A real fairy!!!
You may say that this light gave it away before, but honestly there are many creatures that make lights in the forest, such as ghosts, wisps, spirits, and so on.
She’s panicking and trying to free herself, but her efforts are only tangling her further.
Seeing a tiny girl with blue butterfly wings and correspondingly colored hair is quite jarring.
It takes me a few moments to ponder what to do before I pull her out of the web.
Just ahead of the now rather displeased spider.
Yes, this fairy was teasing me, rather severely even, but that’s no reason to let her die.
My own little sister has done worse than a bit of water.

After plucking the webs away, I get a good look at her, while she stares back at me with wide open eyes that are no larger than a buttonhole.
She looks a little strange, but is actually quite cute.
*Splash*
At least till a stream of water hits me straight in the face.
Another quiet jingle, and before I can clear my eyes, again, she’s gone.
Why is everyone like this today!!!
Ungrateful wench!

My emotions have been swung around so often today that I can’t stay angry at her for long, and I begin making my way home once again.
Chasing her led me even deeper into the forest than I was previously.
It will take quite some time to get back to town.
Mum is going to be so mad!
I do my best to hurry, but it’s difficult with such little light.

*Rooaarh*
Suddenly, a roar sounds out, fairly close I think.
In the gathering gloom, it’s impossible to see through the shadows, and I’m starting to get worried.
I don’t want to walk into a bear by accident, or something even more dangerous.

Slowly, I walk forward, but the next moment I notice something in front of me.
Two points of red in the dark.
Could that be a monster?
Moving as quietly as possible, I begin backing away.
*Rooaar*
I think it noticed me.
*Fwoosh*
From its direction, a jet of flame flies towards me and splashes on the ground near my feet.
In my haste to avoid it, I fall down on my butt.
If this thing can spew fire, I don’t stand a chance against it!

Then I see something familiar.
A steady blue light is glowing next to me.
The fairy?
In an instant, six very recognizable orbs form around her, and in another, they shift to pointed icicles and fly toward the eyes.
*Grawwwh!*
I think she hit it!
The eyes disappear for a second, but soon reappear, still focused me.

Suddenly, I feel a tug on my arm.
The fairy is trying to pull me.
While stronger than she appears, she’s still quite small and I feel only a gentle tug, but it’s enough to drag me out of my daze and get me to follow her.
Since she rushed to save me, I chase after her as quickly as I can, but soon feel the presence of that monster behind me.
While flying ahead, the fairy occasionally fires an icicle past me to slow that thing down.
She’s giving her all to save me!

I’m running after her as fast as I can, but she flies so quickly that I’m desperately trying not to get left behind.
To my relief, she begins pausing to shoot multiple icicles, which allows me to keep her in sight.
I run and run, with the feeling of this beast breathing down my neck.
Abruptly, I break out into a clearing in the forest and skid to a stop, because the fairy I was following halted directly in front of me.

“What are you doing!? It’s right behind us!”

I risk a quick look behind me and-
Wait!
That short jingle.
Did she just…snicker at me?

I see her point toward the monster, and promptly, the eyes drift apart and the two red lights split away from each other into the woods.
What?
The eyes, the lights…
Suddenly, a cyan glow rushes up to my face, much faster than the fairy next to me.
“Rooaarh!”
I stare and soon realize…
It’s another fairy!
The eyes were fairies, the growling was fairies, the fire was fairies.
They were all fairies!

“You brats tricked me!!!”

All of them start dancing around, and this jingle is the loudest I’ve ever heard it.
They seem very pleased with themselves.
Mum was right about them.
Well, at least the part that nothing good comes from them, I’m not so sure about the rest.

I look around, trying to recognize a landmark to figure out where I am.
There are some small stones near the center of the glade, stood up on end and forming a circle.
Unnaturally large flowers bloom all around the clearing in all different colors, and light seems to almost shimmer in the air.
An incredibly beautiful view, but I’m so tired of being teased and just want to go home.
So I head back into the forest.
At least, I try to.

