The following spew of fantasy and magic is inspired by and modeled on Harry Potter. This is for all of those children out there who yearn for a touch of fairy dust to enliven their dreary lives. Dedicated to all the failed storywriters and those magicians who've lost their magicking power. To the dreams of young-uns filled with moonbeams and sunshine,to the fairies who fly sprightly in and out of such figments of our imagination.
Especially this book goes to a poor norwing who couldn't quite cut it in the fairy world and hence was forced to come and live with us.
Chapter 1: A Norwing is born. Startime:11011
On a pale and wintry night,in a small house, a baby lay in a crib wailing to its heart's content. Through the drapes at the window the shadow of the nurse could be seen picking the child up to comfort it. The figure by the hedge outside stood in eerie silence watching the baby and listening to its voice. The moon disappeared behind a cloud and the baby's wails grew louder. There was a flash of lightning across the sky and another hooded figure seemed to have materialised next to the previous onlooker.
"She is a Norwing. We haven't had that in quite a while." said one of them raising her hood from her face.
The other figure robed in red replied,"Yes it is quite unusual that she be born now. The constellations are not what we had anticipated." She turned her face half-hidden by her scarlet hood to the sky. 5 stars burnt brightly in a pattern that was to become a landmark in the baby's life. " It is strange indeed," she continued,"that the quest is to be carried on by this child. I did not expect her to be a Norwing." The disgust and disappointment was apparent in her voice.
"Well it is early yet,she may grow into a talented fairy,capable of handling her legacy.But for now we will leave her here. Let the humans care for her awhile;we will claim her when the time is right." said the other figure throwing her hood back onto her face.
"I must leave, the High Master demands my presence imminently. You are hereby charged with watching this Norwing through her life." She touched the figure in scarlet with the tips of her gloved hands and a thread of light escaped from it. It wound its way round the head of the other and formed into a glowing tiara with a teardrop at its centre.
"The starbeam pearl contains the powers of the Noval elements. Use it wisely in your task," she cautioned the figure in scarlet. "I shall always be with you."
She raised her hands and crossed them once in air saying,"Shahastra-hastra..till we meet again."
Then she twirled on her toes twice and lightning flashed across the skies again.
The scarlet robed figure stood solitary gazing at th e window where the baby now lay sleeping. She blew on her hand and pushed the airsprites towards the window. The little fellows danced on the tendrils of wind and landed lightly beside the sleeping child.
"Watch over her, my faithful..I shall be back soon."
So saying she too twirled twice and crossed her hands in air. The moon appeared again. Silken light washed the garden and hedge. A ring of mushrooms stood where the two figures had been standing. The five stars twinkled in glee.
Chapter 2: 17 years hence. Startime:13011
Perry and Janet skated on their boards back home. High school was over. Their respective schools had hosted the farewell proms and both of them had met up to talk about it. Perry's light brown hair shone as tiny tendrils of sunshine and airsprites whizzed in and out of the strands unnoticed by her. Janet was her best friend of course though Perry was pretty much a loner. She sometimes got the feeling that she did not quite fit into this world. Strange things had a way of finding her and latching onto her. She had never been able to understand what was exactly wrong (or right?) with her. Both girls were lightly built,with thin athletic bodies except Perry was more graceful and she seemed to glide rather than walk. Janet would often tease her about it.
"Its like you're a third kind human." That was what she called people who were abducted by aliens. This was her theory for Perry's obvious gliding. Perry didn't mind the good natured ribbing after all she'd been through lots of it in school. She was a little worried about college though. With her weird luck things would get unsettled in college too and she was scared that she would become an outcast. She doubted Janet and she would get into the same college though.
Like the incident at Dana's house the other night. Perry still blanched when she thought about it. She still couldn't figure out how or why that had happened. Neither could anyone else for that matter. Perry was now officially out of the "group". Not that she'd ever really been in it. They just called her because she hung out with Janet.
Janet punched her arm.
"Ow! Whaddya do that for?"
"Whatcha thinkin' of so much child?" sneered Janet. "Thinking never helped anyone. You'll turn into a dork!" Both the girls laughed. It was a common joke between them. Perry almost epitomised "dork".
"Well I was thinking of Dana's open house." said Perry thoughtfully. "That was waayy weird I thought huh?"
"Still on that eh?"replied Janet,"Well one good thing is it scared off Bitt. He's a big bully and everyone knows he deserves it but yeah it was still so gross."
