by Lynn Landes
“I had the weirdest dream last night, Jaz. It was so real, and I can’t shake it. I’ve never felt so connected to someone before, and when he fell, I was powerless to help.”
“He? Okay, it sounds like you got more action than I did last night. Details, sister. Tell me everything,” she snaps, leaning in eagerly.
“It was so real, but I really have to get back to work. Why don’t you make some coffee and meet me in the greenhouse. I can talk while I work,” Caderyn asks, glad for the company.
“Alright, but this time don’t try to kill me. You scared my hangover away!” she says, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.
Caderyn takes a deep breath, and walks back to her shop, trying to push his image out of her mind. Her idea for this fairy garden is to fill it with all the required elements, without making it overly large. It is a small scale of what she has in mind for the larger garden. The focal point of this particular model will be a fairy castle.
First, she takes out a large terracotta tray and places a smaller broken piece in the bottom to cover the drain hole. Next, she pours pea gravel inside to ensure proper drainage. The soil is poured on top and tamped down, then watered.
“Incoming, don’t strike,” Jaz calls out as she walks in carrying two coffees.
“Thank you, just what the doctor ordered,” Caderyn says, sipping her cup and looking at her friend. How many times did she wish for her height or body type? Now, she’s just happy to have her company. “So, did you meet prince charming last night?” She asks with a smirk.
“Funny. I guess he was busy visiting you in your dreams. Tell me about it.” Jaz replies.
With a sigh, she turns and sits her cup down, and gets busy. Her movements are confident, as she begins organizing the scene. First, she places the castle, with a tower fit for a princess inside the pot. Next, a lush carpet of moss is cut to fit the odd shape of the oval terracotta tray. Greenery is added around one corner, to create a shrub wall along the backside.
“It was so real, Jaz.” She begins and tells her about her dream. “It was a beautiful party to celebrate a new King and Queen. They were brother and sister. I could feel their joy, as they approached but a demon or shadow tried to kill them.” Caderyn pauses with a frown, and her hands tremble. “Her brother protected her, Jaz. He took the blow meant for her and fell right at my feet. I couldn’t make out his face, but I almost touched him. I wanted to touch him, save him somehow.” Caderyn starts to work again. “When I woke up, I was on the floor crying.”
Jaz watches her friend work and smiles. She has such a soft heart and creative spirit. “I wish I had opulent dreams. I just fall into darkness and wake up the next morning, sometimes with Mr. Wrong,” she says with a laugh.
“What do you think of my fairy garden, so far?” Caderyn asks stepping back.
Jazmin looks at it and smiles. “I love it, especially the castle. It’s charming! Do you think you can pull this off Cadie? It sounds like a big job?”
“I know I can. I want this job. It’s perfect and maybe this will turn into a side job, miniature gardens. There could be great money in it. I only have three days left, and I still have to get my sketches into the landscape design program.”
“I will get out of your way then. I’m singing Friday night, at the jazz club. Will you come?” she asks.
“Of course, my presentation is at ten in the morning, I wouldn’t miss it.”
“You better not!” She sings, and she kisses her goodbye. “I will let myself out. Get busy!”
Caderyn turns and looks at the castle. The dark brick walls look authentic, and the blue roof gives it a splash of color. Now the fun starts she thinks. First, she lays out the walkway leading to the arched gate. A faux brick wall is placed around the castle but leaves room for other elements on the outside. With her hot glue gun, Caderyn begins placing the pieces inside. The tower will be an art studio for a fairy. Inside, she sets miniature canvases along the floor beside a tiny easel. Outside, she places a wishing well, with flowers all around it. This is fun, Caderyn thinks. If I think it is fun, what will a six-year-old think?
“I will take a chance, and hope that they agree.” The final details she will leave for the child to add. The animals and fairies are the detail the garden needs to complete it.
Caderyn spends the rest of the day working on her computer program to create a full garden layout. The miniature was just for visual effect, but the deciding factor will be in the details of the program. Later that night as she sits on the couch, looking over her sketches, she begins to feel sleepy. She nods off with her notebook in hand. In the distance, the ocean pounds against the shore, demanding her attention.
