43 The Start
“Do you love me child?” Nana asked the Little Red Haired Girl.
“Yes” and the questioning little face added “you make me feel warm and fuzzy like my dolls.”
“Good. Because I have a game for us to play. Would you like that?”
“Oh yes please” and the child started to jump from foot to foot with excitement.
“Sit down with me first because I need to explain something to you.”
“Can we play now?” the child was impatient after being stuck in this dark Pumphouse prison for a long time. “No, sit down.” Nana could sure be fearsome when she wanted to be and the Little Red Haired Girl recognised the look on Nana’s face. She dutifully sat down next to Nana.
“There is a way to play outside but I need to be sure you know that there may be dangers. It will feel frightening for you at first, but I need you to know you will be safe because I will protect you, I will be with you at all times.”
“Can the fairies come?”
“Yes but have you listened to me about the dangers?”
“Yes” and her china blue eyes got wider like an expanding lake.
“Because the dangers are very real. You need to follow what I tell you to do without any questions. Do you understand?”
“Yes”
“There will be things you may not have seen before, some scary, some happy, some sad. Will you listen to me and do exactly what I tell you to do?”
The Little Red Haired Girl sat motionless for a while, and searched Nana’s face. She was proper cross like ‘Miss’ at school, like Mummy. “Yes” she whispered.
“Ok thats my girl” and Nana smiled with reassurance. The child was starting to look scared and Nana did not want to scare her against the idea but needed to make sure she had control of her completely on this mission.
“We are going on a little trip outside, only a short one, and if you do as you are told, we can go another time. If you do not do as you are told we will never be able to go outside again. Is that clear?”
“Yes. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“Well hmm..yes that is an answer I guess, but how about saying ‘I promise to Nana’ instead?”
“I promise to.”
“Ok so let us see what we can do together. Do you know why we are going outside?”
“To Play? to find Mummy?”
“No not at this point in time child.”
“To find Noswad?”
“No he is on his own ‘playtime’ at the moment.”
“To play hide and seek?” and the little ones face lit up like the sun behind a cloud, the light being brighter around the edges.
“No not exactly. But we do have to seek. We need to find help for Body to get out of this Pumphouse.”
“Oh will I have to leave Body behind?” It had suddenly dawned on her and fear shot across her face.
“We have to. Body cannot fit through the window.”
“Will the others come with us?”
“Spirit may be able to help by calling us to help find our way back, but Heart and Soul are broken and they are unable to. They will stay here and keep Body company. Is that better?” Nana could see the child was worried.
“As long as Body is not alone that’s ok.”
Bless her little Heart. Nana had forgotten how pure little children are. Such innocent care before life and people tarnish them. “Then we will make plans.”
“I want to go now” the child pleaded.
Nana looked at her and it was enough.
“Ok can the fairies help to make plans?”
“Yes they are an important part. They are small enough to pass in and out of most places. They live amongst us. Within our dreams and creativity.”
“What’s creativity?” the child spoke the word slowly.
“They are the start, the twinkle in the eye of a new idea and are in our dreams when we are asleep. They are little carriers and helpers that start the new ideas that people love to do.”
The Little Red Haired Girl still looked puzzled.
“Like your dancing. What do you fell like when you are dancing?”
“A Fairy” she smiled.
“There you go” Nana smiled too. “You enjoyed that new idea, it was fun, it was creative.”
“Can my friends come too?”
It was Nana’s turn to look puzzled.
“My dolls, they talk to me.”
Nana looked around, there were no dolls present in this prison. Only in this childs imagination.
“Then they are your Fairies. Yes they will come too.”
The child started to jump around and Body felt the excitement.
“I’m not sure the Fairies would like that description Nana. It makes them sound trivial and childish” called Spirit.
“Does it matter? Does it make her happier? Does it make her forget the dangers involved? Does it encourage her?” Nana replied somewhat curtly.” I have done as you requested and got her to come with me on this mission to find help and happily too!”
“True and I apologise, I congratulate you for speaking to her innocence” called Spirit.
“It will end in trouble” Brain announced.
“Oh really” sighed Soul “can you not think of anything positive? and anyway it was your neural pathway.”
Brain was quiet.
“Then it is agreed” called Spirit.
“And a correct path” sighed Soul “albeit unforeseen.”
“By who?” asked God.
© 2025 Jennifer Harris. Free And Alive 555
