Cracked glasses Part 3

She gaped open-jawed at the tiny creature standing on her book.

“What’s the matter?” the fairy asked. “Do you stare at everybody like that?”

“Well… I’ve never met a fairy before,” she said, quietly, still not certain of what she was seeing.

“I suppose that’s all right. We do tend to keep to ourselves after all.”

The tiny woman looked up at Lindy speculatively.

“By the way,” she asked. “How is it that you can see me? I’ve flown right up to your house and you’ve never noticed me before.”

“I don’t know,” Lindy answered honestly.

“Maybe it’s these.”

Before she had time to protest, the fairy had grabbed her glasses off of her nose and flown off somewhere.

“That’s not fair! Bring those back!”

Lindy set her book aside and shakily got up from her seat. She wanted to chase the fairy, but she knew she wouldn’t have much luck without her glasses. Still, she didn’t seem to have any other choice, so she stumbled off into the woods, hoping to find the fairy again. She had only gone a few feet before she tripped over a root. She landed on her hands and knees with a loud flump and the snapping of twigs.

She sat and examined her scraped knee. She didn’t try to get up again. The first tear fell down her cheek and landed on a leaf and there were plenty more behind it. She’d always believed in fairies. Whenever the other kids had called her a baby and teased her for it, she’d still believed. But she wouldn’t have bothered believing if she’d known that they’d be so mean.

Swiping the tears from her cheeks, Lindy squared her shoulders and prepared herself to face her mother again and tell her that she’d not only broken her glasses, but lost them as well. She pushed herself up from the ground, but she nearly fell down again when a voice sounded from a branch by her face.

“I was just trying to have a bit of fun with you,” the little fairy said. “Here, you can have them back.”

The glasses reappeared on her face as though they’d never left it, cracked left lens and all.

“That was an awful trick.”

Lindy scowled at the fairy, now that she could see her again.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

“That’s ok,” Lindy said, now intent on memorizing every detail. She squinted at the little fairy, taking in her glowing green eyes and leafy clothing. Looking at her now, Lindy realized that the fairy wasn’t very much older than she was, or at least she didn’t look like it.

“Do you like my dress? I made it from lilacs and maple leaves.”

“I think it’s lovely,” Lindy said. “Quite a daring fashion statement.”

“Thank you.”

She twirled on the branch, allowing herself to float slightly into the air. Lindy closed one eye and then the other. When she closed her left eye, the fairy disappeared and was only visible through the cracked glass of the left lens. She smiled at herself for having figured out the secret and wished that she had cracked her glasses sooner.

Leaning up against the tree, she looked up at the fairy.

“So, what’s it like being a fairy?” she asked.

The tiny thing flew right up to Lindy’s nose, poking her with sharp, accusatory little fingers.

“What’s it like being a human?” she yelled. “You think you’re soooo special. That you’re lives are sooo different. I’ve got news for you, buddy. We are just like you.”

“I’m sorry,” Lindy said. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I just wanted to know.”

“That’s ok,” the fairy said, slightly mollified. She made herself comfortable sitting on Lindy’s unscraped knee.

“Well…” Lindy was looking for something to say that wouldn’t upset the little fairy. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Pumpernickel,” the little fairy said proudly.

Lindy tried her best to keep a straight face.

“That’s a lovely name,” she commented.

They sat in silence for a few moments as each thought of something to say.

“You said you knew Cinderella?” Lindy asked.

She knew she’d asked the right question because suddenly, Pumpernickel lit up.

“Oh, yes,” she cried. “She was wonderful! I was just a tiny little baby, but she was so sweet.”

“My grandmother was her fairy godmother, you know. It was so long ago but I still remember her dresses shimmering in the moonlight. Nobody makes a dress like a fairy,” she added, smoothing down her own gown.

“Grandmama made sure I didn’t interfere, you know, but she let me watch everything. It was the most beautiful night. And as soon as she started dancing with him. Well, you just knew the world had shifted for them,” Pumpernickel said.

“It sounds amazing,” said Lindy, half in the dreamworld cast by the fairies words.

“Do you guys do that a lot?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“Change people’s lives,” Lindy said. “Change the world for the better.”

“Oh, yes,” Pumpernickel said. “But it’s usually not so big. We’re here to set things right and usually things just need a light touch, like the leaves that need to change color in the fall or the flowers that bloom in the spring.”

“You guys do that?” Lindy asked.”

“Mm-hmm.” Pumpernickel’s voice was full of pride. “We change the colors of the leaves and bring the first frost. We make sure the flowers bloom and the trees grow. We keep everything in good working order.”

Lindy could listen to the little fairy speak forever. And she almost did. Before she knew it the entire afternoon had gone by the sun was setting in a puddle of gold beyond the trees. The air was starting to chill and she knew it wouldn’t be long before her mother came looking for her.

She pushed her glasses up from the tip of her nose and lifted herself up from the cold, damp ground. As politely as she could, she bid her fairy friend good night and promised to return. The darkness outside was almost complete when she finally pushed open the screen door and let herself into the house. It was dark and the night surrounded the little house as she got ready for bed, but it didn’t matter, because the glow of joy inside Lindy kept her warm.