Incoming
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| https://www.pinterest.com/explore/person-falling/?lp=true |
Melissa huffed in the back seat of the silver sedan. Her mother driving recklessly on the highway. Melissa’s long black hair fell in front of her face, and she brushed it away from in front of her blue eyes.
“I know this was short notice honey but imagine all the new beginnings you’ll have!” she said, trying to cheer her up.
Melissa sighed, “Mom moving to the middle of nowhere isn’t my kind of new beginning, maybe a new brand of flip-flops, but not this.”
They pulled up to a neighborhood of largely spaced houses, trees filling the yards making them mini private resorts. Melissa’s mom hopped out tapping vigorously on her phone. “Your father should be here with the truck soon why don’t you hop out and take a look around?”
Melissa moaned in annoyance, but she was curious and decided to investigate. Of course, she couldn’t let her mom know she was interested, or she would never agree to move back to New York City. Melissa just rolled her eyes and began texting her friends nonchalantly.
The house was nice but rustic, a cobbled walkway to the brick steps seemed out of touch and in need of repair, moss grew in the cracks. The yard was in disarray full of tall grass and an unkempt hedge of randomly placed shrubs. There was a theme of nature but, classy making the unkempt yard almost acceptable.
The house was their grandfathers, and for some reason right after he died Melissa's parents bought the house, no question. Well for her parents it was anyway. The home was stable, but by looking at it you would never be able to tell. It looked old and broken, Melissa feared if she sneezed the house would collapse. She quite liked this idea and tried her hardest to sneeze, but no such luck.
A tall fence barricaded the house from the view of the street the moss and vines of some kind had overgrown here covering what was actually left of the fence. Melissa explored further walking into the house and seeing the inside was dusty and old as well, her Parents had bought a dump! What they saw in this place Melissa didn’t know.
Melissa went up the stairs looking at everything in the second level the stairs were narrow but not unsafe or old, in fact, they looked brand new. She hopped up two at a time coming to a landing with a hallway and doors to rooms, but the stairs continued.
“Hmm, strange,” Melissa muttered. She walked up the rest of the stairs, entering the top of the stairs was a door. Melissa opened it and walked into a circular room at a top of the house. She vaguely remembered the exterior of the house having a tower-like shape in the middle, and concluded this was the attic.
It was a circular room with tall windows looking out the front and a seat to sit on under the windows. Melissa spun around looking up at the ceiling admiring the room, it was the only thing she liked about this whole predicament. There was a commotion down the stairs, and she raced down the steps to see people carrying her dresser up the stairs.
“I think I’ll take this room up here,” she called. They carried everything up to the beautiful circle room, and she decided it wouldn’t be so bad. She could hide in her room and read books all day. Who needs people anyway? She decided to check out the yard to see if there was anything worth doing outside. The woods were a little way out but not far enough that she couldn’t hear her mother if she called.
Melissa trudged through the tall grass that hit up to her thighs, brushing her bare calves and ankles making them itch uncontrollably. The woods looked strange to Melissa. The trees were all tall and skinny, not short and neatly kept like the ones she had seen in her neighborhood. Some had leaves others none. They all had light green patches all over their bark, making them look like polka dotted trees. Melissa walked in further admiring how enchanting everything felt. She looked up at the canopy of trees and the cover they provided. She came to a small clearing that looked like someone had cleared themselves. There seemed to be logs positioned like seats for a stage, placed in neat little rows. Melissa walked down the rows and smiled thinking this must be what it’s like to feel important. She sat down on a large stump that was still clinging to life in the soil, the stump was fairly large and seemed out of character with all the thin clusters of trees around. She could see herself sitting here often just being alone and at peace. Melissa probably wouldn’t make friends anyway.
Her parents planned to home school her this semester since she had grown “detached” and needed to be “connected with her family again”. Or so her parents said. Melissa thought she was plenty connected. Her friend told her what they ate for breakfast that morning for crying out loud! How much more connected could she get? She knew everything about her friends, and she would help her mom cook and listen to her dad read sometimes, she thought that was enough, right?
Melissa looked up at the sky staring at the clouds in between the tree leaves. Suddenly as if the sky were falling a dark object flew at Melissa’s face! She was hit square in the nose, it was a miracle it wasn’t bleeding, or broken.
“Ow!” Melissa cried. She grabbed at her nose. Stupid sky! Maybe she wasn’t going to like it here after all. She looked down at the ground and found a nice leather-bound book with strange imprints on it. “Funny, how’d a book get in a tree?” She picked it up brushing off the dirt and looking at the title, it read, ‘The Full History of The Fairy Counsel’. “Hmm, sounds interesting enough.”
Melissa heard her mother calling, so she quickly got up and ran towards the house.
“Oh there you are sweetie, mind helping me organize the kitchen?”
Melissa smiled sure, she brushed a long strand of her black hair away from her face her blue eyes shone with excitement.
“I’d love to,” Melissa said, happily picking up plates and putting them where her heart desired. Melissa loved to cook and her mom wasn't about to complain, they learned she had the talent when she reorganized the kitchen and baked cookies 5 months prior to her move.
She helped her mom organize the kitchen, then cook a meal with their new kitchen, but the whole time her mind was thinking about the book and what was inside. She had never liked books much and thought it strange she was feeling compelled to read a fairy tale, but it was new and exciting, so she let it happen. Melissa had just finished eating when the silence in the room broke.
“So, honey what do you think?” Her dad asked
“It’s okay I guess,” Melissa replied shrugging her shoulders, “may I be excused?”
Her father nodded and Melissa stood up from the floor. They hadn’t finished putting their large dining room table together yet, none of the family had helped with the dream. All her relatives wanted nothing to do with her parents and hardly agreed to come to visit the ‘crack jobs’ of the family. The only other crack job was her grandfather who was the one that started her life, and probably would end it because of the house he decided to own.
She put her dish in the sink and then picked up the book off the counter and headed to her room. The tower looked even cooler with Melissa’s things inside. She felt like a princess locked away in a tower subjected to this awful torture. She sighed, untying the leather on the book and opening it. The book was signed to a Dominic Blakely. Melissa narrowed her eyes. This was her grandfather's name, and this was his old house, what would he have a book on fairies for? He was the first “nut” in the family along with his son and his son’s wife. But why would this strange book be in a tree!? Melissa almost screamed this thought aloud. She began reading the book quietly to herself. Each chapter contained the full life of one fairy and their experience as chief of the fairy kingdom, Melissa thought it was a bit cheesy but the adventure was hard to beat, she couldn’t complain. The book was so good she couldn’t help read it all night. At the end it had a fairy poem or spell she couldn’t tell which since it was written in a different language. Thank goodness there was a translations page with the deciphering code. Melissa read the spell aloud, it read “Tu roc, too toc mal mono ne shak, twi kion leez.”
She translated it to mean roughly, “Today a lost soul, Tomorrow a new man.”
“Huh,” Melissa thought, she looked at her clock and read the time, it was 3:00 in the morning!
Melissa got up to change her clothes when a flash of light blinded her and a loud boom sounded in her ears. For a split-second she saw a streak of lightning in a small window that had a view of the back yard. She blinked quickly and looked out the window again. The image was gone and there was no rain. She marked it off as her mind playing tricks on her. She must be fatigued or something. How else could she explain the impossible? “I need sleep before I turn into my parents,” she mumbled to herself, not bothering to put on pajamas she pulled her blankets over her and slept.
*********************************************************************************
Melissa woke to loud chirping noises early in the morning.
“Stupid birds,” she grumbled, “I might as well get up and shower if I'm awake this early,” she thought. The clock on the nightstand said 6:45, and Melissa was not a morning person. She got ready for the day, once she was out of the shower she could smell bacon, and quickly got ready running down the narrow staircase.
“Good morning sunshine, how'd you sleep?”
“Well enough, found a book yesterday and couldn't put it down.”
“I know the feeling,” her mom said putting slices of bacon onto a plate. “After breakfast, I'm going outside to weed this messy yard so maybe you can explore some more, and we can start home school tomorrow?”
Melissa thought about the offer and smiled knowing exactly where she was going to go. “I'm okay with that.”
They sat to eat breakfast and cleaned up afterward. “Alright, I got a lot to do! Let me know what you find, scavenger Mel's,” her mother teased. This was one of her nicknames her mother liked to throw around. “Be a good scavenger Mel's and find me the peanut butter in the cave of no return,” she would say. Melissa left out the back door heading for the logs and the large stump of the tree. She was starting to love the woods more and more now, the birds didn't annoy her as much, and she didn't care if her designer shoes were a little dusty.
When Melissa got to the clearing she gasped, the big tree stump was black like lightning had hit it. She walked over touching the stump, her hand had a bit of black residue on it, this was strange, lightning should have brought rain with it, but there was no trace of rain anywhere.
Melissa heard a snapping noise and turned around, but there was nothing there. It got louder and all of a sudden she was on the Forest floor with a body on top of her. Melissa screamed and crawled away, traumatized. “What is wrong with these woods! And why does it keep dropping things on me?!” She looked at the body and realized it was a teenage boy, she gasped when she saw his chest rise and fall.
“He's alive! What do I do? Uh…” she began frantically trying to find anything that would make sense. Melissa began pacing in a circle around the boy.
“Okay a person just fell from the sky, it's okay he's not dead yet, he just fell from the sky!” She stopped pacing and realized she needed to find someone to help. He could be dying! “Mom!” Melissa screamed, “Help!”
