"Another Fairy-Tale part 4, Pets and Pots" by Helfried ´RRJ´ Haider

Sherrymera let out a sigh as she rinsed some water over her arm with a small piece of sponge that Peter had ripped off the big one they had in the bathroom. He had also handed her a tissue she could use as towel, and Sherrymera had complimented him on his choice in taste and the nice mint smell of the towel.

"I think I haven't felt that good for a thousand sunrises … make that ten thousand." Delighted, the little fairy splashed around in the coffee cup, giggling at the bubbles she produced. "You have my thanks, little mortal Peter-boy."

"You're welcome." Peter replied, looking at her. At the moment, Sherrymera was doing her best to keep herself covered with foam after she noticed that Peter actually was uncomfortable with her being naked.

Sherrymera's leaf-dress was in another small bowl outside of the cage, where Peter had put it to wash it. He didn't dare to rub it, though, it seemed small and fragile and he didn't want to ruin it.

"Tell me something about you." The fairy inquired, lying back and relaxing in the bubbles.

Peter shrugged his shoulders. "There's not much to tell about me. I was born here, in Anytown, and raised here. It's a small town, there's not much happening here. My dad is working hard in a big firm that produces some stuff for computers, he is a developer there, and my mum passed away two years ago, in her sleep; since then things haven't been going all too well. I'm way too short and have too much pimples in my face, so the other kids in school pick on me most of the time." He sighed. "And that's about it. The day before yesterday everything was quite normal, but now …" Peter glanced at the fairy who curiously looked at him, still smiling and relaxing. "I guess with you here, things won't be so boring anymore. I don't have many friends."

"Aw, poor boy. Well, I guess we'll get used to each other - I don't have much friends either, well, I used to have, but you seldom meet people within the vicinity of this cage." There was a hidden tone in her voice that Peter could only interpret as accusation. "Why do you people always insist on keeping me locked in here? That's just plain outright mean!"

For a second Peter didn't know what to say; mainly because he actually was sympathetic with her, but he also couldn't afford the risk of letting her go, maybe she would just be off and gone, and he would've missed out on the greatest thing that ever happened in his life. Of course, there was no way he could tell her that. "The old man told me that I'm not allowed to open the cage." He replied, stammering a bit in the process.

"And I tell you to open it, but you still won't listen." Sherrymera looked very grim at the moment. "You people seldom listen to anything I have to say, or take my opinions. To you, I'm just … decoration. Something to play and talk with, like a pet."

"We have one, you know?" Peter said, desperately trying to change the subject, but the response he got was different from the one he suspected. Sherrymera jumped up, covered with foam and bubbles, looking panic-stricken to the left and the right.

"What kind of pet? Is it a cat, tell me it's not a cat … it IS a cat, isn't it? It's lurking somewhere around here, I know it. Please tell me it's not a cat!"

Peter thought of his one pet, a kitten that went by the name of Columbus (always the great explorer), and looked abashedly at Sherrymera. "Well …"

"It IS a cat?" Sherrymera said, as she saw the expression on Peter's face, and slouched back into her cup, looking shocked - only her head, from the nose upwards, was peeking out at the moment and she looked from side to side as if awaiting a sudden attack.

"But it's a really sweet cat, not very big and all, and it wouldn't harm anyone."

Sherrymera's voice was like ice when said. "Yeah, to you, but I am six inches tall. These stupid, no-good, self-cleaning, grumpy critters have messed with our kind for ages. We tried to talk them out of it, but they claim we're delicacies, and why should you eat bread when you can have cake?"

"Cool! You can talk to animals?" Peter said, a little too happily and excited for Sherrymera's taste.

"DON'T YOU CHANGE THE SUBJECT! I can't stay here when such a vile predator is around; it's probably planning to eat me RIGHT NOW! Surely it is stalking around somewhere near here, water rinsing in its mouth at the very thought of sinking her teeth into my poor, slender body." Sherrymera squinted her eyes slightly when she talked and her voice suddenly sounded as if she were talking about a big conspiracy.

"I think you're overreacting," was all that Peter could say; he didn't think Columbus would even be willing to chase a mouse, much less a fairy.

"You think I am?" Sherrymera stood up again, and rinsed water over herself. Peter, once more blushing, looked away, but this time Sherrymera shouted at him. "This is no time for your petty prudeness! Looky here!"

