Page 31 of Touched

After walking around the Mid-City Library, the first thing I do is grab a dictionary. Yeah, I know it’s not the first thing you would expect someone to pick when looking for information on fairies. Most people would probably go for folklore. There are plenty of books here about Feu Follet.

I mean, a fucking fairy?

I chuckle out loud as I open the book. Flipping through the pages until I get to the letter F. I then run my finger down each word, flipping pages quickly, before finally landing onfairy.

fair·y ['fere]

NOUN

Mythical creature

A small, imaginary being of human form that has magickal powers, especially a female one.

Imaginary, my ass!

She is real… I’ve seen her.

I’ve felt her… and she had wings. Beautiful golden wings.

Didn’t she?

Maybe I should be seeing a therapist instead of reading a dictionary. Of course, I can never tell anyone I think I’ve seen a fairy.

Who the fuck would even believe such a thing?

I wouldn’t believe it myself had I not seen her with my own eyes. Had I not hit her with my truck. She healed right in front of me. Like some Wolverine shit.

She didn’t seem to have any scratches or broken bones when she came to meet me. Before the weird-ass storm came and whisked her away into thin air. Like the fucking Wizard of Oz!

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I concentrate on my research and read further in search of more information.

This dictionary isn’t helping much, other than to tell me she isn’t real.

Placing the book back onto the shelf from where I took it, I sigh, intending to head to the folklore section next. As I turn from the shelf, I’m greeted by someone… or something.

“Psst… Psst.”

I really am losing my shit.

Now I’m hearing voices too?

“Psst. Hey, you… over here.”

That voice again. A book falls from the shelf in front of me. As I lean down to pick it up, I notice an odd-looking man peeping at me from the other side of the book rack.

What the hell?

Stepping back, I blink, uncertain of what it is I just saw. My eyes narrow on the, er… man on the other side.

Man? That’s not a man… He’s definitely male, but not a man…

Is he?

Is he real? Am I seeing this right now?

Yeah, I am. But… I don’t think he’s… human.

“Hello, Callum. I know you can see me. It must be quite a shock seeing a troll for the first time. Even I jumped a little the first time I saw myself,” he says matter-of-factly.

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