by Mark Summer
"OK what do you want to do"
"I want you to go to the hermit and ask for an ingredient I need for the Queen's special request"
"Does she want extra salt"
Waver gave a stern look
"I hate ht hermit Waver, he always creeps me out"
"I don't care what you want, this is for the queen as citizens of this city it is our duty to full fill any requests by her royal majesty"
Amber didn't care about the queen why should she was just a lowly Jolt. Jolts didn't have any loyalty they were not expected too.
Waver walked over to the prep station and took out a piece paper and then a feathered tip pen and dunked it in some black ink.
she wrote the ingredient request and gave it to Amber.
Then before she left Waver gave her a small dagger and handed to Amber.
"If he tries anything, stick this in his hand"
Amber nodded putting on her long black coat and opening the kitchen door which opens to the cold city street.
"If he tries I'll stick it in his neck," she said under her breath
Chapter Four
"Hello," said Amber as she walked into the Hermit's dusty old house. The house which sat on the bank of a thin river with no name. The river and house were outside the city and it took Amber a few hours to reach it. She enjoyed the walkthrough, the sky was clear and the air was cold but refreshing. Outside the city the land was beautiful and the trees and grass were lush. The flower had yet to bloom but the birds and creatures were out doing their thing.
Amber stepped inside the house since the door was already open which was how the hermit liked to welcome guests. Every time Amber went to the hermit the door was open. He said it was to invite intruders in so that he could use their bodies for his alchemy. Amber saw no evidence of the hermit is a killer but she wouldn't put it past him.
She walked further into the house which had low ceilings and the small bookcases that lined the walls held many mysterious books. Everything from sorcery to the ancient dragon calls. The hermit was an expert at languages of all kinds and was called upon the court to translate different things. strange art also dotted the house. Amber didn't care much for art or languages she was just here to see him about an ingredient. That was all and as soon as she got the better.
She arrived at the center of the house and saw the hermit his back turned to her. He was sitting down in front of a fireplace which gave heat to the entire house. The hermit didn't move when Amber walked next to him.
"Sir I hope you don't mind I let myself in"
The hermit didn't say anything"
Amber squatted down and faced the Hermit but his face seemed frozen, he seemed to be meditating. But he was not breathing, is the old fucker dead.
"Not dead my girl," said a voice
The fire went out and seemed to transform into the air as it floated to the other side of the room. Then it transformed into something that resembled a person flesh and bone.
Amber stood up
"Who are you"
"The question is who are you"
"I'm Amber, I'm a cook"
"A cook, what do you cook"
"Everything I guess"
"Everything sounds yummy"
The fire transformed into a person a small man about the size of Amber. He if you could call it man put his hands in the air and yawned loudly.
He smiled at Amber
"My name is Flick"
"Nice to meet you, do you know what happened to the Hermit"
"He is alive, just moving very slowly, right now his mind is trying to figure out why he can't seem to communicate with us"
"So he is alive"
"Very much alive, just living on a different time frame"
"How do you mean"
"Have you ever seen a movie, Amber"
Amber shook her head
"do you know what a picture is"
Amber shook her head
"Well I'll explain it later, the point is he is living in another movie"
"OK, I don't understand"
"This isn't going well is it"
"I don't know how it is supposed to go"
"That's fine it's my fault I always do this, I jump the gun or bring in people too early"
"Are you a wizard"
"Not really"
"Are you a king"
"Not yet"
Amber sighs and then remembered her mission
"I'm sorry Mister Flick but I must speak to the hermit"
"I'm afraid that is not possible"
"Why"
"Because I wish to speak to you"
"I don't understand"
"Please have a seat"
"Please sir, I must return to work before sundown"
"Because Waver will be mad"
"How do you know my boss"
"Look out the window"
Amber sighed she didn't know how much longer she could play these strange games. But she did as she was told and saw outside the Hermit's house the forest.
"What am I looking for Flick"
"Isn't it strange how the trees don't move and look over by that rock see the rabbit"
Amber saw the rabbit and it too was frozen like the Hermit"
"Now look in the sky, see the hawk"
Amber looked above the rabbit and saw the Hawk it too was stuck like as if the entire world was a painting"
"What is going why is everything frozen"
"Because I made it so, now please have a seat"
Amber knew she had no choice this Flick was a powerful wizard even if he said he was not.
"Who are you," said Amber
"I'm like you, I'm just awakened"
Flick sat in front of Amber his long black coat stuck to his body. He moved with the grace of a snake.
He took out of his pocket a small vile, inside was soft purple powder.
"This is what your master is after, Melody crystal"
Flick smiled and handed it to Amber, she took it and looked up at Flick.
