Dryad

Fairies

I picked strawberries and mushrooms in the forest and carried my pot everywhere. At first I was alone and I always went back under my tree where I slept and it seemed too quiet. And then I noticed small eyes constantly looking at me, tiny creatures that follow me but startle whenever I turn my face towards them. They hid in tall grass and behind leaves, but they couldn't resist the things I left behind. A few little strawberries, honeycombs, small flowers that I somehow still manage to create, although not as beautiful and large as they used to be. It still hurts too much.

I had to lure and hunt them for a while, but one day I finally caught them off guard. While the little fairies were taking the strawberries from the pile that I had left for them, I hid behind a tree watching them. They are so tiny and slim and they are all blond and pretty just like Celestina. At least I don't feel less special when it comes to clothes. They don't wear much more either. My only intention was to play with them, but even so I unintentionally scared them as soon as one of them realized I was here. They scattered and left me on my own.

It was only after several attempts that I managed to lure one to come near me (apparently Celestina failed to tell them that I am completely harmless, so they are indescribably afraid of someone who looks as if he has risen from the dead). She fluttered over to me and studied my face with her hands. Only my eyes remained intact in the fire, eyes that used to be completely brown, but took on green spots. She said something to me, but I didn't understand her. Maybe she expects a dryad to understand her, but I was born unnaturally and spent too much time with humans to understand anything elvish.

The other fairies got a little braver when they saw that I wasn't going to eat them after all if they came close, so they came to touch me along with this one. Now I'm not that pretty to look at, so they're a bit skeptical. Fairies like valuable flashy things pleasing to the eye, which I'm not. I was interesting to them until I sneezed irritated by their dust and shooed them away. Great.

It took another day or two and a lot of bribery before I could approach them again. Maybe Celestina wants me to earn their trust. She helped me find a home, but I didn't ask for anything more than that. Most of the little winged beauties are girls, but it seemed to me for a moment that I noticed a few males as well. They are either very rare or even more shy than girls. It seems to me that they are more playful than wanting something else. I didn't notice any evil intentions in them, even though Celestina seemed angry and arrogant at first. Maybe we can even become friends.