The World of Myth Magazine

Suzie whimpered and clamped both hands over her mouth as fast as she could, horrified at how loud she'd been. Please—no! He-d hear her if she wasn-t quiet, and that meant a never-ending nightmare. Feeling dizzy, she grabbed the wall for support, but almost screamed when she heard heavy footsteps in the hallway.

"Where's that little brat?" Joe-s mean voice made vomit rise in her throat, and she almost gagged.

"Did you have a good day at work?" Mama's voice was calm. She sounded like she was trying to keep Joe from getting angry.

"I asked you a question."

"She-s visiting Trudi."

"Who the hell said she could go?"

"I thought it would be okay."

Listening from her hiding place in the laundry room—behind the washing machine—Suzie bit her bottom lip. Mama was lying so he wouldn-t look for Suzie.

"You thought? You-d need a brain for that. I make the decisions. Not you!" Suzie heard a slap. She knew that sound—he'd hit Mama again.

"Please don-t." Mama-s voice wobbled.

"If you loved me, you-d respect me and not cater to that whiny kid! Every time I see her, I think of you cheating with Steve!"

"Cheating? He and I were married. I hadn-t even met you—."

"Shut up!" Suzie heard a dull thump, like a fist hitting a pillow, followed by a thud.

Her mouth flew open in a soundless scream. Biting down on her hand to keep quiet, she wounded herself but ignored the dripping blood. She wanted to help Mama, but she'd tried intervening lots of times before. It never did any good and only cost them more pain. Mama made her swear after the last time not to do anything but hide. Suzie's hadn't wanted to agree but gave in when her mother cried. She hated seeing tears in those bruised eyes.

Hearing Mama crying now, Suzie felt her legs go rubbery. They wouldn't hold her up. She didn-t take up much space, but only had seven or eight inches of room behind the washer. After she sagged to the floor, things got even more cramped, and she landed with a squeak. Did he hear me?

No. The sound had been drowned out by Joe-s yells and Mama-s pleas and sobs.

Mama's voice echoed in Suzie-s head. Her teeth chattered, goosebumps mottled her arms, and icicles slipped down her spine. Wanting to warm up, she rubbed her arms, grazing the nearby wall, and thought she felt something move.

Something seemed different and Suzie froze. The yelling and crying had stopped, and she only heard faint voices. Joe must-ve taken Mama to their bedroom. At times like this in the past, he demanded she "make up" to him for wrongs he accused her of. Suzie had heard his words so many times she could recite them by heart.

She listened as hard as she could in case the silence meant something different—like Joe was near, or went in the bedroom but came out again, or opened the door where she was, or—but things stayed quiet.

Suzie debated whether or not she should sneak to her room, but remembered she was supposed to be gone. Besides, even if she went to her room, she-d just lie there all night tensing and relaxing, tensing and relaxing, listening for footsteps.

Unable to get comfortable, she fidgeted. Something hard was jammed between her shoulder-blades. She tried to push it away and realized why it wouldn-t budge; it was the rubber hosing running from the washer into a wall.

The laundry room light was off but a sliver of illumination came from the hallway. Something clicked in Suzie's mind as she looked at the wall paneling beside her, which featured wood grains and knots. Didn't she feel movement earlier?

One knot the size of a cookie seemed less flat than the others. When she brushed it with her fingertips, it slowly came out of the wall and expanded into an oval around the size of a trash-can lid. It looked like a small pool with the center vibrating. Wow, wow! Curiosity had her by the throat.

Daddy used to say that. Mimi, her grandmother, had said, "Curiosity kills more-n cats, honey bunny." Suzie missed them like crazy. Daddy wouldn-t have let a douche-bag, his word for bad people like Joe, hurt them.

She had lost her best friend when Daddy died. They-d shared everything, especially books. He'd read to her about wizards, quests, spells—magic. She used to believe in it like he did and waited forever for her letter to arrive from a school of witchcraft. But she-d shunned anything related to magic over the one year, three months, and seventeen days since he died.

She could-ve assumed what she saw in the air was her imagination or maybe light-headedness from not eating. She-d skipped breakfast that morning after Joe had blasted her and Mama with insults. At school, she'd skipped lunch, worrying about going home later.

