Page 23 of Enchanted By a Pirate
The bushes and trees were becoming sparser, so Anna continued on the path, lost in thought. Would her subconscious help her when she arrived at the source? Would she find a way to get the source flowing? The future of the fairies depended onher, as did, it seemed, that of the magical world. Then a thought occurred to her.
"Tell me, Margerite," she said, interrupting the fairy's monologue, "who benefits from the disorder I brought to the land?"
"Well, the pirates. Prior to that, they were merely the masters of the sea. It's no secret that they have always wanted more. And they've always been after our fairy dust as a source of power. Those dishonorable thugs simply can't be satisfied."
"If they're such brutes, why wasn't something been done about them long ago?"
"Because they too are entitled to a part of this world. They are as much a part of our life cycle as hailstorms and tummy aches."
The comparison revealed more about what the fairy thought of the pirates than a long monologue would have. Still, Anna wondered how powerful the pirates were. "Now, if you have to…travel across the sea to get somewhere, there is no way to fight back?"
"Anyone stupid enough to take that route is attacked and robbed by them and in the worst case, they'll be thrown overboard. Since we were born, Iris has been telling us how dangerous the pirates are and that we should stay away from them and their kingdom."
That definitely sounded worrisome. And because of her misfortune…this was how she chose to refer to it…because of her misfortune, these men had grown stronger. How had the captain talked her into making such a mistake?
"Wait a minute!" Margerite looked at her suspiciously. "How do you know we have to pass under that rosehip bush?"
Anna paused in surprise and looked around. She had been completely lost in her thoughts again, no longer paying attention to her surroundings, let alone the path. She was kneeling on the ground, about to crawl under said bush.
The fairy peered down at her suspiciously. "Are you merely pretending you've forgotten everything?"
"No, I… My subconscious must be guiding me."
"Your subconscious?" Margerite crossed her tiny arms over her chest.
"You have to believe me. I have truly forgotten everything except the bit I told you."
Margerite narrowed her eyes, as if it would help her figure out the truth. Anna crawled out from under the bush and put on what she hoped was a trusting expression.
"Believe me, I am as surprised as you are. Some subconscious part of me seems to remember the way."
"Why didn't you tell me a ways back? I could have returned to Iris and the others hours ago!"
"I thought you wanted to help me. Besides, I wasn't certain if I was going in the right direction and if I would find the source or not."
"Poppycock! Anemone, I'm sorry, but I'm terrified. In the past, I would have gone with you to the source, but times have changed. Iris doesn't trust you and I don't know if I'm doing the right thing."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going home."
"But you wanted to lead me to the spring so I could save the fairies!"
The fairy's eyes widened. "Why did you say the fairies and not us? So, you still don't count yourself as one of us. You've given me all the reason I need." She turned around, but stopped abruptly. She half-heartedly turned back, her head hanging. "Good luck, Anemone." Then she disappeared between the ferns and bushes so quickly that Anna didn't have the time to talk her out of it.
Forlorn, she examined the strange surroundings. A cuckoo called out again, but nothing else could be heard. Above her, the forest canopy blocked the view of the sky, but it had obviously grown darker. The day was ending. Even though she could understand Margerite, she wished the little fairy hadn't let her down. Wasn't that a bit harsh? Wasn't Anna the one who let everyone down?
She suddenly felt anxious and her breathing became labored. What if she didn't like what she was going to find? What if she had acted foolishly and rashly?
Now she was completely on her own. Maybe that was a good thing. Nobody to influence her and nobody pushing or controlling her. Anna alone would be the one to decide who to believe, where to go, and how to correct her mistake. The main thing was not to give up. Part of her knew the path she needed to take, so she had to trust that bit of memory. She wanted to go to the source. Maybe she would find a clue there as to what had happened back then and how she could stop the fairies from disappearing. And then she would see how to proceed. Trust was the key word, and she held on to it.
She resolutely pushed aside her growing fear and crawled under the bush to see where it would take her. A thorn caught her sweater, but with a yank, Anna was free again and moved on. The bush stretched surprisingly far into the depths. It appeared to be a tunnel of tendrils that she fought her way through on all fours as it grew narrower and lower. She wiggled along on her stomach, pressing herself against the ground just to make some progress in the confined space. Her muscles ached and her hands were scraped up.
"I. Must. Continue. I can't give up!"
Her arms shook from her efforts, but she didn't stop. The tendrils wrapped around her locks and tugged at them.
"Ouch! Let me through, I must save the fairies… I have to save my family."
