The Burden Of Fauna
-
Annie Heath, Grade 5, Bennett Road Public School -
-
Short Story
-
2022
Excellence Award in the 'Summertime Fun ONLINE' competition
The day had finally come: Aurora’s sixteenth birthday. I lay snug in my blankets, gazing up at the roof. As I lifted my ravaged face from my soft, silken pillows, my crystal-grey hair curtained my face. The last sixteen years have truly been tough. I was once a youthful fairy godmother, whose one purpose in life was to bring happiness and joy to all. Taking care of a stubborn child in an abandoned wood-cutter’s cottage, deep within a dark, dense forest can truly be quite exhausting. I get quite frustrated when speaking about the story of Sleeping Beauty. Nobody quite understands how difficult it is to go from living a harmonious life with a magical wand to do your bidding to living like a mortal, without magic…
I let out a sigh of relief; after today, I would get my wand back, get my life back, and be free from the burden of this non-magical existence. As I excitedly went downstairs, Flora hurriedly ushered Aurora out of the cottage and into the forest. Turning around, she was deep in thought. Soon, she began blubbering on and on about how to celebrate this special day. I sat grouchily in the corner and watched on as Flora and Merryweather discussed their ideas. Some may call it being crotchety; I call it not understanding why we couldn’t just use magic! It would make everything SO much easier! But Flora insisted. And of course, she did have my wand so I was hopeless…
I sat and thought to myself, strangely lonely without my wand.
“Rules, rules, rules! Why do we have to live this miserable life without magic, just for the sake of one girl?! A fairy godmother’s purpose is to bring joy and happiness to ALL! Not one. ALL! What is the point of risking your life just to stop ONE girl from falling asleep?”
Just as Aurora arrived home, I slowly crept upstairs and into Flora’s bedroom. I was going to get my life back…
The door slowly edged closed behind me. Immediately, I headed for her dresser, vigorously opening and closing all drawers. With a jump of fright, I jumped under the bed, just as Flora entered the room. There I hid as she walked to her dresser, mumbling quietly to herself. Grabbing her wand from under the dresser, she made her bed, stowed the wand, once again, under the dresser and left the room in silence… As the door shut tight, I raced for the dresser, grabbed my wand and snuck out. At last…
Aurora sat silent in her room. Just the thought of getting my life back gave me the shivers. With a flick of my wand and a sprinkle of fairy dust, Aurora’s head hit her pillows. From then on, I lied to Flora and Merryweather: “Aurora told me she was not feeling well and fell asleep.” Later that day, as the clock struck twelve, Aurora awoke and I disappeared back to the kingdom, back to magic...