Farrah in Fairyland (27 page)

“I’m the Tooth
Fairy,” Farrah repeated.

“I’m sorry to
have startled you. I just wanted to leave you some Yen as payment
for your tooth.”

“
Are
you
really
the Tooth
Fairy?” asked Keilani, sounding very intrigued as she took a seat
next to Farrah. This caught Farrah off guard at first. Recomposed,
she continued to speak in Mandarin.

“Well,
actually, I am one of many Tooth Fairies in Fairyland.”

“Where’s
Fairyland?” Asked Keilani, who looked over Farrah from head to toe
with much interest. She stopped to look on more than one occasion
at her wings.

“Fairyland is
a mystical place right above earth. It is beyond the clouds. My
friend Giuseppi and I often look down on the earth from Mount
Michelutz.”

“Mount
Michelutz?”

“Oh, it’s the
highest peak in all of Fairyland. From there, we can see all the
major cities around the world.”

“Fairyland
sounds like a real cool place,” said Keilani, wanting Farrah to
continue talking. Unfortunately, Farrah didn’t want to waste
anymore time. If she wanted to triple her output from the previous
night, she would have to be on her way.

Farrah stood
up from the bed, and handed Keilani the money that she still had in
her hand.

“Wow, I’m
rich!” shouted Keilani as she began to jump up and down on her bed
with excitement.

Farrah chose
this opportunity to sneak back into the closet. Without saying
goodbye, she was teleported abruptly to the backyard where Bella
awaited her.

Farrah hopped
back onto Bella’s back and was off. All throughout the night, she
continued to revisit the encounter with Keilani. It was the first
time Farrah felt that there was hope in convincing a human child
about Fairyland. Luckily, despite this distraction, Farrah was able
to complete 46 missions. It was a much better output than her first
day on the job and hopefully enough to please the Queen.

After having
deposited the teeth in the basement back at the royal castle, the
Securo Fairies having treated her with much more respect this time
around, Farrah headed back home.

It was nearly
three o’ clock in the morning when she strolled into the house. She
was surprised to see her father lying on the couch. Farrah walked
over and sat on the carpet in front of him. She tugged on his pants
leg to get his attention.

“Daddy, what
are you doing up?”

“Oh, Farrah –
Um, I got home not too long ago, and I thought I would wait up for
you.”

“Wait up for
me – you know, Dad, you don’t have to worry.”

“I know, I
know, it’s not that, it’s just, well…lately, it’s felt like we
don’t get to talk anymore?” Responded Farrah’s father as he leaned
over and placed a hand lovingly on her shoulder.

“
You’re
right, Dad. Things have been so busy, but we should still make time
for one another. Oh, that reminds me; you wanted to tell me
about
your
first day on the
job?”

Couraggio’s
eyes grew wide. He had been eager to tell his daughter about his
experience.

“Farrah, it
was fantastic! I got to go inside the mill where they create
Sorgiva Dust. I was the first Ordinaria ever to see the inside of
that mill. We’re working on repairing the mill. At this rate, it
will be good as new in no time.”

“Sounds
fantastic, Dad, I’m really proud of you,” replied Farrah as she
yawned a sleepy yawn.

“You’d better
get some sleep,” said Couraggio, noticing how tired his daughter
was.

Farrah nodded
and after having said good night, she walked up the stairs. She was
about half way up when her father called out to her.

“Farrah, I
just wanted to let you know that you were right and I was wrong. No
fairy should ever give up on their dreams.”

Farrah smiled
at her father and headed up to bed. She plopped herself down in one
clumsy motion. The last vision she had before she went to bed was
that of Keilani dancing on her bed.

“I think I
could have convinced her,” Farrah muttered to herself before she
nodded off to sleep.

The next four
days, Farrah was on fire. She had completed 80 missions, then 95
missions, and then two consecutive 120-mission days. She was
beginning to get he hang of the navigation and she realized that
having Bella instead of her own wings for getting around, was
proving to be an asset. She was able to continue with all her
missions no matter what the weather was like. This included some
real doozies like a massive hurricane in Florida and a Typhoon in
Thailand. Where a normal Tooth Fairy would have had to halt the
mission until the weather subsided, Bella, being of the courageous
nature that she was, would continue without hesitation.

