Jennie and the Small Folk 2/2

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Possibly slightly bizarre product of my imagination. But ah well, hope it's enjoyable to read.

There are no sneezes in the first part but I hope the second part will make up for that and as always, comments make me happy. And most importantly: hope you'll have fun reading.

Jennie and the Small Folk - part 1

Jennie loved the woods. When she was little her parents had moved to the city as jobs were scarce in the little town she was born.

As soon as she could, she moved back to the country, moving into a little cottage at the edge of the forest. It was quiet and peaceful and she loved every second of it. Every morning she went out to take a short walk before work.

Everyone knew the legends of the Small Folk, including her. You didn't grow up in the country without learning to recognise their little signs, the mischief they got up to, how to avoid them, how to search them out, the little piles of stones one had to avoid, which trees not to linger under...

Jennie was well schooled in such matters. As the years passed, her curiosity grew too. She knew the Small Folk were tricky but caution wasn't enough to quell her curiosity.

Every day she roamed closer to the places she was told not to go. She wasn't stupid enough to near the portals between the worlds. Everyone knew what happened then. You would cross the border and spend one day in their realm, return and find everyone you know a hundred years dead. No, she didn't go there. Just.... close.

Some days she thought she heard whispers between the leaves of the trees, a little rustle alerting her to a presence. Often enough the last thing was a squirrel or a bird. It didn't stop her from looking.

Unseen by her, hidden by the leaves, she was observed. Two small creatures sat on the branches and looked at this curious human girl. One of them was nearly indistinguishable from the tree, its body the same colour and texture as the oak they were sitting in, slow and ponderous in nature, the other more like the sky, blue and airy and restless.

Her presence had drawn their attention. It had been a long time since one of the human kind had sought them out. They hadn't had such a nice plaything in ages. “Shall we?” the airy one said. “Patience” the other answered, “let her wander a bit longer. She won't be able to resist our bait. Isn't anticipation half the fun?” The airy one wriggled about restlessly. It knew better than to whine. A little whoosh and it was gone. The other one sighed and followed.

One morning when she went out, it was particularly foggy, she couldn't see her path as well as other days. That day, she was treading with more care than usual, wary of pathways that weren't there before.

The airy creature sniggered. “She's walking right into our trap.” The woody creature watched, amused by the other's enthusiasm, as Jennie finally took a wrong turn and stumbled upon a large tree that hadn't been there before.

The tree was older and thicker than the others in the forest. She was sure she hadn't strayed from the paths she normally took but there it was, something she hadn't seen before. On its ancient trunk mushrooms grew. Large, thick plaques of white and grey, resembling steps upwards. She approached them, intrigued by the patterns on them, eager to study them better.

The airy creature leaned forward on its branch, hopping closer to the girl. As predicted, she couldn't resist the bait. The mushrooms were particularly useful.

Jennie knew better than to touch the fungus. She leaned forward, her hand resting against the tree for support, trying to place the growth in her knowledge of what grew in the forest. A wave of dizziness suddenly hit her and made her head reel. She shook her head, trying to shake away the feeling but a fuzziness remained.

A louder laugh came from the branches of the tree. The human girl had succumbed to their trick. Time for the fun part. It jumped down to the branch in front of her, the woody creature shaking its head in wordless disapproval of the rashness of its companion, but remained stationary. It, too, was curious.

Jennie suddenly saw a creature in front of her eyes, not more than 12 inches tall, its body blue as the sky, its eyes white as little clouds, holding an amused expression in them. “Hello Jennie” it said, “nice to finally meet you face to face.”

It knew her name. If its appearance wasn't more than enough to give away its nature, this confirmed it. The Small Folk knew more than she was comfortable with. “Hello” she answered, trying to think through the fog in her mind but no more words came forth.

“Grow, little human girl.” Grow? What did it mean with that? She only had a few seconds to wonder about that before the tree suddenly shrunk... or did she get taller? The little creature climbed up the branches until it again was face to face with her. “Very well done” it remarked. It was her that had grown then. She accepted this as the status quo, wondering in the back of her mind why it didn't bother her more, then shrugged. “Thank you” she replied, thinking it was the right response. It was obviously pleased with her words.

“Now close your eyes” it commanded. She obeyed. It was as if the request bypassed her brain and directly commanded her body. The creature grinned and took a little doll out of a little bag that hung around its waist. “Play, little one” it breathed and the doll came to life, knowing without needing instruction what it was supposed to do.

Without hesitation, it ran up Jennies arm, climbed into her hair and swung itself to and fro before making a perfect landing on the bridge of her nose. Slowly, it allowed itself to slide down along her nostril until it came to rest on the ledge just beneath her nose.

The descent caused her nose to twitch once. The little doll waited until the nostril had calmed down before walking inside, avoiding the walls of her nostrils as it made its way to the back.

