The Fae Ring

 

It is believed that if a person steps inside a Fae ring, it is a portal to the Fae world.

Others believe that stepping into one will cause a mortal to be invisible to the outside world and find it impossible to leave the ring.

Here is a story of three friends who were aware of the tales and decided to tempt their own fates

by playing around one they found, and what became of them.

Evan, Lyla and Rick were a few short days away from their graduation when they came across such a ring in Evan's neighbor's front lawn. They sat around the Fae ring consuming strong drink and speaking foolishly about the ring till they were consumed in fits of  hiccupy laughter. Lyla looked up the history behind the Fae ring and shared it with her friends.

"I say, lets try it, let's step into the ring and see what happens. I bet nothing happens, after all it is a story" said Evan standing up dusting himself off and smiling at the other two. Lyla begged Evan not to play around, but he would not listen. 

Rick backed Evan up and dared him to do it, to step in and see what occurs. Lyla tried to stand before Evan, thinking that blocking him from stepping in would stop him. To her surprise, he shoved her to the side causing her to lose her footing and fall to the grass inside the ring. To the boys, she had disappeared. 

To her, she could see them and reached her arm up demanding they help her back up to her feet. The boys looked down in shock where Lyla had been. Evan shouted in surprise as Rick tried to stand but stumbled further back instead. They both called out for Lyla, but neither of them could hear her or see

her. Lyla thought the guys were messing around and were blatantly refusing to help her. 

So as she sat up, she felt something behind her pushing up her back. She turned quickly to look to find tiny fairies gathered around her trying to help her up. She froze in shock covering her mouth with the back of her hand. 

While she could not understand what was being said to her by them, watching their gestures made her realize they were only there to help. But for one, who stood away from the crowd of Fae, had his tiny arms crossed on his chest looking angry. The Fae rallied around the girl, and to her further surprise, learned they were quite strong for their diminutive size. They helped her up and pushed her back beyond the ring as others waved goodbye and smiled.

Evan and Rick seeing her reappear before them apologized immediately and explained what had occurred. She shared her experience with them also and urged them to part ways and go home, being that it was already late. 

Sadly it did not change the mind of Evan who now excited by this knowledge that the stories were true, decided he wanted to try the experience for himself instead of heeding Lyla's warning. She wanted no part of it and chose to walk away. As soon as she was of a short distance, Evan called out to her. "Look!!" he cried out laughing and leaped into the ring, consequently disappearing himself. Rick stood up and laughed bewildered by what had transpired.

Lyla screamed "NOOOOO !!" and ran back stopping right before the ring. Rick grabbed her by the waist picking her up and swinging her out of the way. She shouted Evan's name but there came no response. 

Rick became concerned after a few moments gone, Evan had not yet returned as Lyla had. Rick suggested to Lyla maybe they should both jump in and try to find Evan and help him if they could. She refused and sobbed quietly as she thought who could they turn to for help? No one would believe them.

Rick's thoughts were by far his own and lost in a sea of uncertainty. He decided he'd go in alone. He backed up a couple of feet then made a run for it and leaped in. Lyla screamed again for Rick this time. But he was gone too. 

It was quiet the night after the boys disappeared and never returned. Life resumed its course and Lyla graduated. Hesitant to begin her new life, she returned night after night to that same spot, long after the Fae ring had indeed itself disappeared. She was consumed within the books of myth and legend if there was any way to get her friends back. If she could appease the Fae somehow and at least return one of them to her, she would offer a token of peace, whatever they asked she was willing to give. 

Her cries fell on the deaf ears of the angry Fae for even though the ring was gone, they could still hear her pleas thru their magical veil. She pulled a silver ring from off her middle left finger. The ring was fashioned in the shape of a dandelion, so kneeling down in the grass she laid the ring in the center of where the Fae ring once camped, as an offering of peace.

Lyla went on with her life, and when anyone asked her about her two friends, she'd sadly reply "They are gone from me".

Many years later, Rick appeared in the grass one night in the very spot he had disappeared from. Still in his youth. He was frightened and very much alone. He sat up and looked around. Looking back down into the grass he found Lyla's ring she always wore. He stared up into the night sky and spoke Lyla's name. He needed to find her and tell her what happened to him, what he saw. As he reached to pick up the ring it sunk deep into the grass as if it had been consumed. 

"I need to find her" he said to himself. Shakily he stood on his legs and walked slowly down the street. 

He wondered if he'd ever find Lyla or Evan. Did Evan ever make it 

back out of the ring? First stop...home, if he still had one. Then he'd

go in search of his friends.