Faerie Song pt 2: A modern Faerie Tale

Carter Hall Main the Present

Things changed a lot since Tim hurled a rock into his father’s head and fled into the deep green forest with a new found friend. The different season’s remained the same, there were still your cold winters with feet of snow and there were still your hot summers. The log cabin’s of Tim’s era were long gone. In there place one would find two story houses that were painted with a wider variety of colors. Some houses were blue, some were grey and some were even brown. Most though were painted white with several coats of paint. The farmsteads were replaced with well manicured lawns and multicolored flower beds. The horse and carriage were replaced with big iron chariots that had no need of a horse. The real big ones were called Hummers. Carter Hall had plenty of iron chariots one for each member of the family. Tim returned some what before the price of gas sky rocketed. Smaller cars took the place of the oversized cumbersome Hummer, a behemoth that Tim would never learn to like.
Tim at first was amazed, he liked the idea of the balconies. Several houses had them, some even had two. People lounging on the second story of their castle like houses it totally amazed Tim, what truly amazed him was that some houses had two. Tim would gaze in wonder and sometimes even wander into backyards looking at the different balconies. To a small town like Carter Hall this was very strange behavior. People wondered about the strange orphan who one day just showed up. Neighborhood teen agers avoided Tim. If it seems a contradiction people thought well of the teacher, Mr. Doran who was kind enough to take in the strange orphan boy wandering the street..
The forest of Carter Hall remained untouched, it was exactly the same as when Tim fled into it and found himself in another world. The day he fled with the little boy Patrick into the forest was a day that etched permanently in the history of Carter Hall. The Old Cabin was still there albeit the cabin was falling apart and overgrown with weeds. When Tim returned he had a sense of longing. Patrick , his Faery Friend had shape shifted into the form of an adult man, patted his shoulder in order to comfort him.
“ Not yet my friend” Patrick said softly in a reassuring tone. “The time will come” Tim knew better than to second guess his by now long time friend.
Over the many years that the cabin had remained derelict it had at times become an object of attention. “ That cabin is so ugly why not fix it up or tear it down?’ many people would say. Many town’s people believed that cabin was haunted. “It’s a strange place “someone would say. “ There is legend that a boy ran into the woods and his ghost comes back”
Contractors and developers tried to work on the property. Usually someone from out of town would purchase the property thinking they could build a house and fix up the lot and then they could live there or sell it off later. It never happened. Tim was thankful, he always knew that Patrick his short stout faery friend would keep him safe. Legend has it that when the construction crew came they would move their big machinery like tractors, steamrollers and all their other supplies. The construction crew would leave everything at the sight over night. Come the next morning everything was gone with out a trace. Even the workshed and portable offices were missing. People were dumb founded and perplexed and it happened on several occasions.
From a certain hiding place Patrick would look at the confused and dumb founded expression on the faces of the worker. No they would not get a hold of Tim Lane’s farmstead no siree he thought to himself.
Sometimes Patrick would let himself be seen. There were reports of a little boy with blond hair and big blue eyes running around. If anyone tried to catch him they would be amazed at his rapid disappearance. Many people thought they saw a ghost.. Some people truly believed that the place was really haunted.

September 13, 2010

Gardenia arrived for her first time at Carter Hall High School. She was one of those girls with down to earth look that made her one of the most beautiful girls to look at while at the same time making her look so ordinary that you could imagine someone or perhaps several people over looking her. Her hair was long and thin and was colored a deep chestnut brown. Her skin had a natural tan to it that would make someone think she spent lots of time at the beach. Gardenia was not the type of girl who dressed up or kept pace with the fashion trends. He favorite pants of which she had several pair of, were good old fashioned Levi blue jeans. No fancy blouses for this girl it was usually a t-shirt topped with a collared shirt of sorts. To see her beauty one had to stare past the Tom Boyish look.

New people stood out in Carter Hall. It was impossible for someone new to remain invisible. Gardenia was definitely noticed, especially by the other girl who’s reaction though harsh may have been either disgust or envy. Two in particular took an immediate disliking to the plain appearing Gardenia. Candace a blond haired hazel eyed girl was the leader of the cheer leading team. Her parents were well to do and her style of acting and dressing made sure that everyone else at school knew it. Mishaela her best friend was second in command on the cheerleading squad. A young girl with smooth textured abony skin and milky white teeth and flashed every time she smiled. Her hair went below her shoulders in ringlet that dangled daintily of her shoulders.

