A college student is feeling heartbroken and depressed but is then offered a free vacation, a vacation to a world unlike any he had ever imagined. This story was originally written and posted in 2003.

Part 1 of 3

Letting out a long sigh, I leaned back in my chair, turning my attention away from the small pile of homework that I'd been doing for my classes. Or at least trying to do. Actually, I hadn't really put very much effort into it, even though I'd been staring at it for nearly an hour.

"Let's see what's on," I mumbled, glancing through the TV guide but not seeing much there that caught my interest either.

Finally, I just remained where I was, not feeling motivated enough to actually do my work or much of anything else. All in all, I was feeling pretty listless. Apathetic and almost lifeless. Hell, I hadn't felt like doing much of anything in nearly a month.

Unfortunately, that turned my thoughts to her. To Melissa. The woman whom I desperately wished I had never met, and was eternally grateful that I had. She was the love of my life...or had been.

When I met Melissa, less than two months ago, it had almost been love at first sight. As beautiful as she was, it wasn't until I looked her in the eyes that it had really hit me. There had been something inside of them...something brilliant. Something which drew me in. Melissa had been full of life, funloving and mischievous. And after knowing her for a short time, I was even thinking about proposing to her.

Then one day...she left. Only 3 weeks after I had first met her, she disappeared from her hotel without a trace, not even bothering to tell me good-bye. It had been maddening. At first I was worried that something had happened to her, but then I realized the truth. She just didn't want to be with me anymore and didn't have the courage to tell me to my face.

Just then, my thoughts were interrupted by roommate Ian coming back home. He was a tall guy, 6 foot 2, being 3 inches taller than me but a bit thinner. Where he had the height advantage on me, I had a bit more muscle than him, even if it was lean muscle rather than bulk.

"I grabbed the mail," Ian commented, digging through the small stack in his hand, muttering, "Mine...bill...yours..." Then he handed me several envelopes saying, "These are for you..." Ian set another envelope down on the table in a spot that was our designated 'common bill' area, taking another couple of envelopes with him as he went to his bedroom.

Of the mail that Ian had given me, one of them was a statement from my bank. However, the second one looked like it was just junk mail, being from some travel agency. Though my first thought was to toss it like I usually did to junk mail, something kept me from doing so. Perhaps it was the fact that the envelope seemed to be a higher quality than is usually used for that kind of thing, and maybe the names and addresses were done in gold ink.

"Chad Nellis," I read my name, writing in fancy gold writing off the envelope. That was me all right. Chad Nellis, 20 year old college student. "Pretty fancy for junk mail."

Inside of the envelope was a letter on equally expensive looking paper. That aroused my curiosity even more, and that was before I even read it.

"Dear Mr. Nellis," I started, quickly running through the whole thing. Then I had to reread it, especially the part that stated, "You have been selected to receive a week long, completely free, special vacation package as part of a special promotion..." It went on to give assurances that it was completely free and there weren't any hidden costs for me. All I had to do was go to the company's office at the address provided. And it was signed, "Mr. G."

After I had read through it several more times, I said, "Cool," not sure that there wasn't some sort of strings attached. You're not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth, but if it's been trained to turn around and bite you...

I still thought that it was probably some sort of gimmick, but when I told Ian about it later, he told me, "Go man. Forget about whatserface for awhile, get your ass out of this apartment and go have some fun. At least check it out. I mean, what can it hurt? Besides, you need a vacation."

For the next two days, I thought about the offer, and about what my roommate had said. It sounded too good to be true, which worried me. After all, it if sounds too good to be true, it probably is. However, as Ian kept pointing out, you never knew until you checked it out.

"But I don't even know where it's a vacation to," I would argue, though Ian kept pointing out that maybe they would give me a choice of vacation spots. After all, I wouldn't know until I talked to them.

Finally, I gave in and agreed to at least go to the company and talk with them. That was partly due to Ian's constant pushing though also partly because of my growing curiosity about the offer. Ian was right...I did need a vacation, and how could you beat a free one?

So, when I found myself in front of the Travel Agency, I felt somewhat nervous but was determined not to get caught up by some silly con if they should try and pull one. But at the same time, I was feeling pretty hopeful and more optimistic than I would care to admit.

Once I had stepped inside, I paused to take a slow look around. It looked pretty much like a travel agency should, with posters of various foreign locations decorating the walls. There was only one desk in the room, and behind it sat a somewhat overweight man with thinning black hair and a thick mustache.

"May I help you?" the man behind the desk stood up and asked with a pleasant smile.

"Um...I think so," I told him cautiously, holding out the letter that I'd been sent, "I got this letter about some kind of free trip..."

"Oh, you must be Mr. Nellis," he said, not even bothering to look at the letter though he held out his hand for me to shake. "You may call me Mr. G."

I shook his hand, realizing that he was the guy who'd sent me the letter. "Nice to meet you."

Mr. G just smiled pleasantly, though at the same time he gave me a careful looking over. He must have decided that I was all right though because he seemed a little pleased.

"I am happy that you decided to come," he told me as he sat down behind the desk again. "I assume that you wish to know more about the special vacation package that you were offered." At my nod, he smiled more, his eyes seeming to twinkle slightly. "Good."

"Good?" I repeated, feeling a bit unsure.

"Yes, good," he nodded. "I know that it may be hard to believe that you are being offered a free vacation package, though I assure you that the offer is entirely genuine." For some reason, I believed him. He radiated an aura of sincerity. "This is a small business," he continued, "and can not afford much in the way of advertising. We rely mostly on word of mouth to attract customers and thought that offering a free promotional vacation might help with that. If you enjoy the trip, you may come back, and even more importantly, tell your friends."

That all sounded pretty reasonable to me, and I didn't doubt that this guy was telling me the truth. With most of my doubts being removed, I was starting to feel a bit more excited about the prospect of a free trip.

"So," I asked, trying not to sound pushy, "What kind of trip is this?"

"A very special trip," Mr. G told me quietly, his seeming to gleam. Then his expression turned more serious. "What I offer is a completely unique travel destination, to a place that no other travel agency on this world can provide access to."

"Unique," I repeated, suddenly feeling unsure. "Just what do you mean by...unique?" That word didn't conjure images of a beach paradise when related to a travel agency.

"What I mean by unique," he said slowly, staring straight at me, "is that it is unlike any place you have ever been. It is a place that you have only seen in your imagination, a place where the laws of magic hold sway and creatures of fantasy...unicorns, dragons and their ilk run free. But make no mistake..." His eyes seemed to bore straight into me, "it is every bit as real as this one."

Though what Mr. G was saying sounded absolutely nuts, something about him seemed so...sincere. And even though it was against everything that I knew to be real, for some reason, I actually started to believe him.

"You see," Mr. G started, gesturing to a gold metal ball that was sitting on his desk. An instant later, it actually lifted off the desk by about a foot and hovered there. "Magic does exist." I started at it in amazement, running my hand under and around it to verify that there was nothing holding it. And there didn't seem to be anything with magnets holding it up either.

"I will provide both transportation and a guide," Mr. G continued while I staring at the floating ball, "Physical transportation between the worlds is not yet possible, so it is merely the mind and soul that make the journey. And this can only be done if there are willing people on both sides to make this temporary exchange." Then he smiled pleasantly, "There is already a volunteer host awaiting you."

For a moment, I just stared at Mr. G, then said, "Wow...this sounds so incredible."

"You are not the first person to travel there," he chuckled, "In fact, most of my customers who do so are quite satisfied with the experience. It is a chance to see things that you never could otherwise...to broaden your perceptions and experiences. That is why I prefer to usually deal only with those who are open minded enough to appreciate the differences."

In spite of myself, this was really beginning to sound interesting. The thought of actually going to a world with magic and other fantasy stuff was...amazing. I'd played D&D once or twice, but was never really into it like some friends of mine. But still, I could definitely see the appeal of something like that.

"How soon could I go?" I asked quietly, not realizing it until that very moment that I'd already made up my mind. How could I possibly turn down a once in a lifetime opportunity like that?

Mr. G seemed pleased at that and his smile broadened. "Actually, you could leave immediately if you so wished. As I said, there is already a volunteer host waiting for you, and I fear that if kept waiting too long, she may become impatient."

"Immediately," I repeated, nodding my head, feeling somewhat dazed by this whole situation. "Yeah...that sounds good..."

"Then come this way," Mr. G told me as he got up and moved to a door in the back of the room. "Please excuse the mess but I have been working on improving the spell to make it more efficient..."

The room was mostly empty, except for shelves and boxes lining one of the walls. The thing that caught my attention though was the big chalk circle in the middle of the floor, and the strange symbols all around it. Mr. G told me to stand in the circle, then he picked up some sort of wooden staff that was leaning against the wall.

"Farewell for now," Mr. G told me with an amused smile, "and enjoy yourself."

