Lessoc Fountain - a fairy-creature tale

Ch. 17 The Path in the Woods

The Bounet Rodzos loved the cookies Coco had baked for them. She knew this because the plate they had been on was scrubbed clean and set in the middle of her doorstep, wrapped in shimmering silver cloth like none she had ever seen. Next to the platter was a heavy wool bag that clinked metallically when she lifted it. She tugged apart the draw strings and found four shining horseshoes and a handful of nails as transparent as crystal. A gift for Hector. Her chest squeezed so tight with gratitude, stars danced in her vision.

In addition to the gift, her ruined gate and fence had been replaced during the night and there were four new posts growing at the corners of Hector's pen. A prick of worry needled her chest.

What if he doesn't last long enough to use the pen?

He will, he must.

Strictly speaking, the fence was growing, too, except that it seemed mostly finished, whereas the pen corners needed some more height to them. The fence was made of two young trees that sprang from the earth as the posts for the gate and at the height of four feet they bent at a right angle to run horizontally across the front and side of her garden. Every six inches or so a branch (or were they roots?) burrowed down from the trunks into the earth as the pickets. Leaves, vines and flowers sprouted madly the lengths of the fence as well. The gate was more traditional: cut and sanded boards; except that there were runes and symbols carved in them. She couldn't make any sense of carvings, they were nothing like the nature scenery and animals that Jean-Baptist had made.

She would have to bake more cookies. Or perhaps a cake.

The sun would be up soon and she had promised to take Hector to the farm shortly after sunrise. They would have to walk fast.

Even so, she paused at the gate, Hector's steaming breath at her shoulder. Would Soufflé's charm work when night fell? She was afraid, but he desperately needed the shoes.

"Let's go, then, Hector," she said, adjusting the horseshoes bag and a second bag from the chalet higher on her shoulders and reaching for the gate. It swung open on its own as her hand approached. "Ooo!" she exclaimed. That was worth both cake and cookies.

Then she was in the dirt lane on her way to see Daniel.

***

"There are many sorts of fairies and fairy kind, or as some say, fairy creatures in the world. Some are very friendly and will gladly lend you a hand if you ask. In return, you must give them something; a few shiny buttons, glass beads, a bowl of cream or the last apple of the harvest, that sort of thing. There are also evil fairy creatures who will try to lead you astray from the path," Fanchon's voice echoed again in Cocot's mind as she tiptoed along the dirt road.

"They would hurt you, if they can."

"Come along then, Hector," Cocot encouraged the old horse. They had to keep a lively step if they were not to be too late. Before they reached the pine root stairs that began the shortcut to the farm, the girl had to send Hector up the steep hill through the brambles and tangled underbrush. Once the horse was moving upwards—no puny thorns or saplings could stop him—and after a final slap on his rump, she hurried around to the stairs.

She climbed the first stair, but hesitated at the second. There was something different about the pine-root stairs that morning, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Without giving herself time to worry about it, she bounded to the top and called for Hector to join her. He plodded forward, nothing remaining of the dark monster that had chased her in the road and tried to kill her on her doorstep.

"Hurry up! New shoes for you today, a cure in two weeks and a warm stall for you before autumn sets in, if I'm not mistaken," she called, skipping along in her pirate shirt and pants. "This is the beginning of a new life for you. Hopefully, a new beginning for both of us."