Fairy Kingdom
by Eric J. Juneau
There is an area of upper
It was discovered in a forest
by a group of hikers.
After several research teams and congressional
action plans had their say, it was decided that fairies were an endangered
species, since they were the only ones of their kind ever discovered.
Debates went on for months
about whether the fairies existed at all, despite the fact that they could be
seen and touched.
Most of the arguments stemmed from the common
belief that fairies were myth.
No representatives of the fairies were invited
to participate in these debates.
Eventually, the government
decided the fairy kingdom needed to be preserved before it was destroyed by
disbelieving extremists or deforestation.
The fairy king did not oppose this, since he
was told there would be relatively little impact on their lives.
Plus, who would argue with a being three
hundred times their size?
The fairies were placed in a safe, isolated
region, though their land area had to be condensed.
More congressional debates
started.
People didn't like the idea of paying for something
they didn't think existed.
During what the fairy king was told was an
"election year," a law was passed that decreased funding for their protection.
The government was unhappy because they were
spending money and not getting any back.
They were told they would have to "generate
revenue."
The human representatives
presented some suggestions to the fairy king.
They strongly encouraged the idea of allowing
people to see the city and observe their day-to-day lives.
The fairy king agreed, since it was the least
obtrusive option.
The population became used to the giants
looking down at them, though they complained about the new smell of garbage and
puddles of the "rainbow water" humans called gasoline.
However, fairy lives are not
terribly interesting.
Their kingdom's economy was self-sustaining.
What they made, they bartered or shared.
Houses were constructed from twigs and sticks.
Food was harvested from dew, vegetation, and
small insects.
The kingdom was peaceful and prosperous, but
according to ticket sales, that was boring.
The humans met with the fairy
king and told him that attendees were dropping off because they did not "fit the
traditional fairy kingdom paradigm."
They had no magic.
Customary fairy dwellings lay hidden
underground or behind leaves.
Their clothing was practical and plain.
Their wings resembled dragonfly wings –
membraned, efficient, and, according to humans, ugly.
A law was passed that
everyone must fly when traversing outside, which was tiring.
The king commissioned several aerobatic shows
and exhibitions.
The fairy princess, the most popular citizen,
had a show dedicated to her where she would dance, sing, and answer questions.
And everyone had to cover their wings with a
special glittery paint that left hazy pink and blue trails behind.
The fairies began to
factionize over the overcrowding, growing dissatisfaction at their new
environment and the ever-present humans gawking and judging them.
These are cited as the reasons for the ensuing
civil war.
Any fairies who survived, a
scant handful, only did so by escaping the kingdom entirely.
They are now scattered in forests near the New
England area.
Though many humans make a hobby of searching
for them, they are likely never to be seen again.
The U.S. Congress did not make any effort to
stop the war, as it was deemed an "internal affair" and attracted a record
number of attendees.
There is an area of upper