Butterfly Eyes: A Majesty Tale
Chapter one: Birthday gifts
The sunlight beamed into the room, and bathed Ava’s face as she stood in front of the mirror, it was certainly a beautiful morning.
“You have such lovely eyes, the most green, cats eyes I’ve seen on a person”.
Her mum had made the remark to her many times, it could have just been motherly love, but despite the circumstances, Ava found comfort in them.
Ava couldn’t see her reflection in the mirror in front of her, because she was blind, it wasn’t as though she was completely blind and she couldn’t see anything, but everything was just a blurred mirage of colours, nothing made sense.
But knowing that her eyes could be attractive pleased her.
Her mum stopped braiding her hair and then kissed her on the top of her head,
“Are you looking forward to your birthday gathering later? I have a really special gift for you”.
It was Ava’s tenth birthday, it was usually on the second week of the new school year, and it was tradition for her grandparents to make the long journey from Medusa Island.
“I guess” was Ava’s shy response, “I’m looking forward to grandma’s apple pie as much as anything else”. Ava loved grandma’s apple pie, so it was only once a year that she ate it, which made the occasion more special.
“Well you’re in for a treat”
“Thanks mum”.
“Are you looking forward to seeing your grandparents? They’ve got a nice present for you”.
Ava was beginning to feel spoiled, so she chose not to give her feelings away and replied with a simple “Yeah, and great”.
“I do have some bad news for you though, I’m going to have to go away for work, it’s only for a couple of nights, but the good news is that grandma and grandpa will be staying here with you the whole time”.
“That’s okay” Ava replied giddily.
It wasn’t unusual for her mum to go away for work for short periods at a time, she was a musician, her instrument was the flute. Before Ava was born she used to teach in school, but now she was part of a band, so on the odd occasion she left home to take part in small concerts.
Her band were so good that they once performed in front of the king, it was her mum’s proudest moment as a musician.
“Why don’t you go and get your stuff ready and we’ll leave”,
Ava left her mum’s bedroom and made her way into the washroom. The two of them had lived in the house since Ava was just a one year old, so she knew her way round without the aid of her walking cane.
She Immediately filled a basin of water and then dipped her head inside, the warm water cleansed her face. After a few seconds she opened her eyes and felt the water whirl around them, all that she could see was darkness. She waited until her lungs needed the oxygen before she lifted her head out.
She dried her face with a towel and stood in front of the sink, her eyes looking in the direction of the mirror on the wall. Her reflection was just a blur, she always woke up with the hope of her sight miraculously appearing, but it never happened, and today was no different.
She touched the mirror with the tips of her fingers, as she did, her mum called out to say that she was waiting outside, which prompted Ava to rush back into her bedroom, gather her school things and head downstairs.
Before leaving, she picked up her white cane and gulped down the last of her orange juice, and left the house.
With the front door shut, she sucked up the late summer air and basked in the sunshine, it wouldn’t be long before early autumn would set in, when the days were shorter and the nights longer. And then it would be winter, which was her least favourite season, she hated the cold, but most of all she hated that she couldn’t see the snow.
She climbed into the carriage, her mum immediately tugged at the horse’s strap, and off they were on the rickety, dirt road. Ava had memorised the route from home to the school, it was only a ten minute walk away, but her mum was insistent on taking her, she wanted to make sure that she got there safely.
It was quiet between the two of them for much of the journey, and it was her mum who eventually broke the silence,
“I can’t believe that you’re already in your final year, time really does fly”.
Ava found the prospect of leaving school daunting, she had no idea what she was going to do when she left. But her mum was right, time does fly by, it only seemed like yesterday that she started school.
“I try not to think about it” Ava casually replied.
They stopped close to the School’s front gate, as always, her best friend Scarlett was waiting for her, but before she got out of the carriage, her mum tugged at her shoulder,
“I will be picking you up later, don’t forget”.
“can’t wait” her tone of voice might have been a little too sarcastic.
Ava jumped out from the carriage, Scarlett immediately took her by the arm and they made their way up the front steps and into the school. She had met Scarlett on the first day they started school, way back when they were five years old.
Unlike most others who’d tried to be her friend out of pity or sympathy, from the moment they both shared a table in class, Scarlett opened up to her. The more that they got to know each other, the more that they realised they had a lot in common.
