EXCOLO

[In a fairy mound]

"You'll be safe here," said Dana.

And we were.

The second the fairy mound closed over us, the sound of the thunderstorm stopped. We couldn't even hear the rain pounding on the roof anymore.

I'm glad Dana was here to help, and I'm even more glad that Daddy was inside with us when it happened.

Dana and I had fun decorating the rooms - changing the color of the furniture, making things sparkle, adding new pictures on the walls. Horses and cats. And then horses and cats with wings!

Daddy mostly watched.

We could leave any time we want, Dana said - we had little wooden charms that acted as keys. "And by the time we come out, it will all be over. Long over.".

"Wait, what?"

Of course. Fairy time. Dana's explained it to me over and over - time runs differently in Fae. You spend an evening there and come out ten years later, or you spend ten years there and come out an hour later. There's no telling which way it will go.

So we might come out ten years later. Or a hundred years later.

And maybe it would be better if we did? We'd be safe then, and so what if everyone we knew was gone? We could just go live in Fae instead, and I could learn even more about my powers, and learn magic from even more experts, and meet my mother. Dana keeps saying that she wants to take me there, to learn more about that side of my family, and that side of my nature. And I wanted to, but now that it's here…I don't.

I've loved learning real magic, and maybe I never got the wings that I wanted when I was little, but it's amazing to be able to shape the world and see the true forms of things around me. I want to learn more about that. Dana is amazing and I'm so glad I got to know her.

And I want to meet my mother. I always have. Desperately.

But if I went to Fae I'd never see anyone else I knew, ever again. Not Miao or anyone from the Boy, not anyone from school. Ever.

And what about Daddy? I guess he could still work if we went to Fae, but it would be really different for him.

So I talked to Daddy for a long time. Talked and talked and talked, almost all night, and the morning, we went to Dana and said we were leaving.

We'll wait three days to give the storm a chance to blow over - or end, or…whatever is happening. And then we'll go out.

Dana was scared, and we didn't blame her, and we promised that if things were really bad we'd come back, because here we are safe. But if things are all right outside, then we're going to stay. If there's anything of Excolo left, we want to be there with it.

I want to see what the world is like! I want to see if Daniel will ever ask me to a dance - or if maybe I'll ask him. I want to see if I can ever write for the newspaper - or if there isn't a newspaper anymore, if I can make a new one. I want to see what will happen, and I want to be there to do things in the world. The human world.

Maybe I won't ever fit, but I don't think I'll ever fit in Fae, either. In Excolo, at least I know the rules, and the rules I don't like I can try to change.

So three days later, we say goodbye.

I hug Dana tight, and I tell her she's done a good job watching over me.

We stand where the door would be, if a fairy mound had a door. I feel the magic running through the key as I hold it in my hand. Then I take hold of Daddy's hand, and we turn our keys, and we step out into the world.

Thursday, May 6th, late afternoon
Main Street

School was okay today because Trina wasn't there. And Daniel was back from being sick and he moved his seat so he was right next to me so I could look at him the whole day! But I'm still glad it's over so I can go outside again.

But now I'm bored! Daddy's working and so is Miao and just about everybody, and Kitty's out wandering or hunting or something, and I don't want to do homework yet.

Where should I go?

Maybe I'll go visit Miss Wanda at the tea shop? I don't know. It's fun to visit, but I kind of don't want to talk to Miss Wanda right now 'cause I don't want to make her feel bad even though I have to tell her sometime that there's something wrong with the baby. It's sad because the baby is really cute and I like playing with her! And Miss Wanda was so nice to help out with my birthday party, too! She had enough fairy wings for everyone to wear.

No! I'll go visit Sparkle instead! I know I can't ride her without someone to watch me, but I can talk to her and braid her mane. I think I have some ribbons in my schoolbag left over from the last time I visited. I hope they let me visit her...

[Open to Dana, Cece, and Mab]

Friday, October 16, mid-afternoon
Outside the stables

It was a weird week.

Somebody gave me a PONY and I don't know who and Daddy got all grumbly 'cause he didn't know who and he was worried that it might have been somebody mean or another bad-wish pony but it wasn't it was real and it was MINE!

Her name is Sparkle and she doesn't have shoes yet so I can't ride her but that means that I can spend as much time with her as I want without having to worry about the iron making me feel itchy and I can hug her and brush her as long as somebody is watching and I don't squeeze too hard.

And then a couple days ago I woke up and looked out the window and there were extra-sparkly raindrops in the yard like I was still dreaming but they were real till they went away. And then Miss Kaeli got sick and then later I heard there was a big fire and Miss Anushka died and so did the big loud man that worked at the butcher's. I was sad but Miss Anushka was always sad too. It made me think of all of her mothers and grandmothers and she didn't have a daughter that looks like her to do what she did.

I had bad dreams that night too. They're getting better but I still have them sometimes. And I still miss Aunt Vicky and I still need to tell her that I'm sorry but she's always busy when I go to visit.

I go to the stables every day after school and somebody always helps me take Sparkle outside so I can brush her and braid her hair. Today I brought ribbons! Yellow and blue and pink. I think she likes the pink ones best.

[Open to Chester and others]