Through The Fairy Gate
A Picture Prompted Microfiction
Another child was gone
The parents thought she was sleeping but in the morning the cot was empty
They were distraught
This was the third baby girl that had disappeared from the village in the last month.
The whole village searched, the gardens the fields and the woods, but there were no signs of the babes
The parents of the babes still here began sitting with their children all night long to make sure they were safe.
Maria got up to get some gripe water for her daughter who was crying, she was away for thirty seconds and when she came back her daughter was gone, she ran out and saw a character in a pointed hat carrying her baby away she screamed, and hoped she would wake the village.
Two men came out to join the chase, but as the baby thief entered the woods a door appeared, and the thief and baby disappeared through it and the door disappeared in a flash of smoking light.
Maria screamed again and burst into tears as she stood where the door had been.
One of the men said:
"I didn't believe it, but I had heard tales that the fairies stole baby girls to bring up as their own, It looks like it's true Maria, your daughter has been taken by the fairies, I am so sorry"
He hugged Maria and she cried her heart out as he held her close, trying to comfort her, knowing that her daughter was gone from this world forever.
🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️
Music is "Babes In The Wood" by The Steve Miller Band
About the Creator
Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred
A Weaver of Tales and Poetry
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More stories from Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred and writers in Fiction and other communities.
The Flare
They had a tent and some supplies but were stuck on the ice. It was flat as far as the horizon in every direction. The sky was cloud-covered and they were not sure if it was day or night, it was a permanent twilight that they were caught in. They were cold and tired and lost.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 2 years ago in Fiction
What Nobody Warns You About Growing Up
Nobody warns you that growing up doesn’t happen all at once. There’s no clear moment when childhood ends and adulthood begins. It sneaks up on you quietly, disguised as routine, responsibility, and small decisions that suddenly feel heavy. When we’re young, we imagine growing up as freedom. We think it means staying up late, earning money, making our own choices, and living life on our terms. Adults look powerful from the outside—confident, certain, and in control. What nobody tells you is that most adults are still figuring things out, just like you were, only with higher stakes. One of the first shocks of growing up is realizing that no one is coming to save you. As a child, there is always someone to fix things—parents, teachers, elders. A bad grade can be explained. A mistake can be forgiven easily. But as you grow older, the safety net thins. Mistakes start costing time, money, relationships, and sometimes self-respect. You learn that accountability isn’t just a word; it’s a weight you carry every day. Nobody warns you about how lonely growing up can feel. Even when surrounded by people, there’s a quiet distance that forms. Friends you once spoke to every day slowly drift away. Not because of anger or betrayal, but because life pulls everyone in different directions. Jobs, families, priorities—all rearrange your circle without asking for permission. You stop expecting people to stay forever and start appreciating those who do. Another thing no one talks about is how often you’ll doubt yourself. As a child, you dream without limits. You want to be everything at once—successful, admired, fearless. Growing up introduces comparison. You see others moving faster, earning more, achieving milestones you haven’t reached yet. Social media makes it worse, turning life into a scoreboard you never agreed to play on. You learn that confidence isn’t permanent; it’s something you rebuild again and again. Growing up also teaches you that hard work doesn’t always pay off immediately. You can do everything right and still feel stuck. Effort doesn’t guarantee results, and patience becomes one of the hardest lessons. Nobody warns you how exhausting it is to keep going when motivation fades and only discipline remains. Yet this is where growth actually happens—in the moments when quitting feels easier than continuing. Then there’s the emotional part no one prepares you for. You start seeing your parents as human beings, not just authority figures. You notice their fears, regrets, and limitations. Sometimes you understand them more; sometimes it hurts to realize they didn’t have all the answers either. Growing up often means forgiving people—not because they apologized, but because holding on to resentment is too heavy. You’re also not warned about how your definition of success changes. It stops being about applause and starts becoming about peace. A quiet mind. A stable income. A few people who genuinely care about you. You learn that happiness isn’t loud or dramatic; it’s often found in ordinary moments—coming home tired but safe, laughing at something small, sleeping without anxiety. One of the hardest truths of growing up is learning to let go. Let go of versions of yourself that no longer fit. Let go of people who can’t grow with you. Let go of timelines you once believed were fixed. This letting go feels like loss, even when it’s necessary. Nobody warns you that growth and grief often walk together. Yet, despite all this, growing up gives you something valuable—clarity. You begin to understand your boundaries. You learn when to say no without explaining yourself. You start choosing what matters instead of chasing everything. Strength stops looking like loud confidence and starts looking like quiet resilience. What nobody warns you about growing up is that it will break you in small ways—and rebuild you stronger in others. You’ll lose some innocence but gain wisdom. You’ll trade certainty for understanding. And even on days when you miss the simplicity of who you once were, you’ll realize you’re proud of who you’re becoming. Growing up isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about learning how to keep going, even when you don’t. And maybe that’s the lesson no one warns you about—adulthood isn’t a destination. It’s a continuous act of becoming.
By Hanif Ullah 4 days ago in Fiction
Comments (12)
I always found the old stories of changlings fascinating and your story reminds me of them. An awesome micro :)
Great work! I would love a follow-up for this! How do the fairies raise her?
Awesome fairy story!
If you're interested, that image is from the end of Prince Caspian 😁
This could be a book in the making, Mike!
See, my concept is, if you don't want anything to happen to your kids, then don't have kids, lol! I would love to be that baby thief! 🤣🤣🤣
What an opening scene for a larger story I’d love to read about how Maria dedicates her life to getting her daughter back
Nasty. I am going to enjoy this microfiction challenge. I will appeal to my dark side. Great story, Mike!
Them's not nice fairies! Them's selfish & cruel.
Great story! To bad they didn’t have a GPS she could have glued it to the fairy and then tracked it down!
Great one. Liked it
This was very good.