🌙 The Fairy of Quiet HeartsPART 1 — The Meadow of Silver BlossomsLong before human memory began weaving stories into history, long before written words found their place on parchment, there existed a hidden realm beneath the fold of the sky—a world known only to moonlight and silence. It was a place untouched by the cruelty of time, softened by endless twilight, and veiled from mortal sight by layers of shimmering air. This realm was called Lunareth, and though its name was unknown to humankind, its influence touched every sorrowful heart on earth.Deep within Lunareth lay the Meadow of Silver Blossoms, a vast, gentle field where millions of pale flowers stretched across the land, glowing softly like fragments of fallen stars. These blossoms swayed without wind, hummed without voices, and lived without roots. They existed simply because sorrow existed. Whenever a human heart broke, a new silver blossom bloomed in the meadow. Whenever someone shed silent tears, the flower closest to their pain brightened.And among these quiet, glimmering petals lived a fairy named Serene.Serene was unlike the other fairies of Lunareth, who spent their days tending to the sky paths or weaving moon threads for dreams. She was born from something far more delicate—from the first sigh of a child who cried alone. Her wings were soft as faint memories, her eyes deep as unspoken grief, and her voice a small, gentle whisper that soothed like warm rain.Serene’s magic was not explosive or radiant. It did not shine with colors or roar with power. Her gift was something subtler, more sacred: she could lift sorrow from the human heart, gather it in her hands, and carry it away into the meadow, where it dissolved into starlight.The elders of Lunareth often said that Serene was the fairy with the heaviest wings, for she carried the weight of a thousand unseen sadnesses. And yet she never once faltered.Every night, as the moon rose over the blossoms, Serene would open her wings, letting their soft glow illuminate the field. She listened—truly listened—to the echo of pain drifting from the mortal world. For sorrow always calls out, even when humans speak nothing aloud. Some sorrows holler, some tremble, some whisper through clenched hearts. But Serene heard them all.And so began her nightly journey.The First Calling of the NightOn this particular night, as Serene stood in the meadow, a faint tremor brushed against her heart—a trembling, fragile sound like a small stone falling into deep water. She tilted her head to listen. It was the sorrow of a child. A very young one. The kind of sorrow that comes when the world becomes too heavy far too early.Serene closed her eyes. The image of the child’s pain formed gently in her mind: a small girl curled under a blanket, her shoulders shaking, her hands clutching a stuffed rabbit whose fur was worn thin from years of need. There were no screams, no loud cries. Just a soft, muffled grief—the kind humans often ignore.Serene’s wings fluttered in answer.“I hear you,” she whispered, though the girl could never hear her. “I’m coming.”With a graceful leap, she rose above the meadow, leaving the blossoms shimmering behind her. The sky parted like silk. A quiet path of moonlight unfurled before her, stretching between Lunareth and the human world.Serene stepped onto the path.Each step carried her closer to the place where sorrow lived.A Room Full of ShadowsThe child’s room was dim, lit only by the faint blue glow of a nightlight shaped like a cloud. Toys lay scattered on the floor, untouched. A small bookshelf tilted under the weight of forgotten stories. And on a tiny bed beneath a too-large blanket, the little girl cried.Serene landed at the edge of the blanket, her wings softening their glow to avoid startling the child.The girl did not see her yet.Fairies are not always visible to humans; sorrow clouds human eyes too much, making it difficult for them to see gentle things. But Serene did not mind. She did not need to be seen to help.Quietly, she approached the child. The girl’s tears glimmered on her cheeks like fragile pearls.“Why is your heart hurting so much tonight?” Serene whispered, though she already knew.The girl’s parents had argued—loudly, angrily. Words sharp as knives had cut the air, and though none were directed at her, each one had landed on her tiny heart. She felt small. She felt responsible. She felt unsafe in a world too big for her.Serene placed a hand on the girl’s chest—small, gentle, warm.