bed stretched out ahead of me like a field covered in blankets. I was still looking around when I felt someone take my hand. I turned and saw Livia, face to face.

 

“Am…am I…” I began, at a loss for words.

 

“You’re still human,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist and bringing me closer to her. “You’ve been shrunk, but it won’t last forever, and we need to change you into a fairy as soon as possible.”

 

“Then I suppose…this is it. I’m leaving all my belongings, everything I have…”

 

“You can still come back for them later,” Riala said, standing by my side. “I’ll even take you, but for now I’m afraid we have to hurry.”

 

I looked into Livia’s eyes, amazed at how different she looked when she was my size. I could now see lots of details which were too small for me to notice before. She hugged me tightly and gave me a soft, tender kiss on the lips. The feeling was incredible, and I desperately wanted to feel more of it. Had I known how sweet another girl’s lips could taste, I would probably have gone after every girl in school, trying to persuade them to make out with me. But I also felt ashamed, ashamed that I had once thought this type of love to be evil.

 

“I’m ready,” I said. We both turned towards Riala. The dark fairy looked at us hesitantly, and I wondered what was the matter.

 

“I’m such a fool!” she exclaimed after I asked her what’s wrong. “Of course, I won’t be able to carry both of you at the same time! And I can’t make two trips, the gateway will close after I go back. We’ll have to open another gateway, or…wait a minute! Quickly, both of you, stand close together!”

 

“Why?” I asked. “What do you…”

 

“Oh dear!” Livia exclaimed, clutching me firmly against her side. “Hold on, dear Lucy, this could feel a little strange.”

 

Using both her hands, Riala cast another spell at us. A tingling sensation coursed through my body, and I held on even tighter to my fairy girlfriend. Suddenly I felt as if I was falling, and I shrieked loudly. So did Livia, but she never let go of me, and I never felt as if I were in danger. When the feeling stopped, I opened my eyes, and saw what had happened. We had been shrunk, both of us, to a size I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. I looked down, and saw the fabric of my woollen coat: each individual fibre was visible, and the folds around us seemed like hills and valleys. Further away were the walls and ceiling, their distances too great for me to take in without feeling dizzy. Livia and I sat down, holding on to each other for all we were worth. Then I saw something come over the fold of my coat. Something big and fast – and green.

 

“It’s Riala!” Livia cried out in wonder. “Hey! Riala! Down here!”

 

The green mountain approached us, until it stood so close that it towered over us. I now saw that it was the base of Riala’s gown. She looked about two hundred feet tall, but I knew she was actually less than six inches in height, and that it was we who were unfathomably tiny. A giant hand reached down from the sky and scooped up Livia and me. We huddled together in the centre of her palm, as her colossal face peered down on us, and a smile of amusement crept across her lips.

 

“Oh my, how tiny you are!” she said, gently mocking us. “You’re practically living dolls now! I’m certain there’s a little fairy girl who’d just love to have you as playthings!”

 

“Just wait until I get big again, you…monster!” Livia shouted, but I could see that she was actually enjoying the experience. “I’ll show you what a ‘living doll’ can do!”

 

Riala just tut-tutted at us. She grasped each of us between forefinger and thumb, her oversized digits gently pinching our tiny waists. Then she did something so shocking I nearly cried out in protest. She squeezed Livia and me carefully in between her breasts, right at the spot where the top of her dress hugged against her bosom. Livia and I were squashed against each other, and we had to wrap our arms around each other to get into a comfortable position.

 

“Wonderful thing, magic,” she winked at me. “Imagine how much fun you and I could have with it. Only three more years, love.”

 

“All settled in?” came a voice like that of a goddess.

 

Riala grinned down at us, clearly enjoying this much more than we were. But we weren’t in any way too uncomfortable, and if she wanted to have a little bit of fun with us, I didn’t mind – too much. We nodded at her and, after giving us a warning, she unfurled her great wings and took off. The speed at which she left the ground was terrifying, at least to a tiny person like me: I closed my eyes and buried my face into Livia’s chest. She held me reassuringly, and soon I was aware that everything was growing brighter around us. I still didn’t open my eyes, yet the brightness continued to grow, and I knew we were travelling through the gateway. Then came the most awful feeling, almost as if we were falling down an endless hole at incredible speed. It was too much for me to bear, and I fainted.

