Berganashio - Chapter 2

"Here's where you'll stay..." Jovie motioned to a very cozy room with a fireplace with a nice fire that was flickering. The room had three beds and all the necessary things that a family could possibly need. "What do you think?" Jovie asked.

"It's so nice...the fireplace is my favorite part," brother totter exclaimed as he walked closer to it.

Papa totter paused. "We cannot thank you enough for this," as he looked at Jovie.

"Oh... don't thank me... I'm just glad that Queen Finyellë didn't send you away or anything... sometimes she's harsh with strangers. Strangers that cannot provide her with anything that is..." She giggled. "Tomorrow you'll be busy catching fish so I'll get you some bags to put the fish in." She disappeared for a few minutes and returned with several cloth bags for them. When she came back the three totters were all sitting by the fireplace peacefully. "Here you are," and she placed the bags on the dinning room table that was made of pine wood. "There should be plenty of food in the pantry as I'm sure you're hungry."

The three totters went to the pantry and began making sandwiches. In-between bites of sandwich, brother totter pensively asked Jovie, "Who shot the fiery arrows? Are you fairies at war or something?"

"The arrows come every now and then... whenever someone in the land speaks badly about us. But there's no one really there shooting the arrows." She paused. “Not exactly anyway.”

The three totters looked a bit confused by this. Jovie continued speaking.

"In a way, I suppose we are at war... but it's just something we're used to now."

Papa totter gently asked, "Why are there so many bad things spoken of your kind?"

Jovie smiled uncomfortably. "Let's just say that Queen Finyellë has made quite a few enemies here and there over the years. The fireflies are our guardians though and they don't miss a beat."

"I think all the fairies are quite lovely... being here feels like a dream," sister totter said sweetly. Her brother reached over and pinched her side.

"Don't touch me!" She snapped at her brother.

"What? I was just proving to you that this isn't a dream," he snickered. He walked over to their knapsacks and took out his train and started playing with it for the first time in a long time near where the fireplace was.

Jovie folded her hands. "Well... I'm sure you're all tired. Get some rest." She turned to leave but before she went through the door, she turned back. "One other thing... there is a rule that no one can ever sing here." Without anymore explanation about this odd rule, she left.

"Hmm, I was never much of the singing type anyhow," Papa totter muttered under his breath.

The children starting getting ready for bed and before long they'd snuggled up into the beds and were so tired that they didn't even request a bedtime story from their father. He was an excellent storyteller and he always thought up the best of stories many times just off the cuff. As the children totters fell asleep and began to snore, he continued to sit by the fire. Searching for his old pipe in his knapsack, he found it, and lit it with the fires comforting flames. After a few moments, there was a single firefly that appeared in the room and landed right on the end of his pipe.

"Oh, hello there!" Papa totter said in surprise to the firefly. Sitting in silence, aside from the occasional crackle from the fire, Papa totter made his way to the bathroom where there was a very nice clawfoot tub. He filled it with warm water and floated in the tub. The firefly followed him and rested peacefully on the side of the tub. "It's a good thing I don't need much privacy," he said to the firefly and laughed to himself. Before long, he drifted off to sleep in the tub. Totters sometimes fall asleep while floating on the water.

After several hours, he awoke from a bad dream. The dream was of Momma totter's face looking at him the day that she left and never returned home. He felt lonely and sad. He’d thought of all the reasons why she could have left but could never fully make sense of it. Getting out of the tub, he dried off and then laid in bed, trying to get back to sleep.

The next day was filled with the three of them catching as many fish as they possibly could. The stream was far below where the fairy vine village nested high up in the trees. Up in the queen’s living space, she was speaking with Jovie. “Do you think they’ll pull their own weight around here? We can’t have freeloaders.” She asked Jovie.

Jovie blinked, smiling sweetly, “Yes ma’am, I believe they’ll catch you lots of fish.”

“Do they have any other talents, or uses?”

“Not that I am aware of… but I will inform you as soon as I may find out.” She curtsied quickly.

“That’ll do… good bye.” The queen waived her out.

Jovie fluttered out the door gracefully. She took a deep breath. Then she flew down to the riverbank where the totters were still taking turns catching fish. When she got to the riverbank, sister totter was just putting a few fish in one of the bags. Sister totter jumped, slightly startled because of the unexpected company. “Oh, hello again!”

Jovie giggled. “Didn’t mean to frighten you… I see you’re very busy. You three sure are great at catching fish.”

“Yes, we totters can find the fish all right.”

Jovie nodded. “Yes… we must keep the queen happy.” She glanced away for a second. “So, do you totters specialize in any other things?”

“Hmm… what do you mean exactly?”

“Do you all have any other talents or things you can do very well?”

Sister totter thought for a second. “Papa totter tells very good stories.”

“Interesting… anything else you can think of?”

“No, except brother totter is very good at fixing broken trains…”

“Ah, he’s very handy then…”

Just then the other two totters came up with more fish in their paws.

Jovie watched the water fall from the totters hair like oil. She caught Papa totters gaze. “I hear you’re an excellent storyteller.”

He smiled modestly. “At least they think so,” he said, as he pointed at his children.

“I’d love to hear a story tonight by the fireplace. Would you mind telling me one?”

“I can do that.”

“Sounds nice… I’ll see you all later, after you’re done fishing for the day.” The three totters nodded in agreement and Jovie flew off back into the vine village.

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