They were all sitting in the dark, around the torn blanket. The girls had come too and stared at the colorful patches scattered all over the room.

"Maybe the cats tore it apart," Parsley said softly.

Thyme shook his head. "There are blade cuts. It wasn't the cats. "

"Who could have done that?" Oona asked. "And why?"

"It looks like an act of rage," Thyme said, examining a patch. Then he turned to Sage and Parsley. "Did anyone enter the room? Did you see anything? Did you hear anything? "

"I was sleeping, Thyme ..." Sage replied as Parsley stared at the ground.

"I thought we were supposed to be more careful. To be vigilant. What if Garrett was under the blanket? " Thyme scolded him, trying hard not to raise his voice.

"But he wasn't, was he?" Sage said, looking Thyme in the eye. "And by the way, where were you?Shouldn't you have been here, too? Where was Garrett? What were you both doing outside? And now you're shouting at us for a stupid blanket! "

"That's not the matter, Sage!" Thyme's voice thundered. "Our mission is to always be by his side. And I failed. From the first day. We all failed! " he shouted.

Ferry felt that he could no longer hold the tumult of emotions inside him. "Stop it! All of you!" he said, his jaw clenched. "There is no point in arguing for this. It's just a stupid blanket, anyway," he added, but his voice trembled.

Matilda tried to get closer to him. "Ferry ..."  

But he left the room until she reached him.

In the inner backyard, the coolness of the night made him feel a bit better. He took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. Maybe it was just a blanket. But not to him. To him, it was part of his home, of someone he loved. A piece of something he cherished to join him in the troubled times that were on the horizon.

Ferry leaned against the wall of the house. The cold brick clung to his back, banishing any shade of tiredness. His temples were pulsing and he pressed them with his fingers, trying to make the ache go away. As he stood there, waiting for it to pass, something moved at the corner of the house. A small, crooked shadow that dissipates quickly, like a lure. 

Ferry jumped to his feet and ran to the corner of the house. Nothing. The moon shone bright enough for him to see the entire yard as if in broad daylight. He looked around the rose bushes but saw no one. He then looked at the roof of the house and saw the small figure again, this time, peeping from behind the chimney. Ferry looked around to check if any human was watching, then flew to the roof of the house. He stepped on his toes on the old tiles, which slipped from under his feet. He dashed on the other side of the chimney. Again, no one. Ferry sighed and climbed down the roof. Maybe he had just imagined. It had been a long day, indeed.

They all decided not to go back to sleep and leave for the neighboring town where the bridge between the worlds was located. Ferry knew from his fairy friends that in the human world there were several portals leading to their world. Thyme even had a map of them, but he once told him that, in fact, there were more doors between the worlds, still undiscovered.

They paid for the night at the inn, even though none of them managed to sleep properly, and left. The sun had not yet risen when they left the city. The door between the worlds was in the forest bordering the neighboring town. The streets were deserted at that hour, so they could now walk quietly without fear that people would look at them like circus freaks.

The town was not as big. The houses were taller and the streets wider than those of Goodharts. Some had cars in front of small and chic front gardens. Old trees kept guard on both sides of the streets like unbreakable guards. But somehow, this town made him feel better, more protected. Ahead of them, the sun was ready to rise, sending beams of light that broke the dark night sky.

Upon departure, Ferry tried not to be affected by the loss of his mother's blanket. Or at least, not show it. He knew his friends needed to see him brave and optimistic. He knew the trial that awaited him on the other side would not be easy and that many depended on him. But his heart was tight. He was so close to leaving this world and everything he knew.  And that brought doubt into his soul again. Next to him, Oona was chirping about one of her many troubles from which she had always come through by using means more or less right. Behind them, Ferry could hear Sage telling Matilda something about Akna and the great things they would meet there, but she didn't seem to listen to him because she never replied. But that didn't stop Sage from talking and talking. 

Ferry turned his head and looked at her. The girl smiled at him as their eyes met, and that made him feel better.

By now, the day was breaking, and they reached the outskirts of the town. The forest stretched in front of them, all mighty and distant. It was an evergreen forest, with tall, straight trees on which the sky seemed to rest. The path that opened ahead was covered with a soft carpet of moss and thick, short grass in which their feet were buried as in a soft carpet.

