A Revelation Storms the Garden

It was Saturday morning.

I woke up in my bed, contemplating what I was going to do that day. The previous Saturday, the first one where Myra had been here, I'd had a previous job lined up and I treated it like any other day. This Saturday, I had no prior arrangements. I rolled onto my side and reached for my phone on the bedside desk. 

It was only eight in the morning. 

What was I going to do that day? On other Saturdays, I played some video games on my television; or I would go out and watch a movie, or go grocery shopping. Technically, I could still do any of those things; it would just feel weird with Myra here. I briefly wondered if she could play video games with me before remembering how small she was compared to the controllers. I chuckled as I imagined her getting a full body workout while playing video games.

I got up out of bed and got ready, then quietly stepped out of my room. I walked into the living area and saw that Myra was tending to the plants again. Since the room was quiet, I could hear her softly humming a tune while she worked. I hadn't realized last weekend that she hadn't stopped working. My expression became one of slight concern as I walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning Myra."

"Morning." She said as she pet one of the worms in the garden gently.

"Want to have some eggs?"

"I don't need to eat." She replied with a grin. "Thanks for the offer though."

"I know you don't need to, but do you want to?" I reached into the fridge and pulled out the carton of eggs as I spoke.

"Um... even if I said yes, you do realize that I'm tiny, right? I couldn't even eat that much." She turned and looked at me, then sat down on the edge of the box garden. Her voice became quieter than it usually was. "I wouldn't want you to waste effort on something so small." 

"It really wouldn't be a problem. I would just make scrambled eggs and slide a piece off to the side for you." I cracked a pair of eggs into a bowl and started whisking it with a fork. "I wouldn't consider it a waste of effort at all."

"Juan, you don't need to worry about me." She sounded sincere.

I stopped whisking the eggs and set the bowl down, still looking away from her. 

"Ay, siempre es dificil." The sun was shining into my apartment through the window; despite that, it still felt a little too dark. "I was only asking."

Myra didn't respond, and slowly got back up to start taking care of the plants again. She didn't hum anymore. I started making my eggs again, more slowly this time. Every few minutes I glanced over towards her as she flitted about the plants and massaged their leaves or dug into their roots, occasionally coating herself in dirt. Sometimes, she would turn to look at me while I was looking at her, and our eyes would awkwardly meet for a few moments before we both turned around again. 

The eggs eventually finished cooking, and I scooped them onto my plate. I walked over to the table and sat down. Myra flew over and dusted herself off, then landed on the table. She watched as I slowly ate the eggs. After a minute of sitting, she spoke up.

"Why'd you ask?" She played with her hair as she sat on the opposite side of the table from me.

"I asked because I wasn't sure if you wanted some eggs." I swallowed another forkful, then set the fork down.

"But you know that I don't need to eat. And I know that you were told to take care of me. So why did you ask?" Her voice sounded suspicious.

"I already told you!"

"That doesn't make any sense! Did you forget?" She raised an eyebrow at me and crossed her arms.

I stared at her with my eyes narrowed for a few seconds before closing them completely and taking a deep breath.

"I'm asking because it's the nice thing to do." 

Her face became confused for a few seconds, then she lowered her arms and sighed. Slowly, she stood up and walked to my side of the table. Her orange eyes seemed to soften into a more mellow color as she approached. She sat down next to my plate and looked up at me, then gestured towards the eggs.

I grabbed a small piece of the eggs that was on the side of the bowl with my thumb and forefinger, then handed it to Myra as gently as I could. She looked at it strangely before raising it to her mouth and taking a little bite out of it. She chewed it, swallowed it, and stayed quiet for a few seconds. She laid down on the table next to the bowl and her hair splayed out beneath her back. Her eyes wandered to me slowly.

"Thanks." She smiled at me. "That was pretty good. I've never had egg before." 

"I'm glad you liked it." I returned the smile. "You can have some more if you want." 

"I'm okay."

The two of us sat there until I finished my eggs. I stood up and took the empty plate back to the sink and started washing it out. Myra followed and stayed near me as I did so. As I reached for the pan, she narrowed her eyes and looked like she was deep in thought.

"So... why are you being nice to me?" 

"Why shouldn't I be nice to you?" I squirted some dish soap onto a sponge.

"We've only known each other for a week."

"That doesn't give me an excuse to be mean to you." I started rubbing the sponge on the pan.

"I've been staying in your apartment."

"You've been helping me." I used the abrasive side of the sponge to get a little bit of dried egg off the pan. "Even if it was only with something small; you haven't been a nuisance or anything like that."

"N-not even when I asked for the wax plant?" Her voice sounded genuinely curious.

"Okay, that was a little bothersome." I shrugged. "But it's nothing compared to some of the stuff I've had to deal with from previous roommates."

Myra didn't speak. I turned to look at her flying next to my face; she wasn't there. I looked around quickly and spotted her standing on the edge of the kitchen counter with her back straight. She was looking at the garden. Her long black hair was cascading down her shoulders and it flowed gently around her simple white wings. 

"Y-you're really naive, you know that?" Her voice caught in her throat. "You're being nice to some... random intruder that forced her way into your house. You're talking with her and giving her eggs and listening to her ramble about her problems and you're acting like it's no big deal!"

"Excuse me? I am not naive." I put the pan down and leaned against the counter next to her. I didn't look at her. "If I remember correctly, I'm dealing with magical creatures. I don't know what you're capable of. It's in my best interests to be nice to you. Who knows what you could to me if I made you angry." I chuckled. "Maybe your mother would turn me into a toad, or make me into plant food."

