A young blue pixie with white hair raced through the woods with a human child on his tail. Basil’s wings weren’t fully developed, but he was small and agile enough to avoid his predator’s grasping hands. Basil rounded a tree and stopped to catch his breath.

“It’s not fair,” his friend Jeremy said. “You’re too small to play tag with.”

“It’s not my fault you’re so big,” Basil said, not coming out from his hiding place.

His pointy ears were perked for the sound of Jeremy sneaking up on him. But Jeremy wasn’t moving. Cautiously, Basil peaked out from around the tree. Jeremy was standing there, scowling with his arms folded.

Jeremy huffed and continued, “I wish I had a brother instead of a sister so I could play tag with someone else.”

Basil chuckled and dropped down to the forest floor. He hadn’t thought to put his shoes back on before leaving, so he landed in the dirt with his bare feet. His mom would be so disappointed.

“I wish I could play with my sister more,” he admitted. “But I’m a boy. Wouldn’t that be weird?”

Jeremy shrugged.

“What else do you want to do?” he said. “Since you cheat at tag.”

“I’m not cheating!”

“Whatever.”

“We could play hide and seek?” Basil offered.

“You’re going to cheat at that too.”

Basil crossed his arms and protested, “I’m not a cheater. You’re just too big to be good at these games. Do you want to play or not?”

“Alright,” Jeremy said, closing his eyes. “I’m gonna count to sixty.”

As he counted, Basil took to the air and started looking around for a hiding spot. He could always hide in a bush or up in a tree. But those weren’t good enough. It took a while, but Basil found it. A giant flat rock was half-sticking out of the ground at an angle, with plenty of space beneath it for Basil to curl up in its shadow and avoid detection. He struggled not to giggle too much, lest he give away his position.

“Fifty-nine, sixty,” Jeremy finished, and Basil could hear him stomping around the leafy forest floor. “Where are you, Basil? Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

The minutes tricked by. Basil’s heart was beating rapidly. He had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. Jeremy was starting to move away. He had no idea where Basil was.

“Come on!” Jeremy cried. “I knew you’d do this. You’re too small for this to be fair.”

Basil couldn’t help it. He started laughing. After a few seconds, he heard Jeremy’s footsteps start to get closer. He tried to stifle his giggles with his hand, but they kept coming. Jeremy was going to find him. Basil had to move.

It took a moment for Basil to untangle himself from the curled up position he was in. Then he darted out from beneath the rock and into the air. Jeremy was nearby, but looking in the wrong direction. Basil giggled again and Jeremy spun around.

“There you are,” he said. “I win.”

“No way! You didn’t find me, so you gotta catch me first.”

“Oh, come on!”

Basil took off, weaving through the trees as fast as he could. Jeremy was right behind him, though, and could run faster than Basil could fly. He’d catch up to Basil in just a moment, even with the rough terrain, if Basil didn’t think of something fast.

There was a risky move that Basil sometimes made when he was being chased by his older brother in the Garden. Basil could see a bush up ahead and pushed his wings for just a little more speed. He closed his eyes and took off right into the bush.

“Oof!” he cried, ramming right into a small branch and tumbling over. The sudden stop left him dizzy, but at least he’d landed in the branches and didn’t fall to the ground. So much for that plan. Basil tried pulling himself out, but he was caught in a bunch of thorns that were digging into his shorts and shirt.

“Darn it,” he muttered. “Jeremy! Help! I’m stuck!”

Jeremy stopped just outside the bush and peered in.

“There’s thorns in there,” he said. “I can’t stick my hand in.”

“Just do it, you big baby!” Basil replied, struggling to free himself without tearing his clothes.

Slowly, Jeremy reached his hand in and wrapped his fingers around Basil. Basil flinched, but Jeremy thankfully didn’t close his hand. He pulled, and Basil came free with a loud ripping sound.

“Ah! My shirt!” Basil cried, grabbing at the torn fabric. “It’s ruined.”

“Oh no! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a little scratched up,” Basil moaned. “But my shirt’s all torn up. I can’t wear this.”

“Don’t worry,” Jeremy said, dropping Bail onto his shoulder. “We’ll go home and my mom will know what to do about this.”

Basil nodded, still clutching at his torn shirt and struggling not to cry. He had to let go to hold onto Jeremy’s neck as he started running, though. The trip back to the house was a lot faster, but Basil spent the whole time afraid he was going to fall off.

Once Mrs. Archer had been told what happened, she sat Basil down on the kitchen counter and gave him a shot glass full of coke to sip on while she called his mom. He was wrapped up in a kitchen towel that was way too big for him, but it hid the tear so he wouldn’t be so embarrassed. Jeremy stood off to the side looking awkward, like he had no idea what to say or do.

“He’s embarrassed, but not hurt,” Mrs. Archer said into the receiver. “I was hoping that you could come down here with a change of clothes for him. His shirt is totally ruined and we don’t have anything we can replace it with.” After a long pause, she continued, “That’s unfortunate. No, I understand. It was just an unfortunate accident. We’ll figure something out.”

