Echoes from the land of fairies

Once again, summer was about to arrive in the Eastern Forest. It had been a year since little Erza had washed ashore on the beach after the storm. The girl, Natsu, Igneel, and Grandeeney now found themselves on the shores of the lake.

After a hearty dinner of roasted fish and fruit, they lay on the grass, enjoying the last rays of the sun, which slowly set over the sea.

"Igneel, Grandeeney..." Erza began, breaking the silence. "Do fairies exist?"

The dragoness opened one eye, looking at her with curiosity, but her companion burst into laughter, as if Erza had just cracked a good joke. "Ah! The Good Folk! Of course, they exist! In a world where dragons exist, why shouldn't they?"

"The Good Folk?" Erza repeated.

"It's another name for fairies," Igneel explained. "Because they are known to be very good and kind creatures. They love nature and humans, but sometimes they can be quite mischievous! They enjoy playing pranks and laughing at unsuspecting travelers passing through their realm."

"Psst! Love humans..." Grandeeney hissed in disgust, before closing her eyes again. "If they loved them less, there would be more fairies today."

"What are fairies?" Natsu added at that point, having finally stopped hunting frogs along the lake's shores. "Do they eat?"

"No!" Erza protested. "Look, I'll show you what they look like." The girl drew a stylized silhouette in the sand with a piece of wood near the shore. "They look like small people with wings." Natsu's eyes filled with anticipation at her words. "Wings like those of dragons?" The fairies Erza was thinking of breathed fire and even had horns, but Erza shook her head with a laugh. "Uncle Rob said they have wings that resemble butterflies. He was the one who always talked to me about fairies; he had a large one drawn behind his back." It wasn't often that the girl spoke about the people she had known and loved before losing everything and arriving in the Eastern Forest, but the atmosphere that evening was warm and relaxed, allowing for some nostalgic reminiscing.

"Uncle Rob told a lot of stories about fairies. He said his father had seen them once."

"Seen?" Natsu pressed.

"Yes! It was a winter night, and he was coming home with a bottle of whiskey and a goat he had won in a lottery."

"What's whiskey? What's a lottery?"

"Let me finish! Suddenly, he hears a buzzing, like that of a bee." Erza cupped a hand around one ear as if she had heard the same sound. "And when he looks behind a bush, he sees a big white stone. And around the stone were fairies dancing in a circle, hand in hand! They stomped their feet on the ground, and their eyes sparkled like those of cats.

There was even one in the middle playing the drum! Uncle Rob's dad got so scared that he let go of the goat and ran straight home! When he arrived, he was white, white, white! He told what had happened and uncorked the bottle because he wanted to have a drink to recover from the fright. But when he opened it, he found the bottle was empty! Empty! And when he went back the next day to look for the goat, it was gone too. But the white stone where the fairies had danced was still there."

Igneel chuckled, trying to cover his snout with a paw. No adult would ever believe such a story, but it was a good idea to entertain children.

"What else did he tell you about fairies?" Natsu insisted.

"He also said that fairies always played pranks on an old friend of his."

"What pranks?"

"This friend of Uncle Rob once broke his head, and the doctors stitched it up with a piece of iron."

This time, Grandeeney covered her snout in exasperation. After the case of the classic drunkard, here came the one who had hit his head.

"Even before, he always saw fairies, but after the doctors stitched him up, he saw them even more. One night they turned him into a horse, and they climbed on his back, making him run throughout the village! They even put pieces of hot coal behind his tail to make him run faster! Another night, they turned him into a donkey and hitched him to a cart to carry stones. And another time, they turned him into a goose! An old fairy chased him with a knife, saying she wanted to roast him! Oh! And then there was another story he always told." The girl added, "Uncle Rob said the grandfather of another friend of his once caught a fairy! He kept her in a teapot because he wanted to persuade her to tell him where the fairies kept their treasure. But the fairy kept escaping! She went around the house and played all sorts of tricks on him! She hid his boots, put salt in his coffee, and made him chase her all over the garden." Erza told those old stories with so much enthusiasm that Natsu couldn't help but follow her with wide-open eyes.

He liked these chaotic and playful fairies. "Igneel!" The boy asked the dragon, "Are there fairies in the forest here? Because I've never seen them."

"I'm sorry, but there are no fairies here. I heard they withdrew to an island to the south. Menru... Benrou... Tenrou... Something like that."

"Oh..." Natsu crossed his arms with a hint of disappointment, wondering how long it would take to swim or fly to this magical southern island.

"Igneel, have you ever seen fairies?" Erza asked instead.

"Ahaah! What kind of questions are these? Of course, I've seen them! A million times!"

"Really?" The girl jumped to her feet, full of enthusiasm. "Do they really have tails?" But at this question, Igneel scratched his scales on his head with a perplexed look. "Actually... I don't know. Fairies are so small, they move so fast... I've never been able to see them well."

"Ugh! No one knows!" And Erza sat back on the grass with a thud, crossing her arms.

"Uncle Rob said there are many mysteries in the world, but the biggest one is this: 'Do fairies have tails?' No one has ever found out! But why?"

"They're too fast and small, I told you!" Igneel chuckled. "They're truly strange creatures. Chaotic, mischievous, and a bit destructive, but they have a good heart. If you ever happen to meet fairies, trust them. They like to play tricks, but they are extremely grateful to people who treat them well."

Meanwhile, the moon had risen from its secret hiding place behind the mountains, and the splashing of the waterfall and the waves on the lake shore filled the night with its lullaby.

Occasionally, the splash of a large fish echoed in the silence, and the ripple caused by its jump crossed the calm surface. Great things were happening at the bottom of the lake in the middle of the night, hidden from the eyes of those on the shore. It was as if another great forest lurked beneath the surface, with its predators and prey.

A large number of nocturnal fish continued to dart in the dark, amidst the algae and reed stems. Engaged, as always, in the incredible dance of life, hunting, fleeing, seeking food or love.

When the moonlight finally reached the lake's surface, it was as if a signal had been sent, and thousands of small fireflies emerged from their hiding places in the grass, starting to dance on the meadow and around the water.

Erza and Natsu suddenly forgot about fairies, gaping at the spectacle before them. The girl raised a hand, letting one of the small insects land on her palm, sparkling like a star.

At night, great things continued to happen in the thick of the Eastern Forest. In addition to the firefly dance, under the moonlight, nocturnal flowers and mysterious plants shimmered faintly. Owls, rodents, and countless other animals continued to chase and crawl, immersed in the secret of the dense grass.

"It's time to sleep," Grandeeney announced, getting up from her spot and gesturing for her little apprentice to climb onto her back. "Come. The forest at night is not a place for cubs.

Neither of humans nor any other species." The girl obeyed immediately, but Natsu was so engrossed in chasing fireflies that Igneel had to grab him with a paw. "Did you hear? Time to sleep!"

"But I don't want to sleep!"

"Ehh? Don't you know that those who don't go to sleep early will never see fairies?"

"But Uncle Rob's dad saw them at night!"

Igneel made a half grimace, lifting the boy with some effort. "That was an exception. Let's go now! Those who don't sleep enough will never see fairies! Don't you know that their realm is the realm of dreams?"

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