“You’re never going to catch one like that, Frankie.”
Sylvia snatched the bird cage out of her sister’s hands and started tying a rope to the top loop. She pulled it snug and sat back on her heels as she considered her work.
“I don’t know, Sylvia. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“How else are we going to prove they exist, huh? We need to actually catch one. That’s the whole point. Geez, Frankie.”
Frankie sighed and rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as she watched Sylvia put the final touches on the trap, which included a trail of M&M candies along the ground. She didn’t think Sylvia believed they were really going to catch a fairy. She doubted Sylvia even believed they existed so why were they putting so much time into it, and wasting good candy too?
“I’m hungry. Let’s go see if dinner is ready.”
“The sun is setting, Frankie.”
“So?”
“So, we don’t have much longer to get this thing perfect.”
“Right,” Frankie said with a sigh. She kicked at the grass that was tickling her feet. She’d abandoned her shoes earlier that afternoon in favor of wading in the stream and hadn’t bothered putting them back on since. She preferred the feel of earth below her feet.
“The fairies come out at sunset,” Sylvia said, as if she’d been the expert all along. She stood up and put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the woods around them. Frankie followed her gaze, wondering what they would do if they ever did catch a fairy? She suspected Sylvia’s intentions were not so friendly and the idea of it left an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach.
“I’m the one who saw one before,” Frankie said.
“Yeah, well, maybe you didn’t.”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“We’re going to catch one and prove it to Jenny,” Sylvia said ignoring her comment.
“Who cares what Jenny thinks?”
“No one. That’s not the point.”
“After we catch one and prove they exist,” Frankie said carefully, “We’ll let it go, right?”
Sylvia gave her sister a hard stare and even though she didn’t say the words, Frankie knew the truth. If they did manage to catch one, the fairy was going to end up worse off than that frog Melanie kept talking about dissecting in Biology class.
When Sylvia turned her back, Frankie whispered under her breath a silent plea to any that might be listening to stay away. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement in the branches of a nearby tree. Slowly, she turned her head, careful not to make any sudden movements, and she took in the sight of an unmistakable bright sparkle of a fairy sliding playfully down a leaf. Frankie opened her mouth to call out to Sylvia but remembered the frog and thought better of it. The fairy slid all the way down to the bottom branch and then hit the ground with a silent plop.
Mesmerized, Frankie sank down to her hands and knees as she crawled toward her. She was certain it was the same one she’d seen the other night splashing in the bird bath, the same night she’d made the mistake of running into Sylvia’s room to drag her big sister to the window to watch. She should have known better. By the time she’d convinced Sylvia to pull away from her phone, the fairy had vanished.
The fairy looked up and smiled, not the least bit startled by being discovered.
She wants me to see her.
“What are you doing?”
Frankie bolted upright and turned to face Sylvia.
“Nothing. Honest.”
“Nothing, huh? You’re acting mighty suspicious over nothing. What are you hiding behind your back? Cough it up, Frankie.”
Sylvia attempted to push past but Frankie held her ground, determined not to let the fairy fall to whatever fate Sylvia had in store for it. Unfortunately, Sylvia had size and strength on her side and eventually, she managed to shove Frankie aside. Frankie scrambled to her feet and made a flying leap at Sylvia’s back, but she realized too late that the fairy had gone.
“What has gotten into you?” Sylvia said, spinning until Frankie detached and hit the ground.
“Come on, we’re going to be late for dinner,” Sylvia said.
Frankie glanced back at the tree and saw the fairy peek around the trunk to wave goodbye. She smiled. Fairies were smarter creatures than she’d given them credit for. She waved back and then jumped to her feet to follow Sylvia down the narrow path that led out of the woods and back to their house.
She knew as she washed her hands and took her seat at the table that she would need a plan to sneak out of the house later when everyone else was asleep.
**
Thank you for reading and please feel free to share your thoughts. Each day I am posting a ‘snippet’ based on a paranormal creature that begins with the corresponding letter of the alphabet. I am using this as a fun writing exercise which I am hoping will also be enjoyable to read, but keep in mind that due to the fact that I must post a new snippet each day in April except Sundays, the posts may be a bit rough. I’ll do my best, however, in the limited time I have available to me. 🙂 Let me know your favorites or the posts you find most intriguing because I plan to develop those into a full story later in the year!
Check out the other participants in the A to Z Challenge.
Stephanie Ingram 
Sibling rivalry leading to dark undertones. You nailed kids perfectly. (lol) You have a knack for breathing life into your characters. I liked this Stephanie.
Thank you, Don. 🙂
I really enjoyed this story. The characters were believable, the setting came alive and I would definitely have read on.
Thank you 🙂 I will admit that it’s been one of my favorite to write so far.
that was a fascinating story, but did she eventually catch a fairy?
That’s a good question! If I continue the story, she may. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
I used to try and catch fairies when I was a child, although I never laid traps for them! I fear that my adult fairy tale might prove rather upsetting when you see how differently I view fairies nowadays 😉 Another good read, thank you for sharing.
I love imagining fairies of all sorts so I doubt I’ll find your story too upsetting. 🙂 Thank you for reading!
Aww adorable, I was there with the two girls, watching it all unfold. Can you continue please? The difference in the two siblings was wonderfully brought out!
@KalaRavi16 from
Relax-N-Rave
Thank you so much. 🙂 I will definitely consider continuing this one. I really enjoyed writing the two sisters.
Can you imagine finding a fairy when you were a little girl? I would chase lightening bugs because I used to think they were friends with fairies. 🙂 Loved the sibling tension here – another great short! 🙂 What are you going to do with all these at the end?
I used to enjoy catching lightning bugs too although it never occurred to me they might be friends with fairies. I will have to think of that this summer when I am outside with my kids. 🙂 Thank you, Nicole! I’m glad you enjoyed reading it. Well… when all is said and done, I hope to develop the ones that have the most potential into full stories. I suspect I will have enough to keep me busy for the next few years. lol
I was just thinking how brave you are for taking on the challenge like that. I considered doing something similar but felt I might be taking on too much to create a short story for each letter of the alphabet – but maybe I should consider just because. 🙂 How long have you been writing?
It is turning out to be a lot of work. I’m slipping behind. Even still, I recommend giving it a try. 🙂 I’ve been writing on and off since I was nine but more seriously in the last five years. How about you?
Almost the same. I’ve been writing since I was young, but only seriously more recently. What genre do you prefer to write?
Very nice snippet! Not very rough at all.
I totally understand the difficulty in writing 26 new pieces in 26 days; my theme is also writing prompts. It’s so HARD, and sometimes you just have to post something you aren’t super fond of. But some days, it’s terrifically rewarding! Good luck!! 🙂
Looks nicely written…
This made me smile. It reminds me of an episode of Charmed from several years back when the sisters had to embrace their inner child to catch fairies. So cute 🙂
I really enjoyed reading this, I would have loved to carry on!
@LunaNoctis from There She Goes
This was an enjoyable read. Thank goodness it wasn’t creepy, I could’ve read it in the night time ;P
I really enjoyed this piece and would love to know what happens next.
Thank you for reading, Jean. 🙂 I’m planning to develop this one into a longer story.
This is a child’s imagination come to life!
Thank you 😊