I just thought I'd give you all an update on my son James.

We have been to see his paediatrician and have been advised to put James back onto medication for the epilepsy to prevent more seizures. James is well and fairly happy (although a little scared by the whole thing) and I think he will adjust in time to the restrictions that we have had to place on him to keep him safe. On the medication he should be able to live a very normal life. We also joined the Epilepsy action of Australia and they are being very supportive. Later in the year we will have a chance to attend a camp to meet other families dealing with epilepsy. I think it will be good for James to meet other kids who are going through similar things to him.

Thanks again for your support and well wishes.

Last night my husband and I had planned to go and see the Socceroos play but we never made it into the ground. Mike's parents called us before we got to the gates to tell us James had had another seizure. It's been almost 2 years since his last one.

The really worrying thing was that James didn't even have a high temperature.

It was a temperature spike that caused the last one and the doctor said that sometimes kids who have grown out of infantile epilepsy (like james) can have it resurge at puberty. Well James is just that age (and starting to grow a little moutache - can you believe it?).

We caught a taxi from the stadium to the hospital (cost us a fortune!) and then after about 3 hours of observations they let us go home. He is off school for a few more days and we will have to go to his pediatrition for more tests on Thursday. My husband had today off work and I have tomorrow off - we are hoping he will be well enough for school on Wednesday so we can both go to work. Mike is in the middle of a huge project, and the company I work for has huge troubles replacing educators for time off. I was very lucky to get Tomorrow.

So anyway, the short of it is - I'm exhausted, and so is Mike. There will be no energy for creative things for a little while.

Chapter Eleven: Of Fairies and Moths

Jenny looked at the miniature person in a miniature house. She wondered what to do. Believing in magic was one thing, but to have a fairy living in your nieces dollhouse was taking things a little far. What if Astrid were discovered by Travis or Clare and Carla? What would they make of her? She suddenly felt tired, and looking at Astrid and Elizabeth she realised that they were all in need of a good lie down. It was still only 11am and the house would be all theirs for a few hours yet, so Jenny suggested the three of them sleep on it.

She tucked her niece in her bed with strict instructions to rest, and left the fairy to settle herself under the handmade doll size quilt. Upstairs once more, she found it difficult to relax. But after a short while she dozed off on the couch.

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *

Someone was shaking her awake. Jenny didn't remember going home. And then she realised she wasn't home, she was in a shop. There was piles of dusty bric-a-brac about the room and whoever was shaking her had come up quietly behind her. She turned and saw the little old woman shopkeeper smiling kindly at her.

"I'm sorry to startle you dear, but I was just thinking of shutting up and came to see if you were ready for me to wrap up your purchases?" she said in her soft, kind voice. Jenny looked at her watch and was surprised to see it was just going on to five o'clock. Hadn't she just walked into the shop a few minutes ago? She wondered.

The little old woman had picked up the wicker basket at her feet and was heading out to the front room. Jenny followed her, dizzily. Each item from Jenny's basket was placed on the counter and wrapped in brown paper while she watched.

"That will be $133 total dear," said the little old woman.

"Wasn't there something else?" Jenny asked, confused.

"Oh you mean this," whispered the shopkeeper as she placed a porcelain fairy onto the counter. "No sorry, I couldn't possibly part with her. She has been in my family for years. But you know fairies, they are like moths to a flame when it comes to little girls, they just can't keep away." And to Jenny's confusion she wrapped the fairy and put it in with the rest of her purchases.

"Thankyou Rebecca," said Jenny as she pushed open the front door.

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *

Jenny woke with a start. There was a moth flying about her face. She swished at it before she was fully awake and her hand connected with something much larger than a moth.

Astrid picked herself up off the ground and glared at Jenny.

"Oh I'm so sorry" apologised Jenny as she went to the fairies aid. She wasn't hurt, only her pride was bruised.

"I came to tell you I am leaving" said Astrid.

"No wait, I have something to tell you first. I think Rebecca knew you would try to find her. But she is an old woman now. You were under the curse of Shiraz for such a long time. She said that Fairies couldn't stay away from little girls, and if there was no Rebecca and no Elizabeth, you would just find another little girl to attach yourself to."

Astrid smiled at Jenny. She was surprised that a human could show such insight. Deep inside herself she had known that Rebecca would be old by now, but she thought she would try to find her anyway. Now she was having second thoughts. Perhaps these two humans could be trusted after all.

"I'm not a pet to be kept like a bird in a cage. I am a wild thing who likes to play among the ferns" she warned.

"You obviously have not seen the Himpy Grotto then," laughed Jenny Himpy as she picked up the light as a feather fairy and carried her outside.

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *

Elizabeth woke to the sound of her aunt's voice outside her window. It was followed by a high pitched tinkling laughter, and she remembered the fairy Astrid. She ran to her window and looked out at the garden as she had done many times before. Jenny was seated on the stone bench that faced the waterfall watching as something bright and fast flickered in and out of the maidenhair ferns.

Suddenly a delighted face appeared at her window. "I'll stay!" shrilled Astrid and instantly disappeared to play again amongst dripping plants.

