Ferry tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. He felt like sinking into a soft mattress, deeper and deeper. Yet, the feeling was unpleasant as if falling into the abyss. His heart rumbled in his ears. He felt his body numb, although he was certain his mind was awake. He thought about moving a finger, any finger; he tried in vain to make his thumb move. When his finger eventually flinched, which seemed like taking an eternity, he could finally open his eyes.

At first, he was blinded by a bright, white light coming from all over. He had a strong headache, and he felt like he hasn't been sleeping for ages. He still couldn't open his eyes completely, so he pulled the hood of his cloak over his forehead to protect his eyes from the bright light.

He laid on a green, radiant meadow, the greenest he's ever seen. Every blade looked like emerald-made, gently moving in the wind, bringing tickles to his cheeks. A few steps away, he saw Matilda, also lying on the grass. She looked like she was sleeping.

Ferry got up on his feet, stumbled, and tried to make a few steps. He could barely walk as if something was tied to his legs. He almost crawled to Matilda. When he reached her, he put his hand on her forehead. It was hot. He searched the girl's backpack, then took out a thermos and put some tea on her burnt lips.

"Matt, are you all right?" he whispered, his heart aching.

Matilda opened her eyes and tried to get up. She looked dizzy and she could barely speak. She took a deep breath but seem to choke on the crisp air.

"Where are we?" she said, coughing.

Ferry looked around. He had never seen such an unusual, strange place, yet somehow familiar like he's been there before. They were surrounded by the most beautiful, yet odd flowers and plants. Some of them as if they had faces and tried to tell them something, yet they could hear only the rustling of the grass in the wind. The sun gently shone in the sky, but the light was somehow stronger. Brighter. The colors were more vibrant. The air was fresher, crisper, filled with sweet and sourish fruity scents, as well as scents of herbs, flowers, and bark. It smelled like the earth after the rain. It smelled like wildness.

The sky looked somehow closer and colored stripes were floating in the light of the sunset ahead of them. The children had to shelter their eyes with their hands because of so much brightness. The landscape in front of them was endless. From three sides, the meadow was surrounded by trees, hundreds and thousands of trees, like a sea of leaves rustling in the soft wind that was blowing.

"I think we're on the other side..." he eventually said.

Matilda couldn't believe her eyes. "You mean this place is real? Are we really in fairyland?"

Ferry nodded. After a few moments of astonishment, Matilda managed to stand up. Her gaze stopped on her feet. The thread on her ankle had become thicker and no matter how hard she tried to untie it, she couldn't. Ferry also tried, but the knot was strong as if made by the most skillful sailor.

"What's going on, Ferry? Why can't I untie it?" she said, and Ferry could read the worry in her voice.

Ferry studied the thread. It was thick, yet when he took it in his hand it felt as light as a feather.

"I told you we shouldn't have trusted that old witch," he heard Matilda wailing.

"Maybe you shouldn't complain that much and see where the other end of the thread is going. I'm pretty sure you can walk."

He was right—the other end of the thread was crossing the meadow, going down a small hill to the village with colored roofs that loomed in front of them. They could even hear music and hubbub somewhere in the distance, and laughter and joyful shouts carried away by the wind. It made them curious and frightened at the same time.

Ferry studied the map. They had no choice. First, they had to cross the setting and set Matilda free. And as he looked at the map, everything made sense—it was the map of that strange, magical place they had just arrived.

"We must go there," he told Matilda, pointing to the village.

Matilda hesitated, "What if someone finds out who we really are and why are we here for?"

Ferry couldn't find an answer to that. He covered his head with the hood of his cloak, took a deep breath, and he was ready to go. To their surprise, Matilda could walk as if there was nothing tied to her foot. They both set moving with hesitant pace, almost clinging to each other. Ferry felt as if he was sleepwalking; as if the ground beneath was moving, making waves and bringing obstacles on their way, and that he could stumble any time. Yet, nothing happened. He even felt he was floating. The sight in front of them looked shifty, changing with every step they took. As if everything around, grass, tree, or plant, could think and know what they had in mind.

Suddenly, they could hear a great hubbub somewhere behind. And before they knew it, hundreds of sheep which seemed like they came out of nowhere, surrounded them. They were slowly heading towards the village ahead. They looked like ordinary sheep. Only their wool seemed softer, of the purest white they have ever seen. The strangest thing of all was that none of them had horns.

The children stopped on their way, unable to do or say anything. When the last sheep passed them by, they could finally meet their shepherd. He looked like an ordinary shepherd, maundering behind his sheep, whistling a jolly song. He wore a long, white shirt and a wide leather belt. He had a funny hat, the shape of a church bell, covering his forehead completely.

He took his hat off, then took a deep bow in front of them. He had dark hair while his eyes, though as dark as smut, were jolly and kind.

"Greetings, visitors! Welcome to Tenalach! May I be your humble guide on your journey to this beautiful land of ours? Where to?"

Matilda poked Ferry in the ribs. The truth is Ferry was just as stunned about the amazing, yet not-know-what-to-expect-from surroundings. And now this stranger came along and he even seemed to speak their language.

"Greetings," said Ferry under his breath, adjusting the hood on his head.

"My name is Petrichor," the shepherd said, smiling.

"I'm F ─ Andrew," Ferry babbled, "and this is ─"

"He's your Unfay, isn't he?"

The children looked at each other. They had no clue what he was talking about.

