Electric Green

I swear this was unintentional. I didn't realize until many years later that this binding was eternal. The Fae are fickle creatures like that, and yes, they are always watching.

It all started when I lived in the little house, out in the middle of nowhere. I was fresh from the end of a bad relationship and I needed the solace. Not to mention, the rent was cheap and allowed pets - both of which I needed. The fresh air and being close to nature was delightful. I would spend many an evening sitting outside with my dogs, just soaking up the sunsets and relaxing in the ambiance of the forth coming night.

In the distance, behind my home, was an old barn. Dilapidated would be a more accurate description, yet the abandoned barn proved to be home to many a creature. I noticed a few baby groundhogs running out from underneath one evening and decided to leave them leftover fruits and veggies I couldn't finish in time.

This habit of leaving out food - whether it be stale bread for the birds and squirrels, fruits and veggies for the groundhogs, and even cat food for the lonesome tom cat became a nightly occurrence. I didn't go out of my way to buy anything extra, just stuff that was about to go bad that I couldn't bear to go to waste. I know the little creatures enjoyed my offerings. Yet, I had no idea the impact of my actions.

Fast forward to winter - cold, brutal. A time when many a critter could use a little help from humanity. I made sure there was plenty for everyone each day. One night in particular, the snow was too intense for me to go out to the barn. As guilty as I felt, I knew I would make it up to them with peanut butter and birdseed and some fresh fruits the next day.

I took the food and headed out to the barn. Due to the severe weather from the night before, snow was smooth and sleek, undisturbed. That is until I saw a perfect circle carved out in the snow. I trudged over to get a closer look and upon further investigation, I realized it was a circle made of hundreds of tiny footprints.

I stared in amazement. There were no footsteps leading to nor away from the circle that had been created. My heart skipped a beat - could it be faeries?

I gently placed a peanut butter and bird seed covered pine cone in the center of the circle. Little did I know, this simple act would be so damning. I went about my usual routine and didn't think about the exquisitely strange circle again for quite some time.

I did my best to stick to my evening ritual of putting out food for the animals through the entire winter. As the ice and snow began to thaw to make way for spring, I slowed down to every other day and then to just once per week.

I started to notice I was missing items in my home. Little things - a shiny hair barrette I often wore, an old skeleton key I kept on display, just to name a few. It struck me as strange because I am not the type to lose things or misplace the things I hold dear. I just shrugged it off at first. That is, until I met with a fellow witch.

We hadn't seen each other since Samhain, and I was happy for the reunion. We brewed tea and caught each other up on the past few months. I recalled the faerie ring I had seen and told her what I had done. She stopped drinking her tea and exhaled with a deep sigh. I knew her well enough that this what not something good. She told me my actions were actually binding and nothing I could ever do would break that bind.

I was shocked. I knew very little about working with the Fae and I had no intention of seeking them out. I knew they existed, but I wanted to coexist alongside them, not interfere. She warned me that I best keep up with providing offerings to them otherwise they could turn against me in anger.

I asked her what that meant. She advised it would start out with items missing from the home, that they would come and steal things they found worthy of tribute. Soon after they grew tired of that or you ran out of things they found worthy, they could be provoked to attack or wreck havoc on your life.

I confided that I had been missing several items around my home and she looked at me with great concern, she knew it was too late to be reversed. She began to tell me of the things I could do to try to regain their favor and how to keep it and I soaked up every word. The last thing I needed was an army of Fae angry with me.

I finished my tea and gave her a big hug. I told her I would heed her advise, her warnings and decided to return home right then and there. Evening was upon us after all. She wished me luck and told me to call her if I needed further assistance.

When I arrived home, the sun was already low in the sky. There was a strong wind blowing and a cold front moving in, promising snow. Despite the cold, I knew what I had to do. I gathered up offerings of whiskey, tea, sweets, an old knife, a small teddy bear I found, some candles, and some fresh fruit. I put them all in a backpack and made my way to the old barn.

The snow was already beginning to fall as I was just coming up on the old barn. I cleared an area near where I had initially seen the circle. Moving old, soggy leaves and brush so I could place my offering of forgiveness nicely. I lit the candles and placed the items gently around them. I sat for a few moments before I decided the cold was too much for me and retreated back to my home.

That night, my familiar, a black and white cat, would not stop meowing at the window. Not a normal occurrence for him - he hated being anywhere near outside. He persisted with his meowing to the point I had to go look outside. I lifted the blinds hesitantly, nervous of what I would find.

Just outside my window, was a large pine tree surrounded by a few trees that had yet to bud for the spring to come. Snow was falling and I found myself looking at the spot I had left my offering. The candles had of course blown out from the wind and by now, it was too dark and too far to see if my offerings had been taken.

My eyes went back to the pine tree. It seemed to be moving with anticipation and I kept telling myself it was just the wind. As though my thoughts were being heard, in that moment, hundreds of green lights began to flash in the tree. I blinked, not sure if I could believe my eyes. I opened them again to see that the green lights were flashing still, illuminating the night with an eerie, electric green. The movements of the lights were erratic and unpredictable - fluttering between the branches but never leaving the safety of the pine.

The longer I stared, the more I started to realize - these were the Fae I was bound to. I laughed to myself with relief. They had shown themselves to me as a peace offering. I was elated that they had accepted my gifts and I smiled knowing this eternal contract would be upheld on both sides. You see, working with the Fae, albeit not easy, can be rewarding in the long run.

The Faeries danced for quite some time and eventually I decided to bid them good night. I went to sleep with happiness in my heart for the pure magic I had just witnessed.

The next morning, I went to take my dogs outside and lo and behold on my doorstep were the missing barrette and skeleton key. I picked them up gently and I knew they had been returned in exchange for the gifts I had left. I knew in my soul there was no need to go check to see if they had been taken, but also to keep providing little offerings as much as I could. The last thing I wanted was to slight or offend my new allies.

I felt as if my accidental contract with the Fae was something truly special. An honor to keep and to be worthy of their companionship. While I knew there would be no way out of this, shall we say, partnership, I knew working with the Fae could be in my favor. Just so long as I never forgot them and respected their power.

Over the years, my unspoken contract with the Fae has been a happy one. I am often left with magical happenings because of my unseen friends. I fondly think back on the electric green light show I had seen and it fills me with wonder and hope for all things magical are indeed, truly possible.