Ambria’s Fairy by Brandon Rhiness 

It had been many years since Ambria last saw her childhood home and the old farm looked exactly the same. Ambria was a recovering drug addict, six days clean, and she fully intended to die sober. She’d never go back to her old life. She hit rock bottom, lost her job, lost her apartment and was forced to come crawling back home. It was that or the street. She’d run out of couches to surf. 

After being evicted, Ambria called her mother. They hadn’t spoken in years. Ambria was an only child whose father died when she was young. Part of her expected her mom to shun her and refuse to help but she was welcomed back with open arms. 

So, here she was, nearly forty with no prospects, living in her childhood home. She set her bags (everything she owned) in her old bedroom. It had been stripped of life. Her stuffed animals were long gone. Her bed was smaller than she remembered it. She sat in the living room and talked with her mom but it was barely half an hour before they ran out of things to talk about. 

In the afternoon, Ambria went outside to walk around the property. The most distinguishing feature of the homestead was the corn maze. Her dad made it when she was a toddler. He charged people money during the summer months to come out and play in it. It was a nice side income for her parents. Since her father died, a man from town had bought the operation and ran it himself on weekends. Her mother got a cut of the money. 

Ambria missed those childhood days. She’d always play in the maze, alone or with friends. She hadn’t set foot in it since she left home. Just looking at it made her smile. Why not? she thought and ventured into the maze. 

Even after all these years, she still knew her way around. The horror of her life was forgotten as she navigated the twists and turns of the maze. She still remembered the path. Left, right, second right, left again... 

As she reached an intersection in the maze, she was struck by a memory. A memory buried so deep she would never have recalled it had she not returned to this very spot. 

The fairy! 

It was true. When she was six years old, she had come across a fairy in the maze! She had to sit on the dirt ground so her knees wouldn’t buckle. Oh, my God! The fairy! 

She was six. It was a sunny, Sunday morning. Her dad didn’t open the corn maze to the public until the afternoon. She’d been running around the maze, pretending a minotaur was chasing her. She ran around a corner, froze and stared in wonder. A little creature the size of a mouse fluttered around in the air. Its wings glistened in the sun. 

Curious, Ambria approached and saw that it looked like a tiny person. It was thin and pale with bright white hair. It circled around her, emitting a funny buzzing sound. It gave her a strange look, like it was sizing her up. 

“Who are you?” it asked in a squeaky voice.
“I’m Ambria. Who are you?”
 “I’m a fairy. Do you want to know a secret?”
 Ambria chewed on her fingertips as she thought about it. She wasn’t supposed to talk to 

strangers and this fairy was a stranger. But curiosity got the better of her.
“Okay,” she said.
The fairy fluttered up close to her head and whispered in her ear. “In a short while, your 

dad’s car won’t start.” 

Ambria looked at the fairy with suspicion. That’s a pretty boring secret, she thought. 

“If you want to know an even better secret, come back one year from today,” the fairy said before it flew off and disappeared over the tops of the corn rows. Ambria ran around looking for it but it was gone. 

She found her way out of the maze and headed for the house. She passed her dad on the way. Something told her she should keep her discovery a secret. 

“Where are you going, Dad?”
 “Just gotta head to the store. I bought the wrong hinges.”
 “Can you get me ice cream?”
Her dad stopped and looked at her. “Did you do your chores?”
 Ambria averted her gaze. “...yes.”
 Her dad put his hands on his hips. “Ambria.”
 Ambria dropped her shoulders and pouted. “I’m going to do them later. I promise, Dad.” “Then you can have ice cream later.”
 Ambria grumbled and headed up to the house as her dad climbed in the car. She had just 

opened the door when she heard the car engine sputter and stall. She turned around to see her dad smack the steering wheel and curse the damned thing. The car wouldn’t start. 

The fairy was right! 

Ambria ran into the house and checked the time. It was 10:42 in the morning. Her mom was getting lunch ready. 

“Mom, what’s the date today?” “May 2nd. Why?”
 “No reason.” 

Ambria ran up to her room and pulled out the book she got as a birthday gift. A beginner’s diary. She flipped ahead to May of the following year and drew a little star on May 2nd. She’d remember what that meant. 

In the evening, when all the visitors had left the maze, Ambria went back to the spot where she saw the fairy but there was no sign of it. She returned every day for the next two weeks, but it was never there. 

