by Brey Willows
Maggie studied the crude drawing, holding on to it for some iota of understanding. “Brenda, how can we be from a fairy tale land when we’re just people living in a certain place? What makes it a fairy tale instead of just another world?”
“Sorry, Maggie, but that’s not my place to explain. I can give you logistics like this, but I can’t give you the whys of things.” She looked over her shoulder at Blech, who was snoring in front of the fire. “He can give you some good stuff, but familiars are known for being pretty sparse with words.” She turned back to Maggie and grinned. “The main person you need is your shepherd. Every tale spinner has their own shepherd. And who wouldn’t want that hunk of handsome womanly muscle around? Even if she’s not the marrying type.”
Maggie couldn’t help but smile. “Sexy doesn’t equate to helpful, I don’t think.”
Brenda’s expression turned serious. “I know things must be insane right now. But there’s no hurry. You can understand things in your own time, step by step.” She squeezed Maggie’s hand and got down off the barstool. “In the meantime, let me know if I can help with things like maps and directions. That’s my thing, and I’m here for you.” She looked at her watch. “Except right now. I’ve got a lunch date with my trainer from the gym.” She winked and waved as she left.
Maggie leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping her coffee and contemplating Brenda’s bit of information. The problem seemed to be that there wasn’t an infinite amount of time, because whatever had come through the back door had Kody pretty damn worked up, and Shamus had seemed to think it was important too. But Maggie, who was evidently supposed to be the one to do something about it, still didn’t understand what that meant.
She looked up when she heard a voice.
“I’ve known Kody Wilk for a long time, tale spinner.” Shamus stood in his other form, looking out the front window. “She’s had her share of hardship, and she can be as stubborn as a tree rooted into a crumbling cliff.” He turned and looked at Maggie, his yellow eyes bright in the dim room. “But there’s no one with a bigger heart or more courage. If you let her, she’ll be the guide you need.”
Maggie pondered that. Finally, she said, “I think I need something more than words to believe all this. I want to see this world I’m supposed to be part of.” She set her cup down and turned to him. “Can she show me that?”
He hesitated for so long she thought he might not respond.
“I believe she can. If she will, I don’t know. There are things I can’t tell you because it’s not my place. But destiny has brought us this far and has put us on a path together. I believe she’ll do her duty, just as you’ll do yours.”
“My next question, since you’re talking. What might have come through that door?”
Shamus looked at the door in question and his eyes narrowed. “The thing is, several of us have come through that door. I did, Kody did, Brenda did. Others. But the cottage keeper let us in, and they had the power to keep us out. That’s your power now. But someone, or something, has come in or out without the cottage keeper here, and that’s never allowed. That door should have a spell on it to make sure it doesn’t happen. But the other morning I felt someone had come through.” He held up a paw to stop her obvious question. “No, I don’t know who. That’s going to be up to you and Kody to work out.”
Maggie sighed, but she had more information and that was comforting, in its own way. Though, knowing some creature had been in her house while she was sleeping was something out of a horror movie. “Okay. So how do I get hold of Kody without traipsing over to City Hall? Can I wiggle my fingers or twitch my nose or something?”
He made a strange sound, and she realized it was a laugh.
“I’d say call her, but you didn’t get her phone number, did you? This is your world, Maggie. These kind of things you have to work out on your own.” With that, he did his little vibrating shifty thing, and once again became her Blech.
I guess that makes sense. “But if Kody is my shepherd,” the words sounded weird coming out of her mouth, “then shouldn’t she come to me?” Blech just stared at her. “Guess you’re done talking. Thanks.”
She debated going to Kody’s place but decided against it. It wasn’t like they’d had an argument, and they definitely had things to work through. But maybe Kody had to come to terms with having a new tale spinner to deal with?
All her life Maggie had counted on order and logic to get her through, and now didn’t need to be any different, even if the situation was way outside normal. She took the piece of paper Brenda had drawn the crude map on and flipped it over. She started a list of things she needed to know, trying to prioritize them even though they all felt equally important right now. At the top she wrote the few things she understood to be true.
I am not from this world. I’m a fairy, a legend of some sort. An elf? I had a family.
I have two jobs; one is cottage keeper, and one is tale spinner. These jobs are usually separate. Lucky me. Can we find another cottage keeper? Why not?
I have a group of beings available to help me. One is my farting, snoring cat. Another is my shepherd, who apparently likes drinking and women in equal measure. Another is a mound dweller who dates more than I do and likes romance novels.
What does a shepherd do, really?
What am I supposed to do?
Who has come through the back door?
Does anyone still want to kill me? What happened to that world after my parents sent me away?
The list of questions looked like something a child might write in preparation for a weird story. But they felt terribly real, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to begin looking for answers. The book gave her some, but it felt a little like reading a book of riddles, and if she tried to skip ahead the pages stuck together. Shamus gave her some, too, but he stopped talking when he felt like it. That left Brenda and Kody. Brenda had made clear her parameters, and that left Kody.
