He waited, ready to face out any creature that would come out of the bush. He would have expected anything or anyone, except for that ruffled being who came towards him while removing thistles from her clothes and hair. She carried a small sack.

"Boy, you walk fast," she said, catching her breath.

Ferry couldn't help but shouting with joy, "Matt, what are you doing here?"

Matilda sat right in front of him. "Well, I couldn't let you go on this great adventure all by yourself, couldn't I?" she said. "Besides, you can't have all the glory when we'll bring Danny back safe and sound." She then put her chin in her chest, "I'm ─ I'm sorry..." she said in a low voice.

Ferry smiled at her with all his heart, "It's all right, Matt. Maybe I would've done the same in your place."

Matilda shook her head, "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have. It's just that ─ I really thought you were different. That you are a weird child, just like me. Not a... fairy."

Ferry tapped her on the shoulder, "Thank you, Matt. Now that I know we're friends again, it would be much easier for me to go on this journey," he smiled. "But now you need to go home. It's too dangerous. I don't even know what's in that forest..."

"Whatever it is, we can face it together," she said, looking very confident.

"But Matt ─"

But before Ferry could say anything, she entered the forest with a firm pace. He wasn't left anything to do but follow her.

The forest looked somehow different. They had never visited it so early in the morning. Nor have they ever gone that deep. Yet, the forest looked as if knowing their most hidden thoughts; as if it watched their footsteps and whispered in secret words impossible to understand, catching on their clothes with bony arms as if trying to chase them away.

Even though the whole forest seemed as if trying hard to make them turn back, the scene stretching in front of them looked wonderfully alluring. Pearls of dew were sparkling in the grass. The trees, most of them, oaks and poplars, looked like mighty guardians watching from the sides of the path, as they passed by.

None of the children said a word, fearing that unseen ears might hear them. The crickets stopped chirping, and the birds sang instead. Green steam was coming from above, a translucent curtain wrapping them like a cool cloak. The air around smelled like moss, dirt, and summer rain.

After a while, Ferry stopped. He took out the map and studied it.

"I think we should follow this path," he whispered, pointing to a small path covered with branches. "This will take us to the Round Meadow."

Matilda also studied the map. Ben had told her about it, and she was curious. Ferry watched her studying it carefully. He missed her curious, restless nature so much.

They decided to follow the less-traveled path. But the more they entered the depth of the forest, the more the feeling of unease came over them. It felt like hundreds of unseen eyes were watching from behind every tree or bush. The forest got thicker, now that they were getting close to the Round Meadow. Shadows came from all over, long and thin as if the night was falling. Lights showed up from the branches, sparkling eyes not losing them out of their sight.

They never believed Shepherd's Forest could be that large. They almost felt tired from so much walking and they still didn't reach the Round Meadow. A spring came on their way, one they didn't even know existed, spraying cool drops towards their thirsty lips.

At some point, Matilda threw her sack on the ground and sat on a log to catch her breath. She took out of the sack a thermos and had a mouthful of tea.

"Matt, we don't have time to waste," said Ferry.

"I'm not taking one step further unless you tell me the plan. We can't grope like that. Not around here," she said.

Ferry turned and also sat on the log beside her. He knew how stubborn Matilda could be.

"The truth is, I don't know," he sighed. "I talked to the veiled lady who is a real fairy, by the way, and she told me some things. Not much... She always gives me the feeling that she's not saying it all. Yet, I chose to believe her. I don't know what we're going to find out there. Even though I'm a fairy, that land is unknown to me. All I know is that we need to be prepared for anything. Miss Lavender even gave me some magical objects which might be of help..."

"I don't know... We shouldn't trust someone who's hiding her face."

"Well, so far she's the only one who really helped me. Other than that, we must trust each other and be prepared for anything. Are you sure you want to come? It's still not too late to go back..."

But Matilda looked determined, "I want to go. Let's just end this already!"

She got up and carried on, following the hidden path. Ferry followed, feeling invigorated by her spirit.

It was almost noon, but they could barely see the frail rays of light, trying in vain to pierce the roof of thick foliage above. The branches stretched out to each other like in a tangled embrace.

