The Fairy Club

by Moshe Harel

  5 Fairy Club

  Gran seemed to become quite agitated as summer approached. “I found a few more young fairies that need teaching. I don’t know how I can teach them all,” she told me.

  “Why do you care? Don’t they have their own family to take care of them?”

  Gran became furious. “Many young fairies have nobody close to help them, just as I didn’t have. You should appreciate your luck, having me so close, eager and able to help you. Very few are so lucky, and I care for every fairy, especially the young ones. It’s my call and my duty to care for them.”

  I didn’t understand what that “duty” was. Was it only what she felt to be her responsibility, as nobody else would take it, or was it some kind of official duty? Gran had a way of saying things that sometimes confused me.

  She stopped her tirade, sighing. “You’ll understand it better in a year or two. Now, do you have any constructive ideas, at least?”

  I gave it a thought. “You could open a summer camp and have them all in there.”

  “Would you like to be separated from your boyfriend for a few weeks?”

  “No!” I shuddered at the idea. It was bad enough we had to give up sex for a few days each month. More than that was simply unthinkable at this stage. “Well, maybe form a club or a summer school for such girls, where they can spend a few hours each day and still have time for other stuff.”

  Gran seemed to like the idea. “Fine. I’ll open a ‘Fairy Club’ for girls about your age. Acceptance by invitation only. I’ll look for a proper place tomorrow. Now, care for some flying?”

  I still had not mastered transformation with clothes. I had already tried it a few times and even succeeded once, but finding oneself entangled in one’s knickers, that suddenly seemed enormous, and fearing to damage one’s wings is not a nice feeling. I also found that I liked staying nude, in either form. That was not a surprise, as Mom used to tell me how much I abhorred clothing since I was a toddler. Brian didn’t complain, of course, when I removed my clothes as soon as we closed the door and only put them on before he had to leave. He did the same. I think I liked looking at his nude body just as much as he liked to look at mine. I didn’t tell him I was a fairy, of course.

  A week before the summer vacation, Gran had everything settled. Her private “Fairy Club” had a few rooms in the office complex adjacent to the mall. She had about fifteen girls on the list, some living as far as a hundred miles from us, all between fifteen and seventeen—all late bloomers, all having some peculiar marks on their backs, near the upper spine.

  Only twelve made it to our first meeting. They varied in shape and color, but all had the same general stature and shape. Two looked very similar to me, with medium brown hair and green eyes, although one had a much darker complexion. Another girl was of east Asian ancestry, with black hair and upturned eyes. She was even shorter than Gran and very shapely. Two seemed to be of African ancestry, with darker skin, curly hair, and wide noses, yet one was just medium brown while the other was almost totally black, although her face was much prettier. We also had a blonde and a redhead and one who seemed to have bleached her hair. We even had one of Indian origins and two of Native American origins. Still, they all looked quite nice and I felt like they could easily become my friends.

  While waiting for everybody to arrive, we all started talking a bit, getting to know one another and it looked like some tentative friendships were already starting. I was sure we would all become much closer before the end of the summer.

  Gran opened the meeting. “Welcome to the first meeting of our Fairy Club. As you’ll soon see, this name is more than adequate. It practically defines us. According to the information I gathered before inviting you here, you’re all fairies or going to be fairies very soon. Let’s see now. Who has recently dreamed about having wings and flying?”

  All raised their hands, just as I thought they would.

  “Have any of you had dreams about sex?”

  A few blushed. Only two didn’t raise their hands, and they were clearly bluffing, judging by the color of their faces.

  “Have any of you gotten your period before reaching fifteen?”

  No hand was raised. Some blushed. I also felt a bit awkward to talk about this. Well, I wasn’t drunk now.

  “Has anyone here not gotten her first period yet?”

  One blushing girl raised her hand. I felt sorry for her.

  “How old are you, dear?” Gran asked her.

  “I’ll be sixteen in three months. I’ve already visited the doctor a few times. She found nothing wrong.”

  Gran smiled reassuringly at her. “There’s nothing wrong indeed. Fairies are known to get their periods very close to their sixteenth birthday.”

  She now turned around, showing her exposed back. Practically all her dresses exposed her back—I now knew why. “Do any of you have markings like these on their back?” She pointed at the wing marks.

  All the girls raised their hands, looking a bit surprised.

  “These marks are where your wings hide when you’re in human form. I’ll teach you all how to change into your fairy form and use your wings.”

  It went quite smoothly afterward. The girls were relieved to find that everything ‘weird’ about themselves had some very good explanation and that they were special in a good way.

  And yet, after spending six hours together, one of them asked, “I still don’t understand what being a fairy means. Do we have a mission in our lives? Do we have a certain role?”

  Gran turned very serious. “What does being anything mean? I don’t think anybody can give you an answer to that. We all live our lives to the best of our abilities. Each person, each being, has somewhat different attributes which can make a difference at some point. Being a fairy is just that—it gives you certain attributes that you need to take into account when living your life. You’re already aware of having a very strong urge for sex. If uncontrolled, it can easily ruin your lives, alienate your family and friends, and make you miserable. It almost happened to me, until I decided to not let my instincts direct my life. I could have been happier had I done it much earlier, but still; I have a daughter and I have my grandchildren, one of whom is now present.”

