The Other Side

It’s been said that everyone measures time by the pace of their own heart. A Humding Bird, whose heart beats very quickly, only lives for a short amount of time. It’s because time moves so much quicker for him. As I peered out from the opening of the building, my heart fluttered frantically in my chest. I knew right then what a Humding must feel like on the last days of his life. “I’m killing one year for every two minutes I stay here,” I thought. In the short time I’d been away, the Queen’s guards had completely filled the street. They spat and cursed, bumping bodies and weapons as they shifted positions. There was no sign of the two I’d seen fighting earlier. I prayed Phoenix’s plan would work. Moments before, while waiting in the room with the metal monsters, I watched the door to Phoenix’s holding cell expand outward. It hung from its hinges, swollen by the explosion within. The framework was so well crafted; barely a pop could be heard over the noise of the jostling soldiers outside. I didn’t need to brave the inferno to see that the Phoenix had disappeared, nothing remaining but a pile of ash and burning bits that would fall like snow in the tiny room. I went to the front entrance to wait. The waiting was the worst part. It gave me too much time to think. I began to worry that I had been abandoned. Before I could mull any further in self-pity, a shriek pierced the air. The guards raised their hands to their ears and their eyes to the sky. It was exactly the thing Phoenix had told me to look for. I darted across the street, pumping my wings as quickly as I could. I watched out of the corner of my eye as several guards dropped their weapons. Others shouted and pointed like children, following a form in the sky with their fingers. The Phoenix had erupted from behind the building in a blaze, wings spread and beak screaming. The tips of his wings lit fire to the canopy on top of the building, adding to the effect of his entrance. I’m sure it was impressive. I wouldn’t know. I was too busy fleeing. I was elated as I came up to Rumplestiltskin’s castle. I had reached it unscathed. Just then the door swung open, causing me to overshoot and dart toward the side instead. Had I been slower, I might have collided with the Queen as she ran out to see the commotion. “Shoot him!” She screamed at the guards. A vein bulged from the side of her temple. “Kill him before he escapes!” The guards quickly regained their composure, picking up the fallen bows and arrows. My eyes watered as I stared up into the glowing ball that was The Great Phoenix. He was more beautiful than the sun. Arrows streaked through the air, arching and then falling short of their target. The Queen howled her rage, jumping up and down in anger. It was her actions that brought me back to the moment. My mind replayed the horrifying memory of her grinding the fairy into the carpet. “Witch,” I whispered coldly. Her antics had left the door to Rumplestiltskin’s wide open. I slipped in before anyone would notice. A minute later I was at the door to the main chamber. With no keyhole to slip through I whispered to the door again, who promptly let me in. I didn’t linger in the wood. The room, other than Mirror Mirror, was completely empty. “We meet again,” the mirror said. “Yes. Although not by choice,” I replied. I floated closer to it. I knew I had to be quick. Phoenix had told me what to do. But he hadn't told me what would happen after I did it. “Are you ready now?” Mirror Mirror chimed. I reached forward, close enough to feel the vibrations off the cool glass. My concentration was suddenly interrupted by a shout. “FAE!” It was accompanied by the pounding of paws. I turned toward the door. “Wolf!” “Fae!” He shouted again. That time his cry was joined by others. “Get him!” They were discernibly close. I looked back at the mirror, torn. Phoenix had warned that nothing should keep me from accomplishing this task. Nothing. The door burst open as Wolf threw his weight into it. With one look the entire scene unfolded. He wasn’t being followed by guards. He was being followed by half the army! Close behind him ran the Queen, along with her man, Thebes. Queen White leapt forward, clawing at the air. Wolf had dashed to the side to avoid her, but he was quick on his feet and had resumed his race for me. I understood right then what I had to do. I took a breath and reached for Mirror Mirror again. My fingers stroked its surface, causing ripples in the once unwavering reflection. The mirror sighed. "I'm ready," I told it, taking the first step through. The inside of the mirror was warm and dark. I pushed further from the entrance, reaching for its comforting embrace. But something had me by the wing. I turned my head to see a hand had followed me through. The warmth began to cool. The Queen was coming in. The scene outside the mirror was distorted and blurry, as if I was watching from beneath a waterfall. I fought against the pinch of Queen White’s fingertips as she clung to the fragile skin of my wing. “I’ll rip it off!” She screamed, bringing her face forward until the tip of her nose broke the surface. “Don’t let her in,” the mirror whispered. Its words echoed feebly from the darkness as the Queen swiftly brought the rest of her face forward. “You thought you were clever, didn’t you?” She spat. I shook my head stupidly. “Well I’ll fix-” The words froze on her lips. I stared at her mouth, a great widening cavern with lips like a split open peach. I flinched at the scream of pain that burst from them. “Go Fae!” Wolf yelled from somewhere outside the mirror. At least that’s what I imagined he’d said. His mouth was around the witch’s ankle at the time. Suddenly, I was alone again. Queen White’s body had disappeared into the world outside as quickly as it had appeared. I stared at the space where the Queen’s head had been, waiting for something to happen. “Should I go back?” I asked Mirror Mirror. But for whatever reason, it didn’t feel like answering. “Hello? What do I do now?” I shouted into the empty air. I was answered by the shattering of glass. Instinctively, I knew Mirror Mirror was dead. The gateway through was gone, and with it my doorway home. I began to fall. Or maybe it just felt like falling. There wasn’t any light to gauge my progress by. For all I knew I was staying still and the air around me was being sucked out. Before I could wonder about it any further, I landed. The object under me was soft, like the surface of Casino City. But that’s as far as my comparisons went. I knew I had landed in a room because my view of the sky was obscured by a smooth ceiling. Things dangled from it on strings. I looked up to see a life sized cutout of a fairy hanging above me. Whether by ill magic or good, I knew I had found the place I was supposed to go. The rest of the bedroom, if you could call it that, was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I crawled to the edge of the gigantic bed and looked over, surprised to find another bed directly beneath it. Around that bed was an assortment of animals. “Hello down there!” I called to a miniature unicorn. But he didn’t respond, so I flew a little closer. “Who put that bed on stilts?” I demanded. The unicorn stared at me blankly. I turned to the larger creature next to him, a colorful looking bear. “Where am I?” I yelled a bit louder. No one responded. “You won’t ignore me.” I said, marching up to jab the unicorn in the chest with my finger. My hand squished into his plushy flesh. I gasped and flew upward. The unicorn fell sideways to the floor, taking the colorful bear with him. “Bewitched!” I whispered, immediately afraid for my safety. Had I left one witch simply to land in the house of another? I darted around the room. On the ceiling was a contraption with blades. “Probably used to dice up fairies.” There was one window, but it had slats over it. The lone door didn’t have a keyhole, and muffled voices filtered through from the other side. The walls of the room were covered in pictures and drawings of things I didn’t recognize. Except for a few at the end, which were of people I knew personally. There was Snow White with the dwarves, Wolf eating Red, me flying. Sweat broke out across my skin. She knew what we looked like. A voice cut sharply through my thoughts. “I’m going to my room!” The shout was followed by stomps and then the turning of a knob.