Friends Unite

Chapter 4- The Great Meeting

It was early in the morning and Siluetta was once more sitting in her bedroom, watching the sunrise. It was so beautiful. How Siluetta wished she were the sun!

Just then, there was a tapping at the window. Siluetta ran to open it and in flew a tiny girl in a green dress, wings sprouting out of her back and leaving a trail of sparkles behind her as she flew. Siluetta's mouth hung open.

"Cat got your tongue, girly?" said the little being, laughing merrily.

Siluetta was still too stunned to speak. After a few silent moments, she managed to breathe: "Are you a... fairy?"

"What a silly thing to ask!" the little flying girl put her hands on her hips. "Of course I am! What did you think I was? A grasshopper?" Siluetta stared at her. A fairy was making fun of her! She couldn't believe it!

"Can you grant me a wish?" Siluetta's voice came out in a squeak.

The fairy snorted. "So inconsiderate," she said. "Okay, let's exchange names, and then I might grant you a wish. My name's Nia. What's yours?"

Siluetta summoned up all her courage, and then, in the strongest voice she could manage, she began: "My name is Siluetta, and I wish for an adventure." 

 Nia laughed. "So that is your wish?" she said. "What a coincidence! It just so happens to be my wish, too! So if you want an adventure... then, follow me!" and she flew back out the window again.

 "But Nia," Siluetta said weakly. "I can't..." She trailed off. Was the fairy playing a prank on her? 

She heard Nia's voice calling back to her: "Hurry up! Are you coming or not?" 

Siluetta had no choice but to jump. She fell in a heap on the ground, aching all over, as Nia landed softly beside her.

"Come on!" she said to Siluetta. "Get up!"

 Siluetta heaved herself slowly up to see a boy, just about her own age, sitting cross legged on the ground looking at her.

"That must have been a nasty fall you just had," he said. 

Siluetta felt her face burn red and immediately buried it in her hands. The boy's soft black hair fell over his face, and he was smiling. His smile was the most beautiful one she had ever seen. His whole face lit up and his blue eyes sparkled merrily. All in all, he was the most handsome boy she had ever seen.

"Don't be embarrassed," the boy was speaking again. Siluetta enjoyed the sound of his voice. "There's nothing embarrassing about hurting yourself. Come on, let's introduce ourselves. My name's Edwin. What's yours?"

"S- Siluetta," she stuttered, then buried her face in her hands again. 

"Very well then, Siluetta," Edwin laughed. "Pleased to meet you. And you are...?" he turned to Nia.

"Nia!" the fairy answered loudly. 

"Pleased to meet you, too." 

"What's going on?" Siluetta finally mustered up the courage to ask. "Why are you here?"

Edwin stared at her. His eyes were now swimming with tears."Yesterday," he said quietly, his voice beginning to break. "My house burned down."

Siluetta stared back at Edwin. She felt terrible for him, and she, too, felt her eyes prick with tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"And all I have left," said Edwin. "Is this." He reached into his pocket and drew out a small, leather bound book.

"It's a magic book," he explained. "Usually it's blank, but sometimes, words appear in it, telling me where to go."

Siluetta was astounded. "But... that still doesn't explain how you ended up outside my window," she said uncertainly.

"The book directed me to your cottage," Edwin explained. "Then it told me to sit outside the window and 'wait for my love to arrive.'"

"What does that mean?" Siluetta asked, puzzled. 

"I have no idea," Edwin admitted. "But it seems it was worth it."

The way he had looked at Siluetta when he said it, all tender and admiring, had greatly moved her. Does he love me? she wondered. She found herself hoping that he did. 

"I still haven't told you how I got here," said Nia, rousing Siluetta from her thoughts. "I was bored of Fairyland so I came to this world. Your cottage is the first thing I saw, so I decided to go and see who lived here."

Meanwhile, Edwin was flicking through his book. Suddenly his eyes widened. "Look," he said, showing the page to the others. "The writing in the book has changed again!" Everyone crowded around to see what it said:

Now it is time to move on. Bring your two companions and journey on down the path.

"Hooray!" squealed Nia. "An adventure! That's exactly what I've been hoping for!"

"So have I," said Siluetta. "Come on, let's go!" And so the three companions left the cottage and started off down the road in search of an adventure.