Melissa kept walking in circles again talking to herself acting jittery as if she had just had the biggest sugar high in her life, her hands shook uncontrollably. “It's okay at least he's not dead, and you don't have to hide a body.” Melissa sighed trying to calm down, she failed at this, because after she took a deep breath she screamed, “A PERSON FELL FROM THE SKY!”
At that moment, the body moaned, and she jumped, “ahh!” she screamed holding her heart because of the shock, “I forgot it was alive,” she said to herself.
“Melissa!?” Her mother called.
“Mom, over here,” Melissa called back. Her mom came into view garden gloves and all. When she saw what was going on she gasped and ran down to the boys’ side elevating his head and holding him in her lap. “Who is this? What happened?” She asked hurriedly.
“I don't know, he just fell on me from out of the sky!”
“Help me get him inside, we'll have your father look at him.”
Melissa nodded and helped carry the boy to the spare room, she sat on the edge of the bed nervously while her mom called for her dad. She heard the mumble of conversation and her asking for a doctor Blakely but didn't make out any words.
The boy’s eyes cracked open slightly and then closed shut, his head went limp as if he had been conscious but had given up. Melissa’s mother walked in, “your father is leaving the hospital right now, he should be here soon.” Melissa nodded and watched the boy.
“You've done enough Mels go ahead and get lunch ready and rest, I'll watch.”
Melissa nodded and went out of the room. She made lunch but felt too worried to eat. She decided to sleep off her worry and take a nap, she was tired anyway. As she lay down she heard her father come in, but she didn't bother getting up, she fell asleep and wished this all was a bad dream.
*********************************************************************************
Melissa woke up, rubbing her eyes. It had been two days since the mysterious boy fell on her, and he was still out of commission. Her dad had said he wasn't severely injured, he most likely had some brain damage, but nothing to worry about. The strange boy would recover soon. Melissa thought about going back to sleep when she heard her mother laughing. She slowly crept down the stairs and stood in the hallway, “That’s the best story I’ve heard in a long time!” She heard her mom say,
“but it’s true!” Said a male voice.
Melissa decided to leave before she was eavesdropping, Melissa went to walk down the stairs when she heard the male voice speak.
“...and that’s when I awoke here.”
“I know this was short notice honey but imagine all the new beginnings you’ll have!” she said, trying to cheer her up.
Melissa sighed, “Mom moving to the middle of nowhere isn’t my kind of new beginning, maybe a new brand of flip-flops, but not this.”
They pulled up to a neighborhood of largely spaced houses, trees filling the yards making them mini private resorts. Melissa’s mom hopped out tapping vigorously on her phone. “Your father should be here with the truck soon why don’t you hop out and take a look around?”
Melissa moaned in annoyance, but she was curious and decided to investigate. Of course, she couldn’t let her mom know she was interested, or she would never agree to move back to New York City. Melissa just rolled her eyes and began texting her friends nonchalantly.
The house was nice but rustic, a cobbled walkway to the brick steps seemed out of touch and in need of repair, moss grew in the cracks. The yard was in disarray full of tall grass and an unkempt hedge of randomly placed shrubs. There was a theme of nature but, classy making the unkempt yard almost acceptable.
The house was their grandfathers, and for some reason right after he died Melissa's parents bought the house, no question. Well for her parents it was anyway. The home was stable, but by looking at it you would never be able to tell. It looked old and broken, Melissa feared if she sneezed the house would collapse. She quite liked this idea and tried her hardest to sneeze, but no such luck.
A tall fence barricaded the house from the view of the street the moss and vines of some kind had overgrown here covering what was actually left of the fence. Melissa explored further walking into the house and seeing the inside was dusty and old as well, her Parents had bought a dump! What they saw in this place Melissa didn’t know.
Melissa went up the stairs looking at everything in the second level the stairs were narrow but not unsafe or old, in fact, they looked brand new. She hopped up two at a time coming to a landing with a hallway and doors to rooms, but the stairs continued.
“Hmm, strange,” Melissa muttered. She walked up the rest of the stairs, entering the top of the stairs was a door. Melissa opened it and walked into a circular room at a top of the house. She vaguely remembered the exterior of the house having a tower-like shape in the middle, and concluded this was the attic.
It was a circular room with tall windows looking out the front and a seat to sit on under the windows. Melissa spun around looking up at the ceiling admiring the room, it was the only thing she liked about this whole predicament. There was a commotion down the stairs, and she raced down the steps to see people carrying her dresser up the stairs.
“I think I’ll take this room up here,” she called. They carried everything up to the beautiful circle room, and she decided it wouldn’t be so bad. She could hide in her room and read books all day. Who needs people anyway? She decided to check out the yard to see if there was anything worth doing outside. The woods were a little way out but not far enough that she couldn’t hear her mother if she called.
Melissa trudged through the tall grass that hit up to her thighs, brushing her bare calves and ankles making them itch uncontrollably. The woods looked strange to Melissa. The trees were all tall and skinny, not short and neatly kept like the ones she had seen in her neighborhood. Some had leaves others none. They all had light green patches all over their bark, making them look like polka dotted trees. Melissa walked in further admiring how enchanting everything felt. She looked up at the canopy of trees and the cover they provided. She came to a small clearing that looked like someone had cleared themselves. There seemed to be logs positioned like seats for a stage, placed in neat little rows. Melissa walked down the rows and smiled thinking this must be what it’s like to feel important. She sat down on a large stump that was still clinging to life in the soil, the stump was fairly large and seemed out of character with all the thin clusters of trees around. She could see herself sitting here often just being alone and at peace. Melissa probably wouldn’t make friends anyway.
Her parents planned to home school her this semester since she had grown “detached” and needed to be “connected with her family again”. Or so her parents said. Melissa thought she was plenty connected. Her friend told her what they ate for breakfast that morning for crying out loud! How much more connected could she get? She knew everything about her friends, and she would help her mom cook and listen to her dad read sometimes, she thought that was enough, right?
Melissa looked up at the sky staring at the clouds in between the tree leaves. Suddenly as if the sky were falling a dark object flew at Melissa’s face! She was hit square in the nose, it was a miracle it wasn’t bleeding, or broken.
“Ow!” Melissa cried. She grabbed at her nose. Stupid sky! Maybe she wasn’t going to like it here after all. She looked down at the ground and found a nice leather-bound book with strange imprints on it. “Funny, how’d a book get in a tree?” She picked it up brushing off the dirt and looking at the title, it read, ‘The Full History of The Fairy Counsel’. “Hmm, sounds interesting enough.”
Melissa heard her mother calling, so she quickly got up and ran towards the house.
“Oh there you are sweetie, mind helping me organize the kitchen?”
Melissa smiled sure, she brushed a long strand of her black hair away from her face her blue eyes shone with excitement.
“I’d love to,” Melissa said, happily picking up plates and putting them where her heart desired. Melissa loved to cook and her mom wasn't about to complain, they learned she had the talent when she reorganized the kitchen and baked cookies 5 months prior to her move.
She helped her mom organize the kitchen, then cook a meal with their new kitchen, but the whole time her mind was thinking about the book and what was inside. She had never liked books much and thought it strange she was feeling compelled to read a fairy tale, but it was new and exciting, so she let it happen. Melissa had just finished eating when the silence in the room broke.
“So, honey what do you think?” Her dad asked
“It’s okay I guess,” Melissa replied shrugging her shoulders, “may I be excused?”
Her father nodded and Melissa stood up from the floor. They hadn’t finished putting their large dining room table together yet, none of the family had helped with the dream. All her relatives wanted nothing to do with her parents and hardly agreed to come to visit the ‘crack jobs’ of the family. The only other crack job was her grandfather who was the one that started her life, and probably would end it because of the house he decided to own.
She put her dish in the sink and then picked up the book off the counter and headed to her room. The tower looked even cooler with Melissa’s things inside. She felt like a princess locked away in a tower subjected to this awful torture. She sighed, untying the leather on the book and opening it. The book was signed to a Dominic Blakely. Melissa narrowed her eyes. This was her grandfather's name, and this was his old house, what would he have a book on fairies for? He was the first “nut” in the family along with his son and his son’s wife. But why would this strange book be in a tree!? Melissa almost screamed this thought aloud. She began reading the book quietly to herself. Each chapter contained the full life of one fairy and their experience as chief of the fairy kingdom, Melissa thought it was a bit cheesy but the adventure was hard to beat, she couldn’t complain. The book was so good she couldn’t help read it all night. At the end it had a fairy poem or spell she couldn’t tell which since it was written in a different language. Thank goodness there was a translations page with the deciphering code. Melissa read the spell aloud, it read “Tu roc, too toc mal mono ne shak, twi kion leez.”
She translated it to mean roughly, “Today a lost soul, Tomorrow a new man.”
“Huh,” Melissa thought, she looked at her clock and read the time, it was 3:00 in the morning!
Melissa got up to change her clothes when a flash of light blinded her and a loud boom sounded in her ears. For a split-second she saw a streak of lightning in a small window that had a view of the back yard. She blinked quickly and looked out the window again. The image was gone and there was no rain. She marked it off as her mind playing tricks on her. She must be fatigued or something. How else could she explain the impossible? “I need sleep before I turn into my parents,” she mumbled to herself, not bothering to put on pajamas she pulled her blankets over her and slept.
*********************************************************************************
Melissa woke to loud chirping noises early in the morning.
“Stupid birds,” she grumbled, “I might as well get up and shower if I'm awake this early,” she thought. The clock on the nightstand said 6:45, and Melissa was not a morning person. She got ready for the day, once she was out of the shower she could smell bacon, and quickly got ready running down the narrow staircase.