Then while he was muttering something under his breath in a language that I didn't recognize, I remembered him saying something about my host...then wondering, did he say 'she'? But before I could think any further, Mr. G tapped the staff against the chalk circle. Suddenly, everything exploded into a flash of blue light and a wave of dizziness, just before the whole world dropped away from around me.

When my senses returned, I was immediately aware that something was VERY different. My whole body was assaulted with strange sensations, feelings that told me that it was definitely not my normal body at all. Obviously, I was in a host body like Mr. G had said.

"Wow," I gasped, stunned with amazement.

After taking a deep breath, I glanced around, seeing that I seemed to be in some sort of thick forest or jungle. But the trees were HUGE. Larger than any I'd ever heard of, except perhaps for those giant redwoods. In fact, it took me a moment longer to sink in that I was actually sitting on base of a tree branch, a branch that had to be at least 15 feet wide.

But as curious as I was about my surroundings, I was a hell of a lot more curious about my borrowed body. And with that, I slowly looked down at myself, trying to brace myself for anything. However, I still wasn't prepared for what I saw.

The first thing that I noticed was that my skin was green. However, as strange as that was, it was by far the least drastic surprise. The other thing I couldn't help noticing was the breasts on my chest...just like a girls. And with a single glance between my legs, it was instantly obvious that they weren't the only thing I had like a girls. In fact, my whole body was that of a girl. A green skinned girl, but a girl nonetheless.

Those observations were easy to make as I wasn't wearing a scrap of clothing. In fact, the only thing that could even be considered to come close were a small gold metal bracelet on my left wrist and what seemed to be a necklace made with twine and shiny stones.

Feeling a bit stunned, I slowly stood up, fully aware of just how strange my body felt. But at the same time, I felt sort of light and graceful. The differences were rather obvious, but perhaps not as extreme as they could have been. Nor were they painful or even extremely uncomfortable. Just...different. Too many differences to take in all at once.

A moment later, I took another, more careful look at my body, taking in all of the details that I'd missed at first glance. My body looked very feminine, and I had very pert breasts that were neither too large nor too small. Then I also noticed that my skin tone was a little more varied than I had first thought. My skin was all green, but I also seemed to have several stripes on me that were a darker green than the rest.

"Oh man," I gasped, just trying to absorb that this was in fact real.

Suddenly, a girl's voice called out, "You're here... You actually came..."

I looked up and was stunned at the sight of a green skinned girl flying in the air above me, using what appeared to be something like dragonfly wings...but not quite. She had green skin, without the stripes that mine possessed, and green hair that had a lock of white hanging down the front. The girl's body was shaped very much like my own and she had a very cute face, though her ears were obviously pointed.

As the girl landed on the branch in front of me, I got an even better look at her face. Her eyes were larger than a normal person's, and they were violet.

"You're here," she exclaimed excitedly, staring at me with a strange expression. Then she smiled broadly and announced, "You must be Chad." She barely waited for me to nod before rushing out, "I am Maella...your guide."

"Um...," I stammered, holding out my hand, "Hi." Then hoping that I wasn't rude, I couldn't resist staring at her wings, which were now folded back, "What are you?"

Instead of being offended like I had been afraid of, Maella grinned proudly, "I'm a ......" The word was a strange half humming, half singing sound that didn't make any sense. Then she added, "Most beings call us pixies."

"Like Tinkerbell," I exclaimed.

Maella just blinked, "Who?"

"Nevermind," I told her. Then I exclaimed, "Wow. I never thought I'd ever meet a pixie." I didn't mention that until that moment, I'd never believed in them either.

That just made Maella giggle for some reason, then she blurted out, "You're not just meeting one. Right now...you are one."

For a moment, I just stared at her, then realized that it made sense. I mean, we seemed to have the same basic skin color and the same size, which if I remembered right, Pixies were small. But still, the very thought was...incredible.

Then I quickly looked back and was stunned to see that I had a pair of wings on my back as well. I stretched them out experimentally, delighted when they opened up. And though they didn't seem as sensitive as my normal skin, I could actually feel them back there. In a way, it felt just a little bit like growing an extra pair of arms or something.

While I was playing with my new wings, Maella continued, "My friend Trikka really wanted to see your world so offered her body to the Gray One for one of his visitors."

"The Gray One?" I blinked, turning my attention back to my guide.

"The sorcerer who sent you here, silly," Maella smiled. "You have his mark of protection," she gestured to the bracelet, "Most intelligent beings who see it will leave you alone for fear of angering him." Then she sighed, "But many beings are too big to see it on us or too careless to bother looking."

"Okay," I responded, still not sure that I understood, except that this Gray One was probably the same Mr. G who was at the Travel Agency. After all, he was the one who sent me here.

Just then, Maella's expression turned much more serious. "The Gray One's mark will offer some protection...but do not rely on it. There are many dangers in this world that you may not recognize, so stay near me so I can help you avoid them." I just nodded at that.

My cute pixie guide abruptly changed topics, excitedly giggling, "What should I show you first?" Her wings were flickering as she thought aloud. Then she brightened even more, "The village..."

"Village?" I repeated.

"But first a stop for pikka berries," Maella added with a grin. "That's where Trikka and I were going when you came..."

"Okay," I nodded, looking around and then nervously asking, "But how do I climb down...?" I nervously looked around the tree I was in, then over the edge. The ground seemed an impossibly long distance away. I definitely wouldn't want to face that kind of fall.

"We fly, silly," Maella giggled, then quickly moved next to me and gave my wings a gentle tug. I hadn't even thought about those things. When I started to protest that I didn't know how to fly, she just grinned, "It's easy. Like this..." And with that, she shot up into the air several feet...or at least what looked like several feet. "See..."

"I don't know," I gulped, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the idea. Flying on a plane was one thing, but actually doing it with wings of my own, borrowed though they may be, was something else entirely. "I mean, how..."

"Look," Maella told me, her tone going into an almost lecturing mode, "Trikka's body is good at flying. How do you think she got up here?"

With that, Maella started to explain how she flew, though she was having a hard time of it. It was obvious that it was something that she just did...not that she really thought about. Sort of walking I guess. It was perfectly natural, the easiest thing in the word. But try explaining how to do it to someone... Fortunately, she got her point across very well, and there seemed to be some build in reflexes that came with my host body.

"Like this?" I laughed in delight as I managed to lift off of the tree branch and hover just a little bit above it. Though I wasn't really flying as of yet, the feeling of doing just what little I was doing was somewhat incredible.

Maella grinned at me, "Yeah. But can ya do this?" She suddenly shot up into the air and did a loop-de-loop, then a spiraling dive, ending with her pulling up abruptly just in front of me again.

"Um...no," I admitted, my eyes wide in amazement. "That was...awesome."

She seemed pleased by that, then abruptly tapped my shoulder and announced, "Tag," just before shooting into the air.

"Hey," I protested, then grinned in spite of myself and decided to go after her.

I flew into the air myself, though far slower than Maella and infinitely clumsier. Fortunately, it didn't seem to be much different than just hovering there. In fact, it was a lot easier to control where I was going than I would have thought.

"Come and get me," she called out with a giggle.

Of course I did my best to do just that, though Maella was a whole lot better at the whole flying thing than I was, though I was definitely improving. She would call out suggestions as she kept out of my reach, delighting in the game of tag as I got better and better at it. In fact, the closer I got to her, the more she seemed to enjoy it.

I was completely lost in the game, and the unparalleled thrill that came with it. Every moment was bursting with excitement, excitement and an incredible sense of freedom that came with being able to fly. I lost all track of time as I chased after Maella, getting closer and closer but not quite getting close enough.

Finally, I caught up with Maella, though I knew that it was only because she let me. I think that she just wanted to trade places in the game, because she obviously enjoyed chasing after me as well, though she was careful not to actually catch me for awhile. I had to admit though that I was getting good enough that I thought I might actually be able to evade her for awhile for real.

"Alright," Maella called out as she landed on a large rock on the ground, "We're here. Pikka berries..."

She pointed to a strange looking plant that had a bunch of vines wrapping around the rock and a nearbye tree. It looked like sort of a cross between a blackberry bush and ivy, though it was incredibly huge. There were berries growing off of it as well, each of them looking something like cherries, except for being blue...and the size of grapefruit.

"Pikka berries," Maella grinned as she pulled one off the vine then sat down on the rock, gesturing for me to join her. "We can have a picnic."

While I sat down next to her, Maella rubbed at the berry as if wiping it clean, then she bit right into it. She wiped a bit of bluish juices from her mouth and handed me the grapefruit sized berry.

I just stared at the berry in my hands, feeling a bit unsure of the unfamiliar food, though Maella seemed to enjoy it.

"Try it," Maella urged me, "It's good." Then she grinned mischievously, "Sorry about my manners, but pixies don't use forks..."