She sat the phone down and frowned, then turned to Basil.

“I’m sorry, hon,” she said. “Your mom is just too busy to bring over any new clothes until she comes to pick you up.”

“What am I supposed to do until then?” Basil asked.

His mother wasn’t going to be here until it was nearly time for dinner. That was several hours away. Basil couldn’t stay wrapped up in a towel until then.

“You’ll just have to manage until then, dear,” Mrs. Archer insisted. “It’s not so bad for a boy to go around shirtless for a little bit.”

“But it’s embarrassing,” Basil said in the smallest voice he could muster. “I don’t want people to see.”

“If you and Jeremy just stay in his room, then there shouldn’t be a problem,” she insisted. “And this will teach you to be a bit more careful in the future when you go running around in the woods.”

Basil groaned and wrapped himself up tighter in the kitchen towelette. He didn’t want to let go of it, so Jeremy ended up having to carry Basil to his room. He sat the pixie down on his bed and then sat down next to him.

“This sucks,” Basil mumbled. He ran a hand through his short hair, bumping up against the small nubs that would grow into his horns some day. “What are we supposed to do now?”

“I wish we had another shirt you could wear,” Jeremy said. “But the only clothes we have in your size are the clothes for Susan’s dolls.”

Basil didn’t respond at first.

“I mean,” he mumbled, “that could work.”

“What? Really?” Jeremy asked.

“Yeah. If I transfigure them into something comfortable, I could definitely do that.”

“Alright. Let’s go, then,” Jeremy said, picking Basil up.

With Basil in one hand, Jeremy went across the hall to knock on his sister’s door. After a moment, a younger girl opened the door and scowled at them.

“What do you want?” she demanded.

“We need clothes from your dolls, Susan.”

Susan’s eyes widened.

“What?” she asked. “Why?”

Jeremy explained, “Basil tore his shirt and you’re the only one with something that might fit him.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Fine. Come in.”

Basil got chills as they entered Susan’s room. This was a girl’s room. He wasn’t allowed in here.

“Here are all the spare clothes,” Susan said, picking up a small box with a latch and setting it on the bed. “Find a shirt.”

Basil, still wrapped up in the towel, started searching through the chest for something he could use. And then he kept searching. Except…

“There aren’t any shirts in here!” he cried, pulling out a green dress.

“I know,” Susan said, smirking. “I guess you’ll have to wear a dress, then.”

Basil felt the heat rise in his cheeks.

Jeremy cried, “That’s not funny, Susan! You can’t make him wear a dress.”

“I’m not making him wear anything. It’s the only thing available.”

“You little brat—”

“I’ll do it,” Basil said, voice shaking. “I mean… I don’t want to. But I need to wear something, right?”

The other two stared at her with open mouths.

Basil shifted uncomfortably and said, “Alright, turn around.”

They did, and Basil shook off the towelette. He poured some magic into the dress, feeling it shift in his hands until it looked and felt like something his twin sister might wear, with holes for his wings as well. With a gulp, Basil took off his shirt and slid into the dress, then stood up. He looked goofy with his shorts on underneath the dress, so he quickly took those off too. Basil was wearing nothing but a dress, now.

“Alright,” he said, blushing furiously. “You can turn around now.”

His friends did, and Basil had to look away.

“I look stupid,” he said.

“Not really,” Jeremy said.

“Yeah, you look fine,” Susan agreed.

Basil felt his whole body relax.

“Alright,” he said, picking up his discarded clothes. “What do we do now?”

Jeremy shrugged and suggested, “We could just go play with my toys.”

“I want snacks first,” Basil said. “Go get some.”

“How am I supposed to know what you want. Come with me.”

Basil grabbed at the folds of the dress and mumbled, “I don’t want your mom to see me like this.”

“She doesn’t care,” Jeremy insisted. “Come on or I’m not getting you anything.”

Basil grumbled and flew after him with his clothes in his arms, keeping his eyes down the entire time. Susan closed the door behind them. Jeremy led Basil to the kitchen and opened the pantry while Basil sat on the island to wait.

“Hey, boys.” Mrs. Archer’s voice made Basil jump. “Basil, that dress looks good on you.”

“Aaaaaaaaaah thanks?” Basil replied, rubbing the back of his neck while heat ran to his face.

“You boys don’t ruin your appetite, okay? Jeremy, I expect you to finish your dinner. Basil, your mother would never forgive me if I let you get a tummy ache.”

Basil nodded, but refused to look at her. Jeremy threw together a bowl of mixed chips and they hightailed it back to his room. Basil’s heart was thumping out of his chest. It looked good on him? Really?

His thoughts were interrupted by Jeremy shoving a robot action figure in Basil’s face.

“And now, Commander Basil,” Jeremy said in a gravelly voice. “I am going to destroy you!”

Basil raised his fists and replied, “Is that so, Dr. Roboticus?”