“Good morning sunshine, how'd you sleep?”
“Well enough, found a book yesterday and couldn't put it down.”
“I know the feeling,” her mom said putting slices of bacon onto a plate. “After breakfast, I'm going outside to weed this messy yard so maybe you can explore some more, and we can start home school tomorrow?”
Melissa thought about the offer and smiled knowing exactly where she was going to go. “I'm okay with that.”
They sat to eat breakfast and cleaned up afterward. “Alright, I got a lot to do! Let me know what you find, scavenger Mel's,” her mother teased. This was one of her nicknames her mother liked to throw around. “Be a good scavenger Mel's and find me the peanut butter in the cave of no return,” she would say. Melissa left out the back door heading for the logs and the large stump of the tree. She was starting to love the woods more and more now, the birds didn't annoy her as much, and she didn't care if her designer shoes were a little dusty.
When Melissa got to the clearing she gasped, the big tree stump was black like lightning had hit it. She walked over touching the stump, her hand had a bit of black residue on it, this was strange, lightning should have brought rain with it, but there was no trace of rain anywhere.
Melissa heard a snapping noise and turned around, but there was nothing there. It got louder and all of a sudden she was on the Forest floor with a body on top of her. Melissa screamed and crawled away, traumatized. “What is wrong with these woods! And why does it keep dropping things on me?!” She looked at the body and realized it was a teenage boy, she gasped when she saw his chest rise and fall.
“He's alive! What do I do? Uh…” she began frantically trying to find anything that would make sense. Melissa began pacing in a circle around the boy.
“Okay a person just fell from the sky, it's okay he's not dead yet, he just fell from the sky!” She stopped pacing and realized she needed to find someone to help. He could be dying! “Mom!” Melissa screamed, “Help!”
Melissa kept walking in circles again talking to herself acting jittery as if she had just had the biggest sugar high in her life, her hands shook uncontrollably. “It's okay at least he's not dead, and you don't have to hide a body.” Melissa sighed trying to calm down, she failed at this, because after she took a deep breath she screamed, “A PERSON FELL FROM THE SKY!”
At that moment, the body moaned, and she jumped, “ahh!” she screamed holding her heart because of the shock, “I forgot it was alive,” she said to herself.
“Melissa!?” Her mother called.
“Mom, over here,” Melissa called back. Her mom came into view garden gloves and all. When she saw what was going on she gasped and ran down to the boys’ side elevating his head and holding him in her lap. “Who is this? What happened?” She asked hurriedly.
“I don't know, he just fell on me from out of the sky!”
“Help me get him inside, we'll have your father look at him.”
Melissa nodded and helped carry the boy to the spare room, she sat on the edge of the bed nervously while her mom called for her dad. She heard the mumble of conversation and her asking for a doctor Blakely but didn't make out any words.
The boy’s eyes cracked open slightly and then closed shut, his head went limp as if he had been conscious but had given up. Melissa’s mother walked in, “your father is leaving the hospital right now, he should be here soon.” Melissa nodded and watched the boy.
“You've done enough Mels go ahead and get lunch ready and rest, I'll watch.”
Melissa nodded and went out of the room. She made lunch but felt too worried to eat. She decided to sleep off her worry and take a nap, she was tired anyway. As she lay down she heard her father come in, but she didn't bother getting up, she fell asleep and wished this all was a bad dream.
*********************************************************************************
Melissa woke up, rubbing her eyes. It had been two days since the mysterious boy fell on her, and he was still out of commission. Her dad had said he wasn't severely injured, he most likely had some brain damage, but nothing to worry about. The strange boy would recover soon. Melissa thought about going back to sleep when she heard her mother laughing. She slowly crept down the stairs and stood in the hallway, “That’s the best story I’ve heard in a long time!” She heard her mom say,
“but it’s true!” Said a male voice.
Melissa decided to leave before she was eavesdropping, Melissa went to walk down the stairs when she heard the male voice speak.
“...and that’s when I awoke here.”
Chapter 2
Melissa walked down the stairs slowly trying not to make a noise but failed when one of the steps creaked. The talking stopped.
“Mels Is that you?” Her mother called.
Melissa sighed, “yes,” she mumbled, coming down the stairs a bit faster
When Melissa turned the corner, her mom was sitting with the boy holding a mug of possibly coffee, the boy had a mug too, sipping it lightly. “Well good morning sunshine!” Her mother said a little too cheerily for Melissa's taste. “Morning Carol, what are you drinking, and can I have some?”
Melissa's mom shook her head, “no, I don't want you having this its coffee, you don't need something else to fuel those dramatic flames of yours.” She took another drink of her coffee her serious face breaking as she drank a smile leaking out.
Melissa groaned in agony, rolling her head backwards, “mo-o-o-om,” she moaned, “you know mourning and morning sound the same for a reason, right? Let me heal from these wounds and console my soul with coffee. I need it.” In response to this Melissa's mom just looked at her with teasing eyes while sipping her coffee. The boy snorted and almost spit out his coffee, but luckily kept everything in.
Melissa sighed, “fine, I'll make some hot chocolate then, I can dream.” her mother giggled, “Mels, check the pitcher.” She went to the pitcher and saw what appeared to be a dark drink but upon further inspection was hot chocolate. Melissa just stared at the pitcher as her mother, and the mysterious boy laughed at her discovery. Melissa just rolled her eyes, “everyone is out to get me aren't they” she said under her breath.
She turned around and walked to the table sipping her dark hot chocolate, now sitting down she noticed that the book that fell on her was now on the table. “Carol, why is this here?” Her mother sighed, putting her coffee down the boy did the same. “Well, I thought it might give me some clues.”
“Clues? Clues to what” Melissa stared at the book now her interest peaked. “Clues as to why I fell from the sky,” the boy said, Melissa turned to look at him forgetting he was not normal in the house, his messy blonde hair could use a brushing and a trim his hair covered his bright green eyes. “The name's James, pleasure to finally put a beautiful face to the name Melissa.” James' face was easy to look at, and he altogether was pleasant. He wasn't scrawny but certainly no bodybuilder, nonetheless he was quite attractive and Melissa wondered why she hadn't looked at him sooner.
“Oh,” was all Melissa managed to say. “Yes, I forgot I never discussed my theory with you at all.” Carol started, “I was pondering the whole situation and it occurred to me that you had been reading that book your grandfather had and, well long story short I think you summoned James here from his world. Melissa I'm going to sound crazy but, I want you to take it seriously.”
Carol never used her full name unless something was serious, Melissa was worried now. “Okay, I guess.” Her mother nodded, “alright, well I think James isn't from here, like not our world, and that sounds crazy but I think he's a fairy.” Melissa lowered her cup and her face became blank, “okay my family is officially crazy, James I think Carol needs some rest, how about you and I go look for evidence of like a parachute or something. Do you recall what happened right after you fell?”
James shook his head, frowning “Nothing.” Melissa furrowed her brow, “what about like what led up to getting onto a plane? Or what you did like last week?” James again shook his head, “I can only remember my name, my age, and that book.” Melissa looked at her mother, “is this another joke? James? Are you guys trying to be funny, cause this is not funny.” James stood up, “no madam I am not joking, I can only remember my name, my age, and that book. And I won't lie I remember landing on you, sorry about that, by the way.” James had finished his drink and was putting it his mug in the sink. Melissa could hear a slight accent but couldn't place it, but it didn't matter it just made him more attractive.
“Melissa, I know I sound crazy, but I had a thought that maybe the bright flash of light that happened a couple days ago was because of this book. I think you summoned a fairy and that he lost his memory on the trip here. I can prove it because I started feeding him chocolate instead of broth, and he started to show signs of waking up. Chocolate is a common antidote for many things in fairy medicine.”
James nodded, “I believe her, I can't think of any other explanation to why I am 17 and still 5'2”. I think she might be onto something.” Melissa shook her head, “um, no, no, listen to yourselves, a fairy? No fairies have wings, and they are like this small,” Melissa held up her thumb and pointer finger to add emphasis to the tiny size. “James, you are not a fairy, although you are out of this world, that's not the point. Clearly, you are delusional and Carol has gotten into your head. We are going to look for evidence of your fall right now.” She stood up, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door. “I'm sorry Mrs. Blakely, sometimes seeing is believing?” James said watching Melissa put on her shoes, he sounded apologetic to Melissa's mom, sorry that her daughter was so authoritative and had an attitude.
“I'm straightening this out and you are taking a long nap,” Melissa waved a finger at her mother. She left quickly James in toe.
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“So, you believe my mother?” Melissa asked, looking back at the blonde-haired boy.
James nodded, “I feel as if my soul connects with it like I can feel the truth as she speaks it. I think I am not from here on a very large scale.” Melissa's eyebrows furrowed, “humph,” was her only reply. They were coming out of the field now and into the wooded area. They came to a stop at the nicely staged stumps and logs the burned stump looking as black and dead as ever.
“Alright, this is where I fell on you, isn't it? Why don't we get started.”
Melissa nodded, “okay I will start over here you look over there in those trees, tell me if you see anything.” James gave a curt nod and walked in the direction she pointed, but slowly came back, “uh...remind me, what am I looking for again?” Melissa rolled her eyes, typical of him to not know what to look for, boys. “Look for fabric or strings or something like that.”
