The night before her birthday, Aurora was in her bedroom daydreaming and thinking about her journal. She’d been writing in it a lot these last few weeks, pouring her sadness and fears into page after page. Ma always kept a journal and wrote in it every day. Aurora knew that her mother had shelves and shelves of completed journals she’d kept over the years.

Ma was right. Keeping a journal made you feel better. You could write things in it that you would never dream about sharing with anyone else. She always found that the best times to write were after she’d performed some music. It seemed the things she loved dearly and held so close these days, other than her family, were her voice, piano, journal, and easel. All of these kept her sane while the world around her careened mindlessly out of control.

A lot of things had been happening to her these past few weeks, things that not even her Da knew. Maybe one day she could tell him when he felt better. Da was always so sad even though he tried to hide it from her and the other kids. She guessed he didn’t want them to worry. But through her empathic powers, Aurora felt it just as though it was the very heart in her own chest aching and shattering. In a way, it was. All of them missed Ma so, so much. Aurora knew Ma was alive though and that she would come back to them. Aurora was as certain of this as she was of her own name. Still, it didn’t make the awful empty feeling inside go away.

Lately, however, her Da had been different. Oh yes, he was still so sad but there was something else now. Aurora drew small circles on the bed comforter with her index finger, searching for the right word to describe it. Determination? Yes, maybe that was adequate. He was determined about something, as though he was gearing up for something important.

Was he feeling Ma’s presence, too? There were times Aurora was certain she felt her mother sitting beside her. She swore she heard her beautiful voice whispering to her. The day all the adults had their big powwow downstairs, Andrea told her she was positive she smelled Ma’s favorite lilac perfume and heard her say she was alive. She was positive Ma was trying to send them a message, and Aurora hoped with all her heart that Da could feel it, too.

And then, there was the other stuff. The fairies! She loved when they visited her when she was alone and stayed with her while she slept. They came to her when she was feeling especially downtrodden. At night, they sang her to sleep and touched her hands. When she awoke in the mornings, she was certain she felt fairy wings brush her cheek as though one of the fairies kissed her. She never saw them or heard them aloud…until last night…but she knew they were there nonetheless. She felt them with her and knew they wanted to comfort her.

A dreamy smile curving her lips, Aurora made her way to the dining room table, her long, full dress swishing around her as she walked. She turned to the next blank page in her journal and began to write.

From the Journal of Aurora Landgraab

They came to me again today – the fairies. Until then, I never saw one but I knew they were there. Crystal told me fairies can shrink down to such tiny sizes that they seem invisible to people. I know it’s true because Crystal sometimes shrinks down super tiny. I know she’s nearby though because she tickles my nose, and that makes me giggle. One of the fairies does that to me. I hope it’s my fairy prince. I’m sure he’s with them sometimes. Maybe not all the time, but I somehow feel in my soul that he’s there. Maybe he is the one who brushes his wings against my cheek every morning. Oh, how I hope for that to be true!

I saw one – actually saw one – for the first time last night. I don’t think she meant for it to happen, but it did. When I looked over by my dresser, there she was, sitting there on my little sofa and smiling. I was so surprised, and it must have showed, because her smile got bigger. It looked like all the stars were shining in her eyes. She blew me a kiss and waved. Then, when I came to the sofa to sit beside her, she took my hand.

“Don’t be afraid, Aurora,” she said. Her voice was so happy and sweet, like beautiful music. “My name is Angelica.” I loved her name; it was as pretty as she was.

“I’m mot,” I told her. “I was just surprised is all. The only fairies I actually ever see are Crystal and two of her kids. I met Queen Ella before, too.” I think I must have squeezed her hand really tight but she didn’t mind. She just smiled at me the whole time, like she was a loving big sister.

“I know.” I loved the sound her beautiful wings made when they swirled in the air. “You are so fortunate to have Princess Crystal as a sister-in-law. We all love her very, very much.”

“So do we, Landon, especially. He is really gone over her.” I got my romantic heart from Ma, and I felt it go all soft when I thought about how in love Landon and Crystal are. Will my fairy prince love me like that one day?

“Oh, yes!” The fairy’s eyes danced, and I could feel her heart go all soft, too. Then, she took my other hand so she was holding both of mine in hers. “Do you know why we are here, Sweet Aurora?”

I smiled at the name she called me. Ma used to call me ‘Sweet Aurora’ when she displayed her love to me. Thinking about it used to make me sad because I miss her so. But hearing it from this pretty fairy made me feel like a special princess. “Kind of…I think,” I said, trying to answer her question.

Angelica didn’t talk for a minute. I think she was trying to figure out the best way to explain it to me. I got the funny feeling she was surprised to be explaining anything to me now since she hadn’t planned for me to see her yet. “We came to be with you…to comfort you, sweet one, because you will be…are…very important to us and our kingdom. You see, Aurora, you have a very special destiny, and that destiny is very special to us.”