Slowly Peter turned his head, one eye closed and looked at Sherrymera, who was pointing at a big scar on her belly. "THAT's what you guess when you mess with a cat! Not even the dark daughter put up as much resistance as the little mutt who did this to me! Clawing at me, while I hid in a tree stump, wounded, no less!"

The fairy slouched back in the cup, not looking at Peter, deliberately looking away from him, looking as grumpy as fairily possible, her arms crossed.

"Look, I'm …" Peter could manage, but Sherrymera cut him short by snarling.

"Listen, I just wanted …" Again, she made another distorting noise Peter couldn't quite describe.

"I just wanted …" As Sherrymera interrupted him a third time, this time by saying something like "Tzk.", Peter had enough.

"Ok, look, maybe you just have to get acquainted. I'm getting Columbus."

"THE CAT?" Sherrymera asked, now again panic-stricken. "OH NO YOU WON'T! YOU CAN'T!"

"Oh, c'mon, it's real sweet and has never hurt anybody. I doubt it would anything other than our cat food, it's a bit spoiled. I'll just get it to get you two acquainted, and if he tries anything funny, I'm here to protect you." Peter tried to calm the fairy down; and he was quite curious how Columbus would react.

"Well at least bring a pot!" Sherrymera said, as she got out of her bubble bath. "And hand me my clothes, I don't want to stand there naked breathing my last when I'm confronted with such a vile furball."

Peter carefully took the dress out of its bowl, and handed it through the bars to Sherrymera who started to wring out her dress before she dressed herself again.

"Why do you need a pot?" Peter asked, politely looking in another direction again.

"Well, you put the furry in there before you bring it here, that way he won't be able to do me any harm!" Sherrymera exclaimed delighted and started to mop the floor with her towel.

"I can't put Columbus in a pot. That'd be cruel!" Peter exclaimed, produced the mental image of Columbus struggling inside a small pot while the fairy was babbling away at him.

"It would? Almost as cruel as putting a free-spirited, freedom-loving, nature-addicted and, mind me, hot-headed fairy in a cage?"

Peter opened his mouth, and closed it shut again. Sometimes, he thought, its best not to say anything before one stultifies himself.

Instead, he went to get a pot.

-

"What should I do with that?" Sherrymera asked almost terrified as Peter put the pot next to the cage.

"Well, since you're the one who wants to keep a safe distance, you should get the pot." Peter said with a smile.

Sherrymera didn't find this amusing at all, though. "You're the one with the crazy idea of introducing me to a CAT." She shuddered.

"Look, you're in a cage already - which means, pretty safe from a cat's paw. If you insist on a higher level of security, you can take the pot. I'm not putting my cat in there!"

Sherrymera scowled again, looking angrily at Peter who decided to ignore that and left the room to get the cat anyway.

Three minutes later, he walked back into the room, a slightly uncomfortable Columbus in his hands, who didn't seem all too eager that his afternoon nap had been disturbed. Peter walked up to the cage - Sherrymera had obviously pulled the pot into it, right next to her new bathtub, and was nowhere to be seen.

Peter put Columbus on the bed, who looked around and walked up to the cage, prowling over the sheets.

There was a slight movement in the cage as Sherrymera lifted the pot from within and put her head out for a second. For a moment, she and Columbus looked each other into the eye, then, with a shriek, she vanished under the pot again.

Columbus didn't seem all too interested in her, although he did respond to the shriek by jumping away from the cage. It took a few moments, but then it came nearer to the cage again, curious.

Once again, Sherrymera lifted the pot, but this time she didn't retreat. She looked at the cat, obviously frightened.

The cat came nearer still until it was in front of the cage. Since it still didn't do anything, Sherrymera took her chance and came out of the pot.

Peter was feeling excited as he saw the two of them. They were getting along, things were turning out all right. Maybe this would be the first step so Sherrymera would trust him.

Trying a smile, Sherrymera came a bit nearer and started to purr in a deep, low voice.

The results were devastating. Columbus lunged forward, his paw entering the cage, while Sherrymera flapped upwards.

As fast as he could, Peter snatched Columbus from the bed. "What did you say to him?"

Sherrymera, who just had lifted the pot and was busy slipping under it meant: "I just said 'Hello' in catish. I think."

"You think?"

"It's a difficult language … but see, I told you! Vile, vicious beasts!" With that she slipped under the pot.

Peter sighed and brought Columbus out of the room again. And somehow, he was quite sure that a long talk with Sherrymera would follow soon.