A Message for Queen Lovely Lilly - James Gerard (best books to read for teens TXT) 📗

barrier and stared at Aine with the same look of puzzlement.

“I have been away for so long, for thousands and thousands of seasons, but I still remember you Loxie and Leena.  I did not forget about you, how could you forget about me?”

Foster heard the sniffling and saw the tears that dripped from Aine’s eyes.

 “I finally made my way back home,” she cried, “and my heart fluttered so when I saw the three of you hovering in the air.  I've waited so long since the horrible, horrible day to find love again."

“How horrible it must have been for you,” said Foster as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Who are you?” asked Aine.

“Oh, this is Foster,” Leena answered.   “He is the only finder fairy.  Father brought him into the world to find the lost fairies from that horrible, horrible day.  Loxie and I were two of the lost fairies Foster found.”

“I am so sorry if I don’t remember,” said Loxie.

“Me too,” said Leena.

“It has to be the creature that is making you forget,” said Aine.

"Wait," said Foster.  "Did you escape from the creature's nets that day?"

"Yes, yes I did."

"Foster, I thought you found all the lost Fairies," Loxie said.  "It was me, Leena, and Solange."

"No," Aine cried.  “The creature never left.  You forgot about me because the creature made you forget.  How else could I know your names but you not mine?  Oh Foster, why did you not find me.”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Without the pixie dust to give power to my wings,” cried Aine, “I was forced to run, walk and crawl on my hands and knees on the grimy ground to get here.  For thousands of seasons I have made my way through all the pesty pests trying to hurt me.  Hosts of hawks hunted me.  Ravenous ravens tried to roast me.  Sneaky snakes sought to swallow me.  Oh how horrible, horrible it was."

Foster looked to the ground and was bewildered.  He knew his father had brought him into the world as a finder fairy, and he was sure that he found everyone that was lost.  Clearly, with Aine so deeply, deeply hurt that no one remembers her, he now knows he failed.  Her aching heart spoke loud.

"Was it you that called us Aine?" asked Loxie.

"Call you?  I do not understand."

"Someone called us here," said Leena.  "Well, to the forest of the mighty oaks that is."

"Oh rejoice," cried Aine.  "Don't you see, the creator called out to you to come and meet me.  Yes, he knew that you could not pass through the barrier but knew I would find my way here just as the three of you arrived."

"But why don't I remember?" asked Foster.

"I told you, it's the work of the creature.  You see, it just didn't leave Queen Findabhair, it stayed around in the world just waiting, waiting to attack again."

"Well, the darkness started when Lilly became ill,” said Foster.

Foster turned and stepped away from the barrier.  He could now see that it was the work of the creature, but the creature did not attack for anything his best and dearest had done, no.  No, he knew for sure that the creature attacked because of what he had done.

“I went along with her wish for more playtime.  Worse, I not only failed Lovely Lilly but failed Father too.  I failed to find all the lost fairies like Father wanted me to do.”

"No Foster, it is not you that made the creature came back,” replied Leena.  "I did after all leave Solange all alone and she died."

"No,” cried Loxie.  "I built all those storage barns.  It was because of me."

"We are all responsible,” Foster cried.  “It just waited for the right time to trap us.”

"But our creator has helped us just in time Foster.  Can't you see.  The creator is helping us at the very last moment," Aine proclaimed.

"How?"

"The creator is leading us to the creature."

"Who is the creature?" asked Leena.

"Not who, but in whom," announced Aine.  "Lovely Lilly."

"No," cried Foster.  “That cannot be true.”

"Impossible," Leena stated.

"That cannot be," Loxie strongly uttered.

"But it's true.  Don't you see.  Look what is happening.  All this is the result of the decisions made by the queen.  That allowed the creature to take control of her and make her ill, bring in the dark and gloomy clouds, and to put up the barrier that has brought the kindom to its end."

"No.  I do not believe it.  Not my best and dearest friend."

"Yes.  To get rid of the creature we have to...we have to give her this."

Foster looked at the glass bottle Aine held in her hand.

"What is it?"

"It will make her sleep.  She will never wake up.  This is the only way.  If someone had thought about doing this when the creature was in Queen Findabhair, then we would not have to do this now.”

Foster lowered his head.  He thought long about what Aine had just said.

"You are right.  It is the only way."

"You want to kill the queen?" cried Leena.

"That is not the way of the fairies," Loxie proclaimed.

"It must be done,” said Foster.

“What?” Leena responded as she began to cry hysterically.

“You cannot do this,” stated Loxie.  He then began to sob uncontrollably.

“Neither one of us can pass through the barrier,” Foster calmly said.

“Have faith in Creator.  We will press our hands on the barrier at the same time.”

Foster did as she said.  Their hands met.  Foster pulled her through.

"Now, you must carry me.  I do not have pixie dust for flying."

"Better yet Aine," responded Foster, "I carry around just a little bit of pixie dust for emergancies.

