Chapter 1

The Museum of Natural History in New York was as busy as ever. Since it started opening at night, it had seen a skyrocketing in profits. Children loved the touchable, life-like exhibits that talked with them about their contribution to history. What most people didn't understand was that the exhibits were not some new, incredible piece of technology, but that it was the Tablet of Ankhmenrah, the young pharaoh on display in the Ancient Egyptian department. It had spell on it that it would bring to life the exhibits of the building it was in from sun-down till sun-up.

Larry Daley, the night-guard, his son Nick, and their friend Rebecca Hutman were the only ones who really knew about the magic of the Tablet. Well, the three previous night-guards knew, but they were nowhere near the museum for fear that Larry would turn them in for the attempted robbery of the museum they had almost pulled off when Larry first took the job of guard.

Thursday, January 12th was no different than any other night. There were plenty of visitors during the day, and many more during the late hours. Larry Daley stood in the corner, watching the museum inhabitants interact with the visitors. Teddy Roosevelt was making his rounds of the first floor on his trusty steed Tex, Ankhmenrah was explaining his tablet to a group of disinterested twelve year olds, and Rexy was scaring the living daylights out of a couple of teenage guys. Larry knew he would find Atilla the Hun telling stories to laughing six, seven, and eight year olds, and the Easter Island Head asking all the "Dum-dums" if they had any "gum-gum". Sacajawea was narrating the trek through the Louisiana Purchase to a group of admirers while Lewis and Clark argued about it. Dexter, as usual, was causing kinds of trouble in the Hall of African Mammals. Basically, it was a normal night.

However, it was far from a normal night for a tiny, winged creature. Leda, you see, was a fairy. Most of that stuff in Peter Pan about fairies is true. Born of a baby's first laugh, they have many different abilities, most of which allows them to change the seasons. However, Neverland is all from Mr. J. M. Barrie's imagination; fairies live in remote areas like woods, meadows, and such that are rarely visited by humans.

Now, the reason it was far from a normal night for Leda was the fact that there are Elves too. Just as small as fairies, they live in the same remote places as far from large human populations as possible. The thing is that certain elves do not get along with fairies very well, as some elves are sorcerers, and few of them liked capturing fairies to test new spells on very much. One such elf was Omerus.

He had captured Leda and used her because she had spurned his romantic advances toward her. In his anger and malice, he created a new spell just for her. Leda knew whatever Omerus had in store for was not good the minute he captured her, but she was not prepared for spell he threw at her. It hit her like a ton of bricks and engulfed her glowing form in dark magic. She was lifted into the air, agonizing pain stabbing through her back as her glittering wings disappeared. Avelon screamed, but Omerus just smiled evilly. As the pain in her back receded, Avelon's entire body suddenly felt like it was on fire as the spell drained her of her powers, the magical glow that surrounded her fading away to nothing.

It stopped as suddenly as it had started, leaving a limp Leda floating before Omerus. Please let it be over, thought Leda weakly. However, that was not all Omerus had up his sleeve. Chanting another spell, he magical sent her to a place he knew she would never get the help she would need, a place she would be extremely lucky to survive. He sent her to the nearest human city: New York.

Now, there was one good thing about Omerus's last spell; he could not specifically control where he sent someone. He could only direct them to an area, like New York. If he could, he most certainly would not have allowed Leda to end up where she did. Speeding along like a tiny shooting star, Avelon landed right on the step of the Museum of Natural History. In fact, she hit the door hard enough for Larry to hear, but soft enough that he was not sure he had heard it or not. He peered out into the cold snowy weather through the windows, but could not see the tiny, unconscious form slumped against the door.

Leda woke hours later, near dawn. The first thing she knew was that she was freezing. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying in little snow drift. Painfully, she rose, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. Her leaf and petal dress did little to protect her from the artic blasts of wind that the coldest hour before dawn threw at her.

Leda knew Omerus had sent her to a human city immediately, but she did not what to do since she had lost her wings. So, she did the only thing she could think of; moved the snow out of the corner of a pillar, and snuggle down against the pillar where she was mostly out of sight and shielded from the wind.

