V

I don't think I'm happy with it yet.

As the faun packed some belongings for Anna that she would need along the way, he talked a little more about the journey that lie ahead of her.  He reminded her of the task, warned her again of the dangers, and assured her that the fairies would be there to help and protect her.

 

They walked outside his home to the edge of a path leading deep into the woods.  Anna had not noticed it before and wondered how she had ever missed it.  It was so ominous and dark.  Two trees bowed toward each other, their branches meeting and tangling together above her, creating an archway to the unknown.  She shuddered to think what lay ahead.

 

“Are you sure that you are ready?”

 

Anna looked for a moment into the darkness of the wood but then turned to the faun.  “Quite sure.”

 

“Then you must be off.  The whole earth awaits your return.”

 

“And if I do not?”

 

“We all have faith in you, child.  You will bring peace back to this place.”

 

Anna put her arms around the faun and hugged him tightly.

 

“I must thank you from the depths of my heart for what you are doing, Anna.”

 

“I could think of doing nothing else, faun.”  Anna looked up to the faun’s face and placed her hand kindly on his old cheek.  “You will see your old friends soon.”

 

As she turned to leave, the butterflies departed from the shoulders of the faun and fluttered out ahead of Anna into the path.  She paused for a moment at the opening, looking all around herself.  Then taking her first step, she moved into the darkness.  She turned to look at the faun one last time, but when she turned around, the cottage, the tree, and the faun had vanished.  Only the path stretched out behind her.  She could not see the end, she could see no light from the faun’s home.  She turned back around and saw the path stretching out in front of her.  Anna stood for a minute feeling very confused and puzzled.  The butterflies flew around her and finally landed on her shoulder.  Snapping out of her trance, Anna looked to one of the butterflies.

 

“You are right, I must be going.”

 

Anna walked and walked, following the twists and turns of the trail, over rocks and ruts and under large tree roots shooting out of the ground, only to bend back down to the earth.  For hours she walked with no end to the vast forest in view.  She began to wonder where the trail was going.  Then, suddenly, the trail ended.  It did not lead to anything; it just stopped.

 

Anna put out her arm and looked to the butterflies, who rested on the palm of her hand.  She pulled them closer to her face.  “What are we to do now?”  One of them jumped into the air and flew into the thickness off the trail.  “Where are you going?”  She looked down to the other butterfly.  “What is your sister doing?”  Anna looked up but could barely see the butterfly through all the leaves.  “Wait!  Come back!”  She did not know what to do.  “Fairy!”  Anna went in after the butterfly, pleading with it to return to her.

 

She finally caught up with the tiny creature, though it always seemed to be just out of her reach.  After chasing it for awhile, Anna sat down at the foot of a tree to catch her breath and rest.

 

“What’s the meanin’ o’ this?”

 

Anna nearly jumped up from her seat.

 

“Get off me house!”

 

She looked down, and to her surprise, a small man stood a foot in front of her.

 

“Oh, I am terribly sorry.  I did not know it was your house, or any type of house for that matter.”

 

“Well, you didn’ botha to fin’ out, did ya?”

 

“No, I guess I did not.  But in my defense, your home does look, well, not like a home, at least.”

 

“Says you.  An’ how would you know what a home looks like?  You’re much too big ta’ fit in one.”

 

“I’m quite the normal size.  On the contrary, you are the smallest person I have ever seen.”

 

“I’m no person.  I’m a leprechaun, an’ I’ll thank ya ta rememba that.”  He paused for a moment, squinted his eyes and looked at Anna.  “Wait.  Are you…a person—I, I mean…a human?”

 

“What else would I be?”

 

“Well, I don’ know?  What are you doin’ in these woods?  You shouldn’ just be walkin’ around here by yeeself.”

 

“I was just on my way through but I think I’ve gotten myself lost.  I was walking on this path, it must have been a very old path, and it just ended.  I was trying to figure out what to do and one of the fairies that was with me flew away.”

 

“Pesky creatures they are.”

 

“Really?  I find them to be so—”

 

“—bothersome.”

 

“Enchanting.”

 

“Thieves.”

 

“Beautiful.”

 

“Tricky.”

 

“Innocent.”

 

“Mischievous, ungrateful, and ya can’t trust ‘em.  They don’ belong in this world if ya ask me.  An’ if ya don’ min’ me sayin’—”

 

“—and what exactly is it that you have against fairies?”

 

“They sleep in me flowa gardens.”

 

“Is that all?  They do not belong in this world because they sleep in your flower gardens?”

 

The leprechaun looked down with an almost ashamed look on his face.  He responded gruffly, though, to save face.  “Well, it’s me property an’ they don’ eva ask.  It’s rude.”  He paused.  “An’ how do ya know what fairies are anyway.  They’s a lot you shouldn’ know that I got a feelin’ ya do.”

 

“I learned from the faun who lives on the edge of the woods.”

 

“Now they’s anotha creature ya shouldn’ be trustin’.”

 

“Why would you say that?  He was so very nice to me.”

 

“He’s probably the most cunnin’ an’ mischievous of ‘em all.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

The leprechaun looked around and leaned in toward Anna.  “Some say…that ‘e works fa’…”

 

“For who?”

