Right to Slander
This story is based on the animated movie «Tinker Bell»
Queen Clarion was worried, which wasnʼt a feeling she had often. Today, it seemed as though her anxiety wouldnʼt cease.
«One minute left, Your Majesty!» reminded Viola (maid of honour, court secretary, and now the director of a TV-programme). Yes, thatʼs right—the magic of television had slipped into Pixie Hollow in the 21st century.
«Thank you, Viola,» answered the queen softly, «but I have a feeling that the coming discussion implies considerable quarrels,» Clarion sighed deeply.
«You can be assured that youʼve made the right decision. Itʼs better to make everything clear than to wait until it becomes worse. Besides, if someone doesnʼt take Kirkomfort down a peg or two, I donʼt think that…» Viola cast a cursory glance at the big mechanical clock. «Excuse me, Your Majesty. Light fairies, get the intro going! Tinker fairies, turn on the cameras!
The orchestra struck up. A ringing musical opening combined with a dance of golden light rays. The inhabitants of the fairy-tale island could not take their eyes off the airvisors, special devices that looked like magic mirrors capable of drawing a colorful three-dimensional image right in the air. Sadly, the machines required quite a bit of pixie dust, so broadcasting occurred only on special occasions.
«Greetings, Fairies of Pixie Hollow!» the Queenʼs voice sounded well disposed. «As everyone knows, life on the Mainland continues to run faster and faster. Their scientific achievements change quicker than their generations. And their changing times affect us as well. Just think about it! In the last century we have discovered more than we had in the entire past millennium. However, every gift and good thing does have its opposite side. Our world view and culture does not always catch up with the swift flight of new thinking. Some of our traditions and beliefs, those that united fairies in former times, nowadays cause discord. To preserve peace and unity, we decided to discuss these things openly and find out the truth about our most important belief—about Mother Dove...»
The silence in Pixie Hollow was broken first by cautious and then by more and more brave and resounding waves of applause. Not without purpose, by the way. If Queen Clarion had said these words in the dark Middle Ages, she would have been set on fire. The modern fairies showed their admiration of her brave decision.
«Meet our special guests, who are ready to defend their opinions. Fairy Mary: a respected tinker fairy, a judge of knowledge and experience, and supporter of a reasonable world view.»
One camera went in for a close up of the portly lady sitting in an armchair. Fairy Mary respectably nodded her head in greeting.
«And her opponent,» the Queen elegantly waved her arm, «The Reverend, intercessor of our traditional way of live, and creationist-doveist, sparrowman Kirkomfort.»
The mustached contradictor smiled widely, then closed his dark brown eyes, pressed his hand to his chest, and bowed low three times. After that, he readjusted his brown-grey mantle decorated with a round ornament and took his place on the opposite side of the elder tinker fairy.
«Let the discussion begin! Let the controversy fade away and let the truth be born!» the sovereign finished her introduction, softly dissolving in a vortex of special effects. Actually, the queen stayed in the next hall and she could see and hear perfectly what was happening in main studio, but come on, a TV-show must have charming and colorful transitions!
The sparkles and snowflakes began to fade as Kirkomfort began his speech.
«Mother Dove, eternal glory to Her, bless the Pixie Hollow. Let Her divinity humble us. To be honest, I would never expect there to be so many—oh, itʼs tough for me to say the word—adoveists among our citizens. Poor lost souls! They assume erroneously that the Mother Dove, eternal glory to Her, does not exist. To prevent you from suspecting any kind of uncertainty in my words, I generously give my opponent the right to say the first word.»
With a barely noticeable and ironic smile, Kirkomfort finished and gestured to Fairy Mary.
«Thank you,» answered the elder tinker fairy calmly. She smiled before continuing.
«The first sensible word belongs to me. First of all, I would like to emphasize strongly that my opinion is based on experience and knowledge. If I donʼt know something, I willingly admit it, and I donʼt force anyone to believe me just because I personally find something correct. Tinker Fairies, you see, cannot rely on their talents alone to accomplish their tasks. They must study and learn in addition. Kirkomfort, what do you think about this important difference?»
«Oh, I suppose you all use your tireless diligence and invaluable benefits for all other fairies. Tinkers are so important!»
«Please, donʼt overuse flattery, esteemed one!» Fairy Mary interrupted him, clearly trying not to roll her eyes. «You see, a century ago our position in society was not as good as today. Recently, tinker fairies have been able to show their talents in full measure. Her Majesty has already mentioned that the scientific achievements of mainlanders took a quick stride forward, so we had to make up for lost centuries in science and technology! Well, tinker fairies rely on everything that really exists. We are looking for truth, reality! And the proud word for it is science. But we should not digress from the main subject; this discussion is about Mother Dove. Let me enlighten those of you who do not understand the scientific perspective. This so called Mother Dove is a fictional character. There is no evidence that the deity existed in reality, and the scripture about Mother Dove, that was written more than five thousand years ago, is myth. Although the story itself is a fiction, some details might have been based on real events. By the way, I have read the work itself, and it is written very well—our ancestors were skilled poets.»
Kirkomfort forced a smile and nodded lightly as if he wanted to say «All right, go ahead! Letʼs see who wins!»
«I beg your pardon, but you seem to have some of your scientific cogs loose if you think that,» the creationist responded with a bit of a soft laugh. «Your science is weak and helpless. To begin with, try to explain the beginning of life. Oh wait, you cannot! We, however, do have an explanation—Mother Dove did it, eternal glory to Her! It is written in our holy script. And how can anyone have doubts about the validity of the holy script? To have doubts about it is not just delusion but also a major sin. It is written clearly in the scripture.»
The close up of Fairy Maryʼs face made it obvious her cheeks were filled with crimson. The tinker took a calming breath and closed her eyes for a moment while keeping her voice and thoughts collected.
«Well, as the educated fairies know quite well, life shines with its variety. Tinker Bell, please switch to our independent, impulsive reporter.»
