The Key

Kara loved cosplay. It was the perfect hobby to take her away from a dull corporate world. Her cosplay endeavours often led her to thrift shops for cheap supplies and clothes she could alter. Luck seemed to always be in her favor at a little thrift shop known as “The Attic.” There, Kara always found exactly what she was after in her size. 

On a particularly rainy Winter day, Kara stopped in to search for her latest design. Her work week had ended and the freedom to create over the weekend was beginning. She found the perfect princess style gown within minutes of entering the shop. She was amazed that someone would get rid of a dress so beautiful. Kara tried the dress on and it fit like a glove. The length would have to be fixed, but other than that it was perfect. She picked out a few more items that caught her eye before heading for the register. 

Near the front of the store Kara stopped dead in her tracks. A black, studded leather jacket called out to her. She took the jacket off the hanger and immediately put it on. This was her jacket now. 

“I’m just going to wear this out,” Kara said to the shopkeeper as she held out the price tag. 

“It’s a lovely coat,” the shopkeeper chimed. “It looks very nice on you especially. Just take it.”

“I couldn’t just take it. This is an expensive coat,” Kara fought. 

“You’re a frequent customer, so consider it a perk. Besides the coat was donated so we aren’t losing anything,” The shopkeeper insisted. Kara finally gave in and paid for everything except the coat. 

Kara put her items in her car then reached into her jacket pockets to warm her hands. In the left pocket Kara felt something. She grabbed it to pull it out but instead was met with a painful prick on her finger. Kara quickly pulled her hand out of her pocket to see a dot of blood on her finger. She put it in her mouth for a second then carefully reached back into the pocket. She pulled out a pendant in the shape of a key with sharp edges and a blood red stone at the top. It was on a thin, black string with a clasp on it.

“...but of course you can’t even hear me!” Kara heard a sudden voice behind her. She turned to see a strange looking man behind her. He had emerald green eyes and hair that matched. His ears came to a point as did his nose. He wore a teal tunic with a black vest, black pants and black shoes. 

Kara stared at the stranger. When he noticed he smiled. “You can see me now?!” He practically yelled. Kara could just nod. “Finally! I’ve been trying to get your attention for weeks!”

“Y-you’ve been trying to get my attention?”Kara stammered. “Who are you?”

“They call me Thistle, and can I have your name?”

“You can’t have it, but I will tell you it,” Kara stated knowing very well the ways of the fae. “It’s Kara.”

“Smart girl, Kara.” Thistle smiled. “As I was saying I’ve been trying to get your attention. You finally picked up the damn coat and pricked your finger on the stupid key. Now I need your help.”

“Wait, this coat has been there for weeks?” Kara asked, missing the point.

“Oh little human brains… I’ll try not to go too fast with all of this, but I am kind of in a hurry now. You have a strong magic about you, stronger than mine anyways which isn’t saying much. I need your help with a curse and since it took you so damn long to prick your finger on the stupid key we have like two days to fix things.”

“I tripped on the curb and hit my head didn’t I?” 

Thistle was at his breaking point. He grabbed Kara’s shoulders and electricity seemed to erupt between them. “I need your help, Kara. This is real life and for my family, my whole village, it is life or death.”

“Two days you said?” Kara asked. Thistle nodded. “I was going to work on a costume, but I guess this is some chosen one nonsense. Lead the way and explain everything.”

“Okay, but you’ll have to drive. I don’t have a license and I’m kind of invisible to almost all the other humans.” 

“Lovely, get in the car.”

Thistle took the passenger seat and told Kara to head North until they hit the woods. He explained to her the key pendant itself was magic. It allowed a person to see the fae when their blood was drawn by it. It was created by the strongest faery in Thistle’s village specifically to find someone with enough magic to help. Thistle’s village had fallen under a terrible curse. First their skin would turn grey then in the days following they’d become stiff. When Thistle left for help nearly half the village became like stone. It was a nightmare. No one knew exactly who or what brought the curse on, but it had a horrible stench of human therefore only a human’s magic could help.

“How did you know I’m a human with magic?” Kara asked nearly an hour into the drive. 

“The electricity,” Thistle stated simply. “I walked a long way as you can tell now. I passed many people, but none had the intense spark I felt on you. It was only a matter of time until you pricked your finger on that key and could see me. Of course I didn’t think it would take this long. Human curses have a tendency to become permanent after two moons.”

“And the next full moon is Sunday night.” Kara stated. 

