There was a lone cottage nestled in a dense forest, alongside a gentle brook and twining dirt paths that seemed to go on forever; overgrown with ivy and moss, its brick was worn, and the thatch roof was leaky. The homestead had its barn full of chickens and a cow, an outhouse, and a log shed. A wide area around the property was encased by wooden fences that were falling apart at certain points. Tall grass outside its bounds gave the homestead a charming overgrown vibe. The windows were left open, allowing the scent of freshly baked bread to seep into the front garden, overpowering the scent of cow and chicken dung, and the pungent odors of the forest and brook.

A girl around eight years old skipped through the garden's gate and along the cobblestone path, making sure to avoid crushing any of the garden's crops. Behind her, her crimson cloak fluttered, and her long brown pigtails swung as she moved. In the crook of her arm hung her basket with a red, plaid cloth hanging out of the lid. The girl arrived at the window, knocking on the open shutter. "Hello? Elysia, are you home?" She called out.

A woman appeared in the window with a surprised expression that quickly turned to a smile. She had long brown hair kept in a braid thrown over her shoulder. She wore a cream-colored dress with a brown leather corset tightly hugging her torso. "Oh, Tilly! You're here earlier than I expected."

"Sorry, Elysia. I hope I'm not intruding. With the increase in wolf activity, my uncle suggested I leave at different times so I'm not a 'predictable prey'." Said Tilly. Elysia cringed at the wording. It was a shame the forest wasn't safe for children, but sadly having knights patrolling from any of the surrounding kingdoms would be much worse for the forest creatures. Elysia didn't agree with allowing a girl Tilly's age to make such a long trip to see her grandmother alone, but it wasn't her child and she understood that Tilly loved her grandmother greatly. The woman was looking worse with each visit from what she was told by the young girl. At least there was an uncle who lived halfway between each house and was always looking out for her whenever he could. Elysia hadn't met Tilly's grandmother but knew she lived in the most secluded part of the fairytale woods. Elysia would rather live near pigs and dwarves than be caught alone in the middle of nowhere, but even then, their homes were a decent walk away. 

"It's alright. You should know me by now. I bake all morning long so there's always something for me to give you." Said Elysia. She disappeared for a moment and returned with a bundle of fresh, soft bread. The aroma steaming from the bread made Tilly and Elysia's mouth water. Every other day Tilly would stop by to collect bread or a pie to take to her grandmother's house and that's the extent of their friendship, but it was nice to have another human interaction even if it was brief. There weren't many people around these woods and if Elysia wanted to converse she would have to make the lengthy trip to the village at the forest border. 

"Wow! This smells so amazing. It might not even make it to my grandma's house." Tilly joked as she stored the bread in her basket. Elysia giggled.

"That's why I added a few extra in there just in case you get hungry," Elysia said, knowing that regardless of the smell, Tilly was likely to get hungry after walking such a long distance. She didn't want to toot her own horn, but she often found herself eating her food before it was finished cooling off; let's just say there were many days of burnt tongues.

"You're always so kind to me. You'd make a great mother, you know that?" Elysia blushed, embarrassed of Tilly's words. Though, there was a tinge of sadness in her heart. To have a child would be a huge responsibility, but it was something Elysia always wanted. Unfortunately having a child required another party, but she was lucky to even see a gaggle of dwarves walk by her house let alone a man. She'd surely see a unicorn before she'd encounter a man willing to court her and that's a rare creature to see even in the Fairytale Woods. There was someone she had her eyes on, but no... He would never give her the time of day unless she was a tree or a mushroom. 

"Maybe one day, Tilly." Elysia swiftly curved the conversation. "You ought to be on your way. There are only so many hours in a day." Elysia waved the girl away, making her eyes widen. 

"Oh, right, Grandma's waiting for me. Bye, Elysia!" The girl turned and pulled up her signature red hood, her cloak whipping behind her as she skipped back toward the forest from whence, she came.