"That stuff in your hand is the building blocks of this world"
Amber still didn't understand, could you blame her it looked like ordinary crystals.
The elements of, when brought to together, can make more.
"Why do you want to make more"
"So that I can build a world or anything I want, I will show you"
"Open the vile and dump it on the floor"
Amber gave him an odd look but did what he asked
"Now ask the crystals to do something"
"What should I ask"
"Ask anything Amber"
"make me a pumpkin"
The crystals then morphed into the ripest pumpkin Amber had ever seen
"It's like magic"
"It isn't like magic it is fucking magic"
"Of course but why does my boss want this"
"Because the Queen is cursed"
"How is that possible"
"A very powerful Warlock has gotten himself into her mind, he slipped through our watch"
Amber then knew who Flick was he was the royal priest the robe and the crazy shaven head should have given it away.
"Why are you telling me this"
Flick crept closer
"This warlock whoever he is wants the four elements of power and to get it he will need the Queen to tell him where they are hidden"
"So I what has this got to do with me"
"Well nothing really, I just don't want you to bring these crystals to your boss"
"Why not"
"Have you not been listening?" said Flick his eyes burning with hatred
"I mean listen I'm just doing my job"
"Your job, you Jolts are all the same"
"Hey that's unfair"
Flick took the pumpkin off the ground and walked away
"Hey man, I don't care who you are but I came to get the powder"
Flick turned around holding the pumpkin in his hand and his other hand on his hip.
"What you going to do about it bitch"
Amber saw red and took out her dagger and threw it at the priest hitting him in the neck.
"What the fuck"
He pulled the dagger out of his neck and held it with his other arm, Amber ran at the pumpkin picking it up and ran as fast as she could.
"Turn into a flying pumpkin"
The pumpkin then sprouted wings and Amber held on as it flew her into the sky above the tree line.
"Fucking hell"
Flick then appeared like a storm heading her way
"Shit, um OK turn into a portal"
The pumpkin then zapped out of her hand and fell down to the ground with Amber screaming.
The next thing she knew she landed on a house in the middle of a suburbs in the middle of Tucson AZ.
She stood on the house and looked above her, in the sky was a floating black portal spinning then it closed.
She looked down at the ground and staring up at her was an old man with white socks and sandals. He was watering some desert plants he stared at the young woman standing on his house.
"Hey what the hell you doing up there" he screams
"I don't know sir I don't know"
Amber really didn't know where she was
"Well get the fuck down from there, your fucking up my roof"
Amber saw no way to get down
"I can't"
"Hold on let me get a ladder"
The man put down the hose and walked to his backyard where there was a tool shed and he banged around in there and pulled out a step ladder.
The old man got the ladder and climbed up to the young girl
"Come on now"
Amber climbed down
The old man looked Amber up and down
"So go on get out of here"
"Sir I don't know where to go"
"Well you can't stay here, this is private property"
"Private property"
"You do know what Private property is or you one of them commies"
"Commies," said, Amber, her lips tried to handle the strange word
"My son is one of them," said the old man
He sighed looked the girl up and down
"Alright you can come in and use the phone call your folks, have some food then you leave understand"
Amber nodded even though she didn't understand
Chapter Four
"What's with your wings, it's a little early for Halloween"
"Halloween I don't understand"
"Are you from Europe"
"No, I do not think so"
The old man studied Amber intently but then shrugged and walked into his small kitchen. The house that he lived at was small, too small for him and he was the only one who lived there. Ever since Margaret died of heat stroke, Tucson has pretty unforgiven summers and they can be deadly for seniors. The old man opened the refrigerator and handed the strange girl in his kitchen a soda pop. "Her you go, sweetie, in my day that thing used to cost me a nickel"
Amber took the soda, the coldness of the bottle made her drop the bottle and it shattered.
"Goddammit, Magritte look what you did"
"I'm sorry, let me help"
Amber started to pick up the glass
"Not with your hands, you'll cut yourself"
The old man pulled a broom from the closet and started to sweep up the broken glass
"There are paper towels to your right
Amber took the towels and squatted down revealing her curvy body to the man, who is old and wise did not mention that Amber's top was see through. He was old and a man but he was not a dirty old man even though he enjoyed the sight. Amber wiped the floor dry
"So where are you from"
"Fairy Land"
"Is that some queer club or something"
"No it's a place, I was running from a wizard and opened a portal with his magic powder"
"Look I'm not into having drug heads in my house"
"Drug heads I don't understand"
The old man scoffed at his statement and straightened up again
"Alright sorry about that I'm a little on the edge ever since Magritte died"
"Who is she"
"She was my wife, thirty-two years she was a wonderful lady wonderful"
"Do you have a picture of her"
"Of course let get that, um you can throw those away"
The old man pointed at the trash can, Amber did as she was told
Amber followed the old man to the living room and he took a picture frame from the wall.
