Never Going Back

Large glowing eyes shined behind the bushes. The bright moon lit the dark forest. Smoke raised from the dark damp cave. I held my finger to my lips, I hoped Dime the dragon would apply and not draw attention to himself. A little girl could not be but three roamed in the opening of our woods. She skipped so happily in the moonlight without a care. She stopped for a moment and looked at the cave. My heart stopped for a second, what if she saw Dime? Where were this creature's caregivers?

She skipped over to the cave. I could see Dime as he tried to moved far back in the shadows of the cave but it was no use if she spotted him.?

“Hello, Mr. Dragon.” The child said so happily.

Dime looked at me with despair in his eyes. We did not know what to do. We are not to be seen by the human race. Now we are exposed. I flew over to his cave.

“Wow, you are a fairy! Hi, Little Fairy. I am Daisy. What is your name?” The little girl shouted with excitement.

“I am Chase and this here is Dime,” I said as my wings lit into a bright blue. I was shocked by the little girl's kindness. My entire life I have been taught to fear humans but could granddaddy be wrong?

“Are you here alone?” I asked.

She giggled “no I am not alone I am here with you and Dime right now.”

“No, I mean the grown-ups that take care of you,” I said.?

“Oh yeah, no they're not here,” she replied as she looked around.?

I got more frustrated going around and around these questions, I could not tell if this little human was just messing with me or if she really had no idea what I was talking about.?

“How did you…..” The wood got deathly quiet as the trees shook in the wind. From a distance, I saw a green glow. Down from the sky came Grand Daddy. His big green wings gave off a chilly breeze in the humid summer air.?

“Chase, what is this?”? He pointed to Daisy.

“It’s a little human,” I said back.

“I can see that we are not safe with that thing here. Someone has to be looking for her. Eventually, humans will come into the forbidden forest.” Granddaddy said. Dime Circled around the child and she smiled as she reached her hand out to pet him.

Granddaddy “Daisy doesn’t seem mean. Maybe her tribe is nice too.” I said.?

“You talked to this…this thing? Why would you do such a thing?” He asked.?

We looked back toward Daisy, she had snuggled up on? Dime using his body as a pillow, and she had fallen asleep. She looked so peaceful. I was surprised that the child was not afraid of Dime. Dime had always timid me, until last year. I had no choice but to overcome my fear of Dime. Once I turn six, everyone becomes responsible for a dragon. I just happened to got Dime. Over the past year Dime and I have become best friends and now I wonder why I was ever afraid of him.

I looked at granddaddy and he looked deep in his own thoughts. He whispered to himself “how can I keep these humans from finding us?”?

Granddaddy snapped his fingers as a loud crack echoed through the forest “I got it!” He shouted with excitement.?

“What is it?” I was eager to hear his plan.

“Right now Everlast is just a forbidden forest that no one dares to go into. I can cast a spell that will make Everlast non-traceable, meaning no humans can come into our world.” He said with a grin.?

“Wow,” I said granddaddy knows everything.?

Granddaddy flew into the air a green trail of glitter left behind him. Once in front of the moon, he shouted.

“Everlast becomes untraceable, Unfindable, Keep us safe from our enemy, This spell last until it is broken, so be done.” Shouted granddaddy. A green force field fell over Everlast. Granddaddy flew back down to us.?

“Now we will be safe.” He said to me,

“What about her?” I pointed to Daisy as she lay sleeping.?

“Oh no, I didn’t think about her. She is now stuck here, no one can come in and no one can leave. She will be staying with us.” Granddaddy picked her up and carried her to our cottage.

?

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Time passed, and Daisy never spoke of her other family. She was now fifteen and I was eighteen. She had become my best friend. I looked up in the sky, Daisy was on top of Dime as they flew over my head. I felt a gush of air as they zipped past.

“Good morning sleepy head.” Daisy said as she laughed, she waved with one hand as she gripped tightly to Dime with the other. I flew after them, my wings fluttering quickly as they could go. I darted under tunnels, fields and along the river. I saw my blue wings dancing in the water and my blue pointing hat looked back at me as I sped over the water to catch up with them. We found an open field as we landed. Daisy and I used Dime’s body as a pillow. Dime curved his head and placed it on my chest. I petted him.

“Our city is going to get bigger! My mom is finally coming home with the outsider fairies. It has not been an easy task. The fairies were mean and hateful, but mom has changed them.” I said.

“That is amazing. Your mom must be someone very special. I can't wait to meet her.” She said,

?By the time we had gotten back to the city, local fairies had started decorating for the welcoming party. One fairly flicked her wand, and the water fountain in the center of the town hall turned pink.

“I should go and get ready for the party”, Daisy said excitedly.? She ran off toward the house. Daisy reappeared with a beautiful gown. The gown matched my outfit perfectly. The blue in the dress made her eyes look like glass marbles. My stomach felt like it was in knots. Daisy was beautiful. How have I not noticed? She looked like a princess. I just stared at her.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing, you look very nice,” I said as I took her hand to take her to my mom.

“Mom,” I said.

“Chase, Oh my God Chase. You have become such a man since I have been away.” she squeezed the air out of me, I could not breathe she was holding me too tight as she hugged me.

“Who is this?” Mom asked.

“Oh, this is Daisy. Granddaddy and I? found her while you were gone.” I said excitedly to tell all about my and Daisy's adventure to mom.

