The Last Fairy Tale (13 page)

 Olivia’s eyes widened even more. She had become entranced by the Great Fairy’s story, and had even allowed herself to believe that what he was saying was the truth.

 “As a young man, the human without a fairy began to study forbidden powers. You see, he had a strong connection to the Stream, but without a fairy, he lacked the ability to comprehend the consequences that would result from using dark, powerful magic. It wasn’t long before he had discovered the very link that bound us to humans. He studied it and soon found a way to sever it.”

 Everyone sat in silence. The kami were silent out of respect. Locke and Olivia, however, were silent out of astonishment. After a moment, the Great Fairy continued.

 “Humans become monsters when they attempt to live without fairies. They grow hungry for power, leadership, and glory. They forget what it means to truly live and become confused about right and wrong. And so, needless to say, after many of the humans had severed ties with their fairies, they began a new age and, with it, a new way of life. At first, in a show of superiority, the humans demanded that all magical creatures cross the sea to never return, but their greed and newfound knowledge led them to the discovery of other planes of existence. They opened a rift to an identical parallel world and banished the fairies and all other magical creatures for good.” He stopped and wiped a tear from his wrinkly cheek. He took a moment to focus and continued.

 “Many centuries passed. The humans prospered in their new age, tearing down the civilizations we helped them build and rebuilding them as they saw fit. They even destroyed their fairy tree as a symbol of their independence. However, with each generation of humans, less was known about true magic. The humans had begun to create their own form of power, one that was based around logic. Soon, all knowledge of magic was forgotten, and the humans were forced to rely solely on their own creation, science, to carry on with life. Elaborate cities became small settlements as disease and illness began to take the lives of many. Their science was still young, and could not help them solve these problems. They were eventually reduced to small tribes, fighting each other for the resources to stay alive. And so begins history as you understand it, Olivia.”

 “Wow…I…” Olivia stammered. She didn’t know what to say. The Great Fairy’s story sounded ridiculous, but she believed it.

 “One moment, Olivia,” said the Great Fairy, holding up one root-like finger. “That is only one half of it. We also had problems on our side of the rift. As the centuries passed, fairies began to die out. Because no humans were born into this world, this Great Fairy Tree no longer gave life to newborn fairies. Now, many years later, only I remain. I am the last of my kind.”

 “Yes, these matters are all tragic,” Flaym said, “but I must say, we need to press on with more urgent matters.”

 “Flaym! Don’t you have a heart?” Duhrt exclaimed. “Let the Old One tell his tale. The girl deserves to hear it.”

 “No, no, it is quite alright,” the Great Fairy said. “He is right. We must get to more pressing matters. I have said all that I wanted to.”

 “Well, I will begin, then,” Duhrt said, looking over at Flaym, who turned his face away from her. She turned back to Olivia. “As you can see, the humans aren’t the smartest of creatures when left alone. A very long time ago, when they banished all the magical creatures to Aeldyn, the humans began using more and more resources to build their settlements. They consumed so many so quickly, in fact, that we couldn’t replenish the resources fast enough.”

“So, we tried to correct them!” Flaym shouted. “But what good did that do?” Flaym’s crown began to glow brighter with its flames reaching higher. “Volcano after volcano, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes. None of it fazed the humans. They take and take and take some more, never thinking of the consequences and
never
 giving in return!”

 “Calm down, Flaym,” said Rayn. “This isn’t the time to get upset about the past. You can’t do anything to change it. What we need to focus on is our current predicament. The one which we came here to discuss.”

 Flaym haughtily cleared his throat. “Sorry. Let’s get on with it then.”

 “Olivia…” Rayn began. She sighed. “This is obviously more than any one person should ever have to take in at once, but just try to bear with me as I explain why you’re here.”

 Olivia nodded in agreement.

 “This world is slowly on its way to becoming as horrible and bleak as your own,” said Rayn.

 Olivia recalled how the world outside the orphanage looked. She remembered the dark, desolate wasteland and the twisted creatures that had chased her to the tree. “But how?” she asked.

