Prose in Pentwater The Fairy Keeper by Caleb Jackson PTW Writer
Once there was a man who grew old in the shadow of a great mountain. When he finally cast his eyes about and saw beyond the shadows where he lived, he was filled with great regret. “My life has come to waste!” he said. “I have not been living. Surely I have been dying slowly.” Then, to slake his thirst what little he could, he went into a tavern and there he drank his sorrows down until the barkeep kicked him out, whereupon the old man lay in the dust of the road and cursed the barkeep, and then he cursed himself. “Oh, what good am I? My life has come to ruin, and soon I shall die. If only my youth could be restored to me. I would give any-
thing to make it so.” As he said this, there was a traveler on the road. A strange fellow in a green coat with a wide brimmed hat and a beard which grew down to his beltline protruding from beneath his long and pointed nose. On his waist, this stranger carried many empty glass jars tied together by a rope, so that they tingled and clanged as he walked. Upon seeing the old man in his distress, the stranger stopped and said, “My friend, what is it that troubles you?” “I have lived my whole life and not seen one speck of joy, and now it all has passed me by.” The grievous old man replied. “And you say you would give anything to get it back?” “Why yes, I did say that.” the old man said. “Tell me,” the stranger said, with his hand on his beard, “have you ever seen a fairy?” “A fairy? No, of course not. There is no such thing as fairies.” “Ahh, but you only say that because you have not seen one,” his eyes lit up from under the dark brim of his hat as he spoke, “and you cannot see them, because they are invisible. For fairies have magical prop-
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erties, and cannot be seen by mortal eyes. They bask in the joy of life, and likewise they give it in return. It is said that time spent in the company of fairies is no time spent at all. Indeed, they will make you young again.” “And how do you know such things, strange man?” “Because I have seen fairies. My name is Tod, and I am a Fairy Keeper. I will give you a gift. I will give you a magical sight, so that you can descry the fairies, and if you catch them, they will grant you back your lost years, but you must do something for me.” The old man’s eyes brimmed with tears as he was filled with joy by the stranger’s words. “Yes, anything!” he said. “I will return to you, and when I do, you must tell me where you caught each and every fairy that you have found.” ...TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT PTW Welcome to Prose in Pentwater! Local writer Caleb Jackson will be providing several of his fiction and non-fiction pieces throughout PTW Magazine this summer for your reading enjoyment!
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