What was she going to do? She was a fairy! She most certainly did not belong in a human city! Without her wings and powers, she had little chance of getting home. With these thoughts chasing each other around her head, she eventually fell asleep against the column.

Leda woke a few hours later when tour guides started showing up for work. Not long afterward, many other humans showed up. In fact, humans were going in and out of the building all day, and Leda spent her time trying to keep out of sight and find food. The problem was that the gigantic humans scared her and they were everywhere. As night began to fall and most of the human had left the building, Leda started thinking about where she could spend the night. She doubted she could survive another night like last night. She decided she should probably get inside, but how? Finally it hit her. Go in with the humans. Suddenly, she spotted a man in dark grey pans, shirt, and jacket with a back tie come up the steps. As he neared, Leda gathered up all her courage and grabbed ahold of his pants hem, and allowed him to take her inside.

As soon as they were in, Leda let go of the pant hem and ran for the cover a bench. First thing she noticed was that it was warm. She knew that she was surrounded by humans, but she didn't care. She was sitting against the bench leg and relishing the warmth, when the whole world began to shake violently. Deafening rumbles echoed everywhere. It seemed to last nearly an eternity before it passed. Leda slowly opened her eyes and rose from the fetal position she had tucked herself into. What was happening?

Chapter 2

Larry Daley ran up the stairs of the museum, eager to see his friends inside. Nick's birthday was coming up in a few weeks and he want to see what the museum inhabitants would think of a after-hours surprise party for Nick. All of the inhabitants were good friends with his son. He never noticed the tiny girl hitching a ride on the hem of his pants nor did he see her run for the safety of the bench's shadows. He just went over to the lobby desk to wait. Five minutes later, the sun set and the entire museum began waking up. Teddy, Tex, and Rexy began to stir from their places in the lobby. Teddy greeted Larry and rode off in calling for youngsters to join him on a tour of the museum. Rexy went on with his habit of scaring the living day-lights out of bored teenaged boys. It was another normal night and eventually the museum closed for the night. As Larry finished locking the doors for the night, Rexy went over began nudging Larry, begging for a game of fetch. The night guard laughed as the dinosaur ripped off one of his own ribs and dropped it at Larry's feet. Hunkering down, Rexy waited in anticipation. Larry picked up the bone and threw it as far as he could. Meanwhile, Leda cowered under the bench as Rexy's thunderous footfalls rocked through her little world. Larry went to go find Ankhmenrah to see what he thought of the surprise party idea. Seeing that Ankhmenrah was the pharaoh around there, Larry figured he should ask his permission first, then Teddy's.

After the earthquake that was Rexy dissipated, Leda sensed that she might need to find a safer place that beneath the bench to stay the night in. She began wandering the massive corridors, trying to find a place to rest. Being an excellent climber, she finally just climbed up the leg of yet another bench (there seemed to be many of them) up to the seat where, utterly exhausted, she collapsed and fell asleep.

A little while later, Jed and Octavius, who were cruising around in a RC car, drove by. Out of the corner of his eye, Jed saw something up on the edge of the bench seat. Applying the brakes, he tried to get a good look at it, but it was too high.

"What is it, Jedediah?" Octavius asked.

"Don't know." Jed answered. "What's that up there?"

"I haven't the foggiest."

Jed climbed out of the car. "Well let's find out." The cowboy and the Roman general began climbing the bench leg, and soon reached the top. As he hoisted himself up onto the seat, Jed saw what was up there and gasped. It was a girl, not from any of the exhibits as far as he could tell. She was lying stretched out asleep, her very long, curly chestnut colored hair splayed around her. She had fair skin and wore an ankle length skirt of creamy-white flower petals and a sleeveless top of leaves. She had white flowers in her hair and her feet were bare. Jed was sure he was dreaming. She looked so—-so-perfect—just sleeping there.

"By Jupiter! A nymph!" Jed heard Octavius whisper behind him.

