The Last Fairy Tale (33 page)

 “Oh no…Nachton,” Olivia said, tears welling up in her eyes. She was about to dash through to the orphanage to find him when a pale, boney hand followed by messy black hair and a gaunt face came through the Door. It was Nachton.

 He crawled through, moving strangely, as if something were controlling him. When he had completely crossed the threshold, Olivia slammed the Door shut. As the outline of the Door disappeared, a crack formed through the center of the tree, splitting the keyhole-shaped knot in two.

 “Nachton, I’m so glad–” Olivia started.

 “This one…” interrupted Ink’s voice. A black fog seeped out of Nachton’s ear, and from it, Ink took shape. “…nearly did not make it. He is very sick and very weak. I think it is because he has lost hope. You may be able to help him, Olivia.”

 Nachton fell to the ground as Ink left his body. Olivia immediately ran to him and held his head in her hands, looking into his large, glassy eyes.

 “Nachton,” Olivia said softly. “Everything’s going to be okay. We’re safe here. I missed you so much…”

 “O…Olivia?” said Nachton, struggling to focus, his eyes widening. He reached up and touched Olivia’s cheek. “It really is you…”

 “Yes, it’s me,” Olivia said, smiling as tears ran down her cheek and onto his fingers. “I bet you’re hungry. Here, have an apple.”

 Kai-Tu tossed Olivia an apple from the pile. Olivia held the apple out to Nachton, who stared at it questioningly before grabbing it. He slowly bit into it, his eyes growing even wider. He breathed deeply and took another bite. He sat up, looking around while he finished the apple. Rufus and Holli had passed apples out to all the other children as well, and they all ate noisily and sloppily.

 “What is this place, Olivia? Who are these…people?” Nachton asked, juice from the apple dribbling down his dirty chin.

 “We are in Aeldyn,” Olivia said, grinning from ear to ear. “And these are my friends.”

“But…why?” Nachton asked, his mouth hanging open. “How did you get here? Is this where you’ve been this whole time? And what is
that
 on your shoulder?”

 Olivia looked over at Lily and giggled. “Well, Nachton,” she said, “I’ve quite the story to tell you!”

* * * * *

 “Is that…a violin, Olivia?” asked Nachton.

 Olivia looked up from the amplifier she had been crafting. Symphology had become an important branch of magic to her. “Yes,” she replied. “It belonged to a very special friend of mine.”

 “I see,” said Nachton, staring intently at the violin. “I spent hours in the orphanage reading some of dad’s old encyclopedias on music. The violin is my favorite instrument.”

 “Would you like to give it a try?” Olivia asked.

 “Wow, can I really?” Nachton asked, his eyes shining with excitement.

 Olivia hung her black guitar on the wall. She walked over to a wooden case that stood open, revealing a beautiful violin. She picked it up and gently placed it in Nachton’s hands. He rested it on his shoulder and slowly put the bow to the strings. He played a few notes and then strung them together into a melody. Olivia was amazed at his skill, because he had never touched an instrument before. After only a little while, he was playing melodies so beautiful that Olivia was reminded of Locke. A tear rolled down her cheek.

 “Geez, is it that bad?” Nachton asked suddenly.

 “No,” Olivia said, smiling at him warmly. “It’s wonderful!”

Epilogue

 Mr. Gloome was sitting in his office, his feet propped carelessly on his desk. A twisted smile formed on his face.

 “It’s been an entire week since those brats ran off,” he said. “I think it’s probably safe to go and have a peek.” He jumped up from the chair, his tight, raggedy suit splitting even further at the seams. The idea of having the entire place to himself made him much too excited. He danced jauntily around the desk.

 “A world of my very own!” Mr. Gloome shouted. “I showed them all! I showed them!” He cackled as he skipped merrily over to the office door. He fumbled with his keys for a moment before he found the right one and then fit it into the lock and opened the door.

 Before him was a black, desolate wasteland. Orphanage Nine had crumbled around him, leaving only his office intact. He stared for a moment out into the darkness. Then, he laughed.

“It’s mine!” Mr. Gloome screamed. “All mine! Mine, mine, mine, mine,
mine
!” He cackled, his voice echoing in the empty wasteland.

 Suddenly, the sound of coughing echoed around the office. The coughing turned into rough and loud hacking before it ended in a gurgling sound. The twisted smile dropped from Mr. Gloome’s face. He screamed loudly, but no one was left to hear.

E. S. Lowell is the imaginative (and somewhat insane) individual behind The Last Fairy Tale, his first novel. While his chosen field of study is in computing, writing has always been a passion of his. The first ideas for the story began to form in his mind when he was younger. It wasn't until he took a course in DNA and Molecular Computing while pursuing his degree in computer science that the ideas began to weave themselves into The Last Fairy Tale. The novel is influenced by many different cultures and traditions, as well as his love for video games, music, and the fantasy stories he grew up with.

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The Last Fairy Tale
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Contents

1. Title/Publisher
   
2. Special Thanks!
   
3. Copyright
   
4. Dedication
   
5. Map
   
6. Prologue
   
7. 01 - Once Upon a Time
   
8. 02 - They All Fall Down
   
9. 03 - A Curious Creature
   
10. 04 - Outside
    
11. Interlude 01
    
12. 05 - Locke
    
13. 06 - It's Not a Dream
    
14. Interlude 02
    
15. 07 - The Great Fairy's Hollow
    
16. 08 - Magic
    
17. Interlude 03
    
18. 09 - Locke's Gift
    
19. 10 - Handel's Sanctuary
    
20. 11 - The Journey Begins
    
21. 12 - A Missing Thread
    
22. 13 - The Nocturnal Archives
    
23. 14 - Whitewood
    
24. Interlude 04
    
25. 15 - Kai-Tu's Secret
    
26. Interlude 05
    
27. 16 - The Fortress
    
28. 17 - The King of New Aeldyn
    
29. 18 - The Truth
    
30. 19 - The Beginning
    
31. Epilogue
    
32. About the author