On either side of the path, they could see smaller or larger mounds, also dressed in thick, green grass. Those firs and spruces covered the carpet of grass, creating an irregular pattern that could be seen in front of them from afar. Blackberry bushes were scattered everywhere, and the fruit glistened among the leaves, illuminated by the shy rays that could barely make their way through the thick foliage. The air was humid and strong, and Ferry had to take several deep breaths to get used to it. The birds had also woken up with the first rays of light, and now they filled the air with whistles and chirps which then faded into the heights.

For some reason, no one said a word since they entered the forest. They all followed Thyme quietly, trying to keep up. With the map in his hand, Thyme walked determined, getting into the forest deeper and deeper. For a while, the trees and bushes thickened, and the moss path dissipated, mingling with dozens of others, a maze of greenery and wildness. The road was winding, and the travelers had to keep their eyes down so as not to be hindered by the mounds that appeared at every step. The farther they went into the forest, the more muffled and distant the birds could be heard. Ferry had to help Oona a few times to move forward because her long dress was always caught in the branches of bushes or thorny shrubs. But Matilda moved forward at ease; the long, tight pants she wore made her walk agile and protected her feet from scratches of the thorns in the bushes.

Thyme turned to Ferry several times, scolding him with his eyes for not keeping up. Parsley and Rosemary seemed to be the only ones who really enjoyed each other's company and kept up with Thyme without saying anything, only smiling at each other from time to time.

"Are we there yet?" Sage asked. "It seems like we're walking forever."

Thyme stopped abruptly, and everyone stopped behind him.

"Shhhh," he said, putting his finger to his lips. "There's someone here. In this forest ... "

Ferry stepped closer to him. "Thyme, what are you talking about?"

Thyme looked everywhere, his eyes as dark as night. "Wait here. I'll go ahead to check if everything is all right at the bridge between the worlds. Sage, you're in charge while I'm away, " he said. Then he took his raven form and took a flight to the top of the fir trees, towards the sky.

"Well, we all know who's really in charge when Sage is in charge," Oona muttered, sitting down on a mound and picking some small white flowers that could barely be seen through the thick grass.

"Everyone, listen," Sage's voice echoed. "Stay together and close."

"No need to shout, Sage," Ferry said. "If anyone is in this forest, I wouldn't want them to know we're here."

Sage glared at him. "As long as I'm in charge of you, you're going to have to listen to me, whether you like it or not, Garrett," he said, trying to sound calm.

"What if I need to go?" Ferry asked, not intimidated by his attitude. "Are you coming to guard me?"

Sage's mouth twisted in disgust. "If you really need to go, go! But not too far. I don't want to be put on trial in Akna if something happens to you, " he added. Then he turned his back on him and sat down next to Matilda on a fallen tree trunk. Oona was busy with her flower wreath, while Parsley and Rosemary picked healing plants which Rosemary then put in her sack made of dried grass.

Ferry sighed and walked behind a bush. He didn't need to go, he just wanted to not have to look at Sage's face for a few minutes. He picked up a twisted stick at one end that looked like a cane and began to search under the shrubs around. Beneath the ferns and nettles, there were other wild berries, hidden by the shiny leaves. Ferry picked up some cranberries that crackled in his teeth, the sweet-sour juice dripping down his chin. Then he had the strange feeling that someone was following him again. He stood up and looked in all directions, with the forest and the sky spinning above him. From somewhere afar, fragments of words were reaching him. Strong, manly voices. Someone was shouting, though he couldn't figure out what he was saying. He wanted to find out where the voices were coming from and took a step forward, but then, he changed his mind. He turned to his road companions who were also alerted by the voices.

"There could be people hunting," Parlsey whispered.

Oona clung to Ferry's chest again. "I'm scared, Ferry. I don't want to be hunted ... "

"Don't worry, Oona," Ferry said, "No one is hunting us," he said, trying to calm her down.

"Sage, what should we do until Thyme comes?" Rosemary asked.

Sage seemed stuck. "We should hide ...," he said, taking Matilda by the shoulders and hiding together beneath the fallen trunk. The others hid behind trees or in thick bushes. Parsley hid on the ground, becoming one with him.

Ferry jumped into a tall bush that completely covered him.

