How to enter the faerie realm

Excerpted from Larks’ Tale (working title)

© 2012 Ann Narcisian Videan:

“Lean back against this tree and play this tune.” Noel hummed a short haunting melody. Lark listened carefully as instructed, internalizing the melody as he played it once through.

The faeries in "Lark's Tale" are nothing like this typical rendition (so beautifully crafted by Mark Pate). Instead, they follow the Celtic mythology of very tall, magical beings without wings.

“Now, this time, listen carefully to the tones and how they tie into the environment.”

She didn’t really know what he meant, but listened closely, concentrating on the way the notes sounded as they bounced against the various natural surfaces around them. As he sang and she listened, the sounds stopped rebounding off the grass and tree trunks and started seeping through the foliage, becoming at one with it. How odd!

“Now you try,” he said, nodding at the flute. She played the melody through twice. He nodded and said, “OK, now lean against the tree and repeat it several times while focusing again on the tones fitting in around us.”

As she played, she noticed the trees, grass and flowers around her began shimmering with what looked like heat waves. A kiwi and a possum snuck out from undercover and listened, noses quivering in the shady space. The music melded with the surrounding foliage and a magical, melodic chanting started as if from nowhere. As it emanated from the plants around her, rising and falling with the phrasing in her tune, everything began to glow with a faint luminescence.

Noel studied her as she played, his eyes gleaming with emotion and a green aura expanded close around him. Pinions of iridescent light spread outward from his shoulders, spreading up and out behind him. At the sight, she let the flute’s last note fade. She studied his glowing energy and light field growing denser behind his back, flowing together in a pattern. The force took the shape of wings, but did not create actual appendages. Distracted by light moving all around her, she peered around slowly. Nothing had moved out of place, but the park was somehow transformed.

Colors were richer, even as they shimmered with pale energy. A quiet, melodic white noise hummed underneath the sound of the lake water slapping on the shore and the birdsong high in the trees. Noel stood motionless, his head tilted back as he took several deep breaths. His energy-field wings moved in sync with his breaths. After a long moment, he grinned down at Lark. “Home.”

“Home?” She glanced around at the familiar, but newly strange, surroundings. With her flute still in one hand, she moved a few steps away to finger a velvety leaf on a tree branch. She turned her head to glance back at Noel and caught an energy field hugging her back just like his. She spun quickly to see what was behind her, but the field moved with her. She reached back to try to touch the “wings,” but her hand met nothing. “Noel… what’s happening?”

“Don’t worry, Allouette,” he whispered. “This is where we’re going to find your family.”

“It’s still Queenstown, but it’s not,” she said, peeking around, otherwise motionless.

“That’s right. It’s your home.”

“And my home would be…?” “Delfaerune.” She furrowed her brow. “As opposed to Earth?”

He laughed. “No, we haven’t left Earth. We’ve just brought you to a different plane of consciousness.”

Lark’s eyes widened. “…plane…?” Like in fantasy books? Noel nodded, and Lark put her hands on her temples. Her head started spinning. What was happening? Was she dreaming? She took a sharp intake of breath as she noticed several points of light moving  under a nearby bush and two of the twinkling glows advanced toward Noel. Lark watched them transform from small points of light into very tall, very luminous beings; human shaped, but other-worldly. One evolved into a strikingly beautiful woman with a mane of hair as black as Lark’s was white. She carried a bow and quiver on her back.

Totally focused on Noel’s face, the being rapidly wafted, rather than walked, toward Noel. “You’re back!” she cried.