I just grinned back at that before taking a bit. Maella was right...the pikka berry was good. Real good. The taste wasn't quite like anything that I had ever had before, though the closest I could think of was grape soda. But even that didn't quite explain the sweet taste.

We continued our little 'picnic' on the rock, passing the berry back and forth with each of us taking turns eating from it. It was definitely an unusual lunch, though oddly enough, quite an enjoyable one. Especially with Maella for company. Soon the berry was gone though and it was time to go, though Maella grabbed two more berries, asking me to take two as well before we left.

I had no idea where we were flying to this time, though Maella seemed pretty pleased to be taking me there. We flew between the massive trees, each seemingly larger than a skyscraper. In the distance, I could see bird, though none of them up close.

Suddenly, Maella landed on a tree branch, gesturing for me to join her. She grinned as she pointed down towards the forest floor, and it was only then that I noticed them. A group of giants walking a short distance away. They were each unbelievably huge, and all dressed rather oddly, sort of like medieval clothes. Then again, I guessed that might be sort of normal in that place.

"Giants," I gasped at the sight of them.

Maella giggled from beside me. "No silly. They're humans."

I just stared at her, my mouth open slightly in disbelief. "But they're so huge..."

That just made her giggle again. "I know. All humans are really big. But now you're more normal sized."

"Okay," I nodded slowly. I'd realized already that I was pretty small compared to normal, though it hadn't just sunk in until then just how small. Seeing those people made me suddenly feel positively tiny in comparison.

"Careful," Maella warned me, staring intently at the people walking below, her expression now serious. "Bratcha!" Though I didn't recognize the word, she said it like she was swearing. "They'e got a cage..," Maella told me, glaring at them furiously, then turning to me, "They're pixie hunters."

I gave her a look of surprise. "Pixie hunters?" Then I asked, "Why would anyone want to hunt you?"

"Us," she reminded me with a wry smile. "Right now, you're a pixie too."

Then she scowled, explaining, "Some humans catch us and sell us to other humans to keep in cages." She looked horrified at that, not to mention angry. "They call us pets..." Suddenly she snapped around and looked at me with mixed suspicion and nervousness, "You wouldn't do that...would you?" She looked unsure, almost tearful. It didn't seem to be fear of me though...but something else.

"Of course not," I told her quickly, not mentioning that I hadn't even believed in pixies until I'd met her.

Just by looking at her and seeing how pretty she was, I could see why people might be interested in keeping pixies as pets. But if they were all as smart as her, wouldn't that be the same thing as slavery? Keeping an intelligent being locked up and treated as property was just wrong. Suddenly, I was glaring at them as well, filled with disgust at people who would go around kidnapping people like Maella.

"Bastards," I spat, "I'd never do anything like that. Never!"

Then without warning, Maella threw her arms around me. "Thank you," she blurted out tearfully, "I knew you were a good human."

I really didn't know what to say to that so just hugged her back. And damn, it was definitely exciting, especially since she was not only quite pretty, but because we were both completely naked as well. It had been quite easy to forget that fact since she didn't seem to even notice it, and actually treated it as perfectly normal. Then again, I guessed that for her it probably was.

Finally, I gulped, "I think their cage is empty." I hadn't seen anything in it.

"Good!" Maella firmly announced, glaring at the people once again as they were now moving out of our sight.

We waited on the tree branch for another minute before taking off again. This time though, Maella was much more subdued, much quieter. I guess that those pixie hunters really got to her.

By the time we got to the pond, Maella seemed almost back to her previously cheerful self. And if she hadn't been by then, a single look at the pond probably would have shocked her out of it. It was a gorgeous, with a small waterfall feeding into it. A number of rocks were sticking out from the water, providing stepping stones and places to sit. And of course, there was something of a rainbow scattered above the pond, courtesy of sunlight reflecting off of the mist that the waterfall kicked up.

"Wow," I gasped as we landed on a moss covered rock in the middle. "This is incredible."

Maella just grinned at me, then carefully placed her pikka berries on the rock before diving into the water. I waited just a few seconds longer, then decided to follow her lead. The water was just a tiny bit chilled but felt refreshing as I dove in.

"Gotcha," Maella's voice called out as I surfaced, only to be hit in the face with a splash of water.

I just laughed, "Hey," and splashed back, starting what turned out to be a rather lengthy water fight and then game of tag.

We had quite a bit of fun playing around at the spring, and just enjoying the water. It was absolutely incredible, and not just the place either. There was something about Maella...something that made me happier than I had been in weeks. And after even such a short time, I had no doubt that this was the best vacation that I'd ever had.

After what had to be several hours of playing around the spring, Maella thought that it was time to be moving on again. I was almost sorry to grab the pikka berries and go. However, I suspected that whatever she was going to show me next was going to be just as good, if not better.

Travel Agency: Free Vacation
part 2 of 3
By Morpheus

A short while after leaving the spring, I was completely stunned as we first came into view of what was obviously our destination. Unable to help myself, I gasped at the sight of pixies...dozens of them at least, flying all over the place.

"This is our...village," Maella announced from beside me.

It was only then that I looked beyond the pixies and saw what she was referring to. Buildings...sort of, build all along the sides of a huge tree...and several trees nearby. They hung along the trunk, along branches. They were all rounded, made of what looked like a pale gray, almost white ceramic, though wood, straw and leaves were also obviously used in many of them. Ropes and rope bridges hung between a number of the strange building as well.

"Holy shit," I whispered as I looked around, seeing the pixie village spread out before me.

And with a closer look, I could see several holes and openings into the trees themselves, as if they'd been tunneled into, though these seemed to be much less prominent than the buildings and ropes on them. Suddenly, I was reminded of the Ewok village in Return of the Jedi, though this wasn't quite the same.

As I looked at the pixies, I saw that just about all of them had green skin...or at least mostly green skin. The hair colors however seemed a bit more varied, with a number of them having it shades of green, though I also saw several others, such as a blonde and one with violet hair.

Maella seemed rather proud as she flew me slowly around the village, pausing at a huge platform that jutted out from the tree to leave 3 of our 4 pikka berries there. She explained that it was a community table, where any pixie who was hungry could stop by and grab something to eat without having to go searching for food.

"Sort of a food bank," I commented aloud, earning a blank look from Maella.

We continued on our tour, this time descending to ground level, where I was startled to find a number of different berry bushes and strange flowers scattered about, and obviously being tended for by the pixies.

Then hidden in a clearing between the bushes was a farmed area, being worked by pixies. I saw one squirrel working away at the ground, helping at the farm as though it was a horse or ox, and another squirrel with a harness and bag of food on it's back, running up a tree with a pixie to help guide it.

Suddenly, something dawned on me. "They're all girls," I told Maella, realizing that I hadn't seen any boys.

"Our kind have few males," Maella explained to me. "There are five living in our village." Then she grinned, "I think it is strange...but interesting how your kind have so many of them."

That explained a few things, though I couldn't help thinking how lucky those few guys actually were. Five guys and a whole village of women. They had to be the luckiest guys in the world. But then again, knowing how women could be...they could have been the unluckiest guys at the same time.

After this, Maella headed back upwards, back to where the real village was. I just stared in awe at everything, thinking at how camouflaged it was from the ground as well. You could have walked right past it and not seen a thing, unless you happened to look up. And even then, from a distance it could possibly be mistaken for a bunch of tree fungus or something.

"Bet those hunters would have a hard time finding this place," I commented. Maella just nodded, her expression fairly serious, making me realize that this was probably the point.

When we got back to the tree level where the village was, something caught my eye that suddenly made me gasp in surprise and then blush. A pair of female pixies were spread out on some ledge, having sex with each other. And there was a similar scene on top of one of the rounded buildings, just a short distance away.

The sight of two lesbian couples making out in public was surprising, but what surprised me even more was that Maella obviously noticed at least one of them and didn't even give them a second look. Neither did any of the other pixies that were flying past the lovers. Apparently...that kind of thing was considered pretty normal among the pixies.

Maella took me to one of those strange rounded buildings that came straight off of the trunk of the tree, pausing just below it, making sure that I was there. Then she went up, going inside the building through a hole in the bottom. I hesitated only moment before following after her.

Once I was inside, I took a quick look around, seeing that we were in a single room. The entire floor was covered with a thick layer of bird feathers and what looked like animal fur. All except for the hole we'd come in through, and Maella immediately covered that up with some sort of plate or cork made of the same ceramic as the building walls.

"This is my home," Maella proudly announced as she set the remaining pikka berry in the corner, along with what looked like a giant acorn and some sort of greenish fruit thing. Then she suddenly looked nervous, "I know it's not what you're used to..."

"It's...nice," I told her, thinking that it was definitely small compared to what I was used to. In fact, it was just a bit smaller than my bedroom alone. "It's cozy."