Suddenly, a red fairy flies at my face and floats in my way.
I attempt to go around it, but it moves to block me again.

“Let me through you stupid nuisance!”

This one looks like a young boy, and my personal experiences today make me doubt fairies can be anything but mischievous.
I guess I’ll just force my way through, it’s not like he can stop me at his size.
*Fwoosh*
This thing just whirled fire at me!

I see more lights slowly gathering all around, and in front of me is a swarm of bright red lights.
*Fwoosh*
They are shooting more fire!
It didn’t burn me, but I can feel that the flames licking at my feet are very real.
I stumble backwards in fear.

The shimmering in the air is now gone, the forest growing fully dark, its branches seeming to stretch towards me.
The red lights move around at a dizzying speed in front of me, so I turn and retreat toward the center of the clearing.
However, I quickly realize I’m surrounded.
Countless lights have gathered in the otherwise dark woods around me.
As if at a signal, they all lift off as one, swooping towards me, and forming an almost solid wall of multicolored lights around me.
I notice a familiar blue light separate from the wall and fly near me, laughing at my situation.
A moment later, the lights begin closing in again, flying faster and faster.

By now, I’m near my wits end and try to run, but promptly get thrown back by a rush of wind.
Quickly standing up again, I try a second time, but with the same result.
Slowly, I put my hand out in front of me and find some kind of impenetrable wall of wind.
If I try to go through it, I get pushed back.
Even scarier, it seems to be shrinking!
I try the other side but find the same situation there.
Again and again, I try to get free, but there’s no way out!
Soon, I’m forced to the very center of the stone circle.
Along with the wind, the fairies draw closer and closer.
What do they want with me!?
Terror overcomes me, and I kneel down and cover my head, but then that infuriating blue fairy flies in front of my eyes again.

“What do you want? I saved you! Please let me go!”

She pauses for a moment, tilts her head, and then raises her arms toward me.
I see her blue light gather between her hands.
Then she throws it at me!
I protect my face with my arm, expecting to get drenched once more, but nothing seems to immediately happen.
There’s no impact, no splash.
Maybe the tiniest shock, like touching someone after sewing clothes.
However, there’s a bit of a lingering tingling sensation, slowly spreading from the point of contact.
That wasn’t so bad.
Then I get hit with another from behind.
And then another.
I see more and more fairies gathering their light in front of them.
All aimed at me!

Then they start releasing their lights of all different colors.
I feel countless shocks all over my body, my clothing not affecting it in the slightest.
One wasn’t bad at all, but this many are unbearable.
More and more lights fly into me, and my skin starts to glow.
The multitude of shocks build, and the tingling sensations seem to join together within me, transforming into an ever-increasing vibration, till it feels like I might fly apart.

“Stop! Please! I’ll do anything!”

They don’t stop, don’t even slow.
A bright, white light now shines forth from me, brighter than any fire.
Again I try to break out, but if anything, the wind grew stronger.
I can’t get even a toe outside this circle.

“Aaaaaaahh!!!”

The sensations within are too much for me now.
I collapse on the ground, feeling as if every single part of me is being pulled in all different directions.
From my toes to the ends of my hair, I can feel my body struggling to contain this light.
Still they throw more.

I can’t see anymore.
I can’t hear anymore.
Everything is pure white light.
I’m trapped.
Some prison encasing me that is far too small.
I’m going to be crushed!

Then suddenly, I’m free!!!

-----

A searing white pillar shoots into the sky, straight at one of the moons.
The shadows in the forest disappear as the woods become far brighter than even during the day.
Strangely enough, only the deep interior seems lit, as the outskirts are as dark as before.
Even stranger, the pillar of light begins slowing its ascent.
Soon it stops.
As if time has reversed, it shrinks back down into the forest.
Slowly, but steadily, it returns from whence it came.
Then all goes dark.