 Note from the author: I once had a comment that this ending was too sudden and have considered adding another paragraph or chapter that describes Elizabeth's joy of having a fairy in the doll's house, and her temptation to tell her friend. What is your opinion?

Chapter Ten: The Story of Astrid

The three females froze on the spot. Then the fairy looked left and right and realised that her only means of escape was past the two humans. She retreated to the back of the doll's house, her wings pressed up against the wooden wall. Then the smaller of the two humans regained her senses and spoke softly.

"It's alright Shiraz, we won't hurt you. We freed you."

The fairy shook her head. "I don't trust little girls anymore" she said in a voice that shook with fear.

"Shiraz, You can trust us," whispered the older lady "We just want to talk to you. We've never seen a real live fairy before"

The fairy narrowed her eyes and looked at them suspiciously. "Then why do you keep cursing me?" she spat. The humans looked at one another. They did not appear to understand. "Shiraz is a curse," explained the fairy.

Suddenly both humans laughed out loud and the level of noise made the fairy press herself even harder against the back wall. Realising they were frightening her, the little girl stopped laughing and whispered into the doll's house, "We thought it was your name, it was written on your shoe."

Trying not to take her eyes off the huge faces, the tiny young lady checked both her slippers. When she found the word, she tore off the shoe and threw it as far from her as she could. Then she sighed again. "You really did break the curse," she whispered so softly it was barely heard. She seemed to reach a decision and took a step forward. "My name is Astrid," she said.

"I'm Elizabeth," said the little girl. "And this is my aunty Jenny. Please come out and we will talk."

Astrid looked about herself. Now that she was not so frightened she liked what she saw. Avoiding the cursed slipper, she walked around the room and eventually settled herself sitting on the edge of the bed. "I think I will stay here for now," she said. "But if you have anything to eat..? It has been a long time between meals."

Elizabeth jumped up and ran to the kitchen. When she got there she realised she didn't know what fairies ate. So she collected a few sweet things as she had a vague recollection of reading that fairies liked sugar. Astrid ate the food she was eaten hungrily. She relaxed a little when she was full and asked Elizabeth to remove the offending slipper from her sight.

Happily obliging, Elizabeth asked quietly "Who did that to you?"

Astrid looked at her audience, and being full and happy her tongue became loose and she recounted her story.

"It was the Fairy Council who cursed me. Though not all of them agreed to it, it is fairy law. I'm not saying what I did was right, but I had no choice...really.

You see, fairies are very interested in humans. Each one of us has a family that we seem to follow, watching what they do. Fairies don't grow old and watching a family grow is like playing with dolls. And it is because we can't seem to stay away from humans, that the council made the law. A fairy is forbidden to help a human. It causes too much harm to all fairies alike."

"And that is what you did wrong?" interrupted Elizabeth.

Astrid looked down and grew sad. Elizabeth feared she may have lost her chance at finding out what had happened. But then the fairy continued.

"I had a family that I liked to watch. They were so lovely together, a mother, a father and a little girl." Astrid looked up at Elizabeth before going on.

"The older the little girl became, the more I liked her. She was very happy and loved playing in the garden. Her name was Rebecca, and she was looking for fairies too.

One day she caught me drinking in her pond. I got away from her that day, but I could not stop from going back. She began to talk to me even though she couldn't see me. I was more careful at hiding myself after that first time.

When she talked to me, she would tell me things that she could tell no one else. And then one day she told me that she was very sick. After that day she stopped coming into the garden.

I peeked into her bedroom one evening and she was asleep in bed. Her window was open just a little bit and I crept in to get a better look at her. She was so pale and fragile looking compared to the last time I had seen her. Then all of a sudden she sat up, wide awake and ran to shut the window. She had trapped me again.

She was sick, very sick and she wanted me to be near her. I hid in a pot plant from that day. But as she got sicker, I became sick also. Rebecca was dying and her spirit was trying to pull me into the next world with her.

At last she was so frail she could not get out of bed to talk to me, and I was too ill to fly. I made a decision then and used some of my magic to heal us both. She recovered swiftly and was so grateful that she let me go. I almost wished that she hadn't. For the council knew instantly what I had done and to protect the other fairies, they need to find me fast. I ran and hid. I lived in an overgrown garden for three days before they caught me and brought me in front of the council.

The law was made to protect all fairies, and the punishment was clear. Although I pleaded with the council and explained why I had had to help the human girl, they had no choice but to carry out the curse of Shiraz. Shiraz was the fairy who put the law in place long ago. But she was not cruel, and the curse could be broken by a human. So the council gave me the secret chest before the curse spell was complete."

"And I opened the chest" whispered Elizabeth.

There was quiet in the room as each of the three was engaged in her own thoughts. Jenny broke the silence first.

"What will you do now?" she asked.

"I can't go back to my community," said Astrid sadly. "I shall have to become a drifter, or else find another community to join, not that they would have me."

"You can stay here!" exclaimed Elizabeth "The house is just the right size for you."

Astrid looked around herself once more. It was very cozy with everything fairy sized. But she was not used to being indoors all the time. Her cottage had been hidden on the verge between Rebecca's garden and the nature reserve. Elizabeth's bedroom was hardly a fairies glen. And could this little girl human and her aunty keep Astrid a secret? She looked at them both and shook her head.

