Once upon a time there was a very lonely woman. One day, a witch came by and offered her a seed.

She planted the seed and out of it grew a flower, and out of the little flower jumped a little girl. The woman was so happy. But one day the little girl disappeared. No matter how long the woman waited, she didn't return. The little girl however, went through various adventures and didn't think back to the old woman who used to take care of her.

Akt 9

Träumerei

" Come on, wake up!", a voice said. " How long do you want to sleep?"

The girl blinked. She felt the fresh grass under her hands and heard the lovely sound of music. Another girl leaned down to her, her hands on the sides of her hips and with a grin on her face. She wore a sailor uniform and her brown hair fell over her shoulders.

" Good morning!", she teased.

The girl in the grass sat up and rubbed her eyes. " Stop teasing me..." She looked if her red hair was still in a braid and stood up to be face to face to her friend. The brunette giggled and took her by the hand.

" Your mother is playing the piano so beautiful. Let's practice some dancing Klara!"

The brunette dragged the girl to the white house.

Klara... right that's my name, realized the redhead, although she wondered if she had forgotten her own name. How strange. She let the brunette pull her along. Her name was Ella. Her best friend. Since she could remember.

Suddenly Klara stumbled as she was in thoughts and after some weird steps she fell on her butt and gave a short "Qua!". Ella turned around to her. " You okay ?"

"Y-yes!"

All around other children giggled. " Did you see? So funny. She's really just like a Duck. Ha ha!"

Klara grumbled. Ella reached out a hand down to her to help her up.

" Don't worry about them. Come on let's go!"

Klara looked up to her and nodded. She took her hand and stood up . She picked off the grass from her sailor suit.

" Are you going to dance again?" It was a boys voice. It sounded familiar.

Ella frowned as she turned to the boy. Klara also turned her head. But the light of the sun dazzled her view. She could make out a little about him, vaguely.

" Yeah, so? You can't come and watch, got it Kai? "

The boy 's name is Kai, thought Klara to herself. She held her hand up to block the sunlight to get a better view. Kai's silhouette looked strange. He held a long stick in his hand and his leg-

Klara gasped as she was pulled back.

"H-hey Ella!"

" Don't worry about him he's useless anyway."

Klara went silent as she watched Ella strong back. Then she opened her mouth.

" You... always fight with him..."

Ella shrugged. She looked to the floor. The house came nearer.

" He's annoying and weak. Why should I care about someone like him! He's... he's not my prince!"

Klara blinked. "But-"

" No buts!"

Ella let go of her hand and stopped her movement. Klara stumbled yet again but kept her balance. The redhead looked at Ella's back curiously. Why did she stop? She leaned forward and looked around Ella's shoulder to get a better look at her face. Was she... sad?

Ella realized her gaze and gave her a big smile. She made a few steps towards the house and swirled around. Her skirt flew around beautifully.

" Come on, let's go dancing! ", and so she turned around and left for the house.

Klara sighed. Sometimes she really couldn't understand her. Although... she felt like she knew the answer. She tried to think what it is. Did she forget about something else? She scratched her head but finally shrugged her shoulders as she was about to run to the house.

" ...Ahiru..."

She stopped and frowned. Why won't they stop calling her names !

She turned around and started to yell:

" I'm not a -"

Her frown disappeared and confusion could be seen on her face. Her eyes grew big. The boy with black and green eyes stood before her, a mild smile on his lips.

"- Duck?", she finished her sentence, uncertain about the meaning.

She reached out her hand slowly to the boy and-

Ahiru woke up very suddenly. She opened her eyes widely. Was it just a dream? It seemed so real... She looked around herself: she was lying in a bed in a small room. She could look outside the window. It was dawn and the birds sang their songs to say goodbye to the day. The girl sat up in the bed and took a better look around the room. Her view rested on the boy who sat next to the bed in a chair. His arms were folded and his head fell to the side. He breathed calmly, his mouth wasn't fully closed.

A little smile appeared on Ahirus lips. She moved the blanket that covered her body to the side. She went on her knees and reached for the arm of the chair and moved closer to Fakirs face. She looked at him with dreamy eyes. The girl leaned forward and kissed him- well she tried but she barely caught his lips.

Fakir reacted a little, shifted his body and sighed. She moved her head back to get a better look of him.

Thanks for bringing me back, Fakir, she thought to herself.