Mom stared at her. Walked around her a few times, mom looked at her, and smelt her, she then picked up Daisy’s hair off her shoulder rubbing her fingers through her hair. “Is she a human?” she asked.

“Well yeah,” I said.

“What is she doing here?” She asked, my heart sank. My mom was judging Daisy and she did even know Daisy.?

“We found her by Dime’s cave but don’t worry granddaddy put a spell over Everlast that will keep all humans out and all fairies in.” I try to convince my mom that Daisy was safe.

I looked at Daisy, she had slowly backed away from me. “Daisy, what is wrong?” I asked. Tears rolled down her cheeks.?

“I am your prisoner!” she said softly.

“Huh?” I was so confused about what was going on.?

“Why would you think that?” I asked.

“I am the only human here, I am trapped here. You just said no one leaves and no one comes in. Even if my parents tried to find me they could not. I thought all these years that my family didn’t care and that was why no one came for me. It was you and granddaddy that have kept me from my parents. Where are my mom and dad?” Daisy shouted at me.

I didn’t know what to say. Daisy was right; we had kept her as a prisoner. Not intentional. “Daisy….”

“I am not part of this feud you have with the humans.” Daisy screamed, took off and ran toward the woods.” I did not know what to do. I had fallen in love with Daisy. I did not want her to leave. I knew deep down that it was time to let her go and if she found her way back to me then it was met to be.

“Granddaddy, I think we should take down the barrier. Let Daisy go home.” I said.?

“If you are going to rule our land one day you need to learn to keep your people safe, not some pity human girl. Granddaddy snapped back at me.

“But it is Daisy.” I reminded him. I felt alone and everyone was on granddaddy's side about keeping the barrier up. I turned around and ran after Daisy.

I could hear my mom as she called, “Chase come back”. I was going to find Daisy and fix the wrong I had done.?

Daisy was where I thought she would be, in Dimes cave. Hiding in the dark shadows just like Dime had done many years ago. “Daisy, please come out and talk. You are right it was wrong to keep you here. Since you have been here these have been the best years of my life. Daisy popped her head out of the cave.

“Really?” she questioned.

“Yes before you, life was boring, you have brought excitement and adventure to my life. I will help you get home to your family if that is what you truly want” I offer, I hoped deep down she would change her mind and would decide? to stay.?

“Tonight?” She asked.

“Yes.” I had no idea how I was going to make it? happen but I had to try. I remember back to the words granddaddy had said when he placed the spell on our forest. I just needed to find the reversal spell then Daisy could get home.

I flew quietly into granddaddy’s house, I opened cabinet doors, chest trunks, where in the world could his book be? The front door opened quickly, I was going to be caught. I quickly flew into a closet. I hoped granddaddy was not coming in for a broom. I watched him through the crack. Mom followed behind him. “ All these years I just wanted to keep our town safe from those monsters, but I feel it was all in vain”,? he said to mom? as he grabbed his wand and they left together. I felt at ease, I quickly did one more look around the cottage. Finally I found the book. It peeked out from under granddaddy’s bed. I grabbed the spell book and flew back to the cave where Daisy was waiting.

Once I returned I ran to the cave “Daisy look I got his spell book!” I shouted. Daisy poked her head out of the cave. Dime followed close behind her.

“Great but you don’t even know how to use it.” She was right. Granddaddy had never let me play with magic or taut me for that matter. Was I really going to be able to break one of the granddaddy's powerful spells?

I opened the book and I found the spell that we needed. “Here it is to open a barrier,” I shouted. I stood up and started to read from the page. “Left this curse, shall we all be one…” I felt strange. I could feel the power coming from my body. The power traveled down to my fingertips. I looked down at my hands, my hands were glowing bright blue just like granddaddy had looked when he had cast the spell. I continued. “Remove this barrel that separates us.” I could feel power build with each word I said.

Finally, a force shot out from my fingertips that traveled all around the woods. My body felt weak as I fell to my knees, I left my head to Daisy“I believe you are now free to go.” I said.?

Daisy rushed over to me and held me. Her sweet perfume filled my lungs. I knew I was going to miss her terribly.

“I want to see my family but I want you. I don’t want to lose you.” She said That was like music to my ears. I had to find a way to go with her.?

I sat straight up. “Maybe granddaddy's spell book will have a spell so I can.” I thumb quickly through the pages, now that I took the barrier down granddaddy, mom and the other fairies were going to be hunting for us.

“Here we go to transfer into anything you desire.” I said the words “tonight I desire to be a human, do not glow, not to be a fairy anymore…” My body began to transform. It was not painful, my wings disappeared, and my blue glow vanished. I was a human!

Daisy looked at me in awe. “You are actually coming with me?” She asked.

“Of course, I am” She smiled at me and I grabbed her hand. As we were getting ready to run out of the woods Dime looked out from his cave. I stopped. How could I leave Dime? Outside of Daisy, he had been my best friend. I could never take him into the human world. Then it hit me. I said the spell once more. Dime transferred into a blond golden retriever. “Now we can all go.” We ran out of the woods together.?

We never did find Daisy's parents, perhaps someday we might. The important thing, we are no longer held against our will, we are living our life as we have chosen. Of course, a little magic always helped with real-world troubles. We have an epic mansion. A long gated drive leads up to the house. Our home looks like a castle for my Princess Daisy. Life could not be better.