Bed of Wild Roses

"Fuck," Sean said softly, kicking the door to his study shut behind him. He wished he could go up to Evie and talk to her, explain his reasons to her, but he knew that she needed some time to calm down. They both needed some time to calm down. Slowly he sat down, staring longingly at his typewriter. His fingers were almost itching with the need to write. He had to.


At first the elders, the leaders of the village, very reluctant to trust Tyrus but finally they agreed that it would be cruel to sent the boy back away, since he could not remember where he had come from and so it came to pass that Tyrus was allowed to live in the village. Next to Sayphon and his father lived a middle-aged couple, who had always wished for a son but never had had a child of their own. It was decided that Tyrus was to live with them and soon he and Sayphon spent all their free time together, scouting the woods, collecting flowers and learning to imitate the calls of the animals of the forests. And yet their happiness was not meant to last.

The days were already short and the nights long and cold as disaster finally struck. On a clear brisk winter morning a giant shadow rose with the sun, covering the sky in the east. Colours swirled around the shadow, glittering in the few sun rays that still broke through the clouds. Fire and flames erupted from the shadowy beast, eating their way through the valleys and dales it passed. The dragon reached the village at noon, breathing flaming destruction at everyone and everything in its path.


"Daddie?" Evie's small voice suddenly invaded his thoughts.

"Evie!" Sean jumped up, burying his daughter in a hug and pressing her close, "Are you still angry with me?"
Evie shook her head, her face still buried in his shoulder. "I didn't mean to yell at you, darling," Sean explained, "But I was worried becaue you said that this Karl had been in our house and that he was a friend of yours and I don't like not knowing who your friends are."

"But I told you, dad," Evie finally lifted her head from Sean's shoulder and stared at her father with wide red-rimmed eyes, "He's a fairy."

"Evie..." Sean sighed, shaking his head. What ever he had wanted to say was forgotten as he saw the teary expression in his daughter's eyes. "Honey..." he gulped.

"Please Dad," Evie whispered, "Karl's a fairy, a real one. I told you! Don't you believe me?"

Sean didn't answer but instead gathered Evie into his arms and carried her into the living room, settling down on the sofa with the young girl in his lap. Evie squirmed for a while, but quickly calmed down as Sean smiled at her.

"Evie, fairies have never been real and they never will." Sean explained gently, maintaining eye-to-eye contact with his daughter, "There is no such thing as real magic and real magical beings in the world. They are just things people make up to explain things they don't understand or to entertain each other."

"But you're always writing about them!" Evie protested, "And Karl even says you get more facts right than others! And I saw him! He's been visiting me every night!"

"Honey," Sean sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly, "Fairies don't exist and I don't know why you believe that this Karl is a fairy, but believe me, who ever told you that has been lying to you. They were probably only teasing you."

"No," Evie whispered, shaking her head, "I saw him, I know he's real."

"Evie, why do you refuse to listen to me?" Sean asked, "Fairies aren't real."

"They are! They are real!" Evie yelled, tears streaming down her face again as she jumped up and ran out of the room. Sean winced as he heard the front door slam shut. Evie was gone.

For a while he stood glued to the spot, unable to decide where his talk with Evie had gone wrong. What had just happened? Finally he stumbled over to the phone with slow, uncertain movements and punched a number into the phone. The only number he could think of right now.

"Viggo?" Sean's voice sounded incredibly small, "I need you..."


~***~


"Sean?" A soft knocking echoed through the room as the front door was slowly pushed open, "Sean, are you still in here?"

"Over here Viggo..." Sean slurred glumly, staring straight ahead, "I'm o'er here..."

"Are you drunk?"

Sean laughed quietly, staring into Viggo's sea-green eyes for a few seconds, "No, I'm sad. And confused. And I don't know what. But I think it doesn't really make a difference. I might as well be drunk."

"Why?" Viggo sighed deeply as he lowered himself to the ground beside his friend. "It's only early afternoon, what happened."

"I might as well be drunk... just no sense..."

"Sean?" Viggo repeated stubbornly, "What happened?"

"I had a fight with Evie."

"And?"

Sean grabbed his mug of coffee and returned Viggo's frown. "And she ran away."

