Made of Magic and True Grit

by Landry-Daniel Lié

  “Foolish, foolish boy!” A smooth voice echoed in every direction. He had never come across that kind of magic but this was not his imagination, whatever it was.

  “Who are you?” Pinly asked as he jerked around the best, he could

  “Do you think that would help bring your brother back?” the voice said

  “I asked you a question, who the hell are you?” Pinly screamed,

  “Do you think your mother and father would be proud of you?” There was a long moment of silence. “They would be ashamed!” the voice said sharply

  “Don’t you dare talk about them, you don’t know them!” Pinly shouted, he tried to fly away in every direction like a trapped bird, but nothing would do, the golden rope was too strong.

  “Oh, but I do, I’ve known them long enough to know that they would not approve of what you have become in such a short amount of time”

  “Shut up!” Pinly screamed and thrusted “Shut up! Shut up!”

  “Look at you, you are just a child, what do you think you can do against an army?” the voice said. Pinly’s face began to fill with tears again

  “I know I can’t do anything, but I’m not going back home, I can’t face them…" he screamed then sobbed "It’s all my fault” the voice stayed silent, but Pinly could feel its presence around him, just listening to him “At least if I can see my brother one last time… You have to understand, he’s all I have left”

  “None of it is your fault” the voice broke its silence “you need to stop blaming yourself like that, you almost…” the voice seemed to not even want to say the words, but Pinly already knew; that jump could have killed him, was it really what he wanted? “How are you supposed to see your brother again if you are dead?”

  “It was stupid I know, but my heart hurts so much, it’s like someone is squeezing it… I don’t know how to stop it from hurting...” he choked on his next words “I don’t know if… I don’t know if I want to be alive without them anymore”

  “You don’t want to die; you only want the pain to stop. This is for you and you only…” The voice began, Pinly wept as he recognised the poem his parents used to recite to him. How did it know? So, few knew that poem, but it didn’t matter, he needed this, he needed to hear them again, even though the voice of someone else “My child, the same way your smile brings me courage when my mood is vile. I will be the one behind your strides, the wind that helps you take flight…”

  Pinly continued the poem “And when the world brings you down, that all the lights on your path seemed to have been turned down, your heart is where you’ll aim because that is where you’ll find your flame, it will burn so bright that they’ll have no choice but to see your might.”

  Pinly had no idea where he was when he woke up, nor if he was going in the right direction. The silver soldier and his army hadn’t left any traces of their passage, no trails of blood or bodies, it was as if they had disappeared into thin air. How could such a large number of walking skulls, giants and green-eyed creatures disappear so fast? And it wasn't as though there would be indications as to where they could be found. If anyone knew where they were, they probably would want to stay far away from them. Pinly hadn’t even met a soul that could help him in his quest, every noise behind the bushes and every leaf that fell from the trees were caused by animals. Soon it had been a few weeks of solitude that he was eager to end. As Pinly flew forward, the forest was less dense, he didn’t have to dodge the trees as much, there was more air and more sunlight penetrating through the forest. From afar he heard a large bell chime and decided to stop. That could only be a human town he thought. He had always been forbidden by his father to approach the humans and their towns. The ones who lived with them were different to the humans who lived together in those towns, his dad used to say because they were part fairy. On top of that, he remembered the terrifying stories his brother used to tell him about humans. He circled in the air for a minute, weighing his options.

