𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐢 (discontinued)

seven years old

LORELEI JENSEN
SEVEN YEARS OLD

LORELEI JENSEN'S bedroom was one that suited her perfectly. Her grandmother explained to her that it used to belong to her Aunt Sarah, someone who was "awfully like you", she remembered her grandmother saying.

When she first entered the room three years ago, the door creaked open with a whisper. She was younger then; it was probably her imagination, but she couldn't help but feel that the room was waiting for her.

The walls were an enchanting lilac, chipped at the edges, but she didn't mind. The bed frame had swirls almost like twisted tree branches. only, it was colored white. Her closet was white too, faded due to age, but something about it always seemed magical. Almost like if she opened it at the right time, it would reveal a completely different place.

She had a chest in her room as well; her grandmother told her that it belonged to Aunt Sarah, but she didn't have the key. Every night, her curiosity for it grew, but eventually it subsided and she used it as a table to place her books.

Lorelei had a lot of them. She loved to read more than anything, and her collection consisted of, you guessed it, fantasies and fairy tales. Her mother would swear to you that you could never catch Lorelei without her nose stuck in a book. She grew up with these stories and fairy tales to the point where she truly did believe in them.

Suffice to say, Lorelei Jensen saw the world differently. she saw it as if it was trailed with beams of magic and fairy dust. She'd see the wind and its colors moving gracefully in and out of her open window. She would look at the fireplace and within the fire she would see it dancing. She would always look out the window and see a trail of fluorescent lights leading a path into the forest. She never followed it, of course, she knew the will o'the wisps only meant trouble.

She saw all these things, but what truly interested her were the fairies.

Her mother had caught her hiding under the blankets reading the book The Whimsical Wonders of Fairies. It told of their lore from different places; how they looked, acted, and what they did. Her mother would peer into the door some nights to find her completely awake and reading. She wouldn't tell her to go to sleep though. No, she was having far too much fun. Instead, Mrs. Jensen would come in and read with her.

Deep in her heart, she had always believed in fairies. Amaiah had given up the magic a long time ago, but came to believe in them once again when she moved into the Jensen house.

"Lorelei, there's a flower patch near your window. I heard fairies like to stay in those. Why don't you watch out for them?"

Lorelei would look out her window, and she would always see them racing through the bushes. Their rose red hair bouncing as they moved from flower to flower. The fairies were small and beautiful, just as the book described them to be. However, unlike the book, they were extremely arrogant and self-centered. Lorelei sees them always looking at their reflection on dew drops or puddles of water. It was quite ridiculous.

The first fairy she ever met was a little one named Daffodil. She met her this year, at seven years old. It was raining and the wee fairy was left behind by her friends. She flew into Lorelei's open window, and Lorelei awoke as droplets of water fell on to her cheeks.

She opened them to find a petite fairy drying off her hair. She was singing a song that filled her room with the dazzling colors of the wind, almost like the fairy controlled it with her song. Petals slowly entered the window, dancing with the swirling air as the tiny fairy continued her tune.

It was beautiful. The room was filled with reds and pinks and oranges, all trailing in a whirling tornado of color. Suddenly, the room didn't smell of rain, but the sweet fragrance of flowers.

She could hear the twinkling of a rhythmic flutter of wings and tiny taps on the window sill--she was dancing! And she hadn't stopped her dance, even when Lorelei rose from her bed to look at her.

"Hello," She said softly, receiving a bow from the tiny girl, "What's your name?"

With a spin, the fairy told her Daffodil. She was probably the most beautiful thing Lorelei ever saw.

Her was long and bright red, and her dress was made up rose petals to match. Her wings were clear-colored but when Lorelei looked closer, she could see swirling patterns etched on them. Her eyes were a shining yellow, she swore that if she had turned off her lamp, they would glow amidst the darkness.

The entire night it had rained, but the entire night Lorelei spent her time with the fairy. She lent Daffodil her dolls' dresses and let her wonder the dollhouse she had stored inside the closet. Her smile was already so amazing, but Lorelei was sure that her laugh made the leftover flower petals swirl in the air.

The rain had stopped and it was dawn. The fairy bid Lorelei farewell wearing the red dress of Lorelei's doll.

"Goodbye, Lorelei! I hope we meet again!" She squeeked as she flew away to find her friends.