James blinked once and then spun around looking at the trees, they weren't thickly covered, not much that could hide anything. He began looking at the ground searching for anything that might've fallen like himself. He came upon a wide hole in a tree the roots made a circle and the whole seemed deep. “Hey,” James called, “you might want to take a look at this, maybe?” Melissa trotted up to him and then stopped and saw the hole in the ground. “Wow, that's a big hole but I don't think it's what we're looking for. I wonder how deep it is though, go grab that rock, let's see.” Melissa gestured to a nearby rock and James fetched it handing it to her. Melissa crouched sitting on her heels wobbling every few seconds, she wasn't super balanced. She tossed the rock, and they waited to hear a muffled thud of some kind, nothing. “Hmm, that's odd, Melissa leaned in and as she did so James rested his arm on her shoulder causing her to fall forward into the hole James tumbling right in after her.
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James and Melissa saw the world from a distance slowly flying towards it, and suddenly stopping roughly on the ground. James was on top of Melissa, and he promptly jumped up. “Sorry, didn't mean to do that.” James put his hands on his hips, “where do you suppose we are?” Melissa got up warily, brushing off the dust on her clothes. “I don't know but right now fairies sound really nice.”
James gasped in pain holding his forehead, squeezing is eyes shut. “James, are you alright?” he shook his head, “my head hurts, I'm seeing something, I think it's me I look younger. There's a horse, with one horn a unicorn. I am trying to catch it, I caught it. No... I-I-I hurt it. That's horrible, I'm laughing now it's running away.” James face relaxed, and he opened his eyes, “Melissa, I was a monster to that poor creature, why did I see that? I never want to hurt a poor helpless creature.”
Melissa let out a shaky breath, “first fairies, now this world, now unicorns exist and I have a friend who sees himself injuring helpless animals, great. I think it's time I wake up.” Melissa shrugged her shoulders, “I mean of course we can't be sure it actually happened you don't remember anything, so it could just be an overactive imagination?” James shook his head, “I'm sure that it was a memory. It was in this forest clearing we are standing in right now. Maybe this is where I'm from? Maybe that was a memory of something I did here.”
Melissa furrowed her brows in thought, “maybe, regardless we seem to be stranded here and I need to get back home. The sun looks like its setting here. I suggest we find shelter or maybe civilization. I read it in the book, so that must be what happens when you fall through a hole in the ground. Come on let’s walk around.” James nodded, “you're right we can't stay here who knows what’s in these woods.”
They had only walked a few short minutes when Melissa started complaining about her feet hurting, after an hour of walking she started talking about anything and everything, until finally, she sat down.
“I can't do this anymore, we are stuck here and the woods are full of evil creatures and I'm stuck with a lunatic and, and,” Melissa pulled her knees to her chest breathing heavily. “Whoa, calm down,” James said sitting next to her. “We are going to get you home I promise, we just have to find other people who can tell us how to get you back, don't worry, we're almost out of the woods.” A cheery tune was heard faintly in the distance as if to confirm his statement. James grabbed his head in pain and let out a gasp of discomfort. “James? What's wrong” Melissa became attentive and stopped hugging her knees
“I'm fine, it's alright just another vision I guess.” James let go of his head, “I know where the music is coming from, come on follow me.” James stood up and started walking in a random direction in the woods. “Sure, follow the crazy guy with weird spasms, why not. It's not like I wanted to live anyways.
Despite her complaint, she got up and followed after him. They walked for a little while, the music becoming louder. They reached the edge of the woods and James pulled at some brush to view a tavern, “There it is just like I saw it in my head. Melissa, I hate to say but I think that my visions are definitely memory. I think this is my home, I think we’re in the fairy world.” Melissa rolled her eyes, “fairy world? What is this like a theme park.” James gave her a questioning look, “hmm, a theme park?” Melissa sighed, “never mind. Let’s just go in there and get something to eat I’m starving.” James nodded, “I can agree to that.”
They walked inside the tavern it smelled like a warm broth and bread, with a mix of ale. There was music and the tavern was filled with people with pleasant faces singing along to the Irish sounding song. All of this changed when James entered the room. The room was quite even the music stopped. “YOU,” the bartender looked at him her hair a mess, her smile diminishing. “You’re not welcome here boy,” someone else in the crowd of people said. James backed up the people getting up all of them shouting out accusations like, “rude little boy”, “horrible fairy”, “violent creature”, etc. “I’m sorry, but I am going to have to ask you to leave,” A circular looking man with a handlebar mustache had walked forward his arms folded. “I won’t ask twice.”
James was puzzled at the unpleasantness that greeted him until he had another vision. He saw himself stealing money, bullying the poor, taking what he desired, making the band dance, telling them to play or not to play in rude ways, he saw himself pushing his own wants and desires on the women who worked in the tavern, saying unpleasant things and more. He continued to see all the torment he had caused and it almost brought him to tears, that or the pain from the headache.
“I’m sorry,” was all he could say over and over again. The people in the tavern paused their advance on the newcomers. The owner of the tavern looked at James in awe. “What did you say, my boy?” James apologized again, trying to stop the visions he was seeing. When they finally ceased he was crumpled on the floor in pain, Melissa beside him trying to comfort him.
James looked up, “Mr. Burnwinkle?” He looked at the man standing before him, he acknowledged the name, so he continued. “I was hoping we could work for food, we are lost travelers, I can’t remember who I am, and she’s not from here. I know I’ve hurt you in the past and you despise me from what I saw. I despise myself, I don’t blame any of you for wanting me gone but, I am a changed man. Please, let us stay?” The tavern owner Mr. Burnwinkle eyed him suspiciously, wiggling his mustache in thought. “Alright, if you want, but you have to work until I tell you to stop. I expect some hard work out of the both of you before you get your meals if you do well I might even throw in a room.” James nodded, “Thank you, when can we start.”
“Now hold on a minute,” Melissa interjected, “I am not going to work on this place for food I don’t even clean my own house and I live there.” Mr. Burnwinkle chuckled, “well then I suppose you can get a move on little missy. We don’t serve without pay and if you don’t have pay, you have to work for it.” Melissa thought about this, and she would rather die than clean this grungy old place. She was about to say so when James stomped firmly on her toes causing her to yelp. This made her decision clear, “okay where can I start?”
The tavern owner pointed to a bucket and a mop, as well as the pile of dirty dishes. “You start in here, I need James to work outside. Come on boy.” James was led away out to the back and Melissa was led by the bartender to an apron and some warm water. The room seemed to let go of a breath it had been holding, relaxing and becoming cheery again.
“What’s your name girl?” The bartender asked drying the cups she had freshly washed. “Melissa” she sighed. “That’s a nice name, mine is Opal. How do you know James? If that is, you don’t mind me asking.”
“He fell on me from the sky. I was in the woods exploring, he was in a coma or something and didn’t wake up until a few days later. He’s apparently a fairy and this is his world?” Melissa sighed pausing in her work, “I don’t know I’m just going off of what I’ve been told so far.”
The bartender, Opal looked up, “so he really doesn’t remember. He’s changed we can all see it. Before he was a tyrant, I am just glad when you met him he was different for you.” She wiped her hands dry, “I’ll get started on your meals and making you a place to sleep once you’re finished you can sit at that table.” She gestured to one against the wall. Melissa nodded, pulling out the mop and whipping the floor. James and Mr. Burnwinkle came in to see Melissa drying the tavern floor, the dishes and floor looking spotless. “Oh, finally you’re back, now we can eat. I was told to wait for you.” James appeared different, he seemed to be at peace and sure. Mr. Burnwinkle was much friendlier towards him as well, Melissa assumed they had come to the conclusion he had really lost his memory and this was a fresh start.
After they had eaten they were shown to a nice room with two beds, “make yourself comfortable, we’ll see you in the morning. I know it must seem like a humble room but it’s the best one we got.” Opal said, holding a candle to the room. Melissa was too tired to care if it was fit for a king or not, she plopped onto one of the beds and began falling asleep. James took the other bed and lay down on his back. “I found out something today.” Melissa was interested but too tired to acknowledge her curiosity, “Hmm,” was all she managed. “I asked about traveling to other realms, and Thomas said that it’s easy we just have to get fairy dust from the royal family and it’ll take you where you desire. I have a map, and we can leave tomorrow.” Melissa mumbled a halfhearted “yay.” James let her fall asleep she was definitely tired, she wasn't trying to complain or make any comments.
“Mels Is that you?” Her mother called.
Melissa sighed, “yes,” she mumbled, coming down the stairs a bit faster
When Melissa turned the corner, her mom was sitting with the boy holding a mug of possibly coffee, the boy had a mug too, sipping it lightly. “Well good morning sunshine!” Her mother said a little too cheerily for Melissa's taste. “Morning Carol, what are you drinking, and can I have some?”
Melissa's mom shook her head, “no, I don't want you having this its coffee, you don't need something else to fuel those dramatic flames of yours.” She took another drink of her coffee her serious face breaking as she drank a smile leaking out.
Melissa groaned in agony, rolling her head backwards, “mo-o-o-om,” she moaned, “you know mourning and morning sound the same for a reason, right? Let me heal from these wounds and console my soul with coffee. I need it.” In response to this Melissa's mom just looked at her with teasing eyes while sipping her coffee. The boy snorted and almost spit out his coffee, but luckily kept everything in.
Melissa sighed, “fine, I'll make some hot chocolate then, I can dream.” her mother giggled, “Mels, check the pitcher.” She went to the pitcher and saw what appeared to be a dark drink but upon further inspection was hot chocolate. Melissa just stared at the pitcher as her mother, and the mysterious boy laughed at her discovery. Melissa just rolled her eyes, “everyone is out to get me aren't they” she said under her breath.