The last five minutes of the car ride were silent. Kara was confused and questioned why she just went along with this. The fae were tricksters after all. They already had her blood, but only knew her first name. Kara felt panic, but Thistle seemed in genuine distress. He also seemed familiar. She couldn’t pinpoint it, but Thistle was just familiar. 

Kara and Thistle left the car and walked for ten minutes into the forest. It was uncomfortably silent. Thistle stopped at a specific ring of mushrooms and flowers.

“A fairy ring?” Kara hesitated. “Isn’t there a specific rule about not messing with fairy rings?”

“Yes, but it is our only way to my village. We’ve come all this way. It’s literally just one more step.” Thistle gestured to the ring. 

“One more step into a fairy ring…”

“I’ll go first if you need me to. Please, just trust me. I know there are specific rules against trusting the fae, but I really need help. Oh!” Thistle reached into Kara’s pocket and pulled out the key pendant. “Put this on and if at any point you feel unsafe, rip it off. You’ll immediately be brought back to right here.”

“Screw it,” Kara sighed. She put the pendant on.

“Oh and remember don’t eat anything or you’ll be stuck there! Okay let’s go!” Thistle jumped into the ring and it was as if he had jumped into a bottomless puddle. Kara took a moment. She had jumped into this too fast. The electricity she felt when Thistle touched her clouded her vision. Or maybe it cleared her vision. Minutes passed that felt like hours. Finally Kara jumped. 

The village was even worse than when Thistle left. The curse had spread and only a few were left unstoned. Thistle didn’t even notice Kara’s lag. He looked on in horror as some of the well had to move the statues that were previously alive. 

“Thistle you’re back!” A voice called out. An older faery with silver hair approached Thistle and Kara.

“Lark, how bad had it gotten?” Thistle asked. 

“There are less than ten of us well,” Lark replied. “I was beginning to fear the worst, but I see you’ve brought a human. A very strong human at that.” 

“Lark, this is Kara. Do you think she is strong enough to help?” Thistle asked quickly.

“With my help, possible.” Lark smiled. 

“Good, because I have no idea what I’m doing,” Kara chimed in. “Before two hours ago I didn’t know I had magic.”

“Ah, we better get to work.”

Kara and Thistle followed Lark to her dwelling. Lark lit candles in a circle and used powder to mark the cardinal directions. Kara stood with her hand over the key pendant incase anything went wrong. 

“Thistle, go get Mullo from his house.” Lark commanded. Thistle began to walk out and Kara wanted to follow him, but she knew if she was meant to go to Lark would have said for both of them to go. 

“You’ll be okay, I promise.” Thistle reassured Kara feeling her nervous energy. With that he left. 

“We don’t have time to muck about,” Lark stated once Thistle was gone. “Sit on South and take deep breaths. Focus your energy into your hands.”

Kara had no idea how to focus her energy into hands, but she sat on South and damn well tried. She could feel the electricity around her weaken and Thistle walked away. Lark seemed to take note of this as well. Kara knew exactly when Thistle was on his way back. She could feel her energy grow again. 

Mullo followed Thistle into Lark’s dwelling. Mullo was much taller than Thistle. His red eyes practically glowed in the dark room. It was obvious his skin was beginning to grey. By the time the curse was made permanent he would be stone as well. 

Lark instructed Mullo to take West and Thistle to take East. Lark herself took North. Thistle could feel Kara’s emotions now that their magic was connected by the symbols on the floor. Without thinking he took her hand. Green sparks illuminated their hands for a second before they both pulled away.

“This should definitely work,” Lark smiled. “We need to do this quick.” Lark had everyone hold hands. The candles all blew out. In place of the candle light was a ring of white light around the four in the room. They stayed still for a few moments before Lark began to mumble something in a language Kara didn’t recognize. Suddenly, Kara felt weak.

“Something’s wrong,” Kara said. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Thistle asked. Lark didn’t stop mumbling. Kara progressively got worse. She managed to glance at Mullo for a moment and noticed the grey rapidly spreading on him. Kara then turned to Thistle. Grey splotches began to break out on his skin. Lark was free of any grey skin.

Kara ripped her hands away from Thistle and Mullo’s hands. She fell to her knees and Thistle knelt to make sure she was okay.

“Lark isn’t who she says she is,” Kara accused. She was certain Lark was doing something bad. “Look at your skin, Thistle. You’re grey. Mullo’s grey spread too. It didn’t start until she started talking.” 

