Shabby and Flitz (II)
With this blog post I am continuing the loose sequence of introducing different fairy tale countries and interesting people. You already learned about the mail system of the fairy tale dimension (FTD) and met Shabby. Check this blog post for the beginning: Start of a New Fairy Tale. Today you will meet Flitz and accompany both of them on their first assignment.
Flitz is a small flying dragon. With his three meters he is very small compared to his siblings and cousins. These keep growing all of their lives and can get gigantic. Nobody knows why he stopped growing. This made him the little one who got picked on every chance people got. He felt very much the outsider. One of the positive sides of his small size was that he could travel without making people afraid or arousing suspicion. Since he was the adventurous type he applied for a job with the mail people. His test showed that he was very intelligent as well as fast and after his apprenticeship he got paired with Shabby.
The Island of the Dragons
Flitz comes from a fairy tale country that supplies the FTD with ferocious fire spitting dragons. They grow up on a big island in a small ocean. When a fairy tale needs a new dragon to watch over a treasure, to abduct virgins or as an adversary for brave knights they send an invitation and whoever wants the job leaves the island. Flitz of course is too small to meet the requirements for any of these jobs.
Shabby meets Flitz
Because his wings are big in relation to the size of his body he is very fast. Shabby and Flitz met in the central training facility of the mail system for special agents. First they were tested separately and then as a team. Before their first assignment Shabby had to learn how ride on Flitz. Flitz wore a harness that he found irritating and itchy. At first his constant itching caused Shabby to topple off in mid-flight a few times.
It turned out that Shabby loved riding on Flitz though he had a hard time keeping on top. His short legs could not hold onto Flitz´s round belly properly. The two devised a kind of sleeve made out of soft leather for each of Shabby´s legs. He fastened the sleeves on his legs and clipped them onto the harness of the dragon and this worked pretty well keeping him on top.
Their first job as a team
Their first assignment was to bring a letter to the magician of a fairy tale country not far from the training facility. The two of them were so proud when they set off on their first journey. The trip was planned for 2 days of travel time one way.
They had an idea where to stop to rest for the first night and some basic rations in case they could not find any food on the way. The morning was beautiful when they started from the top of a tower in the direction of the distant hills.
They spent the day travelling over rolling hills, green meadows and small streams. When they were tired they stopped in a fairy tale country with the name Mandalai. They knew the country was safe. Here a wise king lived with his people. They loved to study and were experts on magic fire works. Flitz landed on a clearing in the woods where they saw a small fire from which delicious odours were emanating.
Did I tell you that our two heroes love good food? This is a topic the two of them never quarrelled about. They both thought that there had to be enough time for a decent meal no matter where you travelled. So they often let their noses decide where to take a break or spend the night. This was the reason they chose this clearing for landing. As Mandalai was known for being benevolent to strangers they landed after a small flyby.
On the ground Shabby untangled himself from the sleeves and the harness, jumped down on the ground stretched and yawned. Flitz took off the harness stretched and shook himself.
He said: “You were getting really heavy at the end and I am tired and so hungry!” Shabby answered: “ I am also tired and my bottom is sore. All my muscles are aching. I am looking forward to some nice food, too. Look there is somebody near the fire over there!”
The magic mushroom
They walked over to the fire and were greeted by the being that was sitting there. Since they had learned a lot about the different fairy tales in training they knew that this was one of the famous magic love mushrooms. This one was pretty old because he was huge. Its head had a diameter of more than three meters. He had small hands with long fingers on two thin arms. The four small legs with tiny feet enabled him to walk and keep the big body and hat upright. He sat cross-legged near the fire stirring in some pots and pans. The smell got even more tantalizing close up.
Shabby and Flitz introduced themselves and asked if they could stay the night. The mushroom welcomed them warmly at his fireplace. The two made themselves comfortable and offered to add some of their provisions to the evening meal. The mushroom declined. He told them that the couple that booked him for the night had a quarrel and cancelled at the last minute. This is why he was cooking food for three. The ingredients wouldn´t keep until tomorrow. He was glad to have company and invited them for the meal in exchange for their life stories.
Shabby and Flitz were very happy at meeting a gourmet cook. They told him where they came from and that they were on their first assignment for the postal service. The magic mushroom told them about his journeys. He and his brethren were collecting love magic all over the fairy tale plain. He knew how to make love potions and attraction charms. He was also an expert on seduction. With his charms he could help you to enhance your appearance to be more attractive to the opposite sex.
He told them that he got invited by the king of Mandalai and offered his services in exchange for new recipes for love potions and charms. He told them that he preferred to travel in warm climates like here because his fingers would get stiff in the cold and he could not play his lute any more.
In his native fairy tale country love magic played an important role. He and his brethren collected everything magic that had to do with love. They travelled all over the fairy tale dimension and were hired to provide unique services: You could book him as a couple for example for a love weekend. He would cook delicious aphrodisiac meals for you, play magic love music on a big string instrument and provide shelter with his big hat. You see why they were very popular with all kinds of species.
The last leg of the journey
Shabby and Flitz spent the night in the magic mushroom´s company. After a good night´s rest under his big hat the three of them parted after breakfast and warm farewells. Then they were on their way for the final leg of their journey.
This new fairy tale story will be continued…
© Inge Schumacher
The Fairy Tale Dimension 