She turned around and walked to the table sipping her dark hot chocolate, now sitting down she noticed that the book that fell on her was now on the table. “Carol, why is this here?” Her mother sighed, putting her coffee down the boy did the same. “Well, I thought it might give me some clues.”
“Clues? Clues to what” Melissa stared at the book now her interest peaked. “Clues as to why I fell from the sky,” the boy said, Melissa turned to look at him forgetting he was not normal in the house, his messy blonde hair could use a brushing and a trim his hair covered his bright green eyes. “The name's James, pleasure to finally put a beautiful face to the name Melissa.” James' face was easy to look at, and he altogether was pleasant. He wasn't scrawny but certainly no bodybuilder, nonetheless he was quite attractive and Melissa wondered why she hadn't looked at him sooner.
“Oh,” was all Melissa managed to say. “Yes, I forgot I never discussed my theory with you at all.” Carol started, “I was pondering the whole situation and it occurred to me that you had been reading that book your grandfather had and, well long story short I think you summoned James here from his world. Melissa I'm going to sound crazy but, I want you to take it seriously.”
Carol never used her full name unless something was serious, Melissa was worried now. “Okay, I guess.” Her mother nodded, “alright, well I think James isn't from here, like not our world, and that sounds crazy but I think he's a fairy.” Melissa lowered her cup and her face became blank, “okay my family is officially crazy, James I think Carol needs some rest, how about you and I go look for evidence of like a parachute or something. Do you recall what happened right after you fell?”
James shook his head, frowning “Nothing.” Melissa furrowed her brow, “what about like what led up to getting onto a plane? Or what you did like last week?” James again shook his head, “I can only remember my name, my age, and that book.” Melissa looked at her mother, “is this another joke? James? Are you guys trying to be funny, cause this is not funny.” James stood up, “no madam I am not joking, I can only remember my name, my age, and that book. And I won't lie I remember landing on you, sorry about that, by the way.” James had finished his drink and was putting it his mug in the sink. Melissa could hear a slight accent but couldn't place it, but it didn't matter it just made him more attractive.
“Melissa, I know I sound crazy, but I had a thought that maybe the bright flash of light that happened a couple days ago was because of this book. I think you summoned a fairy and that he lost his memory on the trip here. I can prove it because I started feeding him chocolate instead of broth, and he started to show signs of waking up. Chocolate is a common antidote for many things in fairy medicine.”
James nodded, “I believe her, I can't think of any other explanation to why I am 17 and still 5'2”. I think she might be onto something.” Melissa shook her head, “um, no, no, listen to yourselves, a fairy? No fairies have wings, and they are like this small,” Melissa held up her thumb and pointer finger to add emphasis to the tiny size. “James, you are not a fairy, although you are out of this world, that's not the point. Clearly, you are delusional and Carol has gotten into your head. We are going to look for evidence of your fall right now.” She stood up, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door. “I'm sorry Mrs. Blakely, sometimes seeing is believing?” James said watching Melissa put on her shoes, he sounded apologetic to Melissa's mom, sorry that her daughter was so authoritative and had an attitude.
“I'm straightening this out and you are taking a long nap,” Melissa waved a finger at her mother. She left quickly James in toe.
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“So, you believe my mother?” Melissa asked, looking back at the blonde-haired boy.
James nodded, “I feel as if my soul connects with it like I can feel the truth as she speaks it. I think I am not from here on a very large scale.” Melissa's eyebrows furrowed, “humph,” was her only reply. They were coming out of the field now and into the wooded area. They came to a stop at the nicely staged stumps and logs the burned stump looking as black and dead as ever.
“Alright, this is where I fell on you, isn't it? Why don't we get started.”
Melissa nodded, “okay I will start over here you look over there in those trees, tell me if you see anything.” James gave a curt nod and walked in the direction she pointed, but slowly came back, “uh...remind me, what am I looking for again?” Melissa rolled her eyes, typical of him to not know what to look for, boys. “Look for fabric or strings or something like that.”
James blinked once and then spun around looking at the trees, they weren't thickly covered, not much that could hide anything. He began looking at the ground searching for anything that might've fallen like himself. He came upon a wide hole in a tree the roots made a circle and the whole seemed deep. “Hey,” James called, “you might want to take a look at this, maybe?” Melissa trotted up to him and then stopped and saw the hole in the ground. “Wow, that's a big hole but I don't think it's what we're looking for. I wonder how deep it is though, go grab that rock, let's see.” Melissa gestured to a nearby rock and James fetched it handing it to her. Melissa crouched sitting on her heels wobbling every few seconds, she wasn't super balanced. She tossed the rock, and they waited to hear a muffled thud of some kind, nothing. “Hmm, that's odd, Melissa leaned in and as she did so James rested his arm on her shoulder causing her to fall forward into the hole James tumbling right in after her.
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James and Melissa saw the world from a distance slowly flying towards it, and suddenly stopping roughly on the ground. James was on top of Melissa, and he promptly jumped up. “Sorry, didn't mean to do that.” James put his hands on his hips, “where do you suppose we are?” Melissa got up warily, brushing off the dust on her clothes. “I don't know but right now fairies sound really nice.”
James gasped in pain holding his forehead, squeezing is eyes shut. “James, are you alright?” he shook his head, “my head hurts, I'm seeing something, I think it's me I look younger. There's a horse, with one horn a unicorn. I am trying to catch it, I caught it. No... I-I-I hurt it. That's horrible, I'm laughing now it's running away.” James face relaxed, and he opened his eyes, “Melissa, I was a monster to that poor creature, why did I see that? I never want to hurt a poor helpless creature.”
Melissa let out a shaky breath, “first fairies, now this world, now unicorns exist and I have a friend who sees himself injuring helpless animals, great. I think it's time I wake up.” Melissa shrugged her shoulders, “I mean of course we can't be sure it actually happened you don't remember anything, so it could just be an overactive imagination?” James shook his head, “I'm sure that it was a memory. It was in this forest clearing we are standing in right now. Maybe this is where I'm from? Maybe that was a memory of something I did here.”
Melissa furrowed her brows in thought, “maybe, regardless we seem to be stranded here and I need to get back home. The sun looks like its setting here. I suggest we find shelter or maybe civilization. I read it in the book, so that must be what happens when you fall through a hole in the ground. Come on let’s walk around.” James nodded, “you're right we can't stay here who knows what’s in these woods.”
They had only walked a few short minutes when Melissa started complaining about her feet hurting, after an hour of walking she started talking about anything and everything, until finally, she sat down.
“I can't do this anymore, we are stuck here and the woods are full of evil creatures and I'm stuck with a lunatic and, and,” Melissa pulled her knees to her chest breathing heavily. “Whoa, calm down,” James said sitting next to her. “We are going to get you home I promise, we just have to find other people who can tell us how to get you back, don't worry, we're almost out of the woods.” A cheery tune was heard faintly in the distance as if to confirm his statement. James grabbed his head in pain and let out a gasp of discomfort. “James? What's wrong” Melissa became attentive and stopped hugging her knees
“I'm fine, it's alright just another vision I guess.” James let go of his head, “I know where the music is coming from, come on follow me.” James stood up and started walking in a random direction in the woods. “Sure, follow the crazy guy with weird spasms, why not. It's not like I wanted to live anyways.
Despite her complaint, she got up and followed after him. They walked for a little while, the music becoming louder. They reached the edge of the woods and James pulled at some brush to view a tavern, “There it is just like I saw it in my head. Melissa, I hate to say but I think that my visions are definitely memory. I think this is my home, I think we’re in the fairy world.” Melissa rolled her eyes, “fairy world? What is this like a theme park.” James gave her a questioning look, “hmm, a theme park?” Melissa sighed, “never mind. Let’s just go in there and get something to eat I’m starving.” James nodded, “I can agree to that.”
They walked inside the tavern it smelled like a warm broth and bread, with a mix of ale. There was music and the tavern was filled with people with pleasant faces singing along to the Irish sounding song. All of this changed when James entered the room. The room was quite even the music stopped. “YOU,” the bartender looked at him her hair a mess, her smile diminishing. “You’re not welcome here boy,” someone else in the crowd of people said. James backed up the people getting up all of them shouting out accusations like, “rude little boy”, “horrible fairy”, “violent creature”, etc. “I’m sorry, but I am going to have to ask you to leave,” A circular looking man with a handlebar mustache had walked forward his arms folded. “I won’t ask twice.”
James was puzzled at the unpleasantness that greeted him until he had another vision. He saw himself stealing money, bullying the poor, taking what he desired, making the band dance, telling them to play or not to play in rude ways, he saw himself pushing his own wants and desires on the women who worked in the tavern, saying unpleasant things and more. He continued to see all the torment he had caused and it almost brought him to tears, that or the pain from the headache.
“I’m sorry,” was all he could say over and over again. The people in the tavern paused their advance on the newcomers. The owner of the tavern looked at James in awe. “What did you say, my boy?” James apologized again, trying to stop the visions he was seeing. When they finally ceased he was crumpled on the floor in pain, Melissa beside him trying to comfort him.
James looked up, “Mr. Burnwinkle?” He looked at the man standing before him, he acknowledged the name, so he continued. “I was hoping we could work for food, we are lost travelers, I can’t remember who I am, and she’s not from here. I know I’ve hurt you in the past and you despise me from what I saw. I despise myself, I don’t blame any of you for wanting me gone but, I am a changed man. Please, let us stay?” The tavern owner Mr. Burnwinkle eyed him suspiciously, wiggling his mustache in thought. “Alright, if you want, but you have to work until I tell you to stop. I expect some hard work out of the both of you before you get your meals if you do well I might even throw in a room.” James nodded, “Thank you, when can we start.”
