Spring in Goodharts was magical. The most delicate flowers adorned every front garden and their sweet scent filled the air ─ hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, and lilies-of-the-valley. Later, when the sun turned more generous, the lilac bushes and magnolia shrubs together with the climbing morning glories conquered every small, white fence, embracing it with their fragile arms of white, pink, and purple flowers.

Ferry was breathing every breeze of spring. Every ray of light, no matter how frail, was a new victory against the grey reign of the winter, a step closer to the much-beloved summer.

The snow and cold were now a distant memory. The streets were full of happy people, loud children, and a pleasant buzzing in which people's voices and laughter tangled with birds' singing and insects whirl. And that murmur was heard until late in the night. It was the laughter of those who took long walks on the alleys. Or maybe it was the chat of a dozen workers gathered in front of the tavern after a long day of work.

The hills, fearless giants watching over the town below, had put on their green attire. The playground was always crowded with small feet running all over, with laughter, and happy shouts. Ferry couldn't get enough of watching the spring commotion. For the first time, he was observing it outside his backyard.

Yet, the swing under the old walnut tree was still his favorite place in the entire world. The memory of the past years, between the white sheets swollen by the wind, was one of his most cherished memories. He loved the smell of clean clothes, of soap blending with the fresh scent of the evening, when the swing lifted him up in the air, making him feel like he was flying. From up there, he could see the forest, mighty and silent. The whispers he once heard had come to an end now.

But the lights were still purling between the trees, ever more alluring. His mother told him they were fireflies. But Ferry knew fireflies couldn't be visible from such a distance. The small lights were coming together, dancing in circles, hopping like small children, and sometimes they even had a shape. Most often, it was the shape of a star, and then that star exploded in thousands of sparkles, scattered by the light breeze he could feel, even if so far away. The forest,  as always, was calling him.

Yet even so, the more spring was gaining its rights, the more the forest was being avoided. The only advice the parents were giving to their children was to stay away from it. Other than that, they could almost do anything they wanted as long as they were home for dinner. Things were simple in Goodharts; and people intended to keep them that way.

Ferry enjoyed the spring with his good friends, Matilda and Ben. Now and then, he paid May a visit. That spring, May had been rather ill, catching a cold almost every two weeks. So Ferry was the one to help her catch up with school. The two children did their homework on the balcony of her room. There, more than any other place, Ferry felt the spring. During study breaks, they were sipping the lemonade May's mother prepared for them. Then, they made bubbles with the straws in the glass and laughed until their stomach hurt. Ferry was to remember those moments many years later when the perfumed memories of those afternoons were to bring him peace during hard times.

In Goodharts, almost every child had a bike. At the first signs of spring, they were taking out their bikes and wander the hills until the last drops of light were swollen by darkness.

"I can't wait for the bike race," Matilda said, shook by a shiver of excitement. "I'm sure I'll win this year."

"What race?" asked Ferry.

"Every year, the children are organizing a bike race," Matilda explained. "The rules are simple ─ you have to be over seven years old and, of course, have a bike. We gather around twenty children and go to the top of the hill. Then we have to go around the town by bike and stop at the finish line in the central square. Last year, Billy Pride won, of course, only because he had the fastest bike. His father buys him the most expensive ones. But this year, things are going to change. I'll take the time to train," she said stressing the words.

"You still need to fix your bike, Matt," Ben advised her. "You've always had troubles with the brakes."

"I know..." she said, suddenly turning sad. "My bike is pretty old. It belonged to my father."

"Maybe I could ask my dad to look at it," said Ferry. "He's good at fixing things."

Matilda was enthusiastic, "What a great idea! Will you come?"

Ferry hesitated for a moment. "I─ I don't have a bike..."

His friends looked at each other, the wonder in their eyes.

"But I'll come, anyway, to cheer you up," he said, trying to smile.

"Ben, you could borrow him your bike," Matilda suggested. "You're always among the last ones, anyway."

Ferry could read the disappointment on Ben's face. "You don't have to, Ben. I can't ride a bike, anyway..." Matilda tried to protest, but Ferry cut her short, "So it's settled. I'll do the cheering."

"Ben couldn't possibly win, anyway..." Matilda muttered.

