Well, you wanted to be a writer...

The World Returns

Once upon a time, there was a kid who would slip in between two worlds.  The regular world terrified her.  She was lonely, and kids would mock her.  The world was normal, safe, and boring. She hated it.

Yet, the other world?  Oh, the other world!  It was magnificently magical.  When there she was granted the ability to become a fairy.  She could fly, and everyone loved her.  She would help fight missions for the queen, a fairy with beautiful butterfly wings and a gentle face.  It was a secret world.  She would try to bring her friend from Earth with her, but she was too linked to reality.  She was too intelligent.  Too logical.  Facts and figures made sense to her but an alternate reality where she shrunk and was able to fly?  No, that was nonsense.  Silly friend.  You are imagining things.

So the girl would go on her own.  She would sit down, close her eyes, and be transported to a better place, a happier place.  The girl would help save it, working with the queen to stop evil.  Then, she would often fly to the fairy bakery, tasting sweets after sweets.  And in the end, she would leave, return to her home plane, and pretend everything was normal.  It worked for a while.

Inevitably, Earth started to become aware of the daily trips the girl took.  Her parents became concerned and took her to see doctors.  They prescribed pills and therapy.  Telling her what she saw was not real.  There was only one reality, theirs.  The girl tried to deny it, show them what she saw.  But they seemed incapable of coming with her.  Too adult, too logical.  Too much like her friend.

In school, things became rougher as well.  People would make fun of her now for not playing with them.  For talking about fairies and queens.  It hurt, and the more they taunted her the more she would escape to the fairy world.  She wanted friends, they were there.  Another realm, perhaps.  But there.   They believed her.

Meanwhile, though Earth became harsher.  Medicines would change and doctor after doctor would poke and prod her with medical instruments trying to find a reason for her "hallucinations."  And eventually, they found something.  Lyme Disease.  Passed by a tick bite to a human, it could mess up the brain, making them depressed.  When a child is depressed, they can make up fake realities to soothe themselves.  Satisfied, the adults gave her new medicines, talked to her about what was occurring in school, and try to help her cope with the real world.

Over time the girl would stop spending less time in the fairy world.  She had ways to deal with real life, she did not need "imaginary friends."  Eventually, she stopped trying and the door to the fairy realm closed, locked, and disappeared from the girl's mind.  She was tied to Earth, where she belonged.  Reality, not imagination.

The girl grew up.  She put the hallucinations out of her mind and became focused on real friends.  School became easier, the bullying did not lessen, but she grew tougher.  She was used to it, hardened by coping skills she had learned.  She received high grades and got into nursing school.  She learned how to help those, just like she had been helped.  She gave kids the techniques she learned, to help them face reality.  The fairy world drifted away, a mirage to her adult mind.

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She was on rounds one day and paused to look at the files of her newest patient.  Estelle Vazquez.  She appeared to be having hallucinations, and was suffering in school.  The woman twinged in sympathy.  She had been Estelle at one point.  Stepping into the room, the young woman smiled about to announce her name.

"Hello, I am nurse-"

"Serena!"  Estelle yelled out her name.

"How did you guess?"  The nurse smiled though looking closer at the girl.  She definitely did not know her.

"The queen told me to find you.  You left, but she needs you now.  All of the fairys do!"  The nurse was startled.  Her imagination had been active as a child but she did not know how anyone would know about her specific hallucinations.  She would pretend they never happened.  No one knew.  No one except...

"JUAN!" she yelled.  He came running over, seemingly concerned by her panic.

"Yes, my love?"

"Did you really have to prank me like this?  This is too far honey."

"What prank?  Oh is this the new patient, Hello sweetie I am Dr.-"

"Your Dr. Juan!  You are Serena's partner!  And you also are needed at the mushroom portal!"  He looked at Estelle and smiled the adult smile that came with listening to very little of what she said.  But Serena paled.  The mushroom portal.  She remembered now what she would always see when she would go to the fairy world.  A giant mushroom, soft as velvet.  At the edge of her world and theirs.  This was real.

"Why yes, did she tell you?  We are to be married in a year."

"No.  No you guys won't."

"And why not?"

"Because the fairy world needs you.  And this time, you can't remain on Earth.  You go in, and you save the day.  You don't come back."

"How?" Serena spoke up.  "What does she need?"

"The darkness is coming.  It is time to go."  With that Estelle got out of bed, and took Serena and Juan's hands.  He looked confused, but obliged, likely to help her snap out of this "mental break".

"We are going.  In three... two... one"  With a snap and Earth blinked out and they appeared at the mushroom portal.  Serena looked over at Juan, who remained slack-jawed, eyes glazed over at this impossible sight.  She slid over to his wings, long and thin like a dragonfly's.  He truly was handsome in fairy form.

"Welcome home Serena.  Welcome to the Fey kingdom!"

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Video by: Naegi Ki