Fascinated by the shimmering oval in front of her, Suzie couldn-t tear her eyes away from it. Ripples radiated from the center but stopped and the surface went smooth. She could see her reflection—long, golden-brown hair, straight like Mama-s. Cedar-brown eyes with green in them, like Daddy-s. She was small for her age, skinny, and the expression in her eyes made her look older than her nine years.

Without warning, the surface of the oval rippled. Touching it, she felt something—a suction or force—pull at her hand. She bit her lip, more hopeful than afraid. Was this magic? Wiggling her fingers in the mysterious opening, she stopped fighting the sensation of being drawn in. Her hand went through up to her arm—her shoulder—.

CENTER>***

Suzie stood in a grassy meadow unlike anything she-d seen before. The grass was midnight blue. Flowers of all colors surrounded her, leaning toward one another, then toward her, although no wind blew. Are they alive?

"Hello, Suzie." A girl with long, curly brown hair stood behind Suzie, wearing a purple dress and purple shoes. She looked human but couldn-t be, because a purple glow came from her body, and she had iridescent gossamer wings.

"I love purple!" Suzie exclaimed.

"We know." The girl in purple pointed to other "girls" around them. Each wore a different color and glowed—blue, pink, red, yellow, green, silver—.

"What are y-all?"

"Y-all?" The purple girl's eyebrows went up.

"It means 'you all- where I live."

"You mean Texas?"

"Yes." The child repeated her question. "What are y-all?"

"We're fairies."

"So magic is real?"

"Yes. You used to know that." The words were gentle but stung, nonetheless. Her mind turning to Daddy, Suzie hung her head

"I'm Nya. We need to talk, but it-s not safe for humans to be in our world long, so we must hurry."

"Hurry?" Remembering Joe, Suzie's heart raced. Scanning the meadow for him with frantic eyes, she looked right. Left. Right. Left. Behind herself.

"Don't be afraid. Joe's not here. You-re not on Earth anymore. You-re in Aerydae, Land of the Fairies."

"How'd I get here? Was that a portal? How—?"

Nya held up a hand. "Not important. What matters is why you-re here. We've been watching you."

"Why?"

"We usually avoid humans, but sometimes we're interested in those who are good and believe."

Suzie inhaled fast. "In magic?"

"Magic or things others can't see or feel. Our Queen gave me permission to speak with you and offer help."

"You'll get rid of Joe?" Suzie held her breath.

"No. I can-t do that, but I can help you in another way. I can offer you a wish. Only one. If you accept, there are rules you-ll have to follow."

"Rules?"

"Yes. You cannot wish someone alive—"

Suzie's shoulders slumped. Daddy—.

"…or dead."

Death was something Suzie knew. She'd seen Daddy lying pale and still in his casket. And her cute orange kitten died when Joe—.

"I repeat nothing dead can be brought back."

Wide-eyed, the girl stared at the fairy. "Are you reading my mind?"

Nya's eyes fell. She sounded guilty. "Yes, and we-re not supposed to. I'm sorry." Her tone went brisk again. "No one can be forced to love or hate. We can't change a person-s personality or make them act against their will. Also, many kinds of wishes exist and not all are the same. One person might wish for money or a home. He'd get it and his wish would be over. But another person might wish for something more meaningful. She'd receive it and get a little more. Understand?"

Suzie chewed her thumb. "I think so."

"You can wish for anything but remember: some wishes are granted and over with fast. Others result in extra."

"Do you know which lead to extra?"

"Yes." Nya put a hand up on the air. "But I can-t tell you or give hints. Listen and let me finish what I have to say. It-s very important you know these things. If you waste your wish, you won-t get another. Your wishing is important for me also. For countless ages we-ve kept our existence secret. Our Queen only allowed us to get involved with certain humans recently."

"Why doesn-t she like people?"

"She has nothing against people, but we-ve learned to stay isolated and use our powers for beings we-ve known longer than humans."

"What kind of beings?--

"All kinds—dwarves, nymphs—."

"They're real? What about dragons?"

"Stop." Nya's tone was firm. "What matters now is your wish. A wise one means something and results in extra for you. It also means the Queen will let me help more humans. A lesser wish means I won't be allowed to help anyone for a while."

"But I-d get my wish even if it wasn-t super good?"

"Yes. Your wish would be granted and become part of your life as if it were always there. You wouldn-t know anything had changed."

