Page 3 of Chased By the Fairy

Right before he landed, he thought he saw a glitter of red dust in the corner of his eyes. Distracted, he stumbled when his feet hit the dirt of the herb garden.

He looked behind him but saw nothing.

Shrugging, he delved into the leafy shrubs of the long garden, pushing them out of his way as he ran to the other side. Stalks swayed as he shoved them with his hands or shoulders.

I’m glad she wanted to have a picnic today.

The sun was warm, the day bright and beautiful. Sorrel enjoyed being outside, but Greta didn’t like when he was out here by himself for long periods of time.

Since it was growing colder, he’d noticed she only came out to do the farm work. In summer, she used to read to him while they were seated on the swing chair on the porch next to the back door.

When he found the blackberry bush, he jumped up. His hands clasped a berry, and it plucked straight off. He fell to the ground, landing on top of a discarded cat bell from Greta’s cat, Izzy.

Izzy was rather fond of Sorrel, surprisingly. He liked lazing on her long, fluffy white fur – especially after she’d been sunbathing.

It chimed as it rolled back an inch, and Sorrel gasped as he tripped back, just as he landed against something warm. He chuckled as he clutched the berry safely to his chest, thankful he hadn’t fallen back.

If he hit his head and became unconscious, it was doubtful Greta would find him.

“That was a close one,” someone stated right behind his ear.

His back stiffened as he realised it wasn’t a plant he’d knocked into, but a person of his size.

He didn’t know why his first reaction was to scream, or to randomly start throwing things, but that’s what he did.

Spinning around, he launched the blackberry at the person’s head. Their body bent backwards when it hit them directly in the face. Next came a small seed from the ground, but they were still recovering from the berry when itthonkedthem in the nose.

“Hey! Ouch!” they –he– yelled as he ducked beneath a second seed whooshing over his head. “Shit, stop it!”

Sorrel dived for a sharp twig and pointed the tip at him. “W-who are you?”

Now that items were no longer being thrown, the stranger straightened and eyed Sorrel’s twig. Humour gleamed in his expression as he pulled his own sword from a sheath. His glinted with metal and looked sharp.

Sorrel paused when he took him in.Oh wow. He looks like me.

Like a human, but tiny.

“You really think that will protect you?” He swung his sword, and it cut the tip of Sorrel’s stick off.

The stranger cut it halfway down, and then again, dangerously close to his hands.

His relief at seeing someone like him was quickly sliced away. Now he just found the man threatening.

“Get the fuck away from me!” Sorrel yelled, throwing the remaining chunk of his makeshift weapon at the man’s chest.

He turned, looking for something else he could use instead.There’s a stranger in the yard.The need to protect Greta clutched at his chest. Was this person dangerous to her, to him?

“Language, language,” the man chuckled out, then Sorrel was tackled from behind before he could reach for anything. “There’s no need for such foul words.”

With a grunt, Sorrel managed to roll over beneath him, unsure if the stranger let him or not. If so, he would have instantly regretted it when Sorrel head-butted him.

“OW!” He clutched his face with a howl of pain. “You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t you?”

Rolling them over, Sorrel grabbed his attacker’s wrists, huffing as he pinned his hands to the dirt beneath them. “Why are you here? Did you come to hurt Greta?”

Despite the redness in his nose from where Sorrel smashed it with his forehead, the man beneath him grinned. Then his honey-coloured eyes glanced side to side, inspecting his trapped hands.

“You’re much stronger than you look.”

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