He then waited in silence, almost forgetting to breathe. People's voices could no longer be heard. Only the voice of the forest, accompanied by the song of the wind among the branches. Soon he heard a flutter of wings and Thyme descended from above.

Sage came out of his hiding place, followed by the others. "Thyme, what's going on?" 

"There are people on the bridge between the worlds," he said, panting. "People in uniform attire, and armed ..."

"Army men ..." Matilda whispered.

"What are they doing there?" Ferry asked.

"I don't know ... They have some weird tools they use to study the stone that makes the connection between this world and ours ..."

"What are we going to do now?" Parsley asked.

"We have no choice. The next bridge between the worlds is a week away from this place. We have to go back to the city again and wait. "

"But Thyme, the money is almost over," Ferry said. "How will we pay for the inn and food?"

Thyme sighed. "We'll find something... But now we have to go. We can't stay here anymore. It's too dangerous. "

The others nodded and started back. This time they had to walk in broad daylight, under the eyes of everyone they met on the road. A group of girls that chirped like sparrows giggled and elbowed each other as they passed by Ferry. Ferry put on the hood of the cloak  Lavender gave him, but that only drew more attention on him. Oona cast poisonous glances at any girl who dared to look at Ferry; Finally, she took his hand, her nose in the air. They passed by crowded squares and places until they reached the city again.

At the inn where they had stayed, the rooms were, obviously, vacant. This time, in the reception room, Mrs.  Muff, the owner's wife, greeted them. She was a short, round, stump-like woman who smelled of mothballs while the thick powder layer on her face hid the rough features. She wore a coat of fox fur gnawed in places, and the collar was actually made of her favorite cat's fur, also reddish in color, whose head had been stuffed so that the noble lady would never part with her pet, not even in death.

"Oh, you must be the circus people ..." she said as she saw them. "I thought you left. Or so Arthur told me. "

Matilda stepped in front of everyone. "We'll stay in the city for a few more days. We would need rooms if they are still available, " she said, trying not to stare at the dead glass-eyed of the stuffed animal at the distinguished lady's neck.

Mrs. Muffin examined Matilda, then put on her glasses and opened the register. "It will cost you more, you know," she said without looking up from the register.

"More? Why?" Matilda asked, trying to stay calm, even though the tap of her foot betrayed her.

"It's hard to find vacancies this season," she explains, "there are a lot of seasonal services during this period. In two days, you will not find any vacant room. I'm sure you don't want to sleep on the streets. The street is not a safe place, especially for young, beautiful people like you, " she added, glancing at Ferry.

Matilda turned to her companions. "What are we going to do? We don't have that much money... "

"Tell her we're paying for one night, for now," Thyme advised. "We'll see how we handle it later."

Matilda paid with Thyme's money, and Mrs. Muffin handed her the keys. Then she came out from behind the counter and examined them all one by one from her low height. She stopped in front of Ferry, who looked away from her searching eyes.

"I think you'll handle the circus just fine ..." she grinned. "As for you, sweetie, you bother too much. Girls would pay all their spare money just to see your pretty face ... "she added, bursting into a loud laugh that resounded beyond the walls of the room.

Ferry couldn't stand it anymore. He went up the stairs ahead of everyone. In the room, he slammed his sack on the chair with broken legs. He looked around the room. On the floor, there was no patch left of his mother's blanket. Thyme, Sage, and Parsley slowly followed him inside. Parsley opened the window wide.

"I don't like this place ..." Ferry said, not knowing if he was talking about the dark, unvented room or just the world of humans. The looks, the whispers, the giggles of the people had begun to make him feel uncomfortable. Maybe the humans never accepted him and would never do. Maybe that's how they'd seen him all this time--a freak. 

"We won't be here long," Thyme said.

"What are we going to do about the money?" Ferry asked. "We have enough for one day. Two, at most ... "

"We'll find something... It's seasonal work time of the year, right?"

Ferry sighed and lied down on the edge of the bed. Nothing seemed to go as planned. He was beginning to look forward to leaving this world where only money had a say.

"You can have the bed if you want," Sage said in a low voice. "I can sleep on the floor."

Ferry shook his head slowly. "Thanks, Sage ... The floor is fine for me, too."