“Now hold on a minute,” Melissa interjected, “I am not going to work on this place for food I don’t even clean my own house and I live there.” Mr. Burnwinkle chuckled, “well then I suppose you can get a move on little missy. We don’t serve without pay and if you don’t have pay, you have to work for it.” Melissa thought about this, and she would rather die than clean this grungy old place. She was about to say so when James stomped firmly on her toes causing her to yelp. This made her decision clear, “okay where can I start?”
The tavern owner pointed to a bucket and a mop, as well as the pile of dirty dishes. “You start in here, I need James to work outside. Come on boy.” James was led away out to the back and Melissa was led by the bartender to an apron and some warm water. The room seemed to let go of a breath it had been holding, relaxing and becoming cheery again.
“What’s your name girl?” The bartender asked drying the cups she had freshly washed. “Melissa” she sighed. “That’s a nice name, mine is Opal. How do you know James? If that is, you don’t mind me asking.”
“He fell on me from the sky. I was in the woods exploring, he was in a coma or something and didn’t wake up until a few days later. He’s apparently a fairy and this is his world?” Melissa sighed pausing in her work, “I don’t know I’m just going off of what I’ve been told so far.”
The bartender, Opal looked up, “so he really doesn’t remember. He’s changed we can all see it. Before he was a tyrant, I am just glad when you met him he was different for you.” She wiped her hands dry, “I’ll get started on your meals and making you a place to sleep once you’re finished you can sit at that table.” She gestured to one against the wall. Melissa nodded, pulling out the mop and whipping the floor. James and Mr. Burnwinkle came in to see Melissa drying the tavern floor, the dishes and floor looking spotless. “Oh, finally you’re back, now we can eat. I was told to wait for you.” James appeared different, he seemed to be at peace and sure. Mr. Burnwinkle was much friendlier towards him as well, Melissa assumed they had come to the conclusion he had really lost his memory and this was a fresh start.
After they had eaten they were shown to a nice room with two beds, “make yourself comfortable, we’ll see you in the morning. I know it must seem like a humble room but it’s the best one we got.” Opal said, holding a candle to the room. Melissa was too tired to care if it was fit for a king or not, she plopped onto one of the beds and began falling asleep. James took the other bed and lay down on his back. “I found out something today.” Melissa was interested but too tired to acknowledge her curiosity, “Hmm,” was all she managed. “I asked about traveling to other realms, and Thomas said that it’s easy we just have to get fairy dust from the royal family and it’ll take you where you desire. I have a map, and we can leave tomorrow.” Melissa mumbled a halfhearted “yay.” James let her fall asleep she was definitely tired, she wasn't trying to complain or make any comments.
Chapter 3
“Good Morning Melissa,” James said as she woke up he had already changed clothes and taken a bath, his wet hair air drying in a shaggy mess. “I have a favor to ask you. I had visions last night. I am, or was, a terrible person I did cruel things to innocent people. I need to make it right, and I thought since it was all going to be on the way to the castle, maybe we could make a stop once in a while so I can apologize for the things I’ve done?” Melissa sat up in bed, “I think that would be alright I don’t see why not, as long as I get home.”
James smiled, “splendid. Let’s eat breakfast and then head out. I already talked to Opal and Thomas they are letting us take a small wagon of provisions and a horse, well unicorn. Except his horn is gone, apparently that’s what allows a unicorn to speak. I took it away from him and I owe him an adventure.” Melissa nodded in confusion, “right, okay, I am just going to head downstairs now.”
“Don’t you want to change your clothes first? Opal altered some clothes for us from stuff they had on hand,” James said pointing to a pile of folded clothes at the foot of her bed. “I’m not going to wear a wench’s clothes, I’m not from here it’s stupid to me.” Now it was Jams’ turn to roll his eyes, “Melissa that’s the point we want to blend in, just because these people are hospitable to foreigners doesn’t mean everyone will.” Melissa sighed, “ok fine, whatever.” She held up the dress it was a nice tan with a darker tan floral pattern it had a thick lace up cincher with an open front green skirt coming out of the sides and back. “wow, this is really plain but pretty?” Melissa was used to a wealthy lifestyle and it shocked her to find that in this case less was more. She looked up to see James staring at her, “get out farmer boy I need to get dressed.” James was startled and quickly paced to the door, “right sorry.”
Melissa quickly put it on adding the leather lace-up boots laying on the floor. She stood looking in the mirror admiring herself. She really was beautiful in anything, even in peasant clothes. Her black hair was much longer than it had been before, it was down to her waist in a tangled mess. Finding a brush, she combed it out and braided it down. Looking around she found a ribbon and tied it off. “there, now to ask someone about my hair.” She opened the door, James was standing in the hall waiting for her, he paused to look at her, “you look stunning.”
Melissa just nodded, “Thanks, quick question, why is my hair this long?” James smiled “well you see here you age faster, this isn’t your realm after all. When I was at your realm my days felt slower. Here I feel normal for you, you’re probably growing two, or three times faster.”
“Weird,” was all Melissa could say, she began to head down the stairs when there was a loud crash. One of the glass pitchers had fallen off the shelves as a group of four men burst into the pub. They all looked mean and ready to cause trouble. Everyone in the room froze in anticipation, even Melissa stopped in her tracks, standing on the last step of the stairs. “What’s all this then?” Said one of the boys, he had a green vest and simple clothes but he swaggered around as if he were the king. “I came for tributes and you all just sit there with nothing for me? Don’t you know who I am?” The man brushed his finger through his greasy brown hair, “I am your money holder, or if you like tax keeper. So, don’t mind me, just going to punish this pub for not paying their dues on time.” As he said this he lifted up a cup and was about to throw it, when a firm hand gripped his wrist.
The man got an angry look and swiftly turned to look at who would dare to stand up to him when he saw James. The man’s eyes got wide and he snapped his fingers on his other hand. The other three boys left in a hurry frightened. James took the cup and let go of his wrist. “I think you’ve overstayed your welcome.” The man nodded still in a daze he muttered, “I have to tell the king,” running out tripping on a table and chairs as he did so. When the door shut behind them the people started to clap, first slowly with one person, but then it became a loud chorus of people cheering and clapping.
James just raised his hands and modestly accepted the applause, walking swiftly out towards the back door. “We should go,” he said to Melissa, grabbing her arm and pulling her away. Melissa followed behind him, “what’s going on?” she hissed. James helped her up on the wagon, then swiftly hefted himself made a clicking noise making the horse move. “I had a vision, they are getting stronger now, faster and more painful. Look I remember those guys they were my friends, we need to follow them they will help me find other people I need to make peace with.” Melissa nodded, he was acting so selfless and courageous, completely opposite from what she was. Melissa thought for a moment if she needed to go on a quest of her own. Had she wronged people, or was she selfish and needed to make things, right? Melissa couldn’t think of anything but, she would be thinking about it more often, they had a long ride after all.
Shortly after riding behind the group of boys they heard shouting up ahead, James urged the horse faster, they came upon an old woman with a broken cart, throwing her fist in the air, “Scumbags!” she cried.
“Excuse me ma’am, can we help?” The old woman turned around to look at them. James hopped off the cart, walking up to her. “oh my, aren’t you a handsome young man.” The woman had a cane and was hunched over with crazy curls hugging tightly to her head. “Those ruffians destroyed my wheel and took all my clinking noise things,” James lifted an eyebrow, “you mean coins?” The lady nodded absently, mumbling “yes, yes, yes,” she moved randomly about and it appeared she was a bit insane. “I think she’s crazy, maybe we should just leave her here for the next do-gooder?” Melissa whispered to James. “We can’t leave her here, she’s vulnerable.” Melissa sighed, “James, she is a crazy old lady with no possessions and a broken cart, I’m sure she’ll be fine we have people you need to apologize to; besides we can’t help her we only have enough for ourselves.” James nodded, “well, let’s help her however we can, I’m not sure what else we can do besides try and fix her cart.”
“I’ll come with you! I gotta go that way anywho,” The old lady said popping out of nowhere, “AHH” James and Melissa screamed. The old lady poked her cane at Melissa, “you’re not from these parts are, yah?” She dropped her cane, “mm-hmm, I may be able to help you two, that is if you help me?” James eyed her cautiously, “I’m assuming you mean give you safe passage?” She lit up, “now you’re gettin’ it, where are we headed?” Melissa rolled her eyes, “we are going to the castle, one to get me from this crazy place, and two to help him make peace with his past.” The old lady nodded, “mm-hmm, that’s very noble of yah, when are we startin’?”
“Right now, let’s go uh…miss?” James held out a hand twirling it to signal for a name. “Miss Elenore, you can call me L. Now let’s get on this do-hickey and hit the dirt.”
“does she mean to hit the road?” Melissa mumbled to James, who in turn shook his head trying not to giggle at the old bubbly woman. “I meant to hit the dirt missy, now let’s go.”
James and Melissa jumped as she appeared behind them, they both looked at each other worried about what they had gotten themselves into. “We better start now then, I suppose we couldn’t stop her even if we wanted to, she seems very determined.”
************************************************************************
James Melissa and now May made camp for the night, they were on the outskirts of the castle and had traveled a long way to meet with someone James had taken livestock from. Melissa didn’t really care she was very confused and amused by May. May had all kinds of stories to tell, and she was enjoying herself by the fire yapping about whatever she deemed important.
