The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry

While The Kind One was rushing headlong through the dark forest to get home and save her loved ones from whatever disaster loomed from the breach in the portal, her husband, Bill found himself in the grip of panic. He didn’t know why until he looked from the kitchen window and saw a beam of green light, like a laser, striking the outer leaves of the ivy hedge. Where the light touched the leaves shriveled and burst into teeny specs.

He didn’t know what it was, or where it was coming from, but he felt sure that it was something bad, something very bad. Bill ran through the house gathering the chihuahua’s and their kennels and ran to the back door to escape. A small strident voice coming from the floor demanded that he not leave without them. For the first time, in his memory, he was confronted with the two ankle high gnomes living under their sink. The Kind One said they were there, but he didn’t believe her, until now that is.

~~~~~~

The ghostly faerie in the  mist appeared just after the heartfelt plea to Arial had left my lips. I rationalized that this must be how Arial intended to get a message to me in her absence. The mist spread silently through the trees, crawling over the ground and sending wispy curls up into the lower boughs of the dense pines. It spread quickly toward me, completely surrounding my legs up to my knees. With her long white hair swirling around her face in slow motion, the faerie moved closer, always staying inside the mist. When she was just feet away, she held out her hand so that I might come forward to grasp it with my own.

I stood, mesmerized, all the fear and panic melted away. My thoughts were as foggy as the mist. Wasn’t there something I needed to do? What was it? I remember running…running away from… someone? Something? I just can’t remember now. I looked up into the large dark eyes of the spectral faerie hanging in the air before me, her translucent white hand stretched out. She smiled and spoke in a soft, melodic voice. “You escaped from their clutches just in time my dear, you would have been dinner for the Undak by now. Come, take my hand and I  will carry you to safety.” The air around me grew thick, making it hard to breathe and I found myself swaying to the faerie’s seductive promises. The forest took on a dream-like quality. I rubbed my eyes and spoke into the darkness, “What was I thinking?” My slurred words sounded like they were bubbling up through soft, thick, mud.  “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway does it, I’m safe now.” The mist sent soft, caressing fingers sweeping through my hair and around my head. The faerie’s eyes held mine and I raised my hand to grasp the thin white fingers.

Our hands clasp and a sharp, momentary, jolt of pain shot through my arm, pushing the euphoria I felt out of my mind. I tried to scream but shock and pain had taken my breath away. The only sound that came out of my mouth was a stunted gasp. My arm went numb and I was jerked off my feet and into the center of the glowing mist.

The foggy white tendrils that had been weaving silently through the trees pulled back suddenly, like weird alien beings returning to the mother ship. Then the light went out, plunging me back into total darkness. I couldn’t feel the ground and I couldn’t feel my arm but I felt the rush of air on my face so I knew I was moving, and moving fast. Every now and then the tips of leaves would brush through my hair or a branch would scratch my cheek. I tried to struggle, to pull away from the thing grasping my hand but every time I tried, I just ended up swinging wildly back and forth. And each time I would hear a deep crackling laugh, as if my frantic attempts to free myself were somehow amusing.

I was growing weaker, I could feel the last of my strength evaporating like mist in sunshine…sunshine, how long had it been since I had seen sunshine? I couldn’t hold my head up any longer and it lolled to one side. I…must…stay…conscious. Arial, where are you? I must… get back to…Bill.

Suddenly, a shower of tiny golden orbs lit up the sky. They fell through the forest canopy and darted right for me like they had a mind all their own. “Oh…look… fireflies. They’re beautiful!” My voice sounded faint and far off. Holding my free hand up I let the shimmering points of light surround my finger tips. They moved over and around my hand and swirled down my arm  making my skin glow translucent pink. To my dazed mind it felt like they were sniffing me, like my Chihuahuas do after I have been scratching an unknown puppy. It tickled.

“Hi.” I wiggled my fingers. “Hi there little lights.” My new shinning friends stopped and pulled back, I watched as they merged together into one large, pulsing ball of fiery light. “Oh man, I’m sorry, did I scare you?” I don’t think at t his point I would have been surprised if they had answered me. The sphere had grown razor sharp spikes and now each tip was pulsing. “That’s pretty too…”

The creature clutching my hand came to a jarring halt and spun around to face the blinding ball of golden light. An angry shriek of defiance pierced the blackness as the spiked orb catapulted toward its mark.

My hand was released, and as I fell toward the ground I saw the thing that had bewitched me. It’s massive head was waving side to side in agony. The broad forehead wrinkled up in pain and its slanted black eyes glazed over as the last shreds of life pour from its hunched, bony frame. Its leathery wings drooped and it began to fall…right behind me.

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009-2010