In the old times, the ones humanity barely ever thinks of now, the earth was populated not just by human beings, but also by magical beings.
The humans and the magical beings coexisted and worked together to ensure all were safe and well cared for. But, as evolution has it, the humans were quick to invent things that made their need for help from the magical beings disappear.
So, bit by bit, generation after generation, the magical beings were put aside and they started to live in the shadows of the human world. They were there, hiding, living their life quietly and unobtrusively, hiding their presence from those that did not want them.
And, as all of us, the magical beings had to get with with times, ride the change, and some that did, as did the characters in our story, the Water Fountain Fairies.
With the disappearance of the actual dug out water fountains, the fairies whose existence depended on them, moved along with progress, and attached themselves to what ever water fountain was available.
Many were now living by the water fountains in shopping centers, and were granting wishes to the humans that still followed the old tradition of throwing a coin in the water, others were still roughing it out in the country side trying to find proper water fountains to live by, and some, like the ones in our story were living in buildings attached to small water fountains the humans use to get water from.
The water fountain fairies in our story lived in the National Institute for History being quite pleased with their life, although sometimes, even they had to admit it was quite boring. You might be surprised to know, but not much happens in an institute dedicated to history.
The water fountain fairies were bound to the water, so they could not wander around like the leprechauns did. The leprechauns are the most mischievous little magical beings you can ever meet.
It was not uncommon for leprechauns to read through the researchers’ papers and change what was written about them but they did not like. What is unusual is that, most often, the researchers had no idea the content of their work had been changed. So just that in itself should raise some questions for sure!
Anyway, back to our water fountain fairies. They were good natured magical beings, although a bit nosy and somewhat gossipy.
Once, when they were really bored and needed a little pick me up, they put a spell on the water, just on one big plastic bottle, you know the ones that go glug-glug-crrrk-glug when you take water out of them, so that whoever drank that water was bound to tell the truth. You cannot imagine the mayhem!
The fairies were ecstatic, they knew humans lie, but they could not imagine the extent of it. Of course people put water in small bottles which they took with them, so the water was spread to other people and so on. In the end the truth-telling stopped, but it was quite an exciting time for the fairies, even the leprechauns congratulated them on their creativity.
Now the fairies though were back to their old quiet life and were feeling a bit antsy, so they often entertained themselves by listening to people’s conversations, this is how it happened that they found out about Fiona’s sadness.
The water fountain fairies knew Fiona well, she was one of the researchers in the American History section and often they had seen her zoom past carrying large folders and old dusty books. The fairies liked Fiona so they were really touched when they saw tears run quietly down her cheeks while getting water.
The fairies were able to hear all the story as Fiona told it to one of her close colleagues while secretly chatting next to the water fountain. Seems like Fiona had been in love with one of the professors visiting the institute’s library for years, it was that strange kind of hidden love that only human can carry for years and years, without ever saying a word.
Seems the professor had gotten a job in a different country and in a few months he was due to move there permanently, so now Fiona was heartbroken.
The fairies, in their magical being way, were very bad at accepting defeat, for them there was always something else that could be done, another avenue to try, so they could not fathom that Fiona will be unhappy without even having confessed her affection.
So the fairies thought and thought, they consulted with the leprechauns, who, in a very uncanny way, always knew what to do, they put this down to their Irish sense of survival, they proudly said that the Irish will always find a way to break through on to the other side, so they often used this innate ingenuity to find the most creative solutions to the problems facing them.
So, the water fountain fairies and the leprechauns came up with a plan, all they had to wait for was the opportunity to put it into action, and happily the chance came sooner than later.
One quiet, winter evening, when the institute was almost deserted, the leprechauns let the fairies know the professor was in the library, so the plan could be rolled out.
The fairies put a spell on the water Fiona had gotten earlier from the fountain and now they activated it. Once she took a sip she was bound to confess her true feelings.
The leprechauns locked all the doors of the institute and cut the wire for the card readers that would open the doors automatically. So Fiona and the professor were stuck, forced to talk and deal with the situation together.
Very unusual for her Fiona found herself talking and talking and talking, pouring out her entire soul in front of the man she had admired from a distance for so long.
I wish I could say that he reciprocated, they fell madly in love and lived happily ever after, but sadly that did not happen. The professor was very gentlemanly and kind, but he told Fiona that he did not feel the same but that he is hugely flattered that such an intelligent and beautiful woman would feel that for him.
The firemen came and managed to open the door. The professor left as quickly as he could and Fiona was left on a chair crying her eyes out. She had made such a fool of herself, she could just die …
‘Well, I hope that will not happen for a very long, long time …’
Fiona looked up and was pinned into place by the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. The fireman helped her up and led her to the ambulance waiting outside.
It seems in other parts of the building people did not take so well to being locked up and there had been some desperate calls to the fire department and the ambulance service.
A few days later the fairies were ecstatic to find out that Fiona had actually gone out with the handsome fire fighter, who was actually and MA student in history also, and had often come to the institute, and had confessed to have had a crush on the beautiful researcher managing the library there.
‘Yes! Me! Can you imagine! And I never ever noticed him! How crazy is that?!’
The fairies and the leprechauns were quite happy with themselves, and this was for sure going to satisfy their sense of adventure for a bit of time. Maybe …
Magical beings work in mysterious ways …