“yah know what May is short for?” Melissa shook her head, “no, what? Maybell or something?” May shook her head, “Mayonnaise,” she said. Melissa squinted at her not sure if she was serious or not. May giggled, “I’m just messing with you, May is short for Mayith.” Melissa looked up at May again realizing she had zoned out looking at the fire until just then. “Mayith? Why is that your name?” May sighed, “well it’s a long story, I was just barely a baby and my mom was going to do my ceremony to give me my name. Well, all of a sudden there comes this guy with a sword and armor, a-a-a, whatcha call it?” May flapped her hand trying to beckon an answer from thin air. “A knight?” James said they turned to see him sitting down beside them. “Oh, James good you’re back, how was apologizing?” James smiled, “it went well, how have you two been?” Melissa took a deep breath and grinned widely, so much that it seemed fake, “just dandy.” James nodded apologetically at Melissa for leaving her with miss crazy.
“Do you kids want to know how I got my scars?” May asked. Melissa looked at her quizzically, “May you don’t have any scars.” May lifted her skirt up just above her knee, “Ah-hah! None that you could see.” May tossed her skirt down and sat down smiling proud of her discovery. “uh-huh, ok well, I need some sleep, big day tomorrow. Goodnight May, James,” Melissa stood up and scurried away, disappearing into her tent.
James watched her go, so when May was right next to his face when he turned around he yelped and jumped falling off his stump. “MAY,” he cried. “whoops, sorry bout that, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just thought it would be easier to whisper if I wasn’t five feet over yonder.” James took a deep breath to calm himself down. “It’s perfectly fine, just next time make noise when you walk or something, you’re creeping me out.” James sat back on his stump, May had scooted hers over next to his and she sat, watching him. “What?” He asked, May just looked up at him, James sighed, “how did you get your scars May.” May smiled, “well I’m glad you asked. I was swimming in some water, it was terrible tasting water, super salty, anyways, I was swimming and these things came up to me. I can’t remember whatcha call um. Flat like a pancake? They are pancake fish well anways, they have these nice long tails and one of them zapped me! Imagine that I was minding my own business and one had the nerve to sting me.” James just nodded his head, “how unfortunate May, I never would have guessed that’s how you got those scars,” May smiled as if he had given her an okay to complain about the injustice. “I’m sure you being a prince an all people would warn you about stinging pancake things.”
James looked at her, “what did you just say?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to take offense to that I just meant, seeing how as you’re a part of the royal family you would get treated all special like.” Somehow May was now crocheting a green colored yarn into the form of a blanket, as she talked she nervously worked with her hands. “May, that’s not what I meant, you said I’m a prince? I’m part of the royal family?” May nodded and she stopped crocheting, a poof of smoke and it was gone. “May!? What is going on, you can magically poof things away and you are acting really weird. Well, weirder than normal.” May looked around, paranoid, “promise to keep your voice down now boy, the trees are listening, I don’t know if they’re on his side.”
“who’s side? I am really confused; will you just answer my question?”
May sighed, “James, you are heir to the throne, the whole land new when you came back, we were commanded to never tell you who you were. We knew you wouldn’t remember anything, and we were supposed to treat you like a regular peasant. Listen closely, Garith is after the book. Don’t let him have it, he’ll use it to take the throne completely. It’s up to you to take back the kingdom and take claim to the throne, you are the next king after all.”
James looked at her wide eyes mouth open, “I’m sorry what? How am I supposed to take back the throne? Who’s Garith and what book? May you’re a crazy lady and you’re leaving me with a lot of questions here.” May looked around worried and stood up. “looky there, it’s time for bed, well goodnight James happy dreamin.” May materialized her cane and hobbled to a mini tent, slipping inside. James huffed, and threw a stick into the fire. “Some help you are,” he mumbled. James pulled put a sleeping roll and sat down by the fire, he was the first watch on the fire. He tried not to think about what May had said and what it all meant. He wished it was just her, being well, her. Something told James that it wasn’t, and it worried him. He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.
************************************************************************
James Melissa and now May made camp for the night, they were on the outskirts of the castle and had traveled a long way to meet with someone James had taken livestock from. Melissa didn’t really care she was very confused and amused by May. May had all kinds of stories to tell, and she was enjoying herself by the fire yapping about whatever she deemed important.
“yah know what May is short for?” Melissa shook her head, “no, what? Maybell or something?” May shook her head, “Mayonnaise,” she said. Melissa squinted at her not sure if she was serious or not. May giggled, “I’m just messing with you, May is short for Mayith.” Melissa looked up at May again realizing she had zoned out looking at the fire until just then. “Mayith? Why is that your name?” May sighed, “well it’s a long story, I was just barely a baby and my mom was going to do my ceremony to give me my name. Well, all of a sudden there comes this guy with a sword and armor, a-a-a, whatcha call it?” May flapped her hand trying to beckon an answer from thin air. “A knight?” James said they turned to see him sitting down beside them. “Oh, James good you’re back, how was apologizing?” James smiled, “it went well, how have you two been?” Melissa took a deep breath and grinned widely, so much that it seemed fake, “just dandy.” James nodded apologetically at Melissa for leaving her with miss crazy.
“Do you kids want to know how I got my scars?” May asked. Melissa looked at her quizzically, “May you don’t have any scars.” May lifted her skirt up just above her knee, “Ah-hah! None that you could see.” May tossed her skirt down and sat down smiling proud of her discovery. “uh-huh, ok well, I need some sleep, big day tomorrow. Goodnight May, James,” Melissa stood up and scurried away, disappearing into her tent.
James watched her go, so when May was right next to his face when he turned around he yelped and jumped falling off his stump. “MAY,” he cried. “whoops, sorry bout that, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just thought it would be easier to whisper if I wasn’t five feet over yonder.” James took a deep breath to calm himself down. “It’s perfectly fine, just next time make noise when you walk or something, you’re creeping me out.” James sat back on his stump, May had scooted hers over next to his and she sat, watching him. “What?” He asked, May just looked up at him, James sighed, “how did you get your scars May.” May smiled, “well I’m glad you asked. I was swimming in some water, it was terrible tasting water, super salty, anyways, I was swimming and these things came up to me. I can’t remember whatcha call um. Flat like a pancake? They are pancake fish well anways, they have these nice long tails and one of them zapped me! Imagine that I was minding my own business and one had the nerve to sting me.” James just nodded his head, “how unfortunate May, I never would have guessed that’s how you got those scars,” May smiled as if he had given her an okay to complain about the injustice. “I’m sure you being a prince an all people would warn you about stinging pancake things.”
James looked at her, “what did you just say?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to take offense to that I just meant, seeing how as you’re a part of the royal family you would get treated all special like.” Somehow May was now crocheting a green colored yarn into the form of a blanket, as she talked she nervously worked with her hands. “May, that’s not what I meant, you said I’m a prince? I’m part of the royal family?” May nodded and she stopped crocheting, a poof of smoke and it was gone. “May!? What is going on, you can magically poof things away and you are acting really weird. Well, weirder than normal.” May looked around, paranoid, “promise to keep your voice down now boy, the trees are listening, I don’t know if they’re on his side.”
“who’s side? I am really confused; will you just answer my question?”
May sighed, “James, you are heir to the throne, the whole land new when you came back, we were commanded to never tell you who you were. We knew you wouldn’t remember anything, and we were supposed to treat you like a regular peasant. Listen closely, Garith is after the book. Don’t let him have it, he’ll use it to take the throne completely. It’s up to you to take back the kingdom and take claim to the throne, you are the next king after all.”
James looked at her wide eyes mouth open, “I’m sorry what? How am I supposed to take back the throne? Who’s Garith and what book? May you’re a crazy lady and you’re leaving me with a lot of questions here.” May looked around worried and stood up. “looky there, it’s time for bed, well goodnight James happy dreamin.” May materialized her cane and hobbled to a mini tent, slipping inside. James huffed, and threw a stick into the fire. “Some help you are,” he mumbled. James pulled put a sleeping roll and sat down by the fire, he was the first watch on the fire. He tried not to think about what May had said and what it all meant. He wished it was just her, being well, her. Something told James that it wasn’t, and it worried him. He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.
James awoke startled by a rustling noise. The fire was out, but that wasn’t what woke him. There was rustling in the woods, and it wasn’t windy. He sat up looking around but unable to see much in the dark. He peered into the forest seeing blobs of shadows unsure if they were his imagination or someone there. James stood up trying to get a better view when a small light appeared and a shadow of a crowd could be seen. More lights appeared until there was a circle, they were surrounded. Peculiar creatures with pink slimy like skin marched out holding sticks and stones. James watched them eerily, in a flash he saw the creatures in memory, they were different however with fur instead of the slimy pink skin. They were about the size of a small monkey but their arms and legs were bent in a right angle, making it impossible for their arms to be straight. They were bony creatures with little muscle and their faces flat. In the vision, he watched himself burn them, all the creatures, families, a whole village. The creatures kept inching closer and closer as if they were stalking prey. “Now I know you’re all in pain and really mad, but I am different now. I apologize for what I’ve done, please let me fix this?” James had tears in his eyes from the vision or fear he didn’t know. All the torches the creatures were holding puffed out. “Hello?” James said questioningly. All at once they pounced and James was on the ground, he could feel the creatures beating him with rocks and kicking his body. He could only curl into a ball to protect his head and vital organs. James cried out in pain when they kicked a soft spot on his back, which encouraged the vengeful creatures, they all made screeching noises. They kept attacking, James unable to defend himself in the swarm of bodies. All of a sudden Melissa was there crying out for them to stop grabbing the creatures and flinging their bodies away, “get off him!”