  “Maybe I can go around the town… But what if they see me anyway? Or I can quickly walk through town, no flying, no magic and I’ll be fine, I look just like one of them after all” he inspected himself “Yes, I’ll be fine… maybe I can ask someone there… or not” Pinly continued to fly towards the town. The bell chimed louder as he approached. He stopped and flew up a tree for a better view. From afar he could see a building towering over all the others, that’s where the bell was, it was so big he could see it swing from side to side, each swing ending with a harmonious bang. At the entrance of the town, there was a big wooden sign, reading: Welcome to Chavo. The town was made of endless rows of white houses and buildings. It was so vast, there was no way he could ever go around without wasting at least another few days. What about flying over it? he thought, but quickly abandoned the idea seeing the amount of soldiers patrolling at the entrance of the town, they could shoot him down. “How am I ever going to find my way in all that?” he sighed. He flew back to the ground and used his legs to walk for the first time in weeks “I need a human name…” he mumbled “Martin, no Christopher no Samuel no that’s rubbish… What about David… yes that’ll do… I hope no one talks to me” he said. The smell of the town became stronger as the wind blew in his direction. The strong smell of baking bread almost had him floating to it, then he remembered he was supposed to be walking. He tried to keep it together as the different smells of food wrapped themselves around him. He had forgotten the smell of good food and now that he sort of had a taste of it, he wasn’t sure he could stomach another dry egg. One can only eat so much of one thing he thought. “Here we go” Pinly said as he approached the first houses, saw the first animals; cows and horses grazing and the first people as they stood, ran or walked around the place.

  Chapter 7

  Chavo

  P inly tried to blend in as he walked around Chavo. Eyebrows rose and furrowed over his attire. His white top with embroidered gold thread, attracted the eyes of more people than he wanted to, but there was no way he was going to get rid of the last shirt his mother had made for him so he just walked a little faster whenever someone observed him suspiciously. A window opened on the top floor of one of the houses, he saw a puffy faced woman checking that no one was underneath her window before emptying a bucket of dirty water on the streets. The splash almost sprayed on him. Pinly pinched his nose at the disgusting smell the liquid produced. He saw a few other people come out their windows and do the same. The putrid smell of their liquids drowned the delicious smell of cakes and dishes being cooked from the different bakeries and open kitchen windows. Pinly stopped in front of a bakery to look at all the cakes in the window, trying hard not to salivate too much as the baker put more of them on display; Chocolate cakes with pink frosting, vanilla cakes with fruits on top, pies and scones. The treats kept coming, all bigger and better than the previous one. He giggled at the thought of the baker slaving away to make all these cakes when a fairy could do the same if not better just by snapping their fingers. An elderly woman was sweeping the ground briskly outside the bakery. He heard her grunt a few times, but was too busy daydreaming about a thousand ways these cakes could be eaten to pay her any mind.

  “Are you going to buy anything kid?” she stopped sweeping and rested a hand on her hips

  “No, I’m just looking” Pinly replied. She flicked her hand at him

  “Shoo!” she said as if he was a stray cat “leave if you’re not buying anything” she pointed him away

  “I’m not doing anything wrong…”