They both shared a love for history and the ancient tales from around the thousands of lands in the world of Majesty, they both liked music and every weekend they would go to the park theatre show. Although she couldn’t see the performance, Ava had a good enough imagination to picture each of the scenes in her own mind.
“I have a really good present to give to you later”,
“I’ve been hearing that all morning, I hope you didn’t spend too much money”.
With a snarly giggle, Scarlett replied “don’t worry it wasn’t my money, it was my parents”, she squeezed Ava’s arms and they both laughed it off.
The halls were full of noise as everyone made their way to their classrooms, Ava had memorised most of the routes through the school, but she was happy to let Scarlett lead the way.
Their classroom was located on the second floor of the stone walled building, just above the main hall where lunch took place. They both entered the class and sat down at their table, the room was made up of five square tables, theirs was located at the front of the class, close to Mr Millo’s.
They both kept to themselves, the class was split into groups, all of the sporty types were on one desk, the clever cloggs on another, the popular types on another, the distractors on another, and the outcasts with Ava and Scarlet.
Everyone hushed as soon as Mr Millo made his entrance, he was a strict teacher, he showed no restraint in handing out detentions to anyone who stepped out of line, and he wasn’t afraid to give out rollickings if anyone was being unruly.
However, Ava was on good terms with him, not only was she a good pupil, but they too shared a fascination with the many places across the world of Majesty. Before teaching he had travelled to numerous lands across the world, and she fell in love with the stories of his many adventures he’d shared with the class.
For the first part of the day Mr Milo read out everyone's name from the register, because her last name was Yule, Ava’s was the very last name to be read out. Throughout the day, Ava was aided by a learning support tutor, her name was Miss Harper, she was an elderly woman in her sixties, she was quaint and soft spoken, but her voice had the tone of a wise scholar.
Ancient History was the first class of the day, which she really enjoyed, they were learning about the beginning of the four original kingdoms of Majesty, before they broke away into hundreds of separate ones. Afterwards it was Number studies (which she hated) before a twenty minute break. Before lunch it was Geography, which she enjoyed but found far less interesting compared with Ancient History.
As soon as lunch was eaten, Ava and Scarlett made their way to their usual place, a small green spot in the corner of the playground. On most days they lay on the grass and chatted about anything, Scarlett was a good painter, the way she described the beautiful electric sky above them, always made Ava jealous.
“I think it’s time that I gave you your present” Scarlet opened her bag and handed Ava a small wooden box. The object felt heavy in her hand, she couldn’t work out what it was,
“open the lid” Scarlet insisted,
Ava obliged, with the lid open she began to hear musical chimes,
“It’s a music box, I saw it in town and I knew you’d like it”.
“Although I can’t see it, the sound is beautiful”,
The musical twirls left her in a daydream, she closed her eyes for a second and saw rainbow colours spinning around. She only opened her eyes when the music cycle ended,
“are you okay?” Scarlett asked “you seemed a little lost there for a minute”,
“I’m okay” Ava replied “I hope you didn’t spend too much money on buying it”.
“Nothing that will make my parents broke, but don’t worry, it’s no big deal, would you like me to tell you what figure is spinning as the music is being played?”.
“No thanks, I’d like it to be kept a secret, as long as I can hear the music, it’s fine”, Ava closed the lid and placed it into her bag. They laid down and talked until lunch was over.
The next class was story time, Mr Milo would read a book for the first half hour and then they would discuss it for the last half hour. The last class of the day was music, Ava’s favourite subject, this was due to her mum teaching her from a young age. It was the only class in which she both excelled in, and in which she was better than everybody else.
Unlike other classes, with music, a different teacher would come in and take over from Mr Milo, her name was Miss Worz. Not only was she an experienced musician, she was also a great teacher, she allowed everyone to learn at their own pace, and she made sure that she taught difficult things in the most simplest terms.
She was mesmerised by Ava’s ability to play the flute, so much so that she once asked her to stay after school just so she could show her more of the songs that she could play.
In today’s class they continued to learn the basics of the piano, it wasn’t one of her favourite instruments, and the entire hour consisted of writing notes whilst listening to the teacher. It was certainly not the most exciting music class she’d ever had.
Relief overcame everyone when the bell sounded out and the school day was finished, she was looking forward to seeing her grandparents for the first time in months, as well as the presents of course.