Elysia sighed. She wasn't prepared for Tilly to say such things to her, but she knew she only meant well by it. To clear her mind of all her life's worries, Elysia plunged herself deep into her chores. She milked the cow, fed the chickens, weeded and watered the garden, and dusted the house of cobwebs and dirt.

Once all the baking was done and the clothing was sewn, she loaded up her cart with her baked goods, fresh veggies, milk, eggs, and a few pieces of clothing to prepare for the trip to the village market. Even with the few hours that had passed, the food still smelled delicious, which made it even more dangerous to travel with. Elysia decided to wait a moment longer before taking her trip. However, standing still wouldn't make Elysia any coin. Although she had a garden, animals, and a few sets of skills to survive on, there were still a few things Elysia required to get by. Elysia's goal in life was to one day become so efficient in everything, that she would never need to leave home again, but she still had a lot to learn.

Elysia stood in her living room, looking around her for a coin purse, but the sound of her wind chimes outside caused her to hum a little. Recently, she took up singing as her next hobby to master, but the problem was, that Elysia couldn't judge her voice. After finding her coin purse, she strapped it to the belt around her dress and found herself standing in the doorway of her backyard. The barn, coop, and outhouse were surrounded by mud with a cobblestone path barely visible. Tree branches grew over the fence, casting a shade across the yard; wildflowers and tall grass busted through the openings of the fence, dancing in the wind.

Elysia could see three houses made of three different materials poking between the forest leaves.

As the wind chimes blew, she heard the song of the birds in the trees. Before long she started singing along with the rhythm of the wind and birds, blissfully unaware of the change in atmosphere. She sat on her porch and closed her eyes, wondering if she sounded like the princesses in her beloved fairytales. The wildflowers began to wilt and the clouds above darkened. Birds began flying away in fear, a few dropping from the sky. The chickens squawked and fluttered around the coop. The cow let out a loud moo and ran back into the barn, its bell ringing. "What the...?" After hearing the distressed animals and feeling the once gentle breeze change, Elysia looked for what had spooked the animals.

When she found nothing, Elysia shrugged and went back inside, singing louder than she ever had before. She felt relaxed and was no longer nervous to let out her voice. Elysia thought that maybe if she could sing beautifully, she would one day attract the love of her life and experience her happily ever after.

Unknown to her, a small man with a long white beard and a droopy green hat walked into her garden. He arrived at the door and slammed the cow-shaped knocker against the door as loud as he could.

Elysia was in mid-song when the sound nearly scared her out of her boots. It couldn't be Tilly since she always knocked on the window when she visited, and shouldn't she be going to her grandmother's house by now? It was strange because no one other than Tilly visited her. Elysia was a little excited but also timid. What if it was someone dangerous? She summoned up the courage to answer the door. Standing there was a dwarf whose drooping hat nearly covered his bushy eyebrows and eyes. Around his waist was a little pickaxe and across his shoulder was a small satchel full of ore. "What is that awful sound? Was that you trying to sing?" asked the dwarf. Elysia narrowed her eyes. She almost didn't want to admit it, but it upset her that he didn't like her singing. She knew she was still new to it, but she wasn't that bad, was she?

"And what if it was?" Demanded Elysia. The dwarf cringed. 

"Your voice just caused a cave-in in one of our mines. Stop before you hurt someone." Said the dwarf.

"Don't be ridiculous! My voice didn't do anything like that!" Elysia knew he was just being rude at this point and who was he to come onto her land and tell her what to do?

"What if I pay you a golden goose egg to never sing that horribly again? No, two golden goose eggs!" The dwarf pulled out two large eggs from his satchel that shimmered in the daylight. Her eyes widened at the beauty of the eggs. If they were real, they would fetch a pretty coin. Elysia shook the thought away. There was no way they were real and was her singing that bad that he would pay her such a rare item to stop?