  She pointed at me, making them all turn and look at me. I would have blushed crimson just a few months earlier, but now, after gaining my confidence, I just looked back at them, nodding slightly, as if accepting their attention. In a way I even enjoyed it. Being related to Gran was something I felt proud of, and her being proud of me was certainly raising my confidence.

  Gran continued talking. “Like all other living beings, we have no mission or purpose beyond living our lives. Personally, I feel it is my duty to find all young fairies and introduce them to their nature before it can damage their lives. Even without instructions, all of you would have eventually found how to transform into fairies and back again and how to use your magic to a certain degree. The learning process would have been difficult and could have cost some of you your sanity or even your lives. I want to spare you that, to ease you into the life of a fairy and still leave you the free choice of what to do with your abilities. One or two may eventually decide they don’t like it and continue their lives like their other classmates, only knowing that they have another option in case they need it. One or two may decide to spend most of their lives as fairies, practically abandoning the normal world. That’s also a valid choice. Most of you, I believe, will choose to live in both worlds, alternating as they like it. For me, that’s the best way, but that is my personal preference.”

  Before ending the session, Gran told us, “Please wear something light tomorrow, so you can easily undress. Trying to fly wearing jeans may not be very comfortable.”

  I already knew it.

  Brian was waiting for me when I reached home.

  “Why couldn’t we meet earlier?” he asked me. “I thought we could go to the pool.”

  By now I understood it better. Swimming was like flying, in
a way, allowing me to move in all directions. It was flying that I liked so much, really, not swimming, now that I had the choice, but I couldn’t tell him.

  “Well, Gran has opened a girls’ club and I wanted to be there for her.”

  “I thought we would spend the summer vacation together,” he pouted.

  “We are together. I visit you each morning and you come to my house each evening, and we can also spend most of the weekend together. I don’t want to be with you so much that you’ll take me for granted,” I teased him a bit.

  “I’ll never have enough of you and I could never take you for granted. You are the best thing that ever happened to me and I want you at my side for as long as we live,” he said very seriously.

  “Is that a proposal?” I asked, still a bit teasingly. He sounded so sincere that it was actually frightening. I didn’t think I was ready to commit for life at that age.

  He seemed confused for a moment. “Maybe, although an unofficial one. I’m not sure I can really talk about any long-term commitments. I’m not yet seventeen, you know, although my birthday is next week.”

  I gave him another kiss. He was so cute when indecisive between being a carefree boy and a responsible adult.

  6 Seventeen

  Gran reluctantly agreed to give me Brian’s birthday off. “I’ll teach them what you already know, so you’ll miss nothing,” she promised.

  Brian took me to the pool, after our morning sex. I needed his help to smear some sun protection lotion on my back. Gran had already told me there was a charm for that, but I didn’t know it yet. He caressed my back obediently, and his hands stayed much longer on my wing signs. He didn’t say anything, though.

  It was then my turn to return the favor. He presented his back to me and as I started putting the lotion on it, I suddenly saw something I hadn’t noticed before: two vertical lines under his shoulder line, just a short distance from his spine. They were very faint, really, and I was sure I hadn’t seen them before, although I rarely looked at his back. The front was more interesting.

  Brian heard me gasp as I noticed them, and felt my hand touching them. “I only noticed them last week. I asked Mom what they were and she said they were alright and that she and my sister had similar marks. She also said I’ll get more explanations after my birthday.”

  Could he be a male fairy? Gran said they were rare and even frowned when mentioning them, unwilling to say anything further. She had also told me that fairy magic usually skips every other generation, yet here there were two consecutive generations, if my suspicions were correct. Could they be a different magical being? If so—what?

  I decided to ask some more. “Have you had any reoccurring dreams?”

  He shrugged. “Ever since your birthday I keep dreaming of you, of being intimate with you, but also of flying with you—as if we have wings. In some dreams, we’re chased by vultures or other menacing birds. I can’t understand where these dreams come from.”

  As much as I wanted to explain these dreams, I knew it was not the time nor the place for that. “I’m sure your mother will be able to shed some light on this,” I said lightly.

  “Why don’t you come home with me after the pool. I’d like you to meet my mom. Maybe even my dad, if he’s home early.”

  Seeing my reluctance, he added, “I’ve already told them we’re a couple.”

  That meant they knew about us sleeping together. I wasn’t too glad to make it known, but . . . Well, I was over sixteen. It was expected at my age, wasn’t it?

  “What did they say?” I asked.

  “They only wanted me to make sure we’re safe until we’re older. Dad then made sure I knew how to properly use condoms, although I said you were now on the pill.”

  I really wasn’t happy with this, but it also meant that Brian was very serious about me, and so were his parents.

  I went with him to his home when we decided we had enough of the pool. Nobody was home yet. We showered together, having some more sex as well. We then put our clothes on, anticipating the arrival of his parents. Brian made the introductions as soon as his mother came home. “Mom, this is Sophie Brown, my girlfriend; Sophie, this is Margaret Levi, my mother.”