"I don't know," she said. "A fairies place is not with humans. That is the law."

"And just look what fairy law did for you," piped up Jenny.

Astrid put her head in her hands. She was so glad to be free. But what was to happen to her now?

Chapter Nine: Never Too Old

From the moment Elizabeth read the verse in the scroll, she felt strange. She could not get to sleep and tossed and turned until she had thrown off all her blankets. When she did sleep it was not a restful sleep, but one of intense dreams. She saw Shiraz running and running, looking over her shoulder, afraid of what was chasing her. Her family appeared in another dream, their faces large and angry. They shouted at her that she was too old to believe.

Her alarm did not go off, as she had forgotten to set it. When her mother came in to wake her, she took one look at her sweaty hair and went to get the thermometer. Elizabeth barely woke as Heidi pressed the device into her ear and then looked at the reading. Minutes later she returned with Panadol, and Elizabeth didn't even remember her leaving the room.

A few hours later, with the Panadol calming her fever, she awoke to a quiet house. She got unsteadily out of bed and headed up to the kitchen to see where everyone was. Her aunt Jenny was sitting on the couch reading a magazine and drinking coffee. She looked up as she heard her niece enter.

"Hello sleepy head, feeling better?" she said cheerily.

Elizabeth didn't feel cheery. Her head felt as though something was slicing it in half. "Where is everyone?" was all she could manage to say.

"It's 10 o'clock" smiled her aunt "Travis and the twins are at school and your mum and dad are at work. Your mum called me this morning to sit with you. It was just lucky I am between clients at the moment." Aunt Jenny ran her own Interior Decorating Business and could take time off when she needed it.

Beth nodded and sat next to her aunt on the couch. She looked pale and tired. She felt as if there was something she needed to remember, but she couldn't think straight. Her aunt looked at her, concerned.

"I'm OK" assured the young girl "I'm just really tired and I have a headache." While Aunty Jenny went to make a hot drink for her, Elizabeth sat and stared into space, not really seeing what was in front of her. When her aunt returned she thought Beth was staring at the birthday card, which still lay on the coffee table.

"It wasn't one of my best birthday poems, was it?" she laughed.

Elizabeth looked at her aunt groggily, not comprehending her line of conversation. Jenny placed the hot Milo in her hands and picked up the card. She began to read the poem aloud, hoping it would cheer up her niece.

"Once a year, it's your special day,

Birthday girl in the month of May..."

She got no further as Elizabeth stood suddenly, spilling her drink.

"That's it!" she shouted "A Poem" she recited the poem that buried itself so deep in her mind that it had made her ill.

"When a friend, you find to believe,

Then the power you receive,

Crack the hard, cold, shining shell,

End the curse, break the spell"

Her aunt's expression betrayed the surprise she felt. Believing her niece was delirious; she sat her down and played along with her.

"That's very clever Beth, did you make it up yourself?"

Elizabeth's eyes were suddenly bright as the events of last night came flooding back.

"No! You don't understand. It's the secret in her chest. I opened it last night and that was the secret inside" aunty Jenny's face was still blank. "Shiraz!" cried Elizabeth, "I opened her chest". Her aunt's eyebrows rose with interest, encouraging Beth to go on.

"Grandma Himpy gave me a book on Fairy secrets. I used it to work out how to open the chest." Jenny sat very still on the couch, taking it all in. Then suddenly she was being lead downstairs to the bedroom of her niece.

On the floor was a very ordinary looking piece of paper. Elizabeth picked it up and waved it enthusiastically in her face babbling about moonlight and magic and disappearing words. It was all very fantastic, but somehow Jenny found herself taken in by the story.

Beth sighed sadly as she saw the look on the older woman's face. "I should have known you would think I was too old to believe in magic." At this remark, her aunt sprang to life.

"No Elizabeth, you are never too old to believe in magic." She took her niece's hands and led her to the doll's house. "Do you think your mother didn't believe in magic when she bought you this doll's house? Do you think Grandma Himpy didn't believe in magic when she bought you that book? Do you think I didn't believe in magic when I gave Shiraz to you because an old woman in a shop told me I should?" She picked up Shiraz and examined her. She turned her this way and that and then took her to the bay window for better light.

Returning her to the doll's house she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, she doesn't look any different, but I still think it is possible. Didn't I tell you that it looked real enough to open when I gave her to you? I wonder what the poem means? You have certainly found a friend who believes. But, power?...."

Elizabeth reached into the doll's house to examine Shiraz for herself. But the minute her fingers touched the fairy, she knew something was happening. She withdrew her hand and gasped.

As the two friends stared, the varnish on the figurine began to crack. Beginning at her tiny pink slippers, the crack raced up her body to the tip of one wing. Tiny fissured appeared along the seam and with a sudden burst, the fragments exploded outwards.

Standing just 5 inches tall, a delicate person took a long deep breath in and let it out with a rush. She dropped the chest and stretched, sighed and fluttered her glittering wings. And then she spun around to face the two huge faces she realised were watching her.