Ferry was quiet ever since Oona has left. He walked behind everyone, keeping his gaze down. Baldie noticed his sorrow but didn't say anything. The others yammered, anxious to reach the world of humans. Even the fairies. Izzy and Rosemary looked like they could hardly wait for their reunion with Ben and May. All of a sudden, the world of humans had turned into that place where they felt good and safe. It felt like home.

Ferry missed home just as much. He missed Ben's gentle voice and May's warm smile. He missed his room and the swing under the old walnut tree. He even missed the anthill that used to appear on the back wall of the house for as long as he could remember ─ which refused to die, to his father's desperation. He even missed his father. Yet, his mum was the one te missed the most. Even though he knew she wasn't his real mother, he still missed her warm embrace and her gentle caress.

But now, the closer they came to the Door between the Worlds, the more unsteady his pace was.

"Ferry, keep up!" Matilda shouted at him a few times.

But he couldn't care less. All he could think about were Baldie's words, echoing in his head again and again ─ When the Moon is rising high/Look to the Fountain through the Blue Eye.

Now he knew where the Fountain of Truth was. He even had a plan. He stopped, the plan growing bigger in his head. The others observed he was missing and stopped, too, turning back. 

"What is it, Ferry?" asked Baldie.

He hesitated for a moment. Then he took a long breath and said, "I need to go back to the Blind Alley. Don't worry. I just ─ I have something to do. See you at the Door between the worlds," he added, taking a step back. "I'll be back before you know it."

Matilda's eyes were wide with amazement, "What? What are you talking about?" she said, stepping closer with a menacing pace.

"Ferry, don't do this! Come with us," he could hear Baldie's firm voice.

"I can't leave yet, Baldie..."

Everyone turned to him, "You can't go back there, it's too dangerous..."

Matilda let him know she wasn't joking, "Ferry, get back here this instant!"

"Ferry, we're so close. There isn't much time," Baldie tried to persuade him.

But Ferry took another step back. "I'm sorry, Baldie... I need to do this."

"I can't let you do that," said Baldie with a strange look on his face. "I failed once. It is not going to happen again," he said, heading towards him at a firm pace.

But Ferry was faster. He attached the blue feather to his head and vanished before everyone's sight. Then, he headed towards the Blind Alley without looking back. He could hear his friends calling him, begging him to come back. He clenched his fists and began to run. His decision was made ─ he was going to help Oona find her mother. He owed her that much. But first, he needed to find her.

He looked for her in the Secluded Forest, in every napping shelters he met on his way, and at The Hornless Unicorn.

He didn't have a clear plan, though. Ever since he heard Baldie talking about the Fountain of Truth, he had no peace. Behind the veil of his invisibility charm, it was easy for him to slink between the Fae People. But the closer he got to the Fae Queen's Palace, the more the hubbub and the frenzy grew.

He knew that soon, the Moon will grow high in the sky. He knew that the Door between the Worlds would close after the Moon would set. And he and his friends would be stuck in fairyland for a long, long time. Maybe forever.

But as he got closer to the Palace, it was harder for him to move forward. The Fae People were crowding to get the best place around some sort of a dome made of blossomed branches. And in the middle of that dome, dominating the place with its bright, hypnotizing light, there was the gigantic orb Ferry had seen in Fae Queen's Palace. A sign the Midsummer Ceremony was about to start. Everyone around the orb cheered, laughed, sang, shouted, danced, clapped, and the air around vibrated with the hubbub. Yet, no one dared to come too close to the orb. They weren't even looking at it; as if they were afraid of it.

But Ferry had not the time to think about that. He searched for Oona among the magical creatures around him. Yet, he couldn't see her anywhere. Soon, he realized he had no chance to find her. He walked away from the crowd that almost suffocated him. A shiver crossed his body at the thought he was to enter the Palace again to search for her.

But just when he was about to set off to the Palace, he saw Poppy. He followed her, thinking he's almost forgotten about her and his intention of bringing her home, to her mum. Ever since he met her, she's always behaved like a real fairy. Yet, he had that precious thing Poppy still dreamt about. That object that could bring back her memories. The doll.