The year passed slowly but eventually it was May 2nd again. Ambria barely slept the night before. By 9:15am, she was in the maze, finding “the spot.” She sat on the ground, passing the time by drawing in the dirt with a little stick and poking at ants. 

Finally, she heard the unforgettable buzzing sound and jumped to her feet. The fairy rounded a corner and flew towards her. Ambria’s eyes lit up. 

“Hi, you!” she said.
 “Hi,” the fairy said. “Do you want to know another secret?”
 “Yes,” Ambria said.
The fairy flew up to her ear and whispered, “Mrs. Clarke is going to be sick tomorrow.” Mrs. Clarke was Ambria’s teacher. “Sick? How?” she asked.
“You’ll see,” the fairy said. Then it flew away with the parting words, “See you next year. 

I’ll have an even better secret.”
Ambria was disappointed. Now she had to wait a whole ’nother stupid year! She moped 

around the rest of the day and barely touched her dinner. Fairies suck.
The next day at school, Ambria entered her class to find a strange man sitting at the teacher’s 

desk. When the students had taken their seats, the man introduced himself as their substitute teacher. Apparently, Mrs. Clarke was sick and wouldn’t be coming in all week. 

Whoa, thought Ambria. The fairy was right again. She was beginning to see the possibilities. 

The next year dragged, just like the previous one, but eventually the sun rose on May 2nd. Ambria was up at the crack of dawn. She read a book, keeping an eye on the clock until it was 10:15. She couldn’t wait any longer and ran out to the maze. 

Right on time, the fairy showed up. “Hi, fairy!” she called out.
 “Hi!” the fairy replied.
“What’s the secret this time?” 

The fairy flew close and landed on Ambria’s shoulder. It stood on its tiptoes and whispered in her ear, “A man named Louis Hammond will lose his wallet behind the recreation centre after school tomorrow. There’s money in it.” 

“Who is Louis Hammond?” Ambria asked. 

“The man who will lose his wallet,” the fairy said before flying off. “Next year I’ll give you an especially good secret.” 

The next day after school, Ambria saw the other students waiting for the bus. She had enough time. She dashed across the parking lot to the recreation centre. It took a few minutes of wandering around behind the building until she saw a black square lying near a stack of wooden pallets. She picked it up. It was a wallet! She checked the driver’s license. Louis Hammond. And there was five dollars inside! 

She threw the empty wallet on the ground, stuffed the money in her pocket and ran for the bus. She made it just in time, huffing and puffing as she took her seat. 

One year later, Ambria was back at “the spot.” It was raining and her parents didn’t understand why she wanted to play in the maze so badly. On cue, the fairy appeared. 

“It’s raining this year,” Ambria said.
“I know,” the fairy replied. “We don’t like rain.”
 “We?”
 “There are lots of us. We look out for each other.”
 “Where are the rest of you?”
 “We’re around if you look hard enough,” the fairy said.
 Ambria thought that was dumb. She’d only seen the one fairy. And believe her, she’d been 

looking.
“What’s the secret this time?”
The fairy flew close. So close that its wings tickled Ambria’s ear and she giggled. “There’s going to be a fire at the Hendersons’ house tomorrow,” the fairy said. Like always, it flew off promising a better secret the following year.
 Ambria was disturbed. A fire? That’s serious. Someone could get hurt. Or die. The 

Hendersons lived up the road and were friends of her parents. She debated whether she should tell anyone or not. She was wracked with this moral dilemma throughout the night. Come morning, she’d made a decision. When she was called down for breakfast, Ambria told her parents there was going to be a fire at the Henderson’s house that day. Of course, their first question was, “How do you know that?” Ambria’s reply, “I just do,” didn’t satisfy them as she’d hoped it would. They brushed her off and Ambria hopped the bus to school. 

Ambria sat in class all day, wishing she’d called the Hendersons to warn them. Maybe it will just be a stove fire, like what happened to Mom that one time. 

After school, she came home to find the Sheriff’s car parked in the driveway. She entered the house and was instructed to sit down in the living room where the Sheriff was waiting. He was an over-weight man with a moustache. Ambria didn’t like the way his breath smelled. 

The Hendersons’ house burned to the ground and the couple were in the hospital, although they were expected to survive. The police officer heard what Ambria had told her parents that morning. “Did somebody tell you they were going to set that fire? Did you hear about it at school?” 