Saying this Janet broke off and looked strangely at her friend. "You were there, close to him. Did you see what happened?" she enquired,still looking curiously at her friend.
Perry chewed her lips. She did not know what she had seen and was afraid to even admit she had seen anything.
"I dunno." she said. "But he was being mean to Kats. I like Kats. She's sweet to me. I did not like him pushing her around,bullying her like she's a child." Perry waved her fists in the air. "I wish I had done that to him myself" she said angrily.
Nearby a small squirrel suddenly scooted in front of them,stopped before Perry, looked at her as if in disapproval, and shot back behind a tree again. Janet laughed nervously. This sort of stuff happened around Perry all the time. She had learned to ignore it most of the time. But sometimes it still freaked her. Perry skated on in silence. She did not tell her friend that that squirrel followed her to school everyday. It would wait for her and every time she was alone it would bring a nut and drop it in front of her regardless of the weather or the season. Each of those nuts Perry had found it impossible to open.Even a hammer could not crack them open. Somehow she had kept all the nuts. She did not know why.
They reached Janet's house and she hopped off the skateboard and said to Perry. " See you tomorrow..a start of a long summer.Thank god. Bye"
Perry waved and skated on home. When she reached her mother had finished cooking. "Lunch is on the table." her mom said. "Eat up okay? I won't be home till late tonight." So saying her mother left for her office. She ran a department store and it wasn't going too well. So her mother was rarely around. Strangely Perry never felt lonely even though she was alone. Especially at night. Unlike her friends Perry was not scared of the dark. In fact she loved it. Since her childhood she had been a stargazer. She followed the movements and patterns of 5 stars who had been a constant companion all these years. Secretly she sometimes even talked to them and almost believed that they replied.
Perry hurriedly ate her lunch and then skipped upstairs to write her diary. This is what she did when she was alone and Janet was too busy with her supercool friends to hang out with her.
"Dear pantheon," she wrote,"I haven't told you about Dana's open house yet. I'm dying to let it out. So I've told you about Bitt before. He's Kats' boyfriend. Can't understand why she stays with him.Probably 'cause she's too scared. So that day he was especially snooty and being a complete jerk. So I could see that Kats had had enough. I saw her trying to fit in with those mean friends of his and felt sorry for her. Then they started quarreling. Apparently one of the guys had said something about her and Bitt(the loser) actually laughed! And uproariously! So that the rest of us stopped and the whole party loads of people got to hear that comment repeated. You know how mean teenagers can be. When the joke's on someone else then they all laugh secretly thanking their stars its not them. Hypocrites.
Anyway I could see poor Kats was embarrassed and humiliated. She pulled away from Bitts and ran towards the pool. Bitts became enraged. I mean ANGRY. His face turned beetroot red. Haha no pun intended! Anyway so he ran after her and caught her hand and whirled her around roughly. By this time the incident had become the next hot live feed. Everyone's eyes was glued to the couple. Bitt lifted one hand and slapped her calling her a few choice adjectives at the same time. That was when I started feeling weird. Like I could feel something bubbling from within. Like I could hear voices whispering in the winds. At that point all I wanted was to hurt Bitt. Teach him a lesson.
The party kind of got lame around this time. People started leaving. Bitt headed towards the bathroom. Kats had disappeared. I followed him close behind. I wanted another drink. Right then I overheard him mumbling Kats name and insulting her under his breath. The COWARD!
Next all I know is I heard a sharp crack like a lightning and wind(?) sort of swished around me...and Bitt screamed,clutched his mouth and running to the pool jumped in. Chaos ensued. Bitt was still screaming his mouth still covered. I was the only one who was close to him. The rest of the party heard him and were approaching fast. He looked at them and his eyes were wide and scared. "What is it?" I asked. Like I care,but. He uncovered his hands.
His lips were like two balloons. No allusion to Pink Floyd. They were literally BALLOONS. They must have hurt because they were angry red and still growing. It was kind of funny. Then I saw his hand. It was the one with which he had hit Kats. It was sort of flopping around like it didn't have bones. Bitt looked really scared by now and so was I. The rest of the party had arrived by the poolside. Bitt turned around to face them. I waited to hear the gasps of disbelief. I heard none. He looked at me again and they were gone! he looked fine,scared and shaken but Bitt again. I almost thought I'd dreamt it till I saw the look in his eyes. Scary. But anyway he learnt his lesson. It was very weird though. Especially since when he hit Kats I had secretly wished on the turkey wishbone that his hands would become boneless so he couldn't hurt my friend.