He was suddenly cold. And he didn't even have his mother's blanket.

***

That day, they ate at a secluded tavern that smelled of cabbage and sausages. The odor floated in the air even before the seven travalers entered. They were among the few clients which was fine in a way because they could talk quietly. They counted the money they had left until the gate between the worlds was free to cross over. The only solution was to wait a few more days in the city and find workso they could  pay for a place to sleep. They decided the most suited to find a job were Oona, Matilda, and Sage. Everyone else looked too different from what people knew. Too different for the small minds of mortals to understand. They would have only drawn attention to themselves.

It was easy for Matilda and Sage to find work. They found it right in the filthy tavern where they had eaten. Matilda got the job of a waitress, and Sage the one of cook's help.

In front of the tavern, they had to part. Thyme was to fly back into the woods near the neighboring town and watch the movements taking place at the bridge between the worlds. Parsley and Rosemary tried to find work in people's gardens, although there weren't that many  flower gardens in front of the houses.  Ferry decided to accompany Oona to find work, although Oona had no idea what she was good at.

The late afternoon air had become hot and heat waves were rising from the hot cauldron. Oona kept complaining about the displeasures of the human world. They finally found a bench, in the shade of a tree not thick enough to protect them from the stifling rays.

"I can't believe we ended up working in such a mundane place," she kept complaining. "And for what? For money? Some pieces of filthy, cold metal. "

"I'm afraid we don't have much choice, Oona," Ferry muttered, searching a local newspaper's job section. "If we are to spend a few more days in this city, we must eat and have a place to sleep. The streets are not safe places. "

Oona grinned and a twinkle appeared in her eyes. "But that doesn't mean we have to be human servants."

"What do you mean?" Ferry asked, frowning.

With the same complicit smile on her lips, Oona pulled a piece of paper from one of the pockets under the many folds of her dress and handed it to him. It was a flyer ad that read "POKER NIGHT" and an address.

"What is this?"

"This, my dearest, is how we will make money in this world of people. It's a card game, isn't it? Do you know how to play it? "

Ferry nodded. For a moment, he remembered the Sunday nights at Matilda's house, where he, Sage, Matilda, and her family all played poker, ate peanuts, and drank lemonade. When the whole house resounded with laughter and good mood.

"I only played on seeds and nuts, Oona," he protested. "I never played for money. Besides, I don't even think I'm that good. Sage always beat me in this game. "

"But is that different? You don't even have to know how to play. This time, you have me," she smiled meaningfully.

"Do you know how to play?" he asked. "I thought it was a people's game ..."

"I don't know how to play and I'm not interested in the games of humans where you win their dirty money. But we both have an advantage over people. "

"What's that?" Ferry asked, tired with her game.

Oona moved so close to his ear that her warm lips almost touched it, bringing tickling down his spine. "You and I can go invisible," she whispered.

Ferry shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Oona."

"Oh, come on, Ferry, where's your spiritof adventure? It's a perfect plan. We can't go wrong ...  " she said, folding her arms.

Ferry sighed. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"Well, we'll go to this adress. You will sign up to play. I think there are several rounds. And I will accompany you. Unseen! " she said, clapping her hands.

"And?"

"... and I will watch all the players, then I will whisper in your ear what cards they have so that you only bet the winning cards. Brilliant, isn't it? "

"I don't know, Oona ..."

"Please, Ferry. I don't want to work in a filthy tavern and have to endure the greedy eyes of men and their disgusting touches, as my mother did ... " she said and her voice turned sad.

"Do you think this happens in all taverns and restaurants?" Ferry asked, frowning.

"Definitely," she said confidently.

"What about Matilda?" Ferry asked. "Could the same thing happen to her?" Only the thought of it terrified him.

Oona rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't worry about her, fairy-boy. She has the knight in shining armor with her. Sage. I'm sure he would come to her aid at the slightest sign. "

Ferry sighed. He didn't like the thought that Sage was always with Matilda, but at least he knew she was safe with him.

"So, what do you say?" Oona asked, looking impatient.

