The Fairy

A different way of publishing fictional content. Tell me what you think.

[unveiling777]

Social Media will have you plotting homicide

Story time:

(Btw the title is dark humor)

Once upon a time a young woman fell madly in love with a young man right after high school. They could talk about anything and were very attracted to each other. He loved her back but he was emotionally confused. His high school sweetheart had broken up with him and he felt like he was being unfaithful to that past love by falling for the young woman so quickly. His ex was so distraught when she found out he moved on so quickly that she wanted him back. She knew they weren’t right for each other but she wanted to prove that she could have him if she wanted. She confused the young man and sowed doubt about his feelings in the young woman. The young woman was sweet and gentle and cherished love. Uncertain about the young man’s feelings, she pushed him away believing that she was doing the right thing for true love even though her heart was breaking. The ex, unsatisfied with winning, decided to torment the broken hearted young woman. She did everything she could to make the young woman feel additional pain. Once she had driven a wedge so deep between the young man and woman that it couldn’t be retrieved she remembered why she broke up with the young man in the first place. She broke up with him again. Years later the ex fell in love truly and got married to someone else. Meanwhile the young man had several relationships that came and went. The young woman so traumatized never found it in her heart to love anyone else the way she had loved the young man. Despite genuinely loving one another they never reconnected again. Moral: 1. Hang on to your love. Never set it aside because you think someone else is more deserving. 2. Don’t fall for the traps that an ex sets. Past behavior won’t change because you wish it to. 3. Don’t be evil to people. If you win win and let the rest go.8

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Tales of Aramanthian Gardens: New Jack

He was late or rather, not as early as he would be normally. He was supposed to report to the lab at 8:00am and it was 7:45am when he arrived. He liked arriving at work at least a half hour earlier than his employer. He’d be sitting at his desk already engrossed in the day’s tasks when his boss arrived. For this reason, his bosses were always impressed with him and he needed to make a good impression in this new position. His dream job. He’s been working towards this for the last 8 years. As a Biochemistry and Botany dual major he completed a 4 year program in 3, and completed a PhD program and successfully argued his dissertation in a little over 2 years. Since then, he had been working with a government contractor. That’s when a headhunter approached him. “Hi, I heard you wanted to meet me,” he had said while shaking hands when he met the tall self possessed man. He exuded a confidence level that was a bit unnerving. He was used to applying for jobs and going on interviews. This had been a much different process. “My name is Trevor.” The man said, “I’m a big fan of your work. Your dissertation on cross cultivating plant species creating sturdier plants so they withstand harsher climates is revolutionary.” Surprise made him gasp audibly, “You actually read it? Most people just skim it and pat me on the head for writing a lengthy paper.” He was right, his current employer didn’t even remember the title. Trevor dismissed the question with a sly smile. Of course he hadn’t read that paper. It was the length of a Bible. But Trevor knew someone who had and they were very impressed. “Do you like tropical climates?” That’s how this all started. He got the job, found a place big enough for his mother brother and sister to join him. He had to take them. He owed a debt to them he wasn’t certain he’d ever be able to repay. He was the oldest by 12 years. They still needed a strong male figure in their day to day lives. A father figure. No, I can’t think about that right now. He shook his head. He needed to focus. He walked into the outer lab corridor and set his bags and briefcase on a desk with his name on it. Everything was quiet and still around him. Just as he let out a sigh of relief at being the first in, he heard the hiss from a decontamination pressure release. A set of glass doors slid open. A tall, slender man with graying red hair and a long white lab coat stepped out. A bald spot at the top of his head was visible as he read through several pages of test results intently. Without a glance from the charts and matrices in his hands, “it’s nice for you to join me today.” Sarcasm. It would be futile to point out that he was technically still early. “Good morning Dr. Herring. I’m...” Dr. Herring cut him off without looking up. “What type of employer would I be if I didn’t already know everything there is to know about you the least of which is your name.” Stunned silence. He watched as Dr. Herring finished examining his his lab results while the room became as silent as a tomb. All at once, Dr. Herring began rattling off a list of lab tests and their parameters. When he finished he said, “Did you get all that, Jack?” Should he have been writing the instructions down? How would he have known? “Umm ...” was all Jack could say. How eloquent, he thought chastisingly to himself. “Jack, I was under the impression that you aware of what is expected of you. Slowness of thought was not one of them.” Dream job indeed, Jack thought as he picked up a lab book and pen and began writing.

