A pink butterfly fluttered through the blue sky, riding along on the light summer breeze. However, this wasn't any normal butterfly.
It was a fairy butterfly!
The fairy had long, wind-swept hair, and wore a light pink top and a short darker pink skirt. Under the skirt she had long black tights. She had matching light pink slippers. She looked to be about eleven.
The fairy was humming lightly as she flew around. She wasn't going anywhere in particular, just flying around for fun. She started singing quietly, not wanting to attract attention from the humans in the cul-de-sac below.
There's music in the treetops,
And there's music in the vale,
And all around the music fills the sky.
There's music by the river,
And there's music in the grass,
And the music makes your heart soar in reply.
The fairy wasn't paying much attention, and ended up flying too low to the ground. She panicked slightly when she heard two voices.
"There it is, Jimmy!" A girl behind her cried, "Catch it!"
"I got it, Sarah!" The boy called. The fairy felt a swoosh behind her, telling her she had almost been caught by the butterfly net.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" The fairy whispered in panic as she tried to fly away, but she wasn't that fast. She yelled out as she felt the enclosing feel of the netting fall over her.
"I got it, Sarah!" The boy who had caught her, Jimmy, called to his friend.
The fairy watched in fear as the boy closed the net by holding the top with his hand. The two kids looked at the fairy.
Oh, no, the fairy thought, I'm going to be discovered! Then the whole village will be in trouble!
"Jimmy, that's not a butterfly!" Sarah, the girl, gasped, "That's a fairy!"
"What?!" Jimmy gasped as he got a closer look, then started jumping around in triumph, "I knew it! I knew fairies were real!"
"It looks scared, Jimmy," Sarah said, a little worried.
"Please," the fairy spoke loudly, but to the kids it was barely louder that a whisper, "Please, let me go. No one can know."
"She can talk!" Jimmy said, "Cool!"
"What can't anyone know?" Sarah asked, interested.
"Let me out and I'll tell you," the fairy begged. She could tell the kids didn't quite trust her, so she added, "Cross my heart," and made an X with her finger over her heart.
"Ok," Sarah said slowly, "But don't you fly away until you tell us!"
Jimmy removed his hand from the net and opened it, letting the fairy fly free. She signed and did some swirls before flying down in front of Sarah and Jimmy.
"Alright, I'll tell you, but we have to go somewhere secret," the fairy said.
"Ok, follow me," Jimmy said. He led them to his backyard, where a picnic was set up, "Wanna join our tea party?"
"Um, no thanks," the fairy said, "I don't really like tea."
"Oh, it's not real tea," Sarah said, "We use water."
"Well, I guess," the fairy said, "I am kinda thirsty."
"Ok, wait right here!" Jimmy said. He ran into his house and returned a few seconds later with a mini tea cup, "It's a doll's tea cup, just your size." He handed the fairy the cup and carefully lowered a drop of water into the cup.
"Thanks," the fairy said, taking a sip, "So, where should I start?"
"Wait, what's your name?" Sarah interrupted.
"It's Bella," The fairy said, "Well, it's actually BellaFly, but just Bella is fine."
"Ooh, that's a pretty name," Sarah said, "I'm Sarah, and this is my best friend Jimmy."
"Cool," Bella smiled, "So, I guess I should start at the beginning.
"A long time ago, a few hundred years before humans came along, butterfly fairies lived everywhere. Towns were everywhere. In trees, small caves, even the woods. But when people came along, they started capturing fairies, so we went into hiding.
"Not many fairy towns are left, but each town has a lot of fairies. We make sure to keep away from human towns and cities, but I could never resist exploring. I'm still really careful, though, but I guess this time I wasn't paying attention," Bella looked ashamed.
"Wait, so there are other fairies?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, lots," Bella said, "B-but, you must not tell anyone. If people found out there were still fairies left, we'd all be in big trouble."
"Don't worry, we won't tell a soul," Jimmy said.
"My lips are sealed," Sarah said, pretending to zip her lips.
"Thank you," Bella sighed, then looked up at the sun, "I should get going. I'm supposed to be back by mid-afternoon."
"Aw, you'll come back, won't you?" Jimmy asked sadly.
"You couldn't keep me away for all the Nectar Sticks in the world," Bella smiled and flew off. She flew deep into the nearby woods, almost on instinct. After a while, she came across a tiny but large town. The houses were made out of wood and leaves. Other butterfly fairies roamed around. Bella landed and folded her wings down. She walked through the town, saying hi to everybody. She walked into a house.
"Daddy, I'm home!" Bella called. No answer, "Huh, must be out." She grabbed a stick covered in sticky nectar from a jar on the counter and left. She wrapped her long tongue around the stick, licking off the nectar, "Mmm, I love Nectar Sticks." After finishing, she tossed the stick aside and spread her wings. She flew into the trees and landed on a branch of a tree. The tree was on the edge of the town, so when Bella looked out, all she saw were trees. She sat there for a while until it grew dark. She headed home and went to bed, eager for the next day.
