The man walked slowly up the hill towards the wood. The pinkish hue of the heather skirted his feet, gently waving against him. Past the crest, he pushed into the shadows of the trees. The crone had told him the true path, and he aimed to follow it. There would be no going back.
After the rock with the crooked head, he traced a root that had grown in and out of the soil like a snake. At the end of its burrowed head was a great, ancient oak tree. It’s rugged, black bark coated the exterior like armor. Limbs sprung out from its trunk in a chaotic fashion, twisting and bending from past weather’s bane. Despite its hallowed supporting structure, green leaves ringed the branches displaying a peculiar vibrance.
He cleared his throat and bent a knee to the tree.
“My great faeries, I’ve come to you with a question. Can you so oblige?”
Only the sound of bird song answered him, echoing through the woods. The man scratched his head and reran the crone’s directions through his mind. Yes, he decided, this must be it.
“If you please, faeries, I would like to speak with you. I’ve come a long way.”
Silence met him once more. He bit his lip and rose, cursing as he kicked at a stone.
But then he heard it. The faintest sound of a snicker. Excitement filled him as once more came to a bent knee.
“Faeries, I heard you. Come out at last and show your faces. There is nothing to fear with me.”
Sheepish laughter surrounded the old tree, seemingly coming from all around him. But no faery appeared. The man sighed loudly, becoming annoyed.
“Is there something else you want of me? Some step I seem to have missed, is it?”
“Why don’t you just ask your question instead of wasting our time?” came a tinny voice followed by a cacophony of squeals.
“Very well, then,” the man replied, a bit caught off guard by the sharpness.
But before he spoke his next words, a lone faery made its way forward, no bigger than the palm of a hand but it’s belly as round. The faery arched its eyebrows at the man, waiting.
The man was stunned at the sight of such a tiny being. “Ah…” his words were caught in his mouth.
The faery grinned deviously, “Don’t be fooled. I choose the form I want for the day, and you seem a particularly harmless fellow. A slow one at that, though.”
Then he noticed the more tiny eyes sparkling around the trunk. Hundreds, at least, watched him thoughtfully from beyond an arm’s reach.
“Right, right,” The man regained his composure by taking a deep breath. Then he stated, “I want to know where time went.”
“Where time went?” the main faery asked. “Like the time you have just wasted?”
The man let out a nervous laugh. “Well, yes. But the rest of it as well. Where has it gone?”
“These humans with their outlandish questions,” another voice called out from elsewhere, echoed by a sound of agreeance.
“Is it not with us now?” asked the lead faery.
“I suppose,” answered the man. “But it is also behind us,” he paused and looked spaciously towards the treetop then added, “and beyond us.”
“Impressive thing this time is,” someone interjected. The tree buzzed with laughter until the lead faery summoned for quiet with his hands.
“Have you not answered your own question?” the faery asked. “It seems you do know where time is.”
The man shook his head begrudgingly. “No, no, no. I want to know where it went.”
The faery cocked its head, considering the man. Flitting his wings, he took flight from the harbor of the tree and stationed himself in front of the man’s face. “Why do you want to know where it went?”
He nodded, “I want it back. If I knew where it went, I could get it back.”
Scowls and grimaces could be heard throughout. Several pities and sighs waved through the branches.
The faery held up his hands to prevent another outburst from the audience. “What would you do with it if you got back?”
He relaxed his shoulders, allowing his head to drop slightly. He whispered, “I want to save the world.”
A flurry of gasps flooded the tree; its limbs quivered with he waves of movement as thousands of hands grasped the bark and scrambled to see this man. All the group wanted a look at him now.
The main faery rested his hands on his hips and squinted at the man. “Just you? Is that all you think it takes? One…Man?” his questions had a bitterness to them. The faery shook his head in disgust. “Do you think it is a singular action or some kind of chain of events that can save this world?”
The man fumbled for words, his eyes rounding at the rapid fire from the faery.
“And what, do you suppose, is killing it now? Is doom upon us?”
The man stood and straightened his back. “Enough with all your questions. Will you truly answer my first or not?” He lifted his chin, squarely looking the plump floating figure in the eyes.
A slow, deep laugh rolled from the faery’s lips. “Very well, very well.” He flitted back into the tree; the chorus of eyes following until no being was visible.
The man paced in front of the tree, running the conversation back and forth. He was sure he had said the right things in the rightful order. But there was always a bit of trickery when dealing with the faery folk.
Suddenly, the tree was again lit with twinkling and the large faery returned, a strangely triumphant grin on his face. He flew to the man and perched on his shoulder. The man prickled as the faery whispered in his ear. Within seconds, he finished and flew back to the safety of the tree. The eyes blinked out and the forest felt as it was before.
Dazed by the interaction, the man remained rooted in his position. His thoughts wavered with what the faery had told him. His pulled memories from long ago and dreamed of things to come. But the little being was right. He could see it now, in his own mind. There it was – time.
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