The faerie hideaway wasn’t on the island as I thought. We went near the top of a big wide tree. It was in the field but at least fifty meters away from the island and pond. I folded my wings tight as we flew into a cavity high up on the trunk of the tree. We dropped into a hole sliding like it was a big slide making its way up down and around inside the tree. Then I stopped landing in a light pile of faerie dust.

Marie, one of the faeries, greeted us. She was happy to see that I came and that Micayla was with me. Marie said, “We heard the disciplining won’t come any too early from what Shiloh and Jordi had to say.”

She had me step over to a spot alone and there was a quick shower of sparkling water that glistened down upon me. I shook to become dry and I knew I was different. Marie and Micayla used their wings to float a little above the floor. I tried but nothing happened.

There was a voice from behind me at the same time that caused our area to become silent; Marie and Micayla made gestures of bowing. “Isy will you please turn around my daughter?”

I knew without a second thought, I was Isy and it was Princess Ayala, my faery mother. I slowly turned and bowed with my knees going all the way to the ground, bending fully forward. “I am here Mother.”

Ayala said, “You are right, I have come as your mother to help you learn to be my daughter, a good and wise faery.” She hits me with one spark and says. “Let’s fly out to the night and begin some training before the light is all gone.

I naturally begin to move my wings, as I’m ready to tell her I can’t fly. Before I can speak, I am flying and we come up flying through an opening and between the branches of a bush. We’re hovering 8-10 feet off the ground. I see other faes collecting pollen, plant juices, and droplets to store them away; while others are taken to where those of other plants and creatures need them.

I saw Shiloh take three insects off of a spider web. Saying to himself that the spider was overzealous. He did lecture one immature bug, “You need to smarten up or else.” An angry spider came, screeching at Shiloh. He merely said in a calm voice, “Your little brood will have more than enough. They won’t need to get your appetite for more and more.”

Char the Spider knew Ayala was there and spoke loudly. “Yours don’t need to impose their ways on me.”

Ayala did not speak to Char, but Shiloh. “You have acted well, go and continue being good.”

There were other faeries one guiding an injured bunny back home. Two faeries helped a hobbled bird that lost a feather or two. Mother spoke, “We can’t help or save everyone; there are laws to nature. We just help to keep things in balance. If the predators had the way they some would overhunt. There is hunting and there’s killing. The killing also has an appetite that rarely is satisfied.”

Much of the time is spent with me closing my eyes, listening to the wind, and feeling the movement of the air. I learned the hard way twice to heed when Ayala or Marie told me to stop. Neither time was I hurt but some bruises and strains would linger into tomorrow. As it became darker most faeries went home or wrapped themselves in the petals of flowers or leaves.

Mother said it was our night to patrol. Mother blew into my eyes and the night lit enough that I could see. I asked, “Are we like fireflies and lightning bugs”

She says, “Do you see any of their luminescent lights on me or you? Have you not heard that people have an aura around them? We have strong spirits that give us light and sight. I thought it was better that you experienced it for yourself instead of me just talking about it.”

She said, “You will learn that you can do it for yourself. I think it is nicer when we help each other. Faes have a strong sense of community as well as strong spirits of their own. You will learn about the gifts and talents that you have over time, and with the gaining of experience. Micayla told you of one today.”

Two other Faeries came to us and my mother said our time was over. We were soon down nestling into an area that looked like milkweed seeds spun together with pieces of flower petals to make a pretty princess bed. Ayala had me lie down and with her arms and wings around me, we fell asleep. She made a melodious song as I slept in her care. I could feel that her love was filling me, but I wasn’t certain about what. Soon I was fully asleep, resting calmly going deeper in my sleep.

Dawn came and Mom woke me up with only three hours of sleep. I thought Mom, Ayala, woke me way too early. I thought about yelling at her, but with this mom being a real-life Princess Faery and I thought better. She smiled at me, “Was holding your temper out of fear or from what you’ve already experienced?”

“Yes both, you seem to know what you’re doing all the time. I have respect for you, but I expect to fall asleep by 11:00 a.m.”

I didn’t know faeries could shower and change outfits. Tamri helped me with making some selections. The changes weren’t drastic to others, Comfort, as well as appearance, plays a major role in selecting one’s clothes. She said, “It will take a long while to get what you ordered. It could take until tomorrow noon. It is an art to shave threads off a strand of silk. …Regular strands of silk would be too bulky and heavy for you to fly or maneuver.”