The young tinker nodded in agreement and promptly turned a crystal (only she could understand how all of it worked). The quiet grumbling of a well-known fast flying fairy was heard as the screen shifted through some grey, uneven fuzziness.
«Oh sure. ʻIndependentʼ. I flew to this place because you told me… Oh. What? Are we on the air?»
The voiceʼs face appeared on the screen. Her smile, as usual, had a hint of arrogance, but there was no denying she had the face and confidence for television.
«Good evening, Pixie Hollow!» Vidia began. «We are broadcasting from… oh, dear, from a mouse hole. And now Fawn (youʼve guessed it—sheʼs an animal fairy) will tell you all about life and how it changes. Come on, mousy, amaze us.»
«Hi everybody!» the happy-go-lucky fairy waved. «The ways animals change over time is actually very well known! Iʼll explain. As you know, all animals have a mom and a dad. Baby mice, for example, have two parents. And those babies look a lot like their parents, but not completely the same. They are always a little bit different. Imagine that we drew every baby mouse and every parent mouse since the beginning of time. Thatʼs one heck of a task, but just try to imagine! Anyway, after millions of years there are so many generations that the drawing of great-great-great-great-great-great-great…»
«They get it,» Vidia interrupted with a roll of her eyes. Fawn simply continued.
«…great-great grandparents look nothing like the baby mice today! The same type of animal looks different over time, and the original animal could look absolutely nothing like a mouse! For example, did you know that mice, rats, and chipmunks all have common ancestors? Quite important is a thing called speciation—now youʼve learned a cool word—goes very, very slowly. New animals develop overtime through evolution. In the wilderness, only the fittest animals survive. We call it natural selection. The seats are up for grabs, and only the best can get them. Oh, looks like Iʼm getting carried away, with all these big words and all. The animal world is just so wonderful! Okay, in short: nature shows so much diversity on its own, even if it takes a lot of time. By the way, the same thing applies to plants. Ask some garden fairies—theyʼll say itʼs true.»
Kirkomfort tried to throw in a word. Wishful thinking, as Fawn just continued before he could say anything in rebuttal.
«Sure, Iʼm a pretty young animal fairy—just three hundred years old—but some of my teammates are old enough to see just how drastically the animal world has changed! Weʼve written about it. Not everything has been recorded, but thereʼs enough of it to prove that the animal world changes over time. May my tail fall off if I lie!»
«I thought that was just your braid,» Vidia pointed out.
«Well, yeah. But I am an animal fairy! Iʼm supposed to have a tail.» Fawn giggled. «Well, everyone, have a nice evening! So long!»
«Wait! Wait!» The creationist broke through, «And how, in your opinion, did the very first living creatures appear? Your speciation theory may explain the diversity of life, but not its origin!»
«Oh, let me answer,» Fairy Mary interjected. «We are close to the discovery of that mystery, too.
However, the honest answer is that we donʼt know. Humans and fairies alike cannot create life from scratch, but why do you think that itʼs completely impossible? Should we someday perform such a feat or not, it would not change anything about Mother Dove. The scripture would remain an unproven myth.»
Kirkomfort smiled haughtily.
«Your ignorance is perhaps the best evidence for the fact that the Holy Scripture is true. In order to be imbued with the truth and infallibility of the Scripture, one should be able to look past the rich ornament of poetry and see the true essence hidden beneath. Over millennia, our holy belief has granted pacification and peace of mind to citizens of Pixie Hollow. It sheds the light of truth. And your imperfect science just makes strife! Without thinking out the big picture, you lead young souls astray with your inferior guesses!»
«We do not!» Fairy Mary was clearly offended. «On the contrary, we share our knowledge and experience. The main thing is that we are seeking real explanations for the mysteries of nature. Would you like to get to know our discoveries and inventions, which you use without a second thought, even though you condemn them?»
«No, I wouldnʼt,» Kirkomfort answered scornfully. Fairy Mary kept her calmness, but Tinker Bell frowned (the gifted inventor fairy had a lot of things to show and tell about).
«I would rather tell everyone about the sacrilegious behavior committed by your henchmen! How dare you shamelessly study holy pixie dust, granted to us by Mother Dove Herself, as if it were a handful of common sand?!»
«Well would you like to get to know something new about it? Because we have a remarkable young dustologist who can tell you all about pixie dust, better than I can. He is, by the way, the best friend of my most talented tinker fairy and together the two of them can, in a short time, cause Pixie Hollow to acquire…»
«Keep to the subject!» the creationist interrupted harshly. «Do you confess that youʼve committed the sacrilege?»
«Would you please stop with the accusations, Reverend?! Youʼre baiting me into ʻconfessingʼ. Whether I say ʻyesʼ or ʻnoʼ, any answer implies that Iʼm guilty!»
«Aha!» Kirkomfort exclaimed. «Youʼve just confessed your guilt!»
«Vidia, please turn it over to Terence!» Fairy Mary, ignoring Kirkomfort, demanded.
«Iʼm way ahead of you, as always.» Vidia smiled, and gestured to where she now stood. «As you can see, Iʼm here near the well of the Home Tree. And hereʼs… Look, Terence, quit being shy and introduce yourself. You must know a lot about the dust, so letʼs see you surprise us!»
«Uh, yeah. Hi! Iʼm happy to be here! As you may know already, I am a dust keeper and an expert in dustology! I know that doesnʼt sound very modest, but my role is pretty important. Think about it—thereʼd be no Pixie Hollow if it wasnʼt for pixie dust, right? Imagine that, all of a sudden, Mainlanders lost all of their electricity. Wait, not all fairies go to the Mainland… Let me explain. Electricity is the foundation of the humanʼs society. They would have no light, no means of transportation, no clean water, no heat, and no way to communicate without it! In a best case scenario, theyʼd be thrown back into an ancient world! Thatʼs exactly what would happen with our civilization, if our pixie dust suddenly disappeared. And who knows whether weʼd be able to survive…»
«Wow, Terence. For a cheery guy, you really know how to tell a great scary story. I like it.» Vidia was suddenly pretty interested. «Go on, tell us another one!»
