I always knew I was different. Back in elementary school, other kids would call me “Elf”, “Pointy Ears”, “Freak” and all sorts of names. I was told that I had an ear condition that made my ears look pointy and I was forced to wear a uniform to school, which made me an easy target to bully.
The insults got worse each year. I later started wearing my hair loose to try and cover my ears, but they were too long and still stuck out. I begged Mother to send me to a surgeon to have them fixed. She refused and said that there’s nothing wrong with me – I just had to ignore the other kids.
Then I started having dreams. I dreamt of a beautiful place with lots of trees and even a waterfall. It was magical. A place I’ve never seen before, yet it felt strangely familiar.
The next time I dreamt of a beautiful fairy queen wearing a sparkly silver dress, which matched her hair. She sang the most beautiful song – I wasn’t familiar with the language, but somehow I understood every word.
She urged me to seek out a certain tree, which would lead me to her. The tree was located in Willow Creek and would be easy to spot. It was huge and had strange things around its trunk, and there were red mushrooms at the bottom of the tree.
So I made my way there when my parents went away for work. They went away a lot and were very secretive about what exactly they did for a living, but I thought that it was none of my business, so I never asked. I found the tree, but I could’t find an entrance.
So I tried lots ridiculous things, like watering the tree, complimenting its leaves and talking to it about nature. I went there every week for the next four years, but still, there didn’t seem to be a way to enter the tree. I thought I was going mad – maybe my imagination was a bit too wild and none of this was real.
But one day, something told me to go back and try again. This time, a hole appeared in the tree and I entered. The trunk was a lot bigger than I anticipated. Everything was dark inside – a faint glow the only light, a rolling burble the only sound. I followed the sound and got distracted by an ethereal mist glowing ominously.
I entered the mist, which was warm and friendly. I suddenly felt the sensation of being spun around. I reached the Glade and spotted the fairy queen.
It was even more beautiful and magical in person. The fairy queen told me the truth – my real parents were fairies and the imposters who raised me murdered them, as well as most of faekind when I was an infant. The remaining fairies were captured and placed in orbs, to be used as spellcasters’ familiars.
She told me my “parents” were actually powerful sorcerers and keep the orbs containing the fairies in our attic. They also casted a spell on me, which took away my wings. It was up to me to save them and defeat the evil sorcerers.
The fairy queen trained me on how to wield magic and perform magic duels. It took a while, but I managed to win the duel. It was time to confront my parents.
I found Mother outside, looking completely different than the woman who raised me. I confronted her about what she did and challenged her to a duel.
I won the duel, which killed her. I felt bad that things have come to this, but she and Father had to be stopped.
I then challenged Father to a duel, who was enraged when he learnt that I killed his wife. He fought really hard and knocked me down several times.
But I couldn’t just give up, so I stood up and fought with every ounce of my being. I eventually defeated him and went to the attic, where I found the orbs.
I took them to the fairy queen, who freed the captured fairies. They flew around in joy and I envied them.
But then the fairy queen commended me on my bravery and blessed me with my own set of wings. I spread my wings and went up in the air, feeling like a bird learning how to fly and like I finally knew who I am.
Now, I watch over the forest of Glimmerbrook, keeping an eye out for lumberjacks and polluters. It’s good to finally feel like I have a purpose and a place I can belong to.
Author’s Notes: Thanks for reading! This is my entry for the Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge this month, organized by LisaBee, EA Game Changer for The Sims 4 and fellow SimLit writer. The theme of this month is to write a fairy tale, since 26 February is Tell A Fairy Tale Day in America.
I kindly invite you to please read all the stories entered for this challenge at the end of the month and vote for your top choices in both categories. Your support would be greatly appreciated.
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