SORCEROUS SIGNALS
Written by Eric J. Juneau / Artwork by Holly Eddy
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Fairy Kingdom

There is an area of upper New York designated as a fairy
kingdom.

It was discovered in a forest in Maine by a group of hikers.
It was decided, after several research teams and
congressional action plans, that fairies were an endangered
species, since they were the only ones of their kind.

Debates went on for months about whether the fairies
existed at all, despite the fact that they could be seen and
touched. Most of the arguments stemmed from the common knowledge that fairies were myth. No
representatives of the fairies were invited to participate in
these debates.

Eventually, the government decided the fairy kingdom
needed to be preserved, before it was destroyed by
disbelieving extremists or deforestation. The fairy king did
not oppose this, since he was told there would be relatively
little impact on their lives. Plus, who would argue with a
being three hundred times their size? The fairies were placed
in a safe, isolated region, though their land area had to be
condensed.

More congressional debates started. People didn't like the
idea of paying for something they didn't think existed.
During what the fairy king was told was an "election year", a
law was passed that decreased funding for their protection.
The government was unhappy because they were spending
money and not getting any back. They were told they would
have to "generate revenue".

The human representatives presented the fairy king some
suggestions. They strongly encouraged the idea of allowing
people to see the city and observe their day-to-day lives. The fairy king agreed, since it was the least
obtrusive option. The population became used to the giants looking down at them, though they
complained about the new smell of garbage and puddles of "rainbow water", which humans called
gasoline.

However, fairy lives are not terribly interesting. Their kingdom's economy was self-sustaining. What they
made, they bartered or shared. Houses were constructed from twigs and sticks. Food was harvested
from dew, vegetation, and small insects. The kingdom was peaceful and prosperous, but according to
ticket sales, that was boring.

The humans met with the fairy king and told him that attendees were dropping off, because they did not
"fit the traditional fairy kingdom paradigm". They had no magic. Customary fairy dwellings lay hidden
underground or behind leaves. Their clothing was practical and plain. Their wings resembled dragonfly
wings – membraned, efficient, and, according to humans, ugly.

A law was passed that everyone must fly when traversing outside, which was tiring. The king
commissioned several aerobatic shows and exhibitions. The fairy princess, the most popular citizen, had
a show dedicated to her, where she would dance, sing, and answer questions. And everyone had to
cover their wings with a special glittery paint that left hazy pink and blue trails behind.

The fairies began to factionize over the overcrowding, growing dissatisfaction at their new environment,
and the ever-present humans gawking and judging them. These are cited as the reasons for the ensuing
civil war.

Any fairies who survived, a scant handful, only did so by escaping the kingdom entirely. The remaining
are scattered in forests near the New England area. Though many humans make a hobby of searching
for them, they are likely never to be seen again. The U.S. Congress did not make any effort to stop the
war, as it was deemed an "internal affair" and attracted a record number of attendees.  

There is an area of upper New York designated as a fairy kingdom. There is nothing there.
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Eric Juneau is a 28-year-old software engineer living in Minnesota
with his wife and two daughters.  His hobbies are writing, video
games, reading, and eating as much barbecue as he can find.  His
writing philosophy is "Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons
exist. Children already know dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the
dragons can be killed." (G.K. Chesterson)

He blogs somewhat regularly about his quest to become a 'capital-A'
Author at http://author-quest.blogspot.com.