CHAPTER TWELVE
Leaf-Seeker
From: The Fairy Journals: Briarwood Nook The Tale of Abigail-Rose
Pepper-Dream of Lark ran his fingers through his hair and looked at me for answers. “Do you want to come inside, Pepper?” I asked. It was the least I could do.
“I think I should,” he answered and walked into my house. “I’m really concerned about Crick. What do you think Leaf?”
“No one knows him as well as you Crick. What do you think?”
“I’ve known him for a long time Leaf. We have a love-hate-friendship. One minute I love him dearly and the next minute I could box his ears for him,” he said with a chuckle. “Saying that he always stands up for me when other Fairies get on my case. He’s a good spud really but when he has his mind set on something … he is as stubborn as a mule. He knows that Abigail-Rose is a Red Fairy and that he should be looking for a Brown Fairy to marry… And yet he’s been researching every possibility to see if he can get around that Fairy Law.”
“Researching?” I asked.
“Yes, he’s been asking some of the wiser Fairiesif there is a clause that he can use to marry Abigail-Rose. Then today he went off to Poppy-Realm and asked to speak to Crazy Half-Pint. Ridiculous! Jo-Red said that he’s picking fights with everybody because he’s not getting his own way.”
“Maybe you should talk to him,” I suggested.
“I’ve tried Leaf-Seeker. Believe me I put him in his place when he needs it. That’s why I think he’s been avoiding me lately because I will be honest with him about Abigail and him getting married and he won’t like it.”
“The whole friendship has just gone too far,” I said.
“You are right. Too far in the sense that I know that he won’t listen to me if I do try and talk some sense into him. He’ll just thump me on the arm and talk over my words. Everything I say he will just take out of context and it will really wind me up. I’ve no idea why Abigail-Rose stays with him to be honest. In fact the day he met Abigail he was chasing me because I told him that he was as stubborn as a Witch-Fairy and he didn’t like it. He soon forgot our argument when he clapped eyes on lovely Abigail-Rose.”
“Well Abigail isn’t the be-all-and-end-all Fairy. Don’t get me wrong I love her dearly but she is so gossipy. In fact, as she gets older she gets more gossipy. Worse rather than better if you know what I mean,” I said.
“I can’t imagine Abigail being a gossip. Everytime I see her she is always a perfect little Fairy apart from the time Crick threw her into the blackberry bush,” he said stifling a laugh.
“She always needs to be in the know, if you know what I mean,” I said remembering how Daisy-Clover caught her on several times spreading gossip around the Meadow.
“Really?”
“Well she stretches the truth to make stories more interesting. Last week she told McKenzie, the Elf, that my Daisy was best friends with Esme-Take and that was even before Daisy had met Esme-Take. We wouldn’t have believed it if Amelia hadn’t told us the same thing. You can really trust that wee Fairy Amelia. She’s a good ‘un.”
“Why would she do that?” said Pepper Dream of Lark.
“As I said before, she likes to stretch the truth. More tea?” I said pouring the tea into his mug before he could answer. Pepper sipped his tea and helped himself to a cookie.
“Well Crick will not put up with that nonsense. He hates gossips,” He said.
“Maybe it’s a good thing that they’ve met then,” I said.
“Yes, but they can’t get married.”
Leaf-Seeker
From: The Fairy Journals: Briarwood Nook The Tale of Abigail-Rose
Pepper-Dream of Lark ran his fingers through his hair and looked at me for answers. “Do you want to come inside, Pepper?” I asked. It was the least I could do.
“I think I should,” he answered and walked into my house. “I’m really concerned about Crick. What do you think Leaf?”
“No one knows him as well as you Crick. What do you think?”
“I’ve known him for a long time Leaf. We have a love-hate-friendship. One minute I love him dearly and the next minute I could box his ears for him,” he said with a chuckle. “Saying that he always stands up for me when other Fairies get on my case. He’s a good spud really but when he has his mind set on something … he is as stubborn as a mule. He knows that Abigail-Rose is a Red Fairy and that he should be looking for a Brown Fairy to marry… And yet he’s been researching every possibility to see if he can get around that Fairy Law.”
“Researching?” I asked.