He followed her, protected by his invisibility, and careful not to make the smallest sound. In the moonlight shadow, she looked careless and free. And, just like him, she walked away from the crowd around the Palace. Then, she headed towards a meadow. Ferry felt that all the meadows looked the same in Tenalach, but as he walked one by, they were very different. None looked like the other. In this one, Ferry discovered a tall wall of foliage that looked like surrounding a garden. In a weird way, it looked like the one Ferry's seen at the Pride residence. Then, under his very eyes, Poppy went through the wall as if entering a room.

Ferry went on the other side just as easily. He didn't need any magical power to do it. On the other side, there was Oona, playing with pebbles and flowers.

At the sight of Poppy, she jumped to her feet. "Caireann, I've told you not to come here. It's my secret place, for me to be ALONE," she scolded the little fairy.

"I know, I know," Poppy tried to explain. "But Alwyn kept on asking and asking about you. And I don't want you to get into trouble..."

Oona was not listening to her. Instead, she looked around her, sniffing the air. "Has anyone followed you? Seen or unseen?"

Poppy shrugged. "I don't know," she mumbled. "I don't think so..."

Oona shook her head with disappointment.

"How many times have I told you? If you want to be sure no one's following, you need to throw tickle-flower pollen behind you," she said, showing Poppy a small sack of powder tied to her wrist. "And if someone is following you, that someone will sneeze," Oona finished her lecture.

Poppy nodded, her eyes in tears, "I'm sorry, Oona. I didn't want to upset you..."

Oona seemed to calm down a bit, "Don't worry. You didn't upset me," she said, caressing Poppy's hair. "Now tell me. Why did Alwyn want me to come?"

"Well, Breena told me Alwyn told her she was looking for you. She needed to talk to you about the ritual. They brought the Orb. It's so beautiful. It shines brighter than the Sun..."

But Oona didn't look so enthusiastic, "All right," she said with a sigh, "go tell Alwyn I'm rehearsing for the Dance of the Moon."

Then she tickled Poppy and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Poppy accepted the cuddling with great joy, just as a pet, happy to please its master. Then, she kissed Oona on the cheek and she walked away through the wall of foliage.

Ferry looked at the whole scene from aside. Oona's hideout was amazing. It looked like a small garden surrounded by tall bushes. It was invaded with flowers and shrubs, growing altogether in a charming mess. The moonlight was oozing on the flowers and the grass like the morning dew. In the middle of that charming garden, Ferry discovered a swing, hanging on the branch of a blossomed peach tree. It looked incredibly similar to his swing in the backyard, at home.

Oona began to swing lost in thought. She looked just as frail and weak. That's when Ferry noticed the silence. They weren't far from the Palace, yet no sound came from the loud crowd of Fae People. Looking to the sky above, at a stone's throw, he could see thin steam, trembling like the water hit by a pebble. It looked like a round roof, barely visible, vibrating each time the wind blew. Yet, nothing could go beyond that thin, misty curtain that seems to separate that place from the rest of the world.

Ferry kept looking up, not minding his neck hurt. He didn't see the root tree coming on his way and he fell in a bush of wild roses. Before he knew it, Oona dashed to the bush. And before he could stand up, a cloud of fine dust, the color of honeycomb, fell over him. No matter how much he tried to choke back, he started to sneeze. One, two, three sneezes in a row without being able to stop. The tickle-flower pollen did its job, that was for sure.

"Come out, come out, fairy-boy," Oona said without even moving.

Ferry removed the blue feather and showed himself.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, thunders in her eyes. "Don't you know everyone is looking for you and your friends? Leave!"

After ten more sneezes, Ferry could finally get up on his feet. He dusted the pollen off his arms and face; it was itchy and stingy like a swarm of fruit flies.

The hood of his cloak fell and his whole body was invaded with the moonlight.

"What is this place?" he asked Oona.

But Oona didn't seem to listen. She stared at his forehead and hair which spread a soft, ethereal glow as the moonlight touched them. The fairy stretched out her hand to his head, not daring to touch it. The stars adorning his forehead glistered, brighter than ever.

"That's beautiful..." she whispered. "You're beautiful... I knew you were special from the first moment I saw you. I remember watching you sleep when you were just a baby, your poor human mum sleeping next to your crib. It must be wonderful to have someone loving you so much..."

