Dancing with the Fairies

She was silent for a few minutes. Everything was mixed up in her mind. The fairy’s voice kept repeating: Queen of the Dance, Forest Festival.

Wow. She was anxious. So many beings come to this celebration from near and far—fairies, guardians, goddesses, even the Forest Protector, who is someone no one really knows.

And what if she messed up...

She heard the river fairy's voice:

"Why are you worried?

You shouldn't be afraid. I’m sure it won’t be hard for you. I’ll practice with you."

Ayumi paused and nodded. The forest fairy continued:

"We really want you to be part of our celebration. No human has ever come to this festival, and this is the only way we can invite you."

The river fairy took Ayumi’s hand and led her to the center of the field. She moved on her feet, spun her hand in the air, and Ayumi spun with her. They practiced for hours, and then they told her to come back to the same place the next morning.

Ayumi headed home. She wasn’t feeling well, was coughing and tired. When she got home, she went straight to bed and fell into a deep sleep until morning.

The next morning, when she woke up, she hesitated to go, but since she had promised, she took some medicine and went toward the river. The river fairy was waiting by the riverside. Together, they went to the practice area. It was more crowded today. When she arrived, they dressed her in a beautiful outfit made of flower petals and placed a crown decorated with many flowers on her head.

When the forest fairy saw her, she took her hand and asked her to spin. She watched her eagerly as she moved. Then she left Ayumi with the river fairy so they could practice. Ayumi, barefoot, practiced with the dance group and the river fairy.

At the end of the day, when she was about to leave, the forest fairy came to her, slightly out of breath, and said,

"It’s so good you didn’t leave," and handed her a pair of shoes decorated with bamboo branches and tree leaves. She thanked her for joining them and told her to rest, because the Forest Festival would be held tomorrow night. She didn’t need to come to the forest in the morning—she should save her energy and get good rest.