“Yes, he’s been asking some of the wiser Fairiesif there is a clause that he can use to marry Abigail-Rose. Then today he went off to Poppy-Realm and asked to speak to Crazy Half-Pint. Ridiculous! Jo-Red said that he’s picking fights with everybody because he’s not getting his own way.”
“Maybe you should talk to him,” I suggested.
“I’ve tried Leaf-Seeker. Believe me I put him in his place when he needs it. That’s why I think he’s been avoiding me lately because I will be honest with him about Abigail and him getting married and he won’t like it.”
“The whole friendship has just gone too far,” I said.
“You are right. Too far in the sense that I know that he won’t listen to me if I do try and talk some sense into him. He’ll just thump me on the arm and talk over my words. Everything I say he will just take out of context and it will really wind me up. I’ve no idea why Abigail-Rose stays with him to be honest. In fact the day he met Abigail he was chasing me because I told him that he was as stubborn as a Witch-Fairy and he didn’t like it. He soon forgot our argument when he clapped eyes on lovely Abigail-Rose.”
“Well Abigail isn’t the be-all-and-end-all Fairy. Don’t get me wrong I love her dearly but she is so gossipy. In fact, as she gets older she gets more gossipy. Worse rather than better if you know what I mean,” I said.
“I can’t imagine Abigail being a gossip. Everytime I see her she is always a perfect little Fairy apart from the time Crick threw her into the blackberry bush,” he said stifling a laugh.
“She always needs to be in the know, if you know what I mean,” I said remembering how Daisy-Clover caught her on several times spreading gossip around the Meadow.
“Really?”
“Well she stretches the truth to make stories more interesting. Last week she told McKenzie, the Elf, that my Daisy was best friends with Esme-Take and that was even before Daisy had met Esme-Take. We wouldn’t have believed it if Amelia hadn’t told us the same thing. You can really trust that wee Fairy Amelia. She’s a good ‘un.”
“Why would she do that?” said Pepper Dream of Lark.
“As I said before, she likes to stretch the truth. More tea?” I said pouring the tea into his mug before he could answer. Pepper sipped his tea and helped himself to a cookie.
“Well Crick will not put up with that nonsense. He hates gossips,” He said.
“Maybe it’s a good thing that they’ve met then,” I said.
“Yes, but they can’t get married.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Cricket Meadow of Sweet
Run!
The inner voice, that I had heard down at the stream, roseup from the deep cave within my stomach and made me choke on my own spit. I looked down at the screwed-up faces of the Fairy-babies and then at my wife’s elated face.
Run! It screamed again as I put out my hand and steadied myself on my wife’s shoulder.
Ridiculous.
I can’t run.
Abigail-Rose flung her arms around me, “Look, we are going to be parents! We have twins! We have twins!”
The inner voice sounded frantic now and it screamed in my head, Run! Run before it’s too late.
I felt dizzy and knew that I needed to sit down to take this all in. I watched as Abigail bent down and lifted one of the Fairy-Babies and plonked her right into my quivering arms. My breath was quick and frantic.
“Here, hold this one and I will get this one,” I heard her say but it was as if she was miles away from me. The way you feel in an odd dream where nothing makes sense and voices speak out but the words mean nothing. Pointless.
I stared at Abigail-Rose in shock then I looked down at the Fairy-Baby. It was a girl.
A calmness enveloped me as her little eyes met mine and she smiled a toothless grin at me.
The inner voice fell silent as my little girl stuck out her tiny hand and I took it. We greeted each other and a joy sang out of my whole being. It was a song that sang louder than the inner voice which clanged back down into the pit of my stomach, disappointed.
Silenced forever.
I could barely to take my eyes of this little Fairy-Baby who had won me over completely but when I did, I saw Abigail-Rose holding the other baby. The look on her face told me exactly how she felt. She was delighted. It was as if she had waited her whole life for this one single moment.
She was now a mum.
It was wonderful to see and I wanted to capture that moment in my memory for ever.
Glancing back down at the sweet Fairy-Baby who wiggled happily in my arms. I smiled.
We were indeed parents to two charming Fairy-babies.
I was now a father as was Abigail a natural mother. I took a calm, deep breath.
I am a Father, I am. I am.
It was indeed wonderful.