“And the colors you chose are like what Ayala was hoping for, they are unique enough to require extra work and new dyes.”

I wanted to be sensitive and not make enemies, “Won’t that make the workers angry with me?”

Tamri said, “Just the opposite. What makes things special or unique will excite the artisans among them. They will be very particular that the first of your garments are perfect in every way. The lead faerie will possibly present them to you herself.”

I said, “Wouldn’t all that be cost-prohibitive?”

Tamri scratched her head, not understanding. Marie had come in and they talked. Marie said, “ ’Cost’ and ‘prohibitive’ aren’t in our language. There are some things we can’t or won’t do, but challenges excite us. We each have some work we like doing. I guess faeries value things differently than beings.”

“You will do well not asking Princess Ayala about getting paid for anything you do.”

It was strange having this conversation as I began to learn their language. I guess it is becoming my language as well. Often I felt like a child of four that didn’t comprehend what was being said around me in their language. Seemingly, Princess Ayala taught me some of it while I was sleeping, but left much more to be learned.

I got to meet Jeni who was healing ever so slowly and the wings not quite correctly. The most difficult part for her was the usage of her wings and limbs. There isn’t just one wing, but two for each side. And the receptors that coordinated their movement were more complicated. Growing up just happens and one grows in ability through thought and experience.

The night before the accident Jeni was actually at our house visiting with Joselyn. Joselyn’s feelings had been hurt, and she wasn’t sure how to handle knowing the things most people didn’t believe in. Jeni said, “You don’t realize how much your sister looks up to you. Seemingly, you began hurting her feelings and treating her like she was ignorant. Especially around friends and others at school. She said that was not like you.”

Jeni told me, “You had been good about not saying the crude comments around her. She knew you recently heard her being made fun of, and you acted like you didn’t hear. Instead of helping her, you turned away after the younger Bruno boy caused her books to fall and then he kicked them.”

I said, “I’m sorry, but it’s hard to impress others and watch after your little sister at the same time.”

“You could have lost your virginity if Jordy and Shiloh thought the same way you do.” She asked, “Do you know our lives are connected. It means a lot to me about how you are doing in learning to be a faerie.”

There was me crying and being soothed by Jeni. Once Jeni helped me to regain my composure. I became mesmerized looking at her wings and where they had been damaged. If I held them correctly you could see some kind of translucent fluid moving through them. Jeni said, “Even if I could get them aligned and I hold them still until they heal. Being held together too long their strength withers away. And if I move them the connection is soon lost.”

Watching my wings move, reminded me of the stems of the lily of the valley, and the shaving of a strand of silk. The thoughts came together, how the lily stem was blown by strong breezes. It would bend but was strong enough and kept its form.

I was wondering, ‘Why not take thin strands from the lily’s stem and find some way to bind it to those areas on Jenni’s wings.’ While I was yet thinking, Princess Ayla soon came to where we were. She said, “I like that idea. Let us go visit with Marpe, she will be able to tell us if your idea has any merit.”

I tried to excuse myself saying, “It was probably a stupid idea. We should not bother someone who knows about healing, just take Jeni to her. Mine is a troublemaker’s dream driven by guilt.”

Princess Ayala got a certain tone of voice that I knew I needed to heed what she was saying, “Do you think what I suggested is crazy? You better learn to consider the person and source of what is being said?” She asks me to take hold of her hand and soon we are aloft high over the land and moving toward a ridge of old mountains. There was one higher than the others and I pointed, “Is that where we’re going?”

Ayala said, “Look again and open your senses.” And then I saw one area where the leaves had come out earlier and there were wildflowers faintly visible. When we drew close, there were three large pine trees with a light coming from behind them. We went between and through the trees, there was water cascading down the old worn mountain, with ponds where the water had washed basin areas into the rock. There was a small fire near one small pond and we landed there. I looked at the fire and there was a pot simmering on some hot rocks.

Ayala called, “Marpe!” Our voices were not much for the vast open area, yet birds became silent and a rabbit lifted its head and perked its ears. There was an old woman that came hobbling out from I knew not where.

Marpe sat near the fire with us on two leaves of a bush next to it. “My old friend Princess Ayala, to what do I warrant a visit from you? Pray tell, who is your friend?”