But the moment was over in a blink of an eye. Because Ahirus hand slipped and the girl fell to the floor with a little shriek and a loud thump.

Fakir woke up immediately and after a few seconds of confusion he saw the red haired girl on the floor smiling up to him in a shy way.

" Idiot. What are you doing?", he rubbed his weary eyes. Ahiru sat up and her back faced the boy.

"You're mean..."

He went with his hand over his face. He could tell that she was pouting.

"Sorry", he muttered. And after a short silence continued. " You scared me a little..."

Ahiru turned around to him, wondering what he meant. He sighed while leaning back.

" You fell unconscious all of a sudden. You slept through the whole day."

" Oh... I'm sorry..."

He shook his head weakly. Don't be. It's okay.

"... I remembered...", she started after a while. " All of it...or maybe most...my real name is Klara..."

" Yeah you're mum told me..."

Ahiru turned to him abruptly.

" Really? She's here?", she said excited. Fakir nodded with a smile.

The girl clapped her hands together." That's great. You know, my mum was the one who got me into ballet. She used to do it when she was small but finally decided to go for music. She really loved the ballet of the nutcracker so she named me after the the girl of the story. Although I've never really been good at ballet she was always happy when I danced while she played. Actually, she thought I was quite good. Hihi. I wonder how good of a dancer she actually is... ah sorry I keep talking about stupid stuff. I'm sorry!"

" It's alright". The boy got up from the chair. " You're finally back home. You should enjoy it. As well as your memories. You deserve it."

He reached a hand down to her to help her get up and she took it happily.

" Come. You must be hungry,"

Ahiru nodded and let him lead her to the door but then she remembered something.

" Wait."

Fakir already wanted to reach for the doorknob as he stopped his movement and turned to her.

" What is it? Are you scared?"

She shook her head with a smile.

"I just wanted to tell you one thing. Something I remembered. Or rather didn't. More like I know it never happened."

" What are you talking about?", he asked slightly annoyed.

She looked him straight in the eyes.

"You're the first boy I kissed."

Fakir looked at her with eyes wide open, just before he turned away.

"C-come on!"

He dragged her behind her right out of the room. She let out a little scream of surprise when he pulled her.

"H-hey!"

She pouted as she caught up to his tempo.

" You're supposed to be happy about that. Idiot."

Fakir didn't say anything. He didn't dare to turn his face to her or else she could see how red it was.

He opened the door to the... living room as Ahiru now remembered.

" She's awake."; said Fakir briefly as he let go of Ahirus hand and walked past the person who sat in the chair at the table. Her red hair was put up to a knot and she wore a beautiful white dress. She looked at Ahiru with clear blue eyes, much lighter than her own.

" Mother...", Ahiru almost whispered. Does she still recognize me?

The woman jumped up in an instant and grabbed her daughter into a tight embrace. She was laughing whole-heartily.

" Oh it's really you isn't it? I'm so happy to see you again. I was so worried about you."

She cuddled her little darling into a deep embrace until the girl almost couldn't breath anymore. But it didn't matter.

The woman let go of her daughter and looked at her face with teary eyes.

Ahiru couldn't seem to find words to say to her own mother after so long time. And she also just remembered everything!

The mother on the other side couldn't stop.

" Oh, how I missed you Klara. You've grown quite a bit. And here you are, back in my arms like you've never been gone in the first place.

That boy is your boyfriend, isn't he? My, he's so charming! Fakir was it right? Wait until your father hears about him.

Oh I'm so happy you're back, my little duckling."

Ahiru got caught up in another embrace, a little lighter this time. Then she finally started to mumble a few words.

"My father... where is he?"

The elder woman calmed down a little. She gently stroke the girls hair and laid her head on top of hers.

" He went out searching for you. He possibly has been caught in a story as well. You friends told me about those spinners. But don't worry I'm sure he's just fine, just like you are."

Ahiru nodded. The woman started to talk again.

" You're name was Ahiru, right? That's a really sweet name, it fits you."

" It's weird to hear my old name, actually..."

" Do you want me to call you Ahiru from now on?"

"No. How long was I gone?"

"Hmm for about three years. A small eternity."

" I see...say, mum?

"Hmm?"

"Can you tell me where Ella went? I need to talk to her."

The parent parted from her child and gave her a sweet smile.

" She went outside a while ago. She shouldn't be too far."

