Lisa's Discovery

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_{Photo by Anthony Tran from Unsplash}

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Once upon a time, there was a village called Thimble. Thimble was home to a lot of fairies. The Fairies were a very hardworking group. The men were always building structures like houses, bridges, and anything that was needed, while the women were either growing plants or teaching the young fairies in the school. The fairies of Thimble in particular were the most hardworking of all the fairies. Hard work was their motto in Thimble. They had a motto "If you can't work hard, don't come from Thimble." All fairies from there were taught how to work hard from a tender age.

Among the fairies in Thimble was a very beautiful young lady named Lisa. She had long golden hair and brown eyes which were surprisingly illuminating. Her wings were transparent like others but hers seemed to sparkle a lot more. Lisa was perhaps the only black sheep of Thimble. She was always questioning things, dodging when it was time to get picked for certain work, or at times finding easier ways to do things so she doesn't use up too much of her energy. She'd been cautioned so many times by her parents and her teachers to no avail.

Around the corner was the festival of the greats. What is that you ask? The festival of the greats is an annual festival celebrated by fairies all around the world. During the festival, fairies from all around the globe visit Thimble for sports, different types of games, arts and crafts, and a big feast, and then afterward there's the main event Tibi-ago. During Tibi-ago the fairies gather 50% of all they've harvested that year and put them on a boat which they then set on the eastern river and allow to sail off. It is believed that the boat sails all the way to the heavens. If the Gods are pleased with their offering the next year will be very fruitful.

The festival of the greats was always very demanding on the supplies of the people of Thimble, as a result, they had to work twice as hard whenever it was getting closer. The festival used to happen once every two years, but three years ago the fairy priest Kovu saw a vision.

"The Gods don't want the festival of the great once every two years anymore, It shall now be a yearly ceremony." He said

And ever since then, the Festival of the greats became an annual event.

Lisa was usually always excited about the Festival, but this time felt different. She didn't feel excited at all. She didn't even want the festival to hold as her workload had started increasing over the years. This year she and her friend Clara were in charge of the decoration of the hall.

One day she and Clara were having one of their usual deep thoughts sessions when Clara asked

"Have you ever wondered what path the boat takes on its way to the heavens?"

"You know what never mind." She continued

"No, no, go on. It's something that has been on my mind as well." Lisa said

"Don't worry about it" Clara said

"Wow, this place looks amazing!" The head fairy shouted from across the room.

The pair went back to work and stopped their talk.

Lisa and Clara never talked about that again, but it remained in Lisa's head. She wanted to know so badly. She started fantasizing about following the boat on its path to heaven. All of a sudden there was a newfound excitement for the Festival.

"I have to follow the boat and see the path to the heavens." She said to herself.

The day came and it was marvelous. The theater was buzzing with thousands of Fairies from all over the world. There was loud music, then presentations and games everywhere, it was a real sight to behold. Lisa didn't participate in any game or presentation her excuse being that it was more fun to watch. After the games and presentation they all dined like Kings large seemingly unending hall. After that was done with, everyone gathered to the Tibi-ago.

The Priest inspected the goods and produce on the boat to ensure they were fit for the Gods. After his inspection, he closed his eyes and began to mutter some words under his breathe. He then took a deep breather and exhaled.

"The God's have deemed it acceptable!" he yelled

The croud began cheering and singing praises as some fairies set the boat onto the river.

Meanwhile Lisa had slipped away from others and got herself into the boat during the mandatory feast.

"I'm so hungry. Hopefully seeing the heavens will make up for missing the feast."

In the boats cabin where she was, there was a little hole so she could see the path the boat was going through. She was so excited to see the road to the heavens. Would they just vanish there, or would the boat just start floating till she gets there, or perhaps there's some secret path that only opens up during Tibi-ago. She needed to know.

30 minutes passed, then an hour, then 2, then 3, and the boat was still just going on a straight path.

"Or perhaps we've just been wasting 50% of our produce this whole time. No, it can't be, maybe the path is just long."

All of a sudden the boat stopped abruptly. There was something on the water, like a very large man made dam.

"It's here" one man shouted

"Another successful year." another said as he chuckled.

"Empty the boat let's see what the Priest has for us."

Lisa's heart started pounding.

"I must not be seen." She thought

She started looking around frantically, and that's when she saw what could only be an emergency escape. She opened it and fell straight into the water. She swam to the other side of the boat and ran frantically into the forest. She was cold afraid and her wings were wet. She flapped and flapped till they were dry enough to lift her off her feet. Immediately she headed back towards Thimble.

~TO BE CONTINUED~