No Such Thing as a Fairy Tale

By Elaine Waldron

Shortly after Doctor Randolph James buys the farmhouse from his folks that he grew up in and begins moving his family in, strange things begin to happen. On the very first day of their arrival their six-year-old daughter, Sally, jumps out of the car and runs off in pursuit of an “itty bitty' man, as she calls him. His wife, Becca, sends him off to get their daughter, who swears that the little man went up in the hayloft. But when he climbs the ladder, he doesn't see anyone. Little does he know that this is only the beginning. No Such Thing as a Fairy Tale, is a fairy tale in itself, written not necessarily for the young, but for the young at heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elaine Waldron
• Release date: Dec 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370649020

Elaine Waldron

Elaine Waldron began her career as a novelist with Publish America, publishing her first two books with them. Aside from her novels, she has had numerous short stories published in various magazines and anthologies, such as Amazing Journeys and Trail of Indiscretion, winning best story based on cover art for issue #4. She was a newspaper journalist earlier on in her career, but shortly after leaving the newspaper, she began selling her short stories.Her favorite authors are: L.J. Smith, Stephen King, Stephanie Meyer, Jack Engelhard, and John W. Cassell. She enjoys Shakespeare and her favorite poet is Rainer Maria Rilke, and she mostly reads and listens to his works in German.She is an advocate for preserving our planet, believes in God, and recycles. Loves animals and has two cats.

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No Such Thing as a Fairy Tale

Elaine Waldron

Copyright(c) 2016 Sandra Elaine Waldron

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locals is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author.

In honor of the 'little people'.

Chapter One

The instant little Sally James' white-sandled feet hit the graveled driveway, she tore off running towards the weathered, red barn with the gaping, dilapidated doors, causing her red banana curls to bounce off the shoulder-straps of her yellow sun-dress.

Sally! Her mother called, Where do you think you’re running off too?

Doctor Randolph James pulled his head of dark hair out from the back seat on the driver’s side of their black Suburban and sat a box of clothes on the ground. Sally, you get back here this instant! That old barn isn’t safe! He looked out over the roof of the car just in time to see their daughter disappear between the two, loose-hanging wooden doors.

The child ignored both her parents. They hadn’t seen what she had, a little man, just about the same height as she, wearing a dark-gray hoodie. He had been standing just in front of the barn doors, sporting a huge, beckoning grin, when they pulled in.

Flustered – this was the first time she had been back since the house had been renovated – Becca turned to her husband. Randy, I thought you were going to have that old barn torn down before we moved in? She cocked her honey-blonde head and stared at him with scrutinizing blue eyes. When they decided they wanted to move into his folk’s old farm he had suggested renovating it. Said it held a certain nostalgia, but she had wanted to just have the barn torn down and rebuild a new one in its place. Randy?

Observing her guiltily with his soulful, gray eyes, he expelled a sigh of frustration. I just couldn’t do it, Becca. His expression said it all. He loved that old barn. For a brief moment he had a flash of a long forgotten memory, but then it was gone just as quickly as it had come.

You okay?

Yeah. Why?

You had an odd expression. She let it go, screwing up her mouth, a more than a little disgruntled. Okay. But if Sally gets hurt, it’s on your shoulders! With that, she grabbed a cardboard box out of the back of the car and stomped up the back porch steps that creaked quite loudly as she went up. That was supposed to have been repaired too. She turned and gave her husband as menacing a look as possible, but she didn’t really mean it. I suppose that has ‘special’ memories for you too?

He held up his palms in submission. I’ll take care of it as soon as possible, Becca.

She rolled her eyes. Just get Sally, will you?

On it! The rest of the boxes in the car would have to wait. He headed to the old barn to retrieve their daughter.

Inside, Sally stood, sage green eyes squint, as she carefully scrutinized her surroundings. There were three old, dilapidated horse stalls to her right. To her left, were several bales of rotten hay that smelled dank and musty; an old pitchfork was propped, prongs-up, against the wall to the right. Hearing a faint snicker, she glanced up and saw the little man grinning down at her from the hayloft, and then laughing, he turned and disappeared to where she couldn’t see. There was a timeworn ladder to her right. That was how one got up to the loft. Her foot was on the first rung when her father entered the barn.

No! Sally, no! That old ladder isn’t safe! I have a feeling your mom was right. Probably should have had the old barn torn down.

Sally reluctantly took her foot from the ladder, turned and batted cinnamon-red lashes at him. But there was a little bitty man, Daddy.

What? he asked, incredulous. This certainly was not something he expected to hear from their six-year-old. What do you mean – 'little bitty man'?

She jabbed a pink, dainty forefinger skyward. Up there, Daddy. He’s up there.

