My Little Pixie

Chapter Six - An Intimate Discussion

Without really thinking, I took the little pixie upstairs to my private study.

I dimmed the lights and relaxed into my favourite armchair - one of a pair of antique, wingback models in bull's blood leather with brass studs. They were positioned on either side of an ornate stone fireplace though no fire was needed tonight. I was absolutely delighted when, without any prompting, she dropped to her knees on the rug, just in front of me.

James had followed us in and he poured a whisky for me and a small Drambuie for my guest. Then he silently vanished into the night, closing the door and wordlessly letting me know that he would not disturb me again.

We sipped our drinks in silence for a while as her eyes flickered around the room and I appreciated her pleasure. The place retains much of its original charm with books lining two walls and, by day, a beautiful view out over the garden. There is no conspicuous electronics in there either. This is my room for quiet contemplation; when I need to work, I go downstairs to my office.

For a long time we shared a comfortable silence as we appreciated the calm that the room engenders.

For some reason, I found myself thinkingI about her worry over her university place and I realised I could help her.

"So, you are studying German," I said.

"Yeah..." she replied with a slight hesitation.

"Not studying particularly hard, if your current grades are anything to go by."

She seemed to droop in her chair. "You mean you've seen that they're going to chuck me out at the end of the year?"

I paused for a moment and fixed her with my eye. "Do you believe that you are intellectually incapable of achieving the necessary results?" I asked.

She had to think about this so I sat back and enjoyed another sip of whisky to let her know there was no hurry.

"I guess I probably could do it," she answered with another sigh. "But it's just so boring."

"I see... then I am going to make you a promise. I am not going to allow you to fail through want of effort."

"Oh... thank you... I guess."

"I strongly suspect that you will not be feeling particularly grateful to me whilst I am in the process of keeping my promise," I told her with a slight laugh. "I am, however, confident that, in the longer term, you will have due cause to be grateful."

Then, as the little pixie thought about this, we sat together in silence. It was a surprisingly comfortable silence

"This is a lovely room!" she said at last, casually draping an arm over my knee

"It is a singular honour for you to be invited in here," I told her. "This is probably my favourite room in the whole house and I consider it my own personal space."

The completely unforced smile she returned was an absolute delight.

"You mean you like it even better than your mirror room?" she asked. Then her ears turned a wonderful shade of red and she gave a little giggle when she realised what she had just said.

"I appreciate them both in their own individual way," I answered, reaching down to stroke my fingers over her hair.

I sipped my single malt, appreciating the aroma as much as the taste. Without any particular thought, my hand carried on brushing through her wild, red curls.

But then I noticed that the pixie's forehead had become wrinkled. "Go on," I told her. "Ask your question."

"Why do you do it?" she asked. "The whole mirror room thing, I mean."