«Oh. I donʼt want to scare anyone,» Terence replied sincerely. «Iʼm just trying to express how important pixie dust is for us. Our lives depend on how well we understand its nature. New dust is created through a process in the Home Tree well, but not everyone knows that it is in fact a source of dust, and that we are discovering other ways to create it as well. It can be compared to really fertile soil that brings the rich harvests in the fall time.»
«On second thought,» Vidia interrupted, «you better go back to the scaring before our viewers fall asleep out of boredom. Tell us something new and interesting!»
«All right then,» said the dustologist with a sigh. «Of course, we havenʼt finished all the calculations and research, but as we applied the newest knowledge of physics and higher mathematics we came to the conclusion that pixie dust is the shatters of time and space of an extinguished parallel universe that once was connected with our world. And the wormholes that were connecting the universes are underneath Pixie Hollow!»
«…Really?» Vidia looked at him, astonished. «Thatʼs incredible! Can you prove it?»
«Of course! Here are the calculations!» Terence poured at least a hundred leaves covered in seemingly endless lines of various mathematical formulas and expressions. «But Iʼm afraid that it wouldnʼt be too exciting for an evening TV show.»
«You actually understand this stuff?» Vidia questioned, holding a leaf up and tilting her head sideways as she tried to read it.
«Well yeah! In fact, Iʼve calculated only a small part of it with all of this. Itʼs taken hundreds of years for the wisest of fairies to try and solve the mysteries of pixie dust.»
«Alright you little hornet, get to the point. Someone else can check your calculations for proof if they want to,» Vidia hurried him. She added, mumbling, «There are actually freaks that would want to…»
«Right! The main point is that, although the matter is called pixie dust here in our world, it is as natural as, I donʼt know, some Higgs boson in another world. And weʼll discover much more if all the research bans were lifted. We might even get a practically unlimited source of energy, much more powerful than thermonuclear fusion! Just imagine the unprecedented possibilities!»
«Yeah, I can imagine it. Now letʼs go back to the studio!»
Fairy Mary was smiling proudly as the viewers digested the information and Kirkomfort turned as red as a poppy.
«So, thatʼs that, Reverend!» the elder tinker fairy declared. «In reality, pixie dust hides in itself many more mysteries than described in any ancient stories. And it would be beneficial to lift outdated restrictions on research. I donʼt know about you, but an unlimited power source sounds pretty nice to me.»
Fairy Mary now expected her opponent to lose control and acknowledge his defeat. However, the creationist pulled himself together and answered with a considerable amount of calmness.
«True worshippers of Mother Dove, eternal glory to Her, have nothing against science by itself. After all, science confirms the old truth that our universe is intelligently designed.» The creationist smiled, a satisfied look spreading across his face as he noticed how worried his opponent was starting to become. «The second law of thermodynamics tells us that natural processes cause more and more disorder. The more time passes by, the less order. Since everything approaches disintegration, a divine interference is needed to prevent the inevitable destruction. Otherwise, our universe would sink into oblivion.»
Fairy Mary gaped at Kirkomfort with wide-open eyes. After a moment, something seemed to spark in her mind and she smiled. Like the kind teacher she was, she said,
«Letʼs illustrate the point. We should take a look at a new exhibition, to make it easier to understand the second law of thermodynamics. Tinker Bell, we need Vidiaʼs help again.»
«Iʼm on it!» the young fairy replied briskly. The screen switched, but they didnʼt see Vidia. Instead, there was a much too close close-up of Terence in view as he turned the camera this way and that.
«…And you know, this portable camera also works on pixie dust. It floats in the air! By the way, Vidia, do you think you want a partner? Because I would gladly…»
«You canʼt keep up with me, dust-boy,» Vidia answered confidently, taking the camera out of his hands and fastening it to her belt. «You said the exhibition, right? Alright, Iʼm off.»
Suddenly, Vidia soared up like a rocket, with a furious noise of wind suppressing all other sounds. Trees and houses flickered, a river flashed by in an instant, and the image became smudged and blurred as an obscure torrent flew by.
The speed of Vidiaʼs flight simply rendered everything as streaking colors, like an abstract painting.
Finally, the view became clear again as the camera seemed to catch up to the place it currently was, and the image stopped shaking. An art museum appeared in place of the previously undistinguishable images.
«Do you want to take a tour?» Kirkomfort asked dubiously. «We are in the middle of discussing a very important topic and it looks like youʼre trying to sidestep the question. What do paintings have to do with it?» He looked at Mary distrustfully as Vidia flew through the halls (apparently looking for a particular piece of art).
«Paintings have nothing to do with it, Reverend,» answered Fairy Mary with a light heart. «However, some frost fairies made a photo exhibition this week. You do know what photography is, donʼt you? Oh, and here are the works I want to show you! And weʼre lucky—a snow fairy is here!» The elder pointed at the screen.
«Hi, Vidia!» a pale, blonde-haired fairy in a cerulean dress smiled. «I didnʼt know you were interested in photography.»
Vidia put on her best news-casting grin and spoke to the audience.
«Our camera crew (represented by me) was sent here to the Art Museum of Pixie Hollow. Now weʼll find out more about the exhibition. Weʼll let this frost fairy introduce herself. Alright, frosty, youʼre on the air.»
The frost fairy giggled. While she didnʼt know the fast flyer that well, she was familiar with Vidiaʼs complex temper and… original manner of speaking.
«Hello everyone! Iʼm Sparklene, a frost and snow fairy. Please take a look! These are not just drawings, but macro photographs of snowflakes and frostworks. Notice the incredible, elegant lines and shiny composition.»
«Yeah, itʼs real pretty,» muttered Vidia. «I just donʼt see what this has to do with the discussion. Fairy Mary, you were asked something about thermodynamics, right? So why are we floating around and looking at snowflake photos?»
Kirkomfort livened up.
«Oh thank Mother Dove that our impetuous reporter is on the side of truth! Thank you very much, Vidia, for your support!»
