by JL Bryan
Then the dancers began to fall, exhausted. When they hit the ground, they disappeared. The kids faded from view until the circle of mushrooms was empty, and the musicians stopped playing.
Jason blinked several times as he remembered himself. For a minute, he’d been unable to think of anything but the music. He’d never heard anything like it, music that made him feel excited and blissful while it played, and then sad and lonely when it stopped. The instruments really must have been magic.
The lute-playing fairy lifted the strap from her shoulders and laid the lute down on the grass blanket. She stretched and said something to the band. The four of them walked across the street and into an open-air cafe, where they bought drinks served in large, cup-shaped yellow lilies. The two fairies and the little goat-man sat at a stained-glass table, in chairs made of delicate little strands of wood. The huge, hairy drum player had to squat beside them because his giant orange butt would have obviously crushed the fairy chairs.
Jason glanced behind him. Grizlemor was nowhere in sight, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the goblin wasn’t planning to return. There were countless little round doors packed in tight rows along the wall—Jason would never be able to figure out the one to Grizlemor’s house.
On the other hand…he wondered what his band could accomplish if they had those magic fairy instruments to play. He imagined crowds of people entranced by the music, unable to stop dancing until they fell over from exhaustion. With the magic instruments, they’d be able to get gigs all over Minneapolis, maybe even play somewhere in Chicago. And that would make Erin extremely happy, probably more than any stupid necklace.
Jason strolled up the street to the little park, keeping his head low. He checked across the street, down the alley. Nobody in the band was looking this way. They looked pretty exhausted from their set.
Jason picked up the lute. It was carved from heavy, dark wood with runes carved all over the surface. The tuning pegs glittered like gold. Violet amethysts were embedded here and there in the soundboard, and instead of an open sound hole, it had three floral shapes carved under the strings. The lute felt warm and inviting in his hands, heating his fingers like sunlight.
He looked over at the cafe again. So far, nobody had noticed him. Even with all the fireflies, there was still some darkness in the city night.
Jason could barely fit the little lute’s leather strap over his shoulder and neck. The instrument pressed tight against his back.
He picked up the drum, which was covered with more of the strange fairy runes, and also had a strap for carrying and wearing. The interior was hollow, so he placed the reed pipes and the little silver harp inside it. Then he slung the drum’s strap over the opposite shoulder from the lute.
Jason glanced sideways towards the fairy cafe as he started back down the street. The fairies were chatting rapidly now, as if energized by their drinks.
He walked away feeling extremely nervous, but he resisted the urge to run until he was out of sight of the cafe. Then he took off down the street, going back the way he’d come, through the crowded market.
The theft wasn’t such a bad thing, Jason reasoned, because obviously the fairies were using the instruments to take advantage of people. Luring kids down here, draining them of their energy, sending them back exhausted…that didn’t seem like a very nice thing to do. What had the goblin said? The fairies stole young people’s energy to help power their magic.
He followed the curving roads out to the stone arch, then really put on speed when he hit the cobblestone road through the dark forest. He ran past tree after tree with the little doors built into them, until he saw an arched green door in an old elm. It looked like the door through which he’d entered the world of Faerie.
Jason ducked and entered the door, and closed it tight behind him. He ran up the spiraling root-and-dirt staircase. The stairwell grew narrower, darker and more cramped as he climbed back to his own world.
Chapter Six
By the time he reached the small door at the top of the stairs, Jason was covered in a fresh layer of dirt. He pushed open the arched green door and faced an unexpected rush of bright sunlight. How could it be daytime? He’d only been gone a couple of hours, at most. It shouldn’t be much later than midnight.
He poked his head out the door. It was definitely daytime, though still shadowy in Mrs. Dullahan’s back yard. It wasn’t early morning light, either, but the full brightness of midday or afternoon.
His parents were going to kill him.
Jason looked at the house. Mrs. Dullahan wasn’t outside, thankfully, and the narrow windows were shuttered or hung with dark curtains. Maybe she wouldn’t see him.
The tiny doorway didn’t look big enough for Jason to fit through. He took the instruments off his shoulders, and he put the lute outside first, laying it carefully in the high weeds. Then he pushed the drum out, scraping it on both sides as he forced it out the door. He lay flat on the ground and just barely managed to squirm his way through the little doorway.
Once he was out, the door slowly swung closed, while both the doorway and the door itself shrunk back to their original, even smaller size, as if the doorway had stretched to let him out.
Jason got to his feet and brushed off leaves and dirt. He wondered how many hours had passed. He’d left Katie alone, scared of the “monster” she’d seen. How long had she been waiting for him?
He climbed one of the old trees and out on a limb over the wall, then switched to another tree and climbed down. The instruments were strangely heavy for their small size, and they’d already made his back and shoulders sore.
He trudged through the woods, feeling drained, eager to reach his own bed and collapse. He knew he wouldn’t get it so easy, though, if he’d left Katie alone all night. He’d have to get yelled at for a long time before he could sleep.
Jason reached his back yard, and he stopped in the garage to hide the instruments. His dad had an old Corvette convertible under a tarp, which had been there about as long as Jason could remember. He tucked the instruments in the narrow space between the draped car and the garage wall.
