Beyond the Hollow
Once upon a calm spring evening, an Elder Faerie was awoken from her slumber by the frightened cry of an infant. Willow had isolated herself for many centuries, as was her duty as the Caretaker of the Enchanted Hollow. Forbidden to engage with the realm beyond the Hollow's boundary, forced to spend eternity alone, that was until she stepped outside. A tiny creature, swaddled tightly in a blanket, a single pink curl, reddened cheeks streaming with tears. Willow took the infant in her arms, cradling them against her warmth as she rocked them gently. The wailing soon ceased, replaced with a sickly sweet cooing. Returning to her home inside a grand maple tree with the infant in her arms, Willow realised that although she was destined to be alone, her fate was now intertwined with the infant. It was clear fate had a wicked sense of humour.As the years flew by, the infant grew into a curious being. Given the name, Maple Juniper Meadow. From the Maple Tree they lived, the Juniper bushes that grew around the trunk, and the Meadow in which she grew up. But as her confidence grew, she preferred to go by the name Mojo.Mojo grew up in the Enchanted Hollow, befriending every animal that made their home there. As she grew, she became most curious about her surroundings, including a small pink hedgehog that never seemed to leave her side. The two became inseparable and spent all their time together. She learnt her Grandmother's ways of Botany, foraging for ingredients for their Potions to aid the Hollow's growth. She learnt every name for the flowers and fauna. By the age of ten, she could reproduce half the recipes from memory alone.Over time, her appearance shifted. One day, she appeared with deer antlers protruding from beneath her pink tresses. Other days, iridescent wings sprouted from her back. Her Caretaker, whom she called Grandmother, Willow, was unsure what to make of the child. It was clear she wasn't an ordinary fae creature. Only when the child became of age did her origins become clear.While an Elder Faerie raised Mojo, she never once questioned why her appearance differed from her grandmother's. Her Faerie form was created by mimicking the Elder's pointed ears and stained-glass-like wings. She learnt to transform herself into a Deerling after an injured one wandered into the Enchanted Hollow. Together, she and her Grandmother nursed her back to health before sending her on her way. Shapeshifting came as easily to her as breathing.Her Grandmother told her stories about the world beyond the Enchanted Hollow, but warned Mojo not to stray from their home. Although the world may seem fantastical, there existed dangers for their kind beyond the veil. She told her the tale of a curious race known as Humans, and how Humans often feared what they couldn't understand. The Fae became mere myth to the Humans after they retreated into hiding for their own safety. A grand forest was erected to separate the two worlds, with the Enchanted Hollow standing as a silent sentinel between the realms. Her Grandmother warned her not to stray beyond the veil, but curiosity got the better of her.The Deerling that had once been healed by the Fae often returned to the Enchanted Hollow. Every time Mojo watched her walk away, she desired to follow. Each time the Deerling visited, Mojo bribed her to come close, offering her homegrown vegetables. Their friendship blossomed, and when the Deerling left that evening, Mojo's curiosity led her astray. Although her hedgehog friend, Bramble, warned her against doing so, Mojo decided to explore the world beyond the Hollow.When she stepped beyond the veil, she could no longer feel the magic of the hollow; instead, there was a chill that spider-climbed down her spine. She knew what she was doing was forbidden, but her curiosity pushed her to explore further. To blend in with her surroundings, she shapeshifted into a Deerling, mirroring her friend's form. She stalked closely behind, gazing at the twilight fading into dusk.Mesmerised by the scene unfolding before her, she was unaware of the approaching threat. A twang of a bow, the whistling arrow as it flew through the air, and making contact with her antlers. Mojo tumbled to the earth, her deer-form dissolving into her faerie form. The arrow lay before her, a chip of bone beside it. Someone meant to harm her.In the distance, she heard voices, followed by the stomping of boots and hooves. They were looking for her. She recalled her Grandmother's words, 'Humans fear what they cannot understand. To them, the Fae were myth.' Not all the tales she was told ended happily; many found their kind met with a terrible end. Mojo stuffed the arrow and the bone chip in her pocket and hurried back to the veil. The hunters followed. Mojo willed for them to disappear, and in the blink of an eye, she shrank to the size of a butterfly. A cerise orb with iridescent wings skirted around the hunters and back through the veil.Mojo returned to her true form, tumbling to the ground at her Grandmother's feet. She knew she'd done wrong, that she'd deliberately ignored her Grandmother's plea to keep her safe. Despite her wailing and apologising, her Grandmother didn't once scold her. She was just happy to see her home safe. When Mojo presented the bone shard that had been chipped from her antler, her Grandmother informed her that it would be something she'd have to live with, a reminder of this day.Mojo soon realised her magic couldn't cure everything. She's struggling to find her words and express her feelings. She learnt to communicate in her own way, using her magic to create and aid others. Mojo spent her days smiling, yet behind her pastel-blue eyes hid her deepest secret. A visual impairment that forces her to see the world differently from others. But she doesn't see it as a weakness, because it allows her to see only beauty in the world around her. A world full of infinite possibilities.On the Eve of her twentieth birthday, her Grandmother sat her down after supper to tell her the truth. How she found Mojo has an infant on her doorstep, a rejected changeling baby with a powerful affinity for magic. Those from the Elder's Realm would've claimed the fate as an ill omen, but her Grandmother was forever grateful when the bundle appeared on her doorstep. The Elder chose to love Mojo, to raise her and care for her as her own Grandchild.Her Grandmother's love continued even after she passed away peacefully. Now that Mojo had become of age, the ownership of the Enchanted Hollow rested with her. She vowed to continue her Grandmother's legacy and protect the place she calls home with the same love an Elder Faerie gave an abandoned Changeling infant.Mojo rarely wanders beyond the veil, unless the curiosity gets the better of her, choosing to remain in the butterfly form and keeping her distance from Humans. She likes watching them, learning their ways, and retrieving the trinkets they leave behind to decorate the Hollow.The Enchanted Hollow remains as a silent sentinel between realms, with a new Guardian at the helm. She welcomes new friends to come stay a while, whether you're Fae or otherwise. You'll always have a home in the Enchanted Hollow.