Maella smiled a little at that, looking pleased though slightly embarrassed at the same time. "Thank you," she told me nervously, her eyes watching me as if to see my reaction.

I looked around again, this time a little more slowly. The only light was coming from two windows, if they could really be called windows since I couldn't really see out of them. It was sort of like two solid pieces of stained glass that served to let yellowish light in but little else. Then I suddenly wondered if they might actually be pieces of amber.

Turning my attention away from the windows, I saw that in the one corner, as well as several pieces of food, there was a small container that seemed to be filled with water. There were a few decorations on the walls, as well as what seemed to be finger paintings. A thought occurred to me that there was no sign of a dresser or bed, but then I realized that without clothes, there wouldn't be any need for closets or dressers. And as for a bed...the entire floor was probably the bed.

"This place is interesting," I told Maella honestly, "So much different from what I'm used to. Kind of hard to believe that you actually have your house in a tree." Then I couldn't resist laughing, "You live in a tree house."

"What's wrong with that?" Maella asked, looking slightly offended.

"Nothing," I assured her with a grin, "Nothing at all."

We sat in her home for a little while and talked, when Maella abruptly announced, "Oh...I just thought of something." She grinned and opened her doorway back up before calling, "Follow me," and slipping out through it.

"Okay," I muttered as I did as she asked, dropping down through the hole and then flying after her.

This time, Maella led me to a neighboring tree and a one of the buildings that was much larger than the rest. It even had a balcony on it, where we landed and then walked through an almost normal doorway. The room inside was much larger than Maella's home, and without all of the feathers and stuff all over the floor.

"We keep things in here for all to use," Maella told me, gesturing around the room.

In one corner where there seemed to be a number of pixie sized spears leaning up against the wall, as well as some shields that seemed to be made out of pinecone scales. There were other things around as well, many of them I didn't recognize.

"Over here," Maella told me with a giggle, tugging slightly on my arm. "C'mon..."

I moved to where she wanted, then stopped at the sight of a mirror leaning up against the wall. More accurately, it looked like just a shard of mirror, but a shard that was twice my current height.

"I thought you might want to see yourself," she winked at me, "now that you're in Trikka's body."

"Yeah," I whispered, moving closer to the mirror, "Good idea..."

Stopping in front of the mirror shard, all I could do was stare with my mouth open. I already knew what I looked like...or at least had a pretty good idea after my quick self-examination and seeing all of those other pixies flying around. But this definitely gave me a whole better view of what I looked like at the moment.

Of course, there was the sexy little body with the perky breasts. There was the green skin with the dark green stripes. And there was even the glimmery wings on my back. All of which looked very similar to the other pixies that I'd seen.

"Wow," I whispered.

My face was very cute and had many of the same features as Maella...including the large eyes. I had pointed ears too. But where her hair was green except for the one bit of white at the front, mine green with streaks of dark green running through it, giving it a striped appearance that matched my skin.

"What do you think?" Maella asked from beside me, looking as though she was about to giggle.

"I'm...she's pretty," I told her honesty. "It's hard to believe that I'm actually borrowing someone else's body. Especially a little green faerie girl."

"Is there something wrong with being a little green faerie girl?" Maella demanded. I wasn't completely sure whether she was offended or just teasing me. At least not until she started to grin.

Suddenly, Maella asked, "How do you like this world so far?" There was something in her expression as she asked it...something...hopeful.

"It's great," I responded honestly, "Really interesting."

"Really?" she grinned in delight, then jumped back and spun around in a pirouette, doing so with incredible grace.

I watched Maella spin in a sort of dance in fascination, hardly able to believe how smooth and graceful she was. But then she abruptly broke out of it, launching herself in my direction with a giggle. I caught her in my arms, and we both fell to our knees laughing.

"That was incredible," I started, then looked her in the eyes.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to freeze around me as I was lost inside of those gorgeous violet eyes. An in an instant, I see that they were filled to the brim with life and spark of mischief. And there was something else...something that seemed incredibly familiar.

A second later, where I recognized that special spark from slipped from my lips in a whisper, "Melissa..."

Maella's eyes shot wide at that and she gasped, "You..." She pulled back slightly and gulped, "You know me..."

All I could do was stare at her in shock. "Melissa?" It wasn't possible.

"You do know me," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

Then she abruptly threw her arms around me, just as quickly jumping back and spinning into another pirouette. I suddenly remembered seeing Melissa trying to do something like that once, though she wasn't nearly as graceful and tripped over her own feet.

"Oh my God," I gasped out as I stared at her. "This can't be..."

Maella had stopped her pirouette and stood there, looking extremely nervous. Her eyes were wide but she seemed somewhat shaky, giving the impression that she was a convict standing before a judge and awaiting sentence.

For a second, I just stood there, staring at her with my mouth open and trying to absorb what was going on. As I did so, realized why I'd developed such a quick rapport with her. Why there had been such a feeling of familiarity. So many of Maella's movements and gestures were Melissa's

"You really are Melissa," I slowly announced, staring at her in amazement and confusion. "Then you're really here on vacation too?"

"No," Maella shook her head slightly, still looking nervous. She took a deep breath, "This is me." She gestured down at herself, "The REAL me."

"The real...?" I started.

She just nodded, her eyes filled with tears, "Yeah. I...I wanted to see your world, so I offered myself as a host for one of the Gray One's visitors. Trikka acted as her guide..."

"Then Stephanie..," I whispered, remembering the pretty blonde girl that I'd seen around campus who was always hanging around with Melissa.

"My guide," she confirmed. Then she added, "The Gray One said I should use the name Melissa...because it is a name of your world but close to my own..."

I was still in shock at this revelation, that the girl of my dreams, the girl I'd fallen in love with and had then had my heart broken by...was a pixie. A 6 inch tall girl from another dimension.

"I had not known I would meet one such as you," Maella exclaimed tearfully. "I didn't know that I could. I wanted to tell you...I wanted to tell you so badly, but the Gray One said that I should not. That the people of your world would not believe it. Stephanie said so too..." She paused for a moment, the tears coming a little more freely. "I did not know how to tell you when my time was up...and was afraid of what you would say. So I said nothing...and now wish that I had."

"My God...," I whispered, my emotions all a mass of chaos. I felt happy...yet angry at the same time. Conflicting feelings ran through me, leaving me unsure of what I felt...except stunned.

Maella stared at me, her eyes wide, "Ever since I returned from your world...I have not been able to stop thinking about you. I wanted to see you again. I wanted you to see me...the real me. To see my world as I have seen yours. So...so I asked the Gray One to bring you here." Maella bowed her head, staring at the floor and finished, "Please don't be angry with me. I...I love you."

As much as I was already in shock, those words stunned me even more. They were words that I had never expected to hear on my free vacation...words that I had never expected to hear from a 6 inch tall green girl.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly reached for Maella's cheek, gently lifting her face up to look at me again. I ran my finger over her tear covered cheek, then rubbed the tears between my fingers. They didn't feel normal tears. Instead, they felt more oily. But I didn't waste time thinking about her tears, instead, I gently held her face staring deep into her eyes.

"I..," I didn't know what to say. Tears were coming down my cheeks now and my heart was racing. "I love you too," finally came out. Then I gulped, realizing that I meant it.

With that, we stared at each other for a second before throwing our arms around each other in a tight embrace. Tears were coming down my cheeks just as freely as they were hers, though I think that they were tears of joy. They had to be because I'd never felt happier in my life. I had no idea how long we remained that way before we finally pulled back a little then started to kiss. And her lips tasted as sweet as honey.

Eventually, we were just sitting on the floor, holding hands and talking. I didn't really know when we made the transition from kissing to doing that, but it didn't really matter. We were together. Maella told me about herself, about her real self. I could sense the relief that she felt at not having to hide anything from me anymore.

"And after I came back," Maella continued, "and told Trikka about your world, she wanted to see it too." She giggled, "She liked the idea of trading places with you for awhile."

"Well I hope she has fun," I told her, though silently hoped that she didn't have too much fun. After all, that was my body she was using.

"Stephanie said that when she came here and visited," she told me almost as an afterthought, "that she got to be an elf. I wonder what being an elf would be like." Then Maella looked at me, "Probably a lot like being a human. And that was pretty fun."

I just grinned at that, then abruptly asked, "I just thought... Should I call you Maella or Melissa?"

"Maella is my name," she reminded me, then smiled, looking a little embarrassed before adding, "But you can call me Melissa if you want."

"Well, Melissa is nice," I told her, "but Maella is such a beautiful name..."

She seemed pretty pleased by the compliment, then to my surprise, nearly jumped right on top of me, giving me a passionate kiss. However, while her lips were pressed against mine, her hands were busy massaging my breasts, causing me to gasp...or at least I would have if my mouth hadn't been full.

