PEER THROUGH THE FOG

The two of us run across the hyacinth patch until we reach the center of Gardeia where a tall willow tree is circled with irises, rose bushes, cherry blossoms and other flowers. The clouds right above the tree creates many shapes bursting with the colors of the rainbow.

In the center, a pink-colored faerie fountain is located as well, along with the willow tree and almost all of Gardeia can be seen as I look around. I realize that Gardeia is divided into four parts with each part having one season.

Where we were from, the season was spring.

"Here's a bench. Let's just wait for them here." Brian sits on a wooden bench near a rose bush.

"Alright." I sit beside him, "what you said earlier, about not telling me but instead showing me... what were you trying to say that time?" I ask him.

"You'll find out soon." Brian says, avoiding eye contact. He turns to look away.

"Um, alright." I mumble, and I fumble with my hands placed on my lap. Waiting for the faeries is such a long time, the whole time is uneventful and a little awkward.

I try my best not to think about all the bad things that's going to happen, like fading away and not being able to go back home. If only that mirror would appear right in front of me at this moment, but judging by the stories about it, it is elusive and even considered as only a telltale.

I heave a sigh and turn to look at Brian. He has his head burrowed in both hands, his face covered by his messy black hair. It must be hard to be in his situation, no doubt. The mere thought of fading away gives me chills.

"Are you alright, Brian?" I ask him.

"Uh, yes. I was just thinking." He bolts upright and runs a hand through his hair. He smiles at me, trying to reassure me but his eyes fail to hide his sorrow.

"If you have something to get out of your chest, I'm here to listen." I smile back.

The grand double doors of the Great Willow Tree bursts open, revealing someone who looks like one of the people at the bazaar earlier. Faeries surrounds him, giggling and talking as they head out. Amphrite and Calysta are with them. Amphrite waves at us when she sees us waiting and motions to wait a bit more.

I nod at her in response and threw a thumbs up at her way, but she mouths, "What's that?" after seeing my signal.

I just shrug.

The person was escorted by the faeries outside the gates of Gardeia along with some traces of fog and after that, Amphrite dashes towards us with Calysta at her tow.

"You're here! I didn't see that coming." She smiles and gasps, her face lighting up, "I'll take you to the other faeries! They'll surely love you, Tasha! Especially Amphrae."

"What about me?" Brian asks.

"Of course you can come." Calysta says, dusting her white dress. "Next time Amphrite, don't drag me like that."

"Alright!" Amphrite giggles and grabs my hand. We head off to meet the others with Calysta and Brian behind us.

The faeries quickly notice us as we get closer to them. One of the faeries gasp as she saw us and a smile forms on her face after.

"Hello! Brian, you're back! I can say for all of us that we've missed you." She says and hugs Brian, "You feel the same, don't you? Is that why you're here again? And who's the girl?" She asks.

"She's my friend, Phaedra. Her name's Tasha." Brian smiles.

"Really? Well, hello there! Welcome to Gardeia, but I'm pretty sure Amphrite and Calysta already welcomed you." She smiles at me.

"You welcomed them already, did you not?" Another faerie asks Amphrite who nods in response.

"Come, let's go to the Great Willow Tree and summon the fog." A lilac-haired faerie in a lacy red chiffon gown tugs at Brian's sleeve, but Calysta stops her.

"Wait, Amphrae. They might just want to visit." She says and momentarily flashes Brian and I a smile.

"That's rare." Amphrae taps on her chin.

"I know. At first I was doubtful, too." Calysta says.

"If you're here to visit, we might as well show you the whole of Gardeia! You'll love it." Another faerie pipes in.

"That's great!" I nod enthusiastically, a wide smile displaying itself on my face.

"Well then," she clasps her hands on her chest gleefully and continues with a smile, "who wants to join me and our new guest?"

"I'll join you!" Amphrite waves her hands in the air.

"I'll just stay here. Enjoy the tour!" Calysta says.

"I think I'll also stay here," another faerie mumbles. She gives off the feeling of anxiousness and fear even though she's dressed in cheerful colors.

Seeing this behavior, Amphrae walks over to her side.

"Are you okay, Nydia?" Amphrae asks her.

"Yes, I am." She says softly, averting her eyes from Amphrae's.

"It looks like you're not. That person must have taken a toll on you." Amphrae rubs Nydia's back. The other faeries see what is happening and also comforted Nydia. They form a circle around Nydia, comforting her the best that they could.

"Let's just distance ourselves for a moment. It looks private." Brian gently holds my wrist and takes me to a place a little distant from the faeries, behind towering sunflower stalks.

"Does those moments always happen?" I ask Brian.

"I don't know, I don't stay here long enough to actually see if it does. Just like what they did to that person you saw earlier, they just escort us outside of Gardeia after the subduing and dispersing of the fog but sometimes, they also want me to stay for a bit for tea and even chat for a while."

