Beloved - Emrys

November 16th, 2017

The sun crests the edge of the window frame, waking me before I am willing to move. I roll over, throwing the sheets over my head, but that just makes the air around me hot and stuffy.

I groan and sit up, squinting at the light outside my window. Its warm and soothing until... the memories of the night before flood back to me. The light sparking, the Dr.’s, the tests. I look up at the light above me, wondering if it still works. I look down at my hand and watch it intently.

Soon the doctors will come to start the tests. Breakfast is always shortly after the sun rises. I try to settle the butterflies forming in my stomach, but nothing seems to calm them down.

I need a distraction, I look out the window, watching the morning dew faeries bounce from leaf to leaf on the vines growing on the side of the building. As they bounce, the dew drops fall from the leaves and land below, whatever is below. Is it grass like the lawn around the trees?

They giggle and play tag as they bounce. These faeries don’t have wings. They have nimble feet and wear plant-like trousers. They are fun to watch and help to distract me from the butterflies I feel.

As they bounce passed the window they wave to me and smile. I smile back weakly.

A male faerie stops his bouncing and comes to the window with a small frown. His trousers, I notice, are woven from small vines like the climbing plants that cling to the wall outside. They’ve turned brown since being cut from the plant. How creative.

“Why are you sad?” the faerie asks. His concern comforts me. Two more faeries stop and join him at the window. “Tell us why you’re sad,” They chime in.

I blink, thinking of what to say when a click comes at the door. I spin to see the doctors standing outside.

I quickly look back to the faeries; I know my fear is written all over it from the gasp they emit in unison.

“Emrys Barnes, it’s time for your tests. Please come with us.” Dr. Miles says, adjusting his black-framed glasses. I hesitate, with one last look at the faeries before I comply. I stand up, placing my warm feet on the cold floor. I’m not wearing any socks. I straighten my shirt and flatten my hair before I follow him from my room.

Outside there are 3 more doctors, Dr. Edwin, a tall brown-haired doctor named McGregor and one female doctor called Dr. Eliza, as well as the same nurse from last night. She smiles at me as I read her name tag; SUSAN F. She has short brown hair and is a little plump. She’s holding a clipboard and her little green book.

What do they write in it? Would I even understand it? I used to know basic writing before I came here, but they never taught me. I think I forget how to read and write.

Susan smiles at me and I just stare at her in return. She stands next to me as the doctors surround us, leading me down the hall towards a pair of double doors. The hall is lined with doors like mine, with little barred windows.

We pass through the double doors, making them swing and enter into a room with an elevator door. If we go down, I know it's the front desk and more rooms down another hall. I’ve been in the elevator before. The elevator has five numbers though, so I know there are five floors.

We file into the elevator. The space is cramped. I see the Dr. Miles press number 5.

“What’s on floor five?” I ask timidly.

“You’ll see shortly. Just some doctors rooms.”

“What are we doing today?” My curiosity is beginning to take over my mouth. I can’t stop the flood of nervous questions that I have.

“First we’ll ask you some questions. Then we’ll run through a few preliminary tests and take some blood samples. Just rudimentary exams.” He says.

I look at the nurse whose arm is rubbing mine in the small elevator. She’s smiling at me again. I feel awkward in my white uniform and messy hair. I look at my feet.

The elevator dings and the door slides open soundlessly. We file out and the doctors lead me down the right hallway and through another pair of double doors. The floor is carpeted in a diamond shaped pattern. The walls are a light blue colour. If it’s supposed to be calming it doesn’t work, I’m more nervous than ever.

Finally we stop at a large grey door with no windows. The door swings inward as the doctor swipes his name pass. We follow him in and the door clicks shut behind me.

The room is large, spacious, but cluttered with furniture. There’s a few large chairs and a small knee high table. By the window is a bench and a vase with flowers. There’s a desk to the right of the window with a computer and some pens on it. The wall behind the desk is lined with shelves of books and decorations made of wood. On the left is a patient's bed covered in tissue and some equipment. The nurse leads me to the bed while the doctors settle in the chairs around the short table.

I see the faeries standing on the table and on the edge of the bed. They watch me intently. Three inches and five inches, they gather around and sit with me. I feel comfort in their presence. Then Dr. Miles clears his throat.

“Let’s begin. Last night at 3:04am, your light turned on from the inside” he emphasises, “causing the alarm to switch on.” The others are taking notes on their own clipboards.

“What were you doing before the light came on?” He asks.

I watch the doctors holding their pencils. The nurse taps my arm. “Dear, answer the doctor's question.”

My name is not dear. I think instinctively.

“I was looking outside the window.” I say. I had been looking outside the window.

“Was anyone with you?”

I breath slowly, a faerie wraps her hand around my finger to keep me calm.

“No. I was alone.”

“No faeries were with you last night at 3am?” The Dr. Edwin, asks.

“No. I was alone.” I repeat. A faerie on the table shakes her head, then walks over to the glass of water in front of him and kicks it. The water glass falls over and spills across the table. The female doctor in front of him hisses and he apologizes. The faeries snicker.

Dr. Edwin wipes the mess up while Dr. Miles continues.

“Did you see anything unusual before the light came on?” he asks.

“No, I didn’t.”

He starts to frown. The nurse taps me again and smiles. “It’s alright dear. Just tell us what happened. We just want to know what happened.” I don’t like her smile.

“I was laying in my bed, looking at the light. Then it came on and I rolled off the bed. I swear I didn’t do anything.” The faeries nod.

“Ok then. You were looking at the light. Was there anything else you remember, something you said or thought. Something you perhaps moved before the light came on?”

I glance at my hand. The one the faerie is holding. Dr. McGregor stands up, this one has a beard and is very tall, and approaches me. I hear his footsteps and look up at him. He reaches for my hand and I instinctively pull it away. He grabs for it anyway.

“Why do you look at your hand? Did you hurt it? Or perhaps…” He trails off, flipping my hand over in his. He examines it closely. I feel his strong warm grip and I feel suddenly very weak.

“Ow, that hurts.” I say. He twists it kind of hard. He looks me in the eye, his eyes feel like sharp needles. I wince.

“What did you do with your hand?” He asks firmly.

I pull my hand out of his and he crosses his arms. I look at my hand and hold it in front of me, like I did last night. I hold it in a fist.

The nurse speaks again. “Where does it hurt dear?”

“It doesn't hurt.” I say, flicking my finger out without thinking. The doctor in front of me grabs his stomach and groans, falling to his knees. Dr. Edwin and Dr. Eliza come to him and hold him up. He glares at me. “What did you do?” He’s sweating and looks pale.

“I…” At a loss for words. “I didn’t… Nothing!” I stumble for words, but nothing makes sense.

The doctors pull him away from me and Dr. Miles stands, placing his clipboard on the table.

“Now now. This is rather, intriguing.” He nods to the nurse and I feel a sharp pin prick in my arm. I look at it and see a needle injecting a clear fluid into it. “Seems you aren’t as harmless as we once thought. After all these years, you finally reveal yourself.”

My vision starts to swim, and the room tilts. I feel arms wrap around me and I see the doctor standing on the wall, or is it the floor?

The last thing I see is a green clad faerie kneeling in front of my nose. She’s saying something, but I can’t make it out before the room goes black.

#Fantasy #Magic