Ava said goodbye to Scarlett and got into the carriage mum was waiting in, the conversation began with the usual ‘how was school?’, ‘did you learn anything new?’. Ava brushed the questions aside, always giving her the same boring answer of ‘not really’.
She was quickly reminded of the gift that Scarlett had given to her, so she pulled it out of her bag to show her mum.
“Scarlett got me this, before you say anything, please don’t tell me what figure is dancing on top”,
“It’s beautiful, Ava, make sure you cherish it”.
“I will” she replied earnestly.
For two hours she stayed in her bedroom, it was a medium sized room with a desk and a toy shelf in opposite corners, and toy birds hung down from the ceiling. The bed was pressed just under the round shaped window, so she could feel the sunlight and hear the rain tapping against the glass.
Although she couldn’t see it for her own eyes, her mum wanted to make the room special for her.
It wasn’t until just after six o’clock that her grandparents arrived from their long journey across the seas. When she made her presence known her grandma immediately smothered her, and kissed her on the top of her head,
“happy birthday, my lovely”
When she let her go, it was her grandpa’s turn, who gave her a gentle cuddle and a kiss on the hand.
Once again, Ava had to go through the motions of explaining how school was, what her favourite subject was, and how her friend Scarlett was doing.
“Here is your present” grandma wrapped a warm scarf around her throat, “I knitted it myself, it will keep you warm for winter”.
Ava thanked and hugged the two of them.
“Now spread your arms out” mum insisted, to which Ava obliged. The the next thing she could feel was a coat put around her, It was comfortable and a perfect fit, the material was soft and quilted.
Mum said “Wow, it’s amazing, suits you perfectly, you’ll need it with winter not long away”,
“Thank you, what colour is it?” Ava asked
“It’s dark blue with pink buckles and buttons” grandma answered, “everyone is going to be jealous of you”.
Ava took the coat off and hung it up by the front door.
“Here you are darling” her mum handed her another gift, it was a small box wrapped in brown paper. Ava sat down and tore it away as though she was opening a treasure chest, as she did her mum came over to her side,
“I know you love birds” mum said as she placed her arms over Ava’s shoulders, “so I went to a toy maker who crafted a wooden seagull from scratch”.
Of all the animals, birds were her favourite, she loved their singing, she loved the different colours and types that had been described to her. And if there was any animal that she could be, it would be a bird, she would travel the world to her heart's content.
She thanked her mum again and gave her another hug, before going to her room and placing the bird next to the music box on the windowsill.
She stayed in her bedroom until her mum called her down for supper and the apple pie dessert. Her grandparents grew the apples themselves, they were scrumptiously tasty and mouthwatering.
Mum blew out all of the candles except for those on the dining table, Ava could see their blurred outlines like dancing fire lanterns at night. Her mum planted a supportive hand over her shoulder and said “make a wish, one wish, and then blow out the candles”.
Grandma stroked the back of her hair and said “make a wish that you know will make you happy, as well as those around you”.
Ava had made the same wish every year, and that wish was to be able to see like normal people. She thought for a moment about changing her wish, so far the wish had not come to anything in previous years, so was there any point in making the same wish again?
For a second she thought it might have been time to accept that she was never going to get her sight back, and perhaps it was time that she made a new wish.
Her own wants and needs twirled around her head like a carousell, but there was only one thing that she really wanted to change in her life for the better. She stood up and closed her eyes, she could feel the heat from the candles bounce off of her eyelids.
I wish to be able to see the world around me, just like everyone else.
After she spoke those words in her head, she duly blew out the candles, and then everyone sang happy birthday.
Everybody took a slice of pie, the taste was just as she had remembered, and she loved every bit of it, so much so that she took a second piece.
For the remainder of the night her family talked and laughed, but when it was getting late she returned to her room and held the wooden bird, and stared out of the round window towards the nightfall above.
She imagined that she was flying through the clouds and looking down at the mountains and the sea.
Before leaving home, her mum tucked her in bed, “goodnight sweetheart, I’m really sorry that I’ve had to leave you so soon, I’ll be back in two days, and from then on I won’t be going away for a long time”.
Before she let her mum leave, Ava had one more request “could you play the lullaby, please”. The lullaby was a special piece of music that her mum had created especially for her, she used to play it to Ava when she was in bed of a night.
With each passing year, the less that it seemed her mum would play it to her, it had been months since she had last done so, but tonight was different. Ava always made sure to ask her on her birthday, she had never missed a year.