She pictured Kody standing in her doorway, expecting a masseuse and getting Maggie instead. She thought of the look on Kody’s face when she’d read the letter telling her to find the shepherd, and the frown line in her forehead when she’d begun telling Maggie’s origin story. She closed her eyes and concentrated on that feeling that never led her astray, the instinct that told her when someone was safe or dangerous. Her soul recognized Kody as someone safe, someone true. That was all she needed to know.
But that didn’t mean she had to see her today. Instead, she got dressed and decided to get some air and perspective. Before she left she said, “I’ll be back later, Blech. Watch that door, would you?”
His ear twitch was the only indication he’d heard her, but she was good with that. She waved to Brenda when she left but didn’t stop to talk. She needed peace and a way to center herself, and that meant Central Park.
By the time she got there she already felt a little better. She took her time walking down the paths, noticing the small spring flowers bursting through the grass and the way the rose gardens were taking on the deep hue in their stems that promised a cacophony of color to come. When she made it to her favorite fountain she felt like she could breathe again. She pulled a half bag of bread from her coat pocket and crumbled it before dropping it into the water for the turtles. She loved watching their little brown heads pop above the surface to grab food, only to dive back under again. When she was out of food, she rested her chin on her arms as she leaned on the railing, watching the turtles swim beneath her with no real direction. Is that what I’ve been doing? Swimming around with nowhere to go? In the face of what she’d been told, that could be true. But why now? Why did they wait all these years to tell her? She had “people” watching her. Why didn’t one of them adopt her? The answer was logical. If there really was someone out there who wanted her dead, some fairy creature adopting a child would probably have raised suspicions. But once I was an adult, why didn’t they tell me then?
More questions. She wasn’t sure what to do next. Could she
walk away from all this? Could she go back to her regular life? That answer, too, was obvious. She couldn’t be told there was a whole other world out there and then pretend she didn’t know. She couldn’t watch her cat grow three feet and get his own milk from the fridge and pretend that it didn’t happen. She’d wanted a change, and she’d wanted a life worth living. Now, one had been dropped in her lap. The only way forward was to accept it and see where it led.
“Jesus!” She jumped to the side when someone touched her back. But when she saw who it was, her heart rate went back to normal. “Hey. Fancy meeting you here. I was worried about you.”
Old Canker leaned on the rail beside her. “And I was worried about you.”
She looked him over, and the same sense of unreality that had been plaguing her days assailed her. He was dressed in jeans and a jacket. He was clean-shaven and wore a gray wool beret that suited him perfectly. He most definitely didn’t look like the homeless man she’d befriended. She met his eyes, and they were still the kindly, knowing ones she’d grown used to. “You’re one of them?”
“Them?” He tilted his head and looked down at the turtles. “Not sure that’s the right terminology, Maggie girl.” He moved his fingers like he was dropping something to the turtles, and she could swear she saw little bits of green light fall from his fingertips. “Us, more like. And yes. I am from your old home. Kind of.”
She couldn’t help but feel betrayed, though she couldn’t put her finger on why. She’d grown to care about him, and it turned out he’d known not only who she was, but he’d put himself in her path.
“Before you go thinking I wormed my way into your life, remember that you were the one who approached me. I was happy to keep my distance, just watching to make sure no one from back home gave you any problems.” He turned and smiled at her, his deep brown eyes filled with light. “But you’re better than that. You took me in, made me feel like I had someone here. Because I didn’t, you know. Those of us who came over to watch you didn’t keep in touch. That way it would make you harder to find. So I was as alone as you thought I was, and you made it easier.”
She stayed silent, watching the turtles and thinking about what he’d said. They’d sacrificed their homes, their world, in order to watch over her. While she was being pissed off at not being told who she was, these people had given up years of their lives just to make sure she was safe. Overcome by the thought of people caring about her welfare that way, she turned to Canker and pulled him into a hard hug.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her. “There you go. I knew you’d be okay.”
She pulled away and wiped at the tears in her eyes. She’d never been a crier, and now that seemed to be all she was doing. “What’s your real name?”
“It’s hard to pronounce in your tongue. Something along the lines of Lacona, I suppose.”
“That’s beautiful. Was the story about your wife true?” She didn’t want that to be a lie. She didn’t want any of it to be a lie, but especially that.
“Pretty much. It really was seventy two, and it really was a war. The place names vary, but I really did find her through an ad.” His smile was sad. “And they really were the best years of my life.”
She swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat and turned back to the turtles. “I don’t know what to do, Lacona. I feel like everything is upside down.”
“It is, lass. When big changes like this happen the world can’t help but go topsy-turvy. The good thing about that is it takes you out of that rut you were stuck in and makes you see the world from upside down, which can make it go right side up again.”
She looked at him blankly and he smiled.
“Sometimes that’s what it takes to know who you are. And trust me when I say you’re just what we need.”
