Charlie

He hadn't seen the will-o’-the-wisp for three days now. Instead, fairies appeared now and then, trying to steal clothes, provisions, or anything else that was lying around.

Charlie tried to explain to them that he and his friends were not a threat, but the fairies didn’t listen to him. But they left him alone. Molly and Lucas were less lucky. The fairies were constantly pulling their hair. And Joris? They had almost driven him into the river the day before.

Lucas didn't believe Charlie when he explained to him that the fairies saw them as intruders and tried to protect their waterfall. He called the little creatures vicious beasts. Only Molly and Joris believed him, but that didn't help against the attacks of the little people.

Slowly he was more and more worried about the little light. Had something happened to his tiny friend?

He met Nanno every evening at the river. They talked. Nanno wanted to know everything about Charlie's old life. But he struggled to answer Charlie's questions about his home underwater. All this was a well-kept secret of the sirens.

They didn't tell anyone exactly where their city was. At least Nanno had told him that it was a beautiful, dazzling city. Charlie looked at the river. It didn't seem deep enough for an entire city. Was it magic? Or was the river deeper than it seemed? Was the city underground?

Nanno did not answer any of these questions. But he talked about his friends. From William and Linnea, whom Nanno loved very much. From Elsa and Hugo, for whom Nanno worked. And Hugo's sister, who was expecting her first little siren.

Charlie thought Nanno was pretty. Pretty and cute. He liked it when Nanno's cheeks turned red because a question surprised him. He liked to listen to his low voice, and he liked to watch the siren move his tailfin underwater. Charlie would love to touch it. How did it feel?

He would like to touch Nanno.

Charlie dreamed of letting his fingers slide through Nanno's hair. But the siren remained at a watchful distance.

At the moment, however, the siren was not around. Sighing, Charlie looked at the berries he had already collected. The little basket Molly had given him was far from being full. He stood by the bushes he and Joris had found on the way to the waterfall and picked the sweet fruits. Two fairies watched him scolding and sometimes strange acorns hit him on the head.

Smiling, he shook his head and looked up at the two culprits. "Are these acorns edible?", he asked. Purple acorns. And this in the middle of a summer forest.

The fairies stuck out their tongues at him.

"No", said a small voice.

Charlie blinked. Out of nowhere, Ehlin appeared next to him.

"So, the acorns are not edible?", he asked.

"Acorns?" Ehlin smiled. "These are the fruits of the star tree. When you eat them, you see things that aren't there for days."

Charlie looked at the tree in which the fairies sat and made fun of him. The trunk of the tree shimmered silver and the bright, yellowish leaves looked like small stars. "Star tree. That sounds pretty."

"Is your brother not with you today?", asked the sylph.

"Joris? No. He tries to start a campfire with Molly, but the wood here is very difficult to ignite. Lucas managed to catch some strange pink rats. Not a food, which I'm particularly looking forward to."

Ehlin grimaced. "Oh... Fire. I don't appreciate fire..."

"What do sylphs eat?", Charlie asked curiously.

"Nothing. We are. We are without sleep or food."

"That's interesting." Charlie had to think of how embarrassed his brother was in the presence of the sylph. Ehlin looked very pretty. There was no doubt about that. "Joris meant every word honestly. He thinks you're beautiful."

That made Ehlin laugh. "Does he?"

"Yes, of course."

"Hm... Your brother was cute, but... You're interesting too..."  Ehlin came even closer, so Charlie thought he felt a strange breeze around him. Light and refreshing.

"I'm interesting?"

Ehlin tilted their head. "The magic of a will-o’-the-wisp clings to you. Friendly magic, not just the usual confusion spell... That one comes from another will-o’-the-wisp... Two will-o’-the-wisps. One wanted to hurt, and the other means good towards you..."

"I made friends with one, but it hasn't come for three nights. Maybe it has found another occupation, but I'm worried."

Ehlin nodded. "Will-o’-the-wisps are loyal friends if you manage to win their friendship. They never stay away long... I can ask around, maybe I'll find something out. With a bit of luck, it's just playing jokes elsewhere."

"Luck?" That sounded unsettling. "Thank you. You're friends with Nanno, aren't you? He told me about it."

"Yes. Nanno seems to like your company as well. Just like this little light", confirmed the sylph. "Nanno is a good friend." Slowly, Ehlin's figure disappeared again.

"I'm going to meet your brother", Charlie heard them say when there was already nothing left to see of Ehlin.