Suddenly, he had brief flashes of a little man – or people? – he thought he had seen as a child years ago, but the memories were very vague, and his folks had always dismissed them as nonsense. As he matured, he quit seeing them, and chalked it up to a very vivid, childish imagination and nothing more.

Sally’s voice interrupted his thoughts. I saw him up there, Daddy.

Why would there be a little man here, Sally? No one has lived in this place since my folks moved out six years ago.

"But I saw him!"

Sighing heavily. Okay. He stared at the ladder. Appeared sturdy enough. Still, he couldn’t be sure. He tested the first rung; seemed sufficiently secure. So he slowly and very carefully ascended to the loft. Once he could see over the top, there was nothing, just an empty hayloft with a few old straws strew here and there across the wooden floor. He glanced down at his anxious, lightly freckled-faced, little girl. Sorry, Sally. There’s no one here.

Cheeks flushing red with an instant frown, Sally responded, But he has to be there!

I’m sorry, sweetheart. You must have imagined him. He backed down the ladder.

I did see him! I did!

Becca appeared at the door. What is taking you two so long?

I saw a little man, Mommy.

What? Her eyes darted questioningly to her husband

There’s no one here, Becca, Randy replied. I think the newness and excitement of moving into our new home has her imagination working overtime. He spoke with fatherly authority, but there was something nagging at him in the back of his mind. Something his father had said. Something about too many strange, unexplained things had happened around the farm the last few years they had lived there, and besides getting too old to run the place, it was the other reason they had decided to move. Randy hadn't mentioned it to Becca though, knowing she wasn't nearly so thrilled as he about moving to the country, and he had shrugged off what his dad had said, thinking his folks were just looking for excuses to leave. Still, could there have been something to it? He really didn't want to entertain that thought and pushed it out of his mind.

I did see him, Mommy! Sally persisted, but still accepted her mother’s outstretched hand.

Maybe you did. At least, you thought you did. However, we have the boxes and suitcases we brought in the car to unpack, and I want you to take a look at your room. It’s been wallpapered in a pretty gold-yellow with butterflies all around, just like you said you wanted.

Immediately, Sally forgot about the little man. Really? She went on in the house with her mother.

There was so much to do that the weekend seemed to fly by. The truck arrived on time Saturday morning, and Sally eagerly helped Mommy and Daddy the best she could, with the unpacking and putting things away. But every now and then they'd take a break and go outside to enjoy the sunshine. That was when Sally had the most fun, chasing butterflies and trying to catch the squirrels, but they scrambled up the trees much too fast for her.

Randy and Becca delighted in seeing their daughter having so much fun. Becca even admitted after a while that maybe Randy had been right, that life in the country would be, not only good, but healthy for Sally, mentally as well as physically.

She, herself, had been raised in the city, and had never really experienced rural life, and had had some reservations, hoping that accepting Randy's folks' farm had not been a huge mistake.

There was something else new besides their own renovating. There were a couple of other old farmhouses down the road, and the closest one to their left, across the road, that had been empty for some time as well, had also been rebuilt lately, and there was a family living there. However, the one directly across but askew to it appeared to be still abandoned. Randy was sure he had seen a little boy playing in the yard of the refurbished one. The boy looked a little older than Sally. Possibly a year or two. It seemed as though maybe Sally would have someone to play with after all. He hoped so, anyway.

Nurse Agatha White looked pretty much the same as she always had except for being older; still kept her hair dyed carrot-red and worn in a bun, even though she was in her early sixties. Randy once heard his mother say Agatha had been born with brown hair, but had kept it red her entire adult life. Still, it went well with her greenish-blue eyes and light complexion. To someone who didn't really know her, she could have been a natural redhead when younger. Now, it was obvious she dyed it. He also remembered his mother saying that Agatha strongly resembled an actress that was famous when she was young. Agnes Moorehead, he believed was her name. He considered that maybe Agatha knew this, and perhaps it was one of the reasons she kept it red.

Hey there, handsome! Agatha stood from behind the reception desk where she had been working on the computer, anticipating his arrival. She welcomed him with open arms and a big hug, before releasing him and smiling brightly behind her horn-rimmed glasses that were a bit out of date. Just look at you! You must have grown two inches since I last feasted my eyes on you. You have no idea how glad I am to see you!

Happy to see you too, he replied, setting his black bag aside. I have been really looking forward to beginning my practice here.

She wriggled her forefinger for him to follow, taking him down the long hall that hadn't changed much since he'd last seen it, which had been a few years back. Except it had been recently wallpapered in a bright yellow, with brown and red leaves pictured here and there. Nice wallpaper. Brightens the place up.