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Tales of Aramanthian Gardens: A Pejorative Proposal

“Alright, seems we’re all here.” Trevor said to the group of men congregating around the refreshments table. Trevor scoffed inwardly at the group eating as though they hadn’t had a meal in days. These were 15 to 20 of the most successful venture capitalists in the country. It takes months of scheduling to have a pitch meeting with any one of them, but offer a free shrimp cocktail platter and some champagne and they’ll make an appearance anywhere. All I need is ten minutes with someone and I can sell them anything. Hell, I could sell Buckingham Palace to the Queen of England and she’d think she got a deal for it, he had openly bragged to a patron at his favorite watering hole the night before. Although, it was the truth he had to admit it sounded inauthentic coming from a drunk who’d rather talk for hours with a stranger than go home and face his own reality. “Shall we get started?” He waved them over to the seats at conference table. Remain calm, remain focused, he tried to embody these words. Although sales and persuasion came naturally to him, he had practiced for decades sharpening this skill until he could use it like a surgical instrument. He went through his pitch quickly explaining charts and graphs that all relayed the same message, cash cows go moo! “Now that we’ve trimmed away the frivolities that the minor players always look for, let’s really get to the meat and trust me gentlemen this place is the finest Grade A Kobe Beef!” He got a few chuckles. ”Dr. Fordham Herring will give you a brief explanation of how the place works.” Most of the men in the room had ignored the older fellow in the brown suit and blue plaid dress shirt sitting in the corner until now. In thier world, a well tailored shoes and Italian shoes was the uniform of monied people. True powerbrokers exuded an image of wealth that was unmistakeable. Trevor examined the facial expressions of the attendees. The amusement had melted into thinly veiled disgust. Please God make him keep it brief, Trevor sent up a silent prayer. “Thank you Mr. Carson. Gentlemen, thank you for your time. Throughout history plant life on the globe has mutated and changed due to...” Trevor cleared his throat inconspicuously and made contact with the doctor. Dr. Herring shuffled his notes. In truth, his speech noteswere more like a dissertation. “Keep it simple stupid!” Trevor had barked at him before the meeting. He still detested the fact that the payoff for his life’s work was in the hands of this plebeian. “A park like this has never been attempted before go two reasons. The first being that most flowering plants only bloom for a limited amount of time when conditions are conducive. Second, these plants tend to be too fragile to create the types of attractions that a park this size would need to draw customers. We solved both of those issues.” The tension in Trevor eased as he realized a few of the participants had started jotting down notes and figures. “By genetically augmenting the plant’s feeding process we’ve been able to grow them 60% sturdier and extend thier lifespan by 75%.” “That’s it?” An attendee blurted out and Dr. Herring visibly bristled at the interruption. “Gentlemen remember these aren’t digits on page that you can massage after the audit,” Trevor quipped. A few men laughed a little too hard at the joke implying they are a bit more comfortable with fraud than Trevor would like to know. He had to check his portfolio later. The meeting ended with handshakes and promises to set contract negotiations for the following week. When they were alone Trevor poured two drinks and handed one to Dr. Herring. “Cheer up man, we did it! This time next year your lab will be up and running. You’ll be churning out beautiful flowers on a beautiful island.” Dr. Herring forced a smile and then sipped his drink as he thought, at what cost?

