• I guess it all started with Dave's clarinet. I was fifteen, and we had gone camping-me, my dad, my mom, and my dad's best friend, Dave, and his daughter, Julie, who was my age, at the beginning of the summer after my freshman year in high school. Julie and I, we didn't exactly get along.
    Dave had brought his clarinet that weekend. I'm not sure why. Anyway, near lunch time, Dave went out in the woods a little ways and started to play. Curious, I followed him. He walked deeper into the woods and I followed like a puppy, entranced by the music. Then he came to a clearing and sat down, still playing. I followed him and watched his fingers dance over the silver keys.
    When he finally stopped, I asked, "Will you teach me?"
    He tried to, but I was terrible at it. My fingers didn't fit the keys right, but I blew anyway. The sound that emerged was nothing like the sound that Dave had conjured from the tube. Dave's sound was flowing and beautiful; mine was loud, squeaky, and obnoxious. I tried again, to no avail. I was determined to get it, no matter how long it took.
    However, Dave had other plans. He pulled the instrument out of my hands and said, in a ver annoyed tone, "Maybe we should try again another time." He stormed off, leaving me in the clearing alone.
    For a little while, Iwas happy by myself in the clearing. Then a mounting panic began to rise in my chest. Where was our campsite? Where was my family? How would I get back to the tent? I began to cry quietly. A bear would probably eat me or something out here.
    More time passed, and nobody came for me. I began to cry harder, blended with cuss words and tirades uttered under my breath. They had surely all forgotten about me, which, of course, was probably the entire point of the entire enterprise.
    Dark began to fall. I finally forced myself to get up and move and try and make a shelter of some sort, so I didn't get eaten by anything.
    Then I noticed a small flute by my left hand. I don't know how it got there. It was small and carved out of some sort of dark wood, with little flowers and vines carved on it. The middles of some of the flowers were hollow-the holes where you put your fingers.
    I picked it up and blew on it. It made it a low sort of sound, kind of like an owl. I blew it again, and kept blowing. For some reason, this was a lot easier than playing clarinet. The flute seemed to fit my hands perfectly. I began to randomly put my fingers on and off the various holes, and somehow made a melody.
    I don't know how long I stayed in the clearing, playing the flute. I just looked up at one point and saw two figures that were glowing slightly in the dark. I stopped playing and started getting scared again. Dark had really fallen now, and in addition, there were two eerily glowing figures in front of me. They looked like humans about my age-one was a boy, and one was a girl. Both had slanted, bottle green eyes and black hair.
    "Well, it took you long enough," the boy said.
    "Eohu, don't be rude," the girl scolded.
    "Well, we've been here for a good hour and a half," Eohu complained. "Can we go now? I'm bored."
    "No, dummy, we have to deliver the message," the girl chided.
    I watched this interaction with confused amazement. These two figures were probably twins, but what did some creepy glowing pair want with me in a forest clearing in the dead of night?
    "All right," Eohu sighed. "Hurry up."
    "We have to do it properly," the girl insisted.
    "Oh, all RIGHT," Eohu moaned.
    "Lily," the girl addressed me, and I started. How did she know my name? "You have been bestowed with a flute that has certain powers. YOu have been brought to this clearing by our colleague, Dave. You need to hear some very important information."
    "What?" I asked, curious.
    "Okay, Lheada, enough with formality," Eohu said. "Basically, we're here to tell you that you're a fairy, and we need your help in saving the queen."
    "WHAT?" I nearly yelled.
    "See, I TOLD you we had to do it properly," Lheada told him.
    "Hang on... what?" I asked, unable to take it in. Fairy? A queen? A fairy queen? What was going ON here? "Give it to me again, slowly."
    Eohu groaned. "You... are... a... fairy," he said, as if I was both very deaf and very slow. "We... need... YOU... to... help... US."
    "Are you fairies, too?" I asked.
    "Yes," Lheada said.
    "So why do you need me?" I wondered.
    "Because you know stuff that we don't," she explained.
    "Such as...?" I asked, still confused.
    "Such as how to play that flute," Eohu interjected. "Only one person can play it."
    "And since you grew up with humans, you can use logic," Lheada said.
    "Not all humans can use logic," I said. "I'm terrible at it."
    "But you also know certain types of defense that fairies never learn," Lheada explained. "Like how to beat people up with your fists and feet. We just use magic."
    "Correction," Eohu interrupted. "I can use my fists and feet. You just use magic. I can fight just fine, thank you."
    "And, so... why do you need me and my martial arts in order to save the queen?" I asked. "I defenitely can't wrestle trolls or beat up giants or anything."
    "Trolls are over rated," Eohu said. "I nearly fought one once. And they're stupid as-"
    "EOHU!" Lheada cut across him.
    "What?" he protested.
    "No cussing!" Lheada ordered.
    "I wasn't going to!" Eohu complained.
    "Yes, you were!" Lheada countered.
    "Was not!"
    "Were too!"
    "Um..." I interjected tentatively, "Is this relevant?"
    "Oh," Lheada said, returning to her poised state. "No, it isn't. Thank you for reminding us."