1.
It wasn't a classmate watching a movie
in a drive-in. It wasn't the best-liked boy
on a school trip,
or at a friend's birthday party.
It was at twilight, when the fairies were all around.
2.
Sarah walked into the woods at the edge of town
following the river all along until
she was alone, lost, a bit apprehensive.
And yet, among the green branches in late May
the last sun rays lingered, and hung like necklaces,
getting caught in the copious leaves.
Little by little, she felt more at ease,
a drowsiness came over her, her body
felt heavy like the earth she trod.
She sat down and leaned against an old oak tree.
As her eyelids closed, she caught a glimpse of
something moving at the edge of her field of vision,
a flicker, a presence, a shape she could not quite make out.
3.
"Who's there?"
The moving shape was a twirling ball of light in the dark
clearing. Out of it came a rainbow-edged boy:
his skin gave out a coloured halo all around.
He had long spiky ears, large green eyes, and dark skin.
He didn't answer, but smiled.
"Don't you speak my language?"
He came nearer and took her hand. He traced
invisible symbols on her palm. They turned into
fireflies. They flew away. He traced more symbols
on her skin. They turned into burning embers
she threw away.
"Enough!" she said. "I get it, you are quite a magical being!"
He smiled again, and kissed her quickly on her lips.
She quite liked the trick.
3.
He offered her a bunch of wild berries and they danced
together, and made merry. Soon, she felt a strange desire:
"Give me more!"
He obliged. She tasted berries of all types.
Then, she sighed. He looked so nice.
She undressed and he glowed in the night.
His hand was a cool breeze on her skin,
his lips as sweet as wild strawberries.
Their bodies merged throughout the night
and both forgot about the time.
4.
At dawn, he disappeared as she slept on.
At noon, she woke up all alone.
In the evening she was at home, but alas
she felt so forlorn.
At night, she slept in her bed and dreamt of
her faerie friend.
"Farewell," he said with a sorrowful look,
"We have broken all the faery and human rules."
"Please, stay, don't you go!"
But he just blew a kiss from his hand and was gone.
5.
When she got up in the morning,
she was as ancient as the old oak
that had witnessed their love,
as luminous as the fireflies born in her hands,
as fierce as the embers she had held.
Yet, you could only tell if
you stayed and looked in her eyes
long enough.
