"Fairy Tale" by José Manuel López Vega

This is a tale of fairies.

Not many people care for fairies in these days. They have let larger and more impressive creatures become characters for their myths, objects of their fear, admiration, obsession or otherwise. I’m sure all you fine people heard the tale of Ketherlod the dragon, who razed entire cities, butchered armies, hoarded treasures beyond imagination and of course, kidnapped beatiful maidens. I am sure you all know how such a terrible beast found its end in the cold steel of Guril’s spear. I won’t bother to ask if you know of Guril for even the gods speak his name in awe. Oh yes I’m sure you all heard the tragic story of Tomth, the cyclops, who fell in love with Helethia, fairest of all princesses and how he gave his life for her in battle against the vampire Galanrad who lusted after her, even though she always secretly hated the noble beast. And yes I know you all have heard the tale of of Ithali, mermaid empress, and of how she led her armies against the might of king Juthel’s navy in a battle where the only winner was death. But I have not come here to speak of dragons, or cyclopses, vampires or mermaids, or whatever other beast you might think of, drunk or sober. I am here to tell you of fairies and how they created this world.

Now in the beginning the gods had a dream, but this was a dream without substance, without image, it was nothing more than a feeling, and this worried the gods. Khaltari was eldest of all the goddesses and she called all her sisters to her and they went into council. Umuro, of the bright eyes, was eldest of the gods and he called his brothers to him and sought their council in another secluded part of limbo. When all the pantheon was reunited again all the gods and goddesses came to the same conclusion. The feeling of heaviness in their hearts, and sudden weariness in every limb, of impotence, and yearning for something, for anything, was sadness. And it was so for the gods were sad and their sorrow knew no bounds. For whom or what they wept, they didn’t know, but all the gods wept and they wept for an entire eternity. Inconsolable they were and only when they realized they would drown if they did not cease their weaping did they finally open their eyes wide and saw that were once was naught, now there was a vast heaving mass. And this mass is what we now know as the Sea of Erintha for that was the name the gods gave it when they saw it for the first time. Yes, yes I know I said this was a tale of fairies and believe me it is, do not worry we’ll get to them soon enough. Now the gods saw this…creation of theirs and they felt there was no more need for tears. You see their sadness had been offspring of their vast loneliness. For eternities the gods had dwelt alone in their limbo of nothingness but no more for now every time they turned their gaze downwards their hearts rejoiced at the image of the sea churning and boiling below. But another eternity passed and the gods grew weary of staring endlessly at the sea. They had long since ceased to marvel at its coming and going and they even found no more joy in diving in its dark depths. Feeling no more happiness with Erintha, the gods fell prey of their sadness again and they wept and wept, all save Khaltari and Umuro who tried vainly to calm their brothers before they drowned in their tears. It was then that they decided to stop their brothers tears to ever reach the sea, they blew and blew and the salty tears swayed to and fro in the newly created wind and they never reached the sea. And then Khaltari saw two small tears flying aimlessly and she cupped her hands to catch them, and when she closed her hands around them she felt an incredible joy,a joy that new no bounds and had no origin. She laughed and laughed until she felt that she was not alone in her mirth. Two tiny voices also rang out wih bell like laughter. Curios, Khaltari opened her hands and marveled at what she saw, for in the place of two small tears there were two small people. Golden of skin, silver of hairs, and ruby red of eye and of small velvety wings. Upon the moment they were set free, they took to the wind, laughing all the time. You see friends, Khaltari’s joy was so great, and her laughter is so compelling that it can even excite that which is without life, and so those two small tears of sadness became two small beings of joy, fed by Khaltari’s joy and the warmth of her hands. They flew and laughed and rejoiced, and in awe Khaltari called out to them “Ea! Little brothers” And in amazement they turned but they saw naught for there was still no sun to light the world, and only the gods could discern anything in the darkness. “Who calls us?” they asked with their tiny bell like voices. “It is I, Khaltari” called out the goddess “We cannot see you, Great Mother. It is dark, and your face is hidden from us by the shadows.” It was then that Umuro, of the bright eyes, came up to the small people, took one of his eyes from it’s socket and said in this fashion “Little brothers, let this, my eye, be as a light to you.” And saying so he cast it high into the winds were it stayed wide open reflecting back all that it saw. And so my friends was light made in the world. And then those two small fairies gazed upon the sea and the gods and they were well impressed. And they flew and fluttered about them in joy and amazement, and the gods were well pleased with the fairies who found themselves constantly amazed by the coming and going of the sea and of the beautiful people who walked on the surface of that water. But eventually they flew so much and for so long that they grew very tired. “Oh Great Ones” they said at some point. “We are very tired and there is nowhere where we can lay our weary bones and rest for some time.” And so Galathu, one of Umuro’s brothers dove deep into the sea and with his amazing strenght he raised the heavy black crust that had laid there for eternity, and he took it back to the surface of the water where it stayed still “Ah, this is good!” said the fairies and they went to the land and laid themselves down in the cool mud, but they could not sleep for the glare of Umuro’s eye was too great. “Oh Great Ones” they said then “we cannot sleep for the glare of Umuro’s eye is too great!” And so Delitha, one of Khaltari’s sisters, rose high into the air grabbed Umuro’s eye and threw it with all her strenght over the horizon, and so was the night reborn. “Ah, this is good”said the fairies and they slept peacefully but at some point they could stand the darkness no more and they begged the gods to bring back the eye, but it was still hurlting across the sky, so Delitha tore out her heart and sent it flying to the heavens were it shone its silvery calmness for all eternity and was known evermore as moon, and when Delitha’s soul fled her lifeless body it flew upward in many tiny wisps that were known everafter as stars. And so there was now light in the night and the fairies were happy, and eventually the eye returned and went again, and the moon and stars came and went again and the fairies were content with the world as it was. But after a long time they themselves grew lonely and they wept, and the godds could not understand the reason for their chagrin. When they could finally wrest an answer from them, the little people spake thus “Oh Great Ones! Much have you done for us and we are grateful, but we yearn for the company of others such as us!” And Umuro spoke thus “Sweetest Hitha and bravest Gathi” for these were their names “If that is what you would have then we shall see to it” and so Umuro, with his inmense power, blew life unto the river of tears the two small fairies had cried and a multitude of fairies arose from the place where the river had been, staring at the world in awe. And then all the fairies rejoiced and their joy was so great that the very earth upon which they stood rejoiced and it burst in a sudden frenzy of life. All sort of shots, buds and trees started growing, and the gods saw this in amazement and they also joined in the fairies joy and the earth was even more joyious and burst with more life. And Hitha and Gathi saw what had been done and they went to the gods and thanked them for the world they had created. “It was not us who did this” Khaltari said “But you, little brothers. This is your world now” she said and passing her hand over them she granted them power and everlasting life. It was then that the gods left the land and went to dwell forever in the seas. It is rumored that deep in Erintha there is a temple were the gods sleep in peace and happiness, but I don’t know about that, I’m a simple storyteller. All I know is that those fairies with the everlasting joy from which they where born continued tempting the land into birth. And Hitha and Gathi created animals to people the earth. And in time they created man in the semblance of the gods they cherished and remembered. And Man grew, though not perfect as the gods, and they ended up forgetting abput the little golden hands that created them, and the bell like voices that summoned the sun, the moon , and the stars into being. And this my friend is my tale of fairies, I now bid you all a good night and safe sleep..