Under Purple Clouds

Every night at midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. This was Sadie’s favorite time of night; she would sneak out to watch the clouds perform. She felt safer there than in her house, where her parents would get into feuds almost every night, often ending in violence. She would slip through her window and wander to her sacred place while her folks were distracted, yelling profanities at each other.

Sadie was a victim of their ways, and whenever they felt she wasn’t obedient, they would punish and criticize her in every way. Eventually, Sadie began disconnecting from reality, carrying the heavy feeling that she didn’t belong in this world. This led her to develop avoidant and detached behavior styles, her only way to cope with the lack of love in her life.

School was no better. Her classmates often teased her for having pointy, brittle ears. She tried to cover them with her hair and hats, but sometimes they slipped out, causing the children to laugh and bully her endlessly.

Her parents blamed her for not being likable, even though Sadie did everything she could to be accepted. She had become a people pleaser, trying to fill the void created by her emotionally unavailable parents. Sadie was lonely; her closest friend was her ragged yet precious fairy doll.

When Sadie was five years old, her grandmother bought her the doll before she passed away. She knew that Sadie was insecure about her ears, so one day, while shopping, she saw a doll with ears just like hers. She couldn’t help but smile and purchased it to cheer up her granddaughter. After her grandmother’s passing, Sadie cherished the doll even more, as it was the only thing that made her feel connected to her.

Sadie was never close with her parents; she always felt like a complete contrast to them in every way. Sometimes, she wondered if she was adopted and asked her parents specific questions, looking for clues. They always brushed her off with short, unclear answers, convincing Sadie even more that she didn’t belong. When her mother was in one of her moods and felt annoyed by her, she would say things no loving mother should ever say to a child.

“I don’t know where God went wrong with you, but he surely missed some steps when he created you. We should have left you where we found you,” her mother muttered one sunny morning while pouring coffee and lighting a cigarette.

Sadie didn’t respond, keeping her eyes focused on making herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. She had never heard that last bit before. This is new, Sadie thought to herself. Left me where?

“Are you deaf or dumb, child?” her mother snapped at her silence.

“No, I am not deaf,” Sadie mumbled, still focused on the cereal.

“I can’t hear you when you mumble like that, Sadie. Talk like a normal person,” she reprimanded.

Sadie put down her spoon, looked her mother directly in the eyes, and repeated in a firmer tone, “No, Mother, I am not deaf.”

“Oh, she has ears and a voice, ladies and gentlemen!” her mother ridiculed while sipping her coffee.

Sadie remained quiet and continued to eat her breakfast. Her mother stood there, leaning on the kitchen counter, taking drags of her cigarette, sipping her coffee, and glaring at Sadie. The child started to feel uneasy, her mother’s stare piercing through her. Thoughts raced through Sadie’s mind, making her feel like she had done something wrong. She felt helpless, as if nothing she could do would make her mother happy or proud. Deep down, Sadie knew her mother’s anger wasn’t directed at her but was instead a reflection of her own pain. Still, it was hard for Sadie to shake the feeling that she would be better off elsewhere. All she wanted was to be seen, acknowledged, and loved.

It was a beautiful day during the second week of summer break. Sadie stayed home with her mother, who had lost her job over a year ago and had yet to return to work. She spent her days by the beach with her snobby friends or drinking alcohol while sunbathing in the backyard. Her skin was beginning to show signs of sun damage from the times she’d fall asleep drunk, roasting in the sun for hours on end.

Her father was a businessman, rarely home, often working late hours—or so he claimed. Sadie missed him, but she couldn’t blame him for staying away, as she also hated being around her mother. She often heard them arguing late at night, usually over the same issue: her mother would be drunk and accuse him of having an affair, while he called her crazy and denied it. Sadie used to wonder what an affair was when she was younger. She thought they were arguing over “a fair,” like the place she always dreamed of going to, with rides and games. But eventually, she realized it was something she didn’t understand, and she no longer cared.

Her parents paid little attention to her, letting her roam around the lake near her home whenever she pleased. Sadie was now 11 years old and had grown wise from raising herself with little guidance.

She felt a deep connection to the lake area she often visited—it was her sanctuary. A 15-minute walk into the forest behind her house, the area was seldom visited by others. The purple clouds would come and sway in the sky every night, leaving drawings for Sadie to interpret with her vivid imagination. This place was sacred, and she promised never to tell a soul about it—not that she had anyone to tell, aside from her doll.

One night, Sadie heard her father arrive late from work, triggering yet another yelling match between her parents. That was her cue; Sadie slipped through her window with her blanket and doll, turned on her headlamp, and entered the forest. She no longer feared the dark, as she knew the path to her secret place by heart. Upon arriving, she was greeted by the dancing purple clouds. She laid her blanket down, nestled onto it, and watched the stars shine through the clouds, retreating into her peaceful little world.