They fought back and the swarm got to her too attacking in a blind rage. Melissa fell down next to James but unlike him, she was not fortunate enough to curl into a ball. The pain was almost unbearable and just as suddenly as it began it stopped. James was still curled into a ball shaking Melissa was faint her lip bleeding, she looked up to see a large figure holding a torch and some small shiny thing which he pocketed. “don’t worry I’m here now.” The figure crouched and Melissa’s view faded, her injuries taking their toll.
They fought back and the swarm got to her too attacking in a blind rage. Melissa fell down next to James but unlike him, she was not fortunate enough to curl into a ball. The pain was almost unbearable and just as suddenly as it began it stopped. James was still curled into a ball shaking Melissa was faint her lip bleeding, she looked up to see a large figure holding a torch and some small shiny thing which he pocketed. “don’t worry I’m here now.” The figure crouched and Melissa’s view faded, her injuries taking their toll.
Chapter 4
Melissa awoke in a cave-like room the walls were very
textured and rocky, there was an animal skin for a door and the bed she was
laying on was made of straw and wood. Confused she sat up only to wince in pain
at her injuries. She must have winced loudly because someone was walking
towards her room. She lay back down and shut her eyes praying she wasn’t going
to be eaten alive by a worse animal or a sacrifice. Although she wouldn’t mind
being a sacrifice, it would just prove her beauty anyway, which Melissa thought
wasn’t so bad in the end. She felt the presence of someone leaning over her,
Melissa fought the urge to squint her eyes shut.
“If I didn’t know what my granddaughter looked like when
she was fake sleeping, I’d be a fool. Open that eye for me, darling, I need to
take a look at that bruise.”
Melissa’s eyes flashed open, “grandpa!?” It was him,
beard, potbelly, rosy cheeks, and all. He was wearing a furry coat and leather boots
with a nice pair of pants. His hair was dark like hers was, but his eyes were a
gentle brown, almost hazel. His deep
voice could be heard as he chuckled a little.
“But, you’re dead,” Melissa said feeling like the this
was a bit eerie, not sure if she could trust him. Maybe this was all a trick?
“You were always an observant one weren’t yah?” The
jolly man said. Melissa tried to sit up again but she wasn’t able to without
some help her sides were sore from being kicked at. “My head kind of hurts,”
she mumbled rubbing her head. “I know,
it’ll all feel better in time. Those Tainttree gave you two some trouble didn’t
they.”
“I’m sorry, how are you alive? I saw you buried, I saw
you in your casket. I was there when you took your last breath in that hospital
bed. Why are you pretending to be my grandfather?” Melissa said accusation
could be heard clearly in her voice. The old man sighed. “Melissa, I was never
completely honest with you, and for that I’m sorry but I had to do things in
order to keep you and everyone else safe.”
“What do you mean? Safe from what,” Melissa questioned.
“Safe from discovery, you see I am the watchman of the fairy kingdom.”
“The, wa-wha-what?”
“Watchman of the Fairy Kingdom, it’s a very high honor,
you record the life of the kings and you make sure nobody finds out this place
exists. It’s started becoming harder to manage the real world and this one, I
decided to die so to speak, in order to live here, where I can protect this
realm from discovery. It seems I didn’t do a good job doing it though since
you’re here. Why are you here by the way?”
“I’m here because James fell on me from the sky, and we
then fell through a hole in a tree, in your backyard actually. We live at your
house now.”
“Oh,” Melissa sat in silence as he thought, “I never
anticipated you living there, I thought my house would just rot away with me
being gone.”
Melissa looked around the room, “where is James anyway?
Also, we were traveling with an old lady, did you by chance take her with you
too, is she here?”
Her grandfather chuckled, “slow down little one, don’t
worry about a thing we’ll get things straightened out in due time. For now, you
need to rest so those bruises will heal up. As for James he’s here, the woman
you spoke of I didn’t find, I can go back and look I suppose, see if she’s
still there?” He stroked his scruff in thought.
“well, we promised her safe passage to the castle, so I
would if I were you, she might yell at you even if you had nothing to do with
her being abandoned in the woods.”
“she sounds like a woman to me, I’ll go find her, you
get some rest, we can talk about all the logistics you got later.” Melissa’s
grandfather stood up and sighed walking out the room but not before smiling at
Melissa one last time. He then left her in the room alone the animal skin
flapped as it fell covering her view of the next room.
Melissa shut her eyes
laying back down, her head pounding. Perhaps sleep wasn’t such a bad idea. She
slowly fell asleep occasionally her eyes would open slightly just to be sure
she wasn’t dreaming.
Melissa woke to a loud clamor of noise, it sounded like
pots and pans, it echoed in the cave room.
She sat up quickly and hopped out of the bed, making her way to the door
she heard two male voices, one was her grandpa the other James. There was a
third voice and she listened, it was the crazy old lady May. She didn’t
hesitate, Melissa pushing the brown animal skin back to reveal a well-lit
circular room. There was a big table in the middle and a stove looking corner.
All around the room were openings for other rooms and hallways. The light was
coming from all the fires lit on torches. Melissa’s grandfather turned around
to see her and put down the pan he had.
“Good evening missy, how was your rest?”
Melissa cleared her throat, “fine,” she reached up to touch her bruised
eye and cut lip, but there was nothing there. Melissa sat in confused silence
as her grandfather cut the pizza on the pan.
“Almost forgot, May is a fairy godmother, when I went to
find her she said she could fix a few of your cuts and bruises. What luck
huh.” May and James were sitting at the
table James’ cheek were bruised and looked puffed up. His arms and legs were no
better. “Are you okay?” She asked James.
He smiled weakly, “I’ll be alright, I think it was about time my apologies were
accepted with a little hostility. We are planning to storm the castle, by the way, want to help plan?” James pointed at the paper in front of them, then
looked up at her far-off glance, “sorry you’re probably not ready to move on
from all the random stuff that’s been happening.”
Melissa sighed and waved a hand still zoned out, “no,
no, it’s fine I just got beaten up by random creatures, then saved by my dead
grandpa, wake up with a lot of hurt and injury, go back to bed and when I wake
up turns out I’m not so injured anymore. Oh, and on top of that we’re storming
the castle with a ghost, an old lady, a beaten-up vegetable, and an adolescent.
Nothing too random at all.” Melissa said shoving a pizza into her mouth. Her
grandfather chuckled, “you’re always giving people trouble, aren’t you?”
James and May sat quietly as Melissa ate, she glared at
them and her grandfather. “So, any more surprises? Is this going to be all the
crazy I deal with?”
May cleared her throat awkwardly, “James is the lost
prince, and I’m not a crazy old hag, that’s my cover.” Everyone shook their
heads, and Melissa finished her pizza. “Okay, I’m in tell me how we’re pulling
all this off, I really want to wake up from this dream now.”
“Well, we are going to need some help, obviously we
cannot storm the castle alone.” Melissa’s grandpa stated. “Don’t worry I know a
guy who can get us in,” May said.
“Okay. James, do you think the people will follow you
since you’ve been going around playing sorry?” Melissa chuckled at her
grandfathers’ joke. May and James looked at her questioningly, but she just
waved them off. James looked at
Melissa’s grandfather, “I think so sir.”
“Bill will be just fine, son.” He said, straightening
out the map. “Now, after we get inside we need disguises to blend in till we
come upon Garith, that’s his cousin by the way,” Bill looked at his
granddaughter to make sure she was following along. “I know a guy who can get
disguises,” May said. Melissa furrowed her brow so Bill continued.
“I’m going to use those taintree as a way of
distraction, and while people are distracted you and James are going to find
Garith, most likely in the throne room or in the chambers directly behind it.
Once he’s found you’ll have him surrender the rest of your memories and take
him prisoner.”
James nodded, “after that, I announce my return and get
things back to normal.”
“Don’t forget to set your family free, that dungeon
isn’t the most sanitary,” May said. Melissa nodded randomly, not really
listening, helping herself to the pizza. Melissa tried to recall the last time
she had had pizza, she couldn’t remember. Melissa was just grateful she had
something other than peasant food.
“we’ll leave early morning. Any questions about the
plan?” Bill said Melissa blinked realizing she had just missed the whole
conversation. What was the plan again? She didn’t know, but she didn’t care.
“I’ll stay here tomorrow, you guys have fun, I’m waiting to wake up.”
“What part of this makes you think it’s a dream?” Asked
May. Melissa frowned, “I don’t know what do you think? Maybe the fact that I’ve
been lied to, for pretty much everything?”
Everyone sat in awkward silence as Melissa yelled at
them tears welling up into her eyes, “I never wanted to be here, I just want to
go home.” Melissa hid her head in her knees crying.
Bill bent down, putting an arm around her, “Melissa, we
are going to get you home please just calm down.”
Melissa took a couple deep breaths, “okay, what do I
have to do?”
wow cliff hanger I hate those but anyways great job! I'm loving it so far.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry! I am going to finish posting and writing today if I can :)
DeleteInteresting story. I'm ready to read the rest when you get back a round tuit! :)
ReplyDeleteI got confused somewhere. The crazy lady introduces herself as Miss Elenore, but "you can call me L". In the next paragraph, her name is May. Or do I have the wrong person? Help me understand!
ReplyDelete