  “You’re Jewish?” It was a surprise. As he wasn’t in my class, I never knew his second name, not that it mattered one way or the other.

  “Is there a problem?” he asked cautiously.

  “No. It’s just . . . I assumed you are like most others in this area. It doesn’t change anything, though.”

  He looked relieved. “My father is Jewish. He’s even quite orthodox, which is a bit funny, as he married Mom, who isn’t, and that’s against what his religion dictates. As for me, according to the Jewish tradition, I’m not a Jew, as it goes by the mother, while to others I am, as they judge by the father. It can be quite confusing at times.”

  And it’s going to be even more confusing once you learn what those marks on your back mean, I thought, feeling some pity for him.

  “Do you mind helping me in the kitchen,” his mother asked me. It was clearly meant for some “women talk”.

  “Sure!” I said. “Lead the way.”

  As she turned around and walked to the kitchen, I became extremely aware of the marks on her back. She was wearing a loose shirt with spaghetti straps, leaving her back well exposed, quite like Gran.

  As she closed the door, she turned to me. “How’s your grandmother? I heard she’s currently started a girls’ club.”

  “You know her?” That was certainly unexpected.

  She smiled. “Edith was my fairy mentor when I was your age. How is she doing?”

  “She’s fine, although I feel I don’t know enough about her life. She’s started introducing me to what being a fairy really means.”

  While I knew that Gran was a very busy person, the more I learned about her since my birthday, the less I seemed to know about her. I really needed to spend more time with her and get to better know her. I was brought back to reality by the next question.

  “Can you already fly?”

  “She only allows it under supervision. I fly pretty well, really, but I’m not too good at shrinking my clothes, and I really like staying nude.”

  “Well, maybe I can teach you a trick or two about your clothes. I certainly like flying nude as well. We should do it together, along with my daughter. That’s the best way to get away from daily stresses.”

  “What about Brian?”

  She turned serious. “He’s a male fairy. I’m not yet sure what it means, but knowing my son, I’m sure he’ll stay the same caring person even in his fairy form. I’d like you to stay with us when I first tell him. Can you stay overnight?”

  “My parents don’t allow me to, but maybe if you ask . . . They’ll be home in about an hour, I think.”

  “That’s good enough. Go enjoy your boyfriend for now. You’re well protected, I hope.”

  “Yes,” I smiled. “I’m on the pill and I also use fairy magic. It should be safer than with other girls.”

  “Luckily for you, he’s not interested in anybody else since your birthday. Go have fun now.”

  We had some fun. It now made sense how he could perform so well. I’ve heard some girls complaining that their boyfriends were unable to perform for several hours after intercourse. Brian could restart almost immediately. By the time I regained my breath after the peak, he was ready for another turn.

  Margaret knocked on the door after our third round. “Dinner is ready and Dad is due in ten minutes. Get dressed and come to the living room.”

  Brian wasn’t surprised that his mother knew. Neither was I, by then.

  “I believe you had a very happy birthday, son, judging by the company you’ve brought here,” his father said.

  “Yes, Dad. This is my girlfriend, Sophie. Sophie, this is my Dad, Joshua.”

  His father smiled at me through his beard and nodded his head, but didn’t offer to shake my hand.

  A moment later, we all moved to
the dining corner. It was really weird. I was sure that Margaret, not being a Jew, hadn’t initially known much about Kosher food and other religious requirements, but her husband had taught her the essentials. There were actually two different meals there. One was a chicken salad, served on a plate with red trimmings, and eaten with red-stained cutlery—all for Brian’s father. The other was what we were eating—a homemade cheeseburger with some fries. Yet it was nice, each one eating in accordance with one’s beliefs and nobody forcing another to change one’s habits.

  We all had a fruit sorbet for dessert, perfect for the hot weather. Once we finished the meal, Joshua stood up and signaled for us to move to the living room, where he joined us moments later, along with his wife.

  It went similar to the conversation I had with Gran when she told me I was a fairy, yet there were differences. Male fairies become sexually active at age twelve—and Brian had already told me about some of his experiences, all with much older girls—yet they mature only at seventeen, when they are able to sprout wings. As Joshua was married to a fairy, I wasn’t surprised that he knew all about it, yet when he removed his shirt and exposed his back, I couldn’t hold my gasp. Two very distinct marks were evident along his spine, longer than I’ve seen before.

  “My mother disappeared when I was about five. I never knew my father, yet my mother had been the daughter of a famous Rabbi, who disowned her when she became a fairy. I was adopted by another orthodox family and intended to become a Rabbi myself when I started dreaming about flying. A stranger asked to see me shortly after my seventeenth birthday and taught me about my heritage. He also knew that my mother had not survived an encounter with a street cat when she was in her fairy form. I re-buried her remains a few weeks later in the orthodox cemetery near where I used to live.”

  He sighed heavily. “I didn’t feel I could continue my life as before. I started skipping many lessons, spending my time with my fairy mentor, learning how to fly, and how to perform some basic charms. These didn’t go well with my former education, and I was eventually expelled from the yeshiva, after starting to loudly doubt some preconceived truths.