As Gardenia passed by the two Candace fixed her a wicked stare much like a lion would glare at the prey it was about to devour. Gardenia’s mind was else where and so she walked right passed them with out the slightest bit of concern. She held her notebook close to her chest and scurried to class. Being ignored was something Candace and Mishaela did not like.

Perhaps most people in the big city would have over looked a girl like Gardenia, she seemed to catch on rather well with the boys of Carter Hall High. Elroy and Matt were both stars on the local football team. Naturals for Candace and Mishaela. These boys took notice. Carter Hall was one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone.

Small towns like Carter Hall had only one elementery school, one junior high school and one high school. All the schools were named Carter Hall. Like Carter Hall Elementery easy pattern to remember. In the typical small town there was one big market in the center and two gas stations. There was a spare 7/11 or liquor store everything locally owned as big companies like Ralph’s or Von’s tended not to open branches in the smaller towns like Carter Hall. Everything was locally owned and operated.

In such small towns everyone grew up together and families had been friends for sometimes generation. To say that everyone knew everyone was an understatement. Everyone knew everyone’s life story. Young people would dreams of moving to bigger cities when they got older.
“Heck it’s a dream of mine Elroy” Matt one time said over drink he purchased from the local market. He kept the drink wrapped in a brown bad. “ I am going to play football for some big university get a job and never come back” Matt would then stop talking rub his acne marked forehead and continue his dreaming. Elroy took big gulps of his drink and dreamed right along with Matt.
For the first few days no one made an effort to befriend Gardenia that is just not the way things worked in small towns. No one ever bothered with a new comer sure they had questions.
“ Who is that new girl?” Asked Candace with a derisive sneer.
“Sheesh Candy” Mishaela replied addressing her friend by the much used nickname “ I do not know but anyone coming out here in the Middle of nowhere must have issues cause there is nothing out here.”
“ Tell that to my dad” Candy parried back sarcastically.
“That girl think she something” Mishaela snickered to her friend Candy
“She dresses like a boy” huffed Candy while she scanned Gardenia up and down. “Hello Fashion school” Candy stopped her tirade and piked a finger in her throat as gesture that Gardenia made her sick enough to vomit.
“Well Candy girl” Mishaela gave a quick glance back at Gaardenia who was by now down the hall and then she turned back to her friend “ I would not give Ms. Plain Jane a second thought cause she ain’t got nothing on us” Mishaela collected the books from her locker gave her friend a wink and went off on her way to class.

With the guys the conversation took a different turn. “ Any word on the new girl?” Matt asked Elroy while delivering a light playful punch to the arm. Elroy let out a laugh.
“ Extra Extra read all about it the Captain of the football team takes an interest in the new girl.” Elroy joked bobbing his his head of close cropped hair up and down. Elroy had a very deep tan and very deep brown eyes. He was of a wiry build and very swift on the field.. Mathew also had close cropped brown hair but his skin was much lighter, marked with acne he was also of a sturdy build.
“You better watch it next time we are out on the field” Mathew warned playfully.
“First slow poke you gotta catch me” Elroy responded matter of factly. Elroy also gazed upon Gardenia as she waltzed right past him on her way to class.
“You know” Elroy said in a rather serious tone “ She is rather straight forward and confident, I kind of like that in a girl”
“Look who is interested in the new girl” joked Mathew
“She reminds me of my mom and my grandmother” Elroy said in a serious tone. It was a tone that Mathew knew. Joking time was over especially when his mother or grandmother was invoked.
“Well” Mathew said rather seriously “ she would be a hot cheerleader. THe two continued walking down the hallway lost in their conversation oblivious to the world around them. “ Elroy” Mathew said in a tone that meant he was about to ask a question “ who in their right mind would come to Carter Halll?” Mathew paused “ I mean everyone here wants to get away from this place that is if they can.”
“ Dunno” responded Elroy dumbly. “Wackjobs, losers. people wioth nowhere else to go”
“Maybe they have something to hide it ain’t everyday that people come out here.”
“ Maybe her family are forest people” joked Elroy
"Forest people?" asked Mathew
"It's a long story" replied Mathew.