As pleasant as the kiss was, the sensations from my incredibly sensitive new breasts knocked even that out of the water. I'd never felt anything as good as that, except when she moved one of her hands between my legs and started to play with my new equipment down there. That was almost more than I could bear, causing me to cry out from the intense pleasure.

"Mae...lla...," I gasped once I had my mouth free.

However, she put a finger on my lips, them moved her mouth to a lower...and even more sensitive spot. I didn't know exactly what she was doing, but it felt unlike anything I had ever felt before in my life...that I had ever even imagined feeling. And when I finally came, the orgasm was like an explosion of pure heaven.

"Oh God," I gasped weakly, opening my eyes a minute later, not even having been aware that I'd closed them until that moment. I was startled to see that there was a greenish glow...and even more surprised to realize that it was coming from ME. From my very skin. "I'm glowing," I whispered, still in a complete daze.

Maella giggled, "Yeah... We pixies do that." Then she kissed my nipples gently before asking, "Are you ready for more?"

"Oh ye...no," I whispered, catching her by surprise as I slowly sat up. Then I grinned, "First it's your turn."

She giggled at that, "Oh goody..."

With that, I moved onto Maella, trying my very best to do the same thing to her that she had done to me. I was sure that I wasn't nearly as deft at it and was fairly clumsy in comparison, but I certainly tried. And from the noises she was making and the way she suddenly started glowing as well, I had a pretty good idea that I'd done it right.

We continued like that for some time, though I had no idea just how long, taking turns going at each other, even doing each other at the same time. It was absolutely incredible, and almost as though I had an inexhaustible supply of sexual energy. Eventually though, it did wear out, leaving me and Maella both glowing brightly, laying together in puddle of our own juices.

A sudden thought occurred to me. Or at least a curiosity, which I knew that I would never have the answer to. What I had just experienced had been absolutely incredible, though I couldn't help wondering if it was that way for real women. For human women. Or if pixies were just so much more responsive for humans.

And as we cuddled together, I was vaguely aware of pixies coming into the room and walking past. Though I felt faintly embarrassed, I was feeling too content to do anything about it. Of course, it helped that they didn't bother to even give us a second look, or that Maella didn't seem bothered by their presence.

After we had rested there for awhile, Maella untangled herself and stood up, grabbing me by the arm and grinning, "C'mon Chad..." She was still glowing, as was I, though not nearly as strong as a short time earlier.

"Do I have to?" I teased, already getting to my feet and then following her to the small next that she called home.

Once we were inside, I was rather surprised to see Maella rubbing at her still wet crotch and thighs, then smearing her juices on the wall. Then without a word, she started to rub at mine, earning a faint protest...though it did feel rather good. However, this wasn't too sexual as she was mostly gathering up my juices, then smearing those on the wall as well.

"What the...?" I started, though Maella just shrugged, not offering me an explanation.

Instead, she giggled, then tapped me, "Tag," just before diving out the exit.

"Hey," I called out, wondering where she was going this time. However, I suspected that the only way to find out was to follow her and see. Then again, that would probably be half the fun.

This time, our game of tag merely ran around the village, ending a short time later at a part of it that I hadn't seen before. It was another one of their ceramic buildings, built high up...near the highest point of the village and around the entire tree. Several branches were helping to support it.

"What's this?" I asked as we landed, seeing that it had a number openings all the way around it. In fact, it seemed to be nearly as much patio as fully enclosed building. And I could see several other pixies flying around it, both entering and leaving.

"C'mon," Maella said as she landed on a ledge by one opening, gesturing for me to follow her lead.

A moment later, I had landed myself and stepped inside, startled to see a pool of water. No...a trench of water...a ring that encircled the entire width of the tree. Or at least the width that was available at that height. And from two other pixies that I could see in the water taking a bath, it was immediately obvious what this place was for.

"Wow," I whispered, amazed that they had such a unique public bath house. And up in a tree no less. "It's a giant bird bath..."

I looked up at the roof, then had to take a second look. From the slightly concave shape...and the openings, I could see that it collected rainwater like a funnel and deposited it all directly into the trench. I was definitely impressed.

"This is great," I told Maella, "Though I'm not used to taking a bath with other people..." Then again, I glanced down at myself and frowned slightly, I wasn't used to running around in public completely naked either, but I'd been doing that all day.

"Your places of cleaning are so...," Maella struggled for the right word, "Small. There is no room to enjoy it...to share company with others."

I couldn't really argue with that, even if I normally didn't care about there not being enough room to comfortably share. And looking at Maella, I could definitely see at least one good reason to have a bathroom large enough to share.

As I slipped into the trench, I found that it was just a little deeper than the tub at my own home...at least comparatively. And of course, it was more than 3 times as wide and a hundred times as long. I could see to other pixies taking baths as well, and that was before Maella even climbed in with me. Who knew how many more might be in the ringed trench, around the tree and out of my sigh?

After Maella climbed in beside me, our shared bath proved to be a rather long one. We washed each other up using some sort of moss, then played around for some time, splashing each other, talking and then kissing, though it didn't go any further than that this time. Before very long, I was definitely thinking about getting a larger tub...maybe something in the line of a jacuzzi.

"Hey Brissanna," Maella waved to one pixie who had just come into the building.

She was green skinned like nearly every other pixie that I'd seen in the village, though hers seemed just a shade lighter than most. The new pixie...Brissanna's hair was shoulder length and violet, and when she looked at us, I could see that her eyes were a brilliant green.

"Hello," Brissanna greeted Maella, coming closer to us.

Maella grinned at her, then grabbed my arm, "I want you to meet my friend..."

Brissanna looked slightly confused, "But I already know Trikka." She said it as though reminding a child of something obvious.

With a giggle, Maella held my arm up, pointing at the bracelet that was still on my wrist. "Not Trikka. This is Chad."

"A visitor," she whispered, staring at me in amazement. "The Gray One sent another to our village..." Then she moved closer, looking at me as if trying to see what I really looked like, not just how I appeared at the moment. "Are you really a human?"

"Guilty as charged," I told her, feeling a little uncertain. I had just realized that she was the first pixie that I'd actually talked to other than Maella.

"Humans are bad," Brissanna said uncertainly, looking at me with an expression that contained both curiosity and nervousness.

"Not Chad," Maella protested, clutching me tighter and giving her friend a look as if daring her to argue. "I met some real nice humans while in there world..."

Brissanna looked as if she was going to argue, but instead said, "Hunters are bad."

Maella just nodded complete agreement with that. And from what she'd told me earlier, I had to agree as well. At least about what they were doing. Maella and Brissanna talked for several minutes, with the other pixie being rather curious about me, before she went her own way and left us to finish with our baths.

When we were finally done and ready to leave, I discovered that pixies don't use towels. Instead, they just flew away wet, usually to either lay out in the sun or let the air itself dry them off. It was a lot slower than I was used to, though Maella seemed satisfied with it.

After this, we went to yet another common area, this one more of a dining room. A number of pixies scattered around, eating a variety of nuts and berries, though there seemed little order in how they did it. No well set tables, kitchen utensils or anything else, just a large bowl...bucket of food in the center that they each helped themselves from.

I helped myself to something that looked like a blackberry, but was nearly the size of my fist, as well as something that Maella called a tracht. It was a hard, red fruit about the size of a golf ball that tasted almost spicy. And it was definitely different than anything that I'd ever eaten before.

While I was having dinner, Maella introduced me to several of her friends, though I had a hard time remembering all of their names at once. One of them seemed almost hostile to me when she found out I was really a human, though she remained polite for Maella's sake. The others were a bit more excited about that aspect, though they were all rather curious.

"We don't see many humans who aren't hunters," Maella explained to me afterwards, "And you're only the second visitor from your world to come to our village."

A short while later, the sun had set and we made our way back to Maella's nest. But as we flew there, I couldn't help seeing glowing figures moving about in the darkness. In a strange way, it was almost like watching human sized fireflies. Actually, pixie sized ones. I couldn't help blushing a little bit as I suddenly realized exactly why they were glowing too. Especially since I could actually see one couple still having sex as we flew past.
"Strange," I whispered as I thought about the pixies I'd met.

The ones I had met had mostly been nice, but they were a bit strange as well, including Maella. None of them seemed to have the least problem with going around completely naked, lesbianism or even having sex in public. I guessed that was just their nature...that they were just uninhibited. And though their culture was a bit odd, there was something refreshing about it as well.

And then, once I had gone inside of Maella's next, I finally discovered exactly why Maella had smeared our juices on the wall. The wall had a faint green glow where she had run her hands, and there were even fainter glowing traces spread about the other surfaces. Not only did the pixies glow after having sex...but so did their juices. And apparently, those very juices made for great night lights.

"Wow," I muttered as I stared at glowing the wall, "Talk about an afterglow... I guess it saves on electricity." Not that I'd seen any sign of electricity or power around the village.