Once again, Caderyn finds herself in the woods, except this time she is wearing a long midnight blue silk chiffon dress, with a halter style top, and no shoes. Her long dark hair is pulled up, and a flower clip holds it in place. She stands and jumps when something zips past her face. A hummingbird zips around her body and hovers just at eye height, chirping at her. “Teuuuu, Teuuuu,” it calls and flies a few feet away. How odd, Caderyn thinks and starts to go back into the woods. Faster than she can blink, the bird blocks her way and calls to her again.
“Do you know where they went?” Her heartbeat picks up at the thought. The emerald tones sparkle as the bird flies a few feet in the direction of the ocean, and Caderyn decides to trust her instinct and follow him. It constantly has to fly back to keep track of her, and she wonders why she’s following a little bird. She should turn back, but she needs to find him.
“Don’t lose me little one, I’m not as fast as you,” Caderyn calls out. The ground beneath her feet begins to change from the soft texture of grass to sharp, prickly sand. The bird zips over and drops down silently as though hiding. She takes the hint and finds a bush big enough to hide behind.
As the Shadow passes by, all noises cease, except the drumbeat of the ocean. He drags the soulless body behind him, pulling it over rocks and sharp shells, leaving a bloody trail in the sand. The crimson stains attract Caderyn’s eyes, and her soul cries out in rage.
Trembling with unshed tears of anger, Caderyn waits until the bird moves. “Why am I here?” she whispers to the bird as though it could talk to her. In her heart, she already knows the answer. She has to save him.
Once more, she follows the shadow, careful to make no sound; she creeps along behind him, following the bird. The shale and crushed shells rip at her bare feet as she walks, but she does not stop. They move along the coast, away from the shore. Her friend returns zipping in front of her, moving away from the shore to a group of boulders. They drop down behind the rocks, to wait. Caderyn wonders what they are waiting for until the first rays of dawn break across the sky.
She notices the ground beneath her body is black rock, and warm beneath her throbbing feet. Where are his people? Why aren’t they trying to save him? She wonders angrily, balling her hand into a fist. She jumps when the hummingbird pokes her thumb to get her attention. Again, he zips up and moves from behind the rock, and still, she follows. Now traveling across hot black rock, her cuts burn, and her feet blister from the heat. In front of her is a large black mountain, and her heart drops to her stomach. “He’s inside?” she asks and taking a step, something sharp sinks into her foot, and she falls to the ground in pain.
Caderyn wakes, once more in her home and the pain is horrendous. Her feet are on fire, and she jumps throwing her sketchpad across the room. The sun is just rising, casting a golden glow around the room and Caderyn tries not to scream as she watches a blue vapor swirl through her living room and suck back into the globe. Heart pounding, she sits back and stares at the tiny blue orb, as the fog inside disappears. “I must be losing my mind.”
The pain in her feet tells a different story. Looking down, she feels blisters, sand, and shells stuck to the soles of her feet. Her right foot has a gash, with a small black piece of shale protruding from it. She limps to the bathroom to get her medical kit, and that’s when she
notices the dress. She’s wearing in the silky blue dress from her dream, and her feet are torn to pieces!
“Deep breath, Caderyn,” she whispers and tries to remain calm as she grabs the medical kit from under the sink. As she sits on the side of her claw foot tub, she turns the water on to rinse her feet clean and flinches at the pain. Scarlet ribbons of blood swirl with the water and Caderyn sits in shock. “What kind of dream hurts you?”
“Damn!” she hisses at the sting of pains. Next, she grabs her tweezers and pulls the shale free, setting it on a rag. She bandages and disinfects her feet, and limps back to the living room. Scared and unsure of what is happening, she walks toward the fireplace to look at the globe. Careful of its fragility, she places her pointer finger on the blue glass and sees, the King! He’s chained inside the black mountain, beaten and bloody. His head hangs with his blonde hair shielding his face from view. The Shadow moves forward blocking him from view, and a dark voice says, “A visitor? Don’t be shy, join us Caderyn!” She jumps back before he turns to face her, breaking the connection.
