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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Fairy Tales & Fantasy
- Subject: Serial / Series
- Published: 05/04/2022
My Poison Jewel Series: Heavenly Aroma 1
Born 1999, M, from Columbia/SC, United States© Copyright 2022 James Edward Boston IV
As I floated upon the stage like the most precious lotus flower, the midnight breeze gently brushed against my hair like my hair was being styled by the finest beautician. All my heart desired was to sway like the branches of the trees dancing with the wind. I honestly felt as if my eyes were glossing over a collage of my life that glistened like a necklace of the highest value. The sound of claps and cheering faded in and out as if I were in a dream-like state. For the first time in my life, I was living a dream come true.
“Dysnomia, you have officially been elected as a nominee for the most noble cloudy fée award.” said the host as he eyeballed me like an A list celebrity.
After my moment that felt like a lifetime, I floated over to the backstage. As I sat down with the other nominees for the first time in my existence, I felt like I was the main course of the meal. No longer was a kernel lost in the midst of vegetable soup. No longer was a normal cloudy fée like the others. No longer was I just a random piece of the puzzle.
“I can finally call myself a star,” I said as I noticed the cloudy fée beside me handing me a smile with the twinkle of a tooth.
“Yes. We are stars now. Just know that no matter who wins, we are all stars.” said Midnight Fée.
“After so much hard work. I am finally living my dream.” I responded as I returned the twinkle of my tooth back to her.
The clapping began fading away until it was clear as a ghost. Everyone’s eyes were as wide as the stage I sat on as the wings of the mother fée were seen on the stage. Even though we saw the great mother fée since birth, her twenty foot tall wings never ceased to amaze us. My heart was pounding hard enough to be heard by the world as she took her final step. I was ready for her words of appreciation to shower upon me like the purest waterfall.
“As you are all aware, these are the nominees for the cloudy fée award ceremony that will take place on this very stage next month.” Said Mother Fée in her smooth as marble voice that was the perfect tool for constructing her speech. “You have done a splendid job of promoting righteousness and morals in the forbidden world. It wasn’t an easy task, but somehow all of you managed to reach the goal of 10,000 peace points. I look forward to seeing which one of my nominee daughters will build up the most peace points. How about another round of applause?” she said before clapping erupted as loud as a volcanic eruption.
“Remember that even though you didn’t reach nominee status, I am proud of all of my daughters. Don’t feel bad because with hard work, you just might become a nominee next year!” she said.
I stood in line formation with my fellow nominees before walking down the path between the seats of the stadium. As I walked, I blushed, as a slew of compliments was gifted to me like it was my birthday. I thanked as much of my sisters as I could as I headed toward my celebration party. My first nominee celebration party felt unreal. We laughed, joked, listened to music, had pillow fights, but like every moment, it eventually came to an end. The next day, we were right back at work to keep our affluent lifestyles.
As I stepped into my office, the feeling that struck me wasn’t one that the average employee feels when the cold air of their office room blows against their face. This wasn’t a job for me, but a lifestyle that I wouldn’t trade for anything else. A lifestyle that I wish that every inch of consciousness could experience.
I am a candle that burns with passion and purpose. A candle with fire that shall burn for as long as I exist, like a phoenix flying in warm desert air. A candle that will forever light the pathway for my beloved protégé.
“Nothing like my cloudy globe,” I said as I placed my hand upon a smooth glass ball that sent chills through me like the first note of the most exquisite music piece. As I looked through the clouds that flowed around the ball like mist in the morning, I saw my protégé Bryce. As he walked up the sidewalk, I hoped he would give a couple of dollars to the homeless person across the street from him. As usual, I wasn’t disappointed because ten dollars were given to the poor that day. For his good deed, I received 25 peace points, making the color of my wings grow vibrant. Thanks to Bryce, I knew I would never lose my wings, and I was thankful that none of my fellow cloudy fées had to worry either.
“Dysnomia, we need your help!” said Midnight Fée as she rushed into my office, ripping me from the grasp of my thoughts.
“What is the problem, Midnight?!” I said as the fear in her eyes brought anxiety to the room.
“Sad Fée is about to lose her wings! Please help us! We don’t know what to do!” said Midnight.
“Oh no! I think I know what to do.” I said before following her at the speed of an ambulance rushing to save a victim.
“Sad Fée!” I said in horror while she was lying on the floor with wings that were almost gray. “Quick! Give me the peace point counter!” I said.
“Here you go!” said Midnight as she tossed me the device.
As soon as I caught the device, I scanned her. “175 peace points! If she goes below 150 peace points, she will lose her wings!” I said.
“Who is the human that you watch over?” asked one of the cloudy fées in the growing crowd that surrounded Sad Fée.
“My protégé is Josh.” she responded.
“Why did Sad Fée have to get assigned to Josh for a protégé? He’s such a jerk that Sad Fée will never be able to get the amount of peace points that she needs to keep her wings.” said Midnight as she folded her arms.
“Midnight, be nice. Don’t disrespect someone else’s protégé.” I said.
“Hey, someone had to say it. I know we are all thinking it.” said Midnight as she rolled her eyes.
“I will donate 100 peace points to Sad Fée to save her wings.” said a cloudy fée in the crowd.
“Wow! That is nice of you. The problem is that it would violate the cloudy code. It violates cloudy rule number 71. It states that a cloudy fée shall not donate nor receive peace points to or from another cloudy fée. Cloudy fées can only receive peace points from the moral actions of the protégé that they watch over. Unfortunately, the only thing that we can do is hope that Josh does something righteous.” I explained.
“Well, we’ll be hoping for a long time because we all know Josh,” said Midnight.
“Midnight, that’s not helping,” I said. “I might have to tell Mother Fée about this,”
I swiftly dashed into the hallway and made a right. I continued running like a ticking time bomb was about to go off until I arrive at the office of Mother Fée. Once I arrived, she looked at me without a speck of fear. She didn’t budge. Not a shiver or twitch. She just sat there like the world was in the palm of her hands.
“Mother Fée! Sad Fée is about to lose her wings!” I said.
She looked at me with fearless eyes full of wisdom and reason. As I stood there, I was comforted by her presence. She didn’t say a word, so I knew wise words were around the corner waiting to reveal themselves. I knew not to speak. I stood there silently as long as Mother Fée looked into my eyes.
“Unfortunately, we can’t interfere with the relationship between a cloudy fée and her protégé. The only thing that you can do is give her advice. Give her some advice to make her protégé become a better person. You are one of the best cloudy fées. You know what to do.” said Mother Fée.
Her words of inspiration made me feel proud of my accomplishments. It was no coincidence that I am a nominee for the most noble cloudy fée award. Even though I felt pride in every inch of my wings, I couldn’t help but to dip my finger in the puddle fear that was slowly forming. I knew that if I failed to help, her guilt would hang above my head because I would feel like it was my fault. My greatest fear would come to fruition. Disappointing the cloudy fées and Mother Fée, especially, is something that made me feel sick to even think about.
Despite my feelings, I knew what had to be done. I buried my emotions deep in my mind and headed back to the room of terror.
“Sad Fée! Don’t spend a single peace point on Josh until he makes the point of being at peace.” I explained. “Remember the cloudy code. Rule number 31 states this. If your protégé committed enough good deeds to earn you more peace points than needed to keep your wings, you have the option of returning the favor by spending your excess peace points on your protégé. Remember that when you spend peace points on your protégé, that means that something good will happen to your protégé.” I continued.
“Why are you telling me things that I already know? You are just making me feel even more sad.” said Sad Fée as I noticed her wings become closer to the color gray.
“She told you that because she wants you to stop spending so many peace points on Josh when he doesn’t deserve it. You constantly make sure good things happen to him even though he’s a jerk.” said Midnight.
“Yeah, but he isn’t just any human. He is my protégé, and it is my duty to love and protect him.” said Sad Fée.
“You are absolutely right. That is your duty, so you have to protect him from himself. Cut back on spending peace points on him until he gets his act together.” said Midnight.
As a tear rolled down Sad Fée’s cheek, we all believed that this would be her very last tear before losing her wings. To our surprise, her wings regained some of their vibrant color back. I picked up the peace point counter before scanning her.
“Wow! She received 35 peace points!” I said.
As Sad Fée stood up, all the cloudy fées ran over to give her a hug. The love that she felt made her tears dry. She was spared a situation that would have given her a miserable existence. The cheering of all the cloudy fées proved we were all grateful. This was an experience that we’ll never forget.