Farrah had
just completed her first mission on day seven when she got a visit
from Picolotto on the Veddo once again. He was munching on some
sort of bug that was still wiggling around in his mouth, making
Farrah feel a little queasy.

“Farrah, I
have to tell you that I am so impressed. After a slow start, you
have proven that you are truly a natural.”

Farrah could
tell that Picolotto wasn’t used to paying another fairy a
compliment, but she felt flattered nonetheless.

“Now, I don’t
want to jinx you, but if you are able to complete 130 missions
tonight, you will have beaten the record for the most missions in
one week.”

“130, eh?
That’s doable – right, Bella?” asked Farrah as she patted her on
the head. Bella nodded in response and scratched her hind leg on
the ground, feeling a bit antsy.

“That’s’ the
spirit. Good luck.”

Picolotto
disappeared and instantaneously her next destination was revealed
in the Veddo. It was almost as if it was becoming easier for Farrah
to control the Veddo. The images appeared much more quickly and
clearly. More often than not, Farrah would take off before the
street number would appear. That saved her a bunch of time.

That night,
Farrah was driven. She deciphered the destinations quicker than
ever. Bella also put some extra oomph into her flying. That
combination proved to be a match made in heaven. At the end of the
night, Farrah was able to complete 137 missions on her way to the
record. With her haul filling a large sack, she slung it over her
shoulder. She couldn’t wait to get to the castle.

Farrah walked
confidently through the forest. She felt good and began to whistle
a tune when she thought she heard a noise coining from the thick
brush of the forest. Farrah paused for a second to scan her
surroundings. Satisfied that it was just a small animal, she
continued on her way to the castle. Unknown to Farrah, it wasn’t an
animal. When she realized this however, it was already too late.
Without warning, Farrah’s entire world went black.

“I found her
lying there, bleeding from her head,” explained the Queen
worriedly, as she paced the medical room rapidly back and
forth.

“Who do you
think did this?” asked Couraggio as he wiped away his tears, now
sounding more than just a little angry.

“It was a
group of Pirate Fairies. I saw their ship speed off just as I
discovered Farrah.”

“Pirate
Fairies? What in Fairyland would they want with Farrah?” asked
Crystaline as she got up to her feet. She had been sitting next to
her daughter in a chair, still trying to wrap her head around what
had just happened.

“Her haul of
teeth,” responded the Queen softly.

“Teeth? Why
would they want the teeth? They are useless to Pirate Fairies –
right?” asked Couraggio as he stroked Farrah’s hair.

“My simple
answer is that they probably mistook the sack of teeth for one
containing money. My instincts however, are telling me that they
had a much more sinister motive.”

Neither
Crystaline nor or Couraggio spoke as they looked on at the Queen.
The look of worry on her face was not very comforting and Couraggio
decided to take a seat at the foot of Farrah’s bed.

“My fear is
that these Pirate Fairies are aware of the dire circumstances
surrounding Fairyland. They know just how valuable that sack of 137
children’s teeth is to Fairyland.”

“1-3-7? You
mean she beat the record!” Asked Couraggio excitedly, having
forgotten momentarily about the state that his daughter was in.

“Yes, she most
certainly did,” responded the Queen as she kissed the tips of her
fingers and pressed them lovingly up to Farrah’s forehead.

“I was so
excited when Picolotto contacted me to tell me that Farrah had done
it. Your daughter is highly talented. Maybe, the most talented
Fairy that has ever lived in Fairyland.”

Farrah’s
parents both felt a sense of pride and both cracked a tiny hint of
a smile. They promptly wiped it away once they saw that the grim
expression had returned to the Queen’s face.

“Without
Farrah, it will be impossible to save Fairyland.”

The Queen
tried to stifle her feelings, but the emotion was too powerful. She
began to weep into her hands. It was the first time that she had
ever wept in public. At first, Couraggio didn’t know what to do.
Feeling overwhelmed himself, he wrapped his arms around the Queen
to console her.

“She will pull
out of this,” Couraggio whispered into the Queen’s ear.

