Avalon Isn't What It Used To Be

Chapter 3: Fae-Ri

For the next week I kept myself busy. I gathered spidersilk, fashioned a grinding bowl out of some old wood, gathered some honeycomb—which was impossibly tedious—and I even made a rain catching system that would allow the rain to funnel into my room and catch in a large basin that shae allowed me to warp.

Though according to Shae, the rain comes and goes a lot. So, I made the rain hole small and adjusted my entrances with that knowledge. Thankfully, she was more than willing to aid me in keeping my distance from the human.

After a week had passed, I decided to stay out of sight for a few more days. But I went to the house to get a cherry or two, maybe a fig if they were ripe. I stayed in the tree line to remain hidden and even wore my green overalls to help keep me cloaked in the vegitation. I flew directly to the Grove avoiding even looking in the direction of the house, though I could hear the rhythmic banging of the human man at work.

I checked the fig tree and found a few ripe ones. But seeing as they were fairly large for me, I only picked one for lunch. I cut myself a piece of the fig and tossed it on the ground for the squirrel that was searching for freshly fallen fruit. After eating my portion of the fig, I laid down on my back on the branch I had perched myself on for lunch and listened to the rhythmic banging with the distant sound of some type of music.

I didn't even know I was tired until I woke up to the loud roaring sound of the wagon on the other side of the house. I noticed it had grown late in the day, nearly sunset. I pushed myself up off my stomach, noticing I had even shifted in my sleep.

Poor Shae is probably worried, I thought as I quickly picked the nearest cherry and flew off towards my tree as fast as I could.

"Sorry Shae, I fell asleep after lunch. But, I did stay out of sight to ease your worry".

Shae creaked at me.

"I know it's already been a week but I thought I'd show you I could hold out a bit longer".

Shae creaked again.

"NO, I DID NOT DO IT TO PROVE IT TO MYSELF"! I shouted aghast.

Shae creaked again as I peered my eyes around skeptically and then contemplated Shae's words.

"...Okay maybe I did", I said quickly in good-humored admittance. I held up my index finger, "But I was initially thinking of you until you mentioned that", I giggled out and rolled my cherry next to the counter and grabbed the spider-silk I was wound around a twig.

I grabbed the sheet off my bed and flipped it around and proceeded to place the fluff on top. As I pulled all the corners together and began tie it off with the web Shae mentioned how more rain was coming soon.

"Well, if that's the case Shae, maybe we should soak up the star tomorrow, yeah"? I asked as I flipped my mattress of fluff over and back into its spot.

I took off my overalls and draped it on the table Before grabbing my blanket and crawling into bed. I stretched the next morning knowing I had slept in. All that avoidance and work to keep me busy must have exhausted me. Or, it could have been that this was the first night my fluff didn't escape out from under me. I rolled over and patted the ground, "good morning Shae", I said with a sleepy smile.

I sat up in bed and looked over at my clothes. "Lilac, silver, or green", I whispered to myself. "Is there really any choice"? I asked myself as I hopped out of bed and grabbed my lilac dress. I wrapped it around me as I drank the last sip of lumin water. I cut myself a small piece of cherry and nibbled on it as I climbed up to my perch. The position of the star told me it was almost midday. I stretched again completely content, not one cloud in my Sky.