The man even subtly hinted that Ambria might have done it herself. Although, when cooler heads prevailed, it was realized that she was in school all day and couldn’t possibly have done it. An investigation showed the fire was electrical. But the three adults wouldn’t let up on wanting to know how Ambria knew. She couldn’t tell them the truth but she had to tell them something. “I had a dream about it,” was the best she could come up with. 

Her dad scoffed. “What do you know, Helen? We got a bonafide psychic in the house!” 

The Sheriff eventually left and Ambria was grounded. Not because of the fire but because of her “attitude.” Ambria sat in her room, wondering what the purpose of knowing the future was if nobody would listen to her. 

Another year passed and it was May 2nd once again. Ambria went to see the fairy but she was apprehensive this time. What if it tells me something else that’s really bad? 

She waited and, like clockwork, the fairy buzzed up to her, landing on her shoulder. “What is it this time?” Ambria asked.
 “Your dad is going to die today,” it said.
 Ambria was stunned. 

“Next year’s secret will be even juicier,” the fairy said. It fluttered off. 

Ambria ran to her dad and pleaded with him, tears running down her face.
“Ambria, I’m gonna be fine. You’re being ridiculous,” her dad said.
 “It’s just like the fire last year! I was right about that! But now I had a dream you’re going to 

die!” She still didn’t want to mention the fairy.
 “How am I supposed to die, sweetheart?”
 “I don’t know, but you are!”
 Ambria’s dad hugged her. “I’m going to be fine. You’ll see.”
There was nothing she could do. There were a million ways a person could die and it was 

impossible to prevent them all. Even if she convinced her dad to stay in his room all day, he could still drop dead from a heart attack. The situation was hopeless. 

Later that afternoon, Ambria’s dad was working on the roof when he fell, hit his head and died. Life was never the same. Ambria was burdened with guilt and a sadness she would never fully overcome. She hated the fairy. She never went back to see it. 

It was at this time that Ambria began her downward spiral. She hadn’t thought of the fairy since she left home so many years ago. Maybe something about distancing herself from it made her forget. But now that she was home, she remembered everything. 

May 2nd was quickly approaching. When the day finally came, Ambria woke up with the same excitement she’d once felt as a child. Her mother was heading over to the Hendersons’ to visit and wouldn’t be back until late. Shortly after 10:00am, Ambria grabbed a backpack and headed into the maze. 

She had no idea if the fairy would show up. Maybe it was long gone. But if the little critter did show, she had no intention of only gleaning one secret. She wanted them all! If she was going to be sober, she needed to do something with her life and the fairy was her path to riches. 

She’d been brainstorming for days. If she could capture the fairy and get it to spill more secrets, there was no limit to what she could do. Predict lottery numbers? Sell information to people? Be a hero who could prevent disasters? 

Ambria found the spot and waited. She kept an eye on her phone. 10:40 passed, then 10:50. It wasn’t coming. No fame. No riches. Fairies must only show themselves to children. Children they can torment with horrible predictions. Ambria was about to head back to the house when she heard the buzzing. The fairy flew around the corner and hovered in front of Ambria’s face. 

“Are you ready to hear a secret?” 

“I’m ready to hear all the secrets!” Ambria grabbed the fairy, stuffed it in her backpack and zipped it up. She carried it to the house and went up to her bedroom. The fairy thrashed and buzzed around inside the bag. It was stronger than it looked, but not as strong as a full-grown woman. Ambria set the bag on her bed. 

“I’m going to unzip the bag now. You stay calm and do as I say or I’ll be forced to hurt you.” 

The fairy mumbled something in concession. Ambria opened the bag. The fairy sat with its knees tucked up to its chin. It looked pitiful and afraid. 

“Okay, look,” Ambria said, “a lot has happened since I was a kid. I need money to start a new life. I need you tell me secrets I can use.” 

“You’re going to die today,” the fairy said. 

Ambria was speechless. All of a sudden, the fairy didn’t seem so pitiful. The look on its face wasn’t fear. It was malevolence. It bit its lower lip to prevent a grin. 

“Stop it from happening or you’ll die first!” 

The fairy shook its head, still trying to fight back an unseemly smile. Ambria snapped in anger. She grabbed a heavy dictionary off the shelf and squashed the fairy. She was instantly struck with the feeling that she just made a huge mistake. 

