"Desert (chapter two)" by Natalie Beth Myers

Natasha looked in awe as she went through the gateway, her eyes wide with fear and disbelief. She watched as the void vanished behind her, leaving her in a new world. Natasha looked at the new world, her fear climbing again. This world was a desert. By the color of the sky, dawn was approaching.

She held herself. What is happening? What is this place? Natasha suddenly felt something brush up against her elbow. She spun around, finding a woman standing there.

“Who are you?” Natasha gasped, backing away from her.

The woman was tall and elegant, pointed ears visible through her long silvery hair. Wings protruded from her back gracefully, ending in smooth curls. Her voice was like music, “Welcome to Elinia, Natasha.”

Natasha hurled her with questions, “Who are you? Where am I? What am I doing here?”

“Sh, Natasha,” the woman said, taking a step forward, “You are safe.”

“Safe?” Natasha scoffed, “I will be safe when I am at home! Oh, please take me back there! I miss my mother and sister badly!”

The woman’s shoulders drooped slightly as she said, “You can’t go back, Natasha. I can only open this portal once every ten years, and you were my choice.”

“What!” Natasha yelled, “Why did you bring me here?”

“I brought you here so you could have a better life,” said the woman kindly.

Natasha gestured towards the barren desert, “Is this what you call a better life? And you brought me here? Why? And why me?”

“Your future was dark, Natasha. You will be happier here. Trust me.”

“Why?” Natasha yelled, “Why should I trust you? You just took me away from my family and friends. I would have been happier there!”

“Trust me, Natasha,” the woman said, “This is a much happier life. Your mother was on the verge of not having enough money to support you and your sister. You or your sister would have to go to the orphanage. She would have taken you to a terrible orphanage, that I can see clearly.

“When you grew up, you would be living out in the streets, a beggar in other words. You would have been scrounging through trash cans, looking for anything that you might consider as food. You would then die of malnourishment, alone and forgotten.

“Is that the life you want, Natasha? Is it?”

“This could be happening to children all over the world!” Natasha said, “Why me?”

“Because you will make a greater impact among my people than anyone else!” the woman said, “We need you, Natasha. More than you need us actually.”

Natasha sighed, “When can I go home?”

“Like I said,” said the woman, “In ten years when I can open the portal again.”

Natasha sank to the ground, grabbing her pillow to hold and squeeze to death. The woman knelt down beside her. Natasha stared at her, and then said, “What are you, if you don’t mind my asking. A fairy?”

The woman smiled, “Yes. My name is Kayara. In our language it means ‘Daughter of the Moon.’ Does Natasha mean anything on your world?”

“Not that I know of,” she said with a laugh.

Kayara’s smile disappeared slowly. Natasha asked, “It is hard to imagine that fairies like you live in the desert.”

She smiled again and laughed. It was even more like music than her voice. “No, we do not live in the desert,” Kayara said. “We --the elves and the fairies-- live in the sky. We have built our cities in the sky to escape the heat of the ground. In fact,” she said, looking up, “our nearest city is approaching.”

Natasha turned around, and gasped in awe. The city was huge. Spires rose into the sky gently, buildings as tall as mountains but shaped like needles. She could see small shapes of fairies flying around buildings, and she could hear their beautiful voices from where she was standing. The people in the streets were probably the elves, laughing and talking about their businesses as they went, oblivious to the small human girl. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! Natasha asked, “What is this place?”

“The city is called Balin,” Kayara said, “It is the capitol of this world.”

Natasha said, “Whenever I think of elves or fairies, I picture them in the forest or some peaceful place like that. Not a desert.” Natasha looked at her. “Why would such beautiful creatures like you live in a barren place like this?”

Kayara smiled, “Thank you, Natasha. That is very sweet of you.”

Natasha looked back at the city. They neared a large platform, their smaller platform clicking into place at its side. Kayara walked onto the platform, and then looked back at Natasha. She slowly followed the fairy, leaving her pillow behind. Kayara said, “Well, you will have to change first.”

“Change clothes?” Natasha asked, and then looked down at herself. She still wore her green tee-shirt and brown trousers, and her hair was probably a wreck from thrashing about in her sleep.

Kayara placed a hand on her forehead. There was a quick burst of light, finally subsiding after two long seconds. Natasha looked down at herself. She wore a simple pair of white capris and a crimson red shirt. Her bare feet now wore comfortable black shoes, tight but soft. Kayara walked away, “Follow me, Natasha.”

Natasha felt her hair, finding it in a tight bun. She quickly followed the fairy, walking into the capitol city of this new world.