Welcome

The sun was shining high in the sky, threes breathed life and animals chanted a symphony of peace. Everything in the forest was beauty, but the most radiant were the twin fairies Kasumi and Mayumi, Kas and May for each other.

They were both flying with their splendid butterfly wings. Kas’ were the colour of the winter fruit, which despite blooming alone in the cold, is the sweetest of the year. May on the other hand displayed wings the colour of the love flower, the one adults give to each other when they want to spend life together.

-It’s so pretty –said May beholding the scene.

-It’s beautiful –answered Kas

-Let’s explore! –proposed May, who was usually the first to do everything ever since she came to the world before her sister.

They fluttered among the flowers, where the industrious bees guided them to the best scented. They smelled dozens different kinds, each more fragrant than the previous one until they came to a colossal pale pink bud.

-Look at that –said May.

-It’s gigantic –added Kas.

-Let’s touch it –proposed May and moved first, but waited her sister to touch the massive specimen.

When they both placed their hand on the plant, it vibrated and started to bloom. Its pink petals gained intensity as it opened until it became the most extraordinary flower the twins had ever seen. Its centre was full of what seemed like much smaller flowers but they had hair like fibres instead of petals.

The twins then watched marvelled as a wind current raised making the tiny flowers airborne.

-Look, they’re its children –deduced May.

-They’re flying –observed Kas.

-Let’s see where they go –proposed May and they set about it.

The tiny flowers flew in all directions and the twins followed. They flew towards the lake that was shining as the sky it reflected, then to the meadows were groups of cloud-like animals roamed and finally into the forest.

As the two fairies fluttered in grace among the woods, the birds who saw them would sing in rejoice.

Then another blow of wind raised and May saw something sparkle between two trees.

-Did you see that? –asked May.

-See what? –asked then Kas.

-A silver sparkle –answered May and shifted route. Then the wind blew again, softer this this time –Look, there it is! –claimed as she increased her speed.

Kas could not see what her sister meant, but followed her towards what seemed like an empty space.

-Here’s something, I’m sure –said May while she stopped. Then she started waving her hands in the air trying to reach something she couldn’t see.

-I see nothing –declared Kas, as she examined the void without finding what her sister was talking about.

-Found something! –claimed May triumphant –Ah!, my wing! –added not so excited anymore.

Kas went straight to her sister and saw a confusing scene, she seemed to hold something in her hand unable to let go but nothing was at sight. Moreover, one of her wings was still, yet she remained airborne.

May was shaking nervously and then Kas understood where the evasive sparkling came from, it was a huge web that stretched from one tree to the other and was only visible at moments due to the movement.

-Help me, I’m stuck –asked May scared.

-Hold tight –answered Kas urgently and grabbed her sister’s free hand.

Then something else started moving the web and the sisters saw a figure approaching them at a terrifying speed from a branch, it was dark and hairy, bigger than them and having many legs witch which it ran without sticking to the deadly trap.

The sisters only got to scream, the beast was upon them and took May with her log legs. Kas pulled her sister with all she had, flapping her wings as much as possible without realizing the monster had adhered a silver string to her foot.

Their efforts were useless, the creature put two of its legs inside its own horrifying mouth and pulled out a hammer the size of its own full body. Both sisters cried in fear as they struggled unable to scape. The hammer raised above them and stroke relentlessly on May’s face.

On the impact Kas awoke in a scream of sheer horror that lasted until her throat began to hurt.

She breathed for a moment and realized it had been a dream. They were both safe back at the barn were they fell asleep. But something was wrong, she could feel it.

She looked to her right side, as she did every time she wanted to see her sister since she could remember. Only now, for the first time, she feared not finding her.

But there was May, sleeping next to her.

-It was a dram May, it’s all right –said without believing it as something was still wrong, very wrong –wake up May –said to her sister, poking her with a small hand –You have to wake up –she repeated trying to convince herself that her sister was still alive.

Tears came to her face, she hugged her sister and cried in silence. She felt alone and helpless, wishing with all her strength to be with her.

After a time lapse unknown to Kas she felt a slight movement on May. Not knowing what to expect, she raised her little face and watched her sister’s, her cheeks seemed to move.

Kas wiped the ears off her eyes to see better and her sister’s mouth opened releasing a wave of little black spiders.

Invaded by panic, she tried to flee but something pulled her foot. She looked at it while trying to break free and saw a fine silver string attaching her to her sister.

At that moment the barn door slammed open, it was the spider from her nightmare, only now walking on two feet and holding the hammer on two arms. Kas was paralyzed in fear and couldn’t do more than scream as the spider pounced towards her as fast it did on the web to raise the hammer and stroke her face with it.

May and Kas were gone, but not together.