by Moshe Harel
She led us many levels down to that beach. Tracey wasted no time before running to the water and starting splashing around. Some droplets landed on her lips and she licked them. She then turned to me with a surprised expression. “Salty?”
It made me smile. “Yes, darling. Seawater is salty, It’s not good for drinking, but you can swim even better in it.”
That seemed all the encouragement she needed. She quickly submerged and I tried not to lag behind. Brian followed as well, not quite sure he could grow gills but determined to try.
We had a lot of fun there. Tracey was fascinated by the different views the sea was giving her, compared to the river, and we enjoyed seeing her so happy. I also noticed that once I had gills, the water didn’t seem so salty.
Eventually, I thought this was enough. Tracey pouted but didn’t fuss. While on the beach, I thought it would be prudent to teach her to swim like other children, not just dive. Once she grew a bit older and mixed with other children, she shouldn’t show any of her magical abilities. Still, I didn’t think she was mature enough to understand, although she seemed to instinctively adapt her behavior to her environment. I hoped it would serve her right until the time she could comprehend more complex ideas.
Luckily, the angels had a fresh-water shower installed near the entrance back into the Angel Halls, as the drying salt on our skins was starting to disturb. Tracey was visibly relieved by the shower but didn’t seem to find the appropriate words. She just said, “Sower good!” and let me carry her in my arms. She seemed to need to cuddle with me much more since Nick was born, maybe because I couldn’t cuddle her as much as I liked during advanced pregnancy, the exams, and the Fairy Club. I really enjoyed hugging her tightly, caressing her and kissing her tiny nose. Isn’t that what mothers are for?
44 House
Gran was waiting for us when we returned. “I found a modest house, suitable for your family, with some room for growth,” she told us proudly. It was close enough to the campus where we intended to study for our master’s degrees and was surrounded by a high hedge, suitable for hiding our magic if we ever needed it. We let Emily watch the children and went with Gran to see the house.
As her car approached the destination, I was becoming worried that it could turn too costly. The whole neighborhood consisted of large houses, each surrounded by abundant gardens—not a place where a newly graduated couple could afford to buy a house or even just rent one. I normally trusted Gran, but I was starting to worry that she may have changed for the worse, despite not being really old.
Gran paused in front of an elegant bronze gate, took a small remote control from her purse, and pushed a button to open the gate. She then drove another minute or so before reaching the house. I was really worried as I saw it.
We stopped in the adjacent parking place, large enough for three cars. As we left the car I took my first look at the house. It was two-stories, with more than ten front windows on each level. The main entrance was arched and looked almost majestic. Gran smiled as she took a key out of her purse and opened the door.
I expected to only find bare walls there, but the place seemed fully furnished and even decorated with paintings of beaches, woods, and flowers.
“Edith, that’s magnificent, but it’s too much for us. We can’t possibly afford this house,” I said cautiously. I used her given name to emphasize how serious my concern was.
She waved her hand dismissively. “Elders Sophie and Brian can afford whatever they want. Your combined salaries are more than enough to keep even several such houses and your landlord doesn’t ask for any payment, as long as you keep the place in good repair.”
That sounded suspicious. “Who’s our landlord?”
She smiled. “One Edith Smith. I believe you know her.”
I turned to hug her tightly. She was expecting this, as her arms were open wide. Brian joined the hug and it took us a while to disentangle.
Gran led us to the kitchen and made us sit at the dining table before explaining. “I bought this place as soon as you became a couple. I thought I would give it to you as a wedding present, but that didn’t seem right, and you couldn’t afford to keep this house at that time. Such a large house needs constant maintenance and that costs real money, even if you can do some of it with only magic.”
She stopped to form her thoughts into words. “Your deeds since becoming a couple quickly raised you to Juniors, and your actions as Juniors gained you the positions of Elders. I could barely hold the council back from announcing this before your graduation. I thought you needed some time to just be yourselves before shouldering new burdens. You were officially promoted during your vacation. Now, as Elders, you have nice salaries, much more than you need for living. This doesn’t mean that you can’t find some jobs on Earth and gain some more, although you will probably do it more for the interest than for the money.”
She raised her hand to stop my protest. “As for the house, it’s quite modest, considering your positions and your family. I suspect you’ll have at least two more children, and each would need his or her own room. You’d also like your extended family to come and visit once in a while. So you need some more rooms for them. Then you will probably host some Elder meetings and Balls, as I do. This dictates the need for the large ballroom and the reception room that can double as council room.”
All we could do was to thank her. We were really at a loss for words, not even knowing what we felt.
Gran took us on a tour of the house and then the grounds. I found that we had a formal dining room that could seat up to a hundred (while the dining table in the kitchen couldn’t seat more than twelve). There was also an Olympic-sized pool on the premises and a large clearing surrounded by tall trees, “To let you and the children stretch your wings without being seen.”
I got so excited about the house that I almost missed the bit about our new positions as Elders. Almost. As soon as we returned to the house I asked Gran, “Why didn’t you tell us about the council wanting to make us Elders? Don’t you think we had a right to be heard?”
