The Fairy & The Gargoyle III: The Fairy’s Mirror

The first F&G story was completely channeled, coming to me quickly. I think it was meant to get a ball rolling, like it was a story I was meant to tell but I was dragging my feet and something was picking me up, dusting me off, and handing me the words to write.

Part two came in bits and pieces and I filled in the rest over coffee. This one has been trickling out over the last few months, mostly while on walks in the woods. I know the fairy’s story better than anything, but I wanted to tell it well, and in good time. Today it was time.

The Fairy & The Gargoyle III: The Fairy’s Mirror

She turns to the right to catch another glance
As a wing appears in the mirror behind her
She turns to the left to see the other one
And it shimmers in the light as a reminder

The filament ripples in the sun when she smiles
And she remembers what it was like without them
She remembers when she first noticed them
Hardly visible at all if not for the boy who found them

—

Two years ago she was buried in her bed
Her dress still tangled up in the sheets with her
Her cottage was in disarray
And she abandoned the world 
Content to lay there and wither

It seemed only right after her prince had turned on her 
And fled to the sky
Everyone said he would do it 
That he would show her who he was
And she’d see it was all a lie

“Not this one,” she defended,
“You’ve seen too many gargoyles to know when you’ve got a prince.”
She knew they were wrong, but couldn’t say how
She only knew he left her 
And she hadn’t been happy since

But after several weeks of wallowing and pining and dread
She found a note slipped under her door 
To pull her out of her head

“Your true love longs for you and calls for you even now.
Go quickly but don’t miss it.
What’s in the glass will show you how.”

She jumped back and dropped the note
Afraid to believe it could be true
Her inner voice told her that night this was meant to be
And she must see it through

But she heard that voice again in the note
And felt compelled to move
She dressed herself quickly and raced down the hall
Having everything to prove

Just as she turned to open the front door
She caught herself in the gilded mirror
That rested against the wall
It’d been there all her life
But somehow it seemed brand new
She remembered the note
She remembered the call

Suddenly the girl in the mirror smiled at her
It was a gentle but devious smile
Like a happy sprite hiding a pot of gold
Just as our fairy realized she herself was not smiling
The girl stepped toward her
And her skin turned cold

With a flinch and a gasp
The fairy stepped back
Surprised
But unafraid
She didn’t know how this was happening
But she took a deep breath
And stepped forward again
To meet the girl in faith

In the glass the girl lifted a hand toward her
In the hall the fairy reached back
Their hands touched and the fairy was renewed with hope
The girl in the glass stepped back
Resting her movement to match the fairy
Who looked down at her hand to find another note

“My darling fairy
I know how you long for love
I can hear your cries in the night 
What happens below happens also above

Fear not for what you think you’ve lost
What’s been taken from you 
Is only to show you what you’re made of
Because what is inside you can never be lost
When you are made of love”

She read the last line again 
And looked up to the mirror
Searching for the girl 
To see her response
There was none
It was only her now
And something behind her
Something shiny and translucent
Like copper or bronze

Confused, she grimaced
Wondering if there was something wrong with her mirror
And then from behind her, something wiggled
Enlarging as it wriggled
She didn’t think this could happen here

Oh she knew what this was
But could hardly believe it
It didn’t play out like old stories had told
She thought fairies were born and not made
They didn’t just grow wings
Out of the blue
And pink and chartreuse and marigold

—

It was the boy two years ago who saw them first
The boy inside a prince
Who thought he was a gargoyle
This was why he had flown away
And why to this day
She remains so loyal

What he saw in himself was flawed
But what he saw of her was not
She has eyes to see now
What happened between them
And his sorrow when he left her
She never forgot

She tugs one last time to straighten the bow
On the mirror she wrapped for her friend
Word of his engagement had reached he
And she foresaw the prince’s end

His family too
Was with him she knew
All of them asleep and entwined
She waves to the courier 
Who’s been trying not to hurry her
And hopes it will reach him in time

Thank you for reading and listening. I hope this story enriches you as much as it does me when I read it again. See below for parts one and two.