The Last Faery Tale

Hello! I will eventually be starting a blog of fairy tales, folklore and legends. That project is in the making and still some time away. So, I thought I would drop a quick, short story here for you to enjoy. If you have a moment, please let me know what you think of the story and/or the idea for my future blog. God bless!


The Last Faery Tale

The old man sat at a checkerboard. He slowly slid the pieces back and forth. No one sat in the chair across from him.

I stood watching while I waited for my party to use the restrooms. People came and went through the little lobby. Some grabbed brochures. Others loudly discussed their day. Still others rushed around anxious to get back outside.

No one came for the old man. No one even looked at him.

I finally found myself sitting down in the empty chair. “Would you like to play?” I asked.

He glanced up. “I suppose that would be alright.”

We set up the pieces and began the game. My friends waited for me for a few minutes but eventually went on their way. I would catch up. We were biking the Appalachian Trail. All of these people were. The little bathhouse was buried in the woods along the trail. I wasn’t sure how this feeble old man was able to bike. How had he come to be here?

I started some small talk.

The man’s name was Benner.
No, he did not have family. Not anymore.
Yes, he was alone.
No, he did not need any help, unless I happened to believe in faeries.

I did not, I told him. But I felt a little guilty saying it, especially because he looked so sad to hear it.

“Then you cannot help me,” he said. “But thank you for trying.”

“You believe in faeries, Benner?” I asked.

He sighed. “Well, no. I don’t suppose I can anymore. No one does. So they have all gone away. All but one.”

I glanced down at the board. It was my turn, and I was winning. I felt bad about that, too. I made an unnecessary move instead of collecting another of his pieces.

“Where does the last faerie live?” I asked.

“Close,” he said. “But he will soon go away, too.”

Benner made his slow, clumsy move. I decided to go ahead and take a piece. I didn’t want him to catch on.

“Where do the faeries go?” I asked.

“Nowhere. They vanish and are no more.”

Just then. a woman came into the lobby with two children. “Where are the restrooms?” she asked me.

I pointed down the hall.

“Thanks,” she said, and ushered the children away.

When I looked back, Benner’s chair was empty.

(Copyright by the author Meg Grimm)