Wild Magic Ch 1-3

I was enjoying a cool hike in the nature preserve near my house, when I heard a tiny voice calling for help. I searched for the voice in the brush, and soon found it. A tiny figure, tangled in twigs and spider web, struggled for freedom.

I knelt down and carefully picked it up, taking care not to crush it. “Hey. I’m here to help. Hold still so I can get you free.” It apparently understood me and stopped wiggling. As I freed it, I could not believe my eyes.

Standing at his full height of maybe three or four inches tall, with wide, gossamer wings, was a tiny male fairy. I held him in my hand and watched as he picked off the remaining bits stuck to him.

Finally, he finished, cleared his throat, and extended his hand. In his piping voice, he said, “Hi! I’m Jonjacobjingleheimerschmitt Hisnameismynametoo. You can call me Dick, for short.”

Stunned, I asked, “How do you get Dick from Jonjacobjingleheimerschmitt Hisnameismynametoo?”

The tiny man looked at me squarely and said, “Well, you just ask nicely.” He paused for a moment, looking blankly, before he cracked a smile and started laughing. He fell over laughing at his own joke, and took a few moments before he could compose himself.

“Well, you helped me,” he said when he started breathing regularly again, “so I’m going to help you. No strings attached.” He pointed at the shredded web when he said that last part. “Sound good?”

I just nodded dumbly, expecting to wake up in a straight jacket soon. I’m a young guy, fairly straightforward and grounded, and it sure seemed a nice place to finally go completely insane, it seemed.

“Great! I’m going to give you a bit of fairy magic. Yeah, it’ll be great.” He drew a tiny knife and cut himself, drawing a tiny droplet of blood. He coated the blade in it, then stabbed me in the hand.

“Ouch!” I shouted as I jerked away. He caught himself midair and lightly landed on a branch about head height to me.

“There ya go, buddy. Now you can enjoy a bit of fairy power. When you will it, folks will be a lot more agreeable. It won’t make them mindless slaves, but will make them more willing to do things they already would be willing to do, even if that willingness is buried deep. Afterwards, they’ll just have warm and fuzzy memories of anything even happening, as if a half remembered dream.”

Rubbing my hand, I asked, “What’s the catch, Dick?”

“No catch. You helped me, so we’re even.”

“Okay, but where’s the speech about great power and great responsibility? Or telling me not to abuse this gift?”

Dick laughed and said, “Oh, none of that nonsense here, bucko. This is fairy magic. What’s the point of having fairy magic if you can’t abuse it? Just be careful, because if someone knows they’re being manipulated, it becomes harder to do. So no blabbing about it, but only because it makes the magic stop working. Abuse the hell out of it though.”

With very little else, Dick flitted away and was soon lost in the foliage. The only thing I had to show myself I wasn’t crazy was the mark on my hand, already looking like a tiny scar.

As I left the preserve, the weather had started to turn. I decided to take the bus home, but as the bus pulled up to the stop, I realized I had no money. The driver looked impatient as I explained, “I don’t have any money, but my stop isn’t far. I just want to stay out of the rain.”

He looked grumpy, and I put on my best “charming” face. Slowly the grumpy look faded into a smile as he said, “Sure, kid. This one is on me.” He flicked his thumb back, indicating that I could have a seat.

“Maybe I’m not crazy,” I thought as I took a seat. I mean, free bus fare isn’t too far fetched. “I wonder what I can get away with now.”

—————————-

The bus pulled away, and I hurried home, getting in the door just as the sky opened up. My dad was watching baseball in the den and having a beer. He was a retired baseball player and now he sold cars. Well, he owned several dealerships, but same thing, right? I sat down to join him, and decided test my luck.

“Hey, dad. Toss me a beer?”

He seemed to hesitate a moment, then reached into his mini-fridge to grab a can before tossing it my direction. “Sure thing, champ. How was the hike?”

We chatted a bit, cheered his team, and had a couple more beers, when my mom walked in.