Slowly, I reached for the mailbox, and opened it up. Letters were jammed into the tiny hole, making me groan in annoyance. Another whole stack to flip through. Another batch to discard. Another pile to store away for future uses.

Grumbling, I grabbed the letters, and reached for the mailbox handle, when I noticed something flicker within the box.

With curiosity, I peeked inside, assuming a bug was crawling somewhere. To my utter astonishment, a tiny human stood in the mailbox, a sheepish grin on its miniature face. I jerked back, almost ready to scream. The little creature placed a finger on its lips, warning me to stay quiet.

"T-Thumbelina?!" I asked in disbelief. Rolling its eyes, the pocket-sized human placed a hand on its hip, not amused. "Ahem, do I look like a girl?! No, I am a gentleman, and it's Arthur Kirkland, not Thumberfina or whatever you just said."

"Arthur…Kirkland?" I murmured, amazed. "You can't possibly be human. Look at you—you're so…so…"

"—Don't even think about uttering the 't-word'. It disgusts me."

I stopped myself before commenting about the fairy-like creature's size, and instead observed the unique being. He was spunky, with wild, sun-kissed hair and lively emerald eyes. The most intriguing thing about was his…

"Bushy eyebrows. Quite bushy…" I noted aloud, giggling a bit. Immediately, Arthur scoffed, and pointed at his large brows. "These aren't bushy—rather, they are a rare and glorious gift only given to the finest of men."

"Men?" I laughed lightly, and he puffed up his shoulders. "Right, you are a fine man, indeed. But, what exactly ARE you?"

"Excuse me?" Arthur sounded puzzled at my inquiry, but clarified, "Why, I'm a faerie! You've got to be blind not to notice that." I smiled a bit, "All right, honorable faerie, stay out of sight. My family won't take too kindly if they spot a faerie of your…caliber." Chuckling, I left the mailbox door open, and skipped back into my house, where I grabbed a few fruits.

Arthur's eyes lit up as I returned with a handful of apple slices, grapes, and a few pieces of banana in a small bowl. I let him climb onto my finger, and as he did, I escorted him to my backyard.

"I hope you like it. It's the best I can do for you, seeing as I don't know what faeries like to eat." I set the platter down on the grass, and allowed to slide down my finger and into the bowl.

He smiled sweetly. "This is perfect, just what a nobleman, like me, needs!" As Arthur nibbled on the fruit, I lay back and observed him carefully.

I couldn't be dreaming. After all, I had pinched myself twice, and had not woken up.

'So this is what a faerie looks like,' I thought. He was adorable, but if I had said that, he would surely burst into a fit. So, I decided to ask him something else instead.

"Why did you come here? Aren't faeries supposed to be hidden?" I asked, recalling these "facts" from the fairytales I had read while growing up.

He smirked. "Of course, a high faerie such as myself does not need to be seen by you humans. But," he stopped chewing and stared straight up into my eyes, "spring has finally come, and I have to continue my journey to reach my home. You see, we faeries don't stay in one place all the time. Especially not noble faeries."

I tilted my head, while Arthur closed his eyes. "Everything was going according to plan, until I just had to bump into you. Can't say I regret it, though."

Grinning, I leaned down, and felt his hair with one finger. "You find me special, huh?"

"No, that's not—" he protested, his face turning beet red. I laughed until my stomach hurt, and lifted him up to eye level.

We chatted, ate, and chuckled until the sun began to set, and made his farewells.

"Do you have to leave?" I questioned, and he nodded silently.

"It was wonderful meeting you, _. Until next time!" Arthur tipped his miniature top hat, a shy smile on his face. He bent over, and kissed the tip of my finger. I met his warm smile with a grin, and waved. "Goodbye, and have a safe journey!"

As he departed, I watched his retreating back, and wondered what the faerie meant by "next time". Did that mean we would meet again?

/ / / / /