Claire stops just before that clearing. She takes a breath, calming herself. Claire closes her eyes, missing that glint of light again, as she takes the final step into the clearing.
Claire fully steps into the clearing. Her breath hitches as she realizes the consequences of the actions she’s doing.
Her hand reaches up to her shoulder and freezes in hesitation. An internal conflict rages in Claire’s eyes, her inner turmoil evident. Soon, her eyes gain a look of steely resolve as she looks back up. Her fallen hand, resumes its upward motion more forcefully and she unbuckles her shirt with wild abandon, first one shoulder and then the other. Her shirt falls to the ground.
Iridescent wings erupt from her back, catching the moonlight and glittering like a thousand rainbows. Claire throws her head back, reveling in the feeling of being free.
Claire snaps back to reality as she remembers why she came here. She jumps into the air.
She keeps bouncing on the floor. Her wings flutter weakly. Her weak wings, magnificent as they seem, cannot bring her to flight, to freedom.
Tears form in her eyes as she tries and fails to fly countless times. She shuts her eyes shut, tears leaking through her eyelids as she jumps.
“Fly, you stupid, useless woman. Fly, dammit!” Claire whispers.
Claire gives one final jump, before falling to the ground weakly. She claws at the dirt, letting out a loud wail of despair.
Claire pounds the forest floor, degrading herself, “Why can’t I fly, dammit? I’m useless. I’m a waste of space.”
As Claire bemoans her fate, crying her heart out, her butterfly wings beats once. They beat another time. They beat for the third time. The beats of the wings increase in frequency, and, slowly, inexorably; they lift Claire up from the forest floor.
Claire feels the lack of earth beneath her and dares to open her eyes with hope. She sees the wonder of the earth beneath her. “Finally,” Claire whispers, “Finally, I’m a true fairy.”
With her newfound wings, Claire took in the magical sights of how the colors of the forest melt into each other, muted browns giving way to black inky night, vivid green merging with dark blue; everything looks so beautiful and different from this magical angle.
All the boring, normal humdrum of normalcy changes into vivid, interesting and engaging, that even though the surroundings were the same, Claire felt she was stepping into a whole new world. A world for her to seize the day, a world where she was free!
Claire stares at the moon, making it her aim. Her iridescent wings beat faster and faster as she breaks free from the canopy, a vast expanse of green beneath her.
Claire zips around the night sky like a comet blazing across the night sky, laughing all the while. Finally, she is free for the first time in her life!
“Claire, what are you doing?” a booming voice calls out from behind her.
Claire’s blood chills and she freezes in her path.
She slowly turns around and says, “Mother,” her voice trembling with fear.
A small figure flutters with her own wings, just as strong in their old age as Claire’s own, staring down at Claire.
“Claire, what are you doing?” Claire’s mother, Mary, repeats, “Come home now,” she commands calmly.
Claire’s body trembles as she obeys her mother and her wings begin to droop down. She slowly flutters down to the floor, the light in her eyes slowly extinguishing.
“Good girl. Now stop this rebellion of yours and come home with me. The world is dangerous, you know,” Mary prattles on, pulling Claire’s hand to go.
As Mary pulls Claire’s hand, Claire gains back the fire in her eyes and shakes Mary off. “No,” Claire calmly states, cutting Mary’s lecture.
“No what, Claire dear?” her mother says, gritting her teeth.
Angrily, Claire says, “I’m not going with you!”
“Nonsense, you are but a child! Now come with me, or else,” Mary threatens.
“I’m not a child anymore, Mother! So stop treating me like one! I refuse to be useless!” Claire bursts out, angrily waving her arms.
Mary flutters backwards in shock. Claire hurriedly flies off in the opposite direction, tears obscuring her vision as she flies blindly into the night sky, away from her mother.
She ignores her mother’s calls of pain and anguish, flying into the night, twin trails of tears on her cheeks.