“OMG!!!” she screams. Grabbing her keys and phone, she runs from the house and jumps into her car.
She whips out of the parking lot with a squeal of tires and drives to Jaz’s condo ten minutes away. Leaping from her vehicle she runs, leaving the door open and beats on her door. Desperately she rings the doorbell, pounding and crying at the same time. When the door opens, she falls inside.
“Cadie! What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Jaz cries out as she catches her friend and helps her inside.
“You have to help me! Jaz, He knows my name!” Her brown eyes are desperate, and she’s shaking all over, as she tries to calm down, but knowing she’s not making any sense.
“Who?” she asks, looking past her. Not seeing anyone, she slams the door closed, pushing Caderyn to the couch, and looks at her carefully. “What are you wearing?”
“The dream came back, and this time, the Shadow saw me, Jaz! He knows my name!” she says terrified and unable to stop shaking.
“You are overworked; this job is stressing you out, right? That has to be it Cadie! It’s just not possible!”
“Explain this dress then, and look!” Caderyn says, lifting her damaged feet.
“Oh my God! What did you do to your feet?” The blood has soaked through the bandages, and her feet are throbbing.
Jaz jumps up and runs to the kitchen. She returns with a bottle of rum and a medical kit.
“Drink!” she orders. Jaz takes one look at her friend’s feet and grabs the bottle back and takes a big swallow before she begins patching her up. Caderyn takes another big drink and coughs. “What kind of dreams, hurts you?”
“I don’t know, Caderyn, start over. I’m still waking up, it’s only six o’clock in the morning! Is it possible you were sleepwalking?” Taking another pull on the bottle, Caderyn looks at her and starts over.
“No. I was in my house! I fell asleep on the couch, and the dream came back. This time, I was following the evil shadow, wearing this dress and no shoes. I never have shoes! A hummingbird was leading me, and when the Shadow looked at me, he knew my name!”
Jaz cleans the wounds and then uses butterfly bandages to close the small gash. She listens to Caderyn and finishes wrapping her feet before taking another large swallow from the bottle. Coughing once more she hands the bottle back to her friend.
“You must realize how crazy this sounds,” Jazmin says.
“I know it! Look at this dress! Have you ever seen me in something like this before? You know me better than this! I don’t believe in fairytales! I believe in reality. Things I can touch and feel, and I feel right now!” Caderyn shouts.
Jazmin stares at her best friend and takes note of the dress and wounds. “What is happening?” she whispers taking another pull of the bottle and handing it back to Caderyn.
“I don’t know, Jaz.” The shaking has slowed, and Caderyn’s body feels warm all over. “But I have to save him. He’s being tortured. I’m not sure how long he will last. I need… He needs me.” She jumps up waving the now empty bottle, no longer feeling the pain in her feet.
“Of course, he does. But first, we need more rum!” Stumbling to the kitchen, she returns with a bottle of vodka. Indignantly she says, “You drank all my rum. This will have to do.”
“Okay, let’s go look at my blue ball,” Caderyn says giggling as the alcohol hits her system.
“I will call a taxi. You,” she points, “are way too drunk to drive,” Jaz says marching off, handing her the vodka bottle.
Sipping on the bottle, Caderyn coughs and thinks about the damage to his body.
“That bastard was enjoying hurting him, I have to help him,” she declares and limps to the closet to borrow her friend’s cowboy boots. Vodka bottle in hand, she calls for Jazmin as she hears the beep of the cab.
They share the cab and more vodka, which Jaz hides in the pocket of her sweatshirt. Caderyn tries to be brave as they pay the cab driver and stumble out of the car at her house. Before they enter the house, they take another shot of courage and push the door slowly open.
The blue gazing ball rests quietly on the fireplace, and the girls breathe a sigh of relief. No fog, no mist, no crazy shadow calling her name. Jaz pushes her forward and says, “Tell me what you did?”
Caderyn sees her sketchpad on the floor where she threw it. She limps over and picks it up saying, “I fell asleep and when I woke up… NO Jazmin don’t touch it!!” She screams too late. Jaz touches the ball, and immediately she sees the Shadow waiting for her. He seizes her mind, and she starts screaming.
