A Fool's Wish

At the rebirth of the sun, fairies drop their glamorous pretentions and walk through worlds, casting wishes and pledges to revive the dying earth. And when fairies make wishes, bubbles encased in the finest gold filigree take to the sky. Some are small, some are large but all float on a whisper of hope, through a sliver of dream. When they are ready they drift slowly to the ground and burst, sprinkling sparkling life magic to renew and regrow.

Since time began many have tried to capture these bubbles, for it is said if you hold a fairy’s wish in your palm you can have everything in the world. But if you are not gentle, do not handle with care; a fairy’s broken wish provokes much mischief and mayhem…...

Ganus walked purposely through the trees. He’d been waiting on the cliff top and seen the balloons take off at first light. He’d followed them down the mountain, across the plains and into the woods.

He glanced up to check his position. The sunlight glinted off the sheer pewter skin of a balloon. He could just about make out small scurrying figures in the basket, waving cloth and boards, wafting the bubbles onwards and upwards. He fancied he could hear their shrieks of delight as the bubbles floated higher, their urgings to the pilot to keep up, their taunts to other ballooners as the bubbles spread on the wind. It was like this every year, one big fairy party.

Lengthening his stride he frowned in concentration, running over the contents of his pack, checking he had everything.

Soft kid gloves sewn from last solstice’s first born goat? Check. He’d made sure they were better than last year’s as that stray bristle really hadn’t helped. As soon as the bubble landed in his hands it burst and when he went back to the village he found that the Mayor’s daughter had grown a pig snout. It had gone by summer, but by that time all her suitors had fled.

Delicately woven charm net? Check. He’d stolen this from the magician’s son after coming so close with a spell net a couple of years back. After all he wasn’t entirely sure he was fully responsible for the outbreak of dragon flu and the ensuing fire damage. Anyway charms were more fragile than spells so this net was less coarse.

Long-tongued Elf Eater Toad? Check. Definitely only to be used as a last resort given the disaster three years ago. These toads were supposed to be able to capture the most elusive creatures with the lightest touch. His had proved to be heavy tongued, and for the entire year whenever a villager dug up potatoes they got eggs, and all the hens imploded trying to pass potatoes. Ganus still cringed at the memory.

He smiled in anticipation at his last item. Months of research ploughing through dusty old tomes and dry flaking scrolls had paid off. He’d found a little known fact – unicorn horn when sanded with fairy dust was the smoothest substance on this earth. He had briefly wondered how to procure fairy dust, but the fairies he’d captured last year when he downed a balloon had proved most accommodating. Especially when placed in the saltcellar and shaken. And so he had fashioned what one might call a ladle and planned to scoop the bubbles straight out of the sky. This time he didn’t think he could fail.

Ganus looked up again. The balloons would soon be landing in the meadow so the fairies could partake in their traditional solstice breakfast. That was the best time to sneak around and go bubble catching. The fairies were distracted and the bubbles started to drift down to earth.

He found a spot at the meadow’s edge and watched as the balloons landed one by one. Hordes of fairies jumped out and dashed around securing silver guy ropes. Good natured bickering broke out between the crews, each convinced their bubbles had gone higher and further. There was a derisive shove, a surge of wing slaps and screeches of outrage. Hand movements and wing flutters became more and more agitated, and the accompanying buzz increased.

Then food hampers appeared and all slights were forgotten. Picnic rugs unfolded, revealing mounds of shimmering rainbow cakes decorated with piles of iridescent teardrop sweets. Then jugs of the sweetest sunset wine were set out to quench the fairies’ thirst.

Ganus wrinkled his nose in disgust as the fairies exclaimed in delight and started to gorge. Roast hog with hot dripping and bread, now that was a proper picnic.

He cast another look round, all the fairies seemed to be occupied so he crept around the edge of the meadow to the sparse earth on the other side. This is where he thought most of the bubbles would land. Sure enough a few were meandering around the air pockets, floating lazily down, flirting with the wind.

Even though he’d seen this sight year after year, it still stunned him. Mouth open he gazed upwards. It was like the stars were falling to bless the earth, or the sun had cast out melted gems, or….

A small musical ping interrupted his reverie. He shook himself. He was not usually so whimsical. The first bubble had burst on the ground freeing a glistening mist which the earth eagerly absorbed.

He quickly unpacked, pulling on the gloves but leaving the toad in the bag. He gripped the net in one hand and his ladle in the other and stood arms wide, watching for that perfect bubble. To minimise the risk, he needed one apart from the others and one that wasn’t too big. And he needed to find it soon, before he was caught in a bubble shower.

His eyes restlessly searched the sky and then he spotted one on its own, coming down slowly near the meadow. He checked the fairies. Most were still eating, though some had drifted off into a sugary slumber.

He walked over carefully, always looking up just in case. He positioned himself under the bubble and watched as it drifted towards him. It was perfect. About the size of an orange, it would fit easily in his ladle as well as his palms. He had one chance. He decided to spread the net at his feet to snatch up in case he missed with his ladle. He steadied himself. He had to be patient. Wait until the bubble was within easy reach.

It glided into his eyeline and he saw himself reflected back in a kaleidoscope of gold. It slid past his nose and he held his breath in case one small puff blew it away. He waited until it was level with his thighs and then in one sure movement scooped upwards with the ladle. He caught the bubble and squeezed his eyes shut against the likely ping. When it didn’t come, he slowly cracked open one eye and gasped. The bubble in all its full roundness had settled into the scoop. The bubble’s skin sat unbroken against the silky smooth unicorn horn.

He’d done it! He wanted to whoop for joy, to dance around, to throw his arms in the air….but first he had to hold it and then everything he wanted would be his.

With the utmost care he tipped the ladle so the bubble slid out into his free hand, then he dropped the ladle and cradled the bubble in his smooth gloved palms. It was the most wondrous thing he had ever seen. The fine gold lattice morphed and merged, the centre of the bubble hummed with light, reflections danced and shimmered. He stared, entranced.

“Ahem!”

Ganus whirled round at the squeak. A pack of fairies hovered nearby, bright jewel eyes flicking between the bubble and his face.

“Ganus McManus, what have you done?” The cry was echoed by each of them, building into a crescendo which bought more fairies over from the meadow.

“Ganus McManus, do you know what this means?” Again the question resonated through them all.

“I did it. I caught a bubble, a wish,” he exclaimed triumphantly. “Now I can have everything I want!”

“Not exactly…..”

Ganus looked at the fairies in confusion, “What do you mean? That’s the legend, that’s what’s supposed to happen.”

The fairies moved closer, surrounding Ganus. Their wings beat an insistent throb, whirring and blurring. Pure white light spilled from their eyes washing over Ganus and spreading through the meadow. He felt a peculiar sensation, vertigo mixed with suffocation. Then he was being stretched and pulled and twisted. He tried to cry out but the white light flooded his mouth. Desperately he held the bubble. Suddenly there was a loud sucking noise and his ears popped and he found himself in…....in…..well…...nothing.

He looked around at nothing. He couldn’t see anything. There was no light, no dark, no substance, no space. There was no smell, no taste, no sound…..no wait…..a faint cry broke through the emptiness. It seemed to come from the bubble.

“You have the world, Ganus McManus, don’t burst it.”

He peered into the bubble and in one tiny gold lattice square he saw the meadow. Looking closer he could see all the fairies waving up at him. Then they turned away and went back to their solstice breakfast, munching on rainbow cakes washed down with sweet sunset wine.

© 2008 R.Livesey

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