Her mum gathered her flute and began to softly play the lullaby. The music elevated her to another world, her mind was at peace and her heart warm. With her eyes closed, she imagined sparkling stars in the dark of the sky, just as her mum had described a starry night to her.
When her mum was finished, she kissed Ava on the forehead and silently said “goodnight, sweetheart”.
Unknown to her mum, Ava was still awake when she’d left the bedroom, she decided to not say goodnight, she never did because she wanted to make her mum think that the lullaby had sent her to sleep.
As always, her mum left the bedroom door slightly open to allow the hallway candlelight to seep in. After a couple of minutes she heard the front door close and then the sound of the horse’s feet clatter away into the distance.
It was only then that Ava rolled over and fell asleep.
Chapter 2: Gone too soon
Ava jolted up from her bed, she had not woken from a dream, but it did feel like she had been asleep for a long time. For a moment she was a little disoriented, but after a few seconds she calmed herself, and she was about to shut her eyes when a knock at the front door echoed through the house.
A previous knock must have woken her in the first place. With the use of the dials on her bedside cabinet clock, she was able to know that it was nearly thirty minutes past two in the morning.
Who could it be?
She heard the door to the spare room open, and she recognised her grandpa’s footsteps walk out into the hallways and down the stairs. As he passed her bedroom she heard him whisper to himself “who in the hell is knocking at this time?”.
She listened carefully for the front door to open. When it happened, she heard a couple of voices as well as those of grandpa.
For a minute or so they all spoke to one another, she couldn’t make out what was being said. Eventually her grandpa shouted out “Beatris, I think you need to come down here...” his voice was notably strangled, he was obviously upset about something. Which made Ava rise from her bed, the tiredness was ebbed from her body.
She heard grandma’s footsteps come out into the hallway, and there was clearly concern in her voice,
“what’s wrong?”.
She listened to her steps descend the stairs, there was no response to the question.
When she heard the front door close, and a familiar, clattering sound of the Royal Guards footsteps, Ava got out of bed and snuck out of her room, and tiptoed down the stairs. What were the Royal Guards doing here? she had only known them to protect the streets from criminals.
By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs she could already hear grandma’s crying, and grandpa simultaneously telling her that everything was going to be okay, while trying to hold back tears at the same time.
The sobbing got louder as she came to within a few feet of the living room entrance. Although she couldn’t see, she could tell that her grandparents were seated on the sofa, while the other two were still standing.
“Once again I’m really sorry for your loss, we can’t imagine what you’re going through right now” the man tried to be as sincere as possible, but knew it was pointless. Ava’s forehead went numb, and a thousand needles felt like they were picking at her heart. It dawned on her that they could be talking about her mum.
While choking back tears, Grandpa asked “Do you think we should tell Ava?”
“No” grandma responded, she failed to hold back the tears “let her have one more peaceful night, I don’t want her to see her heartbroken just yet”.
Ava walked into the middle of the room, the silence was deafening.
“Ava” grandma whispered, “what are you doing up so late, go back to bed”,
“I heard everything, has something happened to mum?”.
“why don’t you come and sit down, there’s something that we need to tell you” grandma insisted,
“Has something happened to mum?” Ava asked the question again with more assertiveness, and her tone more aggressive.
“There was heavy storms in the seas, your mum was in a boat crash and…” grandma choked up and went over to cradle Ava in her arms, and she whispered “your mum died in a boat crash while travelling…”.
Ava didn’t want to listen anymore, she covered her ears and ran out of the room, and up the stairs. When she got into her room, she picked up her cane and threw it against the wall, and curled up under her bedcovers.
For some reason she placed her hands over her eyes, to stop the tears from falling. She cried even more when her mum’s voice rang through her head over and over.
The tears flushed her face, and she cried into the darkness until there were none left.
Chapter 3: One year later
“I want to go higher” Ava called out,
“Are you sure” Dulce asked in a concerned tone,
“Yes, push the swing higher, please” Ava insisted.
Her friend pushed the swing even higher, Ava looked up at the swirling shades of green at the top of the forest.
She held onto the ropes tighter as her tummy turned to a nest of worms squirming around. She waited until she couldn’t take anymore, so she shouted stop, as soon as the swing stopped she staggered forward like a drunken troll and fell into her friend’s arms.