Once we had settled in, Maella hesitantly asked me, "Do...do you like my home?" There was something in her eyes, a desperate hope.

"Very much," I told her, which brought a gleam of happiness to her eyes.

Some time later, Maella and I were cuddled up next to each other, half buried in the soft bedding of fur and feathers that was spread over the floor. And as we drifted off to sleep, we both continued to glow from our latest round of sex.

Travel Agency
part 3 of 3
By Morpheus

When I woke up the next morning, I was half surprised to find that it hadn't just been a dream. That I really had gone to another world...that I really had become a pixie...and that I really had found Melissa again, even if in a different form. That last especially had filled me with a sense of relief.

I was also pleasantly surprised to realize just how warm and comfortable I had been during the night. Apparently, the pixie houses and their bedding were simple...but made for great insulation and protection from the elements.

After a quick breakfast of nuts and berries, Maella showed me around for a little while...then put me to work. It was certainly not what I expected from my vacation, but with Maella, I didn't mind helping out. Especially when she explained that it was part of their custom.

Maella and I spent most of the day helping a young pixie named Byra to build her own nest. There were several other pixies helping as well, one of them with a squirrel that brought bags of clay as well as other supplies up to us. We worked to anchor the new construction into the tree and slowly build it up until it looked much like any of the other homes in the village.

Helping to build the home took a bit of effort, though I felt rather proud once we were done for the day. I had learned a great deal about how the pixies made their buildings, and about the pixies themselves. It had been hard work, but I was thankful that Maella had given me the chance to do it.

Later that night, Maella explained that once the building set, which would take several days, other pixies would come to help finish it. I didn't know exactly what that entailed, but apparently it was something like buffing everything to make sure that it was smooth and shiny like ceramic. Then, Brya would decorate the walls and collect her own bedding to finish it.

--------------------

The next day was my third day in that world, and by late morning, Maella and I were wandering the giants forests, seeing the sights and playing a game of tag. It appeared that tag was one of the pixies favorite pastimes...along with sex. Well, and some sort of strange sport that seemed to be equally parts, dance, football and tag.

"Look," Maella abruptly called out as she settled down onto a branch. As I landed beside her, she pointed down, "There..."

I looked where she pointed and saw a group of three people moving along the forest floor. They all looked like giants to me, though I didn't forget for a moment that I was just the tiny one. This time, what surprised me wasn't there awesome size...though that was impressive, but the fact that they didn't look human.

One of them was a woman dressed in strange black leather and chain mail, who looked fairly human except that she had pointed ears, dark gray skin and pure white hair. The second of the group looked a lot more human, though like the first, his ears were pointed and his features were a bit too fine. In fact, other than skin and hair color, he looked quite a bit like her.

Then there was the third member of that group. A member who was most obviously not a human. He was a lot taller than the other two...even huge compared to them. He was bulky, and looked extremely strong and brutish, with skin had a faint but sickly shade of green to it.

"What are they?" I asked after watching them for a minute.

"An ogre," Maella told me, not needing to point out which one that was, "an elf and a dark elf." I could have guessed the elf on my own. Then she added, "Such a strange group... Those kind do not often mix..."

I looked a little more, then saw something that explained that. "Look at their wrists," I told Maella, pointing though it was completely unnecessary. The ogre and the dark elf each had golden bracelets on their wrists, very similar to the one that I wore on my own.

After a moment, Maella gasped, "Oh...they are the Gray One's visitors too..."

"And the elf has to be their guide," I thought aloud, earning a faint nod from Maella.

We followed behind them as they walked through the forest, though being as high up as we were and hidden by the branches, they never saw us. Then again, I don't think that they looked up either, so that was sure to have helped.

Finally, Maella giggled, giving me a mischievous look, "Let's have some fun with them."

"What do you have in mind?" I asked curiously.

Maella didn't answer, other than to give me a broad grin before suddenly diving down at the group. Before they realized she was even there, Maella had grabbed hold of the dark elf's hair and gave it a swift tug, immediately shooting straight back into the air again.

"What the fuck?" the dark elf demanded, grabbing at her hair though Maella was already gone. "Something pulled my hair."

Not needing any more prompting than that, I dove down and joined Maella, giving a swift tug of the ogre's hair, and then getting to safety. He grumbled and swatted at the air, and I couldn't resist giggling as I came up beside Maella.

"Ouch," the ogre grumbled.

Then, the elf looked up, pointing straight at us and spitting, "Pixies." Then he looked at the two he was guiding and added, "Harmless tricksters." However, he didn't look pleased to see us.

"Um...I don't think we're welcome anymore," I told Maella.

"Then lets us give them a farewell present," she giggled back, daring off to a nearby tree and pulling off something that looked like an acorn, which she immediately proceeded to drop on the elf from above.

While the elf was cursing, I copied her actions, calling out, "Bombs away..." However, my acorn missed by a good several feet.

After this, Maella and I followed them for a short while longer, mostly staying out of sight, before we finally decided that we'd had enough of that game and left them. What we'd done wasn't particularly nice, but I had to admit that it was rather fun. And no one got hurt.

It took me a little longer to realize exactly why Maella...and I got such a charge out of teasing them. That probably had something to do with the fact that they were so much larger than us, and that being able to mess with them that way and get away with it gave us a feeling of power.

"A super Napoleon complex?" I mused to myself, wondering if it just might be the pixies way of overcompensating for their lack of size. Then again, it just might be because it was fun.

A short while later, Maella had taken me to a rock on top of a cliff...a rock that gave an unbelievable view of everything for miles and miles. The scenery was incredible and the view breathtaking. However, there was something else as well. Some distance away, I could see a castle...and a mass of buildings spread out around it.

"A human town," Maella told me when I asked her about it. "That is where the hunters go..."

Though I was curious about the castle and town around it, I knew that at the moment it might not be the greatest idea to go and check it out. Sure, Maella had assured me that most of the people would leave me alone if they saw the Gray One's bracelet on my wrist, but it would be foolish to rely on that when it was so small that it would be easily overlooked by a normal sized human. Not to mention, I wasn't completely convinced that anyone would really care about my being under his protection anyway.

We remained where we were for some time, even having a bit of a picnic there. Eventually though, Maella and I moved on, stopping at the springs from the first day for a little longer before going back to the village for the night.

--------------------

The next day, Maella and I were once again flying around the forest, this time heading to some sort of ancient ruins that she wanted to show me. Apparently, it was the remains of some temple, destroyed long ago. Maella didn't even know who had created it, though she said that the pixies often played there.

"You'll love it," Maella grinned. "And daisha berries grow all over the place..."

I didn't even bother asking what a daisha berry was, though I was sure that they were pretty tasty. Maella seemed to have a pretty good knack of finding the tasty fruits, berries and nuts. But then again, since that seemed to be all that pixies ate, that wasn't surprising. And though I didn't tell her, I was getting a little tired of the vegetarian diet, thinking that a nice steak would have been heavenly.

When we arrived at the ruins, I was pretty impressed at the place. The word 'ruins' was definitely accurate, as the whole place was badly shattered. Part of the shattered stone building remained, as did parts of pillars and statues. What was there was covered with moss and vines.

"And to think," I said as I landed on top of a pillar, "I could have been in class instead."

I paused at that, realizing that I was missing out on more than just a couple of my classes and that I would have to work hard to catch up once I got back. However, my vacation was definitely worth it. I couldn't believe how many new things I was seeing, and best of all, I was with Maella.

"I wonder what Ian would think of this place," I mused, glancing over at Maella, and silently adding "and her." I tried picturing the look on his face when he saw Maella and the other pixies, but just couldn't imagine it.

While I was lost in thought, Maella was wandering about, picking berries. I could even hear her singing to herself, though the words she used made no sense to me all. But still, I rather enjoyed the sound of it...of her sweet voice. It suited her even better than Melissa's had.

Suddenly, I heard a scream coming from Maella's direction...and in her voice.

"Maella," I called out, instantly jumping to my feet and starting to run. She screamed again, and only then did I remember that I could fly, having almost forgotten that in my urgency.

A second later, I saw it...a giant. No...he was human. He just looked like a giant to me. The man was absolutely huge, which was no surprise considering my current tiny size. Then again, he was large the other way too, being somewhat overweight. His reddish hair and beard were both long and unkempt, as were his clothes. I could smell him from where I was at.

However, my attention wasn't on the man quite so much as the net that he was holding in his hand. More specifically though, was the fact that Maella was trapped within, struggling and screaming for help.

"Only one of them bugs around here," the big guy grumbled in disgust.

"Too bad," another man's voice came from the side. "There's usually a bunch of them when we find them here..."

Just then, I saw the second man. He was a lot thinner than the first, being almost scrawny. He was also clean shaven...sort of. His stubble looked as though it hadn't seen a razor in several days.

