Mildred Silkthorn

(I pulled Mildred out of the depths of my writing folder. Reworked and expanded it. The show vs tell was slightly harder with this one. There was ALOT of telling. It might need a bit more work, but for today, I'm okay with it.)

 

Mildred Silkthorn

It’s not often you see a lone fairy in the Downs, but on one balmy evening, just before dusk, there was indeed a fairy making her way through the forest in a haphazard, willy-nilly sort of way.

Now, everyone knows that one should never walk through the Downs, but instead, walk briskly, trot, or do any kind of lower body movement that will get you out of the Downs as quickly as possible. As a general rule of thumb, you’re highly encouraged to run. And of course, the unspoken, yet obvious, A #1, top of the page, rule of all rules: never, ever travel through Downs alone.

There are greedy goblins always hunting for a snack or a piece of gold. It would take only a second for them to snatch their prey and run off with it, him or her.

There are stories of the deadly Trith lurking in the darker more dense parts of the Downs; horrible, nightmarish creatures with their blood red eyes & razor sharp teeth, the deep growling and the drooling everywhere…

But, I digress.

Mildred Silkthorn paid no mind to the danger she had put herself in. She snapped branches, kicked rocks and crunched dead leaves as if she were taking a leisurely stroll through the Fairy Hollow, which is exactly where she should have been at that very moment; safe among family and friends.

You might question why she wasn’t flying through the Downs, & you’d be right to do so.

To be honest, I don't know. She was quite angry when she left the Hollow. She had no real plan when she set off that morning and perhaps stomping her feet over the unpredictable terrain of the Downs was more satisfying than simply flying off to goodness knows where.

You might also question, why did no one stop her, and I’d say, “You ask very good questions.”

Mildred was known for being a hot head and it wasn't unusual for her to throw a tantrum if she didn’t get her way, then disappear for a while.

What was unusual was the path she was currently on.

Allow me to explain…

Mildred had been invited to Abby Nestlebottom’s birthday party. All was going well, until Abby untied a small object wrapped in a bright red maple leaf. It was a small silver handheld mirror. A big smile spread across Abby’s face as she studied her reflection. The other fairies oohed and ahhed.

Mildred gasped and decided she had to have it, and said as much out loud. She didn’t care if the other fairies heard her.

Abby held it up for all to see. Mildred marveled at the way the mirror’s frame sparkled in the sunlight. It was definitely human made, because no fairy knew how to make something so shiny… and pretty.

Mildred asked to hold it, but Abby politely declined.

Mildred clenched her fists. That’s not fair, she thought. We’ve been friends longer than anyone else at the party. I want it. Abby should know how much I like shiny things. She should share.

Mildred approached Abby again and held out her hand. “I want to see the mirror, Abby,” she said, none too politely.

Abby shook her head. “No, Mildred. It’s not your birthday. It’s my mirror. Now, go away.”

Mildred screeched so loud, the other fairies covered their ears. It was a guarantee the entire forest heard her.

“GIVE ME THE MIRROR”, she screamed. “You have all these gifts. I don’t have any gifts. I want the mirror.”

Mildred jumped up and down, flailing her arms. The louder she screeched, the higher she jumped and the more Abby’s cottage shook and swayed.

Dust rained down from the rafters, acorn cups knocked together wildly, sloshing dandelion tea everywhere and Abby's birthday banner swung side to side with every heavy thud of Mildred's feet.

The partygoers grabbed Mildred by the arms to get her to stop.

“You should want to give it to me, Abby. Remember that time I shared that jam sandwich with you? I didn’t have to, but we’re friends, so I did.”

Mildred was escorted out of the cottage and far enough into the forest where her tantrum could not be heard. The other fairies headed back to the party, but not before giving Mildred angry, disgusted looks.

She didn’t care. They should’ve sided with her. When one fairy has a lot, that fairy should share.

She stomped off in a huff. “I will find my own shiny thing, then everyone will want it, and I will be the one to say, NO! It’s mine.”