"I will not be paid for my silence! Now go before I let my dogs loose." Elysia shouted. She began to sing loudly in the dwarf's face before she slammed the door shut behind her. The dwarf ducked and clung to the ground, fearful of what disaster her voice would cause. The dwarves passed by the cottage many times on their way to the mines, so it was hard to say if they knew she didn't own any dogs. She continued to sing, allowing the wind to lure her voice out through the many open windows. The door knocker slammed again, but louder than ever. It was so frantic she was afraid the dwarf would cause damage to the oak door. How was he using the knocker anyway? It was quite high up. He must have been determined to get her to stop.

Elysia opened her mouth, shouting, "I will not--" but it was cut off by the sound of a loud honk. The dwarf held up a fat, white goose where it barely reached eye level. It was enough to startle Elysia into silence.

"Please! I'll give you the whole goose. Just stop before you ruin our livelihoods!" The dwarf seemed desperate now, almost ready to burst into tears. Elysia, frustrated, took a deep breath and screamed lyrics at the dwarf which almost sent him and the goose flying off the stone porch. Elysia gasped as she noticed the dwarf was pushed by nothing and all around her garden were the motionless bodies of birds that were flying moments ago. The ground trembled and in the distance, she could hear what sounded like tumbling rocks. Was that a cave-in? It did come from the direction of the mines. Elysia was thankful the birds managed to get up and fly, merely stunned by her voice. There was no telling what her voice would do if she kept singing. Her face flushed red as her eyes met with the dwarf's. He hesitantly stepped forward with the terrified goose, hoping it could still appease her like she was some angry goddess. 

"Fine... I'll take the goose." Elysia sighed, giving in. The dwarf handed her the goose and took off his hat, waving it at her.

"Remember, don't sing again! Please don't ever sing again!" The dwarf put his hat back on and broke out into a sprint, trying to get away from her. Elysia held the trembling goose in one arm and stared after the dwarf. She didn't understand. She baked delicious foods and made beautiful, comfy clothes, and her wood carvings were starting to pay off at the market. Most everything she taught to herself was flawless. It all had come naturally to her, but singing was something she was too shy to do until now. When she finally found the confidence, she nearly ended the world with her voice and was paid a rare magical creature to never do it again. Elysia felt a lot of things at that moment but was left too confused to understand why it all had happened.

Could this be the reason she was cursed to live alone in the Fairytale Woods? Elysia didn't choose to be here. She wiped away a few tears. She just wanted to see her family again. She couldn't even remember them; it had been so many years.

Elysia shut the door slowly behind her. She still had to make the trip to the village, but was it safe for her to even go there? What if she accidentally stubbed her toe and her scream killed someone? Elysia sank to the floor, resting against the door. The goose wiggled free and darted into her kitchen to hide. She prayed it didn't poop anywhere. 

Elysia sat with her head against her knees, sitting in silence for a while. What should she do? The food would go to waste if she didn't hurry, but she felt like a statue, unable to move or think. Suddenly there are a few gentle knocks at her door. It was too gentle for it to be the dwarf again and there was no way he felt guilty for making her feel bad about herself. Elysia hesitantly answered the door, but to her surprise, there wasn't anyone there. Sitting on the doorstep was a basket covered by a blanket. Sometimes Tilly would drop by treats from her grandmother on the way back home, but she shouldn't be back this early. Besides, last she checked; food didn't meow.

Elysia peeled away the blanket and gasped when she saw the small little furballs huddled up together inside. It was three little kittens. The first kitten was cream-colored with a white underbelly and splotches of gray and orange all over its back. The second was an orange ginger kitten with a white underbelly with white around its jaw and nose. The third kitten was mostly gray with light gray around its muzzle. They responded to her touch with louder mews. Tears threatened to pour from her eyes as a warm feeling filled her heart. Who had left her such sweet, adorable kittens? Elysia looked around, but the only footsteps left behind were that was Tilly's, the dwarf's, and a goose. 

Elysia knew that the kittens were now hers to care for, but little did she know how special these kittens really were.