The Barrel Fairy: Chapter 6, The Drink

Cherry Bourbon Dream

 The cake was gone and drinks weren't too hard to whip up. The key to making a good drink was using the right balance of ingredients. You didn't want the alcohol to be too over powering. You didn't want the drink too sweet or too sour. A good balance in life was always something that's nice to achieve. 

Bourbon is paired with cherries quite a bit.

Cherries and chocolate always go well together.

I had some cream. I also had some simple syrup.

And they just so happened to all be in plastic containers.

The fairy wouldn't be able to break them.

"Fairy, we're going to make this drink together!"

I filled a cocktail shaker with ice. I was making enough of the Chocolate Cherry Bourbon-tinis for two adults and one fairy. It was a celebratory drink that would end the spell; give me a normal life; give the fairy her home back, wherever that might be.

 Over my shaker filled with ice I poured:

2 1/2 Ounces Bourbon
2 Ounces Tart Cherry Juice
2 Ounces Simple Syrup
2 Ounces Half and Half
About an Ounce of Chocolate Syrup

 I shook vigorously, then strained into two and a half martini glasses.

I handed a capful of chocolate syrup to the fairy and let her drizzle it on top of the martinis.

She then helped me put the fresh cherries in as garnish.

and the drinks were ready to serve.

I could feel the fairy beaming with excitement. I was excited. The air was almost alive with an invisible electricity that both of us could feel. The hair on my arm began to stand and there was a quiet stillness that enveloped us.

There was then a rush of air unlike any I've ever felt. It was a backwards kind of breeze that instead of moving and blowing, it was taking the air and the air was disappearing. All sound disappeared. All smells were gone. My breath was gone and there was no more to breath in. A vacuum had formed in the room. It was hard to move and all at once, an overwhelming aroma of moss and dirt overwhelmed the room.

A chill set in and the humidity changed. It was cool and the lights dimmed. I heard water dripping somewhere nearby but the sound echoed off the wall surrounding me. As I stood looking down at the kitchen table and the martinis, all looked normal.

I slowly turned. The rest of my house was no longer there. In it's place was a deep, hollow in the earth. It looked like an arena inside of a cave. It was dimly lit and could hold thousands. My floor was no longer there. A damp mossy rock was underfoot. The only familiar thing anywhere was my kitchen wall in the middle of the cave. It was very odd.

A gust of wind came and with it sounds. Grunts and bells; voices near and far, high pitched squeals and deep rumbling voices and blending together in one.

The Gathering!

It was so dimly lit, I found it difficult to see everyone, but there were gowns of leaves, people made of the mist, little gnome-like creatures, and even smaller fairies. Speaking of fairies, where was mine?

I glanced over to her martini glass and I saw her happily buzzing around it with other fairies. They each kept diving into the martini, taking turns drinking and giggling.

"SILENCE....THE FEASTING WILL BEGIN SHORTLY"

I saw the man whom I had come to know as The Oak King head toward the center of what I could only call a stage. As he walked, he grew taller and changed. His well manicured look was still there but his tailored suit had disappeared. He now wore a cloak draped over his shoulders of silvery white bark and a crown of oak leaves, dark green and silver. His presence commanded attention and the room quieted.

"There are more bourbon bottles out there that have been enchanted. We need to find those and bring back our friends. They are trapped.

I have crossed over to the world of the humans to search for them.

I have made a disturbing discovery.

Finding our trapped friends won't be easy.

There is a new evil on the horizon.

It began in the Motherland, England.

It is spreading throughout Europe and I have found signs of it here."

Quiet whispers and gasps filled the cavern. Up until this moment the air contained excitement and happiness but the fear was now evident. Apparently announcements like this weren't the norm. In our world, turn on the news and the world was ending every day with some new threat. I turned my attention back to the King.

"Our brother oaks are dying. They are bleeding both in this world and the other. The blood leaks from the bark as our brothers die a slow painful death. An evil force has come. The wickedness enter our trees and tortures the spirits. The oaks and all those that live within them are threatened. The humans have named it Acute Oak Decline. "

A utterly frightened stillness filled the room.

"Since the dawn of mankind, we have given of ourselves freely. We have asked nothing of them in return but to allow us to coexist with them. In turn we have provided them with roofs, over their head; floors under their feet. We have traveled with the Vikings in ships that crossed oceans. We have been churches to honor and worship their God. We have become the ties that their trains ride over. We lend our essence in the vessels that age their wine and bourbons. We have been a symbol of strength and courage throughout the eons. We give them all we have to give but now, we must cross over and make a plea for their help. They too have seen the plague. We must now work together to eradicate it."

The room once again filled with quiet whispers. This had never happened before, I overheard many say.

"There is more. The threat that comes has already arrived. In the human world the plague is initially undetectable. The evil spirits are invisible and they torture our spirits for years before the plague rears it's head in this world and the next. It was seen invading the forest of Aldoon."

I heard more gasps and cries. My fairy buzzed by.

"What?!?!" I asked her. I was alarmed too.

"Aldoon was my home." She teared up.

It took me a second to figure it out. If Aldoon was her home and it was invaded by some evil something or other, then it was also chopped down and used for oak barrels.

I felt the blood just drain away from my face as the stark realization hit.

The bourbon bottles out there were possessed by more than just fairies and elves. There was also an evil that possessed some of them. I had a very bad feeling about this. It may mean a lot more than a few broken glasses.

How would one be able to tell which ones were possessed. let alone possessed by what.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke the next morning. I was in my own bed and the sun had just risen. I sat up and quietly remembered most of the gathering. I wanted to help but I was sent back. I had done all that was required of me. I was released mid-meeting and was never able to mingle or speak with anyone other than my fairy.  I looked out the window and stared at the old oak trees.

I wondered if they, too, were inhabited by otherworldly creatures. Do they all have to live in enchanted forests? Maybe they are like the deer that are all around. They lose their original homes and make due with what they have and where they can survive. They coexist out of need instead of want.

I was going to find a way to get back. I wanted to help.

I got dressed and headed up to the nearest liquor store for another bottle of bourbon.

 

All content and rights reserved. ©2013 Thyme After Time 33