I’m sure I looked totally stupid as I gawked at her. “Damn!” was all I could say. Then, I covered my mouth and giggled. “Oops. I don’t think I’m supposed to say ‘Damn.'”

Angelica just laughed, which made me laugh all the harder. Gosh, she sounded like tinkling bells when she laughed. How can fairies sound like that? Oh, Ariadne, I was so envious! How I wish I, too, were a fairy.

Angelica seemed to catch what I was thinking. “We have special fairy magic that lets us do certain things. Just call it part of our charm.”

“It’s so beautiful,” I breathed. “I wish I could sound like that.”

Angelica smiled and touched my hair. It felt like a butterfly as she moved a piece away from my face. “No, Aurora! You have your very own special unique sound that carries such a vast amount of magical power. Your musical abilities are already legendary in our world. It is fairies who often have magic musical talents but not all fairies possess it. Yours, Aurora, child, go way beyond that. The amount of powerful magic you already carry within your singing and playing has been displayed only once, and that was many, many centuries ago. You will grow even more powerful as you grow older, and you will be taught how to control and harness such magic. Such gifts can only be bestowed upon the purest of hearts, Aurora…and that is why this magic has found you. You are so special and important to this world and to ours.”

I remembered the talk Ma and I had the night before she went to the hospital. She told me that with great power comes great responsibility and that I should always remember that. It scared me a little then and it does a little now, too. I blinked, feeling the tears that still sometimes wanted to come when I thought about Ma. Every time I thought about that night, it made me cry. It was a special time together, just her and me…our last one like that. I blinked again, trying to hold them back, but some stubborn tears escaped anyway. They were hot as they rolled down my cheeks, and I choked on a hiccup as I tried not to bawl outright.

Even though Angelica was the only fairy I could actually see, I still felt the others moving closer to me. Some of them touched my hands, and I felt my hair move as though a soft breeze was blowing it around. Then, that feathery sort of butterfly wing kiss landed on my cheek as it did every morning. This time, I felt it stay a little longer, as if one of the fairies was wiping away the tears.

Angelica put her arms around me and pulled me in for a tight hug. This time, I couldn’t help myself. I blubbered like a moron. I put my head on her shoulder and ugly-cried even more. She reminded me a lot of Crystal, and it felt like I was hugging another big sister. Angelica rubbed my back and kissed my forehead, the way Ma and Crystal always do when I’m upset. The other fairies still touched my hands and made my hair move. They were still there, too,, and I felt a little of the sadness go away.

“Don’t cry, Sweet Aurora. You will see much happier times very soon,” Angelia said after a while. When I felt a little better and wasn’t wailing like a banshee anymore, Angelica made a tissue float from the box of them I had on my desk over to me. I don’t know why, but seeing this made me giggle. How is it that the fairies can always make me feel better?

Thinking about what Ma said that night, my eyes got wide and I hugged her a little tighter. “Angelica, I’m a little scared. I don’t want this thing to get out of control and I hurt someone. Music…and empathy…and visions…none of it is supposed to hurt anybody.” Again, I thought about that Twilight Zone episode with the piano and the evil man using it to hurt people who came to his house for his wife’s birthday party. He got his in the end though when everyone left him alone to wallow in his own misery. Good gravy! Now I’m sounding a little like Grandda Liam.

I jumped when Angelica started talking again. I guess my mind was wandering again. She smiled and patted my shoulder. “And this is one of the reason this magic has found you. I think you understand that this kind of magic in the wrong hands can cause a lot of damage.” When I nodded several times, she continued. “You’ll learn more and more how to control it so it only helps people, not hurt them. You already know a lot but there is much more for you to learn along the way. As you grow, so will your powers.”

“Angelica?” I was feeling kinda shy, something that normally doesn’t happen. Da always says I’m a people magnet.

“What is it, Aurora? You can ask me anything.”

I took a big breath and hoped I wasn’t going to sound totally whacked out. “M-my fairy prince. I know in my heart…somehow I just know…I will marry a fairy prince some day.”

Instead of laughing at me like I feared she might, she got this goofy grin on her face. It was a look I recognized on Ma when Da would do things like call her on her phone or text her. “Your heart is right, Sweet Aurora. You will meet him at a time when you are in great need of him. Until that happens, just know that he is helping us watch over you.” She still held me tight and said this very softly.

I felt my heart flip over, my right hand going right to where it sat in my chest. “It sounds big…whatever it is that will bring him to me.”

Angelica sat back on the couch and pulled me up beside her again. For the first time, she wasn’t smiling. “It is, Aurora. Life isn’t always happy, as you know, but your fairy prince will be there when you are in great need of him. That is all I am allowed to tell you.”

It was hard, not knowing what was going to happen to me, personally. I have visions about a lot of stuff but can’t see much of what will actually happen to me. Ma says that’s usually how it works because a person could really screw with the Multiverse if they had a direct line to their own future. Ma really knows a lot about this kind of stuff, so I’m sure she’s right.