"This her on our wedding day"
Amber smiled at the picture of the young woman she had dark hair and pale skin her eyes were green. She looked radiant and happy, suddenly Amber felt a wave of emotion climb over her. Tears started streaming down her face and she sat down on the sofa.
The old man sat next to her
"What's the wrong sweetie"
"I don't know, I just need a moment"
"Of course"
The landline rang and the old man got up but before he did he turned to the girl.
"What is your name," he asked
"Amber, what's yours"
"Mathew"
"Nice to meet you"
Matthew went to the phone and picked it up.
"Yes, oh it's you"
Mathew's face changed and the bitter snarl returned
"You still didn't pick up your stuff, oh you are coming today alright good"
Matthew hung up the phone
"My son is coming over to pick up his stuff from the house"
"You have a son"
"Yes he is a commie bastard he lives in California"
"What's a commie"
"Well commies believe everyone is the same and that we all should get along and they want to take away my god damn property and hand it out to freeloaders"
"We don't have commies in fairyland we have a queen and she is very nice and we all like her and she does things"
Matthew walked over to Amber and took the picture from her hands
"Listen you seem nice and I like you but you really should lay off the drugs"
"There you go about these things drugs"
"Well can you blame me you keep talking about fairy queens and wizards"
"That's because it's the truth"
"I know it's strange but I'm from another world, we know about your world, and I'm pretty sure you know about ours"
"The bathroom is down the hall why don't you take a shower and will talk about this stuff later"
Amber sighed and nodded
She walked to the bathroom and Matthew signed to a deep long sigh
"What the hell did I bring into my life"
Chapter Six
Amber let the nice warm water hit her skin, she thought of how far she had come. Just last night she was in fairyland now she was in the human world. It didn't make sense, she shuddered at the thought of Waver cursing her name. I can't go back she thought to herself. I just can't go back there, that evil priest will surely send me to the dungeons. Is the queen really cursed by a wizard?
If it was true fairyland is in trouble and even though she was just a jolt it was her home. But she couldn't go back not now she was safe for now. After the shower, Amber dried herself and put on her small dress and put the towel around her head. Drying her long dark hair and she walked out of the bathroom. It was located down the long hall of Matthew's house. Amber walked to the living room but was shocked to find a handsome man sitting, looking at his phone.
He looked up and put his phone away
"Hi I'm Chris you must be Amber"
Amber nodded
"I'm Matthew's son"
"Of course he said you were coming"
"He had to run to get his medicine, he said he found you on his roof?"
Amber nodded and stood frozen in Chris's gaze he was one radiant something about him made Amber nervous but another part made her intrigued.
"Please have a seat"
; Amber did as she was told and sat on the sofa
"So what were you doing on the roof"
"I feel onto the roof"
"From the sky"
Amber nodded
"How the hell did you do that"
"I fell through a portal"
Chris smiled to himself
"Dad said you were weird"
Amber stood the towel feel her long dark hair fell over face in a wild fashion
"I should be going"
"You don't need to go, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I don't think Dad's going to want you around tonight."
Amber nodded
"But why don't I drive you to a hotel or something"
Amber didn't know what a hotel was but his voice was reassuring
"I'm ready to go if you are"
"Shouldn't I wait for Matthew"
"Listen It's best if we leave before he gets back, he has been on the edge ever since mom passed"
Amber nodded
"Come let's go"
Chris took her hand led her outside
"He is a good guy but I'm worried about his sanity"
The sun was shining bright and it was getting pretty hot, Amber shielded her eyes to the sun.
"Here use these"
Chris gave her a pair of sunglasses hanging from the shirt
"So where are you from"
"Fairyland," said Amber putting on the sunglasses which made her already heart-shaped face look small.
"Fairyland"
Amber nodded
Chris smiled and opened his car door and stuck his body in and ruffled around in there for a minute or two. Amber couldn't help but look at his tight butt she just couldn't help herself.
He finally returned from the car with an old book with the title Fairyland its legends and its people.
He handed it to Amber who was thrilled to see that the book showed pictures of her homeworld.
"I knew you humans knew about it"
"That's my brother's book, when we were young we used to be obsessed with it"
"Where is your brother now"
"In a coma, they have him at St. Mary's I visit him on occasion, it's a shame"
"What do you mean"
"I mean he couldn't handle reality he wasn't supposed to be here, the big man upstairs made a mistake"
"The man upstairs?"
"Not that I believe in that stuff, it's just a saying"
"We have many gods and goddesses you only have one"
"He made a machine that he believed could get him to Fairy Land, but all it did was fry his brain"