“I’m glad you were able to keep your wings!” said a cloudy fée behind me.
“Yeah, glad you didn’t lose your wings, sister,” said another cloudy fée.
“Yeah and don’t spend any more peace points on Josh,” said Midnight.
After our brief celebration, we went back to work to make sure that we didn’t lose our wings. As I stepped into my office, I noticed Midnight standing behind me. She gave me her pierce eyed look that she always gives me when she is about to go on a rant. I got myself prepared for her complaints about Sad Fée. I knew it would be awhile before I could watch over my dear Bryce.
“I don’t understand why Sad Fée keeps on rewarding Josh. He does all these bad things and good things keep happening to him. The only reason Sad Fée got some peace points was because Josh gave his mom presents for her birthday. We all know that his mom is the only person who he is nice to. He backstabs his friends, and he beats his girlfriend and side chicks as he calls them. All Sad Fée does is reward him.” said Midnight.
“Aw, don’t be so hard on Sad Fée. We are cloudy fées, so it is in our nature to make our protégés happy. Humans are sensitive and emotional creatures.” I said.
“Yeah, but Josh is different. I don’t even think I can call him a human.” said Midnight.
“Let’s not talk about how you treat your protégé, Midnight. Your Protégé Lucy is such a kind person, yet you are cheap with your peace points. Your wings are so flashy and bright, yet your kind protégé barely gets rewarded. When was the last time something good happened to her?” I said.
“I am trying to teach her you should be a good person because it is the right thing to do. You shouldn’t be a good person to receive something good. Even in the worst circumstances you should help your neighbor.” said Midnight.
“I guess you aren’t wrong. I make sure I reward my Bryce because he makes sure that my wings are the most bright and beautiful wings in our realm. I made sure that he had a very good childhood.” I said.
“I can’t tell you what to do with your protégé, but I believe that a bit of suffering is good for the humans. Suffering makes them enjoy the gifts that we give them more.” said Midnight.
“You aren’t wrong. Neither am I. We just have different relationships with our protégés. There is nothing wrong with that. I’ll talk to you later. I have to get back to work. Gotta keep my wings bright and beautiful.” I said.
“Alright, talk to you later, Dysnomia,” said Midnight Fée before heading into the hallway.
As she stepped away, I was finally able to give my full attention back to my Bryce. I peeked at the smile on Bryce’s face when he received his dream job. Such an event cost me a lot of peace points, but Bryce is well worth it. Little did Bryce know that when he celebrated, I was celebrating with him. Little did Bryce know that when he tasted a slice of cake at his promotion party, I was tasting a slice of happiness in his life. Little did Bryce know that out of all of his fans that he greeted, his biggest fan was watching him from afar.
I was so far, yet so close to him. No matter where he went, I was proud to be the good fortune to follow him. On nights when he would sit on his bed crying, my presence were the fireflies that would brighten his path. On days when I feel down, it is his presence that lifts my wings into the darkness of space where I can see the world as it truly is. In this world, we exist to help others.
He knows my presence is near like the finest cologne that is showered upon an A list model. Such cologne is one that turns heads. Such cologne brings brightness to his life like he is in the midst of a lavish flower boutique. His style of role modeling brings brightness to my wings, like a bumble feasting on honey crafted from a flower’s pollen.
Once the stars twinkled above him like the mist of his cologne, he lied upon the sheets of his bed. He fulfilled a wish that many cloudy fées can only express their desire for. As I heard his words, I couldn’t help but to flap my wings.
“I don’t know what led to the great life that I had, but whoever or whatever it is, I greatly appreciate it. The promotion that I got today was something I couldn’t even fathom happening. Thank you for making my life move so smoothly and perfect. Thank you. Thank you.” he said.
His words were a gift that I felt I didn’t even deserve to place the tip of my finger on the bow. My only wish that wasn’t granted was that I desired to return such words back to him. I shower him with promotions, prizes, and opportunities, but never have I ever showered him with words of praise. Unfortunately, direct communication between a cloudy fée and her protégé is prohibited by the cloudy code, but Mother Fée knows best. I can’t complain, but there is nothing wrong with a bit of fantasizing.
As he drifted off to sleep, I drifted into the hallway, yet the cologne that followed him never drifted away. None of the other cloudy fées would catch my drift. The truth is that they aren’t catching the drift of pollen that my flower child Bryce provides me with.
“Hello. Hello. Hello!” snapped a cloudy fée, pulling me out of my plane of thoughts.
“Yes,” I responded as I looked at her.
“Are you okay? You seemed to be in another world.” said Cleanly Fée.
“Sorry, I just drifted off into la la land. You know I’m a daydreamer.” I said.
“Well, I just wanted to let you know that no matter who wins the most noble cloudy fée award, we both did a great job.” said Cleanly Fée. “Right now you have more peace points than me because I see your wings are brighter. I am happy for you. We’ll see when it is time for the award.”
“Thank you, Cleanly Fée. You are a great cloudy fée.” I said.
“Anything that you want me to clean?” she asked.
“Not at the moment, but thank you for the offer.” I said. “Remember that no matter who wins, the power of friendship is far greater than any award.”
“You are right, Dysnomia!” said Cleanly Fée as she gave me a hi five. She smiled at me as I walked away. I returned the smile to her like a game of pitch and catch.
The next morning, I hopped out of my bed and stepped into the hallway. As the light of my office grew closer to me, I felt the grasp of my wing. I turned around to see the eyes of Midnight Fée as I panted from the surprise.
“We need your help, Dysnomia! Mechanic Fée is in trouble!” said Midnight.
“Oh, no! Let’s go!” I said as I followed her into the heating room.
Once I arrived at the destination, the sight of the lower half of Mechanic Fées’ body being smashed by a large metallic piece of equipment horrified me. As she looked at me, I could see the tears forming in her eyes. The sighting almost brought tears to mine.
“Well, at least someone can finally feel the heat from this heater,” said Midnight Fée.
“Not funny, Midnight.” I said.
“It’s not like you don’t know that this heater never works,” said Midnight with her classic eye roll.
“Let me ask Mother Fée what to do,” I said before flying straight to the grand office of Mother Fée.
“Mother Fée! Mother Fée! Mechanic Fée is in trouble! What should I do?” I asked.
“That is a question that you must answer for yourself, Dysnomia. Think about this. You are on track to winning the most noble cloudy fée award. Do you know what that means? It means that you will be my assistant. You will be my second in command.” She explained.
“Yes, Mother Fée,” I said.
“For millions of years, I have run the only realm that is considered perfect. We have zero conflict. All of my daughters get along. The cloudy code is strictly followed, giving all of us morals, love, unity, and friendship. If one cloudy fée has a problem, all the other cloudy fées will rush to help her and swiftly solve the problem. If you are going to be my assistant, you have to make sure that our realm remains perfect.” said Mother Fée.
“You are right, Mother Fée,” I said.
“That means that you have to be able to think for yourself and solve problems on your own. I won’t always be there to help you.” said Mother Fée as she stood up.
“Okay, Mother Fée,” I said as I looked down at the floor.
“If you need a resource. Remember, you can always use the cloudy code to help you.” She said.
“Thank you, Mother Fée!” I said before rushing to my office to snatch a copy of the cloudy code booklet.
As I skimmed through the booklet, two words stood out to me. Unity and friendship. Such words went together like peanut butter and jelly. Such words are the tools that Mechanic Fée really needs. These are the tools that will fix her problem.
“There is nothing like cloudy power!” I said. I flew around the building and, as swift as the wave of a wizard’s wand, a group of cloudy fées were surrounding their poor sister.
“Please help me! I can get out!” begged Mechanic Fée as her arms squirmed.
A group of us grabbed a side of the device and lifted it like we were trying to save our own lives. I flapped my wings to lift myself in the air as I pulled the machine before the others followed. Such an event was truly a workout, but our hard work paid off because the device was lifted high enough for her to squirm out like a worm. As soon as she was free, the machine immediately dropped because my arms felt as weak and stretched as noodles.
“Wow! You did it, Dysnomia!” said one of the cloudy fées as they all cheered me on.
“It appears that you are the best choice for the most noble cloudy fée award because of your remarkable leadership skills,” said Cleanly Fée as she smiled at me.
“Thank you for your compliment, but we did it together. We solved the problem with the power of cloudy friendship and unity!” I said before we cheered like we were our own cheerleaders.
