In a dark corner of the village, there lay an unassuming house. It was normal in all aspects, it was made of wood, it had windows made of glass, and the door was of a pale brown wood with a latch. Even the inside was positively normal and dull by all standards having bedrooms, a kitchen, and a hearth.
The only thing particularly odd about this house were the inhabitants. There was a mother, a father, two twin baby boys and most importantly, there was a little girl named Fae.
Fae lived with her family at the edge of the village, not by choice, because the rest of villagers felt uneasy around the family. Odd things seemed to happen whenever they were near. People would hear voices, things would move about on their own, and on more than one occasion a fire would burst seemingly out of nowhere. As it only seemed to happen around Fae's family, it was only logical to accuse them of being behind the occurances.
As it happens far too often, the villagers did not outright accuse the family, not in the beginning at least. They instead kept their moves shut around the family and spoke in hushed whispers behind closed doors. The whispers and accusations turned to openly shunning the family and that led to refusing to let them partake in even the most basic of activities. Eventually the family was forced to move from their house in the middle of the village to the outskirts away from judging eyes and ever listening ears. Although a few members of the village kept a close eye on the family to ensure that they stayed out of mischief.
For Fae the move was a welcome surprise. She disliked most everyone in the village and preferred her own company to the company of others. One of her duties after the move was tending to the garden, as they could no longer buy vegetables or meat from the market, and she found that not only did she enjoy the work, she was immensely talented at it. She could make nearly anything grow to its full size in no time at all. Not to mention that everything that did grow tasted marvelous.
The first time she discovered her gift was the spring before last when her mother had given her a small handful of seeds along with very specific instructions on how to plant and care for them. Fae listened with every intention of following her mother's instructions to the letter. But once she was outside and kneeling in the dirt, her hands acted without her telling them what to do. She planted the seeds as she was supposed to but she cupped the top of the freshly moved earth and she whispered words she had never heard before. Once her hands moved she saw the start of a sprout coming out of the ground. She repeated the process for all the seeds only to see that each and every time she performed the act, a sprout shot forth.
Within a week the vegetables were ripe and ready to eat. She wanted to surprise her family with the bountiful harvest and presented the crops to her mother with a beaming smile. Her mother asked her what she had done to grow them so quickly. Fae recounted the events and her mother smiled and told her she did a wonderful job and carried on preparing the meal. Fae was disappointed only because to her it was a miraculous thing for her to grow them so quickly. She would have stayed disappointed if not for her mother and father talking to her after dinner and explaining what magic was and how everyone in the family used it. That she had found her gift and they would help her nurture it from that point on.
Fae continued to grow her garden but very quickly discovered that she could make other things grow, just not as well. Vegetables and herbs were easy, they grew with very little effort. However, when she tried to make an oak tree grow, she tasted her first failure.
She started the same way as she had in her garden and a sprout did come out of the earth. Once it began growing more than that, the tree quickly withered and died.
Telling her mother was no help either as all she said was, "Magic is like a muscle, you have to work at it for a while to be strong enough. Otherwise you'll fail".
Fae understood what she meant but was frustrated that there was not a quicker way to get better. What good was magic if you can not use magic to get better?
She worked in the garden even more frequently growing full plants the day they were planted but could still not grow a tree. She sat angrily by her last attempt and scolded the withered sticks, "I gave you everything I had little tree, you should have stayed alive". She realized quickly that she was very mad at herself for not being able to do something as simple as growing a tree. So she stormed off to the house to sulk.
Her parents and brothers were off in the woods gathering supplies so she was free to mope around the house. Her hands swept over the dead flowers on the table and they instantly sprang to life. She sighed heavily and stared at the green leaves and vibrant yellow petals. For reasons she was not sure of, she decided to walk to her parents room. She was not forbidden from being in there, but at that moment it seemed wrong enough that it gave her the satisfaction of being able to do something on her own. She did not think about it, but her hands went to the chest at the foot of her parents bed and undid the clasp. The top swung open with a slight creak and she surveyed the contents.
There were a few blankets, a dress, and three leather bound books. She pulled the books out and glanced at the fronts but there were no titles. She opened the first one and was greeted with recipes that her mother collected over the years. The second one was more of a journal her father and mother wrote in but there was nothing interesting for her eyes. The third one looked as if they were recipes, very odd recipes at first glance, but Fae looked harder and noticed something very peculiar about these recipes. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was, her parents spell book.
