"I thought I mentioned the inhibition thing," Nia said as the two of us continued north along the trail. "You're sure you're not mad at me?"
I rolled my eyes, "I'm sure. And I'm fine. So don't worry about it, ok?"
She still sounded guilty when she sighed, "Ok Kiki. Thanks for not being upset."
There weren't any more of those stepping stones to walk on, but we'd left the swamp behind so that kind of evened out. On the other hand the hard-packed dirt wasn't especially comfortable to walk on, and my toes were getting chilly again.
That's when I realized, "Oh! My magic shoes are gone."
"I told you that would happen," my friend grimaced. "They probably disappeared when you were going on about your boobs. Or when we were discussing the fae alcohol."
"Yeah I guess," I pouted. I didn't bother asking her to magic me up another pair since they'd probably just disappear again. Instead I asked, "How much further is this place? And where are we going anyways? I didn't think there was much of anything up this way."
We still had plenty of trees around, mostly to our left though. On the right I could just make out the lake through the darkness.
Nia replied, "It's a little village called Kenrei's Cove. My folks live on the north side of the settlement. And it shouldn't be that much further, only another ten or twelve minutes maybe?"
I grumbled a bit about the distance, "Maybe ten minutes for tall people like you."
My comment left her fighting to hold back some giggles, which may have been my intention.
Meanwhile I continued, "It feels weird that the landscape is so familiar, but stuff like towns and villages are all different. Like it's hard to tell in the moonlight, but I'm sure that looks a lot like Sturgeon Lake there right?"
"It's the same because we're still on Earth, remember?" Nia replied with a smirk, "So all the geography's the same. It's like that saying, through the looking glass? We've crossed over from the mundane world to the magical realm, but it's still the same planet. The only real differences are things like the people, maybe some plants and animals, and stuff we've built on this side of the veil."
After a moment she added, "That and the fact that we have access to magic, so we tend to use that instead of technology."
"So that's why you don't have any ride-shares here?" I pretended to complain.
Nia rolled her eyes but nodded, "Actually yeah. A lot of fae don't trust human technology. We're not even fond of certain metals, like iron or steel. Gold and silver are as popular with fae as they are with humans though. And we use copper and tin for things, or mix them together to make bronze."
"Bottom line though," she shrugged, "Folks living in the magical realm never needed anything like the industrial revolution, or any of the tech stuff that followed, because they can solve most of those same sorts of problems just by using magic. Which means we also don't have a lot of plastics here, since they originally came about as a byproduct of fossil fuel."
"Ok," I nodded slowly as we finally emerged from the woods and into a fairly large wide open space.
Then as I looked at the small community ahead of us I commented, "It sort of feels like your fae world is like those religious groups who turn their backs on technology? Like the Amish or Mennonites or whatever? The ones who use horses and buggies instead of cars, and don't have phones or computers or internet and all that? Because that's what this reminds me of. Or maybe one of those pioneer village reconstructions from the eighteen hundreds?"
Not that I was any kind of expert on either Amish communities or rural Victorian architecture, but those were the first two things that came to mind when I saw the moonlit cluster of homes by the little cove on the western side of the lake. The village was surrounded by a scattering of farms, and I didn't see a single car or tractor around. There were some barns though, and even a few horses in some of the fields and paddocks.
Most of the homes looked to be simple one- or two-story buildings, with wood siding and wood shingle roofs. Although a few looked more like storybook cottages, with plaster walls and thick thatched roofs. A few of the buildings near the centre of the village were bigger, but I didn't see a single car. No chain link fences, no paved roads, and no utility poles or cell towers either. And definitely no street lamps.
It was all very different from the town we'd left behind earlier in the evening, where most of the houses were made of brick, with mass-produced tar shingle roofs, and telephone poles and traffic lights everywhere.
"It's definitely not what we're used to in the mundane realm," Nia replied with a little smile. "But it can be just as comfy. Anyways c'mon, we're almost there."
As we passed through the little village I got a brief look at their waterfront area. There was a sort of open square that may have served as a market or community gathering location, then the wharf and docks which were all made of wood. So were the half dozen boats tied alongside the docks, they were all either rowboat shaped or sailboat shaped.
"How does all this exist here without anybody knowing about it?" I asked. "Like what about people out fishing on the lake, wouldn't they be able to see this place? Or wouldn't it show up in satellite photos?"
Nia shook her head, "Like I said all this is the other side of the veil, we've gone through the looking glass. As far as the mundane world knows, none of this stuff exists. They can't see or interact with anything here, and same the other way around. We can't see or interact with them. It's only when you're in the middle, one foot in one foot out, that you can perceive both sides at the same time."
"Huh," I mumbled as we continued on out the other side of the small settlement.
Another minute or so later the two of us were approaching what looked like a fairly normal two-story farmhouse. It had a barn out back and a shed to the side, and apart from the lack of a driveway and modern vehicles the place looked like it could easily fit in any of the rural areas just outside the college town where I grew up.
As we headed towards the front door I admitted, "When you said your mom was a powerful witch I figured we'd either end up at a castle or some kind of creepy hut in the middle of the swamp."