At the end of the day, the image of Bryce accepting his promotion was posted on my mind like the poster of a star actor in a theater. My Bryce put on quite a show. Everyone that doubted him. Everyone that told him he would fail. Everyone that told him he wasn’t good enough. Everyone of them was honored with the gift of tickets to see Bryce’s starring role.
Naturally, this made me imagine the cloudy award finale taking place tomorrow. No matter what happens tomorrow, I’ll make sure to thank Bryce even though he’ll never hear my voice. I drifted off to a world where I was given the most noble cloudy award in front of every cloudy fée. All I heard were hundreds of claps. I turned around to see Midnight and Cleanly Fée give me a smile before giving me a hug. The most joyful tear rolled down my right cheek before I awoke from my slumber.
“That dream was a sign. A sign from Mother Fée that I will win the award today.” I said as I looked in the mirror and wiped the tear off my right cheek.
After my shift, the world that I drifted to was about to become a reality as all the nominees stood beside each other on stage. I clearly saw that my wings were far brighter than my fellow nominees. Many of their eyes turned to get a glimpse of my wings. As Mother Fée scanned the nominees with the peace point counter, she stated how many peace points they received, but such numbers might as well have been zero because I heard nothing. My mind was on my Bryce.
I just bestowed the gift of the promotion upon him he bestowed the gift of my first award upon me. My entire life was a sequence of events leading up to this moment. This was my starring role. This was the moment that I have been waiting for since my birth. This moment is the result of all the hard work that Bryce and I consistently did. As Mother Fée came closer to me, I closed my eyes.
“I know that you’ll never hear this, but thank you, Bryce. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” I whispered.
“Cleanly Fée has 34,697 peace points. Wow! Cleanly Fée, you are on fire.” said Mother Fée before moving on to me.
I listened to the final steps of Mother Fée as she approached me before being crowned her assistant. I thought of the sound of each of her steps as a symbol for the steps that Bryce and I took to get to this moment. As she scanned me with the peace point counter, the tear that decorated my face in my own world from the previous night became real.
“Dysnomia! You have 35,124 peace points! You blew everyone else out of the water. You clearly have the most peace points!” said Mother Fée.
Like magic, the sounds of the claps from my little world became real. Midnight and Cleanly Fée ran over to me and gave me the biggest hug I ever received. The look in Midnight’s eyes was as clear as last night’s midnight sky. The look in Cleanly’s eyes was as clear as the last mirror she cleansed so thoroughly.
“Wow, I’m so happy for you!” said Cleanly.
“Yeah, you totally deserve it,” Midnight said.
The look in the eyes of Mother Fée was as clear as the look of a disappointed mother. I was hit with a brief moment of confusion before being swallowed back by the wave of appreciation I was receiving. This moment felt like a lifetime.
“I’m sorry, but the winner is Cleanly Fée,” said Mother Fée. The clapping, hugging, and words of praise disappeared just as fast as they came, like some kind of reversal spell. My tears dried up like a puddle of water in the desert. Everyone looked at each other in a state of confusion. I never heard the theater quieter than that moment. As everyone looked at each other in confusion and disbelief, I stood frozen like I was in the arctic.
“Congratulations! You win the most noble cloudy fée award.” said Mother Fée as she handed her the golden cloud shaped trophy. The smiles, claps, hugs, and words of praise quickly became directed towards Cleanly Fée. Once again I woke up, but this time reality was here to stay. It took me a while to process it, but somehow Cleanly Fée was given the position of Mother Fée’s assistant and I wasn’t. I noticed Cleanly Fée awkwardly glancing at me behind her wave of love and praise that they splashed upon her. I felt like curling up in a ball in the corner of the room and crying.
I received a few glossy eyed glances from a couple more cloudy fées, but we knew that Mother Fée was the most wise and her decisions shouldn’t be questioned. I swallowed my pain and disappointment, that tasted like the most bitter lemon, and put the mask of a smile on my face. After the cheering and clapping we partied to the words that Cleanly Fée received from Mother Fée. I honestly felt that the strings of my smiling mask were about to snap, but like the other cloudy fées I desired to see Cleanly Fée happy too. If I were to win, I would appreciate the praise of my sisters as well.
Once the party ended and the cloudy fées went back to their rooms to sleep, I stood by myself. I desired to share my feelings with someone, but I had no one to share it with. I don’t want to ruin the happiness of my sisters because of my personal problems. The unfortunate truth is that I am alone on this boat as I row down a river of sadness. The strings of my mask of happiness snapped and my tears were finally let off the leash. As Mother Fée stepped into the room, she immediately looked at me. I turned in the direction that was opposite to where she was standing and covered my face.
“Why are you still here? Are you okay, daughter?” asked Mother Fée.
“Yes, I am fine,” I said with my hands over my face.
“Tell the truth, Dysnomia,” said Mother Fée as she placed her hand on my shoulder. “I know cloudy fées are happy and positive beings by nature, but the truth is that everyone gets sad sometimes. Even we do. What is the issue?”
“Please don’t be offended, because I am not questioning your decision or challenging your authority. I merely want to know the answer to ease the pain that I am feeling.” I said.
“Feel free to ask your question?” she said.
“The rules were that the winner was the nominee with the most peace points. I had more peace points than all of them. Why didn’t I win?” I asked.
“I feared that one day this might happen. I hoped it would never come to this, but you were always such a good cloudy fée. I guess it was inevitable.” she said as she placed her hand on her forehead.
“Did you ever notice a difference between you and the other cloudy fées?” she asked.
“No,” I answered after a few seconds of thought.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Not that I know of,” I said.
“Follow me,” she said before we walked to her office. “Look in the mirror and tell me if you see anything that is different from your sisters,” she said as her eyes pointed at the mirror that hung on the wall.
As I looked at my reflection, I noticed nothing different besides the makeup of sadness that seemed to have stained my face. I looked at my clothes. I looked at my hair. Nothing seemed to stand out.
“I have raised all my daughters in a perfect world. It would be natural for you not to notice any differences because they don’t matter. Worrying about such a trivial subject is not worth your time. My daughters are higher beings. We live in a perfect society. If we want to maintain this perfect society, I have to tell you the truth, which can hurt sometimes.” She said.
“What is going on, Mother Fée? You are scaring me.” I said.
“Look at the diamonds that are on your wings. Many cloudy fées have all types of wing marks such as clouds, moon crescents, and all types of other things, but none of the other cloudy fées have a diamond,” she said.
“What is wrong with that?” I asked.
“It means that you are categorized as a defect. Unfortunately, it is against the cloudy code for defects to be crowned my assistant or win any other award even if they win fair and square. Cleanly Fée had the second most peace points so logically she was crowned. This cloudy rule is often overlooked because it rarely needs to be referred to. I haven’t even told any of you what a defect is?” she explained.
“What is a defect?” I asked.
“A defect is a cloudy fée that doesn’t fit the description of the way that a cloudy fée is supposed to look,” she said before I started crying waves of tears. “I know it seems like a superficial rule, but it is important that we maintain a perfect society that thousands of intelligent species desire to achieve and fail to reach. During my millions of years of experience, I noticed that most so-called intelligent life forms can’t handle minor differences without causing conflict. One difference leads to bullying, fighting, and division, bringing them farther away from a perfect society.”
“So, are you saying I’m just a useless problem?” I said.
“Of course not. You are one of the best cloudy fées and you losing is completely out of your control. Don’t feel bad about being a defect. I noticed that individuals that were different within a species usually were successful. Just keep on getting your peace points and being the perfectly imperfect cloudy fée that you are.” she said.
“Are you sure that I shouldn’t give up?” I asked.
“Please don’t. Think of it this way. Before I gave you this knowledge, you were being the best cloudy fée you could and showed it with your track record. You’ve always been a defect. You didn’t just become one. You didn’t let it stop you then so don’t let it stop you now.” she said.
“Yeah, but I’ll never be able to move up ranks or get awards,” I said.
“Think about this, my daughter. You know about the human world through your protégé. Some humans work their entire life and never become a manager, owner, king, queen, or president. Some humans remain janitors or servants their entire lives and there is no shame in that. Everyone has a role to play. They need some humans to fill those positions or else their society would fail to function.” She said as she wiped the tears off my face.
“Think of this. In the universe, there are many objects. Some objects are tiny balls of dirt beneath the feet of a human on the earth. Other objects are stars that have a radius of millions of miles and emit an unbelievable amount of energy. No object is better than the other. Both are needed for the universe to function properly. You just happen to be the servant or ball of dirt. Your role is still just as important as all of your sister’s roles. I don’t care what the prophecy says, just keep on being the best servant or ball of dirt that you can be. Now you have a good night, Dysnomia.” she said.
