Ashton Enchanted » [cashton] √

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❝It starts with a fairy casting a spell

this one's on Ashton, who you'll come to know well❞

The morning had seemed impossibly long. See when the two happy parents had been told they and their beautiful, bouncing baby boy were ready to go home, ten in the morning had seemed so early, like they would have no time to prepare. In truth, though the morning had slugged by and the pair had grown anxious to get out the door and on their way.

They were home before eleven, but only just. They'd taken him, Ashton that was, straight to his room and shown him the place they had carefully pieced together just for him, but his eyes remained fixed instead on the two beaming faces above him. People he did not yet realise were destined to love him from the moment the thought of him had appeared in their minds. He giggled instead at their big silly grins, both turning to one another in pure awe that they, the both of them had created such perfection.

Then the crying had started, he was wet and upset, and the only two faces he knew in the whole world weren't enough to fix it.

"Oh goodness, get the diapers, I bet he needs to be changed!" the mother said, panic in her voice as she looked at the father, his mouth dropped open slightly and his brow furrowed, "I told you to buy diapers last week! Before he was due!" she exclaimed.

"I know, I know! I'm sorry I just forgot, I'll go now, I'll only be a minute I promise," he said trying to soothe his wife, his attention shifted to his son instead, "Daddy will be back soon with a fresh diaper," he tugged gently at one of his tiny little feet. Then he disappeared down the stairs and presumably out the front door.

"Your daddy's so silly," the mother cooed, "so, so sil-" she was interrupted by a bubble-like pop and her head snapped up. There was a woman with dark skin that glowed like sunlight, thin black braids, wrapped around in a loose-type of bun, dressed in the most bizarre floor-length gown; the gown quickly dropped lower on the oddities list as she noticed the two large, Monarch butterfly-type wings that sat on her back, and she was standing a foot from Ashton's crib.

"Oh, sorry, I normally try to do this when the parents aren't here, I thought you left with daddy," the mother's eyes grew wide, her mouth still open in shock, "for exactly that reason," she said pointing a delicately shaped, moss-covered stick up toward the mother's face.

"You can't be here!" she exclaimed, finally finding her voice.

"Don't be silly, Ashton is an extraordinary boy, all the Irwin's for generations have been given wonderful gifts by my family, surely you won't let him miss out?" the mother grew more confused, and her words escaped her yet again. "My mother gave his father that gorgeous head of hair he has," she told her proudly.

Ashton was still crying all through the exchange, his mother having forgotten entirely that she was trying to calm him.

The fairy was seemingly unaffected by the mother's lack of response, "Hmm, what shall I give you?" she wondered aloud, looking over the crib with the benevolence of a woman who hadn't appeared unannounced in a child's room. "Shhh, my love, let me think," she said, doing as the father had earlier and gently playing with his foot.

She placed a finger on the bridge of her nose, and she tried to think, "you're not very well behaved," she said thoughtfully, "Ashton, I give you the gift of obedience," she gently tapped at his tiny forehead with the moss-covered thing.

The mother grew more and more sure that this was all a delusion brought on by pain medication and lack of sleep, no one really thought they were able to bestow magical gifts on children.

"I think it's best we keep this between the three of us," the woman spoke quietly as if only intending the child to hear, and tapped her wand, against his head again.

"What- what does that mean?" she asked, afraid engaging with the woman might cause more 'magical' creatures to appear.

The woman caressed Ashton's cheek gently, before drawing it back and making eye contact with her, "I've given you the perfect child,"

❝A fairy tale reveals certain truths,

the dangers of choices we are given in youth,

but this story is different in thread for our hero had no choice,

or that's the story that spread. ❞