Rain Glade (7 page)

They danced, letting their love lift them
higher. The lights appeared more frequently. Rain began to see
little figures within the lights and realized that fairies danced
around them in joy.

“Are they carnivorous?” Jacob asked,
wide-eyed.

Rain shook her head. “No. Not these. I’ve
never seen fairies before,” she said with awe in her voice.

“Nobody sees fairies,
ever
.” Jacob
gulped. “What does it mean?”

Rain smiled. “I think it means we’re dancing
through the air in a magical glade.”

Jacob sealed his lips to hers.

They closed their eyes as they continued the
kiss and the dance. The leaves reached out to touch them while
fairies played with their hair. Neither knew how long the dance or
the kiss lasted, but stars twinkled above when they found
themselves lying on the grass again.

Rain looked at Jacob in the gentle moonlight
and giggled.

“What? Is something wrong?”

“You have flowers and vines in your hair.”
Rain reached out to touch one of the blossoms in his black curls.
“It’s very pretty.”

Jacob panicked and patted at his hair. “I
have to take them out. If Sarge sees, he’ll throw me off a
cliff.”

“You can take them off tomorrow.” Rain pulled
Jacob’s hands away from his hair. “If you do so now, it will insult
the fairies and this glade will no longer welcome us.”

He nodded. “You have flowers in your hair
too. They’re beautiful, just like you.”

Rain took a lock in her hands and stared in
amazement at the woven strands. Her hair felt softer and the
fragrance of the flowers was enchanting.

Jacob put a hand on her neck and drew her in
for a kiss.

***

“It’s morning again,” Jacob said.

“No it’s not.” Rain didn’t want to leave the
warmth of his embrace. She had been awake for a little while, but
enjoyed the feel of his chest rising and falling too much to get
up.

He chuckled. “I don’t want it to end either,
but I promise I’ll come back as often as possible and we’ll dance
through the air again.”

Rain bit his shoulder.

“Ow!”

Rain kissed his cheek. “Promise?”

“I promise.” Jacob rubbed his shoulder and
stared at her in amusement as she stood and put on her dress.
“You’re awfully feisty today.”

“I blame it on the fairies.” Rain slipped her
dress on carefully, not wanting to disturb the flowers in her hair.
Then she twirled, enjoying their fragrance as her flowered braids
flew through the air.

Jacob stood and dressed. “You’re so
beautiful.”

Rain stopped twirling and walked
mischievously toward him, dragging her toes with each step. He
backed up, but she grabbed his unfastened jacket, stood on her
tiptoes and licked his nose.

“Hey!” Jacob wiped an arm across the nose.
She laughed and ran away through the tunnel, leaving him to chase
after.

Jacob caught her a short way down the creek
and lifted her over his shoulder. They laughed and played tag the
rest of the way to the pool before he gave her a final kiss and
headed back to the village.

Rain held a strand of hair in her hands and
inhaled the scent of an orange flower woven in it while she watched
him disappear. She didn’t think she could get any happier. There
was one discordant needle of doubt marring the harmony of her
contentment though. It was the word ‘war’.

She shoved the word away in a dark corner of
her mind and buried it with cheerfulness as she skipped down the
path to visit Verna. The Druid had insisted that Rain immediately
come for tea whenever she shared herself with Jacob.

As she came near Ulga’s house, Rain saw the
old woman sitting on her porch. “Hello, Rain. You seem happy this
lovely morning.”

Rain stopped skipping as she came up to the
gate. “Hello, Ulga. It’s nice to see you.”

“And even nicer to see you. I have porridge
if you’ll come show me those beautiful flowers in your hair.” Ulga
waved her in, looking hopeful.

“Of course!” Rain entered the gate and ran up
to the porch to give Ulga a kiss on the cheek. They entered
together. Rain poured herself the last of the porridge from the pot
and sat down to eat it while Ulga sat behind her and looked at all
the flowers.

“Why, I’ve never seen this flower before. And
this
one shouldn’t bloom til late summer. Wherever did you
find these and who wove them into your hair?”

Rain didn’t want to tell anyone but Verna
about the glade. It seemed important. She debated for a moment
whether to even tell Ulga about Jacob. “I met a man and he tied
them in my hair.” Then she held her breath for the reaction.

