The Moonlight Boy | Ferry's Tale # 1

Oona's game

Ferry had a bad feeling about the whole situation. Yet, he had to play Oona's game.

"So be it! What are the rules of this game?"

Matilda was being cautious. She took him aside, "Ferry, we shouldn't trust her. It's because of her that we are here..." she whispered in his ear.

Ferry was also hesitating, "I know... But we don't have much of a choice. If we don't play by her rules, she'll tell everyone why we are here for."

"The fairy-boy is right," said Oona, appearing next to them out of thin air.

The two children throbbed. Ferry didn't want to show it, but he was afraid of the creature, "Hey! You shouldn't do this. Isn't it forbidden by The Book of Fairies? You shouldn't become invisible to spy on people!"

"What's in-vi-si-ble? And what is spying?"

"It's watching people without their permission while they can't see you," Matilda made things clear.

"Oh, you mean watching people while you're unseen? Oh, yes, we do that a lot. We don't care too much about the Book of Fairies around here."

"But why?" Ferry wondered. He remembered Lavender Sky had told him differently. "I thought all the fairies are following the Book of Fairies."

"Well, we did that once..." said Oona and Ferry could see a tinge of sadness in her eyes.

"And why don't you do it anymore?"

Oona frowned. Then she skewed and stuck out her tongue, "Why do you care? You're nothing but some clueless children. So tell me, fairy-boy, are you in the game or not? " she said, casting a mischievous glance which made him feel uneasy.

"So be it," said Ferry offering his hand for Oona to shake.

"That is not how we do it," she shook her head.

"How do you do it?" he asked.

"When you bet a cookie, you have to hold hands and spin together really, really fast. Thirteen times in a row," she concluded.

Ferry nodded. And Oona caught his hands in hers. She had frail hands, like blooming lilies. Yet, they were strong, spinning Ferry so fast and so many times that when she let go, he fell in the grass, the sky and trees spinning around him. He was still down and dizzy when he felt Matilda trying to make him stand up. Meanwhile, the redhead fairy was laughing and laughing. A tiny little laughter, yet loud enough to annoy him.

"Why did you do that?" he snapped at her.

"Tee-hee-hee," she giggled. "As I can see, you spent a great deal of time among humans, fairy-boy. You had become terribly slow for a fairy."

"Will you tell me the rules of the game already?" he said while standing up and dusting off his clothes. "Who's going to hide first?"

Oona was gasping for breath from so much laughter. "Wait a tiny bit. Who said anything about hiding? No, no, no! It's a game about seeking, of course, but not seeking each other. You'll have to seek the Fountain of Truth."

"What's the Fountain of Truth?" both children wondered.

All of the sudden, Oona looked around with fear and beckoned them to come closer, "Shhh..." she whispered. "The trees have ears."

The children looked around. Straggled trees were slowly moving their foliage in the wind. There was no one else there. No one to be seen, that is.

"It's a riddle," the fairy continued, still whispering. "Find the answer to the riddle and you'll find the Fountain of Truth."