“Don’t be shy, Caderyn. I have been waiting for you!” He says, and Jazmin’s body begins to turn to mist. The Shadow laughs, pulling her forward into his world.
Caderyn screams, leaping for her friend. The second she grabs Jazmin’s hand a white light explodes from her body, striking the Shadow. He screams in agony, blinded by the power of their friendship. Jaz falls to the ground and curls up into a small ball.
Completely sober now, Caderyn grabs a cloth and wraps the gazing ball, careful not to touch it. Dumping a small box out, she places the wrapped item inside and seals it closed, praying for protection from the evil.
“He thought I was you,” Jaz cries from the floor, turning she sits up against the couch. “Cadie he said horrible things. You’re in serious trouble,” she says despondently.
“No Jaz, we are in trouble. He has not seen me, until now. He thinks you, are me,” Caderyn explains.
“What are we going to do?” Jaz says jumping up, “We need help.”
Caderyn looks at her best friend and tells her, “No we, I! I am going to get help, and you are going to stay away from me until I figure this out!” Stomping around, she runs to her bedroom to get dressed.
“Like hell, I am. I’m not going to let you do this alone Cadie. That thing was evil, and now I am marked. Do you think I can just hide from him? He said he was coming for me Cadie. I’m scared!” Jaz follows her and looks at her with tears in her eyes.
“Okay, okay. Let me think! I got the globe as a gift from that freak of a fairy. Now that I think about it, it makes no sense. She shouted at me not to touch it and then hid it in my bag. I’m going to take it back to her, and maybe she can help us.” Tearing off the dress she pulls on a shirt and jeans.
Jaz stands defiantly wiping her hazel eyes, “OH, she’s going to help us, or I will have a new set of wings!”
Chapter 4
Caderyn finishes changing into clean clothes and puts on some thick socks with her boots. Throwing her dark hair into a ponytail, she’s ready to go. Carefully, she places the box in her bag, and they take a cab to retrieve her jeep.
“Let’s go kick some fairy ass!” Jazmin climbs in and slams the door to the jeep.
On the drive, they go over the details of Caderyn’s dream again. It all started with the globe. “I hope she can give us some answers. I don’t think she would do this on purpose Jazmin. I felt a connec
tion to her.”
Two cups of coffee later, they pull up outside Fairy Mary’s cottage. “No lights are on. She must not be here yet,” Jazmin says. Taking a deep breath, Caderyn grabs her bag, and they get out of the jeep and walk to the door.
Jazmin starts to knock on the door, and it slowly creaks open. A sick feeling of dread comes over, Caderyn.
“I don’t like this, we should go!” Jazmin says pulling on her arm.
Caderyn turns refusing to budge, “I have to talk to her, Jaz. She has to give me some answers!”
She nudges the door open with her foot, careful not to touch it and steps inside the dark cottage. In the dim morning light, without the music or sound of waterfalls, the shop feels sad like the magic has been lost. As she looks around, she walks to where the globe used to sit and finds it is empty.
A crash has them both jumping. Jaz clutches her arm and points to the sunroom. A low keening sound echoes through the shop. Caderyn rushes to the sunroom and screams, “NO!”
Mary is on the floor with her beautiful fake wings crushed beneath her. A bronze dagger is sticking out of her chest, with black blood staining the long silver dress.
“Mary!” Caderyn cries. The woman is gasping for breath, and clutching her throat, which shows bruising as if she were strangled. Black smudges appear under her hands and flow down her arms, beneath her dress and blood pools all around her body.
Jazmin runs for the phone to call an ambulance. Mary clutches Caderyn’s hand, wheezing, “You must save him Caderyn.”
“Don’t talk Mary, help is coming. You’re going to be okay!” She says comforting the woman.
“Save him!” She demands and grabs her hand. “Others will help you! Promise me that you’ll save my brother!” A silver tear slips free, and Fairy Mary’s eyes transform, turning violet. Silver hair morphs to fire and the aged mask slips, revealing the timeless beauty of the Fae Queen. Caderyn recognizes her from her dream.