  “Leave!” she raised her broom, ready to hit him. Pinly took quick steps back before walking away. She would probably cause him more problems than he needed. Still, those cakes looked amazing, what great snacks they would have made. He walked past several other bakeries all competing against each other, with cakes more colourful in each window, a torture, knowing he couldn’t taste any of them. Soon more and more people were roaming the streets. He had arrived in a very busy part of town. There were people from all walks of lif
e; the rich men dressed sharply, sporting hats in shapes that made him giggle. The rich women wore colourful, oversized garments that seemed to show off their wealth more than their personal style. They also had servants carrying their bags and other items— bodyguards keeping a close eye on their person. Pinly couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by the large number of beggars that populated the streets. He had heard about that before, but had never come across beggars before. Begging when you had powers to feed yourself seemed ludicrous, but being human they obviously didn’t have any. He wondered what had happened to the parents of the young beggars, had they been taken away from them just like his parents or were they some of the older beggars. It made him sick to see the way they were being treated; kicked and violently pushed away by the bodyguards before they could approach the wealthy ones. Pinly wondered if any of these people were fairies in hiding just like him. There had to be at least a few others in that town, it was so big. Unless they were born in Chavo, it must have been a really drastic change. Humans seemed to have double standards that Pinly didn’t understand; they kept themselves, their boutiques and houses so clean and then turned around to throw dirt out the window and pollute their streets. He pushed his way through the busy streets and avoided the dark, unpaved ones. There was a particular area he always seemed to come back to, he had heard a few people call it the maze when they referred to it. Pinly made it a rule to never venture inside it. It was the first time he was surrounded by so many people, Not even Soubrey square was ever this busy. He tried to ask for his way out of town a few times, but was always dismissed with a quick gesture of the hand. One man even threw silver coins at him, they scattered on the ground in a loud ringing. The coins were swiftly picked up by a group of young boys who nearly knocked Pinly off his feet. A strong urge to attack the man sent chills down his spine, he clenched his fists and stood still while the crowd brushed passed him. He looked at his clothes, curious to know what had made that man think he was a beggar? He was still quite clean, sure his clothes had seen better days, but they were in good condition for someone who had spent the last few weeks in a forest and they were definitely cleaner than most kids around Chavo. One thing was now clear; Pinly wasn’t going to get any help from the people around here, his first impression of humans was not encouraging. He took a deep breath and unclenched his fists, he then started walking again, determined to get out of that city as soon as possible. Pinly had done more walking in Chavo than ever before since he couldn’t fly. His legs became wary and shaky, his breathing became heavier as he forced his legs to power through the hurt of wandering around town. Luckily the streets were less busy now, he was far from the market and could see through the windows of the different establishments. Most people were eating lunch. The fairy came across enclosed gardens with green grass and benches. He walked into one and sat down. Children were playing on the grass, he watched them as he dangled his feet and hummed a familiar tone.

  “That’s a lovely song” Pinly was startled by the voice of an old lady sitting next to him. He hadn’t seen her approach and wondered how she had managed to sneak up on him. She was covered from head to toe in a black cloak, barely letting the light shine upon her face. The only skin she showed was from her frail hands as she crossed her fingers on her lap.

  “Thank you” Pinly replied

  “This shirt you’re wearing… May I have a look?” she asked. The old lady reminded him of Miss Poli, a familiar face after all this time alone.

  “Sure” he extended his arm to let her feel the fabric

  “This is not from here, you can’t find such fine cloth around here” she said. Pinly pulled his arm away.

  “It was a gift” he said

  “From whom?” she asked,

  “Why do you want to know?” he slightly shifted away from her

  “No reason, I’m just curious…” she replied

  “Well I’d rather not say” Pinly stood up, ready to hit the road again

  “Where are you headed?” she asked

  “Out of town” he replied

  “But where to?” She asked, Pinly stayed quiet. The old woman seemed to know more than she let on. Her questions did not feel genuine and she was much too comfortable with him. Maybe she was another fairy? She would be able to recognise him, but then again so would he. At last there was someone interested in talking to him now, but there was something about that old woman that made Pinly uncomfortable. He started walking away from her. “Home is not that way” she said, Pinly turned around and to his astonishment and fright, she had vanished. He whipped his head left and right, but there was no trace of her. Fright took control of his legs and Pinly ran through town. He pushed people out the way and looked back to make sure he put enough distance between him and the park, even though she could be anywhere now. Pinly had run through several parts of Chavo before stopping in a quiet street. He spun around to look at his surroundings. He was even more lost than before. Pinly sat against a wall and observed the people as they walked by. Home is not that way the last words from the old woman resonated in his head. How did she know where home was? Maybe she was just guessing, after all he was not looking to go back home. There was no way she knew where he was going either he thought, he didn’t know himself, unless… No, impossible, I would have recognised another fairy he told himself again.