“Good," she said while her wings began to flap.  "Now, before you put the elixir on her lip Foster, there is something you need to tell her.  It is something that will help her as she goes into the eternal sleep.”

Solange Sees the Light

Without a care in the world, Solange rocketed toward the darkness ahead.  The barrier, described as a very, very dark and scary shield, would not stand in the way.  The harvest was most important.

As Solange neared the barrier, she was puzzled. The reports from the bravest fairies and humans sent by Foster to examine the shield had to be wrong.  It is hardly anything, she thought.  With eyes wide open, she saw the barrier as just a curtain of fine silk spun by spindly spiders. To her surprise, light suddenly cut through the curtain of darkness.

Solange could not believe what she was seeing.  The beautiful sight brought a smile as big as the crescent moon on a warm summer night to her face. Her eyes sparkled like the twinkling stars on a frosty fall evening.    

“Oh my.”

As Solange came even closer, she noticed a path of purple petunias that paved the way to the mellow meadows.  There, the sight of succulent and nourishing fruits and vegetables filled the fields.

Passing through the shield, she noticed the green forests of strong and mighty pine, oak, cedar, and elm trees that stretched high into the crystal blue sky in the distance.  Yellow, red, blue, and violet wildflowers dotted the green, grassy pastures.

“Am I dreaming?” Solange wondered. 

Hovering just about the path of purple petunias, she looked at the crowns of the tallest trees and realized that the darkness was just a mean trick.  The fear reported by the fairies and humans was fake.  The barrier, thought to be as strong as a sturdy stallion, turned out to be as gentle as a baby bunny.

“The reports were wrong.”

As Solange’s thoughts were lost in the lovely land, she did not notice the many fairies flying toward her.

“What is going on?” Solange wondered.

“Look,” a fairy shouted, “it is she we have been waiting for.”

“The finest garden fairy there is,” proclaimed another.

Solange just hovered in the air with mouth agape and eyes popped open wide.  She knew who the fairies were in an instant, but wondered why they were so happy.

Back in the queen’s chamber, when the faceless voice spoke of her shameful behavior, she awoke and realized that the creator had not stopped sending newborn fairies into the world.  Not having Queen Lovely Lilly there to welcome them into the kingdom, they should have been very sad and heart broken, yet none were.  All were very, very happy.  Doubt crept into her thoughts.

Maybe they were followers of the creature.  After all, she figured, what could come out of darkness except dark fairies and humans.

“Hello,” a fairy said as he came to Solange.

“Come with us,” another said.  “You must meet the human.”

“He is so nice and wise.”

Solange smiled.  Two fairies came to her side.  They each took a hold of an arm and guided her over the path of purple petunias.

Up ahead Solange spotted a figure, a young figure.  He was sitting on a big rock in the middle of a mellow meadow spotted with patches of purple petunias.

“Fairies, meet your queen,” the young human announced.

Solange looked at his soft smile and sparkling eyes.  She pulled her arms away from the fairies and slowed until she was still in the air.

“No,” she responded while bowing ever so humbly.  “I am Solange, a simple garden fairy.”

“Stand up Solange.  I am but a simple human.”

Fairies giggled all at once.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Just a traveler.”

A scowl appeared on Solange’s face.  Eyes squinted at the figure.  She could not be sure, but the young human could be one of the creature’s lords from that very, very horrible day.  From Cambria’s story, the human lords were with the creature when it captured them with nets and placed in an underground prison.

“No, no,” laughed the young human.  “I know what you must be thinking, but you are wrong.  I am here to protect the fairies.”

“Protect,” Solange said with a hint of suspicion.

“Yes Solange.  You see, one day I was just walking along when I came across a shield of darkness.  I thought that it was strange because it was a bright, sunny day.  Well, figuring something had to be wrong, I just walked through the shield and to my surprise it was very, very dark and a bit scary to tell you the truth.”

“Then the reports were right after all,” whispered Solange.

“As I walked along,” the young human continued, “I came across this big rock in the middle of this field and decided to sit down.  Then, the most wonderful thing I ever saw happened.  The sun suddenly shined.  Then I saw I was sitting in this mellow meadow with the most delicious looking food I have ever seen.  Well, I was very hungry and started to eat and eat as many apples and apricots, peaches and pears, blueberries and bananas, peanuts and pecans, corn and cucumbers as I could.  Then I drank the best ever cool and crisp rainwater flowing in a slow stream.  After eating, my belly was so full that I became very, very tired.  I then stretched out on this lush green grass in this mellow meadow and fell asleep.”

“Wow,” Solange stated, “you must have been very, very hungry.”

“I was.”

“Wait.  What does that have to do with protecting the fairies?”

“Well, when I woke up I heard a voice say ‘stay here.’”

“Really,” Solange scoffed while placing hands on hips.

“Next thing I knew all these fairies came out of nowhere and started to fly around me.  The voice then