«Look, I was told to fly around with a camera because I am the fastest flying fairy,» Vidia answered, feeling bored now. «And as for your discussion, I donʼt give a flying…» Vidia actually caught herself this time, remembering that all of Pixie Hollow was watching her. «Er, I mean, Iʼm totally indifferent on this.»
«That aside, your argument, Reverend, is not correct,» said Fairy Mary. «Because the second law of thermodynamics only relates to closed systems. And our planet isnʼt one. The Sun warms the Earth. Youʼve asked me about snowflakes? Sparklene, please tell us.»
«Ah, I see where youʼre going! Look closely. These snowflakes appeared naturally. The structure of the ice crystals look ordered, even though no frost fairy touched it. Are you surprised? Itʼs true—frost fairies cannot create every snowflake on the planet and every frostwork on every window. That would be way too overwhelming. We just watch and carefully guide the cold streams while working side-by-side with other fairies to keep the fragile balance in nature.»
«Thank you, Sparklene. Now my point should make more sense,» the clever tinker pronounced. «As you can see, natural processes do not always lead to disorder. By the way, Reverend, could you perhaps tell us about the remaining laws of thermodynamics?»
Fairy Mary had caught him, and she knew it.
«That has nothing to do with our discussion!» the red-faced reverend shouted, quite embarrassed. «All of your ridiculous attempts to refute our holy beliefs pain me! Deep in your heart you know that you are wrong. You deny the intelligent design of Mother Dove, eternal glory to Her. That is complete impudence! The only thing that saves the Pixie Hollow from wallowing in sin is our holy belief. The Holy Scripture gives us morals! To oppose Mother Dove is to support violence, chaos, and lewd acts! You and your unfaithful henchmen are dangerous to the entire Hollow!»
«Excuse me!» Fairy Mary was filled with indignation. «Not once have Tinkers ever called for violence! It makes absolutely no sense! However, from records of the past, and especially of the Middle Ages, we know that those who follow the ʻholyʼ Scripture have used violence before. Many wise and innocent fairies were judged according to the law of your ʻholyʼ scripture. They were imprisoned, banished forever from Pixie Hollow, and even worse!»
«What do you mean ʻworseʼ? Tell us the details.» Kirkomfort attempted to trap her with this, but Fairy Mary easily avoided it.
«The details are totally inappropriate for an evening TV-show. It would be morally wrong for me to say those things now. For those who wish to know more, they are more than welcome to seek their own answers in the Main Library where everything is documented.»
«Oh? Morality?» the creationist quickly changed the topic. «Well, how can you judge what is ʻmoralʼ? Who are the adoveists to say what is moral? They have no values system. ʻThe seats are up for grabsʼ—those are your words!»
«Reverend, you donʼt quite understand me. Iʼm saying that enlightenment doesnʼt have to lead to violence and hatred. Whatʼs the good in it? We just donʼt need it!»
Tinker Bell had had just about enough. She was bright red and fighting to keep her mouth shut. Doing the smart thing, she switched the camera to automatic mode and got up from the table to move into the hall to calm down when Queen Clarion quietly waved to her. The young tinker sighed heavily and sat down next to the sovereign.
«Your Majesty, why donʼt you interfere?» Tink asked. «You can see as well as I can that Kirkomfort doesnʼt care about the truth! He only cares about being a big bully. He wants power.»
«Tinker Bell, you know very well that the freedom of speech is an undeniable right of every Pixie Hollow citizen, including Reverend Kirkomfort.»
«Does he also have the right to slander? He is constantly straying off subject, he has no proof of anything, heʼs blaming people for nothing, he tramples on our achievements, and he just makes Fairy Mary mad!» The tinker brought a tiny, angry fist down onto the table. «I really donʼt think heʼs as holy as everyone says he is!»
«Please, Tinker Bell, be calm. I donʼt like the discussion either, but I cannot intervene and make either of them feel like they arenʼt having their say. At this point, it would be worse for me to step in. Besides, the goal of this discussion isnʼt to make one side right and the other wrong—itʼs to learn. Fairy Mary might really be able to open Kirkomfortʼs eyes to see less narrowly. And, in turn, he may make fairies like you take a more serious look at enlightenment. Besides, you must remember that thereʼs freedom of belief in Pixie Hollow and…»
The queen wanted to continue her small lecture, but a cry from the broadcast studio distracted the entire audience, the sovereign included.
Fairy Mary held her tongue, unable to answer to whatever Kirkomfort had just said. Tinker Bell could tell that her leader was either about to burst into tears or pounce on Kirkomfort and beat him with her fists, though both options would definitely admit her defeat.
«So, youʼre keeping silent? The truth hurts, doesnʼt it?» the creationist grinned, feeling very confident in his victory. Fairy Mary drew in a deep breath, glaring at the revered.
«Hey!» Vidia called out, before Mary could say something sheʼd regret.
«Who is that? What?» Kirkomfort looked around, his eyebrow raised.
«Itʼs the ʻimpetuousʼ reporter. Surprised?» Vidia gave her signature sassy look into the camera.
«Quiet! You have no right to interfere!»
«And you, Mr. Reverend doveist-creationist, have no right to pin the blame on Fairy Mary. Itʼs true that I donʼt really care about your meaningless discussion, but Iʼm sick of listening to you lie!»
«Who are you to talk? You are infamous for lying! I seem to remember you and some sprinting thistles. Hm?»
«Look, Fairy Mary is holding something back because sheʼs too uncomfortable to say it. But Iʼm not. I can do it for her.»
«Honey, please donʼt…» Fairy Mary was barely audible as she said this, looking away and feeling unsure.
Vidia was silent for a moment but decided she was strong enough to do this now. She stared into the camera and began her story.
«It was during a celebration for Mother Dove. For the celebration, wax candles were lit in every house and important building to honor Her (because She, if she exists, apparently cares so much about old candles). Anyway… Fairies have been using lamps for as long as I can remember, and for a good reason. Some genius brought ritual candles into the Main Library of Pixie Hollow. In dusty places like the library where thereʼs nothing but dry leaves and old journals, fire can destroy everything in a couple of minutes. And thatʼs exactly what happened. I know, because I was there.»