The Princess smiled, “It is good to see you Marpe. This is Isy. …Isy, this is Marpe an experienced healer and person of great wisdom.” I stood on the leaf and curtsied to Marpe, who was warmly taken with me. Ayala said, “Isy hurt Jeni, about a week ago. She was an uncouth teenage boy then. Now as a faerie in training she came up with an idea to help Jeni to recuperate from her injuries. Her limbs and wings were badly damaged and are healing slowly and quite imperfectly.”

“Isy in seeing what she had done thought of something that I wanted to share with you and to get your opinion. Isy thought of taking strands from the stem of a Lily of the Valley and using its strength and flexibility to help Jenni’s wings to heal faster. But she wasn’t sure how to bind it to the damaged areas of Jeni’s wings.”

Marpe stopped Ayala, “You came to me thinking she might be a healer, do you?”

I interrupted and spoke, “I apologize to you Marpe. I am ignorant and I didn’t mean for Princess Ayala to bring us all this way to bother you.”

“Hush, young one,” she said, “You think the Princess is more ignorant than you. No, listen. She is telling me what she sees with her experience. That you were selfish and ignorant when you hit our dear Jeni isn’t a surprise. Jenni was taken by surprise, I suspect your term would be blindsided. Otherwise, she would not have been injured.”

“You are so new and unlearned that you know not yourself. Your idea is good, but I gather you knew not to use an Aloe Vera solution with the strand of the LoV stem to hold it to the areas needing to heal. Correct, am I not?”

“How long will it take you, before you know not to ridicule Princes Ayala? Your ignorance is not to show the respect and homage that should come naturally to you. If you fail to learn that and I will not be as nice as Ayala.”

I humbled and prostrate myself on the leaf. “I know I should have feared the Princess’ wrath, but I also felt while she is better and wiser than I; I could get around her good nature.”

They let me lie there as they continued to talk, uninterrupted by me. Princess Ayala laughs lightly, “I should have allowed her to be someone else’s problem, but I took her as my daughter years ago. I need to undo what Christine, her other mother, failed to do these many years. One of his bad gifts is that he invokes sympathy from others.”

Marpe, “Christine is the one, whose baby boy you helped save at birth. Does the sister Joselyn still believe?”

“Yes, she’s wiser and more mature than this one. She saved Jeni’s life and in doing so she brought her brother with her. Even the Mom, Christine, accept the change is needed. She has the spirit of one who was saved. I sense she also has gifts and talents hidden needing to be discovered. It is surprising how quickly this gift became visible. Now, I hope I can foster the discipline needed to go with the gift.”

I heard Marpe say she was too old to travel to us to help heal Jeni. I had waited to hear but they never said whom we could get to help Jeni. Finally, I move to my knees and dared to speak. “Who can we get to do this for Jeni?”

Marpe said, “We thought it was obvious that it has to be you. You have the vision of what to do and you now know the binding agent. Your love for Jeni as well as wanting to remedy your guilt brings a unique healing power alongside your gift.”

I rose in flight, thinking we were ready to fly back and should get going. Princes Ayala said, “You would have us fly that distance with sunlight fading? …I think not, we will wait and travel back once rested. And then when I am willing.”

Marpe got up and started to walk toward her old house that now appears as an attractive cottage on the side of the hill nestled out of view among the tree. I watch Marpe and see she is changing to a younger and more attractive woman. This amazed me.

She stopped and turned, somehow sensing my bewilderment. “You accepted the wisdom of an older, experienced healer and sage. Would you have so readily accepted the same from me appearing younger and blond? You forgot I am a being who could perceive your thoughts.”

I turned to Ayala, “Do you still think I am worthy of the challenge before me?”

Princess Ayala with her more regal voice, said, “Though there is a quickness to your ignorance. You have grown in your humility much more. You are becoming pliable and now open to learning. Yes, I believe much more than I did before.”

Marpe and Ayala were drawing nearer to the cottage when Marpe said, “Do you think she will know on her own to come in from the cold and dark?”

Right then, I would have stepped into a white tulip closing for the night to spite them. Alas, I would have had trouble squeezing into that small flower. Plus, was afraid I would freeze during the night.

Once in the cottage, Mom took me aside, and said, “I am glad you did not embarrass me by staying outside and doing as you had thought. You tempt me more than anyone I’ve met; to spank you to get some things into your head.”

To be continued...