For Rafe and Alba, for being my magic every day.

I knocked on the fairy’s house and she said she wasn’t home.
But I heard her voice clearly echoing off the walls.

“You can’t fool me,” I said. “And besides, I’ve only come back to play.”

“You don’t remember how to play,” the fairy said.

I took a step back
wondering what her words meant.
Wasn’t I just here yesterday?

I was building a path of stepping stones that led up to her door
and every time I wobbled and my foot hit the ground
I’d start over again from the beginning
until I made it without falling.

I was just digging in the dirt
looking for shiny treasures
to present to my fairy.

She always enjoyed the treasures.
I watched her as she sprinkled them in her tea
or displayed them in her home
and always asked for more.

It filled up my afternoons
treasure hunting for the fairy.

I was controlling the weather with my fairy spells she taught me
spinning madly in circles
the sky darkening.
I summoned thunder and rain.

When I’d recovered from her words I took another step forward
closer than before.
Maybe she hadn’t heard me the first time.

“Fairy, are you ready to play?” I asked.
“You’re late,” she said.

“Late for what?” I wondered.

“While you were out there growing and changing, and feeling and falling down, I was here waiting for your treasures. Your stories,” she said.

All of a sudden I felt confused
nostalgic for something I couldn’t put my finger on
and began rambling to the fairy
telling her a story I’d once heard
about a baobab
that simply would not shut up
and so
he was ripped out of the ground
put back in upside down
with its roots in the air
head under the dirt so no one would hear him.

When I looked up I saw the fairy’s face change.
She laughed a bit at first, but then began to cry.

“Your stories,” she said, “they used to be full of joy, wonder, and delight.”

“Okay,” I said, “I can tell you about the time a giant rainstorm flooded my backyard and the kids swam around…”

“Wait!” said the fairy, interrupting my story.

I assumed I’d disappointed her yet again and began to feel I’d never see her smile.

“You have kids?” she asked.
“I do,” I said.
“And, are they like you?”

“Very much so,” I said. “They laugh all the time. They bring me art projects and treasures from school. They tell me stories. They make my world brighter.”

“Oh,” said the fairy. “That’s what I miss the most.” She paused, looked at me and asked me about their names.

“Rafe and Alba,” I replied.

“Would you send them over to my house sometime?” she asked. “The place is not what it used to be, my treasures have lost their shine, but I’d like to share some new spells I came up with.”

“Well, sure,” I said.

All at once she turned around and began to fly back to her home and that’s when I saw it, her smile. Instantly I remembered everything from years ago and I knew in that moment she had forgiven me.