When Secrets Persevere

Part 5

Roya's widened eyes moved across the unbelievable sight before her. The portal that opened into the stone wall was outlined by a fizzing purple flare. She inspected the land behind the wall, blanketed by tall grass and thick barks that outstretched towards the blue sky. She could feel her excitement intensifying as soon as she pushed her legs up and stood to her height.

She moved towards the open gate, the powerful energy emanating from the stone wall blowing her loose hair strands past her face. The air felt warm and prickly, carrying an intense undercurrent. Roya forced her feet past the opening, lifting them off firm stone and placing them onto soft soil. The long grass tickled the sensitive skin of her inner ankles as she walked forward, away from the portal opening in the mountain rock, and into the heavenly forest.

Her eyes looked over the thick barks of hundreds of trees that were grounded to the forest floor, their branches swaying to the gentle blow of the cool wind. Their leaves rustled with the soft whisper of a welcoming tune, the earth speaking its joy to the arrival of a new soul. The pastel-colored flowers twirled their heads to the direction of their newest visitor then released their bloom, opening up their petals in rejoice.

Roya stood back and watched the land come to life with a slackened jaw, as if her arrival had brought them a fresh wave of rejuvenation. She heard the song of the birds dancing above her head, before flying off into the distance to announce the celebratory news of her arrival to the rest of their friends.

It's like the land was waiting for her, and the foreign feeling of belonging nestled deep in Roya's chest. She let a wide smile spread across her cheeks.

A gentle rustling to her left caught her attention, and she diverted her dilated pupils to the source of the noise. It came from behind a large tree bearing bright red apples. She took a reluctant step towards the tree, her eyes fixed on the swaying grass at the base of the thick bark.

Suddenly, a flash of gleaming wings emerged from between the blades of grass, flying directly towards Roya and circling around her body. She blinked to adjust her eyes to the swift motion of the flying creature, twirling around in her spot to catch a glimpse of it.

It finally came to a halt in front of Roya's face, levitating in the air. Roya's eyes widened in disbelief. Her initial assumptions were proven to be false, as the creature was not a butterfly, nor a dragonfly, but one she had never thought she'd have the chance to encounter in this life.

Her lips parted, urging her tongue to speak the words that would confirm her eyes were not betraying her.

"Y-you're..." she trailed off, her disbelief clouding her mind. She stared wide-eyed at the fairy hovering in the air in front of her face, a gentle yellow glow emanating from her dark skin. She looked to be the size of Roya's palm, with glassy wings that flapped whenever her body sank an inch down. Her black, curly hair was a short afro that gleamed whenever it was touched by a sun ray. She was an exact replica of one of the sketches she found in her dad's notebook.

"Welcome here, Roya." The fairy's words were spoken as loud and clear as a human's, yet her lips remained touching and unmoving. The only response that Roya could muster up, was to blink at it repeatedly. "We have been waiting for you," the fairy added. Her voice was a soft feminine melody, soothing and gentle. She had the ghost of a smile grazing her pink lips.

"You were waiting for me?" Roya questioned in bewilderment, more taken aback by that statement than by the fact the small creature knew her name.

"Yes, we have." The fairy did not elaborate further, and Roya was left to analyze the situation on her own, trying to conjure up a reason as to why the land and the creatures it harbored would have been expecting her arrival.