 “Well,” said Duhrt, “a few decades ago, we noticed that some of the same irresponsible consumption of resources that had occurred in your world was occurring in the northeast of Aeldyn. At first, we thought that perhaps a group of rogue creatures was responsible, but it would be extremely unusual for the creatures of Aeldyn to behave that way.”

 “So we came up with another hunch!” shouted Briiz. “And we found a human!” Everyone turned and looked at him. He seemed to sink back into his seat. “Oh…I hope I didn’t ruin the story.” He giggled nervously.

 “No, Briiz,” said Duhrt patiently. “That’s actually where I was headed.” She turned back to Olivia. “Olivia, we believe the human in the northeast is going to slowly turn this world into what yours has become. We have tried our best, through many, many ages, to help save your world from destruction, but it’s too far gone. Humans are very difficult to reason with.”

 “So, Olivia,” said the Great Fairy, “we believe that you can help us fix this before it is too late.”

 “But why me? I’m also a human,” said Olivia.

 “Ah, that is a question I would like to answer right now,” the Great Fairy said. “You, Olivia, stand apart from other humans. You defy the very definition of human nature. You are very special, indeed.”

 Olivia didn’t know what to say. She wondered if he meant that she wasn’t human because of her altered genes. “What do you mean?” she finally asked.

 “It shows when you are afraid, Olivia,” the Great Fairy responded. “When all seems lost to you, you still do not lose hope. Do you see yet?” He paused for a moment, although he didn’t expect her to answer. “You have a wonderful heart, Olivia. And with it comes love, courage, and hope… And I believe that is what it will take in order to put an end to this evil.”

 “Yes, and she is also very smart,” added Flaym. “This, too, will play a large role.”

 “I still don’t understand,” Olivia said. She was on the verge of tears. “I don’t think I can do what you want me to do. I’m just a girl. I’m not special. I just want to go back home, back to Nachton, to make sure he’s okay.” She began to cry, though she tried her best to hold it back.

“Please listen, Olivia,” the Great Fairy said gently. “We knew when we brought you here that it would be too much for any one person to understand all at once. But I’ve exhausted all of my options, and after a meeting with the kami and Ink, I decided the best and
only
 option was to ask you for help. I know that it is a lot to ask, but you are indeed special. You have something no other human has. We will end this meeting by giving you a choice, Olivia. If you want to try to aid us in saving Aeldyn, then we will help you to do so and provide you with everything you need. If you want to return to your world, then we will also help you to do that. It is up to you, my child.” The Great Fairy rose from his seat and hobbled over to her. He placed one hand over hers, leaned in close, and whispered, “There is no shame in either choice, Olivia. Make your decision knowing that.”

 The Great Fairy turned and raised his arms. “I believe this concludes our meeting. If any of you wish to stay, then please feel free to do so. I will be showing Olivia to her room so that she may think in peace.”

 The kami rose from their seats and floated over to Olivia. Locke stood and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. They stood in silence for a moment as Olivia wiped tears from her eyes.

 “I would just like to thank you for coming and hearing what we had to say,” Duhrt said.

 “Yes,” Flaym added. “It takes a lot of bravery to do even that.”

 “Indeed it does!” Briiz exclaimed. “I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it. Heh heh.”

 “We should probably be going,” Rayn said. “We’ll leave you to think in peace, Olivia. Thank you again.”

 Olivia sniffed and looked up at them. She nodded, wiping her nose. The kami moved to the center of the mound and formed a circle. The crowns around their heads began to fade. It wasn’t long before they were completely gone and the cloaks and stone faces became still and lifeless.

 “Come, my child,” the Great Fairy said. “A room is prepared specially for you. I believe some soft blankets and rest will do you good.”

 Olivia numbly followed the Great Fairy down one of the stepping stone pathways to a large wooden door. She clutched her father’s journal, not realizing that Locke was still at her side trying to comfort her.

 A large spiral staircase was on the other side of the wooden door. They slowly climbed it, the Great Fairy having difficulty with each step. At the top of the staircase, they came to a landing that led to a long hallway. The Great Fairy then led them to a door on the right.