They both lay on the grass and stared up at the tall forest trees, and listened to the gentle breeze sway against the branches. For a moment neither of them spoke, and they took in the serene setting.
“So, I wonder what special gift your grandparents have for you?” Dulce teased her,
“I haven’t stopped thinking about it since they mentioned it. It does make me wonder because they are not the kind to make a big deal out of something”.
“What do you want it to be?” Dulce asked “is there anything that you really want?”.
Ava thought for a moment, but there was nothing that she wanted. There was only one thing that she’d always desired.
“Nothing, there’s nothing that I want, nothing that I can think of”.
“There is so much that I want when my birthday comes around”.
Dulce was always joyous and energetic, full of adventure and dare, and eager to please those around her.
She’d first met Dulce when they were only three years old, her grandparents were friendly with Dulce’s parents. On her annual summer visits to her grandparents, they would meet up from time to time, but it was only when she moved in a year ago that their friendship had become closer.
They got up from the grass and made their way to Edith, Dulce’s little horse. They both mounted the animal, and quickly raced through the forest.
Kolkra Forest is ancient, there were many others that were bigger, but none were older. It was the oldest in the entire world of Majesty. Grandma had told her many of the stories about the giant beasts that once roamed inside of it, and how it was once home to a population of elves. It was a truly magical place, it had become Ava and Dulce’s big, sprawling playground.
They cut through the narrow paths between the trees, on their way they passed the lake, their favourite place in the forest, and where on hot days they liked to play in. Before they made their exit they passed her grandpa's apple trees, which he grew and sold at the local market.
As soon as they left the forest behind them, they made their way across a large meadow until they reached Ava’s grandparents house.
“Before you go, there’s something I need to give to you, it’s nothing much”, she handed Ava a birthday card, “I made it myself, it’s not much but…”.
“No, it’s perfect” Ava interrupted “it’s the thought that counts”.
They said their goodbyes and Ava let herself through the front door. As soon as she walked through, the smell of the apple pie baking woofed up her nostrils. Her mouth was already watering at the thought of taking her first bite.
She immediately made her way to the back of the house where her bedroom was, “I’m home” she called out as she passed grandma in the kitchen.
Her bedroom was a bit smaller than her old room, it was once her mum’s when she was a child. After her mum had died she moved in with her grandparents and left her hometown of Haverin.
The house had just one floor so it was smaller than her old house, it took her a while but she had gotten used to it now.
She placed the card by the window, next to the music box and the toy bird that had been given to her just a year ago. It was nearly a year since she had last seen Scarlett, as soon as her mum died she stopped going to school, and shut herself away until she’d gotten over the sadness.
Ava had always intended to send a letter but she could never work out what to write, and it got worse the longer she left it.
She felt guilty because they had been best friends since they were young, and it was times like today that she missed her old friend, knowing that she should have been here with her on her birthday.
She wound up the music box and laid on her bed listening to the calming chimes.
It wasn’t long before she had to go to the town of Theydon, it was the largest town on Medusa Island. Located in the centre of the town was an indoor market, it was the only trading outpost in all of the island, it was from there that everything from the food to the natural resources travelled round the Island and to some of the other parts of Majesty.
Grandma readied the horses and they set off on the rickety road. It was a nice sunny day but with a gentle breeze, she watched the shades of lush green until they reached the gates to Theydon.
It was quiet until they got to the market where the noise was suffocating from all of the hustle and bustle, as well as the shouting from the traders buying and selling stuff.
Mr Frye, the grocer, was already waiting for them at the front of the market, he helped with the crates of apples as they entered inside. Ava held Grandma’s hand as they walked through, all the different kinds of smells bubbled up the air, from the greasy odour of fish to the scent of flowers from the florist.
Grandma pushed her way through the crowds all the while keeping a grip on Ava. They made their way into a large grocery store where Grandma negotiated the sale of the apples, as she always did.
While waiting by the side of the counter, something caught Ava’s eyes. For a split second she thought she had imagined it, but no, when she turned round, something was shimmering in her view. It was clear and she could see it, her sight was no longer impaired. She closed and opened her eyes five times, but it was still there.
The object sparkled like an uncut diamond found in a thousand year old mystic cave, she tugged at Grandma’s coat, but she dismissed her “can’t you see I’m busy, Ava, we’ll be off home soon”.
She moved away from the counter and followed in the direction of the sparkling light. With the aid of her cane she crossed the narrow corridor to where the light was, the closer she got to it she eventually realised that it was a silver stone with a butterfly inside.
