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now and then as Scotty boarded the bus. Rumors said he grew up in another country.
    Helping his mother up from her chair, he glanced out the window, hoping the sun finished chasing away the rain. The thunderclouds covered most of the sun as it began its nightly disappearance below the horizon. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
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    Sunny skies greeted Scotty as he rose to get ready for school. Unexpectedly returning home after getting early dismissal when his teacher failed to show up, he changed into his old jeans and ran up the hill to find the path to the woods.
    The ground under his feet felt spongy from all the rain. Small puddles collected in layers of dead leaves, turning the clear water tannin. He took a deep breath, smelling organic matter rotting, a contribution to the cycle of life. He soon found himself approaching the path that led up to the rock. He crept slowly, not wanting to scare the fairy. Scotty’s eyes scanned the area, coming up empty. Struggling with the hand holds on the rock, he pulled himself up, grunting loudly in the silence. Well, he thought, I hope that didn’t scare the fairy away. Scaling the top of the rock, he discovered an empty surface.
    Dejectedly, he surveyed the surrounding area from his perch. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a plastic wrapped piece of birthday cake. A bit stale but he didn’t think the fairy would notice. Smoothing out the plastic wrap, he pushed the squashed cake toward the edge of the rock. No, he better put the cake closer to him. Standing, he eyeballed the position of the cake. Still not liking it, he stood to move it again, a bit more to the middle. Turning, he glanced at his seat and gasped, doing a double take. There was his fairy, sitting in the spot he just vacated.
    Thumping down hard on the rock, he stared at the fairy’s eyes. They made him dizzy with their pulsing golden rainbows leaving him speechless and mesmerized. Neither one moved.
    “Are you a fairy?” Scotty finally demanded an answer, getting no response. “The fairies in my fairy book don’t have tails. How come you do?” He felt pressure, his mind filling with a strange aura. He stared at the fairy, who just stared back.
    “I am an Oolahan.” Scotty heard the words whispered in his mind, the aura bright with color.
    “Did you say your name was Lula?” Scotty wondered why the creature, um Lula, did not move her mouth. He heard it speak quite clearly. The aura and colors formed mind words; w eird.
    “Do I get a wish?”
    “What do you mean, young Brother?”
    “My wish; e veryone gets a wish from a fairy. ” Scotty grew agitated. If everyone got a wish from a fairy, he wanted to make sure he got his before he disappeared again.
    “Brother, I do not have a wish for you. I am here for a mission. I have chosen you. You will be the one .” Huh? The boy scratched his head. He stared at Lula.
    “I want to pet you, Lula.” Standing, Scotty walked toward his new friend. Walking past the cake, he bent down to pick it up to give to Lula. Being the clumsy little boy he was, he tripped. Caught off balance, he crashed down, head first, rolling near the edge. Dazed, he sat up, perilously close to the edge. Still maintaining a hold on his gift to Lula , he stepped back, falling straight over the edge, landing in a broken heap on the sharp pile of rocks at the base.
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    The Oolahan scurried over to the edge and looked down. She saw blood, lots of blood. The boy’s head sat at an unnatural angle, but she could tell he still lived. Unbidden, her tail shot up in the air, directed down at the boy. The air filled with pressure and the smell of sulfur as her tail extruded its membrane to do its miraculous work.
    Unfortunately, the meeting failed to produce the results she hoped for. The unexpected disaster changed everything. Sighing, the creature spun her head in frustration, trying to contain her disappointment. Lamenting the frailty of human offspring, she realized her mission must wait. Even