Yet, none of his friends knew how to get Ferry a bike. Matilda had an idea, "I Know! It would be great if Billy Pride would give up one of his old bikes. He has several, anyway. He can't ride them all at once."

Ferry shook his head, "Billy hates me. He would never give me anything."

Nevertheless, Matilda's training started the very next day. She was determined, but her bike was quite old. Ben's bike was no better. His father had bought it from a flea market. But Ben didn't want to win, anyway. And yet, Ferry learned how to ride a bike with the help of his friends. And even though he wasn't as fast as Matilda, riding the bike became one of Ferry's favorite activities. When he let go from the top of the hill, the wind was hissing in his ears, kissing him with soft and cool touches. The best scents, of grass and flowers, were accompanying him on his crazy rush to the foot of the hill. It was the best feeling of all.

"I'm going out to ride the bike with Matt and Ben, Mum," he used to say every afternoon, dashing out the door before she could say anything.

One evening, his father called him in his workshop. Usually, Ferry avoided going to that place. He could feel the iron even from outside. He also felt completely useless to his father. For every time he couldn't craft something, it was as if he was letting him down.

That evening, though, his father seemed different. Different from the sulky he usually was.

"Come in, Ferry, come in," he encouraged him. He seemed nervous, for some reason.

His father went to the back of the workshop and came back with a bike. "It's for your birthday, but we thought we should give it to you earlier..."

Ferry couldn't believe his eyes. His father made him a bike! And it even looked like a new one! It was painted red and white and it was shining. The boy was speechless.

"Thank you, Dad," he managed to say.

"You're welcome, son! And Ferry─"

Ferry was waiting. "Yes, dad..."

"Nothing..." he said. "Take good care of your bicycle, I've worked a lot to make it," he added before going back to what he was crafting.

⃰

Finally, the day of the biking race arrived. It was a warm afternoon, the sun gently coming down over a small, noisy crowd. The children met on the top of the hill, as settled. Almost every child in Ferry's class was there. Danny, Cecilia, even May, they were all waiting for the bike race to begin. May's bike was pink and decorated with hyacinth and lilac flowers. The only one missing was Billy. He turned up late, slightly agitated, with rosy cheeks and gasping. He had a new bike, of course, painted in red and blue, with a bell and a mirror on the handlebar. It was the shiniest of all and probably, the fastest.

A younger child gave the start signal, waving with energy a white scarf. All the bikes descended, shining in the sun. Billy Pride was already in front of all, closely followed by Matilda. Ferry's dad did a good job with her bike. Even though it wasn't new, it was just as fast as Billy's.

After a while, the crowd of bikers dissipated. Matilda was pedaling with tooth and nails and shortly after, she managed to surpass Billy. Ferry was the third. He saw Matilda gaining speed, then going away further and further ahead, until she became a small dot on the horizon. Billy was way behind her, and at that moment, it looked very difficult for him to win. Ferry would have probably surpassed him, too, if he hadn't watched behind, looking for May. May's bike was stumbling over every boulder on the way. She was among the last. Even Ben was ahead of her. Right behind Ferry, there was Cecilia, with her blonde, sunny locks in the air fluttering on her back. She was pedaling with frenzy, hoping to exceed Ferry. Precisely because of that, she didn't see the boulder in her way, and she fell, wounding her knee. The other children passed her by, without stopping, a sign she wasn't as loved as she thought. Not many really liked Cecilia, apparently. Ferry was ready to go back and help her, but then, he saw Ben stopping and offering her his hand. The knight in Ben was on duty, even if he knew he would lose the race. Cecilia was in good hands.

But May was nowhere to be seen, and Ferry went back, looking for her. He found her crying near her turned-over bike.

"I can't move on," she sobbed. "I get tired so easily... But you should go back, Ferry. I wouldn't want you to lose the race because of me."

Ferry helped her get up and dust off her clothes.

"I'm way behind, anyway," he said. "And no one could ever beat Matt."

May wiped out her tears and smiled, "And now?"

"Now we'll go biking," he said.

May nodded. "Where to?" she asked.

"Follow me," said Ferry jumping on his bike. "I want to show you something."

And they headed towards the western hills. Towards the Shepherd's Forest.

They were slowly pedaling, the sunset's light caressing their heads. The cherry trees on the side of the road were shaking their flowers, their petals touching their faces with soft kisses. Ferry was looking back once in a while to see May following him with a big smile on her face. She didn't look tired anymore, and the sun was playing in her hair, bringing ruby-red colors in her playful tresses.