"Hunters," I spat, suddenly understanding the pixies hatred for them a whole lot better.

For a moment, I just remained where I was, staring at Maella as the bigger of the two put her inside of what looked like a birdcage. My heart raced and I clenched my fists, knowing that I had to help her...somehow. However, it was also extremely obvious that I was no match for either of them. They were way to big...way too powerful.

"Oh shit," I gasped, tears staring to fill my eyes. I had to do something. I had to.

Then with a grimace of determination, I flew straight towards the cage, determined to tear that door open with my bare hands if I had to. Maella was inside, struggling at the bars to no effect, but paused to look up at me.

"Chad!" she cried out, fearfully looking up at the hunters, then me, "Get out of here..."

"Look," the thinner hunter exclaimed, "Another one..."

"FLY," Maella insisted in a near panic, "GO!"

"No," I protested, but then had to take off again to avoid the large hand that had been coming towards me. "I can't leave you..."

"Get her," the larger hunter bellowed, "We'll double our catch..."

This time, the big man threw a net at me, though I saw it in his hands soon enough to dodge out of the way, using a broken pillar as a shield. However, once the net he'd tossed had missed, I came back out, once again going straight for the net. I knew that it wasn't a good idea, at least in my head, though my heart didn't give me any other choice.

"Please Chad," Maella called out to me as I got closer, "I don't want you to get caught too..."

Once again they tried grabbing at me, though I was able to avoid it. The hunters might have been unimaginably large, but they seemed rather slow and clumsy to me at the moment. It was all that I needed to give me the advantage. At least that was what I told myself.

However, after several attempts to get closer to Maella, the hunters were beginning to get frustrated at me and were cursing violently. But suddenly, one of them actually caught me with one of their hands, getting me from behind when I hadn't seen it coming. Before I even knew what was happening, I was thrown violently through the air, crashing into a mass of bushes.

"You idiot," the larger man growled, "we can't sell it if it's broken..."

"Oh God," I grimaced, crouching down in the bushes and whimpering in pain. It felt like my entire body was bruised from the impact.

After a moment though, I forced myself to move, to hurry off to the side as fast as my aching body would move, knowing that they would try to find me. I was more than half tempted to let them, that way at least I'd be with Maella. However, I held together long enough to climb down into a hole where they hopefully wouldn't be able to find me.

"Frazza droppings," the bigger man cursed after they'd both been searching for me for several minutes, "Can't find it anywhere."

"S'not my fault," the thinner one complained.

I remained motionless, catching my breath and hoping that they wouldn't be able to find me. And even more, I was hoping...even praying that they didn't hurt Maella. I didn't think that I could live with myself if anything happened to her.

Finally, the hunters gave up and left...though unfortunately, they took Maella with them. I remained where I was in my safe nitch, crying in frustration. I'd tried...I'd tried but hadn't been able to save Maella. I'd barely been able to even save myself.

"Get ahold of yourself," I muttered, forcing myself back to my feet. I ached like hell, but I could still move. "Let's see..." I checked myself, seeing that nothing seemed to be broken. Even my wings were working fine.

Once I was sure that I was able, I stood there for a moment, my hand's clenched in determination. I might have gotten away, but there was no way in hell that I was just going to forget about Maella. None. So with that, I slowly came out of my hiding place, then took back to the air.

It wasn't very difficult for me to find the hunters, especially since they were still cursing loudly at losing me. But once I found them, this time I decided that I would have to be patient. Though it burned me up to think about Maella being a prisoner any longer than necessary, I knew that I would have to wait for my chance.

For some time, I followed the two hunters, careful to keep my distance and stay out of sight. My whole body was still hurting, though I didn't let that slow me down. I couldn't. Eventually though, my persistence paid off because they arrived at a large building and went inside.

"It's huge," I told myself as I stared at the building, knowing that it was only my own perspective that made it seem so.

After waiting for a few more minutes, I carefully made my way closer, stopping at the front door which was still cracked open. I hesitated a few more seconds, feeling terrified but determined as I slowly peaked around the corner.

"Holy shit," I whispered, suddenly feeling like Jack at the top of the beanstalk.

Making my way inside, I took a look around, seeing that it was a cabin with several rooms. The main room was the one I was standing in, though I could get a glimpse of the others and realized that they had to be a storage room and a bedroom.

However, what immediately drew my attention was the large bird cage on top of the table. A cage that had several pixies fluttering about inside of it...including Maella. Then I quickly looked at the men, seeing that the thinner one had gone into one of the other rooms, while the larger one was trying to start a fire in the fireplace.

"I can't believe you lost that one," the fat guy grumbled.

The thinner hunter just snorted, "We still have these others,"

Deciding that it was still too dangerous to do anything, I flew to the rafters and sat there, watching the hunters and listening to them talk.

"Fat lot of good you did," I glared at the bracelet, which was supposed to have helped protect me.

As I sat there for several hours, I heard them talk about how they were going to sell the pixies at the castle...and about how having pixies as pets was the latest fashion among the wealthy nobles. It seemed pretty disgusting to me, trying to own another person like that...even if they were only 6 inches tall.

Then I grew even angrier as the fat man said, "I heard of a sorcerer down in Treefork who's lookin to buy soma these bugs. I guess he needs soma their wings for some kinda spell or somethin..."

It was all I could do to keep from flying down there and hitting him, though I somehow managed to keep from doing anything foolish. Instead, I waited. I waited until the two hunters had eaten their dinners...and then waited some more until they settled down for bed.

Eventually, I whispered, "Finally..." With that, I made my move, flying down to the cage that held Maella and 3 other pixies inside. And to my surprise, one of them was a guy, the first male pixie that I'd actually seen. However, I didn't have time to waste thinking about that and quietly called, "Maella..."

"Chad," she gasped in surprise, her expression going from one of delight to one of worry in just an instant. "They'll catch you too..."

I just held my finger to my lips and shushed her, going to work on the latch that held the cage shut. Fortunately, it wasn't very complicated or even difficult to undo...unless you happened to be inside of the cage. Within half a minute, I had managed to get open, gesturing for the pixies to come out.

"We're free," one of the girls gasped in delight, though Maella quickly clapped a hand over the girl's mouth.

But then, just as we were getting ready to leave, a voice roared out, "The bugs...they're gettin away!" I hadn't noticed that the fat guy hadn't fallen asleep yet. It was a mistake that could very well be my last.

"RUN," I shouted to the others as the fat man jumped out of bed and rushed towards us, "I mean fly..."

"Damn bugs," he howled, with the thinner hunter getting out of his bed to join in. "Come back here..."

"You...you," Maella hovered in the air, shaking her hand, "You shithead!"

"What's a shithead?" the male pixie asked from the side, looking confused.

Maella just glanced at me, then muttered, "Something from Chad's world..." However, her explanation was cut short as the fat hunter grabbed a net off of the wall and started swinging it.

"Fucking bastard," I snarled, holding my arm up to show the bracelet, "Doesn't this thing mean anything to you?" Apparently it didn't because he didn't even hesitate to throw the net, though Maella yanked me out of the way.

"I wish I was big enough to punch them," Maella told me, obviously extremely angry. Not that I blamed her in the least since she'd been the one stuck in the cage.

Suddenly I saw something in the corner, next to a pile of tattered clothes and leathers. Without hesitation, I dove down for it, grabbing a large metal spike that looked as though they might have used it as some sort of sewing needle, or at least to punch holes in the leather. But for me it was large enough to actually use as a spear. And there were several more of them laying around on the floor. With a grimace, I picked up several more then flew back towards the others.

"Here," I handed one of the spikes to Maella, "Use this if they get too close..."

Maella just gave me a mischievous grin, though her eyes held more anger than amusement. And it was immediately obvious that she wasn't about to wait for them to come to her.

"Oh shit," I muttered, quickly shoving several spears into the hands of the male pixie, then diving after Maella as she charged the thin hunter from above.

The hunter let out a large yelp of pain as Maella's spear went deep into his shoulder. Then she was gone, out of his reach before he could even get closer. A second later, the other pixies decided to join in as well and started to attack, jabbing at the hunters with their spears before flying back out of reach.

"That'll teach you," Maella exclaimed in delight.

"Leave us alone," another pixie called out angrily.

I joined in for a few pokes, though didn't have nearly the enthusiasm as the others. Within a few minutes, the two hunters ran from their own home, howling in pain from the dozens of stings that these 'bugs' had given them. Droplets of blood marked where each of the spears had gone into their flesh. And as they clumsily ran into the trees and out of sight, I had a feeling that they'd probably think twice before hunting pixies again.

"Thank you," Maella exclaimed, hitting me with a hug so hard and fast that it was nearly as though she tackled me. "Thank you for saving me..." Her eyes were filled with tears.