Thanks, hon. I just couldn't stand that old white paint any longer. I've always wished the place was wallpapered instead, and after Doc Foxworth passed on, leaving me here in charge, I decided it couldn't be a better time to do it, she said, displaying a self-satisfied grin.

He had half expected to see patients when he had come in, but they seemed to be the only people there. No patients today? he inquired, as she pointed out the four examining rooms. All had been wallpapered, but some were of a different pattern, floral, mostly red roses on a light-green background.

She smiled up at him and patted his shoulder. Don't you worry none. I have a full schedule lined up for you today. I just wanted to give you time to familiarize yourself with everything first. So you wouldn't have to be running and asking me questions as to where everything was.

Yes. Of course, that makes sense, he replied, feeling a little silly now.

She proceeded to show him where all the dressings, wraps, antiseptics, and medications were. After that, she gave him a quick run-through as to how the computer system was set up. Once she was through showing him everything he needed to be familiarized with for the time being, she took him to the back where the coffee pot and dough-nuts were. There was also a small refrigerator where some medicines were kept, but it was also supplied with sodas.

Then they heard several people come in the front. Agatha glanced at her watch. Well, that should be Millie Brown and her twelve-year-old, Sam. He has a nasty cut on his leg, from what she said on the phone. So, I made sure to schedule him first. Most everyone else has minor complaints, colds, minor aches and pains, things that can wait. Hope you're ready? she asked, eyes smiling inquisitively.

Definitely!

It turned out that Sam only needed a couple of stitches and an antibiotic to prevent infection. After that, the day went by relatively fast. Five o'clock rolled around in seemingly no time. Randy bid Agatha goodbye, and left for home, feeling on top of the world, believing they had definitely made the right choice in moving back to his old home.

Several weeks went by and just about everything had a place and was in its place. Sally had settled down into her own routine of waking up at seven, about the time her father did, and eating a quick bowl of cornflakes or Cheerios with Daddy, and then after he left for his office, she went off to her room to dress and watch cartoons until Mommy got up, which was usually about eight-thirty.

Randy knew he could trust his little girl to stay put until her mother got up. She'd always been well-behaved that way. After giving her father a good-bye kiss on the cheek, she would lock the door behind him after he went out. She did love to explore, but she wouldn't do it without her mother's okay.

School would be starting in the fall, though, and Becca would have to start getting up to see their daughter off to school, but for now, she could just enjoy sleeping in a little of a morning.

Sally and the boy at the other newly-renovated farm had definitely noticed one another. There were two huge maple trees in Sally's front yard. One was right by the driveway to the left, and the other, to the right. Sally had taken to sitting under the one on the left of an afternoon and drinking a cold glass of iced tea or Kool-Aid. The boy was often outside as well, playing with his dog, toy guns, or wearing a towel around his neck, pretending to be a superhero. When he saw Sally, he would wave, and she would do the same.

One afternoon, Sally had just sat down and the boy was already outside. He noticed her and waved broadly. She responded the same. That was when she heard a voice, but it wasn't the boy, for it was coming from the other side of the tree. Why don't you walk down and talk to him? She sat forward and placed her half-drank glass of tea aside. Huh?

Just then the dwarf she had seen the first day of their arrival to the farm walked around to face her. Top of the afternoon ta ya, little lady.

Her jaw dropped and her eyes were suddenly saucers of surprise. It's you! The itty bitty man! She jumped up. He wasn't any taller than she. Daddy said you were my imagination, was all she could think to say.

He chuckled pleasantly. Reckon I been called worse than itty bitty. He smiled, not appearing insulted.

Oh! I'm sorry, she responded, considering it might have been rude to call him that.

It be okay, kiddo. To you, I be an 'itty bitty' man. But for my kind, I be full grown.

She thought of his question. I'm not allowed to walk down the road. Not without my mom or dad.

He scratched the back of his head. Today his hood was down, but he was again wearing a hoodie, in spite of the warm air. I could side you.

Sally was confused.

Walk with you. Still, even if'n your mom could see me, she wouldn't know'd me. So that won't do.

Why can't my mom see you?

Oh... She could if'n I wished her to. But grumps tend not to be understandin' of us wee folk.

Grumps?

What you call grownups, Sally.

Oh! Okay. She didn't really think about it, but she fully trusted him. There was just something about him that made her feel secure and safe.

He be named Billy, the dwarf replied.

You know him? she asked, surprised.

Reckon I do. Made friends with him a couple of weeks after he moved in.

Then could you tell him my name is Sally?

Would be a pleasure.

Her brow furrowed questioningly. You know my name?

That I do. Heard your mom and dad callin' you more than once.

That made sense. Okay, she said with acceptance. What's your name?

Just then, a red Ford Taurus backed out of the boy's driveway. He appeared to be in the