«You? In the library? Thatʼs hardly believable.» the theist made a wry face.
«I wanted to learn more about the fastest flying fairies,» explained Vidia. «But thatʼs not the point. Fairy Mary had been in the library that night, just as she is most nights, going over documents and archiving things. I noticed the fire quickly and rushed for help. Fairy Mary was busy trying her hardest to rescue valuable and ancient scrolls from the fire. Jacques, who was working in the library, tried to help her out but all hell broke loose. The burning bookcase collapsed and fell on Jacques. Fairy Mary abandoned the scrolls to come to the poor guyʼs rescue. Water fairies arrived and started putting out the fire while we carried Jacques out. He survived, but he was burned really badly and completely lost his wings. The point is, Fairy Mary doesnʼt believe in your stricture…»
«Scripture!» Kirkomfort corrected her angrily. «Holy Scripture!»
«Scripture, picture, whatever!» snarled Vidia. «Fairy Mary doesnʼt believe in your Holy Dove, but she values her brethrenʼs life as much (and probably even more so!), dear Reverend. Let me tell the story to the end: Fairy Mary helped us to carry Jacques away and then she saved the water fairies and me. She yelled at us to stop putting out the fire and just to fly for our lives. We found out later that the entire place would have collapsed on us at any moment!»
«So adoveists are capable of self-sacrifice?» Kirkomfort replied venomously. «I donʼt believe it. You adoveists just shamelessly lie to cover each other up!»
«Look at that, a non-believer.» Vidia frowned acrimoniously. «Fairy Mary is just too kind and polite to deal with you. You donʼt believe me? I donʼt need you to. By the way, let me repeat this in case youʼve forgotten: I donʼt care about your Mother Dove. I have no idea whether or not she exists. I am agnostic! Let me guess—youʼve never heard of that, have you?» she folded her arms defiantly. «But go ahead and prove it to me. Whatʼs that line in the script? Something about ʻthe crown of the Home Treeʼ? I donʼt remember. The point is, thatʼs where you say your precious Mother Dove lives and yet Iʼve been there lots of times—no dove. Itʼs empty. Just some jays and sparrows flying around.»
The scornful grin suddenly faded away from the creationistʼs face, and his expression brightened as if a light bulb suddenly flickered on in his head.
«My dear fast flying fairy,» he addressed her in an oily voice. «I am so pleased that you are familiar with the Scripture.»
«You mean the ʻHoly Scriptureʼ,» Vidia lightheartedly corrected.
«Yes, Holy,» admitted the creationist with a deceptive lightness. «Actually, the modern word ʻcrownʼ implies something different, namely the highest point relative to the Home Tree.»
«What do you mean?» Vidia inquired curiously.
«That means that the Nest of the Holy Mother Dove is on the top of the highest mountain of our island. How sad that no fairy can reach it. Otherwise we could prove right now that the Scripture is true.»
«You said no fairy can reach it?» Vidiaʼs eyes lit up with an unhealthy ardor. «Let me find out! Once and for all!»
The fast flyer quickly fastened her camera to the belt around her waist. The viewers had hardly any time to react before Vidia was rushing straight to the height of the mountain. Pixie Hollowʼs quickest fairy ascended swiftly, but the higher she got the tougher it was to fly. Chilly valley breezes quickly changed to cold mountain air, and that air soon became as cold as ice. The snowstorm clouded the view of the camera, and implied that the equipment and Vidia were being pelted by wind and snow. But even that could not break Vidiaʼs firm determination.
The transmission became worse—both image and sound were fuzzy and distorted. Through the crackling audio, they could hear Vidia shout,
«Iʼve almost reached it!»
She was finding it harder to breathe, however, as she made her way through the blizzard. The viewers themselves lost track of time, lost in the moment as the entire population of Pixie Hollow gazed at the airvisors.
«Iʼm there!» Vidia screamed excitedly, wiping the cameraʼs lens the best she could, though it did little to help. «You think a dove could survive up here? Not even hawks can get up this high! Checkmate, Reverend!»
«Why donʼt you look better?» the creationist said, confused. «There must be a nest, there must be!»
«L-learn to admit your m-mistakes, Reverend! Let me fly ba-a-a-a…,» the camera tilted downwards and nothing but the snow was visible. Reverend Kirkomfort was about to take off his hat in honor to the brave fallen fairy, but suddenly the screen flickered.
«Friends! Help me!» implored Vidia, with her voice shivering. Everyone knew it had to be bad if Vidia was asking for help.
«I canʼt move my wings! Theyʼre frozen from the raining snow. I canʼt fly! I can hardly move! Iʼm fr-fre-freezing!»
Kirkomfort bowed his head, beginning to pray.
«Oh, Mother Dove, save us all from…»
Tinker Bell burst into the frame, pushing him away and shouting into the camera.
«Vidia! Hold on! Rescue is on the way! Donʼt stop moving however you can. If the slope isnʼt too steep, just try to climb down as far as you can. If you notice us first, break the camera—itʼs full of pixie dust that will flare up so we can find you!»
The creationist wanted to slip away from the chaotic studio but Tink instantly grabbed him by the shoulders and demanded menacingly,
«Boosters!»
«Wh-what?» Kirkomfort stammered.
«Where are the pixie dust jet boosters? You took them away from me last year!»
«Oh, the gray pipes… The-theyʼre in the ce-cellar. In the storeroom of the Home Tr-ree.»
«Iʼll deal with you later, Reverend!» Tink nearly whirled into the cellar, but, suddenly remembering something, she stayed for just a second more to say, «Friends, please help me to equip my balloon! We need lamps, signal rockets, sticky tape or ropes, a big thermos with hot honey tea, warm clothes and more pixie dust! Go!»
The young tinker rushed into the cellar while the TV centre in the Home Tree buzzed like the inside of an alarmed beehive.