Then he approached the door into the house, took a deep breath, and walked inside.
His father was in the living room watching a fishing show, and he immediately stood up when Jason walked in.
“He’s back,” Jason’s father announced. Jason’s mother came down the short flight of steps from the kitchen. Katie trailed behind her, looking scared.
Jason’s parents stood together and glared at him.
“Um…hi,” Jason said.
“Hi?” his mother said. “Hi? After what you put us through, all you can say is ‘hi’?”
“I’m sorry,” Jason said.
“Where have you been, Jason?” his father asked.
“And who were you with?” his mother asked. “And why are you so filthy?”
“It’s really hard to explain,” Jason said.
“I told you,” Katie spoke up. “He chased after the monster. The burglar monster. Cause it stoled your earrings.”
“Oh, yeah, I got your earrings back, Mom!” Jason took the ruby pair of earrings from his pocket.
“They’re covered in dirt!” His mom took them from his soil-encrusted hand. “Why did you take these?”
“I didn’t,” Jason said. “It was—”
“The monster!” Katie interrupted. “The monster stole them and Jason brought them back. Like he said he was.”
“Katie, go to your room,” his mom said.
“Why am I in trouble? What did I do?”
“You’re not in trouble. Just go.”
“But, the monster—” Katie began.
“Listen to your mother, Katie,” his dad said. “We need to have a talk with Jason.”
Katie frowned and stomped up the stairs to the kitchen.
“You still haven’t told us where you were,” his dad said.
“I was in the woods. A guy stole Mom’s earrings, and I chased after
him, and…”
“And what?” his mom asked.
“Then I got them back.”
“From where?” his dad asked. “Who was this person?”
“It’s really hard to explain. Can I just go to bed? I’ll try to explain later.”
“You will not ‘just go to bed,’” his mother said. “We were worried sick. You left your cell phone here, too, so we couldn’t call you. Were you with those wild kids from that band again?”
“They aren’t that wild,” Jason said.
“Mildred Zweig?” she asked. “And the Schneidowski kid? That Kavanagh girl, with all the weird colored hair? What’s that hair about, if she’s not wild?”
“How wild can you get in Chippewa Falls, anyway?” Jason asked. “Wearing plaid socks that don’t match? Ordering the Tutti Frutti ice cream at The Creamery, just because nobody else does?”
“Don’t be a smartmouth,” his mom said. “What were you thinking, leaving your little sister alone like that? Don’t you know she was terrified when we got home?”
“No, I wasn’t!” Katie shouted down the stairs. “Cause Jason got rid of the monster!”
“Katie, go to your room!” his father shouted. “Jason, you’re grounded. Obviously.”
“For how long?” Jason asked.
“We’ll talk in a month.”
“But I have band practice. And our audition is Thursday—”
“You are not going to Minneapolis with those kids!” Jason’s mother said. “Not after disappearing all night like that!”
Jason still couldn’t understand how time had flown by so quickly.
“I don’t want to hear anymore about this band nonsense,” his dad said. “As soon as your final exams are over, you’re getting a summer job. You need something to keep you busy.”
“But I have to at least go to the audition with everybody,” Jason said.
“Jason, no,” his dad said. “Not one more word about it.”
“But they’re counting on me—”
“You should have thought of that before you decided to leave your sister alone and spend the night out with your friends,” his mom said.
Jason realized it was pointless to argue anymore. If he told his parents he’d chased a goblin to the fairy world, he’d probably just get grounded even longer. And sent to a psychiatrist.
“Now, go and wash up,” his mom said. “You’re dripping dirt all over my carpet. And stay in your room while we rest. We were up all night worried about you.”
Chapter Seven
Though he was very tired, Jason couldn’t get to sleep Sunday night. He kept looking at his window, waiting for something to crawl through into his room—Grizlemor the goblin maybe, or a violet-haired fairy with a heart tattoo, or the hairy ogre-creature that played the drum. He jumped every time the wind made the trees creak outside. He was still awake when his alarm went off for school.
Monday morning, Jason left the house through the garage. Before he left, he peeked behind the old Corvette and lifted the drop cloth he’d used to cover the stolen instruments.
What he found surprised him. All four of the instruments had shrunk in size until they looked like toys. The lute was smaller than a violin, the harp would have fit in the palm of his hand, and the set of reed pipes was no bigger than a whistle. The drum was the size of a cupcake.
Jason could just imagine how Erin, Mitch and Dred would react if he brought these to school and suggested they use them to make music. They would laugh at him, or think he was crazy, or both. What had seemed like a brilliant idea in the land of Faerie on Saturday night looked ridiculous in the gray light of a Monday morning.
He covered up the instruments again, got on his bike, and rode to school.
While he was changing out books at his locker before homeroom, somebody grabbed his arm and he jumped, nearly losing his balance.
“Hi, Jason,” Erin said. “Scared you, didn’t I?”
Jason was surprised to see her—Erin didn’t normally hang out with him at school. She had her own friends. The sight of her tied up his tongue. He was only just barely able to say her name aloud: “Erin.”