As painful as her words were, I couldn’t put up an argument with her even if I wanted to. She was absolutely right. We all have a job to do. As more tears rolled down my face, I thought about the foundation of my happiness. My wonderful Bryce. My job isn’t to win awards or promotions, it is to bring peace and happiness to my lovely Bryce. That is a duty that I promise to continue to do.
“Dysnomia, I have a couple of warnings for you,” said Mother Fée as I almost stepped into the hallway.
“Yes, Mother Fée,” I said, looking back at her.
“Number one is don’t tell others about our conversation, and don’t let them know you are a defect,” she said.
“Why?” I asked.
“I fear it may cause problems with the other cloudy fées messing up our perfect world. Number two. If you are approached by a male that looks like a cloudy fee without wings, don’t talk to him. He will attempt to persuade you to do something that is very bad. He is cunning and convincing. Don’t give him any of your time in the day.”
“Okay, Mother Fée,” I said as I looked down at the floor. As I stepped towards the hallway, I felt the sting of Mother Fées’ words like an ant. Despite the torture that her words put me through, I had to go through flames to melt my frozen mind. I had to accept that I am a defect. There was nothing wrong with that. I just have to be the best defect that I can be.
“Oh! Cleanly Fée I didn’t expect to see you here,” I said as I saw her beside the office door as soon as I stepped into the hallway. “You startled me there. What are you doing?” I asked.
“You know, just cleaning up a little. Just because I am second in command now doesn’t mean I have to stop my love for cleaning.” said Cleanly Fée.
“You make a good point,” I said.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m just going to go to sleep now,” I said.
That night, sleeping became one of the hardest tasks to get done. The amount of thoughts that rushed into my mind kept a good night’s sleep rushing away from me. Fortunately, I finally got a couple of hours of sleep as the hour hand approached six. The unfortunate thing is that when I woke up, I knew that my conversation with Mother Fée wasn’t a dream. It was a reality that I had to live with.
As I watch the life of Bryce through my cloudy globe, a sparkle of happiness developed within me. I felt joy as he benefited from the rewards of his promotion. Something that I’ll never be able to do. At least Bryce’s promotion gives me a piece of my dream. I smiled at Bryce through the cloudy globe.
“Why didn’t you win the award, Dysnomia?” asked Midnight. “You clearly got the most peace points.”
“That is confidential information. That is between me and Mother Fée.” I said. “If she wanted you to know, then she would tell you herself.”
“Fine. Mother Fée knows best.” said Midnight. “So, do you want to hang out tonight?” she asked.
“Maybe tomorrow. I’m kind of tired.” I said.
“Okay, enjoy your day,” she responded.
“You too,” I said as she fluttered into the hallway.
Despite being physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, I couldn’t sleep once again that night. I walked around the dark hallways. As I saw a photo of Cleanly Fée holding her award on the wall, a tear rolled down my cheek. I closed my eyes. I felt a hand to wipe the tears from my eyes.
“Who are you?” I asked. “You look like a male cloudy fée. Is that even a thing? Where are your wings?” I asked.
“I just saw you standing there looking sad. Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes, I am fine. Just leave me alone.” I said.
“Yeah, it really sounds like you are okay,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Does Mother Fée have anything to do with those tears?”
His question shook me. I looked at him in disbelief. He gave me a smirk as he observed my reaction.
“How did you know that?” I asked.
“I know a lot of things,” he responded. “Have you ever thought about leaving the world of Mother Fée?”
“What, of course not! It is against cloudy code. Plus, the few cloudy fées that decided to leave the perfect world that Mother Fée built lived terrible lives after their decision. No other world can compare to Mother Fées’ world when it comes to perfection. If I go to another world, I’ll make things even worse.” I said, before the thought of Mother Fée’s words froze me.
“You are the wingless male cloudy fée that Mother Fée told me to stay away from!” I said.
“Why does she want me to stay away from you? Is it because she doesn’t want me to expose her?” he said.
“I’m ignoring you, sir,” I said as I walked past him.
“Those are some nice diamond designs on your wings,” he said.
I stopped in the middle of my footstep. I slowly turned around to his smirk. I place my hand on my forehead.
“It’s okay, Miss Defect. I know how to help you if you just listen. You know what Mother Fée does to her defects, right? She butchers them. Starting with the wings, teeth, and then the rest of the body.” he said.
Such foolishness ripped me out of my frozen state of mind. After his words, all the doubt that I had in Mother Fées’ words disappeared with no chance of returning.
“That is absolutely ridiculous. She would never do that. She wants me to continue my perfect life as before. The only difference is that I’ll never win an award or get a higher rank. You are a liar and an instigator. Stop trying to create drama and problems.” I said, before walking away from him.
As I walked away, he continued to talk, but his words were no different from the buzz of a fly. Once I was far away from the trouble maker I laid down in my bed. He didn’t know that his lies and instigation tactics only brought me closer to Mother Fée. She was aware of his lies and deceit before he even showed up. Even if her words sting, I will forever abide by the words of the great Mother Fée.
Over the next few weeks, I hung out with Midnight, worked, and received a lot of peace points. Basically, life continued as usual. As the days passed, the emotional scars of her stinging words faded. Eventually, I came to terms with it. I have a great friend, protégé, a ton of peace points, bright beautiful wings, and a community full of loving and supporting individuals. What more can I ask for?
When I took walks alone through the dark hallways at night, I saw the instigator a few more times. Each time he was met with the cold shoulder. He was basically a ghost. I couldn’t see, feel, or hear him. My bond with Mother Fée was indestructible.
About a month later, I was combing my hair while watching Bryce before Midnight burst into my office. I looked at her as I let go of the comb that was stuck in my messy hair. She looked at me with her look of fear.
“Sad Fée needs help!” said Midnight.
“Be right there,” I said.
Once we were at the scene of the dilemma, the first thing that I saw was Sad Fée sitting on the floor crying. I was about to place my hand on her shoulder, but Cleanly Fée beat me to it. For the first time all the cloudy fées looked at Cleanly Fée for the solution rather than me. She looked into the eyes of Sad Fée. She stood silent as a crowd of eyes were pointing in her direction.
“Don’t worry, I will solve this problem. I figured out that she lost her cloudy globe. We all know that is a problem because without it, she can’t watch her protégé. I will work hard to find it. I know I am in charge, but if any of you have any ideas, feel free to share them.” said Cleanly Fée as she peaked at me.
“How about we use cloudy power? Together, we all look for the cloudy globe. I’ll look through the cloudy code to see if there is an easier alternative solution to this situation.” I said.
“Good idea, Dysnomia!” said Cleanly Fée as she clapped.
We went straight to hunting. I stopped by Mother Fée’s office to pick up the cloudy code booklet because my office was far away. To my surprise, the cloudy code book wasn’t sitting on her desk like usual. It was nowhere to be found on her bookshelf, either. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in the office, so asking her for the location of the book wasn’t an option.
“This is weird,” I said as I looked at her closet door that always remains closed. The feeling of doing something illegal rushed down my spine as I approached the closet.
I’ve never seen Mother Fée open the door. In fact, I saw no other cloudy fée open the door. Perhaps I’m overthinking the situation. It could just be that nothing of importance is in the closet, so there is never a need for anyone to open it.
I buried the pesky feeling and opened the closet door. As I looked around, I saw nothing of importance. The closet was the size of a large room. It was pitch black and barely anything took up the space of the room.
“Perhaps I was right. There is nothing that can help me here.” I said before I noticed a black treasure box in the far right corner blending into the dark.
“Maybe the cloudy code book is in here. If not, unfortunately, I’ll have to walk all the way to my office.” I said. I attempted to open it but quickly discovered that it was locked. I looked at the keyhole on the front of the box. Unfortunately, there was no key lying around, but there were letter combinations on the front. If I guessed the correct password, then the box would open up.
My first choice failed miserably. I spelled cloudy code, but I didn’t hear the sound of it unlocking. Next, I guessed cloudy power and luckily, the treasure box popped open. I was ready to pick up the cloudy code booklet to bring happiness to Sad Fée. I was met with the scene of a horror movie.
I screamed as I saw the arms, legs, head, and wings of cloudy fée in the box. I felt like I was frozen in a block of ice for a thousand years. I couldn’t move, speak, or develop thoughts. As I stood over the box, I was waiting for the moment that I would awake from this nightmare.