They stayed side by side for a while, watching the turtles. Maggie knew other people came and went beside her, but her thoughts were solely on the questions she still didn’t have answers to. She felt him shift and looked over. “Are you going to stay here, now that things have changed?”
He shook his head and his smile widened. “You’ve got your shepherd and Shamus, and Brenda, for all you can trust the mound people. No, cottage keeper, I’m hoping you’ll open that door and let me go on home. I don’t have any family left there, but I’ve got friends, and I think home is always where your roots are.”
Startled, she realized she had that power. She took his hand and tugged him away from the pond. “Are you ready now?” The thought of opening that back door and seeing something else, some other world, would make what she was going through more real. And she could do something for someone she’d cared about before she’d known just how much he meant to her. Maybe she didn’t need Kody after all.
He laughed, a big, openhearted sound. “I am indeed. Let’s go.”
Maggie was buzzing with energy by the time they got back to the apartment building. When they walked in Brenda made a face.
“Lacona. You look better than you have for a while. For a blackrock dweller, anyway.”
Maggie looked at him to see if what sounded like an insult had offended him. But he looked calm as ever.
“And you look clean, for a mound person.” He smiled. “Maggie is sending me home.”
Brenda looked envious for a moment. “At some point she’ll send us all home.” She went back to reading her book. “Good luck.”
Lacona followed her into the elevator and up to the cottage. When they entered, Shamus was in his full form and looked like he was waiting for them.
Maggie watched as Lacona actually bowed to the cat.
“It’s been a long time, shape-shifter.”
Shamus nodded and looked at Maggie. “You’re sending him home?”
“I think so. I’d like to, if you can tell me how I’m supposed to do it. I’ve looked into the backyard several times, and it’s just a backyard. I assumed that Kody had to show me, but now I’m not so sure.” Now that the moment had come, she was worried she’d let Old Canker down.
Shamus handed her the book. “Page twenty-seven.”
She flipped to the suggested page.
When the time comes to send someone back, or if you’re planning on coming into the realm yourself, this is what you do. With the door closed, knock on the doorframe three times. Turn the handle to the left, once. Turn around once, counter clockwise. Turn the handle to the right. Knock on the opposite side of the doorframe a further three times. Then, close your eyes and say the name of the person you’re sending through. When you open the door, the gateway will be ready.
That sounded simple enough. She carried the book with her to the door and followed the instructions, though she felt a little silly. When thinking of the name she nearly thought Old Canker, then changed it to Lacona. When she opened her eyes, the world felt different. It looked different. The colors were brighter, the edges sharper. She reached for the door handle and looked at him. He nodded with a reassuring smile.
She pulled it open.
Her backyard, with its little fruit trees and flowers, was gone. In its place was a forest with a massive black mountain beyond it. It smelled of pine and sulfur, and the colors were deeper than any she’d ever seen, almost like paint come to life. Tears streamed down Lacona’s cheeks as he looked through the doorway.
“It’s been so long.” He turned to Maggie and pulled her into another hug. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for watching out for me.” She pulled away. “Do you live in the forest?”
He pointed at the mountain. “My people live in the mountain. We carved our cities in the rock, and we use the magma deep below to make all kinds of things we trade with the rest of the sectors.” He breathed in deeply. “Home.”
She let go of him as he stepped forward. “Will I see you again?”
His laugh was carefree and carried away by a breeze when he stepped beyond the doorway. “You’re the tale spinner. I’ll definitely see you again, Maggie girl. Just be true to who you are, an
d be the courageous woman I’ve grown to love.” He waved, then turned and loped away into the forest. Without a backward glance, he was gone.
Shamus came up beside her. “Best to close the door when you’re done, Maggie. Things are too unsettled right now to keep it open for long.”
She didn’t take her eyes off the beauty in front of her. “Could I go explore it, right now?”
His furry hand was gentle but firm on her arm. “Not yet. When it’s time, the shepherd will take you and show you all you need to know. But it’s too dangerous to go yourself.”
She sighed and pulled herself away. These people had more knowledge than she did, and she had to accept that, even if she really didn’t want to. “Do I just close it? Or do I have to do all the knocking and stuff?”
He tapped the book and she looked down.
Close the door and turn the handle to the left. Turn clockwise. Knock on the door three times, in the middle. Close your eyes and say, “No more may pass.” That will secure the door and keep anyone else from passing without your knowledge.
She did as instructed, and when she opened her eyes she saw the faint blue shimmer around the doorframe for a few seconds before it faded away, and the world around her returned to normal. She opened the door and once again saw her own backyard. The sharp edges were gone, and the world felt somehow flatter for it.
Shamus shimmered and became Blech once more. He rubbed against her leg before going to settle himself on a chair.
With Old Canker gone, Maggie felt like a little piece of her had left. But she’d also seen with her own eyes the truth of what she’d been told, and somehow that visual evidence made her resolve not just to get answers, but to find out as much as she could about who she was and where she belonged. For the first time in her life, Maggie felt like she had a purpose. And she liked that feeling. A lot.