There was a loud buzzing outside. Ambria rushed to the window and saw hundreds of fairies flying out of the corn maze towards the house. They began smacking into the window, moving around in a giant swarm. 

There was noise downstairs. Breaking dishes. They were in the house. In only took a few seconds until she heard them beating against her bedroom door. Some of them were squeezing into the room through the crack under the door. Ambria ran over and stomped on them. 

There was a cracking sound at the window. The fairies were throwing little rocks. Others began ripping the wooden window frame apart. It took less than a minute until they got in. Ambria cowered in fear as the fairies swarmed around the room in a whirlpool of buzzing wings and tiny, angry faces. 

When Ambria’s mom found her, Ambria had been killed by nearly a thousand small bites. The exact cause of death was never determined and was a topic of debate in the community for decades to come. 

THE END 

Daddy’s Coming Home by Brandon Rhiness 

Dole and Reverie sat on their bed, playing cards. Dole was sixteen, Reverie seventeen. Their clothing was from a bygone era, having gone out of style before the Korean War. They both stiffened when a shrill voice called out from downstairs. 

“Children! Come help Mommy clean. Daddy’s coming home soon.” 

Dole and Reverie scrubbed the floor on their hands and knees under the watchful eye of their mother. She looked much older than her thirty-five years and her fashion sense mirrored the children’s. “That’s it. Clean the floor. Daddy’s coming home.” 

When the floor was clean, Reverie dusted the shelves while Mother watched. “Dust the shelves, Reverie. Daddy’s coming home.” 

It was Dole’s job to scrub the bathtub. Mother watched. “Make sure the tub is clean, Dole. Daddy’s coming home.” 

When the cleaning was done, it was time to set the dinner table. Mother stood in the doorway, watching. “Set the dinner table, children. Daddy’s coming home.” 

The children washed for dinner and fixed themselves in front of their bedroom mirror. “Almost ready, children?” called Mother from down the hall.
 “Yes, Mommy,” said Dole.
 “Daddy’s coming home,” said Reverie. 

The children took their place at the dinner table and waited for Mother. She came in and poured herself some wine. Then she looked up with a grin. “I think I hear Daddy. I’ll go get him.” 

Dole and Reverie shot each other a quick glance but were much too frightened to say a word. They crossed their hands in their laps and stared at the floor, just like they’d been taught. They sat quietly as they heard the creaking of a hatch opening in the parlour. Then the clinking of moving chains as Mother 

breathed heavily under physical exertion. Then the sound of shoes dragging across the wooden floor. After a moment of silence came the squeaking of wheels and Mother entered pushing the wheelchair. The children noticed Daddy looked even worse than last night. He was paler and starting to show sings of rot. 

Mother parked Daddy’s wheelchair at the head of the table and took her seat. “Aren’t you going to say hello to your father, children?” 

“Hi, Daddy,” said Dole.
 “Hi, Daddy,” said Reverie.
They said a quick prayer then began to eat. They ate in silence. Dole and Reverie exchanged the 

occasional look but were careful not to let it linger too long. They didn’t want Mother to see. At some point during the meal, Mother smiled. “Why, thank you dear, that’s very kind of you to say.” She was looking at her husband across the table with loving eyes. 

Mother slammed her fist on the table, rattling the cutlery and making both children jump. “Reverie! Answer your father when he speaks to you!” 

Reverie looked at her father. His eyes were held open with toothpicks and his head was slumped to the side. She looked back at her Mother. “I didn’t hear what he said, Mommy.” 

“He asked how school was today.” 

Neither child had been to school in years but not wanting to face Mother’s wrath, Reverie didn’t mention it. She looked sheepishly at her father. “There was no school today, Daddy. It’s Saturday.” 

Mother smiled and went back to her dinner. Reverie looked at Dole. Dole looked at the floor. 

After dinner, Mother collected the plates and brought them to the sink. The children sat at the table, staring at their laps. Mother returned from the kitchen and stood behind Dole, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Come on, Dole. Help me put your father back in the crawl space.” Dole rose from his chair. Mother pushed the wheelchair back to the parlour and Dole followed. 

Reverie sat in her chair, eyes cast downwards. After a moment, she looked up. A flash of bravery crossed her face. She would say something. She would do something. But the feeling passed and she hung her head once again. 

“I’ll start on the dishes, Mommy,” she said. 

THE END