 “Here you are, Olivia,” the Great Fairy said, panting and wheezing. “I hope that you will find time to rest. I know that it is difficult for you to think about sleeping at a time like this, but please try.” With that, he opened the door and let her in the room.

 The room was made entirely of wood. There was a bed covered in soft white blankets in one corner and a bookcase filled with old books in another. A few toys lay strewn about on a soft rug in the center of the room. Olivia slowly made her way over to the bed and settled in.

* * * * *

 Olivia woke suddenly and found herself nestled in a mass of soft blankets. She rolled over and saw that the room around her had become dark. The glowing orbs floating near the ceiling had gone dim. The memory of the how she had gotten there suddenly came back to her. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling.

I can’t believe I’m here
, she thought.
They brought me here because I’m supposed to have the ability to save Aeldyn
. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
And Aeldyn is supposed to be a world that magical creatures were forced into by ancient humans that could do…magic
. She almost felt like laughing at the thought.

 “It’s quite true, though, Olivia Wickworth,” came a raspy voice from over near the bookshelf.

 Olivia shot upright, grabbing her father’s journal and looking over at the bookshelf. In the dim light, she could barely make out a black goat lying on top of it, its hooves folded under itself.

Olivia yelped in surprise. “What are
you
 doing in here? Wait, how did you know what I was–”

 “Patience, child,” chuckled Ink. “Still asking plenty of questions, I see? This is good news.” He paused, gazing at Olivia. Then he continued, “I am here because I wish to observe you. You are a very curious being, I must say. And as for how I knew what you were thinking...well, that is irrelevant at this point.” He laughed his low, wheezy laugh.

 Olivia sighed. She knew getting useful information from Ink was beyond hope. Still, she wondered why and how he was there. “I thought you were only in my dreams,” she said suspiciously.

 “Ah, yes,” said Ink. “I can travel to the plane of dreams, indeed. But I can also be here, you see?”

 “No, I don’t see. But it doesn’t matter,” Olivia said. “Why did you lead me here? I can’t help these people. I’m a human, too, just like everyone that destroyed my world. And I’m certainly not special.”

 Ink looked at her for a moment before laughing. “There is still so much you do not know. However, I would say that surely you know enough at this point to weigh your options and make a decision. Now, I’m not here to weave fate, but I would say that your decision means…a lot.” He chuckled again.

 “What? Either I stay here and do who-knows-what or I go back to my world and waste away in its final years of existence?” Olivia was angry. She stood up and began pacing the room, accidently kicking a small toy. The toy, a small round object with a string wound between two wooden discs, rattled across the floor. Olivia had seen one before, but only in an encyclopedia. She realized that it was a yo-yo. She walked over to it and reached down to pick it up.

 Suddenly, vivid scenes flashed through Olivia’s mind. First, she was playing with the yo-yo and laughing. Then she handed it to Nachton and taught him how to use it. He grinned and laughed as if it was the most fun he had ever had. Then she was handing yo-yos to all of the children in the orphanage. All the children laughed and played with them together. Suddenly, the scene changed. The children were lying dead along the hallways of the orphanage.

 “No!” Olivia screamed. She threw the yo-yo down and closed her eyes, trying to erase what she had seen.

 “You seem to know exactly what you need to know,” said Ink. “You said it yourself: Either stay here or go back to waste away. Both choices have unforeseen consequences, but I believe you’ll make the right choice.” He began to fade, his laugh growing fainter until it, too, was gone.

Olivia gently picked the yo-yo back up and walked over to the bed. She lay back down on the soft blankets, holding the toy up in front of her. She was unsure of what she wanted to do, but she knew what she had to do. Only one choice sounded right to her. She turned over and stared at her father’s journal on the bed beside her.
Mom… Dad… Did you know about this
? she thought.

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what her parents would tell her. She wondered if they would have made the same decision she was about to make. Then she remembered Mr. Dewberry. “
Always trust yerself, lass. There’s not a soul in this world that has a heart like yers
…” She tossed the memory around in her mind for a while, but she soon grew tired and fell asleep.