Mistside

She stood in front of her mirror. Her small build made her seem much younger than what she was. Her eyes followed the curves of her body down to her knees. The invisible hands that she imagined caressing each dip, showed her the intensity of her imagination.

After dressing, Kara went to her easel. She attached her apron to her waist and she gathered her brushes and paints accordingly. She slowly looked at her paintings that covered the walls around her. She expressed different moods just with her face.

"I’m not quite sure what I’d like to paint", she thought. She gazed outside of her small apartment window to see busy people below with busy lives and busy thoughts.

“I bet if people’s thoughts were visible, the air would be polluted with letters!”. She laughed. She looked again and tried to pick something to focus on. It really was a lot of commotion and Kara had lived in the city since she left home. She lingered on thoughts of her childhood home in Mistside. She could only remember few details of her young existence with her family.

“Mistside was so magical for me” she grinned. Everything had a life of it’s own and it was so peaceful, if only for a few memories that she carried with her daily. After a few moments of content dreaming, she knew what to paint.

Her wrinkled hands held the paint brush steadily as swift strokes presented a blue trail of wet glossy paint on the easel. Time seemed to go on and on without a mention of a break. After some time had passed, Kara laid her brush down on the table and as she did; she noticed her hands and apron were covered in various colors of paint. She could almost create a creature from all the swirls and shapes the paints made. She grinned with satisfaction of her painting. She stared at it, making sure the lines were perfect and the colors were just the right shade. She sighed with a job well done. She took a white sheet and covered the painting so the fresh paint would not get messed up. She’ll remove it after a few hours. She washed up and went into her kitchen for tea and then a nightcap.

The kettle whistled loudly. Kara quickly removed it from the heat. She put her oven mit on the table and adjusted her place-mat. She placed a small tea bag into her favorite mug and set it down on the table. She put the kettle on a knitted pot holder shaped like a happy sun . She pulled out her chair and sat down. Her eyes were bright, but a sadness was evident. Her face lines showed that her life had not always been so kind to her. She held her cup until her fingers ached with arthritis. She placed her cup in front of her. After finishing her tea, she walked to her room for the night.

It had not been long when Kara suddenly opened her eyes. She looked straight up at the ceiling trying to be as still as she could and listen.

“What was that noise?” she thought. She slowly turned her head towards the door. She saw a dim light beaming through the crack of the bedroom door. “Surely I didn’t leave lights on” she huffed. She arose from her bed, slid on her slippers and grabbed her cane. She walked slowly to the door and it creaked as she pulled it open. The light grew brighter. Kara was now in wonder. Sounds of water gently flowed through out her apartment. She looked intently to locate the source.

She followed the sounds as they got louder and louder. She ended up in her painting room. The white sheet was laying on the floor in a puddle of water. She was bewildered. There was no sign of any intrusion as the front door was still locked. She was in shock and she did not even breathe loudly.

She bent down to begin cleaning the water. As soon as the water touched her hand, it brightened and tingled her skin. She was engulfed in the lights and sounds just as if the water was humming and moving rhythmically. The water beaded on her skin and danced up her arm like small ants, then the water was absorbed into her skin. Kara was now in awe. She held up her arms together. Her arm was now smooth and the skin was tightened. Oh how she smiled to see her skin glow so.

She looked up at the painting and she realized that the water on the floor had came from the painting. Looking closer, condensation formed at the foot of the painting and became a droplet. The water droplets danced on the canvas and small fairies she had painted just hours earlier; were now zooming around on the canvas. That is until one of the fairies pulled so hard to be free and succeeded. The little light went around and around the room in a frenzy like she had just taken her first steps. Kara stood in silence. Kara could hear high pitched chatter coming from within her painting, but she dare not move.

The wonderful beautiful glow stopped on Kara’s table. Kara stared in amazement and finally spoke.

“Am I dreaming?” she whispered. The red headed fairy spoke up.

“No Kara” the fairy answered. Kara gasped. She could not fathom this happening.

The fairy continued, “My name is Layla and I came from your imagination. You are very special Kara and we’d like for you to visit the world you created for us. A place that you can visit anytime.”