Crystaline
remained by Farrah’s side. She was having a hard time believing her
husband’s words. With Farrah lying motionless, blood still oozing
out of the back of her head, she feared the worst.

*****

Word of
Farrah’s attack spread quickly throughout the land. Fairies from
all across Fairyland came to visit Farrah. Some wanting to offer
support and others succumbing to their twisted thoughts, wanting to
get a glimpse of the ‘dying’ Tuttatti Fairy. Rumours were abounding
that Farrah had lost both her hands and feet. Some were even
convinced that Farrah’s skull had split, rendering her a freak.
Regardless, each visitor was increasingly agitating Couraggio,
especially since the Medico Fairies had stressed an importance for
Farrah to rest.

It had been
three weeks since Farrah had first slipped into her coma. This,
despite all of the Medico Fairies’ best efforts, including a daily
dose of Healing Dust. Those close to Farrah were on pins and
needles. Not only because they feared for her health, but because
they also feared for their very existence.

Some of
the fairies had erected a shrine in honour of Farrah. Flowers,
candles and gifts were placed around the Medico Centre as a show of
support for their Tuttatti Fairy. As Giuseppi was about to walk up
the step to visit his friend, there was a card propped up against
the side of the building that caught his eye. It was clear that the
glittery letters at the front of the card that read
GeT wEll
FaRrah,
must have been
made by a young fairy. Nevertheless, the plainness of the card
stood out among the lavish gifts that made up the
shrine.

Giuseppi was
careful not to do any damage as he opened and read the card.

Dear Farrah,
please get better. You are Fairyland’s one and only hope. All of
Fairyland loves you and you are an inspiration to us all.

Your biggest
supporter,

Buttons
Antonina

“I wonder if
she will ever know how much she is loved,” thought Giuseppi as he
waved to Farrah’s parents and took a seat next to Farrah in the
bed.

He spent most
of the day by her side and was about to leave when Farrah opened
her eyes carefully. It felt like bricks were sitting on her
eyelids. Her head ached as if a large ape was squeezing it. When
she finally opened her eyes, she saw Giuseppi standing over her. He
was teary eyed with a few of the drops landing on Farrah’s face.
Excited to see her friend, Farrah’s pain momentarily
disappeared.

“Giuseppi! How
have you been, old friend? It seems like years since we last
spoke,” said Farrah as she attempted to sit up in the bed, but the
searing pain had returned with a shot up her back, forcing Farrah
to lay back down.

“Farrah,
you’re awake!” Replied Giuseppi, as he clasped his hands together
in joy.

Farrah’s mom
and dad, who were sitting in the fluffy chairs at the side of the
room rushed over to her bedside.

“Oh, my sweet,
Farrah. We were so worried about you,” said Farrah’s mom as she
began to pepper her face with kisses.

“You gave us a
big scare,” said Farrah’s father and he grasped her hand
tightly.

The Medico
Fairy floated into the room, holding a triangular clipboard. He was
wearing a long green coat and had a seeing piece strapped to his
head. He was pleased to see that his patient was awake and moved in
for a closer inspection.

“Feeling
better my dear?” The Medico Fairy asked as he turned on the seeing
piece. A tiny ray of light shone out. At first, it was directed at
Farrah’s eyes, and then he tilted her head to inspect her ears.

“You’re a
lucky fairy, my dear. Your vitals are perfect, I’m sure you’ll be
back to normal in no time at all.”

“Thanks,
Doctor,” responded Farrah’s mother, as she stroked her daughter’s
hair affectionately.

“Okay,
fairies, I’ll give you another ten minutes to visit, but Farrah
needs her rest,” said the Medico Fairy as he sprinkled some
Medicina Dust on the Dripping IV that ran into Farrah wrist. The
liquid turned from a yellowish colour to bright pink.

As the doctor
headed out of the room, Farrah’s parents began to pack up their
things and gave their daughter a kiss.

“We’ll give
you fairies some time to catch up. Farrah, we’ll see you in the
morning,” said her mother as she and Couraggio left the room.

Giuseppi sat
back in the chair next to Farrah’s bed. He held up a cup of
Guacamole juice under her chin, which Farrah sipped through a
straw.