«Please work, please work!» Tinker Bell chanted hopefully as she sprinkled a bit of glowing pixie dust over the experimental boosters that had been lying in storage for a considerable amount of time. The heavy pipes at once became lighter than the air and the young tinker wasted no time celebrating as she pulled the rockets with her as if they were balloons. In the meanwhile, the other fairies prepared the airship and other supplies for its launch. Without delay, Tink attached the boosters to the ship with ropes and sticky tape. There was no time, unfortunately, to make a better control system or for proper rigging.
«Letʼs take a chance!» The young inventor patted the grey cylinders before hopping into the body of the airship, and she was readying the controls when her fairy friends surrounded her, wanting to fly with her at all costs.
«Weʼll help you, Tink. Weʼll weaken the snow storm!» announced the frost fairies.
«And we can pacify the rain a bit!» offered the water talents.
«Let us find some ravens, and we can have them search the mountain!» thought up the animal fairies.
The gifted Tinker thought it over quickly and then promptly took the hand of the humble light fairy standing just outside the airship.
«Iridessa, please come with me!»
«Me?» the tanned fairy asked gingerly. «Perhaps it would be better…»
«I wonʼt find Vidia without bright light!»
«Well letʼs take with us…»
«The ship can only lift three fairies, and now I have this heavy equipment on it. Besides, you are the only other one who can pilot the balloon. Iry, please!»
«Alright then, come what may…» sighed the light fairy, climbing on board with the tinker.
They took off then, removing the anchor from the large branch that the dustfloater had been resting on. As soon as the ship rose over the crown of the Home Tree, Tinker Bell commanded her friend bravely.
«Activate the jet boosters!»
«Um… what?»
«Ignite the fuse with your light rays. Yeah, youʼve got it! Now hold on tight!»
The light fairy had no time to say, «Oh!» before a fountain of flame, sparks, and smoke shot up from under the ship. A whirlwind of circling dust particles were left behind. The machine soared up into the sky, the jet boosters worked perfectly. Itʼs a pity that the rockets only lasted a short time before they began to belch out a pungent smoke and the airship slowed down. Tinker Bell kept her head, however, and quickly snipped the ropes holding the rocket on, and letting the pipes fall somewhere into the Winter Forest below.
«Letʼs switch on the propellers!» the tinker fairy pulled the lever and two ducted fans made of wood leaped out. Little motors began working and the airship continued gathering way. There wasnʼt a moment to lose, but the dustfloater as ill luck would have it, was flying slowly. There was nothing to be done—a balloon with propellers is not an airplane.
It became darker. The sun sank below the horizon and the enchanted island was sinking into twilight faster and faster. The stars began to show. More and more stars appeared on a sapphire sky but the brightest star was not in sky—it was floating above the Winter Forest to the peak of the snow mountain. While Iridessa was lighting all the lamps, Tink bent over the folder with leaves.
She tried to estimate where her troubled and freezing friend could be.
«So, if we launch a signal rocket from here, Vidia will notice it and send us a response.»
«But what if she doesnʼt notice it? Or we might overlook her signal. Itʼs snowing really hard!»
«Weʼll launch our rockets anyway. Sooner or later itʼll work. Oh, wait a bit. I have an idea!»
Meanwhile, Reverend Kirkomfort went on with his business. As the saying goes, no matter what, the show must go on.
«…Everyone will get it, who dares to throw doubt on our Holy truth!» The creationist grew bolder. Fairy Mary crossly looked at her opponent but she could contain herself—she answered with a confident tone.
«Reverend, Iʼm astonished by your hard-heartedness! Thanks to you, our best fast flying fairy is in trouble. The most talented young tinker and a skillful light fairy went on the look for a friend who you put into terrible danger. While you…»
«The Holy Mother Dove, eternal glory to Her, works in mysterious ways!» rejected Kirkomfort.
The elder tinker gasped, deeply offended. The creationist would surely continue to vex her (and many viewers as well), but the main screen in the studio suddenly switched on. Initially, the image was blurry, but then it became crisper and crisper: the snow and rain shroud was covering the dark slope of snowcapped mountain. The brave tinkerʼs voice was heard off-screen.
«Fairy Mary, can you hear me? Iridessa and I are flying to the mountain peak. Do you see the slope?»
«Tink! Iridessa! Thank goodness youʼre both alive!» the more experienced tinker had doubts about boostersʼ safety, though she trusted Tinker Bell. «Have you found Vidia?»
«Not yet. Weʼve mounted the camera under our ship. Now weʼll start launching the signal rockets. Please keep an eye out! If you see the yellow spark, most likely thatʼs Vidiaʼs response. Weʼll look as well, but the more eyes, the better.
«Weʼve got it, honey. Go ahead!» answered Fairy Mary. The lights were turned off in the studio, so it would be easier to spot the little spark that may appear on the airvisors at any moment. But suddenly, something amazing and unexpected happened. At that very moment, all of the fairies switched off the lights in the entire Pixie Hollow. Queen Clarionʼs face lit up for the first time in the evening. It was so gratifying for her to see the sign of agreement and unity. Once again, hope for a better future began to twinkle in the night.
The first red rocket burned over the slope. Iridessa used all her abilities to make the light as bright as possible. However, the glow quickly burned down. Tinker Bell looked very intently—are there any sparks of pixie dust? Alas, no response. Another rocket started. All the citizens of Pixie Hollow and all fairies in the studio looked very closely, but they saw just raindrops and snowflakes on their screens. The airship flew further, on a big arc, around the slope, closer to the peak, where Vidia most likely was. More rockets were flying up, illuminating the sky with scarlet fire flowers, but no response appeared.
«Iridessa, wait a minute. Letʼs fly a little higher. Or letʼs fly to the side, she might be trying to climb down the other side of the mountain with whatever strength she has left… she doesnʼt give up easily.»
Tinker Bell clung to the side of the airship, hardly blinking and trying to keep her hopes up.
«Whatever you say…» sadly responded the light fairy.
«Weʼll find her! We will!» the tinker repeated, believing herself.