“I thought we were in a weird placement.” Mullo finally spoke. “The curse was caused by a human. A human should be in the West to reverse things. We made it worse.” 

“It didn’t happen to Lark at all.” Kara pointed out. 

“I really wish you didn’t point that out,” Lark growled. She simply pushed her hand out and Mullo flew back. The grey completely covered him. His body began to grow stiff. Lark turned her head to Thistle, but before she could throw out another hand Kara stepped in front of Thistle. 

“You’re human too,” Kara said. “The one that caused the curse.”

“The fae always say that humans are stupid, but you figured that out way faster than any of them,” Lark laughed. “This village was just the beginning of my conquest. Turning faeries into statues is the easiest way to defeat them. The second full moon was closing in and I needed help finishing the job so I could move on to the next village.”

“You didn’t think I’d see through your act?” Kara asked. 

“I figured all of humanity still hated the fae.” Lark stated. “I guess times change in four hundred years.”

“I think whatever fruit you ate to stay here is rotting your brain. Or maybe this realm has just gotten to you in four hundred years.” Kara’s voice didn’t feel like her own voice. It was as if someone else’s words were coming from her mouth. Lark and Thistle seemed to know the voice. 

“That explains it,” Lark scoffed. “You’re a descendant of a stronger magic. Nasty little hybrid creature.” Lark pointed at Kara and sparks flew from her finger tip. Kara held up her arm to deflect and it somehow worked. Kara let her instincts take over. With a simple move of her hand she was able to send Lark flying back. There really was a powerful magic inside Kara. 

Kara stepped into the middle of the dust symbols and took a deep breath. Lark laid on the floor struggling to get up. 

“You know I had a good reason for this-”

“Shut it,” Kara cut off Lark. “I hate when the villain monologues.” Kara could tell Lark had no good reason to do this. Kara held out both hands and focused her energy. Light engulfed Lark, then the room, then it seemed the world was a burst of colorful brightness. 

The light faded and Lark sat frozen. She was a statue of obsidian. Kara dropped to her knees yet again, and just like before Thistle knelt at her side. When Kara finally stood she moved the Lark statue to the West. Thistle moved Mullo to North then took his spot South.

“You know what you’re doing?” Thistle asked.

“Not at all,” Kara said as she stood in East. “But the human that caused the problems is in the West. Let’s try this.”

Kara focused all her energy into fixing the problem. Her eyes were glued shut as she concentrated. Thistle noticed Mullo begin to move. He didn’t know what Kara was doing but it was working. Cheers and cries of happiness could be heard in the village. It was definitely working. 

When all her energy was gone, Kara fell for the final time. Mullo took a deep breath as air finally filled his lungs again. He and Thistle knelt by Kara. The statue of Lark stood before them still. It was unmoving. Lark would not return. 

Mullo and Thistle helped Kara walk to the center of the village. There, the people sang her praises. She never felt so appreciated. Kara was finally able to live the adventure that so many of the character she cosplayed lived. She was proud of herself. Thistle was proud of her as well.

“Weeks of waiting and you save us in a matter of hours,” Thistle laughed. “You are far more powerful than I thought.”

“Guess that’s what happen when you’re a stronger magic and human,” Kara smiled. “I have some stuff to talk about with my parents probably. It felt quicker than most of the stories I’ve seen.”

“That’s how life is. Quick and crazy…” Thistle sighed. “I guess you’ll be going home now?”

“I guess I should.”

“You could always eat something and be trapped here forever.”

“As tempting as it is, I don’t think I can,” Kara reached for the key pendant.

“I mean, you are a descendant of something magical which means you’re one of us,” Thistle stopped Kara from pulling off the necklace. “You should be able to come back here anytime you want. In the meantime…” Thistle plucked a few green hair strands from his head and braided them around the key. “It you need me, just prick your finger again and drip it on the hair. I know it sounds weird, but magic often is.”

“Thank you Thistle.” Kara hugged her new fae friend then took a deep breath. She unhooked the necklace and in a blink she was back outside the fairy ring. To make sure it wasn’t a dream or hallucination, Kara stuck her hand into the fairy ring and it went through like it was a puddle. Kara smiled to herself before returning to her car. 

The ride home was quiet and a little boring. After such a cool experience, Kara felt a little empty. She looked at the pendant and decided she’d have to see Thistle again sometime soon.