Beyond the Firefly Field by R.E. Munzing Read Free Book Online Page A

was closed in two places where a loop snared a sheath holding a wooden knife.
    There were also fewer metals, rocks, and feathers adorning his clothes. They were replaced by curved, embroidered symbols, braiding, and macramé in different shades of brown. The few metals and feathers decorating his clothes were intricate symbols and complex designs. He landed on the branch in a majestic and gradual movement, then his wings slowly folded to his sides.
    â€œPlaying with the fireflies again, SeeLee?” he asked.
    â€œFather, you know how they like to gather,” she offered, bowing her head.
    â€œEspecially when you flash their own color at them,” he agreed. SeeLee’s face winced, and she looked to the forest floor.
    â€œAs your brother said, you will be the one who keeps these humans secure.” His soft baritone voice exuded calm. It also evoked things unsaid by the way he spoke.
    â€œI won’t be helping you, and you know what you must do,” he finished and turned to the group standing before him.
    â€œMy name is SanArEnDar, and I am the father of SeeLee and ArEnTa. I will explain things to you that will hopefully relieve your shock of seeing us and will help you calm down.”
    As he spoke, Clayton noticed his heart had been racing, as if he had been caught doing something very wrong instead of simply seeing something he shouldn’t.
    Penny still couldn’t get over the fact that fairies—yes, real fairies!—were standing before her. She had always wanted them to be real.
    SanArEnDar’s voice and words were already having a soothing effect. The anxiety caused by the disbelief at what they were experiencing was already fading as they realized the fairies’ existence would soon be explained. They definitely awarded SeeLee’s father their full attention as he spoke.
    â€œThe Creator of all things made the universe so anything and everything might happen, and we are just part of that whole. You know us as fairies and believe we don’t exist. We know you as humans and believe you are just as unlikely to exist, yet you do. And in that same way, so do we.
    â€œWe come from the same family tree, but evolved differently many thousands of years ago. You became larger, and we became smaller, each changing to suit the needs of our existence.”
    The tone of certainty and assurance in the old fairy’s voice slowed the beating of the human hearts, and the group felt a sense of release as they learned more about the realm of possibilities.
    â€œWe ordinarily go to great lengths to keep from being seen,” SanArEnDar continued with a brief glance at SeeLee. “But, sometimes it happens. Your literature has hundreds of years of stories about your dealings with us. Eventually, they just became tales. You call them ‘fairytales’ because our existence has not generally been proven. As time passed, those stories became myth and not to be believed.
    â€œThose who do see us on rare occasions have a problem. It’s a problem you now have to face. It concerns what you think is real. You weave a reality you are comfortable accepting from what you experience every day. There are things of which you are certain, things you believe to be true, and things you’re not sure of at all. Seeing us has broken your sense of reality, and if you never saw us ever again, within a few months you would question if you ever saw us at all. By now you should be fairly certain that what you are seeing and hearing is actually happening.”
    His last statement turned into a question needing agreement. So with a final flurry of eye-rubbing and arm-pinching, the five nodded in agreement.
    With a smile indicating his approval, SanArEnDar continued. “Over time, seeing us, of which you are now certain, will eventually shift to uncertainty, taking with it many other experiences you are equally certain happened. You will feel like one-third of your memories are lies,