Values of the Faeries

The Faerie Baths

The trees seemed to whisper amongst each other as the winds rustled through their leaves. Judging by the cold it carried, it was no promise that it would stay dry. Yet they resumed their way down past this gentle stream, some more willing than others.

'You sure this is what you wanna do, Win?'

'Oh come on Sabs, where's your sense of adventure?' Winona laughed as she led the way downward with a stick in her hand.

'I'm just saying. If I knew the path would be- I mean, you could have at least told me to put on different- eek!' One misstep and suddenly the ground was moving fast towards Sabrina. It would have been quite the fall, where it not for Bruce catching her.

'You alright, hun?'

'Ah... I'm fine. Thanks Brucie.'

Jeremy quickly turned to make a gagging face as he watched her give him a kiss. Hun, my ass! He thought. I've seen the way you look at the others. Only when Bruce's eyes met his did Jeremy realize that he was staring, and so he quickly averted his gaze.

'Well, you should've expected this from our little adventurous spirit,' Heidi said as they resumed their way downward.

Heidi made a fair point, though it was actually she that Sabrina had known the longest; as they had grown up in the same neighborhood and had been friends since their early childhood. It was soon after that, in primary school, where they had met Winona. She was a bit of an oddball, but she bore a kindness with her that quickly won them over. And it was through her that they met Jeremy, Winona's cousin. The two of them only differed in age by a few months, and with both of them having no siblings, they had grown quite reliant on each other.

The four of them had sworn to remain close, no matter how different their lives would turn out to be. And this year, they decided to honor that friendship by going on a vacation together. Though it was no secret that the majority of them were less than thrilled by the addition of Bruce to the group. Sabrina had insisted. After all, she had said that if any of them were to get a boyfriend, of course he would be more than welcome to tag along. And none of them could argue with that.

'Quiet now. It shouldn't be far.'

'What exactly do we need to be quiet for?' Bruce asked, a little annoyed that he'd been dragged to this place.

'Well what do you think? We're looking for the Faerie Baths, aren't we?'

'Wait, you don't actually believe-'

'Leave her be Bruce.' Heidi hissed. 'We can all believe what we want to believe. Besides, we're all doing something we want to do. We also went to that club of yours.'

'And we had fun there, didn't we?'

'You mean you had.' She turned to Jeremy with a glance that said: Can you believe this guy? Frankly, Jeremy had quite enjoyed the night at the club. It was rather... educational; seeing how Bruce handled himself in a place like that. If only he could have a shred of the confidence Bruce had, or his looks perhaps. Maybe then, Sabrina and Heidi would see him as more than just their 'gay' friend. Winona knew his secret of course, but she wouldn't dare jeopardize the friendship all of them shared. Jeremy had never planned to be in this position, but one thing had snowballed into another. In all fairness, Sabrina and Heidi were honestly very dear to him. He just wished that he could be more than a friend sometimes. Perhaps, he could share a connection with Heidi through their distaste for Bruce. Or perhaps... he shouldn't think such things. And yet, he just couldn't help himself.

'Come on guys,' Sabrina said. 'He didn't mean it like that. Tell them Bruce.'

'Shhh...' Winona turned, facing everyone in the group. 'We're here.'

The stream had ended in a hole, and the group turned to the sides further downward, until all of them stood at the foot of the baths.

The place was like a miniature waterfall, with water trickling gently down into a mossy wellspring. To some, it painted a rather quaint picture. A small treasure hidden far from the regular tourist traps. To others, it was just a pretty puddle.

Winona's face was eagerly beaming. Bruce pulled up an eyebrow. Sabrina gave him an uneasy smile. Heidi stood intrigued, though perhaps expecting a little more. Jeremy admired the sight. Having heard Winona's stories about the mythological since language was first conveyed to him, he could perhaps sense a bit of the magic that his cousin so eagerly believed in.

'So now what?' Bruce asked.

Winona did not immediately answer, but it was clear to her that the rest was curious also. 'Now... We wait for the faeries to come out.'

'Are you fucking kidding me?'

'Bruce, be nice.'

'You're not expecting us to actually wait here until we start seeing things that don't exist? Where did you even get the idea they'd be here?'

'Reddit.'

'Ah, our favorite, most reliable source of information.'

'Bruce!' Sabrina gave a tug on his sleeve.

'Hey, it's not that I don't like the place. I'm just saying, we can't stay here forever.'

'I have to agree with Bruce here,' Heidi said. 'It's not gonna stay dry. We shouldn't linger.'

'You probably chased 'em all off with your bickering now anyway.' Winona muttered, pouting her lips.

'So, what should we do?' Sabrina asked.

Jeremy looked at the sky. Grey clouds were packing together fast. Thinking of a way to return fast in a way that made his cousin feel better, he decided to make a suggestion. 'How about we leave the faeries an offering?'

'Great idea Jem,' Winona's face was radiating in delight. 'All of you, let's take a coin and make wish! If the faeries appreciate our gift, perhaps they'll bless us with their magic.'

'And what if they don't appreciate it?' Bruce teased.

Winona, slightly annoyed by his remark, furrowed her eyebrows. 'Faeries are gentle creatures, you know?'

'Of course they are.'

'They wouldn't harm those with no ill intent. Now come on.' Winona was rather insistent on her cousin's suggestion, and so they all followed her example. Heidi had no coins on her, so Sabrina gave her a penny. Bruce and Winona both held a quarter, while Sabrina decided to offer a dime and Jeremy a nickel. Winona ensured all of them that faeries were unlike humans, and therefore saw no difference in the value of money; just in kind gestures.

'Now let's all take a moment, each and every one of us. I'll go first. You back away for now. I'll call the next one when I'm finished here. Shoo, shoo!'