Why does this happen around me?
Alright I will sleep now...good bye dear pantheon."
Perry fell off to sleep. Her diary lay on her table. All of a sudden aher windows opened and three airsprites whisked in businesslike.
"We have work to do." said the head airsprite. The others groaned. "But it's so long."
"Well then get to work. We don't have much time before she awakens. Every entry must be chronicled. Create a new Archeval for this one." ordered the head airsprite.
The other two sorry looking airsprites nodded in unison and landed lightly on the diary. They kicked their legs and it flew open to Perry's recent entry. The ink was still wet.
"Careful lets not smudge it lest she get suspicious!"
They sprinkled stardust borrowed from the figure in scarlet. A faint almost indiscernible light glowed from behind the pages. The words slowly floated out of the book. The airsprites grabbed two tendrils of air and sucked the words as quickly as possible. "My,my she writes a lot."said one.
"These are heavy!" complained the other as he wrestled with the wind archiver which was gobbling up words as they floated out of the book.
"Oops almost lost that one.." cried their head when one errant word got a mind of its own and headed out the window. "Concentrate! Do you want humans to see shining words floating around?!" he shrieked.
Finally the job done the airsprites coiled the wind tendrils now heavy with Perry's entry and balancing them on their shoulders they stumbled out of the window.
Perry opened her eyes. Her diary lay on the table open. She looked out of the window and stared at the hedge suspiciously. She quickly drew the blinds.
A scarlet robe flashed behind the hedge. Lightning flashed in the clear skies and a ring of mushrooms appeared in a small scorched circle behind the hedge. The figure disappeared.
Chapter 4: The High Council Startime: 13111
High above the sleeping forms of homo sapiens, the Divine Council of Faeries had assembled to discuss a delicate,fragile and much avoided topic. The meeting had been scheduled for the Hour of Circadia. It was the hour when day just melted into night or light just faded into dark. That hour was the one when Faeries gathered for otherwise Circadia,their Council scribe couldn't stay awake. Eleven gilded chairs bearing the insignia of the respective High Councillors were arranged in a cirlcle. Five clouds, suspiciously triangular in shape, protruded out from select thrones forming a pentagon which completely obscured the council from the view of wandering airplanes. In the center of the circle lay a bowl of translucent water shimmering. This was their means of communication with their minions. Each throne was also equipped with a strong pair of highly ornate wings. Some were the traditional bird wing shape and size,others were more innovative. One even had eyes and a nose for each respective wing which roved around appreciatively taking in its rather boring surroundings.
Soon eleven robed figures were seen to glide towards the distorted pentagon. A flurry of activity ensued within the circle. Tiny airsprites rushed around whipping out the agenda of the meeting woven in silk, at every chair. delicious food were carried on slender tendrils of condensed air and watervapour (otherwise called cloudrils) and long reeds of sandalwood were presented with coloured dew for making notes. A great bell seemed to ring, the Councillors had arrived.
The High Regina seated herself at her throne. Her spirit guide stood silent and watchful at her side. It was a beautiful firesprite. She clapped her hands and called the meeting to order.
"Schladon, yegara shria, fiyan eihbain tsuchaer!"
"An tsusathe nem!!" echoed the rest of the Council in unison.
"My fellow Councillors,"began the Regina,"We have gathered here today to table a proposition long avoided by all of us. It can no longer be evaded I fear. The Norwing is of age. She must be trained. Even though we are not sure that she is the one we must prepare for all contingencies. She must be sent to the Pengwing Academy. That is the closest to her country and she will be comfortable enough there. The climate in that school is also well modulated to the one she is accustomed to. I would now listen to what your thoughts are. You may either voice them or deposit them into the wind channels. but in that case be careful to protect your entry with a code. You may proceed."
A hush fell over the company. No one seemed to quite like the topic. Five of the council were white as alabaster. Three were brown or rather wheatish in complexion. Two were black and one was an airsprite hence quite invisible. They all wore singularly pained expressions on their faces. A turkish Councillor spoke next.
"My High Regina, Merhaba. I would that this topic were not started. The thought of a faerie or sprite without the power of flight quite makes me nauseous."
