In which James and Monique meet Grimalkin, enter the Clearing in the Dark Woods, and eat fairy food.

"Just a second," huffed the voice. The crowd jostled and scurried out of the way as a plump mushroom with a large, dark brown cap dusted with black speckles pushed her way through the other folk.

"Grimalkin," Vates said, "what is the problem?"

"The problem is that you are sending these children out into the Dark Woods without the proper nutrients."

Thunder groaned. "But ma'am, there is no time to waste. The mud thickens by the minute."

"It will wait another hour while these children are fed. No one can go on an adventure with an empty stomach." Grimalkin set her spongy hands on her pale mushroom stalk and tapped her soft brown foot.

Vates eyed the ground, a pebble taking his focus. "Of course, Grimalkin, my dear. You are right."

James and Monique watched the exchange with interest, reminded of their grandparents, especially Monique's grandfather. Boy, could that man cook and eat. With all this talk and thought of food, James's and Monique's stomachs gave hearty growls.

Grimalkin's hand waved in the direction of the kids. "I rest my case." She turned and stomped back the way she'd come, pushing her way through the crowd. "Come, Oaf. Help me set the table."

"Sorry," James said, wrapping an arm around his middle. Blood rushed to his face, reddening his cheeks and neck.

"It's been a long time since dinner," Monique explained, heat kissing her face too.

Vates's head came up, and he squared his shoulders. "She's right. These children need to be fed. It was poor manners for us not to offer you food and drink. Come children, step over the mud. Carefully! We don't want to lose more than a shoe."

"Just step high," encouraged Oaf, smiling broadly. "I do it all the time." Fae hopped over the mud and trotted after Grimalkin.

"Yes," grumbled Vates, "that you do, child."

Without a look or a thought, James and Monique grabbed one another's hands and together stepped over the creepy band of mud. As they entered the clearing, the coolness of the woods melted away, as if they'd walked through a veil separating the Folk of the Woods from the human world.

Monique gasped. She'd never seen anything so beautiful. "How?" she breathed. "How is this possible?"

Vates chuckled. "It's hollow magic. You see what we want you to see. If you'd wandered into the clearing on your own, it would like any other part of the Dark Woods. But since we invited you, the whole is revealed. Children, welcome to the Clearing in the Dark Woods."

The clearing was much warmer than the woods and stretched twice as far as it appeared from the outside. Along the trunks and branches of the oaks, tiny glowing stones twinkled, giving the impression of millions of fireflies flickering in the night. Miniscule round windows dotted the large oak trees from which warm yellow light poured.

"Hollow? Like the tiny room in the shed?" James asked as he pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. He twirled, trying to see everything at once. Tiny gardens brimmed with leafy greens, and vegetables grew alongside some of the trees. A little brook bubbled, winding its way through the center of the clearing until it pooled in a pond. Frogs and toads of every color imaginable swam and bounded through the crystal blue water.

Monique made her way to one of the tree windows and peered inside. Miniature furniture fashioned from acorns, leaves, sticks, and bird's feathers filled the room, which stretched for several feet. Confused, Monique took another look at the tree, which appeared much smaller than the room inside it.

As if expecting her question, Thunder said, "Hollow magic allows us to expand past our physical confines. In other words, everything is grander inside."

Oaf appeared over the caps of the mushroom people. A wide smile on faes face. He waved for James and Monique to follow fae.

Reluctantly, Monique pulled herself away from the window and continued after Oaf. Farther into the clearing, the children came to a long, low wooden table filled with all sorts of colorful and scrumptious foods. Brightly painted clay cups bubbled with mysterious liquids. Woven leaf plates brimmed with wild greens, berries, and nuts. Roasted roots glistened with sugary glazes. A cake the size of a kitchen sink waited off to the side on an ornately carved wooden platter. A thick layer of deep purple frosting cloaked the delightfully fragrant confection.

"Wow," managed James. He'd never seen so much food. Not even at their family's Holiday get-togethers, and those were high-calorie events.

"This is incredible," Monique said, eyeing the packed table.

"You can wash in the stream then help yourself," Oaf said, ushering them to the bubbling blue water.

After they'd cleaned their hands, Oaf handed them each a flat wooden board. James and Monique turned the boards over in their hands, unsure of what to do next.