"Why aren't you searching for her? We've got to..."

"Sit back down, Vig," Sean smiled sadly at his friend, "She'll be in the woods behind the house, she always is when she's upset. She'll come back when she's calmed down."

"Why did you call me then?"

Sean stared at the hand on his arm with deep lines etched into his forehead. "I don't know... I needed someone to talk to I suppose..." He was almost clawing at the wood now.

"What do you want to talk about then?"

"Fairies...." whispered Sean dejectedly, "These damned fairies... I have to stop writing, Vig... I can't anymore.... they're destroying everything I have.... always these damned fairies...."

"Sean?" Viggo's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline, "Are you sure you're not drunk?"

Sean laughed mirthlessly. "Surer than I care to be, Vig." He shook his head. "It's Evie, you see."

"No I don't," Viggo sighed, "I know you hate fighting with her, but I don't understand what that's got to do with fairies."

"It's their fault," Sean explained, sagging further into the chair, "I had the fight with her because of the fairies."

"That's still not making much sense Sean," Viggo frowned, his eyes clouded with worry, "And you do know that fairies are not real, don't you?"

"That's exactly what I said to Evie," Sean whispered bitterly, "I told her fairies weren't real and she refused to believe me."

"So this is all this is about? This is the reason why you can't write anymore?"

"Yes."

"I see." They fell silent, each of them lost in his own thoughts as they stared dejectedly into empty space.
"Shouldn't we look for her, though?" Viggo asked after a while. "I mean... you have no idea where exactly she is..."

"Maybe..." Sean admitted, "Let's go then."

Viggo frowned as he watched his friend struggle to his feet. Whatever Sean was, he was definitely not sober. Shaking his head he followed his slightly swaying friend.


~***~


Viggo's and Sean's spirits were severely subdued as they returned from their fruitless search. They had checked the little wood behind the house at least two time but they still had niot found Evie. The sun was already setting, a chilly ball of weak warmth, hanging listlessly on the horizon. No trace of Evie whatsoever. Sean was forcing himself not to listen to Viggo, to ignore the rants about missing children and calling the police, but somehow part of what Viggo was saying was still getting through to him, was still scaring him. What if Evie really was in danger? He ignored his friend, running the last few meters towards the house. Please, please, please, please, please, he prayed silently, let my Evie be safe, that is all I ask of you.

"Daddy!" Sean stopped dead in his tracks when the door flew open and he suddenly found himself with an armful of sobbing child.

"Evie..." he buried his face in his daughter's hair, basking in the sweet smell that always came with her, "Evie..."

"I was so scared, daddy," Evie whispered against the crook of Sean neck, "I came home and you weren't there."

"I'm sorry," Sean tightened his grip on her, "I'm sorry, Evie. We were out searching for you. I'm so sorry."

"But you're back."

"Yes," Sean gently carried her inside.

"Are you mad at me, daddy?"

"No," Sean gulped, "No angel, I'm not mad at you, I was only worried. I should have waited till you cam home."

"No!" Viggo had finally reached them, "You should not have let her run away in the first place!"

Sean's eyes were like green ice as he turned towards his friend, "How I raise my daughter is entirily up to me," he growled, "You stay out of it."

Viggo's eyes narrowed. "Fine." he snapped, "If that is the way you want it... don't call me if she disappears again."

"I won't," Sean was still growling, shifting his weight from one feet to the other, to rock Evie, "You know where the door is."

For a moment they just stared at each other, neither of them willing to give in to the other.
"You know where the door is, Viggo," Sean repeated, "Stay out of how I raise my daughter."

Viggo pursed his lips, glared once more at Sean for good measure, yanked his coat from the hanger and left with a last, murderous glance.

"Dad?" Evie asked shyly, "You are trembling all over."

"Sorry darling," Sean relaxed visibly as he kissed the girl's head, "It's not you I'm mad at, it's Viggo." He paused. "Just promise me not to run away again for so long again, okay?"

Evie's eyes were still swimming with tears as she looked solemnly at her father. "I promise daddy."

"Good." Sean smiled, "Are you hungry?"
Evie nodded against his chest.

"And then you're off to bed."