«How? Tons of time is needed to look over every single spot on this slope on the mountain alone! Tink, Iʼm sorry but…»
«Iʼm not listening to that!»
«Just look around! We donʼt see anything. Weʼre going to freeze to death up here ourselves!»
«Launch another one!» Tinker Bell cut her short.
One more fiery cloud lit up the mountainside. It went dark again. All was quiet again. The wind continued to howl, and rain and snow hindered the flight and caused the ship to stray from the right path.
«Keep calm. Let me think it out,» said Tink to herself, «Weʼd reach the peak towards morning, if my balloon can even go up that high. But I did tell Vidia to try and climb down…»
«Do you think weʼll find her?»
«Just a second, Iridessa, Iʼm thinking. She wonʼt give up. Vidia will keep fighting and go till the end. Iʼm sure, she could remember the direction and now she is heading to Pixie Hollow. Letʼs fly straight. Please launch another rocket!»
One more bud of fire lighted the coal-black sky.
«Tink! Iʼve noticed a yellow spark on the screen!» sounded from the TV camera.
«Hurry!» exclaimed young tinker, «where?! Fairy Mary, where did you see it?»
«Look at the viewfinder. Iʼll describe it in polar coordinates. Imagine the clock dial in the middle of the screen. Draw an imaginary line from the center on 8 oʼclock till the end of the screen. Divide the line to two sevenths. Thatʼs where it should be.»
«Iʼve got it, fairy Mary! Thank you!» Tink answered briskly.
«Iridessa, weʼre changing our course. Descend.»
The airship headed to the ground. The tops of pines were closer and closer. By now, some stones on the ground were visible. The balloon slowed down.
«Can you see anything?» the tinker opened her eyes and looked wherever she could.
Iridessa gathered the light from all the lamps in one bright beam. The searchlight pierced the night darkness.
«Sorry, Tink. No one is here.»
«I think I just saw something flash over there!» Tink lit up with hope. The airship flew some more yards (not less than a good field for a fairy).
«Whatʼs that?» Iridessa asked, pointing.
Tinker Bell looked excitedly but her face was quickly replaced with a disappointed frown.
«Just lost things. Some kind of a shiny glass or metal. Letʼs take off! Weʼll search for Vidia all night if we have to! We will find her!» Tink was about to burst into tears—she could barely hold up, «launch the last rockets! We have two more!»
Another red glow. And another. The last flickering lights burned out and the darkness cloaked the slope again. Iridessa silently looked at Tink. The young tinker was not crying—she was staring away with empty eyes. But suddenly, the pain had to be pushed away and resolute determination fired in her soul.
«Weʼll not go back a step!» she said definitely, «Losing your best friend—thatʼs the worst way to begin the age of Enlightenment!» Tink grabbed a pencil again.
«What did you think of?» asked the light fairy.
The tinker, in response, deduced on the leaf some mathematical expressions and formulas, several times checking her map and notes. The gifted fairy finished her estimations and asked,
«Iry, please squeeze everything from our lamps and point the spotlight over there. Yes, like that. No, a wider angle! More! Thatʼs better. Wait, a hair to the left! Now higher. Thatʼs it! Weʼll fly in that direction. Look closer, Vidia might send us a response at any moment.»
The entire Pixie Hollow fixed their eyes on the screens. Rain and snow lighted by lamps obscured the mountain. Iridessa was having a hard time but the fairy didnʼt complain—she amplified the dim glow, turning it into a bright and powerful spot light.
«Come on, Vidia!» repeated Tink, «please, get it! I know you are suffering. I know, youʼre pinched with cold and youʼve almost lost hope. But I believe in you. I know, youʼll not drop down on your knees, youʼll not sink into despair and appeal to some imaginary supernatural forces lamenting your fate. You and I both know that only reason can save you. If only you could know how deeply I want to find you… Just a moment… Yes! Iridessa, look over there!» shouted Tink. The light fairy squinted, peering in that direction.
«What did you see?»
«Vidia gives us a signal! Full speed ahead!» The tinker threw more pixie dust onto the controls, «itʼs her! Look at that spark—itʼs definitely a reflection of our lightbeam! Vidia signaled us with a mirror. Sheʼs a genius! I guess we missed her first signal, but she was smart enough to take along a mirror splinter and find a glade. Weʼve almost found her!»
Minutes seemed like hours. The brave fairies were flying to the flickering that was barely seen through the snow and rain. Suddenly the little spark disappeared.
«Iridessa, we need more light!» Tink cried.
Her tired travelling companion gathered all her remaining energy to light up the way in front of the ship. The dustfloater was still in mid air, but the fairies were already feeling excitement and fear—they could see Vidia. She was lying motionless on the glade. She had probably tried to burrow into the snow to hold out until rescue, or she had simply fallen down as all her energy was drained and she had lost all hope. Tink dropped the anchor and jumped onto the snowy mountain slope, running to Vidia. Iridessa lingered behind a bit, but caught up quickly. In that moment, both fairiesʼ hearts sank. They saw a sharp fragment of broken mirror with blood traces on the edges. There was no time to be terrified—in no time fairies pulled Vidia out of the snowdrift. Finally they were lucky—the fast flying fairy was alive! Poor Vidia was trembling all over, she was unconscious, but she was still breathing feebly. Tink and Iridessa wrapped Vidia in a blanket and hurried to get back to the ship. The rain continued to mercilessly pelt them and make it hard for them to move, but they refused to give up.
«Hold on, Vidia, youʼre with us. Weʼve got you, donʼt give up!» the tinker spoke with a shivering voice, as she hastily tended to the wound on her palm.
Her words couldnʼt do much for poor Vidia, however.
The unfortunate fairy was blue with cold and her clothes were soaking wet. Vidia desperately needed warmth.
«Tink, Iridessa, whatʼs going on? Please respond.» Maryʼs voice sounded from the camera that was still fastened outside. No response. Fairy Mary had a worried expression on her face, and she looked at queen Clarion, who had joined the guests in main studio. She was at her wits end and hoped that the Reverend wouldnʼt open his mouth and start vexing everyone with his attitudes as they all desperately wanted to know if the three young girls lost in the woods were alright.
