Cindy Mathers was an odd little girl.
She wasn't shy or mean or selfish. She didn't throw tantrums or whine at every little thing. In fact she was downright cheerful, with a wide smile and a tendency to giggle. And yet Cindy had very few friends.
Many wondered at how such a bright little soul could be so alone. But those who looked closer didn't wonder long, soon realizing that little Cindy Mathers spent most of her time in books and her own head, seeing the world in a very different light than others did.
Down on the corner where most saw nothing but an old crumbling building Cindy saw an ancient ruin full of lost wonders. The next street over at the abandoned Rumforth house, Cindy saw a haunted mansion riddled with secret passages and hidden rooms. The old wooden play structure at school was a mighty fortress to be defended from barbarian hordes. But if asked, Cindy would say that her favorite spot was in her own backyard.
At the edge of the sprawling yard, three ancient lilac bushes sat, having grown so large that you couldn't tell where one ended and another began.
Amongst the intertwined branches where swarms of butterflies lived, Cindy had found her own little world. A world where the butterflies were actually fairies and the twisting mass of branches and leaves was their castle, especially at night when fireflies lined the branches.
"Hello, Princess Buttercup," Cindy said as she ducked inside the lilac bush, the outside world forgotten before the branches even settled.
"Hello Cindy," the yellow-winged fairy said.
"Cindy?" another fairy squeaked, popping up from her hiding spot followed by another and another until dozens of fairies were flitting through the air.
"It is Cindy."
"Cindy!"
"Cindy, Cindy, over here."
"Yay, Cindy."
"Hello everyone. Have you been having a good day?" Cindy asked, settling on the ground, a small saucer in one hand.
The response was so enthusiastic that the fairies practically fell over each other to tell her about the things they had seen and discovered. Cindy could only giggle at their antics as she set down the saucer. But silence fell completely when she pulled a somewhat mashed muffin out of a pocket.
"Are...are those...blueberries?" Buttercup said in a hushed voice.
"Yep!" Cindy said and had to shield her face as the fairies descended in mass.
Within seconds all that was left in her hand was a tattered paper cup and crumbs.
"Guess you guys were hungry," Cindy said with more giggles as she brushed away the crumbs.
"For blueberries, always," Buttercup said, stuffing her face in a most un-princess like manner with the other fairies nodding agreement.
"Well, I hope you have room for dessert," Cindy said sliding the saucer forward and the little hollow went silent.
"Honey," a fairy breathed.
A heartbeat later the saucer disappeared under a flurry of brightly colored wings.
"Rosy, don't hog it."
"I'm not hogging, you are."
"No, both of you are. Move over."
"All of you make room. And save some for your princess."
Cindy's giggles continued as the fairies squabled, pushing and shoving each other to get at the gooey treat. When Fluff tried to fly off with the dish she broke into full on laughter.
By the time last morsel had been devoured and the dish licked clean the fairies were borderline catatonic and rested on the branches as they descended into lethargic stupors.
"Best. Meal. Ever," Princess Buttercup said, patting her bulging belly.
"I'm glad you liked it," Cindy said, smiling up at the content little princess.
Until she saw a shadow move up above. Eight gleaming eyes peered down at the lazing fairies as long hairy legs extended from the darkness, pulling forth a fat bloated body.
"Buttercup, lookout!" Cindy cried out, but a moment too late.
The fat spider dropped down next to the drowsy princess and quick as lightning snagged her in it's silken strands.
"Eeeeee! It's the Spider King!" Fluff screamed as the other fairies erupted into the air.
"We have to help the Princess," Rosy said and led a charge on the invader.
But the Spider King would not give up his prize so easily. Crouching low above Buttercup he raised his forelegs high and stabbed and hissed and spat webs at any fairy that drew close. Many were knocked from the sky, their wings bound with sticky threads.
"Hold on, everyone, I'm coming" Cindy said snatching up a thin branch and charged.
The Spider King reared up, hissing and weaving as Cindy stabbed and parried with her switch against the spider's lashing legs. But the King would not be vanquished easily. Using his long legs he batted at her weapon and sprayed webbing to try and trap it. Yet Cindy persevered. Slowly she pushed him back up the branch, away from the helpless fairies. Inch by inch the Spider King crept back along the branch until there was no more branch left.
“This is the end Spider King,” Cindy declared, switch leveled at the bloated fiend.
“You think you can stop me, little girl?” the Spider said in his gurgling voice. “Do your worst, but know that I will return.”
“We shall see,” she said and raised her weapon high.
“Cindy? Cindy, it’s time for dinner,” her mother called and the illusion faded.
The Spider King was just a fat little spider and the fairies were once more just butterflies fluttering in scattered webs.
“Cindy?”
“Coming Mom,” she shouted back then turned back to the spider. “Okay, funs over, go home,” she said shooing him away.
Returning to the butterflies she carefully extracted them from the webs then gathered the saucer and crawled out of the lilac bush.
Fluttering down onto a leaf Buttercup watched as Cindy hurried towards her house, then turned to the Brownie in the spider costume besides her.
“And just when it was getting to the good part,” Buttercup said with a sigh.