Again, Kara just stared at Layla. Layla was a typical fairy that Kara had made up in her minds eye. Layla was quite extraordinary, Kara thought. She slowly raised her hand to Layla and touched the fairy. Layla giggled. Layla held Kara’s finger and began to pull.

Kara got alarmed, “what? what are you doing?” she exclaimed.

Layla flew close to Kara’s face and whispered, “let’s have tea” and then she disappeared into the painting. The lights were illuminating from the painting and Kara could not look away. Something drew Kara to the painting, like it was calling her. She stood up and stepped closer to the painting and as she did, her whole body shifted from what she knew as a human touch and into a celestial feeling of air. She was pulled into the painting, a longing. Everything in the room went dark as if nothing had happened.

Kara was aware that she was not the same. She held her eyes shut for a moment and just listened. She heard the high pitch chatter in the distance. She heard musical melodies that she had never heard. With her eyes still shut, she felt a presence coming toward her.

She slowly opened her eyes. Layla stood in front of her. Kara gasped, “Wow! You’re huge!” You were just flying around!”. Kara was truly in awe of what was happening. She slowly looked at Layla and then down at herself. She almost fainted.

Layla jumped for joy while clapping her hands. “Oh honey, you are exactly where you want to be.”

Kara stared at her hands. They were soft, young, and delicate hands. She viewed her arms, legs, and then she spoke. “Let me have a mirror” Kara said.

Layla told Kara to look into the water fountain behind her. Kara looked at the magnificent fountain spouting pastel colored water up into the air. The water in the pool was translucent and looked like a rainbow after a rainstorm. Kara looked down into the water. The moving water came to a stand still and Kara’s face came into view. She cried out with fear and delight. Her young face was that of when she was a small child at least 10 years old. She smiled. Kara was shocked, but she slowly smiled and began to dance.

“My legs!” Kara exclaimed. She touched her legs and laughed and continued to check out this, this experience. The air was filled with twinkling lights as a light fog floated through out the trees. She stopped. Trees? She looked around her. She recognized a small patch of talking flowers. Bright purples and pinks. “Oh my. I painted those!” She kept scoping out things and came to the conclusion that everything was painted a few hours ago, by her. She was astounded and shocked. Was she… she in the painting?

Kara noticed the table by the fountain. Of course she knew that. She had painted it! Still though, the colors, the feeling, the magic of it all kept her in a delirious wonder. The table was covered with a pastel pink table cloth and tea cups with frilly flowers and colorful stems. The small wooden chairs were dressed in painted flowers and frills just like the cups. Kara was delighted. This was her tea party set up when she was small. Her and her mother would sit and talk for the longest time while enjoying the imaginary tea. To her, of course, it was just as real now as it was then.

Kara sat down at the table. She did not need her cane. Her body didn’t ache. She felt alive and full of energy. She looked up and saw that Layla had sat down with her at the table.

During this tea party, Kara and Layla traveled through out the world, in their stories, only stopping when they came to a corner of the canvas. Time did stand still.

“Huh?” Kara moaned. She slowly looked around the room. Her cane was nestled by the bed and the sun shown in on the dusty dresser and clothes rack by the door. “The door!” she remembered.

She sat up, put her slippers on and grabbed her cane. She felt sluggish and tired. Her aches kept her at a snail pace. She went to the door and pulled it open. The painting room was exactly as she left it the night before. She uncovered the painting to display the scene of a fairy tea party with colors vibrantly shining and glistening as if it was moving.

So, this was just a dream? She was eager and determined to find out.

Over the next few days, she painted a whole collection of paintings. All apart of a city she created in her mind. All of the paintings together, depicted a small town, like Mistside.

She painted a small coffee shop scene with delicious treats and homemade pastries she missed from her childhood. A small antique shop with metal decor and furniture that smelled of moth balls. Other delightful houses and buildings lined the streets of flickering ethereal lights and a grandiose mist, hence the town name.

Every night she would lay down and await the fairies return, so she could be wisked off into her own world. A life she longed to live and another chapter to write.