A Young Fairy’s Summer Night

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“What do you suggest we do?” Mom’s voice rang out from the house. Even though I was in the yard, her voice easily carried past the screen door to where I was laying in the grass.

“I thought year-round school would be better for her, but maybe we were wrong,” Dad said.

Yes, you were very wrong. I was stuck in class while all the other kids were off enjoying their summer. Lame.

“The teacher said Lisa’s having a hard time fitting in. The other kids haven’t been the nicest.”

“She’s changing; I can see it. Sixth grade is hard enough without having to deal with this…”

“We had no idea what to expect,” Mom’s voice was a whisper. “This is unprecedented in your world. A half human child…”

Say what?

I looked up at the dusk sky as the evening’s first few stars began to appear. The sun had almost set and the cicadas buzzed in the trees.

What was wrong with me? I suppressed the moisture that formed in my eyes and returned my attention to their conversation.

“Rowland, I don’t know what to do.” Mom was crying now.

“It’s okay,  Eliza, we’ll sit down with her and figure this out.”

Oh no you won’t.

I shot up from my perch on the grass and marched through our back gate and into the wooded area behind our house.

I was so upset, I almost missed the little sparkling light fluttering around my head. It seemed to be flying with purpose, beckoning me deeper into the woods. Curious, I followed.

“Where are we going, little guy?”

Through shrubs and over moss-covered boulders I trudged, until finally, the fluttering light came to rest on the side of an enormous tree. The tree was so tall, I couldn’t see its top, and it was wide enough to fit three of me side-by-side. Other sparkling lights joined us until the air was full of their magical presence. A moment later, the tree began to glow from beneath its bark. As it did, my skin shimmered with a faint turquoise hue.

Whoa.

Enchanted, I refocused on the base of the tree where an open door had formed. On instinct, I stepped through.

The second I did, I knew beyond a doubt I had found the answer to my question. I was half fairy, and I had just entered my home world.

DFQMNDThis is my entry into the Dark Fairy Queen Midsummer Night’s Dream writing contest

So here are the details:
It is summer, a faint breeze blows, and the leaves are rustling. As dusk falls, the fireflies glow in a distant meadow. Have you not felt the magic of a summer night? Your story should.
Let us celebrate a midsummer night by creating 400 words.

For your theme, your story must take place, at least in part, on a summer evening. Also, choose one from the following list:

Dreams

Fairytales

Myths

In case you’ve read it, this story also ties in with an ongoing series I’m writing about Rowland and Eliza called The Transformation.

Dark Fairy Queen Writerly Bridal Shower Entry

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Title: A Very Faery Wedding

Author: Christina Krieger

eBook: Yes

[hr]

“I announce from this day onward, you are eternally joined faeries.”

A few hours earlier…

“Come quickly, Eliza,” an elderly faery said with a friendly smile, grabbing Eliza by the arm and leading her inside. “We must get you ready. No time to waste.”

Eliza had barely crossed over from the human world to the faery realm. Her newly transformed skin glittered and reflected the light as she moved. She would also have to get used to her new pair of wings. Eliza turned her head to marvel at them once more. Apparently, every faery’s wings had a color unique only to them. It was known as the faery’s gwenfaer. Her wings were a pearly light gold. She couldn’t believe it. This was actually happening. Eliza, once human and completely unaware that faeries even existed, had crossed into a whole new realm and turned faery herself. All because she had fallen in love with Rowland, a faery native to this world. She was the only one ever to do so, and her actions had caused quite an uproar. Many faeries found her transformation incredibly romantic, but a few found her to be an abomination.

Eliza tucked all that aside; she had to get ready for her wedding, after all.

As she entered the woman’s house, ten other faeries rushed at her, surrounding her with smiles and squeals of excitement. They simultaneously started to replace her current clothes with her wedding gown.

“It is customary for the bride to wear her husband’s gwenfaer,” the elderly lady said, who was evidently supervising all the other faeries getting her ready.

The gown was beyond beautiful. The entire dress was the same deep royal blue as Rowland’s wings, and it was covered in shimmering blue stones that shone with a brilliance she had never seen on earth. As they slipped the dress over her head, Eliza saw the intricate weave pattern in the delicate lace-like fabric. Slots at her back allowed her wings to slide through with ease. Her hair was then curled and adorned with the same jewels that covered her dress. When she finally got to look in the mirror, all the faeries gasped at her reflection.

“You look radiant,” one of them said, barely able to get out the sentence due to her excitement. “Rowland will probably fall out of the sky when he sees you.”

The faeries led her outside where she met Rowland in an expansive field under the boughs of what looked like a giant weeping willow. All the limbs were covered in blue and gold shimmering flowers. Countless faeries flocked to watch the ceremony, but Eliza hardly noticed. She was too fixated on Rowland, who was staring intently into her eyes.

“You look absolutely stunning,” he said in a whisper.

Eliza smiled. “So do you.”