“You can open your eyes again, Jennie” the airy creature said, and she did. She felt the urge to rub her nose but couldn't move to do it. It alarmed her a bit but somehow it wasn't important. “Well, Jennie, why were you looking for us?” The question surprised her.

“I was curious” she replied, raising an eyebrow. Her nose had started to tickle a bit, causing it to twitch again. “I always like to confirm stories by my own observations.”

The doll had started to pull on her nose hair, causing small tickles to erupt all over the area. The walls of the nostril trembled a little, trying to get rid of the irritation. Not yet. Every pulled hair caused more little tremors to pass through the cavity, sparking an itch in the back of her nose.

Jennie snuffled lightly. Something was irritating her nostrils. Normally a couple of twitches would effectively get rid of this, a good rub or a sneeze. Unable to do the latter two and finding the first hadn't worked, she snuffled again, the feeling growing a bit uncomfortable.

“You are aware the stories do warn people about this kind of curiosity? They never end well.” The airy creature tried to make her doubt herself, see how the human would hold herself in this questioning. Jennie tried to nod before realising her invisible restrains didn't allow even that. “I am aware of that. Sensible people felled by their curiosity. Already I find myself caught. It was a risk I was willing to take. That is one difference, another being that I don't think I can outsmart you. I miss the hubris many in those stories possess.”

The doll saw the tremors, at first stopping fairly soon again, now didn't leave any more. Good. It picked up a small feather, attached to it with a rope for this very purpose. It was a nice, slightly fluffy feather, but firm enough to poke without giving way immediately. At first it was careful, slowly poking up and down the fleshy walls, trying to find a sensitive spot.

“Hehh....” Jennie suddenly felt her breath hitch. What was irritating her nose like that? It was as if something small was moving around in her nostrils, tickling it relentlessly. She laughed at herself. That was a ridiculous notion.

The airy creature watched her even closer, knowing the woody one was watching from a little distance, observing their every move. It knew what the little doll was up to and the idea was very nice. “Very well done, you've found a new path. Maybe your story will join those of the others, maybe it will end differently. What do you think, Jennie? Will you go back unharmed?”

~TBC~

[SweaterWeather]

What mischevious little creatures! I love how this has a kind of Alice in Wonderland feel to it, along with such nice sneezy descriptions. I seriously can't wait for the next part now. Seriously!

[Blah!?]

This is such a cute story! It has a great feel to it, and poor Jennie is adorable. I really love the way you described the Small Folk. It makes them sound like they're invisible in the proper environments.

And I want that doll.

[Chanel_no5]

This... should be among the classics, regardless of how it ends.

It's great! I can't wait to know what happens... although I should imagine it includes at least one sneeze...

[count tiszula]

This is beautifully written. And so naughty. What will the woody creature do? What will Jennie do. apart from sneeze enormously Magic sneezes!

Funny really; Tony Robinson has just done a programme revealing that the last time a man murdered his wife because she was a changeling after visiting a fairy fort was in 1895, in Ireland. Naturally he dismisses such beliefs as fantasy. But we know that in most pre-modern societies small minorities of older races lived almost unknown to the majority, as in Thailand today.

[purpleninja]

I'm kinda imagining some mix between Alice in Wonderleand and the Smurfs...haha very well written! amazing!

[Curiosity234]

Oh those tricksy fae.

[wishiwassneezy]

I am SO excited for this story to continue!

[hiyou9]

This is such a neat premise! More, please??

[Septaero]

Ooh, I am so excited for part two. I like this story very much so far. <3

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Thank you for all the wonderful comments. Really very glad you like the story.

Without further waffling, Jennie and the Small Folk - part 2

She fell silent for a little while, partially but not entirely because her nose was itching so much she felt she could start sneezing any second. It felt too strong to be satisfied by a single sneeze, so she started to brace herself for multiple. With the part of her brain not occupied by holding back the sneeze, she started to answer. “I think it's not wise to answer such a question as the outcome of this will most likely be influenced by my words. It's not for me to know what will come of this.”

It took a lot of effort to keep her voice from shaking. Her nose quivered and twitched, aching to dispel the irritant. On the inside, the doll had found the right spot. It kept poking and poking it with the small feather, shaking little feathery particles around, all of them irritating her nose more where they landed. Combined with the poking of a very sensitive spot with the tickly feather, Jennie didn't stand a chance.

“Hehhh.... ehhhehh....” Her breath hitched again, her head moving slightly back with every hitch. “Ehh.... ehhehh...” She needed to sneeze. “Ahhahh.... aaaahh....” The gasps got more vocal, a desperate edge to them.

The airy creature watched, its eyes sparkling with anticipation, its body tenser than before. She thought this was one of there more elaborate schemes did she? Didn't the stories also tell her about petty mischief? Watching her head rear back, her eyes desperately held open to look at it, the need to sneeze apparent in every feature, it was quite lost for words.