When it was within reach she stopped to gawp at its splendour. She wondered whether what she was seeing was just the beginning of her sight forming together, or was it something that just wanted her attention.
She could tell that the object was inside of something, a black box or something similar. She reached out her hand and touched the surface of a chestbox.
“Can I help you?” asked an old man’s voice from behind her,
“There’s something inside” Ava’s words stuttered “I can see it, but I’m blind”.
“Fascinating” he stretched the word out.
“What is it? Why can I see it?” Ava asked frantically.
“Inside of that box is a desire stone from a bygone age”.
“A desire stone” Ava replied ecstatically, “I’ve never seen one before”, although she had heard many stories about them, as far as she knew they were mystical stones that belonged to fairies.
“You know what a desire stone is, don’t you?” he enquired, the tone of his voice full of intrigue.
Ava shrugged her shoulders.
“Desire stones are very rare indeed, I have travelled across all the kingdoms of Majesty and I have only come across one of them”.
He stopped talking and moved round to her side and opened the chestbox, as soon as the lock unhinged he pulled out the shimmering stone.
“Tell me what you see?” the old man asked,
“I see a shiny, silver stone, bit like a very pretty diamond, but inside of it is a purple butterfly moving around inside”.
“Do you want to know what I see?” he asked without wanting a reply, so he answered his own question “I am completely blind to its appearance, you are the only one that can see the butterfly”.
Her jaw dropped, she wondered whether the butterfly was just a fragment of her own imagination that had run away with her. While still speechless, the old man began to speak again “the butterfly appears only to those who have the greatest desire for something to happen, and it’s calling to you. The butterfly will act as the wishing fairy’s messenger”.
Ava was ecstatic, “so can I get as many wishes as I want?”
“It depends on what wishing fairy is calling to you” the old man answered earnestly, “some can offer you the wildest of dreams, but the bigger the wish that they grant the more dangerous that they can be, because a wishing fairy doesn’t give away her wishes for nothing”.
She stared at the purple butterfly, realising that there was no way that her grandparents could afford something so antique and magical.
“My family could never afford anything like this”,
“Who said it was for sale? Perhaps I might just give it to you as a gift”.
“It is my birthday today” Ava hinted “but would you really give it to me?”.
“It’s calling to you, it wants to be with you, with me it is worthless. Desire stones are unlike most ancient treasures because they fetch for very little money, and they are only valuable to those it wants to be with. There is no need for me to keep hold of it”.
“Ava, Ava!” Grandma frantically shouted from behind her, “have you seen her, have you seen my granddaughter” her voice was croaky and upset.
“Take it” the old man insisted, he placed the stone in the palm of her hand and folded it, “whatever it is that you desire, I hope it brings you happiness”.
“Grandma, over here” Ava called back.
“Why did you run off” she scolded her, “you have to stay by my side at all times when we’re here”.
“I’m sorry” Ava apologised in the most sincere way she could, “i smelt something that I hadn’t noticed before” although she lied, it was true that she could smell the scent of the old artifacts around her.
Grandma didn’t respond to her which meant that she didn’t believe her, but she did turn her attention to the old man
“I’ve never seen you here before, are you new to Medusa?”.
“I am indeed, but not for very long” he replied,
“And what is it that you’re selling?”.
“I am a traveler on one hand, and on the the other hand I am an artifacts merchant”.
There was a slight pause as Grandma looked around the shop, “I must say it’s all very interesting. Well we better get going, Ava, Grandpa will be getting worried about us”.
She took Ava by her hand, before they left, Grandma turned back to the merchant “it’s nice meeting you…”.
“Kyri” the old man answered,
“I hope to see you once again, Kyri” grandma graciously said,
“And I hope to see you as well. Take care Ava” he knelt down and whispered in her ear, “remember to come back when your wish is granted”.
They left the busy market and travelled back home, Ava held the Desire Stone tight in her pocket as they made the journey back.
“You’re being unusually quiet” Grandma mused “any particular reason?”,
“I’m just looking forward to my birthday gift”.
“I can’t wait to see your face when you open it”.
All three of them gathered around the table, because it was her birthday, Grandma had cooked a beef stew with dumplings.
Ava wolfed it down in no time, not only was it delicious, but she too wanted to fill her tummy up as quickly as possible so that she didn’t have to wait long before she opened her present.
