Monday Fables #12: Best Safety Lies in Fear

In honour of 'Fairytale Week' I've got a somewhat fairytale-esque story that was written several years ago. It was inspired, actually, by J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan - which I don't consider a fairytale but it's still one of my favourite stories ever. If you've written a fairy tale, let me know; I'd love to read it!

Best Safety Lies In Fear - Emilie Autumn

Best safety lies in fear
Best safety lies in fear

A violet in the youth of primy nature
Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting
The perfume and suppliance of a minute
No more
No more
No more

Best safety lies in fear
Best safety lies in fear

If he says he loves you
If he says he loves you
If he says he loves you
If he says he loves you
Perhaps he loves you now

Long ago, before even the wind could speak, Pixies and Faeries were at war. No one was still alive to tell the gruesome tale that had resulted in this rivalry but each Faerie that was born from a laugh and each Pixie that was born from a sigh was hatched with a twinge in their heart filled with hate for one another. This ensured that forever more there would be war between them. One tidbit that kept Faeries going strong in their quest was the fact that only the Pixies could fly. For whatever reason that made the sun differentiate between the two, Faeries could not fly and no matter what they tried, they could not achieve the same flight as their enemies.

It was on a rather warm spring night that one Faerie became quite crafty. She had dreamed of herself flying over the tops of trees and riding the oceans of time and she enjoyed the sensation so much that she made a vow to possess this ability in wake. So the next night, she and an army of Faeries with a similar passion infiltrated a Pixie camp and burnt it to the ground. Not many survived but those who did fled into the forests and hid for an eternity. When they felt it was safe to return to their ruins, they rose from the forest but an ambush of Faeries was waiting for them and captured them. The Pixies were tortured to no end, the Faeries trying desperately to discover their secret of flight.

It was the same crafty Faerie who discovered their source.

It was them.

The Pixies themselves had been infused with some sort of ability that made them the source of their flight. With many of the Pixies burnt to a crisp in their former camp sight, many Faeries gave up on their quest for flight but some had a brilliant idea. Several Faeries travelled back to the camp and began filling their caps and hands with the ashes of the Pixies. Nothing happened when they held it so they assumed it to be a lost cause. Still, they carried the ashes back to their own camp and began gathering them all in a bucket. After several days, the bucket had grown into a pool of Pixie ashes and was left in the center of the main town. There it sat for several years, gathering the rays of the sun until it began to sparkle. It was within its sparkled state that the ashes caught the attraction of a quiet Faerie. She was so entranced by the light that she forgot for a moment what the dust really was and placed her hands inside the pool.

She let the dust sink through her fingers and caress her fingertips. The wind caught hold of a few specks of dust and played with it until they had an idea. They sprinkled the dust over the Faerie's head and blew in her ear. She gave out a little giggle and suddenly, was rising above the pool; above the houses, above the clouds, above even the stars to the place where the wind played its most awful tricks. It was in that place and time that the Faerie learned to fly. She was gone for several months and when she returned she told everyone of the magic infused with the Pixies' dust. Soon every Faerie was gathered around the pool, sprinkling the dust of their victims over them. Only one dose was needed to lift them to the wind. Ecstatic with their long lived dream come true, the Faeries were compelled to share their gift with others. They filled little satchels with dust to take with them to the villages of humans.

Unfortunately, only a few children could fly but that was enough for the Faeries who liked to treat the humans to Pixie secrets. It would seem that with all of their trips to the human world, the Pixies' dust would soon run out but the sun, who had changed his view on the whole matter, would not allow this. He shone down on the dust every chance he could and made sure that their sparkle was as bright as ever. With this, the dust became an everlasting supply so that Faeries can always share their victory with the world. Nowadays, Faeries have become so occupied with their flying that they have given up on fighting. So now, the remainder of the Pixie population can live in peace. They too can fly but they dare not do it often, for fear of a jealous Faerie who has become fond of their special talent.

Now, the wind can speak and tells us what they know, as well as their part in this entire ordeal which I can assure you, is being dealt with accordingly but now, they can never look at the Faeries the same way and have shunned them from their backs so it is only on a windless night that a Faerie can come to the humans and share with us their Pixie Dust.