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Tales of Aramanthian Gardens: Lovers Amazed

“Bae, stop!” Cindy said in a high pitched whine that garnered a few eyerolls from the other patrons waiting in line. Her boyfriend Shawn was holding her in front of him with one arm while tickling her with his available hand. “I mean it, stop!” she exclaimed louder feeling embarrassed. Shawn pulled her closer and nipped at her neck. “Don’t act like you don’t like it,” he whispered in her ear. A sly smile sprang to life on her face. She did like it when he teased her; she just didn’t want anyone else to know. She had been talking about this theme park for months and almost did backflips when Shawn told her that he bought tickets for the grand opening. To onlookers they were two teenagers engaging in unnecessary PDA. In reality, they were 20 and 21 heading into their last year of college. The line move forward and Shawn pressed up against Cindy. Her eyes opened wide, “Babe! Really?”. Shawn looked confused for a second then realized the little box in his pocket was pressing against her hip. He shifted, “sorry, uh yeah you know what bein close to you does to me”. She could feel the blood rushing to her face. He couldn’t believe how stupid he was. He had almost spoiled the surprise and after all of that planning and preparation. Not to mention that long talk he had with her Dad last weekend. “I like you Shawn. You’ve made my daughter very happy these past 3 years but married? You two haven’t even finished college, yet! You’re too young!” He breathes for a beat to calm his nerves. He expected this response and planned on how he’d answer. “Sir, I’m know we are both young and have a lot to learn about this world. But, we don’t just learn and grow based on experiences. We can also learn from the lessons of those that came before us. I believe you and your wife are an excellent example for Cindy. As for me, I have 5 older brothers and since I could walk they told me that a good woman that truly loves you only happens once in your lifetime so you have to treat her and cherish her like gold. Your daughter and I were fortunate enough to find each other at an early age. I’m not a man that squanders once in a lifetime opportunities.” After a long moment of silence Shawn heard a single sniffle. “Marie, pick up the phone and say hello to your soon-to-be son-in-law.” His heart pounded as he turned over the plans for the day in his mind. We’ll go on every rides to get here heart racing then then hike up to Peaks Pitch. If we start up by 4 at a slow pace we’ll get there by sunset. He pulled her close and nibble at her neck again. “Excuse me!” The attendant at the front of the line called out. They walked forward hiding embarrassed giggles and tapped their pendants to enter the ride. “No need,” said the attendant, “that system has a few bugs in it today.” She cleared her throat and recited her blurb that people didn’t normally pay attention to. Shawn nodded his head but barely heard the words. What could happen in a hedge maze? It wasn’t even a ride. He would have missed it if Cindy hadn’t made a beeline for the entrance. She loved this stuff. She was a Botany major after all. Beauty and brains he was a lucky man. “...not to tamper with hedge placement and remember do not stay within the maze for an excess of 4 hours. Your pendant will buzz and a guard will come and find you”, the guard ended her speech so robotically that Cindy wondered whether the guard understood any of it. “Come on,” Shawn grabbed her hand and they entered the maze.

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Tales of Aramanthian Gardens: Foreign Descent