“Here you go, dear” Grandma handed her a small wooden box. At once, Ava opened the lid and reached inside to touch the surface of something made of nickel. When she pulled it out she realised it was a flute.
“That was your mum’s very first flute” grandpa remarked “she used to play that every day”.
“We thought we had lost it” grandma said, “but when we were clearing out, we found it under a heap of old stuff. Your mum would have wanted you to have it”.
“Thank you” Ava gratefully replied, she had not touched her own flute since the day her mum died, it had been left gathering dust underneath her bed ever since.
Grandma held her hand gently and said “from the moment your mum picked it up, she would play music all the time, she was a master at such a young age”.
As far as she could remember, there had only ever been one occasion that she’d played in front of her grandparents, which made her feel guilty. She placed her lips on the front plate and began to play her mum’s lullaby, she thought she’d forgotten how to play it, but after a few stutterings she managed to play the melody from beginning to end.
They both applauded her,
“marvelous” grandpa said of her,
“It reminds me of when your mum used to play” Grandma remarked, her smile stretching across both cheeks.
Ava thanked them once again and sat back down.
The celebrations were not over just yet, there was still apple pie to eat.
Grandma pulled it out from the oven and placed it on the table. The smell immediately made Ava eager for her first slice, but there was something she had to do before the pie could be cut.
With the lighted candle plucked into its centre, Ava rose from her seat and stared at the dancing flame, flickering like a prying dragon's eye.
She leaned forward and made her wish,
I wish to be able to see like normal people
When the candle blew out, she thought of her mum again, the image she had of her came back.
“Could you relight the candle please, I want to make another wish”.
With the candle relit, she leaned across the table once more, made her wish,
I wish to be able to see my mum once again
With that she blew out the candle.
After eating apple pie, for the remainder of the night they all sat around the fireplace and spoke about previous memories of her birthdays.
When it was time for bed, grandma tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. When she left, Ava placed the Desire Stone on her bedside cabinet, and stared at the butterfly moving inside.
Before closing her eyes to sleep she quietly played the flute one last time.
Chapter 4: An offer too good to refuse
She dreamed about the old house she lived in with her mum. Which was unusual because she hardly ever dreamed, and when she did, they were always vague and never made sense.
She woke up staring into darkness, the candlelight on her bedside cabinet was no longer alight. Although she had never done so before, she figured that it was grandma that must have blown it out.
While still half asleep she turned to her side so she was facing the ever slightly opened window, the quiet was eerie.
She could not have been asleep for more than a few hours, the sun was still hours away from rising.
From nowhere a flash of light caught her attention, she turned and looked up to see a bright butterfly floating by the ceiling, vibrant and purple it illuminated the room as it looked down on her.
She noticed that the desire stone had broken into little pieces,the old merchant had told the truth after all, the butterfly had come to life, and it was going to take her to a wishing fairy.
She opened and closed her eyes three times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. But she was awake and the butterfly was really there.
She sat up and looked in awe, its wings flapped ever so slowly as it began to whistle her mum’s lullaby. Hearing it brought back memories of her, it was so much better to hear the music rather than just playing it.
Ava jumped from the bed to grab it but fell to the ground, as she missed it the butterfly flew through the keyhole and out of the room.
She grabbed her cane and followed in pursuit, although her surroundings were still cloaked in darkness, the butterfly left a trail of silver sprinkle dust as it flew forward.
The cold air bit against her face the second she stepped outside, “wait” she shouted out as the butterfly suddenly moved further ahead of her as she paced across the meadow and towards the forest.
When she got to the foot of the forest she noticed an uneasy feeling overcome her, in the distance she could hear the chilling sounds of an owl hooting and the crickets moving between the foliage.
She entered and followed the butterfly into the deepest parts the forest, a place she had never ventured into before, it was noticeably far quieter. The leaves under her footing crunched like shattered bones breaking into pieces.
For the first time she was scared as shivers tingled her spine. She was mindful of where stepped as she walked through, the forest was too quiet, but every so often she would hear the sounds of movement at either side of the narrow path.
Her imagination ran away with her as she feared that there could be snakes or wild wolves ready to pounce at her.
She was led further and further into the forest, was it ever going to end? She wondered as her legs began to tire. It was in this part of the forest that she had always been told that the trees were taller and darker in colour, so the sunlight never breathed in as much.