During their conversation her father had mentioned they would share their spellbook once she was older and at some point she would write her own. But this, in her hands, was her parents and the curiosity to see what they had was overwhelming.
Fae glanced at all the titles and skipped over the boring ones, spell for luck, spell for good weather… it wasn't until Fae saw a summoning spell that she stopped. What had stopped her was the description, "To summon what we will call a 'demon' to grant the wish of the summoner". Her hands shook, she could finally unlock her true powers, all she needed was to perform this spell. She skimmed over the ingredients. She glanced over what was needed, most everything she had already. It was very specific about the time of night when it must be done. She figured she could work around that so long as everything else was taken care of.
Fae quickly grabbed a piece of charcoal and parchment and wrote down everything she needed. She carefully put the books back in their original place and left the room. She decided to clean the house to calm herself down, she was excited, scared, and anxious all at once.
The next day was one of the worst days that Fae had gardening. Nothing grew as it should, if it did grow it was moldy and rotten. She didn't understand it. This was the one part she excelled at and she could not even do this anymore. She showed her mother who looked at the ruined crops and then at her daughter, "Are you okay?", She asked with a concerned tone. "I'm fine", Fae snapped back, "The vegetables are not fine and I don't know why I can't do something simple". Her mother said, "You do not need to raise your voice to me. I know you're frustrated and I'm trying to help".
Fae brushed the hair from her face, "It's my fault. I need to fix it".
Her mother replied, "It's not your fault and you've always done a wonderful job. But I am here for you. Aside from being your mother, I do know that this is caused by something you're feeling*.
Fae stared at the wall by her mother and said, "I feel fine".
Her mother sighed, "Fae, you are a talented and very smart little girl. But I'm you're mother and I've also practiced magic longer than you've been alive. When spells no longer work it's because you're upset about something or something you're feeling is getting in the way".
Fae breathed out her nose sharply but did not say anything. Her mother continued, "You can talk to me if you need to. I won't force you. But you need to know that once you get through this you will be able to grow again".
Fae muttered under her breath, "You don't know what you're talking about".
Her mother said, "I know what I'm talking about Fae. If I did anything while I was upset or angry it would show". She picked up the rotten vegetables, "And this does not look like it came from someone feeling good about themselves".
Fae did not respond. Her mother continued, "I'll say it again, I am here to help you. I can only help if you let me".
Fae looked at her mother and said, "Can I go now?"
Her mother sighed and said, "You may go. But first you're going to help me make dinner".
Fae sighed and huffed the whole time she helped her mother. Every time Fae tried to do something her way to hurry things along her mother would say, "Do it the right way Fae, there are no shortcuts". Each time her mother would say that Fae's fingers would instinctively reach towards the parchment, she knew her mother had used it. It was her time to get what she wanted.
The night she needed finally approached. She gathered her supplies throughout the day and had them all put together in her satchel. She waited patiently until her parents and brothers went to bed. Her eyes were heavy and almost closed several times while waiting to hear their soft snores but she persisted. Once she was sure they were all asleep she got up and snuck out of the house.
Fae found a spot right where the moonlight hit the ground and laid everything out. She had the candles, the herbs, and the offering. Which was a simple golden charm she had taken from her parent room but she assumed it would be enough, the spell did not specify the quantity.
She laid the parchment out and arranged everything according to the instructions. She recited the incantation and waited. Silence. Nothing happened. She checked the parchment again and recited the words once more. Again, nothing happened. She shouted the words again and again. Still, nothing. She sighed heavily and furrowed her brow. She was incredibly angry that she could not get this to work either and shouted the words again with all the anger she could muster. This time the candles went out with a puff and a plume of black smoke appeared from the snuffed out candles and formed inside the circle.
The smoke dissipated and before her was a creature. She almost called it a person as it had a human shape but it was too twisted in its form to be human. Fae had to keep averting her gaze as staring at it was making her feel sick.
"Why have you summoned me?", The creature said in a growl.
Fae stuttered and could not answer. The creature spoke again, "I am not leaving without an offering…", it curled its fingers towards her and continued, "Why have you summoned me?"
Fae inhaled deeply and said, "I want to be a powerful witch".
The creature cackled, "You have summoned me to enhance your abilities? I should tear you apart for such a trifle of a wish".