"Oh, there ain't no such thang, Toga-Boy." Jed replied. "You go find Gigantor and tell him about her. I'll see if I cain't figure out who she is and why she's here." With a nod, the Roman climbed back down the bench, got back in the car, and drove off in search of Larry. Jed knelt down beside the girl. Maybe Octavius is right, he thought as he looked down at her. She seems too perfect to be human or somethin'. Slipping off his hat, Jed reached over and gently shook the girl to wake her up. All she did was give a soft moan and turned from her side onto her back. Jed tried again, but to no avail. So, the cowboy just sat down nearby to wait for Octavius and Larry's return. Every once in a while he sneaked a peek at the sleeping girl. She looks like that Sleeping Beauty or somethin' like that" he thought.

Finally, Larry arrived with Teddy and Octavius. The two men crouched down by the bench to get a better look. "What do you make of her?" asked Octavius.

"I'm not sure." Said Larry, looking concerned.

"If I didn't know better," said Teddy, "I'd say she was Thumblina."

"Who?" asked Jed.

"Thumblina is a fairytale about a tiny girl just about your size." Teddy answered. Jed looked down at the girl. Well, she was just about his size. Actually, he was pretty sure that she was smaller than him.

"What should we do with her, my liege?" Octavius finally asked. "She is clearly in some sort of deep sleep."

"If that is the case, it is more than likely that sleep is what she needs." Teddy said wisely. "We should probably leave her be for now." Larry held out his hand for Octavius and Jed to step onto. After a moment of thought, Jed scooped the girl up in his arms and found her to be amazingly light.

"I'll take her back to town with me." The cowboy said. "If we're gonna let her sleep, the least we can do is give her a bed to do it in." Larry nodded and carried them to the Wild West display. Jed carefully stepped off with his burden and headed over to the hotel where he could rent her a room with a decent bed in it. Larry let Octavius get off at the Rome display.

"Help Jed keep an eye on her, okay?" Larry said.

"Of course, my liege," Octavius bowed.

Chapter 3

Jed made his way to the hotel in town. Once inside, he rented a room from the clerk and carried the girl up the stairs to her room. The clerk unlocked the door and let him in. It was not anything fancy, but the room was clean with a bright quilt on the bed and bright curtains at the windows. The clerk pulled the quilt and Jed gently laid her down and covered her up. Giving Jed the room key, he asked if Jed needed anything else. Jed shook his head, and the clerk left. Kneeling beside the bed, Jed brushed a strand of hair out of the girl's pale face. The longer he looked at it, the more tired he realized her face looked. He now noticed dark circles under her eyes.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Jedediah?" Octavius's voice sounded from the other side of the wood. Jed rose and opened the door, putting a finger to his lips to signal his friend to be quiet. The Roman entered as quietly as his armor permitted asking if Jed had seen any change in the girl. Jed shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. He was at a loss that what they could do for her. "Maybe we'd better let her be like Mr. Roosevelt said." he suggested.

"I don't know, Jedediah, what if she wakes up?" Asked Ochtavius. "Someone should be here in case that happens."

"Yer right," said Jed. "Sun's only a couple of hours from comin' up; why don't you head back over to Rome? I'll just stay here."

"Larry asked me to stay with you, Jedediah." Replied the Roman. "No, I'll stay, my friend." Jed smiled and nodded in gratitude, then knelt back down by the bed side, leaving Octavius the chair in the corner.

The two men took turns watching her while the other rested. Near dawn it was Jed's turn again. As he took his place at the bedside he wondered again about whom this girl was and how she got into the museum. As he mused, the girl suddenly began to stir. Jed started, but for naught. The girl never even opened her eyes before settling back down, but only for a moment. She began shifting restlessly in her sleep. Jed suddenly noticed that she looked more flushed than before. Octavius came over and laid a hand on her forehead. "She has a fever." He commented. "I'll get the doctor."

Dr. Brown was the best doctor in the territory and Jed knew that. So when Octavius returned with him, Jed stood and moved so that the doctor could examine his patient thoroughly. During Dr. Brown's fifteen minute examination Jed stood impatiently in the corner with Octavius who put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Jed could not explain it, but he somehow felt responsible for the girl.