My Poison Jewel Series: Heavenly Aroma 1(James E Boston IV)
© Copyright 2022 James Edward Boston IV
As I floated upon the stage like the most precious lotus flower, the midnight breeze gently brushed against my hair like my hair was being styled by the finest beautician. All my heart desired was to sway like the branches of the trees dancing with the wind. I honestly felt as if my eyes were glossing over a collage of my life that glistened like a necklace of the highest value. The sound of claps and cheering faded in and out as if I were in a dream-like state. For the first time in my life, I was living a dream come true.
“Dysnomia, you have officially been elected as a nominee for the most noble cloudy fée award.” said the host as he eyeballed me like an A list celebrity.
After my moment that felt like a lifetime, I floated over to the backstage. As I sat down with the other nominees for the first time in my existence, I felt like I was the main course of the meal. No longer was a kernel lost in the midst of vegetable soup. No longer was a normal cloudy fée like the others. No longer was I just a random piece of the puzzle.
“I can finally call myself a star,” I said as I noticed the cloudy fée beside me handing me a smile with the twinkle of a tooth.
“Yes. We are stars now. Just know that no matter who wins, we are all stars.” said Midnight Fée.
“After so much hard work. I am finally living my dream.” I responded as I returned the twinkle of my tooth back to her.
The clapping began fading away until it was clear as a ghost. Everyone’s eyes were as wide as the stage I sat on as the wings of the mother fée were seen on the stage. Even though we saw the great mother fée since birth, her twenty foot tall wings never ceased to amaze us. My heart was pounding hard enough to be heard by the world as she took her final step. I was ready for her words of appreciation to shower upon me like the purest waterfall.
“As you are all aware, these are the nominees for the cloudy fée award ceremony that will take place on this very stage next month.” Said Mother Fée in her smooth as marble voice that was the perfect tool for constructing her speech. “You have done a splendid job of promoting righteousness and morals in the forbidden world. It wasn’t an easy task, but somehow all of you managed to reach the goal of 10,000 peace points. I look forward to seeing which one of my nominee daughters will build up the most peace points. How about another round of applause?” she said before clapping erupted as loud as a volcanic eruption.
“Remember that even though you didn’t reach nominee status, I am proud of all of my daughters. Don’t feel bad because with hard work, you just might become a nominee next year!” she said.
I stood in line formation with my fellow nominees before walking down the path between the seats of the stadium. As I walked, I blushed, as a slew of compliments was gifted to me like it was my birthday. I thanked as much of my sisters as I could as I headed toward my celebration party. My first nominee celebration party felt unreal. We laughed, joked, listened to music, had pillow fights, but like every moment, it eventually came to an end. The next day, we were right back at work to keep our affluent lifestyles.
As I stepped into my office, the feeling that struck me wasn’t one that the average employee feels when the cold air of their office room blows against their face. This wasn’t a job for me, but a lifestyle that I wouldn’t trade for anything else. A lifestyle that I wish that every inch of consciousness could experience.
I am a candle that burns with passion and purpose. A candle with fire that shall burn for as long as I exist, like a phoenix flying in warm desert air. A candle that will forever light the pathway for my beloved protégé.
“Nothing like my cloudy globe,” I said as I placed my hand upon a smooth glass ball that sent chills through me like the first note of the most exquisite music piece. As I looked through the clouds that flowed around the ball like mist in the morning, I saw my protégé Bryce. As he walked up the sidewalk, I hoped he would give a couple of dollars to the homeless person across the street from him. As usual, I wasn’t disappointed because ten dollars were given to the poor that day. For his good deed, I received 25 peace points, making the color of my wings grow vibrant. Thanks to Bryce, I knew I would never lose my wings, and I was thankful that none of my fellow cloudy fées had to worry either.
“Dysnomia, we need your help!” said Midnight Fée as she rushed into my office, ripping me from the grasp of my thoughts.
“What is the problem, Midnight?!” I said as the fear in her eyes brought anxiety to the room.
“Sad Fée is about to lose her wings! Please help us! We don’t know what to do!” said Midnight.
“Oh no! I think I know what to do.” I said before following her at the speed of an ambulance rushing to save a victim.
“Sad Fée!” I said in horror while she was lying on the floor with wings that were almost gray. “Quick! Give me the peace point counter!” I said.
“Here you go!” said Midnight as she tossed me the device.
As soon as I caught the device, I scanned her. “175 peace points! If she goes below 150 peace points, she will lose her wings!” I said.
“Who is the human that you watch over?” asked one of the cloudy fées in the growing crowd that surrounded Sad Fée.
“My protégé is Josh.” she responded.
“Why did Sad Fée have to get assigned to Josh for a protégé? He’s such a jerk that Sad Fée will never be able to get the amount of peace points that she needs to keep her wings.” said Midnight as she folded her arms.
“Midnight, be nice. Don’t disrespect someone else’s protégé.” I said.
“Hey, someone had to say it. I know we are all thinking it.” said Midnight as she rolled her eyes.
“I will donate 100 peace points to Sad Fée to save her wings.” said a cloudy fée in the crowd.
“Wow! That is nice of you. The problem is that it would violate the cloudy code. It violates cloudy rule number 71. It states that a cloudy fée shall not donate nor receive peace points to or from another cloudy fée. Cloudy fées can only receive peace points from the moral actions of the protégé that they watch over. Unfortunately, the only thing that we can do is hope that Josh does something righteous.” I explained.
“Well, we’ll be hoping for a long time because we all know Josh,” said Midnight.
“Midnight, that’s not helping,” I said. “I might have to tell Mother Fée about this,”
I swiftly dashed into the hallway and made a right. I continued running like a ticking time bomb was about to go off until I arrive at the office of Mother Fée. Once I arrived, she looked at me without a speck of fear. She didn’t budge. Not a shiver or twitch. She just sat there like the world was in the palm of her hands.
“Mother Fée! Sad Fée is about to lose her wings!” I said.
She looked at me with fearless eyes full of wisdom and reason. As I stood there, I was comforted by her presence. She didn’t say a word, so I knew wise words were around the corner waiting to reveal themselves. I knew not to speak. I stood there silently as long as Mother Fée looked into my eyes.
“Unfortunately, we can’t interfere with the relationship between a cloudy fée and her protégé. The only thing that you can do is give her advice. Give her some advice to make her protégé become a better person. You are one of the best cloudy fées. You know what to do.” said Mother Fée.
Her words of inspiration made me feel proud of my accomplishments. It was no coincidence that I am a nominee for the most noble cloudy fée award. Even though I felt pride in every inch of my wings, I couldn’t help but to dip my finger in the puddle fear that was slowly forming. I knew that if I failed to help, her guilt would hang above my head because I would feel like it was my fault. My greatest fear would come to fruition. Disappointing the cloudy fées and Mother Fée, especially, is something that made me feel sick to even think about.
Despite my feelings, I knew what had to be done. I buried my emotions deep in my mind and headed back to the room of terror.
“Sad Fée! Don’t spend a single peace point on Josh until he makes the point of being at peace.” I explained. “Remember the cloudy code. Rule number 31 states this. If your protégé committed enough good deeds to earn you more peace points than needed to keep your wings, you have the option of returning the favor by spending your excess peace points on your protégé. Remember that when you spend peace points on your protégé, that means that something good will happen to your protégé.” I continued.
“Why are you telling me things that I already know? You are just making me feel even more sad.” said Sad Fée as I noticed her wings become closer to the color gray.
“She told you that because she wants you to stop spending so many peace points on Josh when he doesn’t deserve it. You constantly make sure good things happen to him even though he’s a jerk.” said Midnight.
“Yeah, but he isn’t just any human. He is my protégé, and it is my duty to love and protect him.” said Sad Fée.
“You are absolutely right. That is your duty, so you have to protect him from himself. Cut back on spending peace points on him until he gets his act together.” said Midnight.
As a tear rolled down Sad Fée’s cheek, we all believed that this would be her very last tear before losing her wings. To our surprise, her wings regained some of their vibrant color back. I picked up the peace point counter before scanning her.
“Wow! She received 35 peace points!” I said.
As Sad Fée stood up, all the cloudy fées ran over to give her a hug. The love that she felt made her tears dry. She was spared a situation that would have given her a miserable existence. The cheering of all the cloudy fées proved we were all grateful. This was an experience that we’ll never forget.
“I’m glad you were able to keep your wings!” said a cloudy fée behind me.
