The Moonlight Boy | Ferry's Tale # 1

Closer

Matilda walked against the wall of the wicker house. She stopped to watch inside between the blooming branches. Ferry and his Guardians followed, afraid of some reckless gesture of her.

"Matt, what are you doing?" Ferry whispered.

The girl didn't answer. Instead, she kept on watching between the branches. Ferry also looked inside. He discovered the strangest room—the wicker house was, in fact, a nursery full of baby cribs. Cryings, growls, and giggles came from the tiny cribs. Several fairies entered the strange house; the mysterious woman was among them. Each one of the young women picked up a baby in their arms; each one was wrapped in a blanket of leaves and herbs, just like the one they found wrapped around Matilda.

But the babies were the ones to catch Ferry's eye; fairy babies with eyes as dark as stormy skies; their arms were thin and bony and their hair tangled and bristled up.

The mysterious woman came closer to one crib next to the wall behind they all hid. They could see her clearly, now. She was young, beautiful, and she looked just like Matilda. With the most gentle gestures, she picked up a fairy baby and rocked him. The little creature was tossing about in her arms, scratching her face and spitting. But the woman looked at him with so much love and longing, her eyes full of tears. "Matilda, my sweet, beautiful little girl..." she whispered.

An older fairy stepped closer to her, "Why can't you let go, Ella?" she asked her with a soft voice. "You've been here for so long... If you could just try to stop thinking about her, perhaps you'll forget... You won't have to go the Blind Alley anymore. You could live here, with me. We could take care of the babies, enjoy the light and warmth... And maybe, you could accept Doruh's love and live in the Palace one day."

"I can't, Mamma Leena," she said between sobs. "I can't forget... I already have a baby and a husband. Their memory is all I have left... I remember this just as clear as I remember that my name it's not Ella."

"But you have so much love to offer... Why can't you give it to the children of this place?"

"But I'm giving them a part of my heart each time I come here," said the young woman. "Poor babies," she said while watching the little creature that was now sleeping quietly, glued to her chest. "Not knowing who your mother is... growing up without her love..."

"But that is the meaning of this place," Mamma Leena answered. "That each baby can have dozens of mothers, each one with so much love to give."

Ella shook her head, "Growing up without a mother of your own is the biggest curse of a child," she said, wiping a tear away.

That moment, Matilda, who watched the whole scene without even breathing, sobbed. A deep sob, filled with love and so much longing. The young woman looked right at her as if the wall between them vanished.

"What is it?" asked Mamma Leena.

"I don't know," she whispered, coming closer to the wall. "I just thought--"

That moment, Ferry knew it was time to go. He slowly took a few steps back, dragging Matilda after him. When they were far enough from the Nursery, they all could finally breathe easily.

"Matt, what were you thinking? You could've given us away," he said, gasping.

"My mother is in there," Matilda whispered, staring at the Nursery behind them.

Ferry and his Guardians exchanged worried looks.

"Matt..." Ferry tried to calm her down, putting his hand on her shoulder. But at his very touch, Matilda throbbed. Then she looked at Ferry dead in the eye. He's never seen her so determined.