"I don't know, Oona ... What will Thyme say? Isn't it against the Fairy Laws? "

"Thyme doesn't have to know. He's away. By the time he returns, we've already earned the money. Think you're doing it for all of us. In addition, fairy laws are not for the human world. It's the easiest and safest way to make money. "

Ferry gave it a thought. It seemed, indeed, the simplest and easiest plan. But how many times had things gone according to plan, whatever it was? "Fine," he finally said with a sigh.

Oona pulled out a shout of joy and hugged him in her thin arms, her red hair, which smelled of flowers, touching his cheek. If only he was as excited as her...

***

It was late when Matilda and Sage returned to the "Bed &Breakfast". Ferry saw them from the roof next to their room where he had retreated to be alone. The two laughed and joked as if they had not returned after a long day of work, but from a much more pleasant stay. Parsley and Rosemary had not been able to find work, as expected, and now they were gone for an evening walk on the narrow streets. Oona remained in her room. They had arranged to meet later and go to the poker night.

Above the city, the light gradually melted, letting itself be consumed by the soft, blue darkness. It was hot up there, but Ferry shivered. The thought of leaving the human world had returned. The longer the departure was delayed, the stronger the feeling was.

He heard a faint noise behind him and discovered Matilda. She wore a white shirt and the plaid skirt she made for herself.

She smiled when she saw him. "There you are," she said. "I've been looking all over for you..."

"I needed some peace ..." Ferry said.

Matilda giggled. "No wonder. Having someone like Oona with you all day long to cackle in your ear..."

Ferry smiled. "Matt... That's not nice..."

She looked down. "Yes, I know... Oona is a good girl. A bit annoying, sometimes ... "

"Matt ..."

"Okay, okay... I'm not here to talk about Oona."

"Why were you looking for me?" he asked, his heart skipping a beat.

"I came to give you this," she said, handing him something folded in a newspaper.

At first, Ferry didn't realize what he was holding in his hands. He slowly unfolded the newspaper. He didn't have to look. That warm touch, the faint scent of freshly washed laundry, those thick, soft stitches... It was his mother's blanket. He could feel the tears flooding his eyes again. He unfolded it. It had been sewn by Matilda patch by patch.

"Matt ..." was the only thing he could say.

"I tried to fix it as best I could. I even found similar threads at a haberdashery nearby. "

Ferry felt a warm lump in his throat. "It's perfect," he said. "Thank you..."

"You don't have to thank me. I know how much it means to you ... "

Ferry couldn't say anything more. He brought his cheek closer to the soft blanket and surrendered to the conforting smell of home.

Matilda laid down beside him on the roof which still kept the heat of the day. Above them, the moon showed its pale face, making the marks on his forehead shine. Ferry laid down beside her, his eyes fixed on the changing sky above.

"Why are you really here, Ferry?" Matilda asked after a while.

"I had to clear my mind," he said. He knew he could tell her anything.

"Why? What's on your mind? " she softly asked.

Ferry sighed. "A lot... But it's a certain thought that won't give me peace ..."

"What's that?"

 "That I no longer belong to this world ..."

"Ferry ..."

"No, I know... I've lived among humans for so long... Basically, my whole life. But ... I can't get escape the feeling that my place is no longer here. "

"Honestly, I feel the same way. And this should be my world. But I think that's always the case when-- "

"When what?" he asked.

It took Matilda a moment to answer, "When you leave home ..."

Ferry looked at her. He'd never seen her so serious. It looked like she had grown up in two days as in five years. Ferry hoped with all his heart that she would not regret her departure from this world. Her world. That she didn't feel the same way he did.

"How was your day?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Can we not talk about today?" she asked, turning her face to him and looking into his eyes. "Can we not talk about anything? Can we just stay here? "

Ferry looked at her eyes and the small freckles scattered on her nose and cheeks. Why did he feel like her eyes were sad? "Sure..."

Matilda turned her gaze back to the sky on which a few shy stars twinkled. Her hand searched for his and she shuddered when she found it. But then she squeezed his hand tightly and they stood there, with their hands clasped, looking at the sky. The world as they knew it was about to change soon. Were they ready for the new world? Yet right then and there, on the roof with the broken piles, under the timid stars, it didn't matter anymore...

I'd like to say a big, big thank you to the new fans of this series, but also to the older ones, those who've been with Ferry and me for years. Your incredible support makes it all worth it. Love lots!