“Sir, you need ride?” Alexi was startled out of his daydream. He had been staring at the magazine clipping that had been in his pocket for the past year and a half. He had been browsing a bookstore near his job at the restaurant. He hated being early. They always expected him to work without getting any extra pay for the night. Aramanthian Gardens: Year round fun for the entire family. Alexi couldn’t read more than a word or two of English but it wasn’t the words that drew him. The beautiful fields, sculptures and structures made entirely of flowers was a hikers dream. He had saved every penny he earned and went hungry more than a few nights to be here at the airport so close to his final destination. “Hey,” Alexi had asked everyone he knew or met the same question since he found the ad. Now he spoke to the driver, “You think these picture real?” The driver glanced at the ad, then took a closer look. He looked back at Alexi with a worried look. “What hotel you stay?” Alexi assumed the language barrier was too great between them. Neither of them spoke English as a first language. “No hotel. I go here” Alexi pointed at the ad. The driver looked uncomfortable but this was lost on Alexi. His excitement would be his downfall. The driver spoke to someone. In his native language. Alexi assumed he was asking another driver for directions from the way they were moving their hands and pointing to him widely. “Ok,” the driver finally said to Alexi, “special price for trip”. Seems only fare for going straight to a theme park Alexi thought, and he got into the back of the taxi. After about 20 minutes, Alexi could see the sign for Aramanthian Gardens. It must be 10 stories high he thought as he pressed his face against the glass. They pulled up to the entrance soon after. The driver unsanctimoniously stopped the car, said “Out” over his shoulder and pulled off as soon as Alexi handed him the fare. He walked over to the entrance and couldn’t believe his luck. No lines! The cashier looked startled as if she hadn’t seen another person in days. “One ticket please,” said Alexi unable to hide his giddiness. The cashier said nothing but glanced up at the security camera as she printed his ticket. He thanked her and walked toward the tunnel entrance. He was looking at it and still couldn’t believe they had such a beautiful theme park and it catered to hikers and not just bloated families on rides and slides all day. Even this tunnel was state of the art. It was a four km narrow walkway through a cylindrical tunnel a mile above sea level. This entrance allowed you to walk right over the ocean to the island that houses the gardens. Alexi was speechless at the sight. The entire tunnel including the walkway was made of plexiglass and rigging so that flowers grew in 360 degree view. He could see right through the glass to the sky and ocean. Alexi looked at the brochure the cashier had given him. The tunnel was a mile in diameter. How far is a mile again? Alexi looked all around as he walked soaking it all in. Halfway across he realized he hadn’t been taking any pictures. He fumbled with his rucksack that held all of his belongings. An extra shirt, extra underwear, sunscreen, snacks, here it is. Alexis pulled out his camera. He snapped and viewed the screen several times. These pictures just don’t do it justice. I wonder what kind of lens the photographer was using when he... “Ah!” Alexis dropped the camera and grabbed at the railing as he sensed he was falling. He hadn’t realized a glass plate was missing from the walkway just ahead of him. Too slow, the alarm bells rang in his head as he flailed his arms looking for purchase. He found none. Alexi’s last vision was of his camera crashing below him and flaking into a dazzling array of silver particles over the most gorgeous bed of flowers he had ever seen in his now shortened life.

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Tales of Aramanthian Gardens: Hell arrives

“We ‘av arrive. I go to get di bags.” The driver looked at George in the back seat as he spoke in broken English. Helen tried not to look irritated. This country is so backwards she thought. I’m the one with a doctorate degree and I paid for this entire trip. Why is he automatically seen as the authority figure just because he’s got a penis? I’m the CFO of a Fortune 500 company! Well I was anyway. She had to catch herself. This is exactly what her therapist had been saying. “Helen, society is what it is and it’s not fair. You can’t take your frustration from other people’s behavior out on George.” Dr. Carson was right. She glanced at George in the rear view mirror. Their eyes met but he quickly looked away. After the driver exited and closed his door George said, “What’s with this guy, am I right? You’re in the front seat and he can’t seem to acknowledge that you’re even there.” George shook his head. I hate it when Dr. Carson is right, almost as much as I hate it when George is a push over. But I can’t let this marriage fail. She glanced over her shoulder at the two little terrors in the backseat seated on either side of their father. The Avril and Avery were intently typing away on their phones not paying attention. These kids are completely oblivious. They would’ve ended up on a plane to South Sudan if she hadn’t herded them through the airport like cattle. And where was George? Content to look through bookshelves for something occupy his time. He always needed something to occupy his time. He hadn’t worked since the twins were born 15 years ago. Her career was taking off and. His had just imploded. It seemed like the logical choice at the time. Who knew that decision would wreak havoc in their lives for over a decade? She reflected on the meeting she had had with her lawyers 3 months ago. “What do you mean I’d have to pay alimony? I’m the woman!” She was beside herself! “What can I say? Freedom has a price tag and for you it’s $10,000 or more a month, Hell.” Arthur and Helen had been friends for 23 years since undergrad. He used her nickname in the hopes that she’d calm down. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned they used to say. They had shared Econ 1101 their freshman year. That instructor was so aweful that the entire class failed the midterm despite forming a group and studying for a week straight. The instructor had given them the final instead of the midterm by mistake but refused to retest the class stating that they should have read ahead. To Helen this was unacceptable. She made that man’s life hell on earth. He eventually got fired and the entire class was awarded a passing grade but Helen got an A. After seeing the lengths she went to to remove that teacher, the Dean didn’t want that level of problems. “Arthur, I’m not even CFO anymore! They ousted me in the merger remember?” She exclaimed. This was highway robbery. “Two word, Hell” Arthur shrugged, “Stock options” Helen slouched at the conference room table. “It’s either make the marriage work or pay for the privilege of single life”. Now, Helen glanced at George again. That consultation hadn’t gone her way. Does he have any clue. How close I came to seeing him with papers? Would he file if he knew how much he could get from me? The couples therapy bills seem like a discount compared to what she would have had to pay for a divorce. The driver opened the door and looked at George, “All unpack sir. Pay now and leave with family.” Helen took a moment to soak in George’s face as it turned red. He didn’t have any money. Helen opened her purse and pulled out enough money to cover the ride twice. She gripped the man’s hand as she gave him the money looked him squarely in the eyes and said, “Yes we leave now”.