Gran lifted her hands as if to defend herself. “I believe you’ve already heard all the Elders that wanted you to join them. You even argued with one that you’re too young to become an Elder, so your candidacy is no news, really. I tried to hold off your election until you graduated from college, but that’s all that I could do. As for your opinion—do you think anybody asked my opinion when I was elected as Elder? It’s considered our duty to our race, not as something one chooses to do. If you think of it, many who choose a political career are actually the worst people for such jobs. They only seek glory, at best, or money and other benefits in other cases. The best person for a political function is one who only cares for the people, in my opinion.”
Brian was the first to answer that. “You know, now that I think of it—you’re absolutely right. One who accepts the responsibility without liking it is usually the best, not one that looks for the job for personal gratification of any kind.”
Gran smiled. “Well, as being an Elder is a job for life, one eventually becomes accustomed to the position and may even enjoy some of the benefits, as long as one does the job as needed. Although it sometimes is taxing, I enjoy my job now, but it took me many years to start enjoying it. Still, my most fulfilling task is teaching young fairies. When doing that, I feel like I’m making a positive change in their lives, possibly saving them from many dangers. There’s no real glory in that and no personal benefit, except for the knowledge that I helped a young person to better face her destiny. Can you understand that?”
I gave it a moment of thought. Wasn’t I happier when seeing my students enjoying the knowledge I’d bestowed upon them; when I saw that cat returning to her young; when Ella opened a portal after I taught her? Maybe that was the reason that Elders were not elected democratically, as our human politicians. I was still not sure that this was the best system for the Fairy nation either, but I didn’t need to rush to change it either. “I thin
k I understand,” I told Gran, earning myself a tight hug.
During the few weeks remaining until we had to resume our studies, Gran helped us move and introduced us to the people who kept the house and the yards in top condition. Their services weren’t cheap—you don’t get top-notch professionals at low cost—but they did their jobs perfectly. They were all glad to know that the house would now be lived in. Yet the person who took the news with utmost enthusiasm was Tracey. The big house was like a palace, for her, and the large lawns were an endless playground. Despite our concerns, she even liked the pool, as long as we changed the water at least once a week, keeping it “live,” as our little darling called it.
With our grades, we had no problem getting admitted into the master’s program. In a way, I thought it would even be easier, as there were fewer frontal lessons scheduled, leaving us with more time to spend with the children. Thinking of it, I realized that most master’s students were my age or older, which meant that many of them were married and even parents. The study schedule needed to take that into account and leave time for family. Most of these people also needed to gain a living, besides their studies, and that also meant that they couldn’t dedicate their whole time to studies.
Well, I knew how I was going to use the time now freed of studies. I was going to spend some time earning my salary as Elder, becoming the formidable Fairlady that everybody seemed to expect; I was going to make some more friends among all the sentient species of Avalon and try to help unite them; I was going enlarge our family, adding at least two more children, but not very soon; I was going to practice enlarging our family with Brian, a kind of practice we were both enjoying tremendously; and most of all, I was going to be the best mother I could for my two children and the ones yet to come. I was going to make my family happy, and by extension—everybody else, as much as I could. After all, according to the fairy-tales, aren’t fairies meant to bring happiness?
End
1 Party
2 Fairy
3 Family
4 Couple
5 Fairy Club
6 Seventeen
7 Rift
8 Transforming
9 Fairyland
10 Pixies
11 End of Summer
12 Practical magic
13 Gran’s parents
14 Elves
15 Messages
16 Rescue
17 Juniors and Elders
18 Research
19 Summer Vacation
20 Eighteenth Birthday
21 Kathy
22 Prom
23 Wedding
24 Visit
25 Ella
26 Start of Term
27 Gordon
28 Birth
29 Birthday surprise
30 Avalon
31 Angel
32 Unexpected Vacation
33 Club
34 Races
35 Aftermath
36 Genders
37 Pixie Friends
38 Runes
39 Repairs
40 Changes
41 A Well Deserved Vacation
42 Flight
43 Guests
44 House
End
Table of Contents
1 Party
2 Fairy
3 Family
4 Couple
5 Fairy Club
6 Seventeen
7 Rift
8 Transforming
9 Fairyland
10 Pixies
11 End of Summer
12 Practical magic
13 Gran’s parents
14 Elves
15 Messages
16 Rescue
17 Juniors and Elders
18 Research
19 Summer Vacation
20 Eighteenth Birthday
21 Kathy
22 Prom
23 Wedding
24 Visit
25 Ella
26 Start of Term
27 Gordon
28 Birth
29 Birthday surprise
30 Avalon
31 Angel
32 Unexpected Vacation
33 Club
34 Races
35 Aftermath
36 Genders
37 Pixie Friends
38 Runes
39 Repairs
40 Changes
41 A Well Deserved Vacation
42 Flight
43 Guests
44 House
End