Although her ankles began to hurt she continued to trudge along, wondering where she was being led to, and when it would stop. At the back of her head she still thought there was a possibility she was dreaming.
The butterfly only stopped when a round, white hole suddenly appeared in the dark. Ava stopped in her tracks, from a distance it didn't appear to be an entryway into another place.
That was until the butterfly flew inside and disappeared into the void of light.
Ava sped up and hurried to the light, she had to move off of the narrow path and into the foliage. She managed to cross over to the circle of light with just a minor scrape on her ankle.
On closer inspection, the circle of light was more like that of a portal. When she leaned forward and looked through, she noticed bolts of electricity around the edges of the white light. From somewhere inside she could hear the butterfly whistling the lullaby.
With her right foot first, she stepped through, once she was inside she waited until the light vanished and the darkness returned, finding found herself in the centre of a field surrounded by a forest. Standing before her was a tall and large tree, its trunk grey but its leaves were blood red. It was nothing like those in Kolkra forest.
But it was no longer just the butterfly that she could see. At any moment she was still expecting to wake up from a dream.
She made her way through the arched entryway that led into the inside of the tree. She found herself in the dark once again, she looked behind to see the portal at the other end of the field, looking back at her, its illuminating light watching her. She liked to think that it was looking out for her, guarding her from evil beings.
She walked further into the darkness, wondering where she was going. But the butterfly appeared from the dark, its bright glare revealed spiral stairs along the walls. She continued in pursuit of the butterfly as it led her up to the very top of the tree.
It whistled the lullaby for the entire way, as pretty as it was, something about the butterfly made her suspect that its motives were a little devious.
At the top of the stairs was a single red door made from wood, it was so small that it looked completely out of place with its surroundings.
With hesitation, she grasped the handle and pushed it forward.
The door opened into a large, round shaped room, the walls made from the same surface as that of a tree trunk. In the air were tens of odd, little yellow orbs with small wings just floating around, it was the room’s only source of light.
At the back of the large room, sitting on a rock in the middle of a small pool of water, surrounded by small toads, was a fairy. She was wearing a leaf petalled dress, her wings were large and like those of a butterfly, its colour a cascading gold.
The fairy roached the surface of the water with her fingertips before turning her attention to Ava.
As soon as their eyes locked, she felt swallowed by the fairy’s vixen red eyes, a startling contrast to her pale face and small purse lips.
The fairy was young, of the same age as Ava but her appearance gave off the sense of eternal agelessness.
“Step forward, my friend, come to me” the fairy giggled childishly.
Ava moved forward and as soon as she was close to the water, the fairy sprung to her feet and floated in the air.
“Who is the wish seeker who I have come to grant one?”, her voice was distant and her words indirect, like a teacher talking down to a bad student.
“Uh, my name’s Ava”
“Ava, that’s a nice name, I like it”
“And what’s your name?” Ava anxiously asked, her hands tangled and her thumbs twitching.
“Viola” the fairy quaintly replied, her face showing little emotion.
“Nice too meet you” Ava nervously slipped the words.
“I am a wishing fairy, I grant people their most wanted desires, with a little help for myself in return”, with a wry smile she asked “do you agree to us helping one another?”.
Ava hesitated, she wanted to question the fairy in regards to what help she wanted, but she couldn’t think of the words to string together.
The fairy flew back down onto the rock and placed both of her hands into the water. They were cupped together when she pulled them out of the water, and then reached out her arm and blew air into the water.
The water changed into a thousand pieces of sprinkle dust that trailed through the air. Ava watched as it formed into a mask shaped like a butterfly. It was golden with black lines laced across it.
“If you put the mask on” the fairy insisted “your greatest desire will come true”.
Ava obliged and took hold of the mask. The fairy rose up into the air and then landed on her feet close to her, the two of them mere feet away from one another.
“Take these” she held out a small bottle with ugly black cocoons inside. “I want you to scatter these in the front of the forest, by the meadow. That’s all you have to do, and when you leave through the portal and put on the mask, you will be able to see the world around you, just like everyone else”.
Their eyes met again, while she found them bewildering, Ava couldn’t read any emotion from them either.
Her handles trembled as took the bottle from the fairy, whose brow immediately stiffened, and a sly smile spread on her right cheek, and her eyes pierced with fire.
“Go now and scatter them, the world is waiting for you”.
