Dad parked on the side of the road, then he handed me a thick envelope.
"When you go in there, tell her that you're my son and hand her this envelope," Dad said, "Her house has a pink door."
"But I don't know your first name, Dad," I said. Dad sighed.
"It's Tristan," Dad said, "Tristan Marker." I nodded and got out of the car. I looked around to find the pink door, which was house number 42, and rang the doorbell. An old woman answered the door.
"Why hello there, dearie," the woman said.
"Are you great aunt Polly?" I asked, "I'm Tristan Marker's son, Benjamin." The woman's eyes sparkled.
"Why yes," she said, "I've been waiting for you, Benny. Come in." She led me inside, which looked like a faerie tale cottage. I tried to hand her the envelope, but she shook her head. "I don't need that. Give that back to your father."
"You knew what it was?" I asked.
"Vaguely," great aunt Polly said, "But that doesn't matter. What matters is that we have to find a way to get Isaac back, right?" I nodded. "Well, I have a few ideas, but I need to know what that faerie told you before we can do anything."
"She said that I disobeyed the queen and that I was getting seven years of sorrow because of that," I said, "Does that mean that Isaac will come back after seven years?"
"It does make sense," great aunt Polly said, "Nobody has been able to calculate the exact time frame, but it did seem to be pretty consistent. I've never had anyone be able to understand her before, even I couldn't do it and I'm half fae. I wonder if you have other gifts as well."
"So, I have an aptitude for fae magic?" I asked.
"It appears so," great aunt Polly said.
"How can we get Isaac back before the seven years are up?" I asked.
"I believe it has something to do with the queen being lonely and wanting a companion," great aunt Polly said, "But you're going to have to go back and ask her some questions, but I have a list ready of companions that might be suitable. Judging by her responses, you might be able to narrow everything down on your own, but I don't know if she'll actually show herself to you. And when you introduce the companion, you might have to wait outside."
"I don't really want to go back," I said, "But if it can bring Isaac back sooner, I'm all for it."
"It might take some work because she's the type to recognize people even if they're in disguise," great aunt Polly said, "But seeing as you can communicate with her, it's probably going to be much easier than if you weren't able to."
"Do you think she's going to release everyone from her grip?" I asked. Great aunt Polly looked away in thought.
"If you ask her for it," great aunt Polly said, "She just might, but it's hard to tell with a shadow faerie like herself."
"She's a shadow faerie?" I asked.
"How else would she be able to hide people for seven years?" Great aunt Polly asked.
"Oh," I said. Great aunt Polly handed me a thick folder.
"This is the list of companions," great aunt Polly said, "They are mostly fae, but the ones that aren't can still communicate with the faeries. The left side is male companions and the right side is female. There were a few that didn't fit into either category, so I left them loose in the middle, but they're still stapled."
"Interesting," I said.
"Tell your father to come in," great aunt Polly said, "I have something for him too." I put the envelope Dad gave me on top of the folder and took out my phone to text him to come in. Soon, the doorbell rang and great aunt Polly let Dad in.
"What do you need?" Dad asked. I handed him back the envelope. "Oh, you didn't want to have these pictures? I looked all over for them in your sister's house."
"I don't really want to be reminded of people who've already left," great aunt Polly said, "Besides, I have something for you, Tristan." She left the room and came back with a stack of three books. "These are all the books I've wanted to give your family for ages. The bottom one has a list of all the different types of fae magic. The middle one is a collection of stories regarding the fae. The top one helps you control your fae magic." Dad frowned as he took the books in his free hand
"I have fae magic?" Dad asked. She nodded.
"It manifested a little late," great aunt Polly said, "But I believe it has something to do with Benny's magic manifesting at this age."
"Wait, what kind of fae magic do I have?" Dad asked.
"Well, I can't be certain," great aunt Polly said, "But the bottom book will definitely help you figure it out. Now, I'm sorry for not offering any food or beverage, but Winona will not be happy if she found out that I had visitors while she was gone and she will be back in half an hour."
"Okay," Dad said, "We hope to see you again soon. Goodbye."
"Bye," I said.
"Farewell, young ones," great aunt Polly said as we left and she shut the door behind her.
"Is she always like that?" I asked as we walked to the car.
"Yes," Dad said, "Winona is her partner, who doesn't like people, which is why we rarely see aunt Polly."
"Oh," I said.
"Can you take the envelope back, Benny?" Dad asked when we got to the truck, so I did. He unlocked the truck and put the books in the backseat. I got in my seat and buckled my seatbelt. "Where do you want to go to eat?"
"The usual diner," I said, "I need pancakes to cheer me up." Dad messed with my hair before he turned on the truck.
"Okay, son," Dad said, "But don't tell Mom."
"I won't," I said.
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