After a while, they stumbled on their way. Something changed. Like a shift in the air. The birds stopped singing. The branches stopped moving. Everything looked still. Silent. The sun was now hidden behind the clouds, and not even a ray of light could reach the two scared children beneath.

Even Matilda, the fearless Matilda, took Ferry by the hand without saying a word, holding it tight. Ferry felt her fear and held her hand in return, forcing a smile. Yet, he didn't dare to say a word. As if a single word would have been enough to unleash all the creatures that were lurking in the shadows, unseen.

They reached an isolated place, surrounded by old trees. They haven't heard the branches snapping under their feet for quite a while. As they looked down, they saw the ground was entirely dry. Not a single blade of grass. Right in the middle of that lifeless spot, a standing stone rose towards the sky as proud as an army's commander. It looked like an ancient temple with strange, long-forgotten symbols encrusted in the hard stone. On the upper side, it grew thinner. So thin, that it looked like a spear's point. A thick layer of moss covered the stone. And yet, those old symbols looked like they've just been cut into the stone. In the darkness that fell over the forest, the signs glittered as if someone would have switched a magical button.

Ferry touched the symbols with the tip of his fingers and felt thrills all over his body. He even had the feeling his hand got through the rock, on the other side. He pulled it out fast, scared of that strange feeling. Matilda wanted to do the same thing, but Ferry stopped her. He remembered what Lavender Sky had told him about the uninvited human guests on the fairy realm.

When Matilda was about to argue, something broke the silence. A whistle. A playful whistle Ferry had heard before. The children listened, their hearts skipping random beats. The whistle was coming closer, as clear as daylight. In the deep silence, they could hear someone's footsteps. And before they knew it, a silhouette, no taller than a three-year-old child, appeared out of nowhere. Flashes of green and red light flew before their eyes. Then, the figure quickly passed them by and vanished into the standing stone. 

For a few seconds, they could see the rock transforming into a thin misty curtain, allowing them to catch a glimpse of the other side. It was as if they were looking through a magical window. They could see the clear blue skies, clearer than any other skies they've ever seen, and the soft honey-like light caressing a green meadow. Then, everything faded away, and they were looking at the gray rock again. They were sitting, without a doubt, in front of the magical gateway of the Round Meadow.

The children looked at each other. It was time. Time to leave behind their world and everything they knew and venture into the unknown.

Ferry took out of his bag the wool bundler Lavender Sky had given him.

"You should take off your shoes, Matt. You won't need shoes on the other side."

Matilda frowned, yet she took off her shoes, her eyes glued to the strange wool ball Ferry was holding. "What is that for?"

"Look," he said, "you need to tie one end of this wool on your ankle. Unless you want the fairies to discover you're a human. Miss Lavender told me so."

But Matilda didn't even budge, "I'm not trying anything! Why don't you tie it on?" she said, ready to start a quarrel.

"Because I'm a fairy, Matt," he softly said. "They won't see me as an intruder..."

Matilda calmed down. She seemed like she had forgotten Ferry's true nature. "I wouldn't trust someone who's hiding her face if I were you," she muttered, tying the wool thread. "But how am I supposed to get on the other side?" she wondered.

 Ferry took out Billy's box and gave Matilda the red feather.

Matilda couldn't believe her eyes. "Billy gave it to you?!"

"Yes, I'll tell you about it some other time," he said.

The little girl took the feather with hesitant hands. She headed towards the stone with an even more hesitant pace. One of the symbols flickered, brighter than the others. It was the perfect outline of a feather. Matilda placed the feather in the slot, and the feather matched perfectly. The stone turned into the thin, trembling mist again. The girl put her palm over the feather and before Ferry knew it, someone or something pulled her through on the other side. A small cry emerged from beyond and then melted into the silence of the Round Meadow.

For a second, Ferry couldn't move. Enough for the portal to turn to rock again. It was happening; it was really happening. Then, as awoken from a dream, he stepped closer to the stone and touched its hard, cold surface. He felt a strong, unseen force pulling him on the other side.

Thank you for reading this! For those of you who thought Matilda would join Ferry, congratulations! I am feeling blessed with readers like you :) Don't forget to comment and vote. This story is growing because of you.