“Ahhh.... ahhahhhahh.... hahh'etchii.” The sound was violent and high pitched. A little, desperate sound told the creature that it hardly did anything to decrease the feeling. Good. The doll was doing its work well.

“Ahhhh... ehhehhh.... ehhtchii.... ehhh.... hehhh.... hiiitchiii....” It tickled so much. As soon as she sneezed she felt the tickling get worse again, as if some small irritant was bouncing around her nose, refusing to come out.

The doll had some trouble staying stationary. Her head was moving a lot, the walls of her nostrils shaking about in addition, trembling, twitching. It let go of the feather, poking it deep into the sensitive spot, lodging it there safely, for now. So far, it had only irritated one of her nostrils. It was time to assault the other side as well.

It climbed all the way up to the back and switched sides. For this side, it had something else in stock. The Small Folk had equipped it with a single dandelion flower past its bloom. The little doll blew the fluffy seeds from the stem, sending them everywhere. A hundred fluffy seeds tolled around in Jennies nose, clinging to the lining of her nostrils, their fluffy nature causing them to act like as many little feathers, tickling incessantly.

Its work is done. The little doll walked down to the opening of Jennies nostrils, waiting to be expelled by the next volley of sneezes. The airy creature saw this, having a perfect view of the situation. It grinned impishly.

Jennie was in perfect agony. Up until then only her right nostril had been tickling but now the left had joined it. It tickled so much it was nearly painful. It was the sort of relentless tickle that usually preceded a proper sneezing fit, the ones she normally only ever had after dusting, if she had left it too long. It would build and build for hours and would be so satisfying when finally she started sneezing and sneezing until the last bit of dust had been expelled.

There was no dust here though. That was the last thought that crossed her mind before it became too much. “Ahhh... aahhh.... aaaaaaahhh....” the gasps became increasingly louder, more drawn out, sucking in air, gearing up for what was about to happen. “Aaaaaaahh.... aaaaaaahh.... aaaaaaaaaaahh.... aaah'etchii... aaaaahh..... heeeeh'atchuh... aaaaatchii.... hahh... haaahhh... hehh... hehehehhehh.... heeeehchuh-ehchuh.... haaaa'etchii....”

The doll was expelled by the first sneeze, disappearing out of sight within seconds. A shame, the airy one thought; much work had gone into creating it. It didn't matter though. Within hours, it would dissolve into the components it had been made of, undetectable, as if it had never existed.

One more sneeze, Jennie thought, she just needed one more to stop. Her breath on the verge of hitching, her nostrils burning with irritation, dandelion fuzzies filling the air before her eyes, making her feel even more like sneezing. Just the idea what all those little plushes could do, how much they could tickle made it worse. “Aahhh.... aaaaahh.....” Relief was just out of reach.

The woody creature recognised this. Only one thing about it, it thought as it leapt down to the branch nearest Jennies head. He calmly walked up to her quivering nose, a branch conveniently placed just next to it and bumped her nose, making it quiver even more. That should do the trick.

It worked faster than the creature anticipated. “Aaaaah.... aaaaaah.... haaaaatchuuuh!” A strong gust of air nearly knocked it off its branch. It retreated with some haste, preferring the background above this war zone. It was his companion's trick anyway.

For a moment the airy one was dumbstruck, delighted by the spectacle. Then it commanded the girl to shrink again to her normal size and to go home.

Jennie shook her head, feeling a little disoriented and rubbed her nose. It was itchy, as if she had just had an allergy attack. Odd, she didn't remember having one.

She shrugged and walked on, the fog suddenly cleared from her path. She rubbed her nose again, her cold hands soothing the heated mass. When she got home, she saw she had been away for an hour longer than normal. How odd. Vaguely the memory of a large tree came into her mind. There was something she should remember but she couldn't. Something about the Small Folk. Ah well, she thought, there is always tomorrow...

[Chanel_no5]

Teehee, I sense a "history repeating itself"-sens moral in this one.

I loved it! It's a very intriguing idea and the Small Folks are awesome! Also, the descriptions of her desperation were... yum.

“I think it's not wise to answer such a question as the outcome of this will most likely be influenced by my words. It's not for me to know what will come of this.”

Oh how I love diplomatic/political answers...

reason for edit: history is repeating itself, not story...

[count tiszula]

A wonderful climax and resolution. Good old woody creature!

Interesting use of a dandelion clock. Considering what fun one used to have with them, I wonder if anyone has really been tickled to sneeziness by thistledown, accidentally or on purpose.

[High on Lullabies]

What a delightful story! If this is what it comes up with then I'm definitely a huge fan of your mind, dear I love the 'insider' concept very much and this is a very fine example of that, with some lovely drawn-out and desperately breathy build-ups to go with it. Yum!

Thank you lots for sharing

[zneeze]

Quite adorable story Really good! Thanks for sharing!