Rowland’s tunic was a pearly gold, the exact color of her gwenfaer. Eliza then understood the tradition. Rowland wore nothing but pearly gold and had royal blue wings. She wore royal blue and had gold wings. It was a symbol of how their lives would be forever intertwined.

The king of the realm appeared and attempted to start the ceremony. But before he could say anything, a fire erupted in the middle of the field. Balls of flame started raining from above and all the spectators immediately scattered. As if by magic, the fire started to move on its own, taking the shape of letters.

“We need to get you two out of here,” the King said.

As they flew into the sky, they saw what the letters said: Abomination

All of this because she had crossed over into their world. It was all her fault.

The King led them far from the willow tree and into a cave high above the ground.

“You should be safe here, at least for a while.”

“Now what do we do?” Eliza said as Rowland wrapped his arms around her.

“We continue the ceremony of course. If you two don’t join, they win. We have no reason not to proceed.”

Rowland and Eliza both nodded.

“As the king of this realm, I announce from this day onward, you are eternally joined faeries. May your love forever be an example and inspiration for generations to come, and may your union be blessed for the noble stand you have both taken.”

Rowland gently rested his hand on the side of Eliza’s face and pulled her in for their first kiss as joined faeries… but it would certainly not be their last.

[hr]

This is my entry into the Dark Fairy Queen Writerly Bridal Shower, where we all write wedding-themed flash fiction as a gift to the lovely Anna Meade who is getting married!

Click here to see more details on the Writerly Bridal Shower

This can be a stand-alone story, however the characters come from a flash fiction piece I wrote for one of Anna’s famous contests. I figured that would be fitting. You can read more about Rowland and Eliza here.

Congratulations, Anna!

Five Sentence Fiction – Candidate

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“Is she asleep, Doctor?”

“Yes, she’s under and will awake with no memory of the procedure.”

“Her mate, Rowland, is… detained… and won’t interfere with our faery-human relations research—Eliza’s the perfect candidate.”

“Good… the fetus’ heart rate is normal; maybe we can determine if she conceived before or after she transformed into a faery.” The doctor paused, stared at the monitor, and said, “Vick will like these results—a half-breed is an abomination and will give him the excuse he needs to destroy Rowland and Eliza.”

[hr]

This is part of a series I’ve been writing. You can read all about Rowland and Eliza here.

And be sure to check out the Five Sentence Fiction weekly challenge created by Lillie McFerrin.

Lascaux Flash Contest Entry – The Light

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I recently entered the Lascaux Flash Fiction contest. The rules were to write a 250 word story inspired by the picture provided. I didn’t win, but I had a lot of fun writing the story.

For those of you following Rowland and Eliza, this will loosely tie in to their story, see if you can pick up the connection!

So here is The Light

[hr]

“What happened?” I say, turning to look at the passenger seat. “Dom?”

I try to see through the windshield, but the glass is shattered. I can only make out fragments of colors and faint lights in the distance. Stumbling out, I find Dom lying in the gravel, covered in blood.

“Lisa, are you okay?” He coughs and more blood sprays from his mouth.

“I’m fine,” I say, holding back tears.  My head’s spinning and my thoughts come in fragments: Must have been an accident….thrown from the car…coughing up blood’s never good…

“And the baby?”

I look down and touch my stomach, feeling a kick. “She’s okay too.”

Dom nods. I choke back sobs as he loses consciousness. He can’t die; I won’t let him.

I never told Dom what I can do—how through a simple touch I can affect a person’s mood. It’s an ability I inherited from my dad. But if I can alter someone’s mind, who is to say I can’t alter their body? Who is to say I can’t save my unborn child’s father?

I put my hands on his wounds and close my eyes. “Please, this has to work.”

Tears flow freely now, splashing onto Dom’s blood-stained shirt. I look down and gasp. Gold light is streaming from my hands…

…And my stomach. Could my baby have the ability too?

Seconds creep like hours, until I’m drawn back to the present by my dear Love’s voice, “Honey, is there something you want to tell me?”

Five Sentence Fiction – Blush

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“You’ve been ignoring me for months, are you ever going to tell me what’s going on,” Eliza said after cornering Rowland.

“Ignore you… I could never ignore you, love.”

Eliza tried to keep up her furious facade, but her blushing cheeks betrayed her.

“You can’t keep leaving me in the dark like this; talk to me.”

“You remember Vick, the one who tried to kill you… well, he has a group of followers intent on fulfilling his mission.”

[hr]

This is a previous FSF prompt that I haven’t had a chance to post until now. Better late than never.

Check out the Five Sentence Fiction weekly challenge created by Lillie McFerrin.

This story is part of a series, The Transformation. You can read the rest of the story here.

christinakrieger.com

BlogFlash 2012 Day Thirty: Winning

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11:45. Decision time.

Rowland and Eliza, having finished the final dance of the evening, headed down to the garden behind the estate. She held his hand, afraid to let him go, even for an instant. Could she really turn her back on what she was? It’s not like there was a master UNDO button she could hit if she changed her mind. But she couldn’t live without him either.

Rowland stopped in a secluded area, behind a towering tree.

