fairies

“Rosalie, did I tell you the most important thing ever?”

“I don’t think you did? You’ve told me a lot of super important things, so,”

“Well, this is the most important. And it’s a super super secret, so if you tell it to anybody, it will be very bad, understand?”

“Yes, Georgia, I understand.”

“Great! Now, here’s the secret…”

“Aw, just tell me already!”

“We’re fairies.”

“What?!”

“I know, I know, it’s shocking, but in every 8th generation of our family, the girls are blessed with magical fairy powers.”

“That’s, like, so insanely incredibly, three unicorns amazing, Georgia, but why us?”

“We’re just… special, I guess!”

“Well, do we at least get to fly? And why did you only tell me just now?”

“Only I can fly. But I’ll get to that later. I told you now, because when you turn seven, that’s the age that I am required to tell you about the fairy secret. And, hey, I’ve got another secret too, wanna hear it?”

“Do eggs go well with bacon?”

“Yep! Okay, my second super cool secret is that I can talk to angels when I’m alone, Rosalie.”

“Angels? Like, from heaven? With Jesus and stuff?”

“In a way, but these angels are a bit different,”

“How can they be different?”

“Angels can be different in a whole bunch of ways,”

“Like how? You didn’t tell me a clear answer, Georgia,”

“Oh, sorry, Rosalie,”

“That’s a-okay, sissy,”

“Aw, thanks. Anyways, angels can be from heaven, or they could be stuck here on Earth.”

“Why would the angels be stuck here?”

“You know, they are awfully quiet sometimes, Rosalie,”

“Why are they quiet? Am I quiet?”

“No, babe, you are not quiet,”

“Yay! I don’t like being quiet!”

“I can tell,”

“I know you can, Georgia, and hey, tell me more about us being fairies!”

“Well, I am the only one who can fly, but the thing is, you can’t tell anybody that I can fly. And I mean anybody. Especially not mommy or daddy, okay?”

“Why can’t I tell them? Is it a secret?”

“Yes, it is, and-”

“Why are we keeping a secret? You always say that secrets are bad,”

“I do say that, but this secret is a good one. It helps keep us safe.”

“What would happen if we told anybody the secret? And are we the only fairies in the world?”

“If we told the secret, my wings would break, and we would lose our fairy powers, Rosalie,”

“Oh, oh no! That’s bad! OK, I promise never to tell anybody our secret. But, Georgia?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I tell Harper?”

“You can’t tell anybody, Rosalie, and I mean it.”

“Okay, Georgia, I won’t tell anybody!”

“Pinky promise?”

“Double pinky promise!”

“Okay, well, it’s getting dark, and I think you need to get in your own bed now, Rosalie,”

“Aw, never! I want to stay with you forever, Georgia!”

“I won’t be here forever, Rosalie,”

“You won’t?”

“Well, no, because we all die eventually-”

“Georgia, I don’t want you to leave me! Ever! Promise you won’t ever leave?”

“Rosalie, I-”

“You have to promise! I promised you that I would never tell anybody about the fairy secret, so you have to promise me that you won’t ever leave me back! It’s okay if you leave when we’re old and we have dentures like Papa, but not now.”

“Okay, Rosalie. I promise.”

“Hey, Georgia, I’ve got a question again,”

“You axolotl questions, Rosalie!”

“Ha! I mean, axolotls are my favorite animals, so that’s very funny, Georgia!”

“Goodness. Anyways, what’s your question?”

“Do you have any enemies?”

“Well, uh, of course I do. Everybody has enemies,”

“Even the fairies?”

“Especially the fairies. The ones with wings.”

“Who is your enemy?”

“It’s a super secret, just like the secret about us being fairies, Rosalie,”

“So you can’t even tell me?”

“I would tell you, but if I did, I’d lose my powers.”

“Oh no! Okay, I won’t ask for you to tell it to me, Georgia!”

“Thanks, sis,”

“Of course, big sis!”