Ulga leaned forward and said in a quiet
voice, “That’s wonderful, Rain. You enjoy that man and you enjoy
your life. You deserve to be happy.” She patted Rain’s shoulders.
“You’re finished with the porridge, so you go on and have a good
day. What do you have planned?”

“I’m going to spend the day with Verna.” Rain
washed out the bowl and put it on the table.

“I don’t like that little woman,” Ulga said
with a disapproving frown. “She’s touched in the head.” At seeing
Rain’s face drop, Ulga softened her words. “But I know she’s a good
friend to you and you need those with how worthless that father of
yours is. Go on and have fun now.”

Rain kissed Ulga on the cheek again and
dashed out without another word.

***

Verna was sitting on her porch working with a
mortar and pestle. “Hello, Rain,” she said without looking up.

“Hi Verna. Was I really that noisy?”

Verna smiled. “No, you were very silent. The
trees told me you were coming.”

Rain sat on the front step of the porch. “Do
you really talk to trees?”

“In a way.” The Druid looked up and her eyes
widened in surprise. “Did fairies plant flowers in your hair?”

“Yes! How did you know?”

Verna’s jaw dropped and she set the mortar
and pestle on the table by her chair. “It was a jest.” She came
over to kneel beside Rain. “Fairies
never
show themselves.
These flowers are beautiful and most don’t grow around here.” She
hugged Rain fiercely.

Rain held on, surprised by the reaction. “It
was in the glade. Jacob and I danced. We floated into the air and
the fairies began dancing around us. Then we kissed and the fairies
played with our hair.”

Verna jumped up. “You
must
show me
this glade right now.” She paused for a moment. “Please?”

“Of course! I’ve been
wanting
to show
you.” Rain jumped up as well. They took each other’s hands and
began running.

Upon reaching the path to Rain’s house, they
slowed to a walk and labored to catch their breaths. “Let’s go into
the forest away from that old woman’s house,” Verna said, dragging
Rain into the trees.

“Why don’t you two like each other?” Rain
asked.

“I don’t like most people,” Verna said with a
wink. “Especially not ones who call me a freak because I dance
naked in the moonlight.” She stuck her tongue out in the direction
of Ulga’s house.

“Oh, that.” Rain still liked Ulga, so she
didn’t respond.

They made their way through the woods behind
Ulga’s house until reaching the creek. As they walked past the
pool, Rain asked, “What can you tell me about fairies?”

“Fairies are magical creatures that live all
over the world, except in cities where humans are.” Verna scampered
over a rock and did a twirl at the top. “They hide from nearly
everybody, even Druids. It’s extraordinary that you saw one.” Verna
tapped Rain’s nose.

“I couldn’t even look at them directly, just
out the sides of my eyes. They liked it when Jacob and I kissed. We
stayed in that kiss forever, it seemed.” Rain sighed dreamily.

“Oh! I didn’t make you tea.” Verna raised an
eyebrow. “I’m assuming with a kiss like that, you need tea?”

Rain blushed and nodded.

“I expected as much.” She winked playfully,
causing Rain to blush deeper. “As I was saying, fairies don’t show
themselves. They are the caretakers of insects and small animals.
Their wings are all different sorts of shapes and sizes and they
are
always
pretty. That is all I know.”

“Have you ever seen one?”

“I have not, and they most likely will not
show themselves to me today.” Verna shrugged sadly.

“But you’re a Druid. I would have thought you
see them all the time,” Rain said in surprise.

“They don’t show themselves to anyone.”

“But why did they appear to me and
Jacob?”

Verna smiled. “Because the two of you are in
love. Because you are
so much
in love that you danced in the
air in a magical glade. Because fairies can’t resist love and true
happiness.”

Rain hugged herself and smiled shyly. “We
really
are
in love.”

“You realize it means that Jacob
truly
loves you, right?” Verna asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes.” Rain blushed and hugged herself
tighter. Then she straightened. “They also glowed . . . the
fairies, not Jacob.”

Verna’s pealing laugh mingled with the sound
of the creek merrily running on its way. “I didn’t know fairies
glow. Perhaps it’s because they were happy. And it’s good that
Jacob doesn’t glow. That would be a very serious inconvenience.”
She winked.