"Well that cannot be helped Gaziz. We must have a solution. If we do not concur then I shall make a Ruling." stated the High Councillor rather sharply.
"I agree," replied a robed figure who had spent many a night gazing into a certain window with a certain girl."I grow tired of my constant vigilance. Seventeen years I have seen this girl grow up with the empty headed flightless humans. They have all but spoilt her psychic abilities. Quite a shame.It is time we took her away from such nincompoops and placed her with those of her kind."
"That is all easily said. But she is a grown girl. She has a mind of her own. Who is to take the task of explaining a history enriched with aeons of magic and educate a hole left by seventeen uneducated years?" asked a kingly looking faerie from the North. He was from the poles and did not like to take too much responsibility other than fending his folk from the cold.
"We should allow the Regina to choose I think,"said a gentle looking faerie with wide eyes and a slight figure. "She will choose well."
The Regina looked thoughtful.
"But we do not know whether this girl is even the one the Word spoke of. Why should we have to make a big deal about a mere Norwing?" retorted a thoroughly irritated faerie with considerable vehemence.
"Because it is our duty to heed all such quotations. They may not be true,but if they are and we did not act,it would lead to disaster." Replied the robed faerie gently.
"Fie on such talk. I purpose we thread this subject. Forever."cried the Turkish Councillor.
"Neshya!" The Regina's voice thundered through the circle. "Silence all of you. To thread a subject would mean we cannot open it even if we want to later. It is not wise. I shall have to make a Ruling if all of you cannot command a Decision soon.I warn you that my Ruling may not be to your liking."
"Council members! Either subscribe to the wind channels or voice your votes as to who you think is worthy of handling the education and grooming of the Norwing. Thank you." commanded the shrill voice of Circadia the scribe who had been recording all of the meting with a great deal of amusement.
Sulking the Councillors took up their pouches filled with faerie dust. They extracted a pinch of pale blue dust and blew it into the air in turn. The particles floated in midair for sometime then formed a tube and latched onto wind channels. Each channel slowly grew the insignia of the respective Councillor. The insignia would seal that door preventing any other from changing or tampering with the vote.
The Regina clapped her hands. "Let the voting begin!"
One by one the Councillors wrote down their vote and called upon airsprites to guide the words into the channels. Airsprites scrambled around as each Councillor cast his/her vote saying the words,"Ari Flamen!"
Slowly the wind channels grew heavy and ten channels began weaving their way towards the central bowl. When all of them had been immersed inside the shimmering surface of the water, the Regina stood and touched the surface. It crackled and then froze. Through the ice though, the votes of all the ten Councillors floated gently. The Regina looked and nodded. The results were much as she had expected.
"Alright. We seem to be at a concensus. There will be no need for a Ruling. We have a majority. Fellow Councillors, we have chosen Orwen-schlia as the Guardian of the girl. It is a binding contract. She may not break it before another Ruling is made. In the event that she does not fulfil her duties we will assemble for a mid-bond vote." commanded the regina.
All the councillors nodded. They all concurred. After all Orwen-sclia had looked over her for seventeen years. Who better than her to attend to her education?
Orwen sighed and looked rather weary and old. But the Regina had commanded and it must be done.
The Council was breaking up. The rest of the Councillors looked very relieved as if a burden had been lifted off their shoulders.
The Regina began her concluding remarks,"I believe we have resolved this matter satisfactorily. Till the next purposition is put through we shall not convene. The Noval elements must be apprised of the situation. I trust Circadia will perform that task. As soon as they have expressed their approval Orwena shall proceed. Circadia, You shall also inform the Dean of Pengwing Academy of his new student. He may not be enthusiastic. I leave it upto you to persuade him." smiling slightly as if she perceived this would be an amusing encounter, the Regina raised her hand turned thrice and disappeared. The words 'Shahastra-hastra echoed gently through the circle. The cry was taken up by all the others as one by one they turned on their heels bidding each other goodbye. Soon only Orwen was left. She stood gazing at the airsprites dismantling the windchannels from the frozen water receiver. She had a long year ahead. Sighing she proceeded to the bowl and tapped it. It froze over again. Ignoring the irritated looks of the airsprites,she searched for a scarlet robed figure beyond in the floating waters.
"Myrrhana, we must meet. I have work for you. Please hurry. The Regina wants my services imminently."
So saying she turned thrice....the clouds dispersed.