"I'd forget about this?"

Nya looked away. "Not everyone forgets but come now. Time is limited but I can allow you just a little to think about everything." She led the girl to a spring with green flowers growing along the sides. Nya cupped her hands and a glowing purple ball of light formed, touched the ground for a few seconds, and vanished.

Suzie's mouth fell open at the feast which had appeared: cookies, cupcakes, fudge, strawberry cake, watermelon, fried chicken, hot dogs, tacos, pizzas—. "My favorite foods! So y-all have them here, too?"

"No, but we have magic."

CENTER>***

Suzie lay in the grass and smiled up at the sky. It was the color of lime jello, which she liked. She sniffed a flower which was beside her. Although it looked like a sunflower, it was bright orange and smelled like a rose. Eyes studied her from its center. When she whispered, "Hello," one winked at her. Suzie giggled. Thinking of Daddy, she spoke aloud. "You'd love this. Magic is real. I miss you—." Her happiness evaporated and tears ran down her cheeks.

However, her thoughts soon shifted. She'd love to get more wishes—what she thought was meant by people getting "extra" sometimes. Should she ask for a new home? A car? Money? Dolls? Pretty things to make Mama smile? She, Daddy, and Suzie used to go to parks, play games, laugh, have fun—but not in a long time. Not since Daddy died. Joe had done things with her when he first moved in. He'd gotten her a doll, but it wasn't long till he'd snapped its head off and stomped it into pieces. Thinking of Joe, Suzie's face fell. For a moment, she'd forgotten he lived with them. If anything nice was gotten, he'd destroy it.

She took a quick breath when a new idea came to mind. If she asked to become an adult, she'd be stronger—able to defend herself and Mama.

CENTER>***

Nya reappeared without warning. "Have you made a decision?"

"When would I need to make my wish?"

"Very soon, but first I must be certain you understand my offer and the rules." She summarized everything. "Do you understand what I've said?"

"I think so."

"All right. Would you like a wish?"

Suzie felt pins and needles all over. The butterflies in her tummy were going to carry her away, and she was sure she-d throw up any minute. What if her choice was bad? Yeah, she-d get a wish no matter what, but she wanted extras. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax but couldn-t. One thing stood out in her mind, though. "Yes, please."

Nya nodded. "What do you wish for?"

"I wish someone would keep Mama safe and—."

"Protect her? You want a protector to keep her safe?"

"Yes."

Nya's tone was gentle. "And to protect you?"

"Huh?" Suzie hadn-t thought of herself, but vivid memories trampled through her mind. Fists and feet that felt like stone when they hit, cruel words, Mama screaming—. Her eyes were bleak as they met Nya's. "That sounds wonderful."

"Granted!" Music sounded in the distance and Nya responded to the girl-s puzzled expression. "You chose well. You were concerned more for your mother than yourself. That is unselfish, shows true love, and is noble."

Unsure what 'noble- meant, Suzie only cared about one thing anyway. "Mama will have a protector?"

"Yes. You, too. And you get extra."

"How many more wishes do I get?" What should I wish for next?

"Let me explain. Your protector will help you and your mother. But rules are part of everything, and I must explain a few more. Because you chose well, you can receive help more than once. You can call on the protector three times." Nya held up three fingers. "No more. If you waste a time, it-s gone."

Disappointment crushed Suzie. Her eyes teared up, her shoulders drooped, and her stomach churned. "The protector will help only three times, not all the time?"

"Being able to ask for help three times is better than once."

Suzie didn-t reply. She-d wanted someone powerful who-d always protect Mama, always be around, not help only—. If things went back to how they-d been after the three, what good was that?

Nya frowned. "What we-ve agreed on is between us, Suzie. You must tell no one else."

"Not even Mama?"

"Decisions are for you to make, not another person. Listen carefully. If you tell anyone about us or what we-ve agreed upon, you won't get the wish after all. If you tell, you won-t have a protector and our agreement will end."

Saying nothing, Suzie stared at the ground.

"Do you hear me?" The fairy-s voice was sharp.

"Uh-huh." In an instant, Suzie found herself standing in the laundry room at home. Her body felt exhausted. Her mind felt exhausted. Feeling emotionally drained, she crawled behind the washer.

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