 

When I awoke, which wasn’t an easy process, I found myself lying on what felt to be soft grass. There were trees all around me and a sweet, flowery scent filled the air. Livia was kneeling by my side, and she helped me upright into a sitting position. Riala was there to help, too; she was no longer a giantess, but was the same size as we were once again. I sat hunched over for a few moments, my head still spinning fiercely.

 

“Sorry about that,” Livia said soothingly, running her hand up and down my back. “I’ve heard stories about how travelling between worlds is dangerous for mortals, but I suppose we were just careless. But we made it, I’m glad to say. Are you feeling all right now?”

 

“Yes, I suppose so. Where are we?”

 

“In the forest, near the temple where the queen and her priestesses are waiting. If you’re up to it, we’d best get you there as soon as we can.”

 

I stood up slowly, staggering a little. My clothes and hair looked rather tousled, and I asked Livia if the queen would mind.

 

“She must think me a poor representative of the human race,” I said, only half jokingly.

 

“Nonsense!” she replied. “On the contrary, she was delighted to hear that a human had shown such kindness and love to one of her people. I think you really surprised her, Lucy, and a lot of other fairies and pixies as well. Humans have a pretty bad reputation among fairies, as you’ve no doubt heard.”

 

“I’ll go ahead and inform them,” Riala said, her wings appearing behind her. “Oh, and sorry about the wild ride I gave you, Lucy. Sometimes even us Fair Folk can be a little inconsiderate.”

 

 “Oh, forget about it!” I said, smiling at her. She smiled back, then flew away over the tops of the trees. Livia put her arm around my waist and began to lead me through the forest. I saw now that the trees were subtly different to those in the forests I knew, and that everywhere there were huge, colourful, strange flowers. I saw many unknown types of birds perched in the branches, and there were also other small creatures that I couldn’t identify. Soon I began to quicken my pace, eager to become a part of this new and beautiful world.

The sound of rushing water roused me from my sleep, and I opened my eyes. I was in a bed, but it was not mine: it was much larger, and the pillows and sheets were as soft as silk. I yawned and stretched, and tried to figure out where on Earth I was. It was a room, clearly a bedroom, with the most beautifully carved furniture in it. The sun was shining in through the windows, though a cloud obscured it every now and then. Outside I could see trees waving in the wind.

 

I turned my eyes to the dresser beside the bed, and saw a pair of underwear lying on top of it. This was good, for I was completely naked; of my old clothes there were no sign. My old clothes…as I thought about them, the rest of my memories came back in a torrent of images.

 

“The Great Temple, built entirely of crystal…Queen Aldavien, in her shimmering robes, welcoming me to Faerie…the priestesses chanting…I was lying on an altar…there was light, and warmth…my body was changing, transforming…oh, God…that pain…that incredible pain…as if I was being torn apart…I must have blacked out…”

 

Absent-mindedly I stroked my hair behind my left ear, only to get a shock. A quick glance in the bedside mirror confirmed it: my ears were now adorned with backward-curving tips, and my hair seemed much longer and more luscious than I remembered it to be. And my eyes! They were like veritable sapphires, glowing in the early morning light. Does that mean…it wasn’t a dream…have I really been transformed into a fairy?

 

I quickly put on the delightfully comfortable undies and climbed out of bed. There were no other clothes lying about, so I headed to a large, magnificently decorated cupboard. I opened, and beheld a collection of gorgeous dresses, the likes of which I had never seen before. They seemed to be in all the colours of the rainbow, and each one felt almost magical when I ran my fingers across it. There were many other clothes as well, and shoes, and robes, and coats and hats as well. I was still staring in total amazement when a voice behind me said: “They’re all yours.”

 

I whirled around, and there was Livia, beautiful as always, leaning against a now open door. She was clad in blue, and her hair was tied with blue and white ribbons. I didn’t bother putting on some clothes first – I ran straight into her arms and embraced her. She pushed me backwards and we both fell onto the bed, rolling around, laughing, and kissing each other.

 

“I’m so happy to see you’re all right!” she said. “I heard one of the priestesses say the transformation was an extremely difficult and painful one. You’ve been asleep for twelve hours, at least!”

 

“I-I have? What…what time is it?”

 

“It’s nearly noon. No, don’t get upset! You don’t need an excuse…I mean, it is your first day as an immortal fairy, after all. It’s not like you’ve lost a lot of time and…oh!”