“You’re terrible!” Rain playfully shoved her
friend.

Verna shoved back and ran ahead. They chased
each other back and forth all the way to the tunnel leading to the
glade. Verna slowed and stared at the tunnel with a mysterious
smile on her face. Rain slowed along with her, still laughing and
catching her breath.

“It
is
magical, Rain. I’m allowed to
go in.” She began walking forward.

“Well of course you are. If I’m allowed in,
you are.” Rain thought it was silly that Verna would think
otherwise.

“That’s not always true. There’s no telling
how a magical place will react to different people.” Verna gazed at
the thick branches that made the roof of the tunnel. She gasped in
pleasure when they reached the glade. Tears came to her eyes. “Your
glade is so beautiful, Rain!”

“Mine?” Rain was surprised that Verna called
it hers too.

“The trees are the most majestic I’ve seen
and the flowers are beautiful.” Verna knelt by the creek and
brought her face down to the blossoms. “It’s magnificent. I’m so
happy for you.”

“Mine?” Rain asked again. “Jacob said it was
my glade, but he was just saying a lot of nice things.”

Verna stood. “Yours. This glade has given
itself to you. I can sense it. It loves you.”

Rain looked around. It truly was the most
beautiful place she had ever seen. There was something about it
that seemed to concentrate on her as though it wanted her to be
happy. The thought that any place could be hers was unbelievable,
especially a place so magical.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” Verna said,
touching Rain’s cheek with her fingers. She kissed the other. Then
she took Rain’s hand and they left the glade.

Rain was surprised at such a short visit, but
didn’t know what to say.

They walked in silence for a while. Verna
kept giving Rain mysterious glances, but didn’t speak. When they
reached the pool, Verna faced Rain and took both of her hands. “May
I give you a tattoo?”

“A tattoo?” Rain’s breath shortened. Verna
was the only person in the village who had them and most people
looked down on her for it.

“Yes. I saw a stunning yellow and blue
butterfly in the glade and I’d like to tattoo one like it on you.
Please?”

“What if someone sees it though? People don’t
understand things like that.” Rain didn’t want to disappoint her
friend who had such a hopeful look.

“You won’t be the first person in this
village I’ve given a secret tattoo.” Verna winked.

Rain gasped. “No . . .”

“Your friend Tonia has a tattoo of a flower
on her lower back. Her husband loves it.” Verna grinned. “Jacob
will love yours too. I’ll put it in front, where your leg meets
your waist. She put her thumb just above Rain’s hip. Then she
tickled the spot with it.

Rain laughed and squirmed away.

“Will you let me?”

Rain played with a flower in her hair and
nodded timidly. “Yes.”

Verna grabbed Rain’s hand again and nearly
yanked the arm out of the socket as she led her down the hill.

***

“Ow.” Rain did her best to relax as the
needle repeatedly pierced her skin. “I still think you should have
told me it would hurt.”

“Yes, yes. You’ve said that countless times
now.” Verna dipped the needle in another color. She was sitting on
Rain’s leg to hold it still and had a damp cloth in the other hand
to wipe off the extra ink and blood.

Rain looked down at the butterfly. It was
beautiful even if it did sting. Verna rapidly stabbed the needle a
few more times in a spot away from the butterfly. “What are you
doing now?”

“I’m making raindrops around it, like your
name. Now lie back.” She smiled briefly at Rain and dipped the
needle in the ink again.

Rain rested her head on the grass and looked
up at the gathering clouds. “Why do we have to do this outside on
the ground? You never
did
answer that question.”

“The earth underneath you gives you strength.
The sun above brings you life. The gentle breeze brings comfort to
your skin. The clouds cry for your pain. The spirit of the forest
surrounds you and wraps you in its protection.” Verna stabbed some
more.

“The clouds don’t need to cry for me. I’m
ready to do that for myself.”

Verna giggled. “We’re almost done, although I
could spend the rest of the day, and many more, drawing tattoos all
over your lovely body.”

“No!” The thought made Rain cringe. “I like
the butterfly, but I couldn’t handle that needle stabbing me to
death like that.”