"Unwanted Magic" 8

Fairy Lytes giggled a sound like hail hitting stone and said, “The bargain is this Flint; you will find one specific pirate and retrieve something he’s stolen from me and when you bring it back to me, I will free you all from this bargain.”

Flint mulled over her bargain description and didn’t like it. Oh, he liked the thought of being free of her grasp but the road to gain that freedom was too much of a risk…to his health.

“No, I’m not sure I can accommodate you Fair; you see I have this family to protect and pirate land is not conducive to family entertainment.”

“Huh, you just said your quest was to seek out pirate doubloons so, how were you going to manage that without encountering pirates?”

“My talent is the sneak attack; I was going to have the family dig for pirate treasure on an abandoned pirate beach, no pirates present.”

Fairy Lytes laughed loud and hard and the sound was not unlike cracking ice. The family covered their respective ears and Flint once again covered his dog head with his paws. “It’s not funny Fair and it’ll work. You know those pirates leave sacks of that stuff all about because they're too stupid to remember all the places they’ve buried it.”

Fairy Lytes stopped laughing, considering Flint’s explanation. “Maybe that’s true but you’d still encounter pirates on your way to that beach, so why not give the family the pirate adventure they deserve. Face to face with pillaging pirates and their booty. I think that would be a more heart pumping adventure than a namby-pamby ‘let’s dig in the sand’ play day.”

“No thanks, we’re good with my plan.” Flint gave a determined nod and the family behind him all nodded their agreement too.

“Are you though?” Fair whispered moving closer, her whisper like a ghost’s shriek, “I mean, how will you find that beach or dig for that treasure when you’re all locked up in this spear cell?”

“Come on Fair, the family hasn’t done anything to you; you should let them go.”

“That’s not true. I do believe you and that miniature dad over there both violated my domain on your last adventure.”

“And you stuck us on icebergs so I’d say we’re even.” Flint responded with venom.

“Wait a minute; you’re the one who nearly killed me on an iceberg? I was just a little kid.”

“Oh don’t be dramatic. You were never in jeopardy of perishing; you were just in peril of losing a toe or a finger adding a real life token of your amazing survival on that adventure; it’s what adventure is all about, danger.”

“I didn’t wish for danger.” The dad said with an angry frown.

“Too bad you weren’t given all the rules then before you made your wish,” Fair offered with a giggle that sounded like chalk screaming on a blackboard.

“Okay, stop!” Flint yowled,” What is it I’m to retrieve and from which pirate?”

Fair’s light beamed with joy as she turned to Flint. “The item is a three inch quartz with a snowflake fossilized in its center and the pirate who stole it is…Deathwish.”

“What? Deathwish? Are you kidding me? I don’t have one of those and I’m not going near that pirate!” Flint huffed making his dog body as stiff with determination as he could.

“Suit yourself,” Fair said in an almost kind tone as the spears around the family moved inward, crushing the family closer, to an inch of each other.

“I can’t breathe,” Joey mumbled and his dad lifted him up so his head was over his shoulder and the mom hugged them both and glared at the light.

“Where’s the pirate.” Flint growled, knowing he had no choice.

“Now that’s better; do we have a bargain?” Fair asked.

“Fine, we have a bargain,” Flint howled.

“Good,” Fair sang out the word and it sounded like a glass bell ringing.

The spears disappeared and the family as one let out their breath, thankful for the room to take a bigger breathe, which they all did.

“So where do I have to go?” Flint growl asked.

“And where do think he’d be in his off season? He’s on Deathwish Island of course, silly question.” Fair laughed, but this time it was an almost soothing sound, like a whale singing but it didn’t sooth Flint. He had no desire to track that hideous pirate on his own island. It certainly would be a death wish, which he still didn’t have.

“What can you give me for protection?”

“You already have your wits what more do you need oh ‘great and magical’ Flint?” Fair asked, sarcasm scratching like needles in her tone.

“Fine, then where can the family stay while I go on your quest?”

“Stay? No, no, no; the family goes with you. After all, they’re part of the adventure and deserve their wishes worth.”

“Wait a minute! I am not putting my family in danger!” the small dad spoke up.

“Oh, so you don’t think you deserve to have the adventure you missed out on because of those icebergs?” she asked in that soothing whale tone but the dad, Jack, wasn’t fooled by her kind voice. He’d already summed up her true personality and it wasn’t caring.

“No, I don’t want a do-over; I want a safe adventure for my son and passage back home when it’s done.”

Fair chuckled making a sound like sandpaper on cement, “You must know with Flint as your magical guide, what you’re asking for is an oxymoron.”

“I don’t care what was, this is what is now and now I want a safe adventure and safe passage home!”

“Well, we can’t always get what we wish for now can we?” she said in what could only be described as a snake’s voice; if a snake could talk.

“But I made the wish,” Joey spoke up stepping closer to the bright, annoying light.

“So?”

“So, if it’s my wish I should be able to decide how it goes.”

“Oh you should, should you?”

“Yes! And I say, we’ll get your stone but then you’ll give us passage to where I want to go, and safe passage back home like my dad said.”

“I will?”

“You will.” Joey said definitely and nodded.

“Huh, brave child,” Fair said in a milder glass breaking sound.

Flint was proud of the small boy for speaking up to the likes of Fairy Lytes; it was not an easy task. Even he had the shivers in her presence, not that he’d admit it, out loud.

“So, do you agree with the boys demands?” Flint asked, a shrewd gleam in his eye.

“Bring me that stone and I’ll agree to send you on your way and give you a talisman of protection to send you home.”

“Okay; then we’ll agree to get that stone for you.” Flint said and lifted his paw. He felt the electric shock from Fair’s glowing hand.  

The bargain was sealed.