PIXIES OF THE FERNS
The beginning of my Mid Grade Fantasy # three
Fernella’s Magic
M. C. Arvanitis
On her way to collect leaves from the cinnamon fern that grew by
the Sandy water, Fernella Fabrizio skipped along the edge of the Mortals’ Road.
Almost twelve inches in height, tall for a Pixie girl, Fernella lived in the
forest of North West Oregon. The wide paved road ran past the village of
Fernville and through the evergreen forest.
Father had told her to use the path that led into the forest and to stay off the Mortals’ Road. She had ignored him. She did not want to take the chance of running into the winged Forest Fairies who lived in the deepest part of the forest. Pixies and Fairies were enemies. Plus, since the Mortal’s vehicle only traveled the road early in the morning and back again in the evening, she thought she would be safe.
Daydreams of Freddie ran through her thoughts. She had never known someone as talented as he. He spent his time inventing useful things like the cell phone, catching electrons that floated in the air to power them. His wind machine brought electricity to the Fern Folks homes and made life easier for them all. He had even put together a watering system bringing running water from Sandy Water to their houses.
A putrid odor interrupted her thoughts. She fought back a gag. She recognized the smell of the Mortal's vehicle. Its toxic breath could make her deathly sick if she got too close to it. And if she stayed on the road it would run her down, squishing her into a blot on the surface. She knew that to be true. Long ago her Uncle Frank, who had been drinking too much beer, had wandered onto the road. The old timers told the terrible story of how there was nothing left of him but a wet spot.
Fernella
had caught a glimpse of the vehicle when it passed her once before. It was so
tall that all she could see was its four black rolling wheels under rusty grey covers. Last year
Freddie had first seen it from his perch in his watch-out station at the edge
of the village. There had always been talk of Mortals living near by but this
was the only sign of them.
She
felt the ground shake. Another warning. Then she heard a roar. She rushed off
the road and tucked her body under a bright green, arching fern. She held her
nose. A red box-like vehicle slowly passed her. Suddenly it stopped. Two
Mortals climbed out and looked at the large trees that lined the road. Fernella gasped. She had never seen a
Mortal before, but the rumor was right! They were giants. Terrified, she froze. She knew they couldn’t see her, Pixie’s were invisible to Mortals,
but the giants walked toward her!
TO BE CONTINUED
