Fae Land

A Musical Storytelling

Lela slapped her toes on the wooden floor. The floor reacted giving her a tap sound. She stomped her heel and got a deeper thud with that movement. She smiled. That was all she needed. She would start with her village.

Tap. Tap. Thud. Pause. Tap. Tap. Thud. Pause. The audience returned the beat. She smiled. Audiences are the same no matter where she was. She bent down and slapped with her hand. It was loud flat noise and she only did it on the second pause. A creature with a long narrow appendage also had a flat wide tip at the end. It smacked it down at the same time as she did. She nodded listening to the beat. She was back in Kenya. She brought the flute up to her mouth and began her journey. From the baby steps she tried to take. Trying to understand the world in darkness. She tried to show them how much she stumbled around. When she only wanted a friend and they would laugh at her. They would tell her lies and she would end up a fool because she trusted them with blind faith. She flitter and flicked and tucked and twisted every note. The beat disappeared, but that was ok. She was on the boat hiding. She stole bread from the kitchen and learned every mouse's trick hiding in the rafters or deep in the bilges. She was a bilge rat scurrying for food scraps. She told them of the waves and the hurricane-battered journey. She would tell them of the water that filled the bilges and how she had to claw her way out of the wreck. She would tell them of how she spit out salt water so her lungs wouldn't fill and the accomplishment she felt when her toes first touched the sand. Then she was getting overwhelmed by the memory and she couldn't stop her emotions from bubbling up. So she let the last note wash over like the breaking waves. She couldn't stop her tears. She had given a piece of herself to the Fae.

In response, the ballroom roared to life. Bursts of fire exploded above her head and reminded her of fourth of July. She opened her eyes to see the explosions of sparkling fire of different colors. Alicia rubbed her arm as they watched the bursts. "You really impressed them. They have been reserving their magic since I got here. I only got to see little bits of this. This. Is. Incredible." Alicia admitted. A pair of creatures started bending into each other. "Contortion." Lela recognized the clop of horse hooves and saw a creature making it. "Centaur. Half humanoid and half mare." It clopped into a gait. "In his hand is a bow and arrow." He pulled the arrow back and released the string. A small green dragon grabbed it out of the air and blew tiny fire from its nose singing tiny flowers that appeared in the arrow's stead. It landed on Lela's shoulder. In response, they both giggled when it dropped the arrow into her hand. Even Bo, who was standing behind her uttered noises of amazement.

"That's special. Centaurs are shy by nature and this is a huge offering. Keep that safe." Lady P.H. Chamberland's voice came from behind her. "If you think you can truly find my son, I may have a way to reverse Alicia's curse."

"Really?" Alicia looked both conflicted, and happy. "I don't understand. You told me that no one has returned back to Earth after eating or drinking."

"It isn't our fault if you assumed wrong. I never said that it couldn't be done." The old woman responded. "You also never proved your worth like Lela has. The Fae are simple folk. We are happy to live and to die as long as the balance is restored. My son, the future King of all Fae is not just a protector, but he has been taught the ways of the Fae since birth. He is the perfect guardian. We would know if he was dead. So that means he is alive. If you won't become the heir in his stead, then you must find him and bring him to me. Only then, would you have something worth her life. If not, then the Fa' will keep her and continue to twist her mind until she does their bidding." She patted the little dragon on the head that was still on Lela's shoulder and walked away.  It shook and changed into a sweet little rat.  It gave her a lick on the neck and she gave it a quick rub under the jawline.  She cooed at the little pink nose and long whiskers.  Her thoughts drifted back to what the old lady said.  

Would she risk being stuck here to find her son?