A Spring Day in the Glade

     Upon exiting the tunnel of spring trees, you find yourself in a bright clearing. A glade, if you will. The smell of blooming lemon trees and rose trees fill the air, and that piano music you could barely hear before is now loud and clear, accompanied by the sounds of chirping Whoots, Tuceets, and Beekadoodles. Oh, and there’s a Yackito hiding in a blackberry bush! Spring Snowbunnies leap around wearing their little floral crowns, and some Meepits have formed a singing Meepit trio, dressed up in hats and bow ties. You look around in amazement, wondering what kind of place you’ve stumbled upon. “Hello!” you hear from afar. The piano music stops, and the Meepits look up from their music papers.

     “...hello?” you answer hesitantly. A faerie looks up from behind the now-silent piano, smiling sweetly at you. She gets up, and motions for you to follow her to a mushroom picnic table and chairs. “Welcome to my glade”, she says, “I’m Illusen”. You sit down on the mushroom chair, which is surprisingly both comfortable and sturdy. Illusen looks at you curiously. “What made you come this way?” Taking a second to think, you mumble something about the sunlight and the birch trees. “Oh yes, those are lovely this time of year!” she bursts out with a smile. The spring Snowbunnies have started to gather around your feet, nibbling at the grass and wiggling their noses. “I’ve never seen that kind of Snowbunny before”, you say. “Are they native to this area?” Illusen picks one up and puts it on her lap, petting it absentmindedly. “Oh no, I don’t think so”, she answers. “I got two in a spring gift basket a few years ago, and they just keep multiplying. I don’t mind though, they’re so adorable!” She squishes the Snowbunny, and puts it back down on the grass. “Hey, while you’re here, would you mind helping me do a little spring cleaning? It’s that time of year to rake the forest. I have a guest coming over later, and I’d like the glade to look a little more… put together.” She motions at some old piles of leaves, and baskets of not-yet-hung faerie lights. “Sure, why not?” you reply. You didn’t really have any plans for this day anyway, and Illusen seems friendly enough.

     After helping to clear away the old leaves, you notice that there’s a Kookith-infested tree just at the edge of the clearing. “Do you need me to get rid of the little critters?” you shout to Illusen, who’s on the other side of the clearing, hanging elegant faerie lights in a tree. “Oh no, those are supposed to be there!” she shouts back. “They help to keep the Lightmite population under control. If they’re not there, the Lightmites become too many and it’s just eternal daylight here. That didn’t work so well last time it happened in Faerieland.” “Oh, I see, that makes sense. But what keeps the Kookith population in check?” “I… don’t really know, they just seem to stay in that tree. Well, except when they grow wings and fly away, of course.” “They grow wings?”, you ask, looking at the strange square-shaped animals. “Oh sure! Only once in a while though. Hey, can you hand me that wreath?” Illusen points at a table filled with arts and crafts. You pick it up and hand it over, watching as she decorates a tree stump with it along with some wildflowers. It’s almost midday, and after noticing that you’ve run out of steam, Illusen suggests that you both sit down by the tree stump for a tea party.

     A welcome reprieve from cleaning, you happily accept. Helping Illusen took a little more time and effort than you expected, you were really just going for a short walk in the forest. However, the cucumber tea sandwiches look delightful, and Illusen offers you a choice of dandelion tea, glowleaf tea, and nettle tea. “No Earl Grey?” you ask. “No, sorry, I only pick and dry my own teas. I don’t really trust Big Tea.” She gives you a wink, like you’re in the know. “Oh no, of course not. Dandelion tea is fine then.” After finishing your meal, Illusen asks you if you wouldn’t mind staying just a little while longer. Her guest won’t arrive for another few hours, but there’s still a lot of decorating to do. Agreeing to her request, you start by helping her hang up party-tasselled garlands and lights in a cheerful lighted tree. “I want it to feel like a faerie festival, but just for the two of us.” Illusen says, with a smile. “Is it someone special coming?” you ask, getting invested in the outcome now that you’re getting to know Illusen. “Well, we’ve been friends for a long time. It’s a secret though, so don’t tell anyone!” “Of course not”, you reply, still trying to figure out who it is but not wanting to pester your poor new friend.

     The decor of the glade is coming together, the trees filled with garlands and lights, the tree stumps with their wreaths and wildflowers, and a table set for two. The Meepit trio seems to have finished their rehearsals, and are now laying down on a strawberry bean bag chair, resting. The spring Snowbunnies are all asleep, occasionally wiggling their little noses and kicking their feet, as if they’re running around a field in their dreams. “Well, I guess that’s it, looks like all the decorating is done” says Illusen, finally sitting down on a flowery chair and breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank you for all your help today, I really couldn’t have done it without you.” “Oh it was no problem at all, I enjoyed it. But I guess it’s time to go home, it’ll be dark soon.” You stand up to leave, but Illusen tells you to wait a minute while she goes to get you something. Upon returning, she puts a spring gift basket in your hand, with a small sleeping spring Snowbunny in it. “This one’s been following you around all day, I think it wants to go home with you.” she says.

     Leaving the clearing through the tunnel of spring trees, you look back at a smiling and waving Illusen. Waving back, you turn around and start on the path home. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a puff of green and purple smoke wafting across the forest floor. Must be the mushrooms, you think to yourself. Or maybe, just maybe, you have an idea of who it is that’s visiting the glade after you… smiling to yourself, you watch the last rays of sunlight through the trees as you walk, a faint sound of laughter and piano music just barely reaching your ears.

     The End.