The Fairy Ring Flash Fiction Contest

This is my entry for Anna Meade's (@ruanna3) The Fairy Ring Flash Fiction Contest.

A Night for Shenanigans

It happened on a night, much like this. An indigo sky with twinkling stars above me, and the dewy grass of a cool spring night lay below. I’d settled in under my favourite oak tree for a moment of blissful peace, when something caught my eye near the pond. My gaze was drawn towards the water's edge involuntarily, searching for the culprit. Perhaps Tommy had followed me down.

"Tommy, is that you?" I called out, but only the crickets replied.

"A trick of the eye." 

I mumbled, removing my shoes and socks, anxious for the feel of dewy grass between my toes. I could feel the weight of the world sliding off my shoulders and I let my gaze drift towards the pond. The water reflected the sky above in perfect symmetry.

 “Hehe.”

A giggle startled me from my thoughts. I searched around for the source.

"Who's there?" I asked, but there was no reply.

I shook my head, certain I was imagining things when I noticed my shoes. Despite my careful placement, a sock was missing. 

"How odd." I grabbed them and felt inside to make sure.

I set them down, wondering how a sock could disappear in such a strange manner, when the giggle returned. Again I looked down at my shoes and was shocked to see the other sock had disappeared too. I jumped up perplexed, staring at my shoes.

"This cannot be."

It was then I saw it. A twinkling light, dashed out from a nearby rock. It circled my shoes, giggling. I rushed over, desperate to find a logic answer for the irrational thoughts racing through my mind. Alas, I was too slow and the lights too fast. They flickered out in a flash revealing my socks, neatly folded on top of my shoes.