The Little Jewel - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I was so tempted to stay the night with Jewel and her mother, but I had a strong feeling that if I did, I would not be able to keep my hands off her. I was afraid that I'd scare her away! Instead, I promised to visit again the next day, and I kept that promise. In fact, I woke up about an hour before dawn, flew to her house, and waited until I saw her mother come out to do chores.

“Hi Elda!”

“Good morning Z,” Elda greeted me with a kind smile.

“Where's Jewel?”

“She's –” At just that moment, Elda was interrupted by a dog barking as it raced out of the house. Elda probably thought of it as a lapdog, but to me, it was huge! I hid behind Elda.

“I'm taking Ferocious out for a run now! Just whistle when Z gets here!” Jewel called out from her perch on the dog's back as it ran by as fast as it could.

“I'm already here!” I shouted, but Jewel couldn't hear me. I was terrified that the dog would eat her, but she seemed to be having the time of her life. I flew after them.

Elda must have known I was afraid of dogs because she called after me: “Don't worry about Ferocious; he's all bark and no bite!”

Not as reassured as Elda had intended, I hurried after the racing dog. I heard Jewel laughing and encouraging the dog to go faster. Finally, I caught up with them.

“Jewel!”

“Hi Z!” Jewel waved at me exuberantly, and then tugged on some of the dog's hair. Miraculously, he stopped. “I was just taking my dog out for a walk, or should I say run?” She asked with a laugh.

“I see that,” I replied dryly.

“Come here.” She patted the spot behind her.

I didn't even want to be this close to the dog let alone that close! However, I did want to be near Jewel, so I braced myself and flew to her. Soon, I was reluctantly sitting behind Jewel.

“You're going to want to be closer than that!” She informed me with a giggle.

It was a bit hard to do in the dress she'd given me – I was used to wearing clothing that was tattered and torn and not restricting at all – but I managed to sit as close behind her as I could.

“Good,” she stated as she took my hands and wrapped them around her waist. I felt awkward; would she notice how I felt about her if I held her like this?

She kicked Ferocious lightly, and then laughed as he took off running once more. I may have screamed and tightened my grip on her – I don't remember clearly.

Soon, I realized something incredible... This felt just like flying! I relaxed a bit, but I didn't let go of her waist. I was so happy just to be near her!

Ferocious finished his business and returned home. We all ate breakfast, and then Jewel had nothing to do while her mother did more chores.

“I'd help if I could,” Jewel lamented as she walked away from her house. At her pace, it would take nearly all day to get anywhere!

“Do you want to see where I live?” I asked her, eager to show her my home.

“Could I?” She asked hopefully.

I laughed happily. “Why not?” I wrapped my arms around her waist once more, and flew us both to my tree. By the time we got there, I knew there was no way I'd be able to fly her home until after I'd gotten plenty of rest. I was exhausted!

“You live in a tree?” Jewel asked, confused.

“Where did you expect me to live?” I wondered with a laugh.

“in a fairy palace,” Jewel stated.

I laughed again. “This is the fairy palace. It's the biggest tree in the forest, but it's not just that. It's been fed fairy magic for thousands of years. It depends on me as much as I depend on it.”

I sigh, a bit depressed. “Of course, it looked better when I was younger. I was away for a while, and the magic that made it a palace fit for a fairy King and Queen faded.”

“Why did you leave?” Jewel asked curiously.

“I left to search for other fairies. I searched practically the whole world, but I didn't find a single one. Just the places that they used to live.”

“I'm so sorry!” Jewel exclaimed, trying to comfort me with a hug. I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms forever. She let me go and continued. “If I had magic, I'd summon a fairy prince for you.”

“It's not so bad now that I've found you,” I admitted shyly.

“I feel the same way!” She squealed happily and hugged me tight once more.

Together, we explored the palace, and I realized that it was mostly still all there, just dusty and full of insects. Which wasn't a bad thing; at least I'd never run out of food!

I noticed that the sun indicated that it was nearing dinnertime, and my stomach growled, embarrassing me.

“Maybe you should take me home,” Jewel suggested. “Then we can clean up and eat dinner.”

“Good idea!” I said, but I knew that I wasn't quite strong enough to fly her home on my own. I led her back outside, and then let out a shrill whistle.

A few moments passed in silence, and then a hawk landed nearby. Normally, hawks loved to eat creatures as small as me, but fairies and birds had always loved each other. I chittered lovingly as I stroked his head, and then climbed onto his back. This hawk had flown me around the world!

“Come on,” I beckoned to Jewel. “You've taken me for a ride on your pet, now it's my turn.”

“Oh boy!” I heard Jewel mutter nervously, but then she squared her shoulders and climbed onto the hawk behind me. I smiled as I felt her wrap her arms around me and hold on as tightly as she could.

I signaled the hawk to fly in the direction of Jewel's house, and soon, we were soaking in a nice warm bath before dinner.

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