Fae stepped back and finally produced the gold charm and said, "I have summoned you to fulfill my wish. Take your offering and do as I ask".
The demon stared at Fae for a moment. He finally said, "As you wish, fair witch. However… I am bound by this circle. In order for me to make you truly powerful I need to be free".
Fae looked at him and said, "Then send me someone who is powerful enough to grant my wish".
He snarled, "Insult me at your peril, human. Free me from this circle and I will grant your wish otherwise this portal will be closed to you for as long as you live".
Fae thought for a moment and felt the charms she had in her pouch. She could send him back if he proved dishonest or at the very least keep him from harming her.
"Very well", she said. She removed the candles and the charms. In a puff he disappeared with a loud echoing laugh.
Fae looked around to see where he went and then she heard it. Screams from the village. She took off as fast as she could toward the sounds.
She reached the village and saw flames from the middle of town. Villagers were running around gathering buckets of water. Mothers were carrying their children away from the flames. In a sudden moment the flames spread as if on their own from the middle of the village to the surrounding houses. In the flickering orange flames Fae saw him, the creature. She was almost convinced that her eyes were playing tricks on her but they heard his laugh and even the villagers stopped in their tracks as they also heard it.
Fae did not wait any longer and ran home. She barged in the door and went instantly to her parents room. They awoke with a start but before they had a chance to ask what was going on, Fae began babbling the events as best as she could. It became very clear that her parents had no idea what she was talking about. Fae, frustrated, pulled the parchment out and showed it to her parents. They instantly jumped out of bed.
The three of them ran out of the house and saw that almost the entire village was engulfed in flames. Fae's mother said, "I can't control a flame that large".
"You have to try", her husband said. "I'll take care of the demon".
He took off towards the village. Fae and her mother looked at each other. Her mother said, "Fae, I am not asking you. I am telling you, put a row of lavender around our house. Once you do that, start putting it around every house that isn't on fire and on top of them if you can". Fae nodded and ran to do as she was told.
Fae's mother ran to the nearest fire. She found what little moisture she could in the air and pushed it into the fire quenching the flames. She ran to the next house to repeat the process. Her eyes scanned the sky looking for the demon. She heard yelling from the center of town and recognized one of the voices as her husband. She fought every urge to rush to him and instead kept putting out fires.
The demon fell to the ground, he was bloodied and weakened but not helpless. He eyed the man before him and recognized his scent. He snarled and shouted, "I will leave once everything and everyone here is reduced to ash. I will spare you if you leave".
There was no response back and the demon howled into the sky. Before he could lunge towards his target he felt his legs entwined in vines and then doused in water. He struggled but could not break free and then he was face to face with his prey. It was over in a moment as the silver blade separated the demon's head from his body. His remains turned to ash and crumbled into the ground. Fae and her parents approached the remains and waited to see if they would materialize but they disappeared in the wind. "I assume the vines were you Fae?", Her father asked. Fae nodded and put his arm around her, "Good job, that was very quick thinking".
She smiled at the praise and they turned around to see the villagers surround them. They expected stinging rebukes or shouting but there was only silence. The family walked through the crowd and back home.
The night was far from over as Fae's parents finally got the full story. They were understandably upset and angry with her. They explained over and over again the danger of using those spells and using shortcuts and how reckless she had been. Fae did bring up how she had helped but her parents reminded her that none of it would have been necessary if she had been honest from the beginning. Fae listened and accepted, begrudgingly, her parents' decision. She would be helping the cleanup in the village until everything was as it was.
The first few days of her punishment no one spoke to her. They watched her work in silence and she heard more than one whisper that her family was responsible for the destruction. She also heard people say that her family were heroes for saving all of them. Fae for her part kept her mouth shut and just listened.
Occasionally Fae would bring some of her own vegetables to the people she helped. Not a large quantity but enough for them to enjoy a few dinners with. She was not told to do this but decided that she would work on the gifts she had and not try for something bigger. She also enjoyed how much they loved what she grew.
With the repairs completed in the village, Fae had no more reason to go inside the town. People still did not fully trust her or her family. But on more than one occasion their home would receive a visitor asking to buy something from Fae's garden. Fae and her family never accepted money for their produce, they instead sent their visitors home with a basket full of vegetables and plenty of warmth. Eventually the only thing people whispered about was how kind that family that lived on the edge of the village was.