She wasn't shy or mean or selfish. She didn't throw tantrums or whine at every little thing. In fact she was downright cheerful, with a wide smile and a tendency to giggle. And yet Cindy had very few friends.
Many wondered at how such a bright little soul could be so alone. But those who looked closer didn't wonder long, soon realizing that little Cindy Mathers spent most of her time in books and her own head, seeing the world in a very different light than others did.
Down on the corner where most saw nothing but an old crumbling building Cindy saw an ancient ruin full of lost wonders. The next street over at the abandoned Rumforth house, Cindy saw a haunted mansion riddled with secret passages and hidden rooms. The old wooden play structure at school was a mighty fortress to be defended from barbarian hordes. But if asked, Cindy would say that her favorite spot was in her own backyard.
At the edge of the sprawling yard, three ancient lilac bushes sat, having grown so large that you couldn't tell where one ended and another began.
Amongst the intertwined branches where swarms of butterflies lived, Cindy had found her own little world. A world where the butterflies were actually fairies and the twisting mass of branches and leaves was their castle, especially at night when fireflies lined the branches.
"Hello, Princess Buttercup," Cindy said as she ducked inside the lilac bush, the outside world forgotten before the branches even settled.
"Hello Cindy," the yellow-winged fairy said.
"Cindy?" another fairy squeaked, popping up from her hiding spot followed by another and another until dozens of fairies were flitting through the air.
"It is Cindy."
"Cindy!"
"Cindy, Cindy, over here."
"Yay, Cindy."
"Hello everyone. Have you been having a good day?" Cindy asked, settling on the ground, a small saucer in one hand.
The response was so enthusiastic that the fairies practically fell over each other to tell her about the things they had seen and discovered. Cindy could only giggle at their antics as she set down the saucer. But silence fell completely when she pulled a somewhat mashed muffin out of a pocket.
"Are...are those...blueberries?" Buttercup said in a hushed voice.
"Yep!" Cindy said and had to shield her face as the fairies descended in mass.
Within seconds all that was left in her hand was a tattered paper cup and crumbs.
"Guess you guys were hungry," Cindy said with more giggles as she brushed away the crumbs.
"For blueberries, always," Buttercup said, stuffing her face in a most un-princess like manner with the other fairies nodding agreement.
"Well, I hope you have room for dessert," Cindy said sliding the saucer forward and the little hollow went silent.
"Honey," a fairy breathed.
A heartbeat later the saucer disappeared under a flurry of brightly colored wings.
"Rosy, don't hog it."
"I'm not hogging, you are."
"No, both of you are. Move over."
"All of you make room. And save some for your princess."
Cindy's giggles continued as the fairies squabled, pushing and shoving each other to get at the gooey treat. When Fluff tried to fly off with the dish she broke into full on laughter.
By the time last morsel had been devoured and the dish licked clean the fairies were borderline catatonic and rested on the branches as they descended into lethargic stupors.
"Best. Meal. Ever," Princess Buttercup said, patting her bulging belly.
"I'm glad you liked it," Cindy said, smiling up at the content little princess.
Until she saw a shadow move up above. Eight gleaming eyes peered down at the lazing fairies as long hairy legs extended from the darkness, pulling forth a fat bloated body.
"Buttercup, lookout!" Cindy cried out, but a moment too late.
The fat spider dropped down next to the drowsy princess and quick as lightning snagged her in it's silken strands.
"Eeeeee! It's the Spider King!" Fluff screamed as the other fairies erupted into the air.
"We have to help the Princess," Rosy said and led a charge on the invader.
But the Spider King would not give up his prize so easily. Crouching low above Buttercup he raised his forelegs high and stabbed and hissed and spat webs at any fairy that drew close. Many were knocked from the sky, their wings bound with sticky threads.
"Hold on, everyone, I'm coming" Cindy said snatching up a thin branch and charged.
The Spider King reared up, hissing and weaving as Cindy stabbed and parried with her switch against the spider's lashing legs. But the King would not be vanquished easily. Using his long legs he batted at her weapon and sprayed webbing to try and trap it. Yet Cindy persevered. Slowly she pushed him back up the branch, away from the helpless fairies. Inch by inch the Spider King crept back along the branch until there was no more branch left.
“This is the end Spider King,” Cindy declared, switch leveled at the bloated fiend.
“You think you can stop me, little girl?” the Spider said in his gurgling voice. “Do your worst, but know that I will return.”
“We shall see,” she said and raised her weapon high.
“Cindy? Cindy, it’s time for dinner,” her mother called and the illusion faded.
The Spider King was just a fat little spider and the fairies were once more just butterflies fluttering in scattered webs.
“Cindy?”
“Coming Mom,” she shouted back then turned back to the spider. “Okay, funs over, go home,” she said shooing him away.
Returning to the butterflies she carefully extracted them from the webs then gathered the saucer and crawled out of the lilac bush.
Fluttering down onto a leaf Buttercup watched as Cindy hurried towards her house, then turned to the Brownie in the spider costume besides her.
“And just when it was getting to the good part,” Buttercup said with a sigh.