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Tales of Aramanthian Gardens: Forward

“Are you sure I got it all?” Miley asked as she ducked under another large flat leaf. She held her hand over head to protect her hair. She had just walked through a cobweb and couldn’t shake the feeling that a spider was crawling on her somewhere. “Would you turn and look for a sec?” Which made Eric huffed loudly. He made a quick glance over his shoulder and said in a loud whisper, “You’re fine now come on. And, stop making all that damn noise. Anyone could be around here and we don’t exactly have a map of this place.” “Uh, yeah we do” Miley’s voice came out at full volume before she slapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry” she mouthed silently. Reaching in her pocket she handed Eric a glossy pamphlet that said, Aramanth Gardens: year round fun for the entire family! Eric was stone faced as he looked at the flyer in her hand. He shook his head. “Take a look around, Sticks. Does this place look anything like that brochure anymore?” Realization flooded her eyes. The well manicured lawns and pristine structures in the pictures throughout the pamphlet bared no resemblance to the overgrown wasteland they trudged through now. What happened here? The grass at the entrance of the compound was almost shoulder height. “I don’t think that this is such a great idea.” Miley had a trepidatious look on her face. “Nope” “Come On, Eric” “Nothing’s going on because I’m not having this conversation with you again.” “I’m just saying maybe we should think about this plan a little more, maybe there’s another way.” Eric at his temper’s limit turned to fully face his sister. “Sticks, for the last time. We’re stuck in a foreign country, Jack’s missing, and the police won’t take our case seriously. We almost got taken to the orphanage when they found out Mom’s dead. We need him. We need Jack. He’s the only one who can get our passports from vault in the bank! Besides”, his voice broke, “don’t you want to know what happened him?” Miley hung her head, “No,” she says just above a whisper, “ it’s his fault we all came down here. Mom was fine when we were back in Florida. Now, she’s...” Mikey tried to hold back tears but a single stream betrayed her efforts. Eric hated seeing his little sister cry. He’s only 3 years older than her but even when she was a baby he’d throw every toy he could find in the crib when she cried hoping it would make her feel better. Now that they are 16 and 13 not much has changed. He stopped and put his arm around her shoulders pulling her in close. “I know. I know.” He comforted her, “But Jack doesn’t know yet. If he’s still...” His voice broke again. “If Jack is still alive he’s gonna want to know about Mom.” Eric forced the words out of his mouth in one quick breath. Miley wiped her face. She was worried about her oldest brother, Jack despite her anger from feeling abandoned. She decided not to let fear deter her. They really had no other options. She looked up at Eric, the protector she’s had her whole life. She mustered as much determination as she could and said, “Forward”.