Путеводная звезда (перевод на английский)

Fairy tales can guide us like a shining thread

My Name’s Fox

by Lee Vixen

The moon was especially bright tonight. Its silvery saucer glowed with a pure white light that looked tinted with lapis blue if you squint your eyes a little.

Once upon a time, there was a fairy who wore a moonlight veil and a cloak of darkness…

A canopy of glittering stars shone in the midnight sky like a posse of fireflies. One star appeared much brighter than the rest, like a shard of moonstone on the velvet tapestry. Even though Hannah could stare at the starry sky for hours and learn all the constellations, she couldn’t recognize it now.

Should she ask her father? He knows the names of all the stars in the sky. The girl stirred in her warm, cozy crochet shawl and her father hugged her tighter.

«Aren’t you cold, cricket?» he asked. His coat smelled of horse sweat and smoke, and his skin was sun-kissed and salty from the sea wind. This time, Hannah begged to be on the boat, too, so that she could see the harbor town and the sea. The vast water fascinated her, but the sullen looks of the ship’s crew made the little girl cling to her father more than ever. However, when the ship docked, she found a lovely seashell flute and a couple of dried biscuits in her pockets.

«How far is it, father?»

«Don’t worry, kid. We’re almost there.»

There was a tension in his voice, and the trail they always took to cut across the forest now looked misty and strange.

Looking at the trees that surrounded them like a stockade of tall, gnarled trunks, Hannah remembered the old lullaby her nanny used to sing to her:

«Wilt go, then, dear infant, wilt go with me there?

My daughters shall tend thee with sisterly care;

My daughters by night their glad festival keep,

They’ll dance thee, and rock thee, and sing thee to sleep.»

No longer did the forest seem so bright and welcoming as before, with green glades filled with bright sun and snow-white daisies. Hannah used to lie in the grass in a small grove behind their house, where she was allowed to go for a walk. She fell asleep to the sound of birdsong and the rustle of the wind in the leaves. But now…

The night was too dark. And that dead silence made it even scarier.

«Daddy, I’m hungry.»

«Me too, dear. I think I could eat a horse… Whoa, Ebony, don’t worry!» Father patted their pitch-black horse on the neck, but the stallion still backed up and started to spin around.

Hannah felt a chill and turned her head to see the patterned gate that had appeared out of nowhere, right in front of them. The curved iron stems intertwined into a delicate lace, each bud glowing in the dark with a soft, alluring radiance. For a moment, it seemed to the girl that cold, knobby hands with thin fingers were reaching out to her, each topped with a long silver claw… Hannah blinked, and the vision vanished.

But she still had that strange feeling. Something terrible was going to happen.

«Father, please! Don’t go there!»

«Don’t be afraid, little one. Let’s ask someone the way to the town. Maybe they’ll even let us stay the night. My, I was sure we were going the same way. Did I miss the turn or something?»

Then the rain started, urging them to shelter under the trimmed canopy of linden and pines. The crawling shadow of the fence trailed behind, leaving long sparkling traces on the gravel walk.

The castle loomed over them, a giant made of stone and shadow. Its tall spires pierced the pale foam of archways and covered passages, pointing skyward with their bony fingers. Grotesque stone sculptures were scattered here and there, among cracked walls. A lonely flicker of candlelight appeared in one window, then slowly moved to another — and went out. But before that Hannah could notice someone’s pale face behind the foggy glass.

«I could swear, it wasn’t here before.»

Ebony snorted again. The stallion clearly disliked the place. Hannah looked back at the gates that slowly creaked shut on their own.

What if this place belongs to a wicked fairy in the cloak of darkness?

«Good evening!»

A dark short figure leapt out from behind the nearby statue, startling the horse. Hannah’s father clenched her tightly and barely kept himself in the saddle.

«Oh, please forgive me, I didn’t mean to scare you!»

The silver bells on the tips of the richly-emproidered cap jingled softly as the jester bowed, nearly blending into the night’s shadows in his dark velvet coat. The moonlight cast strange, flickering shadows across his face — no, more like a mask, which portrayed a welcoming smile. A painted eye managed a mischievous wink at Hannah.

«Welcome, dear guests. I’ve been waiting for you!»

Gravel crunched beneath their feet, forming a winding serpentine path right to the marble staircase with an intricate balustrade. Father cast a cautious glance around.

«Don’t worry about the horse,» the jester whistled gently and Ebony obediently trotted toward the stables. «Come inside! We’ve got a warm bed and a cup of hot chocolate for your little lady.»

Suddenly, a downpour burst from heaven, and they all hurried onto the porch, seeking cover.

«Don’t — don’t — don’t go there!» the raindrops echoed as they danced across the gravel path.

A silhouette of a marble fountain emerged in the rain, an elaborate white sculpture of a rider in a flowing cloak and his pack of ghostly-white hounds.

The floor in the vestibule was laid with black-and-white tiles, resembling an enormous chessboard. The ivory and dark wood sculptures scattered throughout the hall only deepened the resemblance. Father sometimes taught Hannah to play, yet she could never quite grasp the intricate strategies and simply moved the pieces across the board.

The jester showed them into a living room.

A blazing fireplace was crackling warmly, flanked by two cozy armchairs draped with plush blankets. An enormous vase brimming with fresh fruits stood nearby, on an elegant carved table. Hannah’s attention was immediately drawn to a tray with delicate pastries and most delicious cakes imaginable.

It seemed as if they’d been expected here.

«Are we alone here?» father asked. The jester grinned and quickly changed his mask to a thoughtful one with just a click of his long fingers.

«A man is never truly alone; their shadow is always with them.» While he was saying it, his shadow suddenly grew bigger, almost enormous. Or was it just a trick of mind?

«And good servants should never be seen or heard, right?» The man bowed and left.

The fire was so warm and comfy, and the honey milk was even tastier than one the nanny made every night. They didn’t hear the doors close; a lock clicked ominously in the distance.

The trap was sealed.