Lights in the Woods

Discovery

Quick Author's Note: Sorry- this chapter is more filler than anything else! I feel like I've been leading into this really slowly, but it's about to get good!
    Once Leila had gotten her shoes on, she raced out the door, giggling happily. So that's the way we stayed. We were outside for perhaps an hour and a half, and it was suppertime when we finally did return home. Mom had arrived, although I wasn't sure precisely how long she had been there. She must have settled in, because the room smelled wonderful. Whatever we were having for supper was bound to be delectable. Mom had always been the best cook, ever since I was little. I've always found myself looking forward to whatever she might make more than any restaurant ever.
    I'm not entirely sure what my mother and sister did after supper. While I usually had plenty of time to be with them, I was absolutely swamped with homework tonight. At the time I saw, and I still see, no reason to ever do hours of physics unless you're seriously considering turning it into a career, which I'm not.
I sat at the desk, annoyed and frustrated. I worked and worked until I just couldn't do it anymore. It was like something snapped, and I was just too angry at the world to continue to torture myself in this manner. I needed a break. However, I really prefer not to force other people to put up with me when I'm in a state like this, so going back down to see my mother and sister just was not an option. I'd still be annoyed and they'd have to deal with it. Still, I needed to not be in the same room as my unfinished homework anymore, so I pulled the curtains aside with the full intent of stepping out on to my previously unused balcony. But I saw something that caused me to stop before I could open the door.
Explaining it is tough, and you have to promise to bear with me, okay? I wasn't high, I swear. Now that we've settled that, let's continue.
I saw a bunch of lights. They were all lined up on the railing of the balcony, as though someone had strung Christmas lights up and left them. I knew that there were no lights on that railing though, and that was one problem. The other was that I had never seen lights in those colors before- or of this size. They were perhaps as big as apples. The colors didn't seem to make any sense. There were all the usual bright colors; the reds, the blues, the greens. But there were others here as well. Pastel pinks and pale grays, soft lavender, faint yellow. There was one that stood out, that was shining brighter than the rest of them. If I may continue to use my Christmas simile, it would be like the star on top. I wanted to know what it really was.
Have you ever tried to be absolutely silent? Do you know how difficult it can be? I do. I opened the door slowly, and the creaking of the ancient (possibly egyptian) hinges caused whatever was sitting on the rail to scatter for the most part. They took off into the air, and I was dazzled. Fireflies had nothing on this. However, one still sat on the rail. The star on top, remember? I wasn't sure exactly what they were, but I gathered the little thing into my hands, and stepped back inside. I'd never felt a bug struggle so hard, or push the way this one did. I managed to shut the door before I uncupped my hands, only intending to get a good look at it. However, the little thing flew out.
Now, I keep saying little, and I feel like I may have misled you a little bit. Whatever it was certainly wasn't huge, but it was bigger than any lightning bug or simple fly. Perhaps the size of an apple is a more accurate comparison. It flew up to the corner of the room, or around there anyways, and then, the little thing was in my face. I took a step back as it hovered just in front of my nose, trying to swat at it. I stumbled back into the wall just as my hand finally made contact, and the thing flew into the wall before it hit the hardwood floor. I almost felt bad, but at least now I had a better chance to get a good look at whatever it was.
I scooped it back into my hands, brushing the physics work aside before setting the bug down on the desk so that I could figure this all out. That, my friend, is when things got rather weird. Why? Because, upon closer examination, it wasn't a bug at all. I was looking at a tiny woman with wings. The room seemed to spin around me as I tried to figure all of this out. What the hell? Things like that just don't exist! Not in this world, and certainly not in my backyard!
Then another thought dawned on me. She wasn't moving. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't moving. Did I kill her? That in itself was horrifying, and I could feel myself break out into a cold sweat as I tried to do something- anything- to help her. But I wasn't sure exactly what I could do to help without squishing her. I hurried downstairs, grabbing my mom's pin cushion and hurrying back to my room without a word. It was late, they must have already gone to bed. I wasn't exactly worried about Mom missing it. I can't remember the last time she sewed anything.
Equipped with the small pillow and a fabric scrap I was content to call a blanket, I ran back up the stairs and into my room. I was somewhat horrified, but I also wanted to figure out what she was. It would be hard if she was dead, and maybe she wouldn't die if she was comfortable? I had absolutely no idea. This wasn't something I'd ever needed to do before.
Luckily, when I got back to my room, it was clear that she hadn't died. The little thing was sitting up when I returned to my desk. I set the pillow down and attempted to load one very angry little creature on to it.