“Seriously, it’s like, 9:00, and you need to get in the bed before the monsters come out,”

“Monsters?!”

“No, not like that, it’s… I protect you from all the monsters, Rosalie, don’t worry, but I need you to get in your own bed, okay?”

“Okay…”

“Hey, look at me,”

“Yeah?”

“I love you, Rosalie. Remember that, okay? I love you forever.”

“To the moon and back?”

“Yes, to the moon, the sun, and all the stars and back,”

“I love you too, Georgia. I’ll get in my bed now,”

“Okay. Sleep tight, bedbug,”

“I will!”

*

“How was your sleep, Rosalie?”

“Just fantasamazing, Georgia!”

“Oh my gosh, do I smell pancakes?!”

“Wait…”

“Do you think Mom…”

“She made pancakes!”

“Yes! Race you to the kitchen, Rosalie!”

“I’m gonna beat you this time!”

“Wanna bet?”

“I get to have all the strawberries if I win.”

“Bet!”

*

“How are those strawberries tasting, Rosalie?”

“They’re so yummy! I can’t believe I beat you!”

“You were so fast, girl,”

“Well, I’m practicing because of our little-”

“Shush! Don’t say it!”

“Okay, okay, but you know what I’m saying,”

“Yes, I do,”

“I won’t say anything else, trust me!”

“Okay, because we know what happens if you blab, Rosalie,”

“I do.”

*

“Hey, Rosalie, come up here,”

“Why? You never let me in your bed unless I beg!”

“Just come up. Please,”

“Okie dokie, Georgia!”

“Hey. Come, my fair child,”

“Can I get under your blanket?”

“Of course.”

“Georgia?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you sad?”

“What? Why would you ask that, Rosalie?”

“Dunno. You just seem a little gloomy, and my teacher said that gloomy means sad, so…”

“I-I’m not sad, Rosalie,”

"It's okay, Georgia! I still love you, no matter what! Even if you get abducted by aliens or if you're sad."

"I love no matter what too, Rosalie."

*

"Georgia, where'd you go?"

"I'm out here, Rosalie,"

"Georgia? I can hear you, but I don't know where you are..."

"Rosalie. I'm here. Look outside, dumb!"

"Georgia, what are you doing?"

"Nothing. Talking, I guess,"

"To who?"

"Nobody. Now get back in bed. Mom's gonna yell at me and you if you don't get in bed quick,"

"But Georgia!"

"But nobody. Here, I'll set a stopwatch. Can you make it back in record time?"

"No. I'm not going! Who are you talking to?"

"Rosalie,"

"Georgia,"

"Fine. I'm talking to a... a boy."

"Ooooo, Georgia has a boyfriend!"

"No. Stop, it's not a boyfriend. He's in the sky. And in my head."

"How can a boy be in the sky and in your head?"

"Because he's an angel, and I can talk to him when I'm alone. Remember? But sometimes, he's also my enemy."

"Oh no! Here, I'll protect you!"

"Rosalie! Stop! Stop it now, Rosalie!"

"Georgia? I-I'm sorry..."

"Rosalie, you could've hurt yourself! Bad, too,"

"I'm sorry, Georgia,"

"Rosalie, you don't have to be sorry. It's okay, I just want you to be safe,"

"Then why are you out here, and not keeping me away from the monsters in our bed?"

"Rosalie, I'm going to fly."

"Oh! Can I watch you?"

"No. That'll rip my wings, too, so you need to get in bed so that I can fly alone, okay?"

"What do you do when you go flying?"

"I fight all the monsters and I win, Rosalie,"

*

"Georgia? Can you hear me?"

*

"I miss you, Georgia. I hope you still talk to all the angels in the whole wide world! Mommy says that you're bad, but I just say, no, she wanted to go flying! But I still keep the secret about the fairies. My lips are zipped! One day, I'll grow wings, but I won't fly away like you. I can keep the monsters away now, I'm a big girl. I love you, Georgia!"