When they arrived, the shadows of the night were already starting to hover about. A fresh scent, of moist ground and wildflowers, was filling the cool, wet air around.

For a moment, May hesitated, "You know we're not allowed to come near the forest," she whispered as if someone would have discovered their frisk.

"Don't worry," he said, "we'll only sit here, at the edge of the forest. I want to show you something."

They waited for a few moments and soon, the first sparks showed up between the branches. Then, the lights multiplied, shimmering and dancing in the air. May was watching, and her eyes were smiling.

"It's beautiful," she said. "I've never seen anything more beautiful."

"My Mum says they're fireflies," said Ferry, his eyes also following the glowing dance.

May shook her head no, "I don't think they're fireflies."

"What do you think they are?"

"They're fairies," she said as natural as can be.

And for a few minutes, none of them said a word, watching the magical show in front of them. Suddenly, something changed, and they both shivered. Something was rustling on the carpet of leaves and branches covering the ground. And soon, they saw a shadow among the trees. Someone was giggling. A little girl. She passed by right in front of their stunned eyes. And they both felt like time was running really slow as she hopping and dancing, making pirouettes in front of them; as if she was on a show and they were her audience. She didn't seem like minding them, though. She looked as if heading somewhere. And before they knew it, they lost sight of her, as she melted into the thin, green mist among the trees.

"What was that?" asked May, troubled about the vision. "Have you seen her, too?"

"I did..." he answered. For it wasn't the first time when he saw that little girl, playing hide-and-seek with someone unseen.

"Maybe we should go," May said. "You know what they say about the forest. We shouldn't have come so close..."

"You're right," Ferry agreed, "we should go back. Probably the race is over by now. We should congratulate Matt," he added, trying to make her forget about that odd vision.

They were now pedaling fast as if someone was after them. When they got to the central square, something caught their attention. A group of children gathered around two other children ─ Matilda and Billy. And they were fighting.

"You cheated!" Matilda was shouting at Billy.

"No, I didn't," Billy replied, "I won as always. Because I'm the best," he said with a satisfied smile on his face.

"No, you cheated! I saw you when you place something on the wheel of your bike. Some kind of mechanism that was shining while you were pedaling. And that's cheating," she said.

"You're just saying this because you lost," Billy snarled. "Go on! Take a look at my bike! There's no mechanism."

Matilda carefully studied the bicycle but couldn't discover anything unusual. Ferry stepped closer, and he also looked at Billy's bike.

"I could have sworn there was something on the wheel, Ferry," Matilda said when she saw him. She was close to crying which was not like her, "It was something shiny that sparkled in thousands of colors. It was just me and him and after a while, I could see his bike... flying. I know it sounds mad, but that's what I saw. And that's how he won the race," she sobbed.

"That's silly," Billy laughed in her face. "Who's ever heard of a bike flying? I can tell you are spending too much time with Donovan, Matt. You have become just as weird."

Matilda was shaking with anger, and she was about to throw herself on Billy. Luckily, Ferry stopped her in time.

Billy took his bike, and he passed them by with a grin on his face.

"Let's go, Celia," he said to Cecilia. "Winner, again," he added, loud enough so that everyone could hear him.

Cecilia was limping. Her knee was bandaged with Ben's handkerchief. Because of that, Ben also abandoned the race. She looked as if wanting to say something to Ben before leaving. But then she changed her mind; instead, she passed by him, her snub nose in the air as always. She joined Billy, barely pushing her bike.

"I'm sure I saw his bike flying, Ferry," Matilda said, her eyes in tears. "I wish you could see it, too..."

Then, all of a sudden, she scowled, "By the way, where were you?" she asked while her foot was tapping. Then, she saw May, sitting next to Ferry's bike. "Oh, I see now," she said, light bolts coming to her eyes. "Thanks for being there for me," she spat the words at him.

Then, she mounted on her bike and pedaled so furiously, you could say smoke was coming out of her bike's wheels. She then disappeared on a dark alley, without looking back.

Well, what do you think? What was that mysterious object Matilda saw on Billy's bike? Can't wait to hear your thoughts! Also, don't forget to vote! Thank you so, so much!