M. Fairy Wings - Part 3

Adrielle would be the first to admit that there was something very
strange, even unnatural, about a Wood Nymph with a job. Dryads were not
exactly blessed with a temperament disposed to working shifts.
Circumstances had forced her into it.

As a young Nymph Adrielle had fallen deeply in love with a male
already in a pair bond with a higher ranking female than herself.
Neither orthodox convention nor fear of reprisal had succeeded in
keeping them apart and they had become lovers and eventually,
inevitably, caught together.

Justice within the Pride had been swift and fierce, at his partners
bequest the male had been castrated there and then. Adrielle was thrown
into the cesspool where she could be kept confined until the following
evening. They never told her what they had planned but Dryad custom
dictated it would be some form of ritualised torture and humiliation
followed by her being burnt alive as the centre piece to a party, Dryad
parties were grandiose events and it would take a day to prepare.

Late that night, and much to her surprise, her emasculated lover
appeared with the intention of rescuing her from her fate. He lifted
her from the makeshift prison and together they stole from the
encampment but, just as it is near impossible to sneak up on a Nymph,
it is near impossible to sneak away from one and they were soon
discovered. In the ensuing chase Adrielle managed to escape but the
male was caught and killed, his death screams pursuing her through the
forest along with the blood frenzied Dryads.

She travelled long distances by night and slept by day for a full
week before believing she was far enough away from the Pride to relax
and consider her options. She never missed her unfortunate companion,
what use would a neutered romantic have been to her then. Attempting to
join another Pride was not an option, news travelled far to fast for
that, in fact it would probably be wise to steer clear of all Dryads
for a good few years, no small matter for a creature as naturally
social as a Nymph but Adrielle endeavoured to manage.

She set up home in a small copse at the edge of a farm, brutally
removing a family of badgers that were living there. With difficulty
she adjusted to a solitary life, devoting most of her time to foraging
for food in the copse and surrounding hedgerows. She did try and build
herself up some sort of a larder but winter drew in all too quickly and
food sources started to disappear. Before long there were just not
enough insects around to keep her going and most of the small mammals
had gone into hibernation, there were still some birds but they were
difficult to catch and too small to provide much of a meal. In the end
she ventured into a nearby village with the intention of stealing
something to eat.

At first all she did was sneak into gardens by night and eat nuts
from bird tables but as the cold intensified the craving for meat grew.
One night she chose a quiet house she had observed before, crept in
through the cat flap and raided the kitchen. She spent an hour or more
feasting and basking in the warmth, she tried cheese which she hated, a
variety of cold meats which were delicious, drank nearly a pint of milk
and devoured two whole eggs before finally departing with a tin of cat
food.

Try as she might Adrielle could not open the can and within a week
was so cold and hungry she felt compelled to raid another house, not
least for a tin opener. This time she was not so lucky and as she
searched the kitchen she awoke a large and angry dog. It cornered her,
standing on the worktop, back against the wall staring into its
slavering jaws. She was just beginning to edge towards the bread knife
with the intention of slitting creature's throat when the woken
occupant of the house appeared, Adrielle dashed past him but, confused
by the layout, could not find another way out. By the time the police
arrived she was cowering in the bath scratching and biting at anything
that came within range.

Capture meant a number of things, it meant an acute loss of self
esteem followed by a degree of depression, initially it also meant a
nice warm police cell with three square meals a day, in time it meant
conviction and a fine, ultimately it meant becoming a citizen.

There followed a very difficult year, two attempted escapes back
into the wild, one attempted suicide, one clinical diagnosis of
depression followed by a refusal to prescribe any drug dose to a Nymph
and one embarrassing, misguided attempt to seduce a (human) magistrate.
In the end Adrielle was saved, not that she would use that word
herself, by a social worker named Pauline Brown.

Dryads are not endowed with many characteristics suited to a working
life. Out of preference they will reside in large communal groups
governed by a rigid social hierarchy, live in trees, preferably large
forests, and hunt and kill their own food. They have virtually no
mechanical comprehension, they are vain, they have genuine trouble
taking things seriously, they are obtuse, they are easily bored, they
shun contact with other species to the point of outright and clearly
displayed abhorrence and they are possessed of an extremely vicious
cruel streak. On the other hand they are quick, strong and intelligent,
they can stay awake and alert for extraordinary amounts of time and,
especially in Adrielle's case, they know which side their bread is
buttered.

Pauline Brown set Adrielle up in a little-persons apartment of her
own, which Adrielle proceeded to fill with dead wood. She sorted out a
reasonable repayment scheme for the money that Adrielle owed, removing
the threat of a jail term, she introduced Adrielle to other Wood Nymphs
living in society who Adrielle never spoke to again, she bought
Adrielle a set of clothes that Adrielle refused point blank to wear
and, most importantly, she helped Adrielle get a job, if not completely
suited to her talents, then at least well within her capabilities.

With her apparent salvation Adrielle also found herself stuck.
Suddenly there were rent payments to be made and other bills. Despite
filling her flat with dead wood and potted plants in order to recreate,
as best she could, her natural environment, Adrielle had developed a
fondness for central heating and hot water. She bred a small collection
of grasshoppers and white mice but found herself more and more eating
the dead meat that could be bought in shops, although she never quite
graduated to cooking it. When Pauline Brown retired a few years later
and came to say goodbye Adrielle realised that the old woman had
successfully converted her, she was now living her life completely
within society.

*****

Adrielle perched on her dead branch watching the machines tick over
with an ever vigilant eye and mused that there was only one thing worse
than living your life completely within society - sharing that society
with gnomes. With her right eye she examined the one that had just
walked in her door, it was holding a small toolbox in front of it with
both hands and peering curiously at her.

It spoke. "Err, hello."

Adrielle hopped down from her perch and paced over to the gnome,
stopping dead when she was two feet from it.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Maintenance." Answered the gnome. "You complained about a stiff
button."

Adrielle sniffed the air curiously.