"That's why I'm here, Oona," he said, taking her hand, "I think I found the Fountain of Truth. We're going there and you're going to find out who's your mum. Isn't that what you wanted the most?"

Oona nodded in silence.

"I thought you forgot about me," she said in a low voice. "I thought you didn't care. No one cares about me in this place. Well, except Caireann. She loves me, no matter how bad I treat her. I don't deserve her love... "

"Of course I didn't forget about you, Oona," Ferry rushed to answer. "You're my friend."

Oona smiled, slowly pulling her hand from his. "This is my hideout. Only Caireann knows about it. I put a charm on it. I made it so that nothing from outside reaches this place. Like you're in a big bubble of soap where nothing can reach you or hurt you. Someday, I'll teach you this charm..."

Ferry forced a smile, "What good would that do? I don't have fairy powers," he sighed, "I won't do the great things everyone expects me to do."

Oona stepped closer, "But you are a fairy. You just have to believe it. Now let's go," she said, taking his hand. As soon as she did that, she retreated her hand and gave him a prying scowl. "There's something different about you."

Ferry shrugged, "What do you mean different?"

Oona walked around him, studying him all over.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Can it be?" she mumbled. "It's that glow..."

"Maybe it's from the moonlight," he said, surprised with her behavior.

She shook her head, "No, it's something else. It's not your glow. Your glow is pure and bright. This one is different. Old, healing, and hidden... The one to unlock the mysteries of the world..."

Ferry felt uneasiness coming over him. "What are you talking about? Stop talking in riddles!"

But Oona pulled out a shout of joy, "You have it! You have it! I can feel it."

"What is it that I have?" he asked, feeling like he was losing his patience.

"The Moon's Tear!"

"The Moon's Tear?! What is this Moon's Tear everyone is talking about?" he asked, believing that was just one of Oona's games.

Oona looked around as if wanting to make sure no one was listening, "The Moon's Tear is a magical stone created with the power of the Four Mighty Fairies at the beginning of the world. It's said that, in the middle of their powerful ritual, a drip from the Moon fell, and turned into a blue, bright stone that spread a magical light while in the moonlight. Its light it's very unusual and unique, like a gray, thin mist. And a scent of fresh, new world accompanies it. But the Moon's Tear was lost in the world of humans and no one has seen it for a long, long time. Until now... That's why all the creatures were coming after you. They didn't want you. They wanted the Moon's Tear," Oona concluded, overwhelmed with enthusiasm.

"But I don't have it!" Ferry shouted. And with quick moves, he emptied his backpack, his pockets and took his cloak off. All the objects fell on top of each other. And for a second, Oona's eyes stared at Poppy's doll. But only for a second. She expected to see the Moon's Tear.

"You still have it," she said without moving.

Ferry fussed, "Well, you'll have to turn... if you want me to search better..."

Oona turned with a sigh, "Hurry up, we need to find the Fountain."

Ferry looked at his shirt and pants, all dirty and ragged as if a hundred years old. He had some explaining to do to his mother once home, no doubt about it. And, as if guided by an unseen force, his went to the back of his head--there was something there, planted in his hair. Something he has completely forgotten, although he especially put it there to keep it safe and close. It was May's comb, still smelling of lilies-of-the-valley.

He gently took it off. The blue stone he's always believed to be a simple piece of glass spread a gray, dim light; and a strange scent, of fresh-washed sheets, fluttered in the wind.

Oona slowly turned, her eyes glittering.

"The Moon's Tear," she whispered. "Who gave it to you? How did you find it?"

"A friend gave it to me..." said Ferry holding the comb tight in fear Oona might take it from him. "But she didn't know it was the Moon's Tear."

'"It doesn't matter. All it matters is that we have it!"

"But what is it used for? Why is it so important to so many?"

Oona's enthusiasm fainted for a second, but the sparkle in her eyes reappeared. "It's very, very powerful. And it turns even more powerful in certain situations and certain... hands."

Ferry was troubled, "What are you talking about?" he asked, carefully putting the comb back in his hair.

But Oona had no time for explanations. "Let's go," she said, taking him by the hand. "Where did you say the Fountain of Truth was?"

