A Fairy Out of Her Tale - Dear Diary - 15. Scene 15

8th January, 1995

Dear Diary of Memories,

All lights in my room are off, save for a lamp on my bedside table. It's way past bedtime, and the night shift nurses cleaned my room and gave me a new gown. They have no idea who I really am. The police will come back tomorrow to oversee my discharge and guide me to wherever I'm going next.

I can’t bring myself to care about any of this, though. Whatever will be, will be.

As for my story, I'll tell it now. And I'll mark this page with a red highlighter and come back here every time I start to forget what I did. Mother Deity forgive me if I ever start to think I’m not to blame for any of it.

First, though, I want to remember what came before. My last few hours as a fairy, as a respectable member of my commmunity. The last time I would ever be normal.

Because I should never forget who I was or what kind of life I led either. When I don’t know what to expect from the future, the past is the only thing I have to hold on to.

The New Year festivities had gone smoothly, like always. Mum, dressed in her green robes of the High Priestess, led the ceremony and the procession through the city. I was by her side, in my own ceremonial robes. The city lit up in our wake, sending us their prayers for a prosperous year to come. Flutes and fiddles followed us playing traditional tunes and sending the whole procession into a dance-like march to the town square. We arrived five minutes before midnight. Mum climbed the podium built specially for the occasion at the centre of the square. I followed and stood two paces behind her. My step-father and brother watched further behind.

The air was so humid and thick it weighted on my shoulders almost as much as my ceremonial responsibility as the High Priestess's first born. No breeze anywhere. Not yet. The heat was suffocating. But it always is when something important is about to happen.

'Dear fairies of Pindaiba, the New Year will soon be upon us. In the name of our Mother Deity, I, Nelma Jacaranda, will give you my blessings for a plentiful time to come.' Mum beckoned me forward. I stood next to her. 'Nessa, you are the first child born from me, just as we are the first children of our Mother Deity. So please receive this blessing from our Mother, and see that it reaches all their beloved children.'

My smiled betrayed the formal occasion. I never managed to keep a straight face even when important things were happening. Mum tried to look like she disapproved, but she smiled just a little bit too.

'Mother, I am ready.'

All eyes were on us. Mum lifted her arms, calling forth a rain cloud over my head. The cold water on my body, as refreshing as it was, made me shiver and lose focus for a moment. I, the symbolic representation of our entire city, was supposed to pray that this rain, the symbol of plenty and prosperity, blessed our community for the year to come. Each droplet that fell on my skin washed away the remains of the old year and cleaned the start of a new one.

Being the stand-in for thousands of people is not an easy job. It was an honour granted to me by the circumstances of my birth, but it was still something I was proud of. It made me closer to our Mother Deity. When mum channelled their energy as one of her representatives, I experienced all their love to their children more than anybody else would be able to. This was the highest spiritual position I could ever aspire to, and I loved it.

If only I had been born with a uterus… then I could’ve climbed even higher, become a High Priestess like mum.

That fleeting thought that visited me at every religious ceremony was over soon, though. A soft breeze blew towards me and snapped those thoughts away as it gently guided the New Year energy to me. To us. I was freezing, shivering despite the high temperatures. But I knew my job had been done and I could be proud of performing my duty for yet another year.

The countdown clock started from behind us. Thirty seconds... Twenty...

Our religious duties were over. We were back to being just normal fairies enjoying the last few seconds of another year gone past. I hugged mum. She jumped at the contact with the cold water on my arms, but she hugged me back. My brother saw what was happening and decided it was his cue to do the same. He ran to us and clang to my waist.

Five seconds...

My step-father came forward too. He hugged and kissed mum as soon as the clock reached zero and the square erupted in cheers and a show of lights and music. The four of us did a group hug, kissed each other's cheeks. He hugged me as soon as we let go of the big hug. He squeezed the air out of my lungs while wishing me an unforgetable year. 'One of many to come,' he whispered. I almost didn't hear it then.

Now...

It strikes me as proof that he planned what he was going to do next.

Dinner is here. They'll force me to eat for my own good, so I'll continue this later.

Thanks for reading!
This is the longest scene so far - nearly 100 words! The next few ones will be about this length too - such important parts of Nessa's story can't be served in smaller chunks.
We’ll have as complete a picture as Nessa can give us by Scene 18. Until then, we get some time to consider whether the police made the right decision regarding Nessa's lack of punishment.
And since I can't end the chapter notes without shameless self-advertising: you can actually read scene 18 right now if you become my patron. It's easy and cheap - just find the link on my profile and you'll make mine and Nessa's day!