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Here are the posts for the topic 'mind control' from my mailing list, Fantasybits.
by JacLyn Jones (jasujo@hotmail.com)
Tiny pin pricks all over Miriam’s body woke her up. She felt groggy and slowly opened her eyes. "They must have spelled me. I haven’t slept that deep in ages," the girl thought to herself. She shook her head to dislodge the remains of her slumber. As she tried to stretch, she realized that her wrists and ankles were bound by thin vines. Her back began to itch slightly from the leaves and twigs on the forest floor under her.
The pin pricks began again. She looked around her as her vision cleared and saw about twenty faerie sentinels hovering above her, poking her with their tiny spears. "You must be joking," she thought to herself as she took in the situation. "This is ridiculous." Miriam sighed in frustration and sat up, easily snapping the vines binding her as she did so. She waved her hands at the faeries and they scattered to a safe distance, chittering nervously. As the girl stood up, she brushed the clinging forest debris from her clothing, shook it from her tangled chestnut hair and looked around. She found herself in a secluded forest grove. The trees grew so close together as to block every direction, but one, in which there was a tiny break in the vegetation.
Miriam walked along this path and came to another cleared area. There were tons of tiny faeries here, all menacingly watching her. As they closed in, she stumbled backwards and felt a fragile crunch underfoot. All the faeries gasped. She curiously moved her foot and examined the pieces of what looked to be a tiny crystal ball. A small, dark-robed faerie nearby was having a fit. "NOOO!! How could you do this?? I have worked so hard and planned so long! AAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!" his tiny voice screamed as he dissolved in a puff of shadowy smoke before her eyes.
Miriam stood up and looked around, the unnerving quiet adding to her confusion. Then a cheer went up and broke the silence. Thousands of little voices yelled and whooped as more and more faeries poured out of the forest around her. "We’re free! We’re free!" They bellowed in their diminutive voices. They all flew around her in a swirl of colors. The noise and flurry began to make her dizzy and her head ache. She tried to force her way through them and came to an open spot by another path.
An official-looking faerie flew over to her. "Thank you so much for freeing us from that horrible wizard. We would like to give you a present in our appreciation," he told her. She had to lean closer to hear him.
"It was nothing, really. You do not need to give me anything," the girl replied.
He covered his ears from her seemingly loud human voice and flew back a little ways, grimacing. "Oh, do not be so modest. You have saved us and we would like to give you this." He pulled a tiny necklace from his pocket and handed it to her. She looked at it quizzically, then carefully reached out to grab it. It seemed so tiny and fragile. The necklace was spun from delicate gold threads and held one small sapphire bead. "It is the amulet of Llemora. It will give you protection. Also, if you are ever in need of help from the faeries, just rub the jewel, concentrate on your surroundings, and a flight of faeries should be with you in no time."
"Thank you very much," she whispered, having learned from last time she spoke. "I am grateful."
"May I ask your name?"
"Miriam. Miriam of Sharrow Forest."
"Ah, you have traveled a ways. My name is Elder Counselor Rudiel of the Gladiel Grove faeries. We will sing of you in our legends." The senior faerie bowed to her. She felt very embarrassed to be added to a legend because of an accident and did not know how to respond. "The path behind you leads back to the main road. Peace be with you, young heroine." He pointed to the path, as other faeries flew up around him.
"Peace be with you," she said as she turned down the path, smiled and waved.
The group of faeries around the elder waved back with enthusiastic shouts of "Thank you!" and "Peace be with you!"
As the faerie grove was left behind and the main road appeared ahead, she looked down at the minute necklace in her hand. She slipped it around her littlest finger and sighed. "Mother always warned me about wandering from the path. This will teach me to listen." She cheerfully skipped the rest of the way to the road and continued on her way.
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