She nodded.

"But even if you weren't magical, I'd still be nice."

"Why?!" She turned and had small tears in her fiery eyes. 

I made eye contact with Myra.

"Because I like to do the right thing."

The two of us looked at each other in silence as the sun's morning light illuminated the apartment around us. 

She sat down on the counter, wiped the tears from her eyes, and breathed slowly. After a minute or two, she spoke up.

"You're such a goody-two-shoes." She said with a weak laugh.

"Y eso es malo?" I said playfully.

"Pfft. Yeah." She shook her head confidently and breathed a little easier. "It's so lame to be good. Why can't you be more of an unmitigated jerk?"

"Like you?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ooh, that hurt." She stuck out her tongue at me smugly. "Got anything else for me?"

"I was planning on watching a movie." I pointed at the television. "You want to watch?"

Her gaze turned to the garden and she frowned slightly. 

"I... I still have to take care of the garden." She started to fly towards the garden slowly.

I pursed my lips and looked at the garden, then at the couch. 

"It's not like you'd be going anywhere." I said calmly. "It's literally in the same room. I'll go somewhere else if you want me to, I'm just wondering if you would want to take a break from the garden for a while."

She hovered in place and looked at the television, then back at the garden, then back to the television. She bit her lip and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Would that really be okay?"

"They're plants Myra. They won't die if you look away for a little while." I chuckled. "I mean, they stayed alive even when I was only checking them twice a day."

"I guess if even you can keep them alive, I shouldn't worry." She smiled at me slyly. 

I rolled my eyes and started walking over to the couch. She hesitated before following me. As I sat down in the middle of the couch and she approached, I slid over a little bit even though I realistically didn't need to. I felt a little stupid about that, but I did my best to mitigate the feeling.

She got close to the couch, then stopped.

"You don't think it's weird? For me to watch a movie?"

"No, why would it be?" 

"It's just that fairies don't really watch movies." She landed on the armrest of the couch closest to the windowsill and spared a glance back at the garden behind her. "

"You were fine watching that show with me the other day."

"Yeah, but that was after I'd been working with the garden all day. This is... it just... I could be doing something more productive." She blushed.

"It's okay to take breaks. You were taking one a couple days ago."

"Yeah, w-well..." She looked around, then flew up to my ear and whispered. "Don't tell mother, but I don't really... enjoy taking care of the garden as much as I used to." She fluttered back to her spot on the armrest and sat down. "It's still fun, don't get me wrong; there are moments that I enjoy." She turned her gaze down. "But it gets boring sometimes."

"Is that it?" I raised an eyebrow.

"W-what? What do you mean?!" She stood up and flailed her arms. "That's, like, the main thing fairies do! We take care of gardens! And I don't enjoy it as much anymore!"

"That happens to anyone who does the same job for too long. That's why I'm self-employed; I don't know what the day's going to bring. I could be digging a ditch on Monday and then babysitting on Tuesday before helping someone put drywall in on Wednesday. It's not a big deal. Plus, it's not like my garden needs a lot of work. You can do other things."

"I-I can?" Her eyes widened.

"Yeah. Just don't trash my apartment." I smirked at her and looked back towards the television as I turned it on. She didn't speak while I browsed the streaming service I had. 

"Wow." She laid down on the armrest and spread her arms apart. Her wings were flat beneath her and her hair was perfectly framing her wide and wondrous smile. After a few minutes, she sat up again. "But what would mother think?"

"I don't know. Why don't we ask her?"

Myra laughed and laid back down.

"Yeah. Besides, it's not like I'm quitting. I'm just... doing other things too."

"It's like you're giving yourself free time consistently."

"I guess so." She raised her hands and looked at them. "I haven't really had actual free time before."

"You talked to me in the mornings and evenings before this."

"See, that was back when I considered it cheating. I was doing it because I was bored, but it still felt like I was being a little dishonest."

"And you did it anyway? You are a bad fairy."

"Yep! I'm a regular lil' devil."

"Emphasis on the little."

"Shut up." She rolled over and looked at the television. "What are you going to put on?"

"I was thinking of watching a comedy."

"That's so basic. What about a horror movie?"

"I'd rather not. I like being able to sleep at night." The sunlight streamed in through the window, past the garden, and into the living area. The couch was positioned in the right spot so that when the light came in, it wasn't in my face.

"Is the big, strong handyman actually a scared little roly-poly?" She teased. "And here I thought you were tough."

"I wasn't raised with horror! What about a fantasy instead? Like Knights of the Burning Dawn? My grandfather really liked that one."

"You're asking a fairy if she wants to watch a fantasy movie." Myra snickered a little bit. "I think I saw that one though; is it the one with all the knights in the red armor who go out to fight that wizard with the moon tattooed on his forehead?"

"That's the one!"

"Your grandpa seems like he had good taste; though, granted, I haven't seen a lot of movies. The most I've seen are little snippets from people watching them on their phones or by looking at those big places with all the cars."

"Papa used to watch that one with me every year on my birthday." I clicked the remote until I had the movie ready to start. "You know, Papa also told me a lot of stories about the fairies that lived in our garden. I used to think he was making them up as he went along." I shrugged and smiled at Myra. "Shows what I know."

"Your grandpa sounds way smarter than you do."  

"He was." I sighed and turned the movie on. The memories came back about how Papa didn't treat them like fairytales. He really believed he was telling me true stories. "I miss him sometimes."

Myra didn't say anything. Instead, she nodded solemnly and focused her attention on the movie. 

Somehow, it was better than I remembered it being.