Raccoons by David Collier-Brown

Raccoons by David Collier-Brown

One quiet summer evening, I was sitting on the back deck, watching the raccoon kits snuffling around in the back yard, while mother kept watch.

Their water-dish was still up in the garage attic, so I’d put the bird-bath on the ground for them to wash their food.

One of the kits was trying to get up the back stairs, to see the water-human, but mom grabbed him by the scruff on the neck, threw me a look of apology, and carried him over with the others.

Suddenly she darted out in front of them, growling at something in the far yard I couldn’t see.

That was wrong: my night vision was better than hers.

I ran down the stairs, swung wide around what was now a huddle of kits and faced her aggressor. I still couldn’t see it.

That meant it wasn’t something natural

I was angry. “Halt! Show yourself or back off. You’re frightening the raccoon kits.”

There was a funny little shimmer, which suddenly turned into a teenage girl.

She said “Are those your raccoons? I’m sorry, but I’m so hungry I think I’ll die.”

“Explain yourself. And if you need blood, take it from me, not innocent small animals.”

She started to cry. In a quavering voice, she said “I can’t use blood. I live off the power when I’m in Faerie. On earth, I have to take life-force from things.”

I’m replete with energy, and if I control it, I can pull back if I have to. But I don’t think I’ll have to.

I walked forward and offered my hand.

She flinched, and said “No, I’ll kill you, just like the raccoons and foxes.”

That won’t happen. I stepped forward, took her shoulder, and poured life into her.

“Oh God, that’s glorious. You have the life-force of an elephant.”

“No, but I do get a monthly top-up, and right now I’m full of life. I barely even felt that.”

Barbara, We Have a Visitor

I led her around the other side of the garage, away from the kits, sat her down on the back deck, and called Barbara out to see our visitor.

“OK, who and what are you, and why are you starving?”

She was still a little shaky, but she composed herself and said in a more normal voice, “My name is Fawn. I’m Fae, and I fell in love with a human.”

I asked “Is that bad?”

“For my family it is. They exiled me here to die, or steal the life force of my boyfriend, so he’ll die.”

Then she broke down in tears once more.

“I’ve told you too much already. I should have died to keep Faerie a secret from humans, but I love Nick too much.”

Barbara and I took her in our arms and held her, and when she slowed down a bit, Barbara said, “We’re not exactly vanilla humans, you know, we both signed the cryptid register.

“Your secrets and your people’s secrets are safe with us. No-one on the register can betray you.

“And you’re safe to be around. You should go and see Nick.”

“But …”

I said “Tell him you’ve been away applying to take the advance placement exams for university, because you only had a tutor, instead of high-school.”

“Do you make bargains, like fae in stories? Will you and Nick sign the human government’s secrecy register, in exchange for food and the chance to write the AP exams for university?”

“Yes, yes, please yes.”

“Good then, come back here after supper tomorrow and we’ll talk. Now go see Nick.”

& & &

After dinner, Barbara and I sat down with Fawn and let her talk.

She said “I’m one of a very few girls in this generation. We don’t have children easily, but I want to have them. And I don’t like the boys in our generation, or the old-man Fae who want to court me.”

Barbara asked “What happened?”

“I met a human boy at the university, I really like him, and I dream of having children with him. But I don’t have ID, just glamour. I’m Fawn Morgan, by the way. That’s my real name.”

“What happened with your parents?” asked Barbara.

“Since my parents threw me out, I’ve been living in the ravine, eating life-force from the animals. I was killing them but I was still getting hungrier and hungrier. I was afraid of killing you.

“I love Nick so much, and yesterday was the first time I’ve seen him in a week.

Barbara hugged her, and stroked her hair.”

Fawn said, “Some exiles go mad and are killed by humans. Most of us suicide to keep Faerie a secret.

Barbara said “That’s over. You have a human family now, and Adrian and his friend will get you papers. Can you bring your things? I’ll make up the bed in the spare room.”

Family

It’s now September, and Fawn is at UofT with papers as a conditional student. She and Nick, her fiancé, are with Barbara and me at the hospital. It’s time for me to get my monthly transfusion, and for her to feed.

Barbara and I think of her as a daughter, something I don’t have in this generation. We’re both hoping for a son-in law, and grandchildren.

Then we all go home, to sit on the deck and watch mother raccoon raise her kits.

Image Source: Dey from Fictom.com