Oaf registering their hesitation demonstrated. Fae stooped over the table, chose a bowl of greens dressed with something red and glistening, reached in with a bare hand, scooped up a helping, and placed it on the board before moving on to the next dish.

"I can see why we needed to wash our hands," Monique said, her expression skeptical.

Having already tried one new food today with the fig, James looked at the table as if we were a chalkboard covered in math problems. "Um, maybe I'm not hungry after all."

Monique rubbed James's back with her hand. "It'll be OK. Here, how about this?" She approached the table, bent, and picked up a bowl. "You like berries. Eat these."

James reached into the bowl and gently plucked one of the ripe fruits for a closer inspection. Monique was right. They were berries, but not any berry James had ever eaten before. His stomach clenched. The berry's sweet aroma made his mouth water. The knot in his stomach lurched, making his belly rumble with hunger. Throwing caution to the wind, James popped the berry into this mouth. Much like fig from the Mother Tree, the berry tasted like summer wind and icy water on a hot day. James's eyes lit up. "It's delicious!" He peered at the table's contents with greedy abandon. He wanted to try everything it had to offer.

Monique smiled at her brother, a mixture of motherly pride and excitement warming her features. When she finished choosing her meal, she found Oaf sitting at a nearby tree stump. "This is amazing," she said through a mouth full of food as she sat. "I've never tasted anything like it." Monique shoved another roasted carrot into her mouth. "I don't even like carrots."

Oaf chuckled. "Grimalkin is the best chef in the Dark Woods, and she knows it."

"You bet your round ears I do," Grimalkin called from the table as she replaced an empty bowl for one overflowing with more steaming food. A group of folk rushed to the new dish and piled with boards high. Grimalkin patted them on their blue-capped heads, a twinkle in her eyes.

James joined Monique and Oaf at the stump. His plate piled with a variety of foods he would have avoided under normal circumstances. He sat and took delicate bites, closing his eyes to savor the flavors. "I just ate an onion, or at least I think it was an onion," James confessed to Monique. "Are they usually this tasty?"

"Well, yes and no," Monique answered, setting her empty board on the ground next to her feet. "It depends on how they're served."

"Well, I love them," James declared, taking another bite.

Grimalkin approached them then. She took Monique's chin in her hand and examined her eyes. She then moved to James and did the same. "Yes." She nodded. "Vates is right. You both carry magic in your bones. Opposing magic which makes a whole. Very interesting." She looked at Monique. "You magic traveled from the stars. Mone has told me of how you saved Thunder. And James, how you discovered the Mother Tree's fruit and revitalized him. Yes, you two will do nicely. I knew Thunder was right. He always did have a good measure for another's character."

From behind her, Pine gave a harsh laugh. "A good measure of character? Elm almost died."

The chatter of the folk around the dinner table faded at Pine's words. Their sideways glances flitting between Pine and Grimalkin.

The wrinkled mushroom woman took her time turning to face Pine, making him wait for her reply. "He's never been wrong about you, Pine. Everything he's ever uttered about you has been true."

Nearby Thunder choked on a salad leaf. A considerable measure of it flying from his nose.

"Do you think I would have let one of my children perish?" Grimalkin continued ignoring the coughs from Thunder.

Pine's berry juice-stained mouth dropped open in shock. "You knew? You knew that he'd broken the rule and gone to the human home?"

"You forget, Pine," Grimalkin said, stepping towards the hovering fairy. "Vates and I rule the Clearing in the Dark Woods together. I gave Thunder permission to test the children. He broke no rules."

"Forgive me, Grimalkin," Pine said, his gaze falling to his feet.

"I watched him from the edge of the woods. I would never send one of my children off to their death needlessly. If the human children had not rescued him, I would have torn the nails from his prison with my bare hands."

"Of course, Grimalkin," Pine said. He floated to the ground and went down on one knee. "I am sorry, I didn't think-"

"You rarely do," Grimalkin said, cutting him off. She turned back to James and Monique. "Now, children. Let's talk about magic and the journey ahead."

(1650 Words)

If you were presented with Fairy food, would you eat it? What do you think might happen if you did? What do you envision fairy food to be? Taste like?

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