"That sounds fun."

"Maybe we can ask them later, that is, if you really want to know." He suggests.

"Alright." I nod.

...●●●...

"There you are." Amphrae says as she sees the two of us behind the sunflowers. She's with another faerie dressed in white.

"Why did you hide from us?" The fairy in white pouts.

"We just left to give you space. What happened back there, it looked private." Brian reasons.

"We were just comforting Nydia. Those things always happen to us. I thought you already know that, Brian. But come to think of it, I don't remember seeing you around when Calysta and Nydia breaks down in tears after remembering the sad and anxious times for you to summon and control the fog."

"Wh-what are you saying, Angella?" Brian stutters.

"Come here and we'll explain it to you so you'll understand better."

The two faeries lead us in the center of Gardeia again. The rest of the faeries are waiting for us. We sit on one of the benches and the faeries are either sitting on the grass or standing around us.

"When we summon the fog, we need to feel what you felt in that particular memory you chose. But not just that. We also need to control the strong feelings and emotions you felt in your other memories, like pride and love, to make the fog stable and give you the best experience in reliving that memory again. One of us is assigned to feel an emotion. I should feel the emotion of pride. Nydia for fear, Calysta for sadness, Amphrae for contempt and so on.

Even if we don't want to feel the emotion, we should or else... the person we're helping will collapse and their memories will be altered or erased. When they wake up, they wouldn't even know where they are even if they should!" Phaedra says.

"That's right because they're the one who went here, so they should know the way and the place. Gardeia shouldn't be forgotten. Our home is beautiful!" Amphrae crosses her arms.

"So we should feel the emotion even if, for some of us, is too much to bear." Phaedra says.

"And we get carried away after. We become the emotion if it's too much-too strong." Calysta says, "I always do. It's the feeling most of the creatures feel and they hide it all for themselves to bear and when they come here to relive their memories again, all those years of sadness they collected only for themselves will also be felt by me, that I can't just ignore," she cries.

"Sometimes, it's not just emotions anymore. It's also feelings. It's not just seen on our face but it's also in our mind, up here." Angella taps on her head with her finger.

"But we still do it. Creatures say we help them and they feel content and better after so we continue summoning the fog for them. Nothing is better than to make others happy."

"But do you even think of yourselves? Do you even take a break from all of these?" I ask.

"Well, we do it everyday. Every creature needs us!"

"You need to put yourselves first, too. Not just others. Look at the state some of you are in right now. Calysta is on tears and Nydia is still trembling from fear."

The faeries all look at me.

"Now that you've said it, we really do need time for ourselves." Angella says.

I see Brian smile and Phaedra starts to hug each and every faerie.

"You're really a friend, Tasha. Not just mine or Brian's, but all of us." Amphrite tackles me in a hug.

"Thank you." I smile.

"No, thank you, Tasha. For making us realize that we also need time for ourselves. For our well-being." Amphrae smiles.

...●●●...

"You're like a catalyst, Tasha." Brian shakes his head.

The faeries invite us inside the Great Willow Tree after what happened earlier. The grand double doors with intricate details of blossoms quickly catches my eye. Even in the inside, it still is beautiful.

The willow was hollow inside with stairs carved in the trunk along with nine doors, probably leading into rooms one for each faerie. The lights are emitted from clusters of glowworms on the trunk walls. Blooming orchids lined up the walls, its roots spreading everywhere around it. The interior of the willow was breathtakingly grand.

"I don't know. I consider myself as a friend."

"Yes, she is!" Amphrite says.

"Alright then. I wont start an argument about it." Brian shrugs and stands up from one of the stair's steps where he was sitting and heads to the other faeries' direction.

"You sure you don't want us to help you? You don't want to relive your memories again? Just this one time. We talked about it, we get three suns and four moons off. Sounds good, right?"

I turn to look at Amphrite beside me.

"Amphrite, no. I don't like that some of you are suffering because of my selfishness."

"Selfishness!? I've known you for three hours and I can tell you're absolutely not selfish. Come on. Just this once? Come on! You get to see and feel everything you've been dying to see and feel." Amphrite grins.

"Uh, that does sounds a little tempting, but no."

"Aww. At least Brian will do it!" She jumps up and jogs to the other faeries. They are starting to circle Brian with their hands linked each other. Murmuring unfamiliar words, a thick, white fog emerged from the shadowy corners of the willow and slowly makes its way inside the faerie circle, engulfing Brian.

"What's this!?" I hurriedly dash to their direction but as I get too close, twelve sparrows and meadowlarks holds me back.

"Peer through the fog, Tasha and you'll see." Brian said to me before the fog swallows him whole, morphing into a place filled with iridescence.

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