The Best Bride

5. SMELL

The solid ground connected to my feet, and then I found myself standing in the middle of a footpath. With no lights, it was dark here, probably late in the night. But still I could see and name the things surrounding me. Not clearly though.  

The brick houses, the four wheelers out on the lawn, the smell of dust and smoke in the air - all hinted that I had successfully landed in the human world.  

But no humans were in sight. The place where I was standing was empty of any living creature apart from me. Seeing the lines of houses with their light out on either side of the footpath, I guessed everyone must be asleep in their comfort zone, exhausted from their day work.  

I spat out the chewing Gum, put a hand on my shoulder and adjusted the strap of the bag I'd brought along properly. The images of other fairies flashed in mind. I wondered where they had appeared. Since I had the Sunshield, I must find them before sunrise, or they would burn to death. I had to start looking for them from somewhere, and I chose to move ahead straight down the street as beginning.  

I kept on putting one foot before another and soon walked past few block of houses. But then I stopped on my track.  

The smell of air had instantly altered. I could taste bitterness on my tongue. The air no longer smelt of dust and smoke but ... the rotten meat. Something must have died and decayed somewhere here. The inside of my nose started itching with burning sensation. I pinched my nose to shut out this foul smell which was growing stronger by the second.  

I walked as fast as I could, but the smell kept up with me. After taking fifty or sixty quick steps, I halted again. This time it was not because of the smell. The foul smell was still lingering in the air, but it was the feeling that I got on my back. I could feel eyes prying on me from behind.  

I whirled back to the way that I had left behind. Something red was gleaming in the gloom some distances away from me - a pair of red eyes! 

I squinted hard in the dark, and saw the silhouette of a person to whom those red eyes belonged. There was something growing from his head. Were those horns? I shook my head trying to understand. I knew human doesn't have horn...  

"Nutbrun!" 

I jumped a foot, startled by Jewel's sudden loud voice in the silence.  

Jewel called my name again. I wanted to respond to her call, but unknowingly my throat had gone dry.  

I turned back to the direction from where her voice had sounded and then back to the red eyes. But no, I didn't see any eyes staring back at me now. They had disappeared just as suddenly as I had seen them.  

The inside of my nose stopped itching, and I realized the foul smell had gone too. The air still smelt of dust and smoke but it felt okay than breathing in the smell of decayed meat.  

"Nutbrun!" Jewel hadn't stopped calling.  

"Jewel!" Oh, my voice was back. "Jewel! Where are you?" 

"Look up!"  

I tilted my head back and kept looking up at the moonless sky. A minute later, I beheld a bunch of fairies flying between the earth and the blank sky.  

I raised my both hands and shouted to the night, "I'm here! Down here!" I hoped my voice didn't sound like an alarm clock to the sleeping humans. 

They dropped to their feet right before me, their wings folding behind their back.  

I was really happy to see them all that I forgot everything and started grinning. "Thanks for coming for me."  

"Oh, no, my friend, we didn't come for you," said Lady Boo. "We're here to get our Sunshield and Magic Gum."  

The corner of my mouth felt stiff, and I stopped grinning. 

"What about you, then?" I asked Jewel, but she kept her mouth shut, her eyes elsewhere. I assumed she came for the same reason like the rest.  

"Hand us our things now," said Marigold. "We don't want to risk our life without them." 

"Do you all think that I'd run away with all the things in the bag?" said I, feeling upset at the fact that they were having a hard time trusting me.  

"Who knows," said Purple. 

"Unbelievable. You guys seem to have trust issues," said I, opening the bag. "Work on it."  

"Thanks for the suggestion," said Lady Boo. "But I think we're done listening to you. Be quick now." 

I handed each of those five fairies their things. Jewel turned her face sideway to avoid eye contact with me as she took her Sunshield and Gum from my hand. If there's anything that hurts or angers one most, it must be having the rocky relationship with a family member.  

I felt my temper rising within me but I controlled letting it out. Ross, the only fairy-man in our group, wasn't speaking a word, but his silence meant nothing to me. Jewel was the only one that mattered because she was family. But right now I was feeling furious at her attitude. Worse, she was following the step of these three unlovely fairies.  

"Now we've got our things," said Purple. "I suggest we should part our ways and start the quest for Prince Felix, beginning from this very moment. What do you say, ladies?" 

"I'd say you're right," said Lady Boo. "We should separate our ways and head to different directions. Personally I don't want Prince Felix to see us together." 

"I don't want that too," said Marigold. "I'm going to rescue the prince first. Bye, ladies!"  

She shot up toward the sky like a cannon ball followed by Lady Boo, Purple and then Ross. I didn't look up to see which direction they flew to. My eyes were fixated on Jewel who was still refusing to look at me straightly.  

"I guess you want to leave too," said I. "Anyway, stay safe from the sun and good luck." As if she had already made up her mind to fly after hearing "good luck" from me, she took off just when I stopped speaking. She flew opposite my direction, to the way I'd left behind.  

I zipped up the bag and slung it on my shoulder. I continued walking, muttering to myself, "If you want to succeed, you should learn to work alone first, Nutbrun." 

For the first time in my life, I was determined to tackle the problems heading my way.