He took a few swings at the toy, barely missing.

“Aha!” Jeremy cried, putting a toy gun in the robot’s hands. “You may be strong, Commander, but you can’t resist the stun rays of my Mega Blaster.”

“Ah!” Basil ducked out of the way so he was behind the desk lamp. “You won’t catch me, you evil machine.”

“Pew pew pew.”

Basil took to the air, dodging the robot’s attacks with ease before swooping in and delivering a kick to its chest. Jeremy had the robot fall over with an “Aaahg!” and it laid still. Basil placed a foot on Doctor Roboticus’s chest and raised his hands triumphantly.

“Aha! I am the master of fighting!”

Then Jeremy raised the robot’s hand with the blaster in it and gave one last “pew!”. The invisible projectile hit Basil right in the chest and Basil stumbled back. He fell to the ground, clutching his chest.

“Oh no!” Basil cried. “I’ve been hit. Whatever will I do? I’ll have to wait for some warrior princess to come save me!”

“Warrior princess?” Jeremy asked, walking over to his closet.

“Well, yeah. I’m not going to be rescued by some lousy prince.”

Jeremy nodded, then held up a toy gun loaded with foam darts. Basil’s heart sank.

“No fair!” he cried, taking to the air. “You’re too good a shot with that.”

Jeremy just smirked and took aim. Basil screamed and ducked out of the way, heading for the door as a foam dart flew past him. The doorknob was too big for Basil to turn, but with a bit of magic the door was open and he had flown out into the hallway.

“Not fair, not fair, not fair!”

“This is payback for earlier,” Jeremy insisted, following Basil into the hallway and taking aim again.

Basil flew into the kitchen, then the living room. Jeremy was hot on his trail. Dart after dart flew by Basil, coming dangerously close to hitting him.

Suddenly, Susan was standing in the living room, too, with a toy gun in her own hands. She fired at Jeremy, hitting him and causing him to duck behind the couch. Basil flew behind her, grabbing onto her shoulder and peaking over.

“No, that’s cheating!” Jeremy cried. “You can’t help him.”

“Sorry, brother,” Susan said, chuckling. “It’s boys against girls, now.”

“Yeah!” Basil cried. “Boys against girls.”

The fight continued for a while. Basil squealed along with Susan every time they got hit. But eventually there was a knock on the front door and Mrs. Archer went to open it.

“Oh no!” Basil cried, looking down at the dress he was wearing. “Someone’s gonna see me.”

He took off, flying back to Jeremy’s room and sitting on the desk. Basil pulled his knees up to his chest and started rocking gently back and forth. That had been too close.

There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Archer came in, carrying a bunch of clothes in her closed hand.

“That was your mother,” she said softly, placing the delivery down next to Basil. “She brought these for you. I’ll let you get changed.”

“Thank you,” Basil muttered, picking up a shirt from the pile.

Once he was changed and back in boy clothes, Basil couldn’t help but frown. It was a nice dress and has been a lot of fun to wear. But he was a boy. The only reason it had been okay was because he didn’t have any choice. It wasn’t like he could wear it again, right?

Basil grabbed the rest of the clothes in a bundle and flew out of the room. He could hear his mother and Mrs. Archer talking in the kitchen. But Jeremy and Susan were sitting in the living room.

“Susan?” Basil asked, flying up to her. He held out the dress, his pointy ears burning. “Could you hold onto this for me?”

“Uh… sure? I guess. It’s mine anyway.”

“Thank you.” Turning to Jeremy, he added, “I had fun. See you soon.”

“Yeah, see you.”

Basil returned to the dining room where Mrs. Archer was talking to his mother, a green fairy with long blond hair and curved horns. When Basil walked up, his mother put an arm around him, but continued talking to Mrs. Archer.

“Well,” his mother said, “it was nice talking to you, Diane, but I’m afraid I have to go or we’ll miss dinner. But I’ll see if I can clear some time on my schedule.”

Mrs. Archer nodded. Basil’s mother took his hand and, with her free hand, snapped her fingers. Suddenly the kitchen was gone and the two were standing on a sundial in a large garden.

“Let’s go, honey,” his mom told him.

Basil nodded and started to follow, but then caught sight of something nearby. His sister was playing with one of her friends in a bunch of azaleas. He paused, and after a moment his mother noticed he wasn’t keeping up with her.

“Basil?” she asked.

“Um… hey, Mom,” he said quietly, “can I play with Poppy and her friend until dinner starts?”

His mother blinked in surprise, then replied, “Sure, I guess. Just don’t get too dirty, alright?”

Basil flew forward and grabbed her in a tight hug.

“Thank you, Mom!”

Before she could get another word out, Basil took off to join his sister.

QuillRabbit

Thank you so much for giving this story a chance. It's a cute little idea that I had and it was a delight to actually get to write. If you're enjoying it, please leave a comment and a rating on the story. If you want to leave a small tip to help support my writing, you can do so here for only $3.