The Faerie Fountain

Chapter Three

I stop running when I reach our block and spot my mom hunched over the flowerbed in the front yard. Our small house is on a tiny lot and there’s only about two feet of yard before you hit the porch, but this year mom is determined to turn that space into a garden.

“Hi.” I’m panting and probably look as though I’ve seen a ghost. I certainly feel like I just had a close encounter of the supernatural kind and it’s not exciting like I always hoped. It’s sort of terrifying. 

“Are you okay?” mom asks. 

I nod and breathe in. “Ran here.”

“Chased by wild dogs?” 

I give her a ‘not funny’ look but she has no idea how not funny that is. “I’m going inside now.”

“Chore list is on the counter,” she calls after me. “And I brought you an application for Coffee World.” 

“Joy.”

“Attitude, Leanne.” 

“Sorry I’m not excited about chores and job applications,” I snap. 

I walk inside without waiting for her reply, but I hear her exaggerated sigh before the door closes. 

My mom works in a local grocery store as a manager, which is why she’s off on a Monday. She’s been trying to talk me into getting a job at the coffee stand inside the store. I wouldn’t technically be working under her and I’d probably barely see her, but I’m not sure I can handle a whole summer of working with my mom. Besides, I applied to work at Roll the Dice, the game store in the mall, and I haven’t heard back yet. If I take the job at Coffee World, no way Mom will let me quit, even if something better comes along. 

I go up to my room without looking at the chore list. It’ll be the normal stuff anyhow. Fold the towels. Load the dishwasher. I can do that, but I need to think first. 

When I play games, I assess the situation logically, but in games I’m not terrified that I’m losing my mind because wishes don’t come true and strange guys who dress like Shakespeare cast rejects don’t grant them. 

I pull out a game board for Legends of Aaka and a handful of miniatures. I set a blond elf on the board to represent Lachlan and a pretty mage girl to be me. Then I stare at them, as if they’ll start talking and give me answers.

If this were a game, I’d ask the Game Mod questions. I get a notebook and write them down. First, what class/race is Lachlan? He looks like an elf but elves aren’t really mischievous. Faeries are. 

I knock over the figure standing in for Lachlan. Faeries don’t exist. This is nuts. 

And wishes don’t come true.

I pull out my phone again and stare at Jordan’s texts. 

Maybe it’s some kind of end of school prank and Lachlan is someone’s theater-loving cousin hired to mess with me.

I hang on to that idea for a while, but the more I turn it over, the more absurd it gets. Even if someone knew I usually took a morning run on Sundays through that park, I vary my route. Even if they predicted I’d jog that path, how could anyone be sure I’d bother to pick up a weird coin and then toss it into the fountain? For an elaborate set up, it’s banking on me doing very specific things. And how would they know my wish? 

So either wish-granting weirdos who hang out in the park exist or someone is playing a very complicated joke on me. 

****

The next morning, I’m convinced the whole thing with the fountain and Lachlan the Elf-Faerie-Creature was all some twisted dream, a sign I need to lay off the double caramel lattes and role playing games, and get more sleep.