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The Fair Folk

Chapter 1

The lights


Angry eyes stared out the window of the red minivan.
“Annie, how long are you going to sulk like that?” Mary West chided her daughter.
“As long as it takes for us to go back to London.” Antimony retorted, slouching further into the coffee stained car seat. A quite gurgle erupted form the infant safely strapped into his carrier seat. Annie couldn’t help but give a small smile when the baby burped and a bubble of saliva blew from his miniature mouth. Taking her handkerchief out her let out a small laugh, “You’re so gross Myles.” As she gently wiped her stepbrother’s small round cheeks. Mary looked at her stepdaughter through her rearview mirror; Annie was a complete replica of her late mother from her freckled nose to, her raging red hair, to doe brown eyes and tanned skin.
“Strawberry, could you look after-“ she never got to finish before Antimony sharply corrected her, “that is a name for my parents only, Mary, please don’t use it.”
Mary snorted at the icy aura her stepdaughter put off, “anyways please look after miles once we reach the cabin, I was invited to a small party with some old friends, and Annie so lighten up Irish country side is beautiful, didn’t you live in the country before?”
Annie paused before answering “yes with my mother.” And was silent the rest of the trip to the cottage.
It was larger than the small family thought it would be as they stood in front of the brick and log house. Its roof was covered with green and gray moss. The fading red brick was chipped and cracked as it lined the bottom of the dwelling. The logs were thick white birch and were sealed together with a mixture of mud and clay.
“Perfect…what are we gnomes? Annie are you sure this was your grandmother’s house?” Mary kept a weary eye on the house expecting a horde of raccoons and deer to leap from the windows and doors any moment.
“Yes this is her house.” Annie smiled at the earthy building, “it smells like her.” She walked past a confused Mary holding the giggling Myles. All three of West family walked into the house setting their suitcases down on the creaking flow boards.
“Great, a talkative house.” Mary grumbled.
“I’d like it better than a house as quiet as death.” A stout woman walked from the behind the kitchen corner laughing. Her brown hair was haphazardly tied into a frizzy bun; she wore a simple green day dress with a floral apron.
“Oh dear me I didn’t mean to give you ladies such a fright, I’m Constantine Quint, but you can call me Connie, I’m your housekeeper if you ever need me for something I’ll be there.” Annie’s first impression of Connie was that she reminded her Mrs. Claus, or if Santa had been a woman. She wandered around the house as Connie led them to their rooms and helped unpack their clothes and belongings. Antimony stayed in her room as Connie and Mary left for Myles’s room. She sat on her bed.
“Mmm feathers, how lovely.” She said to herself as she felt her mattress and pillows. The Downy quilt was heavy, perfect for keeping out stubborn drafts that snuck into the house at night. All too soon the sun fell from the sky and Annie was waving good bye to her stepmother as she drove to her party. A knock at her door drew her attention.
“Hello dear, I just wanted you to know that I’ll be retiring for the night. If you need anything just ask.” Constance quietly whispered for fear of waking the baby in the next room over.
“Thank you but I’ll be fine Ms. Quint. Good night.” Annie smiled to the older woman.
“Oh you are a cute thing; just call me Connie love, anything else helps my age catch up to me.” With that she left for her room after giving Annie a light tap on the cheek. Antimony smiled as she crawled into her bed.
“What a sweet woman, Good night Myles.” She called knowing full well the walls were hardly soundproof. She began humming her brother’s lullaby until she heard him stop stirring in his crib, before she to fell asleep.

Light, she saw lights behind her eyelids, and tiny voices whispering. Quickly she snapped her eyes open. There was nothing in her room but a soft glow came form the room next to her, Myles’s room. She flung her self out of her tangled covers; Mary wasn’t to be back until tomorrow afternoon. Walking quickly she did a sharp u-turn from her room into her Brother’s? She gasped and braced herself against the wall. Small balls of lights danced about the room as a tall figure draped with a cloak held her brother. Antimony opened her mouth to cry for help, but the mysterious figure pressed a finger to their lips and let out a feminine ‘Sshh’. Try as she might Annie could not speak. She dashed out of her room down the spiral stairs and to Connie’s room. She tugged on the sleeping woman’s arm until she begrudgingly stirred.
“What is it child?” Constance grumbled as she stumbled behind the frantic Antimony West. Annie led her straight into Myles’s room, and waved a finger at his crib. Connie quickly walked over to the crib a flash of panic in her step, before she sighed and slouched her shoulders. “What were you so worked up about, He’s fine.” Connie yawned. Antimony walked to her sighed and was struck with disbelief, sure there was a baby soundly sleeping in the crib, and the babe looked like Myles but Antimony knew one thing.
“That child isn’t my brother.