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.

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.”