 

I gave her a smooch on the lips before she could finish talking. Our eyes, now so alike, gazed at each other happily and contentedly. Spending forever with someone like her, someone I couldn’t love any more if I tried, would be bliss. I fleetingly thought about my uncle and aunt, and my abominable cousins; what would they say if they knew where I had disappeared to? Would I ever see them again? A small part of me actually wanted to return to them, just so I could tell them to their faces that, despite how rotten they were to me, my life did turn out to be a fairytale.

 

Livia went over to the door and told me to get dressed.

 

“All my friends and family members are waiting to meet you,” she said. “My mother, Everine, has been preparing the most mouth-watering dishes for dinner – and she hasn’t even used any magic to help her! Everyone is extremely eager to meet you, Lucy – it seems you’ve become a real celebrity!”

 

“Oh, I hope not,” I groaned. “I’m not very comfortable being in the spotlight. Couldn’t I just meet your parents today, and then some of your friends later, and…”

 

“Oh, don’t be silly! You’ll be perfectly fine! Everyone just wants to welcome you and make you feel at home as soon as possible. And I’ll be with you the entire time. Now, I’ll give you half an hour to get yourself ready, then I’ll come and fetch you.”

 

She gave me a wink and slipped out the door. I went over and closed it, then began to try on the various dresses. Soon I settled on a beautiful pink gown – my favourite colour – which fit me much better than my old clothes had done. I combed my hair and held it in place with a pink headband. On my feet I slipped a pair of white high-heeled slippers, and, no surprise, these were exactly the right size as well. I admired myself in the full-length mirror, which hung on the wall. I was no longer a plain, lonely girl, who was constantly miserable, but a lovely young lady, living the life she’d never imagined.

 

My thoughts turned towards my mother, who had died when I was so young, but whom I still remembered very well. What would she say if she knew what had become of her daughter? Would she approve of me living with Livia, loving another girl instead of a boy? Would she be upset to hear that I was no longer even a human, but a magical being which she never knew existed?

 

“I don’t know if you can hear me, Mom,” I said softly. “But if you can, please know…I’ll always be your daughter, no matter what happens. You’ve shown me such love and devotion, and I would never do anything that you would disapprove of. But Livia…well, I love her, Mom, and, even though our love was probably against your beliefs, I hope you would have understood. I…I’ll never forget you, Mommy, and I’ll always love you. You were the greatest mother any girl could ever wish for.”

 

I sniffed back a few tears and blew my nose with a handkerchief.

 

“What a time to bring up old memories!” I thought to myself, trying to get back into a cheerful state of mind. My life had been miserable for so long, and I kept thinking that it might turn miserable again at any moment. When I turned around I saw that Livia had been standing by the door, listening silently. She came over to me and squeezed me tenderly against her body. For an instant I was reminded of how my mother used to hold me whenever I felt sad.

 

“I won’t pretend I know how you feel,” Livia said. “But if there is anything, anything at all, that you wish to tell me, please do. I know how overwhelming and…jarring this new life, all these changes, must be to you. If you’d like to slow down, or spend some time alone, that’s fine.”

 

“Maybe…maybe we are going a bit too fast,” I sniffed. “I just don’t know if I’m…ready for all this. I mean, living forever…it’s a bit too much to take in. And…what if I’m not ready for a relationship yet? I do love you, Livia, but I’m still a young girl, and I don’t know much about love…what if I’m just confused or irrational?”

 

Livia gave a little laugh.

 

“Love is never rational, my dear Lucy,” she said. “But you’re right. If you don’t feel ready for a serious relationship, we can still be friends – for now. Then, later, when you’ve settled in and grown used to the life of a fairy, we can talk about what’s best for both of us. For my part, I will always love you, no matter what choice you make, and you can be certain that I will do everything I can to make sure you are happy.”

 

She kissed me lightly and wiped away the last of my tears.

 

“In the meantime, there are some people who would dearly like to meet you,” she said. “Do you feel ready to come down to dinner?”

 

“Yes,” I said. “I’m ready. I just hope no-one notices I’ve been crying.”

 

“Would you like me to ask my mom for a magic spell? One that’ll have you feeling as right as rain in an instant?”

 

“Oh, heavens, no!” I said, laughing. “I’m feeling as right as rain right now. Still, perhaps one last kiss would make sure of it?”

 

 “I thought you’d never ask!” She leant in for a long, slow kiss. We didn’t hurry, but savoured every second of our lips touching each other, only breaking apart when we heard impatient calls from downstairs. Livia put her arm around my waist and guided me out the door, down the stairs, and into my first day as a new person.