Obviously in the heat of the moment, Mildred wasn’t paying attention to where she was going. She should've realized her mistake when she passed the clearing and more so when she came upon a giant tree stump that looked like a house.

It had two round windows that glowed from within and a rounded green door between them. Puffs of smoke wafted from a small chimney on the top of the stump. She sniffed, then quickly covered her nose. It smelled like rotten eggs.

She was about to turn around when the door creaked open. There should have been a stream of light coming from inside. The interior of the stump house should have been visible, but it wasn't.

Mildred looked from the door to the windows and back again. The open door revealed an inky blackness that not only confused her, but scared her. At that moment, and for the first time, she took a good hard look at her surroundings and realized she was farther away from home than she had ever been and in a place she did not recognize.

Her anger melted away. In fact, she couldn't even remember what she had gotten mad about in the first place. It was time to get back to the safety of the Hollow and her friends and family.

"Come in, child," croaked a woman’s voice. "Stay a while. We will have tea and play some games." A deep throaty laugh erupted from within.

"We like your wings," said another voice. This one was more of a whisper.

Mildred stared into the darkness. She let out a big yawn as drowsiness washed over her. Her eyelids grew heavy. Her knees grew weak. A tiny voice in her head told her to run, but all Mildred wanted to do was go inside and lay down.

"Join us little fairy. It has been so long since we've had visitors." Was that a third voice? Mildred wasn't sure.

The voice inside screamed. “Run, Mildred. Run.”

"Well, if you won't come to us," said one of the voices.

"We'll just make you," growled another.

Before Mildred realized what was happening, her feet began to slide across the grass toward the open door. She turned to run, but it was no use. She threw herself on the ground and dug her fingers into the soft earth, but she was still gliding towards the stump.

The voices inside howled with laughter and hooted with glee. Somewhere in between, she heard the words, dinner and tasty.

Mildred dug her fingers into the dirt as hard as she could to stop her momentum, only to be met with handfuls of grass. Her heart pounded against her chest. Sweat poured down her face stinging her eyes. Closer and closer she glided.

"I will not be your dinner," she screamed. She sat up and flapped her wings with all her might. She clawed at the air, but it wasn't enough. It felt like something was yanking her toward the stump by her ankles, but when she looked at her feet, there was nothing there. A buzzing started in her ears.

The voices in the stump screamed with rage. "No. No. No. She is ours. We will feast this night and there is nothing you can do about it."

The buzzing grew louder. She was almost to the threshold. A few more inches and she would be inside the stump.

Strong arms enveloped her from behind. Her breath caught in her throat. She turned her head to find her father's face inches from her own. He slammed his feet against the doorframe and braced himself. Mildred gasped with relief. They stopped moving, but the pressure around her ankles grew. She looked over his shoulder to see her friends and family hovering behind him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.

There was a fierce tug on her feet. Her father lost his footing. His grip on her loosened. Mildred looked down. She was inside the stump up to her knees. She clung to him tighter. “Don’t let go.”

He regained his balance and adjusted his grip. “I won’t,” he said, with a grunt.

The rest of Fairy Hollow approached the stump, turned and flapped their wings so furiously the ground shook. The voices inside the stump wailed as the window panes shattered. Shards of yellow glass flew through the air.

Her father gritted his teeth. The muscles in his arms strained as he pulled up to free Mildred - then suddenly they were rolling backwards through the air. It was a few seconds before they were caught by the others. She breathed deep as her stomach did a few more sickening flips.

"We will get you next time, little one," screeched a voice from the stump, then the door slammed shut.

Mildred rested her head on her father’s shoulder. “Thank you, but how did you know I was in trouble, or where I was?”

“Once everyone cooled down, Abby realized you hadn’t come back and sounded the alarm,” he said. "You almost lost everything due to your selfishness. This has been a lesson in more ways than one. I think you know now that things aren't always as they appear to be. That mirror was a human trinket found by Abby’s grandmother. It wasn’t so long ago that we lost her to that storm. Anger clouds your judgment, little one. You must listen with your heart. We have many things to discuss when we get home, but for now, hold on," he said, as he scooped her up and headed for home.