The Fake Fairy

Gowri Bhargav posted under Flash Fiction QuinTale-61 on 2024-03-22



“‘Everything about her was a lie.’ My brother, Rick, would often complain about me to everyone. He was so innocent to have believed the fantasy world I weaved when he was young,” chuckled Megan as she flipped through the old photo album. In one of the photos, young Rick was holding a letter that had a drawing of a fairy. “Aww! Tell me about it,” said Megan's husband, Steve.  “Rick was four when his first tooth fell. He was so excited.” “Wow!” “That night, he wrapped the tooth and placed it beneath his pillow. He also wrote an elaborate letter to the Tooth Fairy as instructed by me. Poor thing, he didn't know I was the Tooth Fairy.” “Ha ha! So did he get a gift the next morning?” “Yes, he received his favorite toy along with a letter signed by the Tooth Fairy.” “And what was written in it?” “Apart from a detailed manual about dental hygiene, I added a vivid map of Fairyland accompanied by colorful illustrations.” “Hmm! Such an adorable tooth fairy indeed.” Steve couldn't stop laughing. “And when his subsequent teeth fell, I added more intricate details about Fairyland in the letter. However, I turned a little naughty. Being the Tooth Fairy I instructed him to clean my room too.” “And all along he didn't have a clue about the Tooth Fairy's identity?!” “Nope! His correspondence with the Tooth Fairy continued. He was so excited to receive letters and gifts from her. He blindly obeyed her.” “So sweet! Why was he wearing a fairy costume, by the way?” asked Steve, pointing to another picture.  “Rick was six when his fifth tooth fell. He received a huge gift from the Tooth Fairy along with a letter. To his surprise, the gift was a fairy costume. He was instructed to click a picture of himself wearing the costume. He was terrified but did as instructed. I clicked his picture.” “Ha ha! You sure fooled him.” “Yes! But the next day my friends came over for a party. Unfortunately, he overheard me telling them that I was the Tooth Fairy. He was shattered.” “Oh boy! Wasn't he mad at you?” “He called me a liar and a cheater. He sobbed and threw things at me. He was terribly upset and did not talk to me for several days.” “Aww! So sad. But then how did you guys patch up?” “I sincerely apologized to him and promised to be his best sister ever. I read bedtime stories for him every night. He felt very disappointed that the Tooth fairy didn't exist. However, to this day he has all the letters from the Tooth Fairy.” “Such cute memories make sibling bonds precious, don't they?” “True. Despite the lies and all the things I made him do, he loves me very much. He's nicknamed me the ‘fake fairy’ ever since,” giggled Megan as she picked up the phone and dialed Rick's number to speak to him.