I’m not sure what caused me to wake that night. Even to this day, I still don’t know. But I opened my eyes and looked out my bedroom window at the moon in the night sky. And there she was. No bigger than a child’s action figure. She was just sitting on the windowsill, her porcelain-colored legs dangling over the edge. Sitting up slowly as to not scare her away, I rubbed my eyes. As I pushed myself up against the headboard of my bed, she spoke. Her small but musical voice seemed to fill my room.
“You don’t need to be so cautious. I am not so easily frightened.”
“Surely this is a dream, right? Like there’s no way this can be real.” Smiling, she stood up on the windowsill and looked up at the stars above. In the moonlight, her wings glowed a soft, shimmering purple as she clasped her hands behind her back.
“Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Who’s to really say what’s reality and what’s a dream? Such things are best left unanswered, I think.”
“What do you want from me?” Turning from outside, she gave me a sad smile.
“I want nothing from you. I’m here for you.” At her words, a small shiver of fear gripped my heart for a moment.
“What do you mean by that?” Sighing, she turned and unfurled her wings, making them shimmer in the moonlight.
“Not everyone can see us, you know? Young children have always been able to see us. It’s their love of magic. But mostly, once the magic dies away, so too does the sight.”
“Then why can I see you?” Flying from her ledge, she hovered in front of my eyes.
“That, I’m afraid, is a question only you can answer. For adults, we only appear in times of great need. So, the question here is, what is it you need?” Turning from the small fairy, I shifted my legs off the bed and sat on the edge. Thinking over everything from the past weeks, I sunk my head into my hands, unable to voice what I needed. Before I could speak, I felt a soft weight land on my shoulder and a sense of peace filled me.
“Magic is what you needed. Even in our darkest moments, we hold out for that one ray of hope. The smallest of signs that can brighten our day.”
“What, so you’re like my fairy godmother?” Laughing, she flew from my shoulder to my desk nearby.
“Pfft, please. She wishes she was as awesome as I am. I don’t grant wishes. I grant something better than a wish.”
“What’s that?”
“Hope. And it’s what you need right now, more than anything.” Leaning forward, I cover my eyes as the tears well up. After what seemed like an hour, I wiped my eyes dry and looked around. Staring around the room, all traces of her presence were gone. Moving to the window, I looked out and up at the sky and from that night, the stars always seemed a little brighter. And In my darkest moments, a small voice always echoes inside my head.
“Hope.”