Gift of the Faeries

Gift of the Faeries

by Dawn DeBraal

"Willow! No," Mara screamed. She ran to the cat to find her bird in Willow's paw. He thought he was playing with Luna. Mara shooed the cat away, looking at the pile of gears on the ground.

"Oh no," she cried, putting all the pieces in her shirt. She carried them to her grandfather, who was working in his shop.

"What have we here?"

"Willow attacked Luna. He's badly hurt. Can you fix him, Grandpa?" Mara held the pieces up to him. Grandfather carefully placed them on his workbench.

"Hmmm, there seem to be some missing parts, Mara. I don't know where you would get these parts. You know birds like Luna are a gift from the fairies. Luna was a gift to your grandmother many years ago." Mara was shaken. How could she have been so careless, leaving the bird on the lawn where Willow could get to him?

"Where do I find the parts, Grandpa? I will do anything to have Luna back."

"We will go to the Faerie places and see what they can do." Grandfather put Luna in a box. "Let's place him there overnight and see what happens."

Grandfather took his walking stick, and Mara carried the small box containing the injured bird and a small bag tied around her waist, filled with gifts for the faeries. They went to the woods, to the place where they suspected the faeries lived.

Mara came upon a pile of rocks covered in moss. She sensed the magic all around them.

"Let's leave Luna here, Grandpa. I feel the faeries watching us."

She placed the box on the rocks and called out. "Please, this is my bird, Luna, a gift the faeries gave to my grandmother, and when she died, she gave him to me. I was foolish and left Luna out on the lawn. My cat Willow played with him too hard. My grandfather tried to fix him, but we are missing parts. I ask you to restore my poor Luna, and I am giving you this in exchange." Mara set down a bottle of honey and put a gold coin out as payment for the faerie's work.

"It's all we can do," Grandfather said.

"When will I know?"

"Luna will come back to us restored. The faeries know where he belongs." Mara was hopeful and woke each morning searching but saddened that Luna had not returned to her.

"Patience, my dear. Luna will return to us when he can fly again. I feel it." Mara hugged her grandfather fiercely, hoping his words were true.

She was sitting on her swing when Mara watched a bird flying above her, and it perched in the tree. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Luna? Luna!" She held out her hand, and the bird flew down, resting in her fingers.

"You came back!" She held the bird to her face, stroking its feathers. Mara was overjoyed. It was as if her grandmother had restored her loss when Luna returned on his own.