  Pinly had not moved from his spot until the sky turned from a bright blue to a dark orange, He watched the sun sinking away. He wasn’t sure where he was going to sleep that night. One thing was for sure, a city like this one could not be safe at night. The best thing to do would be to get on a roof until the morning. In the forest Pinly slept high up in the trees to hide from any predators, but here it was a different kind of danger, he wasn’t sure exactly what, but he didn’t want to stick around and find out. He had to find a way to get on the roofs and settle for a few hours. Goosebumps prickled his skin, he pulled his arms inside his shirt. Despite all the houses and the chimeneas blowing up smoke, the night here was colder than in the forest, the streets were swept by an icy wind that travelled through the town’s corridors and up his shirt. He felt almost naked as he sneezed and shivered with every breeze. The fire in people’s houses reflected all around him as he watched the people inside getting warm or sitting around the dining table.

  This particular family was feasting on huge plates of potatoes and steaks. Pinly snapped his fingers under his shirt and raised an egg up high enough to take a bite. He tried to pretend that it was one of the juicy potatoes but his imagination wasn’t enough to alter the taste. The search for a roof was harder than he thought it would be. Finding a way to get up on top of the houses without flying or drawing any sort of attention to himself was the tricky part. The walls of the houses were steep, not enough cracks or rocks sticking out on the facades for him to hold on to and climb up. Pinly circled around the houses to find a way up. He was lucky enough to find a broken fence, when he peeped through the man-sized hole, he saw that the back of the house had a roof just above the first floor, low enough for him to access then make his way up to the main roof. He carefully passed one leg through the hole, his head and chest then his other leg. The lights in the house were still shining bright. He saw a few shapes walking back and forth, laughing and chatting, unaware of his presence in their garden. The grass was dry and brittle, it made crushing noises under his feet, even though he tiptoed through the garden. Coming from behind, Pinly heard quicker steps approaching him, a sniffing sound then a growl. He stopped moving then looked back. A large, angry dog was standing behind him, showing its teeth. Pinly began to slowly move back towards the house, all without taking his eyes off the dog. It suddenly barked and attempted to bite him. Pinly made a run for it. The dog chased after him. He jumped up using just a little magic to hold onto the roof. As he tried to pull himself up, he moved his legs out the way to prevent the dog from sinking his teeth into it. Pinly managed to get on the roof just as the owners came out of the house to check what their dog was after.


  “Shut up boy!” a large man ordered the dog, but it refused to calm down and kept barking wildly. Pinly laid flat on the roof when he saw the man extending his light towards the roof. He couldn't see the man anymore, but he could see the light from his lamp moving from left to right, not sure what it was trying to light up. Candles in the rooms on the first floor slowly came to life, he saw a large feminine figure carrying fire and lighting the candles one after another. The fairy had to find a way to get up on the main roof without being seen by the man in the garden or the woman that was about to open the first-floor windows. He rolled just under the windows as she suddenly erupted out, she looked in all the wrong places, not realising Pinly was right under her nose.

  “Nothing up here!” she said before closing the windows

  “Must be a bird again” the man downstairs said” shut up!” he shouted at the dog. That time the dog obeyed. Pinly laid on the roof until he was sure it was safe to move, he heard the couple talking for what seemed like an eternity, he couldn't even eavesdrop on the conversation, they were just murmurs from where he was. Finally, the candles were blown out and the room was pitch black. Pinly stood up and dusted himself off. Down in the garden the dog was still looking up, but didn’t bark when it saw pinly again. He pulled a face at the defeated dog who gave a soft squeal and tilted its head in confusion. Pinly climbed on the second roof. From up there he had a view of endless roofs and another reminder at just how vast the city was. Now the search for a roof to settle on started, they were close enough to each other for him to jump from one to another, but most roofs were either too steep or in bad shape for him to rest on; they had holes and broken tiles. Pinly finally found one after leaping through town for hours. He laid down and looked at the stars. He missed his family terribly, but tried hard not to cry himself to sleep, he had done that enough the first few weeks, whatever that voice in the forest had done to him had eased the pain. He managed to hold back the tears and just fall asleep. During the next weeks Pinly spent several nights in Chavo, sleeping on roofs and outrunning guard dogs, all after long days of searching for a way out.