"Unfay is a human captured by a fairy and taken to fairyland," the stranger said. "Now you are his master. Didn't you know that? What is the name of your Unfay?"

"Matt, his name is Matt," said Matilda before he could say anything.

Truth be told, Matilda, with her short haircut and her old, patched overall, looked more like a boy than a little girl. But that didn't seem to bother her as much as the fact that the shepherd has called Ferry her master. To Matilda, that was outrageous!

"How can you tell I'm an... Unfay?" she asked, ready to argue.

"From the thread that's tied to your foot, of course. Though, if I may add, you are the naughtiest Unfay I've ever met. You should listen to your master and not talk unless asked," he added. "Else, you're going to the Blind Alley."

"What is that?" Ferry and Matilda asked at the same time.

The shepherd grew serious. "It is a terrible place, built out of iron and despair. That's where the unbroken Unfays are going. Those are the Unfays who couldn't forget they were once humans. The memory of their past lives clings at them as a spider clings at its web. Even if you take it away from his web, the thin cobweb still ties them together, no matter how far it's going..."

"And where is that place?" Ferry asked.

The shepherd hesitated for a moment. "Well, that is not the place to visit. The light can't reach there and danger is lurking like a wolf lurking at sheep..." he said, lost in thought. "So, where are you going, chaps?" he said, happy he could change the subject."You're here for the Midsummer Feast, isn't that so? Everyone is coming for the feast these days. Fairies from all the realms and corners of our land gather here to take pleasure of the earth, the wind, and the sky. To sing, dance, and enjoy the good fellows. And to watch the Moon which hasn't risen around here in a long, long time..."

Ferry was about to ask more about that feast which seemed so important for the people of this land. But the shepherd seemed in a hurry all of a sudden, "Well, see you soon, lads! May the wind watch over your path!" he said, before setting out after his sheep.

Ferry and Matilda shrugged, more puzzled than before. They decided they should head towards the village in the valley. If Danny was to be held somewhere, that must have been the Blind Alley.

Now that the shepherd and his sheep were out of their sight, they could take a better look at the strange surroundings. And boy there were so many wonders to look at!

Wherever they looked, unusual, yet marvelous creatures emerged. Bees the size of a sparrow and sparrows the size of a bee. Butterflies flew above them, taking the shapes of flowers, and clouds, and the rays of the sun. The grass on the path was soft, and it felt like the softest carpet. On the sides of the path, the children could see the biggest, most curious mushrooms. They had beautiful, colored patterns and wonderful painted landscapes that changed from time to time, like turning into a living canvas. And they could have sworn those mushrooms could actually breathe!

Berries were sparkling from every bush they met on their way. Blue, pink, purple, or black, they spread a sweet-sour flavor that filled the air. Ferry picked a red, ripe berry and ate it. His mouth was instantly filled with the sweetest, most delicious juice he had ever tasted. It tasted like strawberries, blueberries, apples, and vanilla biscuits altogether.

"Ferry, what are you doing?" Matilda shouted.

"It's delicious, Matt," he said, licking the sweet juice off his fingers. "You should try it."

"I'm not eating anything of this land!" she said. "My grandma told me that if you eat something from fairyland, you will never go back. You're stuck here forever."

So she took a cracker from her backpack and crunched it with little pleasure.

Ferry didn't mind her and kept on walking. Funny thing, with every step he took, the dizziness and the numbness slowly dissipated. With every step he took, he felt his heart lighter. He felt happy like a small child in a candy factory. His walking turned into a bounce, and soon Matilda had to run to catch up with him.

"Ferry, slow down!" he could hear her yelling behind him.

"Come on, Matt, what's keeping you from running?" he laughed.

Yet, he slowed down and waited for her, for he still didn't know what to expect of that place. Besides, being separated from Matilda was the last thing he wanted.

After a while, both children felt something strange in the air. It felt like a wing's flap, flying close to their ears. And yet, they couldn't see any bird. But then again, wasn't that the land of faes? How normal could anything be in that land? Soon, the flap turned into an eddy of wind that ruffled their hair, pushing them from behind, throwing flowers in their faces, and making them sneeze.

 Ferry had a strange feeling that someone was whispering his name, but he could see no one; he could even hear a soft voice singing a song. Slowly, like a faint whisper, melting in the air. He knew that song all too well. He had heard it so many times before. That song followed him for as long as he could remember. And now, someone unseen was singing it right into his ear.

"What is this, Ferry?" Matilda asked, interrupting his thoughts. She was tired of waving her hands in the air to chase away the unseen bugs or birds that nagged her.

Ferry was sure they weren't bugs, nor birds. And when he saw Matilda's eyes growing wide with wonder, he knew something strange was happening. He could feel invisible hands pulling off his hood and playing with his hair. Then, he felt the hands braiding his hair and soon his head was adorned with the most beautiful, delicate flowers.

A bigger wind whirl, with bugs, leaves, flowers, and sparks spinning inside appeared in front of them, blocking their way. The whirl span around them, ever more rapidly. And from the middle of it, the most curious creature emerged.

So Ferry finally reaches fairyland! There are so many magical things to be discovered in Tenalach, the fairy name for Shepherd's Forest! Did you know that Tenalach (Irish) used to describe a relationship one has with the land, air, and water, a deep connection that allows one to literally hear the Earth sing?

Let me know what you think of this chapter. Things are going a bit differently and I'm really curious what you think ;)