" I have to talk to her. Thanks mum!", she said and ran pass her mother and Fakir through the door.

" Ah wait aren't you hungry?", the mother shouted after her but she was already gone. The woman sighed.

" Oh geez that girl. Where does she get so much energy from?"

She turned around to Fakir with a bright smile.

" Will you help me to fedge something for everyone? It's been a while since I cooked for anyone else but myself."

" Ah, sure."

Ahiru found Ella on the bridge sitting on the wood and staring into the water. It was a cold breeze outside and Ahiru already started freezing. She ran over to Ellas side while embracing herself.

At first neither one of them talked.

But Ella couldn't bear the silence.

" You came here for something didn't you? So talk!"

Ahiru was a little surprised by her sharp voice but it had the right effect.

" I remember now. My parents, my home, the other kids, you ..."

"... and Kai?", Ella asked. She threw a little rock into the water. Yet it was frozen and the little stone couldn't splash into the water.

"Yes. I think I get it now."

" You get what?"

"You actually like him, don't you?"

Ella didn't react.

"But you were always so mean to him-"

" Do you still remember our fight? The one about princes and knights?"

"Huh? Why do you...? Yes I do, a little."

" When I was younger your mum used to tell me that my dad, gave me the name Eleonore because he wanted me to be as strong as a lion. She said that I've actually became quite a proud a lion. People soon recognized my talent of singing and called me " the lark". I always thought... that I would become famous thanks to my voice and become rich. And my husband would be a beautiful prince.

You were quite different. You wanted somebody to just stay by your side and only look out for you, somebody who would protect and save you from everything evil. A knight in shining armor."

" Right, that fight. We had it right after...", Ahiru didn't finish the sentence. She didn't want to say it out loudly.

"... right after Kai confessed to you. He liked you because always danced Ballet and he thought it was beautiful. But I think it was just because he couldn't really dance himself."

" So the fight was really about Kai? Now that I think about it, I was really harsh to him."

Ella looked up to the sky. Ahiru waited for her to continue but she didn't.

" So...?", she tried to animate her.

" So what?"

" Why didn't you tell him? Or did you actually-"

"No I didn't ….tell him anything! I thought, that I couldn't let myself be seen with him. That he's not good enough and all that. I was so stupid. That's why I gave up singing. To leave my stupidity behind and start anew."

" ...The Queen got him, doesn't she?"

Ella nodded and slowly turned around to her. She had been crying.

" I want to save him. It's the least I can do."

Ahiru smiled at her.

" We'll just do that then. Together."

Fakir sat down at the table. He took a deep breath.

" You sure about this? You just came back home..."

Ahiru stood a few steps away behind him, her hands folded. She nodded with a smile. Ella and her mother were standing beside her.

" I know now who I am. And I talked to my mum." She faced the elder woman.

"I'll be worried, but I guess there's no way around it. Maybe because I'm also in a story I can't really say anything against it? Ah, but don't worry I'm sure that you'll return." She smiled brightly. Was this the truth?

Ahiru turned to Fakir again. "It's alright. I couldn't stay here anyway while still thinking about Kai."

Fakir was silent for a moment. Then he turned around and grabbed the feather and wrote. A story about a Queen with an icy attitude, in her castle which was always surrounded by a violent snowstorm. And about a door that led directly to her place.

The window opened with a crash and snow flew in. The snow flakes slowly gathered in the room and formed an door of ice and snow.

The girls looked surprised at the door while Fakir let down his feather and stepped towards the door. He looked at the girls.

" Come on, let's go."

Ella walked steadily forward but Ahiru turned to her mother one last time.

" I'll be back. I promise."

The woman nodded and kissed her daughters forehead before she finally had to let go of her girl yet again.

From a far place a Queen was looking as the little group stepped through the door of ice. But her eyes were fixed on the boy they call Fakir. She had curiously watched the boy from afar and watched him do the craziest things.

" The power of a spinner. I like it.", she said with a vicious smile, awaiting her guests.

wah I'm so slow with updates now! sorry about that. I actually wanted to finish the story this year but oh well :S

The fairytale this time is "Thumbelina" by Hans Christian Andersen. I always found it kind of said that thumbelina didn't return to the woman since she only got thumbelina because she was lonely.

The music this time is "Träumerei" by Robert Schumann. Träumerei translates into musing or reverie in english.

Hope you all have a wonderful christmas/winter/holiday time :D