Fortunately the picture from the airship camera changed—Iridessa appeared in frame.
«Vidia is fine! Weʼre flying home.» The tired but happy light fairy barely finished saying these words as the fairies of Pixie Hollow rejoiced. Their hearts were filled with joy and happiness knowing Vidia had been saved. Iridessa moved the camera, panning quickly over some burning lamps, different equipment, a compass, empty pixie dust barrels, and a little pile of soaking wet clothes before she rested the camera on the two girls huddled together to show that Vidia was with them.
The tinker carefully wrapped up her friend in multiple blankets, hugging her tightly so the poor fairy could get warm faster. The fast flying fairy was still shivering, but as she felt warmth she began slowly regaining her consciousness.
«Itʼs a dream… What a nice one…» whispered the chilled fairy, «how sad itʼs the last one…»
Tink flinched as she heard those words.
«Vid, no, what are you saying? Open your eyes, please, please,» Tink begged. «Youʼre with us, on our airship, weʼre flying home. Youʼre okay.» Small tears formed in the corners of her eyes, and she pressed her forehead against Vidiaʼs.
«No, thatʼs my imagination…» babbled Vidia, almost deliriously, «Iʼm lying in snow… and my body is giving up its last warmth…»
«Vidia, please, hold on, I beg you!» Tinker Bell sobbed violently. The young tinker squeezed her tighter, clinging to her hope. With all of her heart, she wanted Vidia to just open her eyes and stay with her.
In contrast to some other fairies who believed Vidia to be quarrelsome, haughty and egotistic, Tink knew very well that the fastest flyer did have a sensible, kind and very vulnerable soul. Sometimes, a thorny armor is needed to save something fragile and tender. So Tink couldnʼt let her go, not now. She would protect her friend no matter what anyone else thought.
«Tink? Is that really you?» Vidia was barely audible as she opened her eyes slowly, blinking and peering up at the tinker holding her.
«Yes, yes, itʼs me. Iʼm so glad that youʼre alive! I was so worried about you, Vidia!» Tinker Bellʼs face brightened up, but tears were still rolling down her cheeks. She was crying out of sheer joy now. Vidia smiled weakly, and tenderly hugged her savior.
«Thanks, Tink.» Vidia closed her eyes and rested her head against the girl beside her, whispering. «I knew youʼd find me.»
«Well, I wouldnʼt have made it without Iridessa,» Tink admitted, wiping her cheeks. She calmed down a bit as she realized Vidia really was alright. The light fairy smiled.
«Welcome back!»
«Hi sunshine,» Vidia replied hoarsely, but playfully. She had just noticed Iridessa, although she was next to her the entire time. Tink drew an easy breath; Vidia was still herself, her tone conveyed that.
«So, how did the discussion end?» Vidia asked in a half-whisper. Tink wouldnʼt bother telling her to hush; Vidia was too proud to let on that she was in pain and would pretend to be alright anyway.
«I donʼt know, actually. We stopped caring and came to help you,» quietly answered tinker, «And, really, you finished it in a pretty great way. ʻCheckmate!ʼ» She smiled. «Hey, why donʼt we really play a game or two sometime?»
Vidia took a sip of a hot honey tea and said,
«Sure, why not… Oh, thanks, Iridessa, thatʼs delicious… Weʼll play, as long as no one forbids chess as the ʻdevils gameʼ for it being intellectual.»
«Oops…» the light fairy looked sheepish.
«What happened? Did we stray from the right course?» Tinker Bell was about to jump out of the warm cocoon, but Iridessa stopped her.
«No, donʼt worry. Just… our camera was switched on the whole time.»
In embarrassment, Tink looked at Iridessa and then at the camera. After that, the friends burst out laughing merrily. Vidia cleared her throat and said, after the laughter had died down a bit,
«Itʼs midnight in Pixie Hollow. Breaking news—your beloved fast flying fairy is safe and sound! Letʼs end tonightʼs show on that good note. Good night, everyone!»
The camera on the airship switched off.
The fairies in Pixie Hollow were not sleeping; they were watching the show till the end. No wonder! It wasnʼt every day that one could watch an amazing adventure unfurl before their very eyes.
«Allow me please to say the last word,» Kirkomfort asked politely, «My opponent began the discussion, so why couldnʼt I end it?» he gave a sugary smile.
«Freedom of speech is your inalienable right, Reverend,» answered queen Clarion.
«Thank you! Allow me please in the name of everyone give thanks to Mother Dove, eternal glory to Her, that she rescued the fast flying fairy. The audacious fairy was saved entirely due Her mercy, eternal glory to Her, due our holy belief and my prayers. Let it remain as…»
«However,» the sovereign strictly interrupted him, «You have no right to tell blatant lies. Also, you have no right to slander, and no right to push religious propaganda on an island-wide television broadcast. Those brave friends rescued Vidia. They ignored the threat and relied entirely on their knowledge and skills. Yes, luck also played its role, but it does not confirm (and certainly does not disprove, either) the belief that an omnipotent fictional character exists in reality.»
Concluding remarks were addressed to the viewers and not to the creationist personally.
«Tonight weʼve clearly seen that the time is now for a fresh look at many traditions and beliefs. Formerly, our knowledge about the world was poor and disjointed. We believed that the Earth was flat and that volcanoes were gates to the underground kingdom of dragons. Times are changing! Every day we discover more and more about the mysteries of nature. And trust me, no matter what the truth will be, weʼll find much more beauty and magic in it, than in all ancient legends that some time were considered as absolute truth. A new age is coming to Pixie Hollow—the age of discoveries and enlightenment. And tonight, weʼve obviously witnessed that intelligence and reasoning perfectly coincides with sincere kindness and bright friendship.»
Summer 2012
Scorpy
firescorpy(АТ)ya . ru
P. S. Scarletcriminal, once again thank you very much for your great editing! I really appreciate your support!
u/2133204/scarletcriminal