Eliza could see tears in his eyes, evidence of his fear that she would say no.

And she almost did.

“Please. Come with me,” he said.

How could she throw away someone so beautiful. Someone who had altered her life in such a drastic way. Of all the men out there, she had been blessed enough to win him. If she let him go now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

Smiling, she said, “Yes. I’ll come with you.”

Gold sparks swirled around them, and Eliza’s body tingled as the transformation started to take hold.

~

This concludes the prequel to The Transformation. It has been a blast for me to expand on a story that started as a little entry into a contest. At the time, I had no idea it would turn into this! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!

The original story and this last scene of the prequel overlap, although each has its own special set of details.

If you need to catch up on previous installments, you can read them here, or you can continue the story with The Transformation.

BlogFlash 2012 Day Twenty-Nine: Masquerade

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“You look beautiful,” Rowland said, kissing the top of her hand.

“Thanks,” Eliza blushed as they walked up the steps to the Barton Estate.

Mr. Barton was holding another one of his parties–a masquerade this time. Rowland told her this was his last night here. He would be leaving at midnight for his world. But Eliza still hadn’t made up her mind whether or not she would go with him.

Rowland looked dashing, as always. He wore a tux with a black mask covering his face. Eliza had taken her outfit one step further: a sparkling white dress, mask of course, and a pearly pair of fake wings extending from her back.

“They suit you nicely,” he said with a mischievous smile.

Eliza nodded, trying not to look at the clock counting down.

~

BlogFlash 2012 is a 30 Day challenge to write a 50-100 word post each day based on that day’s prompt. All my posts will be linked as a continuous story, a prequel to a series I’ve been writing.

Be sure to check out Terri Long’s BlogFlash 2012!

Need to catch up on the story? All my BlogFlash entries are here, or you can read the original story, The Transformation.

BlogFlash 2012 Day Twenty-Eight: F.R.O.G.

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“I think now’s as good a time as any to explain about the others like Vick,” Eliza said.

“Right. Vick. There have been others like him in the past. They are a rare breed, not many have encountered them. They were once faeries, just like me, who believed in what was right. But they turned. Fighting against the very good they swore to uphold. As a result, their skin, wings, eyes, even their light turned dark.

“Most of them hold to a very old-fashioned view that faeries are the superior beings. All else, humans namely, are lesser and unimportant. That is why Vick was so bent on keeping us apart. He knew you had the ability to cross over into our world and turn faery. Drove him mad. We have a name for faeries like him. F.R.O.G.”

“Frog?”

“Faeries Relinquishing Our Goodness. Kind of a silly acronym, if you ask me, but that’s what they’re called.”

“Will more try to kill me?”

“In the future, I’m not sure. But Vick acted alone. For now, you’re safe.”

~

BlogFlash 2012 is a 30 Day challenge to write a 50-100 word post each day based on that day’s prompt. All my posts will be linked as a continuous story, a prequel to a series I’ve been writing.

Be sure to check out Terri Long’s BlogFlash 2012!

Need to catch up on the story? All my BlogFlash entries are here, or you can read the original story, The Transformation.

BlogFlash 2012 Day Twenty-Seven: History

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“Go back?” Eliza said, standing up from the couch. “And what, just forget all this ever happened? Return to life as usual like I never met you? Or loved you?”

Rowland stood and looked her in the eyes. “There’s another way.”

“What?”

“I read something else about the faeries’ history while I was gone. Something my kind has tried very hard to keep secret. If a human were to leave their life here behind and cross over to our world, that human would become a faery.” Eliza’s mouth dropped. “I know it’s a lot to ask, and I don’t expect an answer now. But, at least think about it?”

~

BlogFlash 2012 is a 30 Day challenge to write a 50-100 word post each day based on that day’s prompt. All my posts will be linked as a continuous story, a prequel to a series I’ve been writing.

Be sure to check out Terri Long’s BlogFlash 2012!

Need to catch up on the story? All my BlogFlash entries are here, or you can read the original story, The Transformation.

BlogFlash 2012 Day Twenty-Six: Seeing

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“Eliza, there’s more you need to know about faeries,” Rowland said. They were sitting across from each other in Eliza’s living room. Rowland held her hands in his. “Oh, where do I begin?”

“Go on. Whatever it is, I won’t freak out.”

“Okay. As you know, we faeries can cross over into your world at will. We can hide the way we look, and we have supernatural abilities. But we can’t stay in your world forever. I…” Rowland sighed and looked down at the floor. “I want you to see, to truly see, the situation we’re in.”

Tears welled in Eliza’s eyes for fear of what he was about to say.

“My time is up. I have to go back, Eliza.”

~

BlogFlash 2012 is a 30 Day challenge to write a 50-100 word post each day based on that day’s prompt. All my posts will be linked as a continuous story, a prequel to a series I’ve been writing.

Be sure to check out Terri Long’s BlogFlash 2012!

Need to catch up on the story? All my BlogFlash entries are here, or you can read the original story, The Transformation.