A Positive Problem

The echo of laughter rang off of the walls of buildings near and far. Spring was here so excitement ran wild down the streets of the town. Just an ordinary no-name town. Nothing exciting, nothing wild. Until now. What residents did not know was that there was a new arrival to their quiet little town. She was a hot-headed, excitable sprite. And though most could not see her I could. She was a little thing, hardly the height of a pencil. Her bright blue shoulder-length hair masked the pointed ears underneath. Her wings were something of a dream, made of a shimmering substance that changed with the light. She whispered to me one day that she was going to have some fun. I did not see her for a week later but I heard her occasionally, maybe late at night while I was reading a book or the quiet walk to school. I also heard the stories and superstitions as I walked the halls of my high school. A mural painted on cars with children’s chalk. Flowers being magically grown overnight in toilets, sink drains, gutters. And while no one except me knew who was the master behind these amazing nuances, I did. One sunny day I was lounging in my hammock with a book in my lap and a sense of comfort in my soul, I heard a faint tinkling to the left. I lazily turned my head and saw her. If she could talk maybe I would know for sure but I got the sense that she had more to do. She curled up on a branch and went to sleep, we stayed outside for a while. The next morning I could not find her but I saw more traces of her everywhere. Little things here and there, flowers tied to doorknobs, little colored fabrics were woven into car door handles, cute trinkets under doormats and cars. But when I got to school the most amazing thing happened. And while my sprite friend was not mischievous in the way where it is negative, she is a positive force and the problems she causes are cute and sweet while they might be annoying and others might think mischievous. Anyway when I got to school people were saying “hey” in the hallways. I thought this was weird along with all the laughing smiles and bright eyes looking at me on my way to the locker halls. It hit me when I got to my locker. There were hundreds of brightly colored flowers littering the ground in front of my locker. I gently scooted them over and opened the locker. Hundreds more spilled onto the now colorful ground. Touched that my fairy friend had given me such an extraordinary I closed the locker door with a smile on my face and turned to face the curious faces. I was ready to be myself. I introduced myself to the nearest group. By the end of the day, we were laughing and giggling as we walked out of the school building. My sprite and her wonderfully mischievous gifts had given me the courage to be myself and make friends. I do not know if or when I will see her again but when I do I will thank her. From the bottom of my heart.

Twenty-Three Years Later

My daughter Roseline has started high school, it is the start of the spring quarter and she has been more social with others including her family. I have found flowers in her backpack and cutesy trinkets. I had forgotten about my sprite friend from all that time ago so I assumed it was from a boy. I wanted to meet the young man that had my daughter in a happy, spring fever mood. But every time I asked she just said I would not believe her. A few days later I found flowers in my bathtub drain, they were growing in there as if I had planted the seeds years ago. I knew that I had seen this before but my adult brain was refusing to believe in such childish notions. That night I laid in bed with my eyes open staring at the blank ceiling that hovered over me every night. When I finally fell asleep I saw memories of another time. Bright smiles, splashes of color, Blue hair, shimmering wings. While I did not remember these dreams when I woke up I knew that something has happened while I was sleeping. I just could not quite put my finger on it. A few more days passed and my daughter was at school and I went into her room to get her laundry for the wash. I knew that my daughter liked to draw and her sketchbook was open on the bed. I picked it up to see whether or not I need to buy her a new one yet and what I saw brought me back to the spring days when I was a young girl myself. I remembered all that I had forgotten and at that moment a little sprite flew through the window. She looked similar to my sprite friend that I had all those years ago. the sprite flew up to me and nuzzled my cheek then out of nowhere produced a bright blue flower, the exact shade of blue as my friend's hair. The little sprite that had to be my daughter's spring companion let a single tear fall. And though I could not understand her words I knew that my beautiful friend had passed. But this sprite was her daughter and her goal was to spread the same happy mischief her mother had before me. I put the flower in a vase later that night and it has been there ever since, and years later it was still full of life and color. A constant reminder of my closest friend and how she changed my life...for the better. Years later after my daughter graduates, she tells me the story of her sprite and a few more years later she gets a green flower from a yellow-haired sprite she encountered in her daughter's room. We laughed and cried and exchanged stories. Yes, we were sad about our friendly mischievous friends we felt them still in our hearts.