 

“Fa’ them.”

 

“Oh, you mean The People of the Dark.”

 

“Shhhh!  Ya must neva speak they name.”

 

Anna whispered to the little man without even thinking.  “Why?”

 

“They’s shadas all over this place.  Ya neva know when one’s aroun’, that ya can be sure.”

 

“They are such terrible creatures.  How could anything be so cruel?  To leave the whole earth in darkness…I just can not image it.”

 

“Indeed, scary things they are.  You don’ see ‘em too often.  At least, not as much as ya did befa.”

 

“I saw them.  They were chasing the faun and me.”  She stops and thinks for a moment about what she said.  “Why would they be chasing the faun and me if he worked for them?”

 

“They’s a lot unanswered in this world.”

 

“That is true but he killed one of them.”

 

“They’s nothin’ that can kill those creatures but the sun.”

 

“Well, he played a song on his flute and the sun came up.  When it did, one of them got trapped in the light and turned to dust leaving behind just its cloak.”

 

“I still don’ trust ‘em.”

 

“You may do as you wish, but he helped me, even saved me and so I will continue to call him my friend.”

 

“That’s ya business.”

 

The two of them sat for a moment, arms crossed, angry at one another over the small dispute.  In the silence, Anna’s fairy flew back to her and landed on her shoulder.  She looked down at the leprechaun and giggled at him.

 

“Don’t worry, they will not sleep in your flowers.”

 

“Good, make sure of it.”

 

Again they sat, neither able to think of what to say.  Finally, Anna spoke again.

 

“I am sorry, I have not introduced myself.  My name is Anna.”

 

Remembering his manners, the leprechaun tipped his hat to Anna.  “Vera pleased ta meet ya, Anna.  My name is Gimny.”

 

“Likewise.”  They shook hands.  “Do you live alone Gimny?”

 

“Indeed, I do.  Any self respectin’ leprechaun lives by ‘is self.”

 

“Do you ever get bored or lonely?  Being alone all the time would make me sad.”

 

“No, no, no.  I love bein’ alone.  I got plenty o’ work ta keep me busy, plus, me hobbies.”

 

“And what are your hobbies?”

 

“I ‘ave ‘em, don’ you worry about that.  But if I told ya, I’d be tellin’ ya me secrets, and I just can’ go aroun’ tellin’ just anybody me secrets.”

 

“My, everyone seems to have secrets around here but me.”

 

“We ‘ave to, lest they get ‘em.”

 

“Yes, that does make sense.  I guess I am just not used to it yet.”  Anna looked deep into the forest, remembering her journey and task.  “Gimny?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Would you show me the way out of this place?”

 

“Now why would I wan’ ta do that an’ just leave me home open ta intrudas?  I don’ know the way.  An’ besides, what do I owe ya?  You sat on me home and nearly broke in the roof.”

 

“I am sorry for that.  And I suppose you do owe me nothing.”  Anna reached down for her mother’s locket and clutched it in her hand.  The leprechaun became very curious.

 

“An’, um, what might that be?  It’s so very shiny.”

 

“Do you like it?  It is…was my mother’s.  My father gave it to her before I was born.”

 

“Do ya know where ‘e got it?”

 

“No, I do not.”  Anna looked down at the strange little man.  His eyes were big with interest.  “You like it, don't you?”

 

He responded with an uninterested tone, obviously bluffing.  “Well, I’ve seen prettia things.”  But, he looked at it and once again the same look came back into his eyes.  “Supposin’ you let me ‘ave it an maybe I rememba’d how ta get out a this place.”

 

Anna looked down at the locket lying in the palm of her hand.  She was very hesitant.  “I do not know.  It was my mother’s and it just would not seem right.”

 

“An how do ya think ya be makin’ it out a these woods, all by yeeself, do ya?

 

Anna sighed and kissed the locket.  “Alright, Gimny…here you go.”  She carefully placed the locket into his hands.  “Take care of that, please.”

 

“I will, I will.”  He placed it in his pocket and turned back to Anna.  “Good then.  We must be on our way then.”

 

Anna followed Gimny through the deepest parts of the woods.  She had never seen or imagined that any forest could look the way it did.  It was the oldest place she had ever been.  It almost seemed alive, the treetops swaying in the wind, nearly calling out about the many things that they had witnessed.  There was an aura of wisdom about it that Anna sensed.  Finally, Anna saw glimmers of light ahead.  They had reached the end at last.  As Anna stepped once again out into the warmth of the sun, she let out a sigh of relief.  She turned around to thank Gimny.

 

“Thank Gimny, I never would have made it out of there myself.”

 

“It was no trouble.”

 

“Thank you.”  Anna leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

 

Blushing, Gimny tried to change the subject.  “You neva did tell me why ya was in the woods in the first place.”

 

“It’s a secret.”  She smiled and waved to him as she walked away.  He returned the wave and disappeared back into the trees.

 

Author's Note

I feel that the book is moving too fast. Maybe that's becuase I know where it's going and how much information I have. Please let me know what you think. And by the way, shadas is shadows in case you didn't figure that out.