“I object,” Jasper said morosely.
“To what?” the fairy mother replied. Her expression and tone of voice both bespoke surprise. “You’re about to cross the long bridge to Haven. What’s to object to?”
Jasper shook his head, raising a hand to his temple as if he had a headache. “I don’t know,” he said. “But I don’t feel like I have any rights to Haven. I mean, look at me.” And with that he spread his arms wide so that the fairy mother could take in the whole picture.
Jasper was a troll, but as trolls go, he wasn’t necessarily unpleasant to look at. He had two horns growing from the top of his head, his face was a little gnarled with a bushy mustache, and the rest of him was draped with a punk rock t-shirt and a cut pair of denim shorts. His feet were bare, as they would never have fit into a regular pair of human shoes. The claws on his toes would have shredded right through them.
“So what?” the fairy mother asked. “Trolls sometimes go to Haven. And you are a remarkably pleasant troll to deal with. You’ve always had others’ best interests at heart. You even saved a few humans in your time.”
“Fat lot of good that did me,” Jasper grumbled. “They always screamed and ran away from me. Then they’d chase me, usually with brooms and pitchforks. I must have been awful to be treated that way.”
“No, not awful,” replied the fairy mother. “Just misunderstood. It’s not your fault the humans chose to view you as an enemy rather than an ally.
“Look,” she continued. “You were always there for the wood folk — chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, deer, and the like. And the elves liked you well enough, which is high praise for them. They generally don’t like anyone who doesn’t have pointy ears like they do.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Jasper relented. “But Haven? Really?”
“Really,” the fairy mother replied. “Now get a move along. There’s technically no time limit for you to cross as there’s no time here. But they are expecting you at the other side. You’ll be happy there, I guarantee it. There’s no trouble, no strife, and definitely no humans. That’s just how we like Haven.”
“Okay,” Jasper said. He stood there for a moment, unsure of whether or not he should give the fairy mother a hug. She took the decision from him and pulling him in and giving him a warm hug. Then she released him and gave him a gentle push toward the bridge.
“Go,” she said quietly.
And he went.