Finally the doctor rose and packed his bag back up. "What's wrong with her, Doc?" Jed asked anxiously.

"Just as you thought, she has a fever." He replied, walking over to the washstand and pouring water into the basin and grabbing a rag. Dipping the rag in the water, he pressed it to her forehead, face, and neck. After a few minutes he passed it to Jed. "Keep bathing her face and neck like that; it'll help cool her down. Beyond that there's nothin' I can do 'til the worst is over and she wakes up."

"Come on, Doc, there has to be somethin'!"

Dr. Brown shook his head. "Beyond what you are doing, I'm afraid there isn't anything. It's all up to her." Jed nodded and thanked him for coming. Dr. Brown gave him a small bottle of medicine, telling him to give it to her when she woke. With a nod to both of them, Dr. Brown left. Jed set the bottle on the bedside table, sat on the edge of the bed, and began bathing her face like the doctor told them. After an hour, he gave the basin to Octavius while he went to get a bucket of water. When he returned, he found Octavius taking up where he left off. Seeing the Roman general in all his armor tending a sick girl was a rather interesting sight. Of course seeing rough and tough Jed doing it had been an interesting sight for Octavius too.

Jed set the bucket down near the washstand and collapsed into the chair in the corner where he promptly pulled his hat over his eyes, leaned his head back against the wall and dozed for the next hour. He and Octavius switched places again and Jed tended while Octavius slept.

Jed knew that dawn was approaching. He went over to his friend and roused him by shaking his shoulder and whispering "Up and at 'em, Toga-Boy!" loudly in his ear. Octavius started and looked up at him. "Ya gotta get goin', it's almost dawn." Said Jed. The Roman nodded, said farewell and left so he could get back to the Roman display before he froze. Jed just sat back down on the edge of the bed and continued bathing her face and neck until the dawn and he froze in place.

Chapter 4

When Jed woke the next evening, first thing he noticed was that the girl's face didn't look as flushed as the night before. He set the basin down on the bedside table, stood up and stretched. He went over to the window and gazed out, hands on his hips.

Leda was warm, and lying on something soft. She want to see where she was, but her eyelids were too heavy to open. She struggled half-heartedly, but stopped quickly. She was just too comfortable. She cat-napped for a while, then decided to go ahead and see where she was. She slowly opened her eyes. She was lying in a bed covered with a blanket made of lots of little shapes artistically pieced together. The walls of the room were white. Then she saw someone standing in front of the window opposite the bed. It was a man wearing strange clothes and hat. His back was towards her, so she licked her chapped lips and, closing her sleepy eyes again, asked "Where am I?"

Chapter 5

"Where am I?" a soft, sweet voice broke through Jed's thoughts. He whirled around to see the girl's eyes flutter. He was immediately kneeling at the bedside, feeling her forehead for signs of the fever, but he found none. The girl's eyes slowly opened to reveal that they were hazel. For a moment, Jed's excitement that her fever had broken held him speechless. Clearing his throat, he finally managed to answered her.

"Well, I see ya decided to rejoin the land of the living after all." He answered softly. "You're in a hotel room here in town."

"Town-" she murmured sleepily, "Yes, I was in a big building in a city-"

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Jed answered it, and Octavius came in. "She's awake." Jed said with a grin. The Roman instantly looked down at the figure on the bed. She was indeed awake, and watching them sleepily. "you were saying, Mr.-"

"Name's Jedediah, and this here is my friend Octavius." Jed answered. "I was saying that we were in town. This town is an exhibit in a museum."

"Museum?" Leda mind was still all fuzzy. Sleep was becoming more alluring by the second.

"You're still in the building you were in last night, my lady, I assure you." Octavius said.

Looking up at the man in red and silver armor, Leda nodded and surrendered to the soft waves of sleep that washed over her tired mind. Seeing the girl finally resting peacefully gave the cowboy and general satisfaction. They watched her sleep for a little while, then left to tell Larry and Teddy the news and to get some real sleep.