“Why are you so jumpy?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t get a lot of sleep. Weird weekend.”
She leaned against the locker next to his. “Aren’t you excited about this audition? I was thinking about it all weekend, and I really think this could be the one. The place isn’t too big, kind of a college crowd…”
Jason was nodding along. He couldn’t really look at her and talk like an intelligent human being at the same time, so he focused on changing out his books. “Yeah,” he said.
“Don’t you have a good feeling about it? I feel something good’s about to happen.”
“I hope you’re right.” Jason didn’t want to tell her that his parents had grounded him, and he wasn’t allowed to be in the band anymore. He knew he should be honest, but he was afraid she’d be disappointed in him. Or angry. Or decide not to talk to him again.
“You’re going to be at practice?” she asked.
“I don’t know—my parents are kind of mad at me, they don’t want me going anywhere—”
“But you can come out for the audition Thursday right?” She touched his arm and looked into his eyes. “Right? Are you feeling okay, Jason?”
“Just tired. Couldn’t sleep,” Jason said.
“Did you have bad dreams?”
“I did.”
“I hate that. I get nightmares all the time.” She squeezed his arm, and Jason felt his heart flutter. “I’m really glad you joined the band, Jason. I think it’s working out great.”
“Me, too,” Jason said. His smile felt a little too wobbly. He could feel himself starting to blush, too, which only made him more embarrassed.
“Oh, there’s Kennedy and Parker. I have to go.” Erin backed away toward her friends. “So, I’ll see you Thursday. If you can’t come to practice sooner.”
“Right,” Jason said.
He watched her go, feeling his insides tremble. Why did he have to be such a dork around her?
Later, at lunch, Jason sat outside in his usual corner of the courtyard. The school lunch was some kind of soy-burger sandwich with brown mystery vegetables. He could see Erin across the way on one of the concrete benches outside the cafeteria doors, with Kennedy and Parker and assorted other friends. It seemed like a large group to Jason. How did you keep up a conversation with that many people?
“What’s happening, brother?” Mitch asked, sitting down next to him. At school, Mitch wore his goofy plaid driving cap, with his long hair tucked behind his ears, and his John Lennon glasses. He looked in the direction where Jason had been gazing.
“Just thinking.”
“She’s a good singer, isn’t she?” Mitch asked. “Songwriter, harmonica. We’re lucky to have her.”
“Yeah.” Jason took a bite of his soy burger and was quiet for a minute.
“I know what you’re worried about,” Mitch said.
“You do?”
“It’s a big audition, man. Out in the Cities and everything.”
“Oh, yeah. About that. My parents say I’m grounded. I’m not allowed to go anywhere for a while.”
Mitch’s mouth dropped open. “Except for the audition, right? And if we get the gig…”
“They won’t let me go. And they say I can’t be part of the band anymore.”
“Are you serious? We can’t blow this audition, man. Dred was after that club owner for almost a month just to get us a shot. What’s she going to say?”
“I know, but I can’t.”
“We can’t get a new guitarist by Thursday!” Mitch slapped his forehead and closed his eyes. “They’d have to learn Erin’s songs…or we’d just have to figure out some covers…You can’t do this to us, man!”
“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “I really want to play.”
Mitch looked him over. “You know, let me tell you a secret, as a graduating senior to a just-
finishing-up junior. Your parents can’t really make you do anything. It’s like an illusion they have over you.”
“They’d be really mad if I went.”
“And they’d get over it. You’re not doing anything wrong, you know. We’re not going to rob a bank here. Just play a little music.”
“Which is exactly what they told me to quit doing,” Jason said. “I’m supposed to get a job…”
“That’s perfect!” Mitch said. “Get a job, make a little money…plus, you can pretend you’re going to work whenever you want to get out for a while. Having a job makes you groundproof.”
“Should I pretend I’m going back to work on Thursday?” Jason asked. “I can tell my dad I got my old job at the car wash again. Then I could get away for that audition.”
“Now you’re thinking, man!” Mitch said. “He wants you to go to work, so that’s what you tell him. And it’s not totally a lie. I mean, we’re trying to get a job. A Friday night gig at The Patch, in the warehouse district? That’s big. We could make a hundred bucks each.”
“I don’t know. I really don’t like lying.”
Mitch glanced at Erin across the courtyard. “Look, man, what would Mick Jagger do?”
“Mick Jagger?”
“Do you think he’d let his parents keep him away from a gig?”
“He’s like seventy years old,” Jason said.
“You’re missing the point. Rock stars don’t ditch out on gigs because they’re grounded. You know what I mean?”
“Not even Justin Bieber?”
“Shut up about Justin Bieber. This is about what you need to do, Jason.”
Jason looked over at Erin.
“You don’t want to disappoint her, do you?” Mitch asked.
“What do you mean?” Jason asked.
“You know what I mean.”
Jason felt embarrassed. “Okay. But I can’t make rehearsal all week. Just the audition.”
“That’s cool, man. Just keep practicing the songs at home.”
“I’ll practice.” The bell rang and Jason stood up, feeling very nervous. He could get in a lot more trouble. He looked at Erin, and this time she saw him. She waved and smiled at Jason and Mitch.