“Yeah, glad you didn’t lose your wings, sister,” said another cloudy fée.
“Yeah and don’t spend any more peace points on Josh,” said Midnight.
After our brief celebration, we went back to work to make sure that we didn’t lose our wings. As I stepped into my office, I noticed Midnight standing behind me. She gave me her pierce eyed look that she always gives me when she is about to go on a rant. I got myself prepared for her complaints about Sad Fée. I knew it would be awhile before I could watch over my dear Bryce.
“I don’t understand why Sad Fée keeps on rewarding Josh. He does all these bad things and good things keep happening to him. The only reason Sad Fée got some peace points was because Josh gave his mom presents for her birthday. We all know that his mom is the only person who he is nice to. He backstabs his friends, and he beats his girlfriend and side chicks as he calls them. All Sad Fée does is reward him.” said Midnight.
“Aw, don’t be so hard on Sad Fée. We are cloudy fées, so it is in our nature to make our protégés happy. Humans are sensitive and emotional creatures.” I said.
“Yeah, but Josh is different. I don’t even think I can call him a human.” said Midnight.
“Let’s not talk about how you treat your protégé, Midnight. Your Protégé Lucy is such a kind person, yet you are cheap with your peace points. Your wings are so flashy and bright, yet your kind protégé barely gets rewarded. When was the last time something good happened to her?” I said.
“I am trying to teach her you should be a good person because it is the right thing to do. You shouldn’t be a good person to receive something good. Even in the worst circumstances you should help your neighbor.” said Midnight.
“I guess you aren’t wrong. I make sure I reward my Bryce because he makes sure that my wings are the most bright and beautiful wings in our realm. I made sure that he had a very good childhood.” I said.
“I can’t tell you what to do with your protégé, but I believe that a bit of suffering is good for the humans. Suffering makes them enjoy the gifts that we give them more.” said Midnight.
“You aren’t wrong. Neither am I. We just have different relationships with our protégés. There is nothing wrong with that. I’ll talk to you later. I have to get back to work. Gotta keep my wings bright and beautiful.” I said.
“Alright, talk to you later, Dysnomia,” said Midnight Fée before heading into the hallway.
As she stepped away, I was finally able to give my full attention back to my Bryce. I peeked at the smile on Bryce’s face when he received his dream job. Such an event cost me a lot of peace points, but Bryce is well worth it. Little did Bryce know that when he celebrated, I was celebrating with him. Little did Bryce know that when he tasted a slice of cake at his promotion party, I was tasting a slice of happiness in his life. Little did Bryce know that out of all of his fans that he greeted, his biggest fan was watching him from afar.
I was so far, yet so close to him. No matter where he went, I was proud to be the good fortune to follow him. On nights when he would sit on his bed crying, my presence were the fireflies that would brighten his path. On days when I feel down, it is his presence that lifts my wings into the darkness of space where I can see the world as it truly is. In this world, we exist to help others.
He knows my presence is near like the finest cologne that is showered upon an A list model. Such cologne is one that turns heads. Such cologne brings brightness to his life like he is in the midst of a lavish flower boutique. His style of role modeling brings brightness to my wings, like a bumble feasting on honey crafted from a flower’s pollen.
Once the stars twinkled above him like the mist of his cologne, he lied upon the sheets of his bed. He fulfilled a wish that many cloudy fées can only express their desire for. As I heard his words, I couldn’t help but to flap my wings.
“I don’t know what led to the great life that I had, but whoever or whatever it is, I greatly appreciate it. The promotion that I got today was something I couldn’t even fathom happening. Thank you for making my life move so smoothly and perfect. Thank you. Thank you.” he said.
His words were a gift that I felt I didn’t even deserve to place the tip of my finger on the bow. My only wish that wasn’t granted was that I desired to return such words back to him. I shower him with promotions, prizes, and opportunities, but never have I ever showered him with words of praise. Unfortunately, direct communication between a cloudy fée and her protégé is prohibited by the cloudy code, but Mother Fée knows best. I can’t complain, but there is nothing wrong with a bit of fantasizing.
As he drifted off to sleep, I drifted into the hallway, yet the cologne that followed him never drifted away. None of the other cloudy fées would catch my drift. The truth is that they aren’t catching the drift of pollen that my flower child Bryce provides me with.
“Hello. Hello. Hello!” snapped a cloudy fée, pulling me out of my plane of thoughts.
“Yes,” I responded as I looked at her.
“Are you okay? You seemed to be in another world.” said Cleanly Fée.
“Sorry, I just drifted off into la la land. You know I’m a daydreamer.” I said.
“Well, I just wanted to let you know that no matter who wins the most noble cloudy fée award, we both did a great job.” said Cleanly Fée. “Right now you have more peace points than me because I see your wings are brighter. I am happy for you. We’ll see when it is time for the award.”
“Thank you, Cleanly Fée. You are a great cloudy fée.” I said.
“Anything that you want me to clean?” she asked.
“Not at the moment, but thank you for the offer.” I said. “Remember that no matter who wins, the power of friendship is far greater than any award.”
“You are right, Dysnomia!” said Cleanly Fée as she gave me a hi five. She smiled at me as I walked away. I returned the smile to her like a game of pitch and catch.
The next morning, I hopped out of my bed and stepped into the hallway. As the light of my office grew closer to me, I felt the grasp of my wing. I turned around to see the eyes of Midnight Fée as I panted from the surprise.
“We need your help, Dysnomia! Mechanic Fée is in trouble!” said Midnight.
“Oh, no! Let’s go!” I said as I followed her into the heating room.
Once I arrived at the destination, the sight of the lower half of Mechanic Fées’ body being smashed by a large metallic piece of equipment horrified me. As she looked at me, I could see the tears forming in her eyes. The sighting almost brought tears to mine.
“Well, at least someone can finally feel the heat from this heater,” said Midnight Fée.
“Not funny, Midnight.” I said.
“It’s not like you don’t know that this heater never works,” said Midnight with her classic eye roll.
“Let me ask Mother Fée what to do,” I said before flying straight to the grand office of Mother Fée.
“Mother Fée! Mother Fée! Mechanic Fée is in trouble! What should I do?” I asked.
“That is a question that you must answer for yourself, Dysnomia. Think about this. You are on track to winning the most noble cloudy fée award. Do you know what that means? It means that you will be my assistant. You will be my second in command.” She explained.
“Yes, Mother Fée,” I said.
“For millions of years, I have run the only realm that is considered perfect. We have zero conflict. All of my daughters get along. The cloudy code is strictly followed, giving all of us morals, love, unity, and friendship. If one cloudy fée has a problem, all the other cloudy fées will rush to help her and swiftly solve the problem. If you are going to be my assistant, you have to make sure that our realm remains perfect.” said Mother Fée.
“You are right, Mother Fée,” I said.
“That means that you have to be able to think for yourself and solve problems on your own. I won’t always be there to help you.” said Mother Fée as she stood up.
“Okay, Mother Fée,” I said as I looked down at the floor.
“If you need a resource. Remember, you can always use the cloudy code to help you.” She said.
“Thank you, Mother Fée!” I said before rushing to my office to snatch a copy of the cloudy code booklet.
As I skimmed through the booklet, two words stood out to me. Unity and friendship. Such words went together like peanut butter and jelly. Such words are the tools that Mechanic Fée really needs. These are the tools that will fix her problem.
“There is nothing like cloudy power!” I said. I flew around the building and, as swift as the wave of a wizard’s wand, a group of cloudy fées were surrounding their poor sister.
“Please help me! I can get out!” begged Mechanic Fée as her arms squirmed.
A group of us grabbed a side of the device and lifted it like we were trying to save our own lives. I flapped my wings to lift myself in the air as I pulled the machine before the others followed. Such an event was truly a workout, but our hard work paid off because the device was lifted high enough for her to squirm out like a worm. As soon as she was free, the machine immediately dropped because my arms felt as weak and stretched as noodles.
“Wow! You did it, Dysnomia!” said one of the cloudy fées as they all cheered me on.
“It appears that you are the best choice for the most noble cloudy fée award because of your remarkable leadership skills,” said Cleanly Fée as she smiled at me.
“Thank you for your compliment, but we did it together. We solved the problem with the power of cloudy friendship and unity!” I said before we cheered like we were our own cheerleaders.