“We must leave you for a time, but we will return again. You will fee us. Your father will be calling a family meeting shortly,” Angelica said while my mind wandered again. I think I had my own goofy grin on my face because Angelica’s eyes danced and so did her wings. I could read in her aura that she was so much fun to be with and that she was usually so very happy.

“Please wait a minute. I want to ask you something else if I may,” I pleaded, holding her hands again and squeezing them. When she smiled and nodded, I asked, “Why were you surprised when you figured out I could see you?”

She blushed – I swear she blushed – and her aura pulled in closer to her. I knew that with Angelica always being so happy most of the time, her aura spread out in all directions to light everything up. When a person was feeling sad or even embarrassed, their aura retreated, as though to protect the person it belonged to. The shrinkage didn’t last long though. I was relieved when Angelica’s aura grew again and she giggled. “I must admit I got a bit distracted and must ask your forgiveness. You see, I have a terrible weakness. I adore looking at the clothes in closets. I am Queen Ella’s wardrobe maker – her dress designer as some people call it – and I just cannot resist. I enlarged myself to a bigger size so I could take a peek and forgot myself. The plan was to be visible to you when you were a little older, but I borked it up.” She blushed again and laughed. “I’m really sorry, Aurora. I know I shouldn’t go nosing in closets that aren’t mind, but I have no self-control in that area. You have such beautiful dresses that I completely lost my head.”

I started to laugh. Oh, Ariadne, I just couldn’t help it. She looked so mortified at such a dumbass thing. When I got it together, I grinned at her. “No forgiveness needed. Pardon the mess. We’re cleaning stuff out to give things that don’t fit us anymore to charity. I feel kinda bad about the long, fancy dresses because they’re so…extra. Like, maybe it’s too extra to donate to people in need when it’s coats, pants and sweaters…that kind of thing…they need more. Know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” Angelica said.

“I have a lot of dresses I’m too big for now. I can give them to you so maybe some of the little fairy girls can wear them. They’re in really good shape. No stains or anything.”

Angelica’s eyes lit up like a string of Christmas lights. “That would be lovely, Sweet Aurora. They would love them, I’m sure. Most little girl fairies love lots and lots of long dresses and hair fixings. But you should keep most of them and store them away safely. Your family could be in need of them one day.”

“Are you really Queen Ella’s fashion designer?” I asked.

“Indeed, I am.” I think I looked at her like she came from another planet, but she just grinned. “Queen Ella is so nice, and that makes her such fun. We’re good friends, too, even though I work for her.”

“Angelica?” I felt like such a pest, asking her so many questions.

“My friends just call me Angie. Since you weren’t sore about me snooping in your closet, I think that makes us friends.” She smiled at me, looking again like a big sister.

I grinned like a dummy, feeling so happy to be her friend. I liked her so, so much. “Angie…will I see you again? I mean, really see you?”

“Naturally,” she grinned. “You’ll see me more when you’re a little older, but you’ll still feel me. We will always watch over you.”

“I’m so glad,” I said. It felt comforting to know a group of fairies cared about me so much. “How many of you are here?”

“There are always at least five of us, sometimes more.”

Oh, how I wished there were twenty…or thirty…or fifty. I love fairies!

“We really must leave you now, Sweet Aurora. Until we meet again,” Angelica said before giving me a goodbye hug. I waved and blew her a kiss as she shrank smaller and smaller. When I felt the soft brush of wings on my cheek and saw the curtains move just a tiny bit, I knew they were gone but would be back.

I will never, ever forget what happened today. Not as long as I live. Never!

Author’s Note: Poses used in this chapter can be found here. Thank you to the very talented Blams for making such awesome packs and sharing them with us to use for our storytelling.

The Twilight Zone Aurora mentioned in this chapter and an earlier one is entitled A Piano in the House. It’s quite the interesting episode. Being a singer and musician, I know first-hand the power music holds. It always elates me when someone tells me my singing made them feel better that day. 🙂 But with the power of good, there is the capability of the power of evil. This episodes is an example of how the power of music can be used for nefarious purposes. I’ve always loved the Twilight Zone and still do. Many episodes made me stop and think…a lot, but for me personally, this one took a bit of processing because of what I do and how much I love to sing.

So…Aurora. It probably seems that this author is favoring her…and I guess I am, really. She is so precious, and taking pictures of her just makes me happy. She will be stunning when she grows up (I peeked). There is a purpose, though, so bear with me. She’ll have a big, big storyline coming up starting when she’s a teen, and I’m preparing her for that. She’s one of my favorite characters, and I hope you will enjoy reading about her as much as I love writing her. With that said, the other kids will be getting their time in the sun, too. I promise. It’s just that sometimes these bigger storylines take a lot of prep work and screen time for a certain character(s).

As always, thanks for reading, commenting, liking, and subscribing. 🙂