As her eyes grew heavy, she took comfort in the clouds enveloping her, with the stars twinkling above and the soft winds kissing her cheeks. She breathed in the night air, feeling safe under the watchful eyes of the dancing purple clouds. Just as she was about to drift off, she noticed a faint shadow. A gentle whisper echoed in the distance, but the words felt far away, too distant to make out.

The moonlight illuminated her face, and the breeze carried whispers of ancient secrets from her past, guiding her toward the truth. As she lay back, listening to the soft murmurings from above, her body felt light, almost as if she were floating. She gazed up at the starry night until she saw a small hand reaching out toward her. She reciprocated, their fingertips barely touching, and suddenly, Sadie felt a surge of energy rush through her body. The sensation was oddly familiar. Closing her eyes, she let herself be swept into the magical clouds.

When she reopened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by magnificent flying creatures, gracefully dancing with the glittering stars. Sadie could hardly believe her eyes. Still, she wondered—was this all just a dream?

She noticed the fairies bore a striking resemblance to her doll.

"Fairies?" she whispered in awe.

She closed her eyes, counted to ten, and opened them again, only to find the beautiful creatures still floating in the magical sky.

“I’m not dreaming!” she exclaimed, her amazement growing with every moment.

That’s when Sadie noticed their ears—small and pointy, just like hers. She raised her hands to her own ears, tracing their outline, intrigued by the resemblance. One fairy noticed and flew towards her, startling Sadie.

“Would you like to feel my ears?” the fairy offered with a warm smile.

A little hesitant, Sadie reached out her hand and delicately touched the tip of the fairy’s ear, then traced her finger down to the earlobe, gently caressing it. The fairy giggled.

“That tickles a little. My name is Feya. Nice to meet you,” she said to Sadie, twirling in the air and showing off her magnificent wings.

Hues of pink, purple, and blue sparkled with soft feathers, almost like dancing clouds. As she fluttered, her wings shimmered, creating swirls of color like a magical canvas in the sky. Sadie followed her every movement in disbelief; it was the most beautiful thing her eyes had ever captured. After a moment, Sadie gathered the courage to speak.

“Hi, my name is Sadie,” she said shyly.

“I know who you are, silly! We all do!” Feya exclaimed, pointing to the other fairies curiously flying around them.

“I... I don’t understand. How do you all know me?” Sadie asked, confused, glancing up at the others.

“Because you are one of us!” came a snort from a young fairy above.

Feya shushed the little one with an annoyed glare.

“What do you mean? Is that why we have the same ears?” Sadie asked, hoping to finally discover where she belonged.

“Yes. Long ago, when you were about one month old, your mother brought you on a critical mission to help the humans. She brought you down to planet Earth because she feared ever leaving your side, and at the time, it seemed like the safer choice. Unfortunately, your mother was discovered by the humans one night when she accidentally frightened them, and they killed her. She hid you moments before, so the humans never knew you existed. Before we could find you, your Earth parents stumbled upon you while walking by this lake and have kept you ever since. We have been impatiently waiting to reconnect with you, little Sadie, but we had to wait until you were at the right age so you would understand and not be frightened. We cannot risk being discovered again.” She sighed with sadness, giving Sadie a moment to process all this information.

As shocking as this was to her, it all made sense for why she had felt so different her entire life. She had always felt more connected to the lake and the clouds than anywhere else. Now she understood why; this was the portal to her real world.

“What about my wings?” Sadie interrogated, noticing that the younger ones already had theirs.

“Your wings can only develop when you are here, but since you were stuck on Earth, they did not have the chance to do so. Don’t you worry; we will get you there,” Feya reassured her.

"Will I ever return to Earth?" she followed with slight panic.

"Only if you wish to live on Earth instead of here with us," Feya clarified.

This was all so much information for Sadie that she began to feel a little dizzy.

“Get some sleep, little one. I will bring you to your cloud, and we can speak more once you’ve rested,” Feya informed her.

“My cloud? I get my own cloud?” Sadie asked, tiredness and joy lighting up her eyes.

“Yes, this will be your forever home. Every fairy has a cloud, and you can do whatever you want to personalize it to your liking!” Feya shared.

Sadie had never felt such excitement in her life. Feya placed her on her shoulders and reached Sadie’s cloud. As they arrived at her new home, she could feel her eyes weighing heavy from the lack of sleep and all the emotions. Feya gently picked her up, placed her on the velvet purple blanket, and soothed her with a lullaby. Sadie slowly faded away with the soft whispers of her new friend. But she still had so many questions rummaging in her little curious mind.

“Those are tomorrow’s questions,” Sadie mumbled as if Feya could hear her thoughts.

Feya smiled, caressed her hair, and continued to sing because she could, in fact, hear her thoughts.

This was the most peaceful sleep Sadie had ever experienced, and her first night as a fairy.