"Me too," one of the females repeated, then was echoed yet again by the other female and the male.

But just a moment after the round of thanks, Maella suggested that we get out of there and back to the village...just in case the hunters come back. We all nodded agreement, then began the journey back to the village, using the moon to light the dark night.

--------------------

The next day, the village held a celebration...a feast in honor of our success in not only escaping the hunters, but in actually fighting back. Apparently, there had been very few attempts to do that before, and none of them really very successful. We were all hailed as heroes because of that, and to my surprise, me especially.

"Enjoy it," Maella laughed as she danced around, "Have fun..." That certainly wasn't difficult to do.

Food was piled up everywhere, with countless variety of fruits, berries and nuts, as well as things that I couldn't quite identify. And for the first time since my arrival, I actually saw meat. Though I wasn't completely positive, I think that it was roasted mouse, cooked over a spit. Apparently, eating meat of any sort was an extreme rarity for the pixies, and then only on the most special of occasions. I didn't have the heart to tell them that it was too tough.

Sweet smells weren't the only thing that filled the air. The whole village was bursting with life, with music from instruments that were barely recognizable if at all, and beautiful singing, most of which had no words.

And then of course, there was the dancing. There were pixies dancing all over the place, even in mid-air. It was an incredible sight, though my greatest admiration was reserved for one pixie in specific. Maella. She flew about in the air, her every motion filled with such fluid grace that it left me in awe. And though I tried my best, I was sure that my own attempts fell far short of her glorious movements.

Throughout the event, countless pixies came up to see me, to see the human in pixie form. And to see the person who had helped save some of their fellow villagers. It was a bit overwhelming for me, as well as somewhat embarrassing. I didn't know how to deal with all that attention, which seemed to amuse Maella even more.

What amused me though, was that Maella would come up and hold onto my arm, giving a look at some of the others as if to say, "Mine." I suspected that she was a little jealous of all the other pixies that started flirting with me, even the guys. However, she was the only one that I had eyes for.

Eventually things started to wind down a little, with a number of pixies disappearing in pairs...and even groups. I strongly suspected that there were going to be a whole lot of well lit nests that night. In fact, I was looking forward to helping Maella light up hers once again.

Suddenly, a hush started to fall on the pixies around me, and I looked over to see a pixie walking towards me. She was a little taller than most of the pixies that I'd met, and she moved confidently. This new pixie had long, silvery hair with strands of what appeared to be gold thread woven in as decoration. And there was something about her face...and her eyes.

"That's Ralla Dae," Maella whispered into my staring at the slowly approaching pixie. There was a tone of admiration in her voice, which was somewhat explained by her next words. "She is an elder...the oldest and wisest of our village..."

Ralla Dae paused in front of me, silently looking me over. Her face was definitely mature, with a few wrinkles, though she didn't really look all that old. At least not until I looked into her eyes. Then I could feel her age, just as I had felt Maella...

"You are the visitor," Ralla Dae quietly announced, looking down at the Gray One's bracelet on my wrist.

"Her...his name," Maella corrected herself, "is Chad." She held onto my arm, but whether to offer me protection or comfort, I did not know. Nor was I positive that this was for me.

The elder pixie just nodded faintly at this, looking me in the eyes as if to judge me by them. "You followed hunters," she said, then mumbled, "How foolish..."

I just stood there, staring back at her. She might well have thought that I was foolish, but I didn't particularly care. The only thing that had mattered to me was getting Maella to safety, and I didn't regret that for an instant.

"But you saved my little sisters...when you are not of our kind..." She looked at me curiously, then at Maella, smiling as she did so. Finally, she looked back at me, looking quite happy, "You are welcome here always...sister."

And with that, Ralla Dae surprised me by gently grabbing my head in her hands and kissing me on the cheek. She paused briefly, to smile at me and then Maella, before slowly turning to walk away. Other pixies made room for her to pass. It took several more minutes before I realized that I'd just been made into an honorary pixie.

"Wow," Maella gasped from beside me, "She likes you." Then she almost smugly added before giving me a kiss, "I knew she would."

The rest of the party was a blur after this, especially since Maella and I followed the examples of so many other pixies and started off to her nest for a nice, long session of lovemaking. I knew that she would have been quite happy to do it right there in the middle of the crowd, but even though I'd loosened up quite a bit during my time with the pixies, I still wasn't that uninhibited.

Eventually, Maella and I drifted off into an exhausted...and very content sleep, wrapped tightly about each other and surrounded by two bright glows that had merged to be as one.

--------------------

My few remaining days in that magical world were like a magnificent dream, making a conflict out of time itself. Those days seemed to go on forever, with every instant with Maella an eternity of heaven, yet at the same time, it passed far too quickly. And almost before I had realized it, the time had come to wake from that dream.

At the moment, I was standing on the edge of a balcony in the pixie village, looking out at the amazing sights before me. In the past week, I had grown to admire the pixie people. They were passionate and funloving, yet as their village proved, rather practical when the need arose as well. And of course, they were Maella's people.

"I wish you did not have to go," she said from beside me, pouting slightly as she leaned up next to me. "I wish you could stay longer..."

"Me too," I whispered back, thinking about how great it would be to remain with her.

However, I knew that it wouldn't be possible. Even if there was some way for me to stay there, I couldn't just abandon my life. I couldn't leave my family without even saying good-bye and explaining what was going on. And I couldn't just forget about college and all of the work that I'd already invested. As much as I longed to stay, I knew that I had to go back.

Giving a long sigh, Maella said, "I wish that the Gray One's trades could last longer than a moon...a month,"

All I could do was nod at that, fighting the tears that were on the verge of coming. Though my week long vacation was over, I did not want to go home. At least not yet. But wanting something wasn't the same as getting it.

With that, Maella and I silently embraced into long hug and then longer kiss. I could feel her nipples pressing into mine, making me get excited. That was a sensation that I had grown to enjoy during my time with her and would miss, though not nearly so much as Maella herself. At least this time, I told myself, she didn't just vanish from my life without warning. This time, I knew what was going to happen. But that didn't make it any easier to say good-bye.

"Promise that you'll come to me again," Maella pleaded, tears in her eyes.

I stared deep into her eyes, unable to keep the tears back any longer. "Of course," I whispered, "I don't to lose you again..."

"I'll come see you too," she insisted firmly, pulling back and crossing her arms, "I know the Gray One will help." Then she looked thoughtful, "I think Trikka might want to go back to your world...and if not, there are lots of others here who would.... Maybe even one of the males..."

"That might be fun," I told her, wondering what it would be like to be a male pixie. Being a female once was certainly a wild experience.

"And Stephanie said that she wants to come back here," Maella continued even more excitedly, grinning as she abruptly asked, "Would you like me as a blonde human?"

"I'd love you as anything," I told her honestly, giving her another kiss.

Just then, I felt it. A faint tingling on my bracelet. It was time. "It's happening," I announced sadly, staring at Maella teary eyed. "I'm going home."

The last thing that I heard before the world vanished in a swirl of blue light was, "I will see you again soon..."

After a moment of dizziness, I was suddenly standing somewhere else...and immediately aware that I was back inside of my own body. For a few seconds, I just remained motionless, absorbing the familiar sensations as they came back to me. It felt almost strange to be myself once again, even after such a short period as a week. And I sort of missed having a pair wings on my back.

"I'm home," I whispered without much enthusiasm.

With that, I took a look around the same room that Mr. G had used to send me to that other world. The room where I had begun my free vacation from. A vacation, like he had promised, that was unlike any other. I had taken a vacation not only from my home, but from my very self.

When I left the room a minute later and stepped back into the main Travel Agency office, I saw Mr. G sitting behind the desk and talking to a young couple, trying to convince them to try the 'special package'. He just looked up at me and smiled, though he was too busy to talk. But that was all right with me. So only a nod at him, and a smile of thanks, I picked up one of his business cards off the corner of the desk and left.

I paused once I was outside of the building, taking a look around at my own world, then looking down at the business card in my hand. It merely said 'Travel Agency' in gold letters, with a phone number. Simple, but elegant. And I suddenly had a feeling that I was going to be using it again before too long.

"What a vacation," I exclaimed aloud, realizing how much better I felt than before I'd left. Before, I had been depressed and alone. But now...now I knew that Melissa...Maella was still there. That she still loved me.

I felt incredible as I thought about that fact. And I knew without a doubt that we would be seeing each other again. That not even the fact that we were different species...or that we lived in separate worlds would stop us. Mr. G...or the Gray One as Maella called him would help us see each other again. It would be difficult... Long distance relationships usually were, and this was longer than any that I'd ever heard of.

However, I loved Maella with all of my heart, just as I knew that she loved me. There was no doubt in my mind that Maella was absolutely worth it. And maybe one day...one day we would find a way to be together permanently.

THE END