At the end of the day, the image of Bryce accepting his promotion was posted on my mind like the poster of a star actor in a theater. My Bryce put on quite a show. Everyone that doubted him. Everyone that told him he would fail. Everyone that told him he wasn’t good enough. Everyone of them was honored with the gift of tickets to see Bryce’s starring role.
Naturally, this made me imagine the cloudy award finale taking place tomorrow. No matter what happens tomorrow, I’ll make sure to thank Bryce even though he’ll never hear my voice. I drifted off to a world where I was given the most noble cloudy award in front of every cloudy fée. All I heard were hundreds of claps. I turned around to see Midnight and Cleanly Fée give me a smile before giving me a hug. The most joyful tear rolled down my right cheek before I awoke from my slumber.
“That dream was a sign. A sign from Mother Fée that I will win the award today.” I said as I looked in the mirror and wiped the tear off my right cheek.
After my shift, the world that I drifted to was about to become a reality as all the nominees stood beside each other on stage. I clearly saw that my wings were far brighter than my fellow nominees. Many of their eyes turned to get a glimpse of my wings. As Mother Fée scanned the nominees with the peace point counter, she stated how many peace points they received, but such numbers might as well have been zero because I heard nothing. My mind was on my Bryce.
I just bestowed the gift of the promotion upon him he bestowed the gift of my first award upon me. My entire life was a sequence of events leading up to this moment. This was my starring role. This was the moment that I have been waiting for since my birth. This moment is the result of all the hard work that Bryce and I consistently did. As Mother Fée came closer to me, I closed my eyes.
“I know that you’ll never hear this, but thank you, Bryce. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” I whispered.
“Cleanly Fée has 34,697 peace points. Wow! Cleanly Fée, you are on fire.” said Mother Fée before moving on to me.
I listened to the final steps of Mother Fée as she approached me before being crowned her assistant. I thought of the sound of each of her steps as a symbol for the steps that Bryce and I took to get to this moment. As she scanned me with the peace point counter, the tear that decorated my face in my own world from the previous night became real.
“Dysnomia! You have 35,124 peace points! You blew everyone else out of the water. You clearly have the most peace points!” said Mother Fée.
Like magic, the sounds of the claps from my little world became real. Midnight and Cleanly Fée ran over to me and gave me the biggest hug I ever received. The look in Midnight’s eyes was as clear as last night’s midnight sky. The look in Cleanly’s eyes was as clear as the last mirror she cleansed so thoroughly.
“Wow, I’m so happy for you!” said Cleanly.
“Yeah, you totally deserve it,” Midnight said.
The look in the eyes of Mother Fée was as clear as the look of a disappointed mother. I was hit with a brief moment of confusion before being swallowed back by the wave of appreciation I was receiving. This moment felt like a lifetime.
“I’m sorry, but the winner is Cleanly Fée,” said Mother Fée. The clapping, hugging, and words of praise disappeared just as fast as they came, like some kind of reversal spell. My tears dried up like a puddle of water in the desert. Everyone looked at each other in a state of confusion. I never heard the theater quieter than that moment. As everyone looked at each other in confusion and disbelief, I stood frozen like I was in the arctic.
“Congratulations! You win the most noble cloudy fée award.” said Mother Fée as she handed her the golden cloud shaped trophy. The smiles, claps, hugs, and words of praise quickly became directed towards Cleanly Fée. Once again I woke up, but this time reality was here to stay. It took me a while to process it, but somehow Cleanly Fée was given the position of Mother Fée’s assistant and I wasn’t. I noticed Cleanly Fée awkwardly glancing at me behind her wave of love and praise that they splashed upon her. I felt like curling up in a ball in the corner of the room and crying.
I received a few glossy eyed glances from a couple more cloudy fées, but we knew that Mother Fée was the most wise and her decisions shouldn’t be questioned. I swallowed my pain and disappointment, that tasted like the most bitter lemon, and put the mask of a smile on my face. After the cheering and clapping we partied to the words that Cleanly Fée received from Mother Fée. I honestly felt that the strings of my smiling mask were about to snap, but like the other cloudy fées I desired to see Cleanly Fée happy too. If I were to win, I would appreciate the praise of my sisters as well.
Once the party ended and the cloudy fées went back to their rooms to sleep, I stood by myself. I desired to share my feelings with someone, but I had no one to share it with. I don’t want to ruin the happiness of my sisters because of my personal problems. The unfortunate truth is that I am alone on this boat as I row down a river of sadness. The strings of my mask of happiness snapped and my tears were finally let off the leash. As Mother Fée stepped into the room, she immediately looked at me. I turned in the direction that was opposite to where she was standing and covered my face.
“Why are you still here? Are you okay, daughter?” asked Mother Fée.
“Yes, I am fine,” I said with my hands over my face.
“Tell the truth, Dysnomia,” said Mother Fée as she placed her hand on my shoulder. “I know cloudy fées are happy and positive beings by nature, but the truth is that everyone gets sad sometimes. Even we do. What is the issue?”
“Please don’t be offended, because I am not questioning your decision or challenging your authority. I merely want to know the answer to ease the pain that I am feeling.” I said.
“Feel free to ask your question?” she said.
“The rules were that the winner was the nominee with the most peace points. I had more peace points than all of them. Why didn’t I win?” I asked.
“I feared that one day this might happen. I hoped it would never come to this, but you were always such a good cloudy fée. I guess it was inevitable.” she said as she placed her hand on her forehead.
“Did you ever notice a difference between you and the other cloudy fées?” she asked.
“No,” I answered after a few seconds of thought.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Not that I know of,” I said.
“Follow me,” she said before we walked to her office. “Look in the mirror and tell me if you see anything that is different from your sisters,” she said as her eyes pointed at the mirror that hung on the wall.
As I looked at my reflection, I noticed nothing different besides the makeup of sadness that seemed to have stained my face. I looked at my clothes. I looked at my hair. Nothing seemed to stand out.
“I have raised all my daughters in a perfect world. It would be natural for you not to notice any differences because they don’t matter. Worrying about such a trivial subject is not worth your time. My daughters are higher beings. We live in a perfect society. If we want to maintain this perfect society, I have to tell you the truth, which can hurt sometimes.” She said.
“What is going on, Mother Fée? You are scaring me.” I said.
“Look at the diamonds that are on your wings. Many cloudy fées have all types of wing marks such as clouds, moon crescents, and all types of other things, but none of the other cloudy fées have a diamond,” she said.
“What is wrong with that?” I asked.
“It means that you are categorized as a defect. Unfortunately, it is against the cloudy code for defects to be crowned my assistant or win any other award even if they win fair and square. Cleanly Fée had the second most peace points so logically she was crowned. This cloudy rule is often overlooked because it rarely needs to be referred to. I haven’t even told any of you what a defect is?” she explained.
“What is a defect?” I asked.
“A defect is a cloudy fée that doesn’t fit the description of the way that a cloudy fée is supposed to look,” she said before I started crying waves of tears. “I know it seems like a superficial rule, but it is important that we maintain a perfect society that thousands of intelligent species desire to achieve and fail to reach. During my millions of years of experience, I noticed that most so-called intelligent life forms can’t handle minor differences without causing conflict. One difference leads to bullying, fighting, and division, bringing them farther away from a perfect society.”
“So, are you saying I’m just a useless problem?” I said.
“Of course not. You are one of the best cloudy fées and you losing is completely out of your control. Don’t feel bad about being a defect. I noticed that individuals that were different within a species usually were successful. Just keep on getting your peace points and being the perfectly imperfect cloudy fée that you are.” she said.
“Are you sure that I shouldn’t give up?” I asked.
“Please don’t. Think of it this way. Before I gave you this knowledge, you were being the best cloudy fée you could and showed it with your track record. You’ve always been a defect. You didn’t just become one. You didn’t let it stop you then so don’t let it stop you now.” she said.
“Yeah, but I’ll never be able to move up ranks or get awards,” I said.
“Think about this, my daughter. You know about the human world through your protégé. Some humans work their entire life and never become a manager, owner, king, queen, or president. Some humans remain janitors or servants their entire lives and there is no shame in that. Everyone has a role to play. They need some humans to fill those positions or else their society would fail to function.” She said as she wiped the tears off my face.
“Think of this. In the universe, there are many objects. Some objects are tiny balls of dirt beneath the feet of a human on the earth. Other objects are stars that have a radius of millions of miles and emit an unbelievable amount of energy. No object is better than the other. Both are needed for the universe to function properly. You just happen to be the servant or ball of dirt. Your role is still just as important as all of your sister’s roles. I don’t care what the prophecy says, just keep on being the best servant or ball of dirt that you can be. Now you have a good night, Dysnomia.” she said.
