There Be Stories Here

[Mister Grimm]

Pixie Fire

The day had slowly slipped into night and darkness reigned over the world with no moon to offer any form of light. The wind howled through the branches of the trees near Jacob's house and made them creak, rattle and moan in protest against something they were helpless again. He had killed all the power in his house for the rare sight that he hoped too see, but with no one to share it with tonight, Jacob he found himself spending it alone save for Garmr. His great big wolf, or rather, his pillow-slash-headrest for tonight's nightly observance.

Jacob dressed lightly, since he didn't really plan on meeting with anyone, or having anyone stumble upon him tonight, with nothing more than drawstring pajama pants and a tank top- Blue and white respectively. He passed time around the house idly for the better half of the day, preferring not to do anything too strenuous today. Whether what he was expecting would happen again or not tonight was beyond him, but he felt Garmr drop down behind him, and the male leaned back to rest on the wolf. Legs outstretched, Jacob drew up one of his knees and searched the dark night sky. There were stars, but it wasn't what he was looking for.

Hours passed and Jacob felt like giving up to head back inside, but a twinkle in the midnight sky- One that was most definitely not one of the millions of stars- gleamed brighter then everything else which caused he to hesitate in his stirrings. The twinkle became two, which then became four, then eight, then sixteen, then  kept increasing until there was far too many to count.

Fireflies, people would think at first, but Jacob knew better. Simple bugs didn't shine this brightly, nor did they give off such a brilliant emerald light. Fireflies were more of an amber with an occasional flickering. Hundreds of floating emeralds, some brighter than others, gathered around a tree in the distance and all Jacob could do was watch in awe, his jaw slack and hanging open despite having seen it before. Garmr shifted a little, a huff escaping him as he nuzzles his giant jaw against the ground. Majority of the lights clung to the branches and lit them up like a tree on Christmas morning, but with only the same green light instead of various hues or more brilliant colors. A few bounced around and rammed against one another, while a third zipped around and in between them when they parted.

Jacob slowly dragged his a knee up to his chest as he sat, leaning forward to watch the spectacle in front of him. Even still, the slightest movement from Jacob had caused the lights to sputter and spin around the field. Frightened, almost. Jacob tried to become completely still, but the wind kissed his face and tussled his wild black hair.

A few seconds past and the frenzy calmed, the lights settling back into the grass and the tree, an occasional grouping being rough with one another in the air still. Jacob let a breath, one he didn't even know he was holding, out of his lungs and moved slower this time to watch them. He folded his arms and rested his chin on them as the glowing green lights continued to flicker and dance.

One of the lights strayed from the group and fluttered over towards Jacob. If it was even possible, Jacob felt as if he had became stiller yet than he already was. Statuesque. But, almost as if he was being controlled by something, the man outstretched a hand and slowly stuck out its index finger. The glowing green light flinched back, hazarding itself against the possible threat that was the man who was sitting in the grass outside his house, before slinking back to him.

Slowly.

Cautiously.

It settled on the crook of Jacob's finger, and he could see through the outer glow that the light was giving off. A tiny woman, or child rather, in a dress the same color as the brilliant light she gave off. Her hair was long and flowed past her shoulders, with unsettling milk white irises that seemed to be constantly moving, despite they fact that you couldn't tell where her gaze was settled on.

A sudden wind kicked up and the pixies, even the one in his hand, took flight again- illuminating the sky around him. "Ah..." was all that escaped Jacob's lips. They fluttered away as he watched, expression settling to something akin to sullen, and they flew away to their next location. Jacob's shoulder sagged slightly before his expression shifted. A warm smile curling his lips. The man stood and Garmr  had as well, after a chaffing sound escaped the wolf. He circled Jacob, nudging him slightly, before padding back towards the house behind them. Jacob's mood brightened further, so much that he allowed a low chuckle to escape him at his best friend's actions.

As Jacob made his way back to the house, he paused briefly before casting a look back over his shoulder at the tree the pixies were illuminating earlier. A small emerald light still flickered briefly, buzzing happily around the branching and bobbing in and out of a hollowed knot in the trunk. His smile widened and drooped into a lopsided grin before he headed back inside, dusting off any dirt or grass that may have gotten on his pants.



[This is a re-write of one of my older stories, using different characters but the same general theme. If you have seen a similar story called "Pixie Fire" out there that flows the same way, then you have seen the original version of this story. It was one of my favorite pieces that I have written over the years and yeah. Just felt like sharing it.]