"In the Blind Alley."

*

This time, it was easy for them to get to the Blind Alley. Ferry was flying with the help of the green feather. It was easier, too, because he had to follow Oona who was guiding him, flying over the groups of fairies heading towards the Palace. This time, he felt free. And even if his flight was still stumbled and clumsy and he couldn't avoid every branch coming in his way, the cool air above, the fresh smell of the forest and soil made him light and careless like he hasn't been in a long time. Sometimes, he watched beneath, but each time he felt dizzy. Instead, he chose to not lose Oona out of his sight. Accustomed with flying, she floated in front of him, as light as a feather. So that was how the fairies were flying! They were just doing it as if walking the air. Sometimes stepping, other times leaping, and sometimes dashing like an arrow in the sky. She even flew on her back, laughing and giggling at his clumsy flight. Ferry also laughed. He had no idea about the dangers waiting for them. He knew it wouldn't be easy, once in the Blind Alley. He knew that he could still unleash the darkest forces of this world, more threatening than before. But now, it was only he and the air. And Oona's laughter.

When the moonlight began to fade out, Ferry knew they were getting closer. Just as they planned, they slowly descended and, protected by an oak tree, they lightened up Hoity's lantern. The Kallikans already made their appearance with their filthy smell and a shuffling walk. But they were both protected by the lantern's light.

Yet, the creatures seemed agitated, yammering and running all over. Ferry and Oona made big efforts not to bump into them and to keep the fire burning. The tall gates of the Blind Alley were now locked. Ferry knew they were looking for him.

Oona gestured him they needed to fly above the gates. Ferry placed the green feather close to his leg while Oona took him around the waist. They flew together over the gates, Ferry holding the fist clenched around the lantern's holder. They kept flying above the dark place. It was easier than intermingling with the ever-agitated Kallikans beneath.

All around them, the darkness was growing. The spell that ruled over the place made the darkness to hover about like clusters of pitch-black mist. When they reached the Lost City of Darrah, they were stroked by the silent beauty of the mighty walls and towers. The statues looked at them with their cold, still eyes. Ferry felt a strange emotion in his chest. It was as if he knew something was about to happen.

When they were above the Fountain, he gestured Oona they needed to descend. They gently went down in front of it, remaining quiet for a moment like in front of a sacred temple of the gods, when you need to take a deep bow. The Fountain looked impressive, even for Oona. Yet, it seemed like still keeping its secrets hidden, untroubled in front of the two curious beings who came to solve its mystery.

They went around the Fountain, caressing the life scenes encrusted into the hard stone. Oona has never been to the Blind Alley. Now she watched, her eyes wide with amazement, the mighty citadel in front of her. She didn't dare to speak in fear the Kallikans might hear her.

Instead, Ferry studied the inscriptions at the base of the Fountain. The same strange, undulated letters, tangled like in a dance. He gestured Oona, who frowned, trying to read that old writing. The time has erased the words, but not enough to become intelligible. Her lips murmured the unknown words.

"What does it say?" Ferry whispered.

"I knew it," Oona whispered back, "I knew it wasn't just one of Mamma Leena's stories... It's the riddle! My riddle, written in Elvian, the language of fairies. You were right. This is the Fountain of Truth."

"But it doesn't have any water," said Ferry, still not convinced. "How does it work? How can you find out what you want to know?"

"Well, that's the trick of it. You need to bring the water out. You need to set it free. Call it from the depths of the ground. Mamma Lenna's story said that a being with 'the face adorned with stars' can actually do it. You are that being. I knew it from the first time I saw you, a baby sleeping in your crib, in the untroubled world of humans. Then, when the water floods, you just have to drink it. And poof! You'll know the answer to the question that's been troubling you... "

Now Ferry was, indeed, troubled, "How am I supposed to do that?"

Oona shrugged. "Easy. You just have to watch through the blue eye."

"What blue eye?" he wondered.

And then May's comb came to his mind. He carefully took it off of his hair and looked at it. The blue stone lost its glow. It looked like a piece of blue glass again.

"That's it," Oona shouted, "that's the Blue Eye. The Moon's Tear is the Blue Eye!"

Ferry looked through the blue stone. And everything around him changed.