As painful as her words were, I couldn’t put up an argument with her even if I wanted to. She was absolutely right. We all have a job to do. As more tears rolled down my face, I thought about the foundation of my happiness. My wonderful Bryce. My job isn’t to win awards or promotions, it is to bring peace and happiness to my lovely Bryce. That is a duty that I promise to continue to do.
“Dysnomia, I have a couple of warnings for you,” said Mother Fée as I almost stepped into the hallway.
“Yes, Mother Fée,” I said, looking back at her.
“Number one is don’t tell others about our conversation, and don’t let them know you are a defect,” she said.
“Why?” I asked.
“I fear it may cause problems with the other cloudy fées messing up our perfect world. Number two. If you are approached by a male that looks like a cloudy fee without wings, don’t talk to him. He will attempt to persuade you to do something that is very bad. He is cunning and convincing. Don’t give him any of your time in the day.”
“Okay, Mother Fée,” I said as I looked down at the floor. As I stepped towards the hallway, I felt the sting of Mother Fées’ words like an ant. Despite the torture that her words put me through, I had to go through flames to melt my frozen mind. I had to accept that I am a defect. There was nothing wrong with that. I just have to be the best defect that I can be.
“Oh! Cleanly Fée I didn’t expect to see you here,” I said as I saw her beside the office door as soon as I stepped into the hallway. “You startled me there. What are you doing?” I asked.
“You know, just cleaning up a little. Just because I am second in command now doesn’t mean I have to stop my love for cleaning.” said Cleanly Fée.
“You make a good point,” I said.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m just going to go to sleep now,” I said.
That night, sleeping became one of the hardest tasks to get done. The amount of thoughts that rushed into my mind kept a good night’s sleep rushing away from me. Fortunately, I finally got a couple of hours of sleep as the hour hand approached six. The unfortunate thing is that when I woke up, I knew that my conversation with Mother Fée wasn’t a dream. It was a reality that I had to live with.
As I watch the life of Bryce through my cloudy globe, a sparkle of happiness developed within me. I felt joy as he benefited from the rewards of his promotion. Something that I’ll never be able to do. At least Bryce’s promotion gives me a piece of my dream. I smiled at Bryce through the cloudy globe.
“Why didn’t you win the award, Dysnomia?” asked Midnight. “You clearly got the most peace points.”
“That is confidential information. That is between me and Mother Fée.” I said. “If she wanted you to know, then she would tell you herself.”
“Fine. Mother Fée knows best.” said Midnight. “So, do you want to hang out tonight?” she asked.
“Maybe tomorrow. I’m kind of tired.” I said.
“Okay, enjoy your day,” she responded.
“You too,” I said as she fluttered into the hallway.
Despite being physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, I couldn’t sleep once again that night. I walked around the dark hallways. As I saw a photo of Cleanly Fée holding her award on the wall, a tear rolled down my cheek. I closed my eyes. I felt a hand to wipe the tears from my eyes.
“Who are you?” I asked. “You look like a male cloudy fée. Is that even a thing? Where are your wings?” I asked.
“I just saw you standing there looking sad. Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes, I am fine. Just leave me alone.” I said.
“Yeah, it really sounds like you are okay,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Does Mother Fée have anything to do with those tears?”
His question shook me. I looked at him in disbelief. He gave me a smirk as he observed my reaction.
“How did you know that?” I asked.
“I know a lot of things,” he responded. “Have you ever thought about leaving the world of Mother Fée?”
“What, of course not! It is against cloudy code. Plus, the few cloudy fées that decided to leave the perfect world that Mother Fée built lived terrible lives after their decision. No other world can compare to Mother Fées’ world when it comes to perfection. If I go to another world, I’ll make things even worse.” I said, before the thought of Mother Fée’s words froze me.
“You are the wingless male cloudy fée that Mother Fée told me to stay away from!” I said.
“Why does she want me to stay away from you? Is it because she doesn’t want me to expose her?” he said.
“I’m ignoring you, sir,” I said as I walked past him.
“Those are some nice diamond designs on your wings,” he said.
I stopped in the middle of my footstep. I slowly turned around to his smirk. I place my hand on my forehead.
“It’s okay, Miss Defect. I know how to help you if you just listen. You know what Mother Fée does to her defects, right? She butchers them. Starting with the wings, teeth, and then the rest of the body.” he said.
Such foolishness ripped me out of my frozen state of mind. After his words, all the doubt that I had in Mother Fées’ words disappeared with no chance of returning.
“That is absolutely ridiculous. She would never do that. She wants me to continue my perfect life as before. The only difference is that I’ll never win an award or get a higher rank. You are a liar and an instigator. Stop trying to create drama and problems.” I said, before walking away from him.
As I walked away, he continued to talk, but his words were no different from the buzz of a fly. Once I was far away from the trouble maker I laid down in my bed. He didn’t know that his lies and instigation tactics only brought me closer to Mother Fée. She was aware of his lies and deceit before he even showed up. Even if her words sting, I will forever abide by the words of the great Mother Fée.
Over the next few weeks, I hung out with Midnight, worked, and received a lot of peace points. Basically, life continued as usual. As the days passed, the emotional scars of her stinging words faded. Eventually, I came to terms with it. I have a great friend, protégé, a ton of peace points, bright beautiful wings, and a community full of loving and supporting individuals. What more can I ask for?
When I took walks alone through the dark hallways at night, I saw the instigator a few more times. Each time he was met with the cold shoulder. He was basically a ghost. I couldn’t see, feel, or hear him. My bond with Mother Fée was indestructible.
About a month later, I was combing my hair while watching Bryce before Midnight burst into my office. I looked at her as I let go of the comb that was stuck in my messy hair. She looked at me with her look of fear.
“Sad Fée needs help!” said Midnight.
“Be right there,” I said.
Once we were at the scene of the dilemma, the first thing that I saw was Sad Fée sitting on the floor crying. I was about to place my hand on her shoulder, but Cleanly Fée beat me to it. For the first time all the cloudy fées looked at Cleanly Fée for the solution rather than me. She looked into the eyes of Sad Fée. She stood silent as a crowd of eyes were pointing in her direction.
“Don’t worry, I will solve this problem. I figured out that she lost her cloudy globe. We all know that is a problem because without it, she can’t watch her protégé. I will work hard to find it. I know I am in charge, but if any of you have any ideas, feel free to share them.” said Cleanly Fée as she peaked at me.
“How about we use cloudy power? Together, we all look for the cloudy globe. I’ll look through the cloudy code to see if there is an easier alternative solution to this situation.” I said.
“Good idea, Dysnomia!” said Cleanly Fée as she clapped.
We went straight to hunting. I stopped by Mother Fée’s office to pick up the cloudy code booklet because my office was far away. To my surprise, the cloudy code book wasn’t sitting on her desk like usual. It was nowhere to be found on her bookshelf, either. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in the office, so asking her for the location of the book wasn’t an option.
“This is weird,” I said as I looked at her closet door that always remains closed. The feeling of doing something illegal rushed down my spine as I approached the closet.
I’ve never seen Mother Fée open the door. In fact, I saw no other cloudy fée open the door. Perhaps I’m overthinking the situation. It could just be that nothing of importance is in the closet, so there is never a need for anyone to open it.
I buried the pesky feeling and opened the closet door. As I looked around, I saw nothing of importance. The closet was the size of a large room. It was pitch black and barely anything took up the space of the room.
“Perhaps I was right. There is nothing that can help me here.” I said before I noticed a black treasure box in the far right corner blending into the dark.
“Maybe the cloudy code book is in here. If not, unfortunately, I’ll have to walk all the way to my office.” I said. I attempted to open it but quickly discovered that it was locked. I looked at the keyhole on the front of the box. Unfortunately, there was no key lying around, but there were letter combinations on the front. If I guessed the correct password, then the box would open up.
My first choice failed miserably. I spelled cloudy code, but I didn’t hear the sound of it unlocking. Next, I guessed cloudy power and luckily, the treasure box popped open. I was ready to pick up the cloudy code booklet to bring happiness to Sad Fée. I was met with the scene of a horror movie.
I screamed as I saw the arms, legs, head, and wings of cloudy fée in the box. I felt like I was frozen in a block of ice for a thousand years. I couldn’t move, speak, or develop thoughts. As I stood over the box, I was waiting for the moment that I would awake from this nightmare.
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