Nia suppressed another giggle, "Yeah I guess that could have gone either way. But nah, apart from mom's witchcraft my folks are both fairly normal people."
"I can buy that about your dad maybe," I replied. "He always seemed like a regular guy to me. But your mom was always kind of intense. And I have a hard time believing she's just some normal fae lady now that you've told me she's a great and powerful witch."
My friend just rolled her eyes as we stepped up onto the front porch. Then as she knocked on the front door she asked, "Let me do all the talking at first, ok?"
"Sure," I nodded. "Your folks are expecting you, right? They know you're coming home for Thanksgiving weekend?"
She shrugged, "Thanksgiving's more of a human thing. We -"
That's as far as she got before my ears picked up footsteps approaching from inside. A moment later came the sound of a bolt sliding open, then the door swung inwards to reveal Nia's father. Mr. Brennan looked similar to what I remembered, in the same way Nia looked similar to her normal human self.
The man in front of us was recognizable as the grade two teacher I knew as my best friend's dad growing up, but at the same time he seemed younger and a lot more handsome than I remembered. Instead of short scraggly greying hair it was now a fair blond colour, and longer than before but perfectly styled. His ears were longer too, and pointed at the top. His face was smooth and free of any whiskers, and the thick glasses he used to wear were gone. Instead of being in his late forties he could have passed for a man of about thirty.
On the other hand his outfit wasn't actually that different from what I remembered. He was wearing a pair of leather slippers, dark slacks, and some kind of silk shirt, with a grey wool cardigan overtop.
"Nia!" his expression lit up when he saw his daughter. "Come in, come in! You've missed supper but you're just in time for after dinner drinks."
She smiled back as she moved in to give him a hug, "Hi dad! It's good to see you again!"
I followed her inside, then watched quietly as Mr. Brennan closed the door again after me. He'd obviously noticed I was there, but other than that he seemed to be ignoring me completely. Then again I knew he wouldn't recognize me like this. And I figured he was mostly happy about having Nia back for a visit, considering he wouldn't have seen her for six or seven weeks. Still, I expected my friend to do the introductions at some point.
Until then I just quietly took in the cosy front entrance of their home. Which mostly seemed normal, except for the lack of light bulbs and light switches. Instead there were some old-timey lanterns on the walls, casting a dull yellow-orange glow on everything. They didn't seem to use candles or fuel though, which left me thinking they had to be running on magic.
"Nia you're here!" Mrs. Brennan's voice came from a doorway off to the right. A moment later she emerged, and like her husband and daughter the woman I'd known as my best friend's mom had had a similar glow-up.
Instead of the middle-aged brunette who always wore professional business attire I found myself staring at another gorgeous woman who looked to be in her late twenties. She had long jet-black hair and pointed ears, and instead of a skirt-suit she was wearing a long flowing black robe of some sort.
Unlike Mr. Brennan though, Nia's mom didn't ignore me. In fact she had a very different reaction the moment she noticed me quietly lurking just behind her daughter.
"Oh my goodness!" the beautiful fae witch exclaimed. "Nia you've finally got yourself a familiar! That's wonderful! I'm so glad you've started taking your magical studies seriously! But why didn't you tell me sooner? We have so much catching up to do, I can't wait to see everything you and your pet have accomplished!"
My eyes were wide and my cheeks red by the time Mrs. Brennan was finished. And from the way Nia was cringing I could tell she was just as overwhelmed by her mother's reaction.
"Mom settle down ok? Please? Kiki isn't my familiar. She's -"
"Oh of course!" Mrs. Brennan interrupted as she practically marched right up to me then leaned down as if to study me a little more closely. "I forgot, you've nowhere in the mundane world to perform the ritual. That's why you've brought her here, so we can do it together? Nia you don't know how happy this makes me!"
The woman kept on talking without letting anyone else get a word in edgewise, "It's very wise of you to select a mousekin as your first familiar, I'm glad to see you didn't ignore all my lessons after all. Granted they can be flighty and skittish at first, and this one's certainly feeling anxious about being here right now. But they're easily tamed, and mice in general tend to be very quiet and polite."
"And of course they're oh so adaptable," the overbearing witch continued as she finally turned to focus her attention on Nia again. "Mousekin have so many useful magical qualities after all. I can tell she'll make an excellent familiar for you dear, and a wonderful pet too. She's got loads of potential, you're going to do amazing things with her! I just know it!"
By that point I was absolutely cringing, and maybe even starting to question my decision to stay in the magical realm. Mr. Brennan seemed safe enough, but until now I'd forgotten how intense Mrs. Brennan could get. And being the subject of that intensity left me feeling very small and vulnerable indeed.
On the other hand all that talk about helping Nia with her magic sounded really interesting. As for the idea of being her pet... For some reason that sounded kind of interesting to me as well. But before I could dwell on that thought my best friend spoke up again, and this time she raised her voice.
"Mom!" Nia half-shouted. "Kiki is not my familiar, and she's not a pet! And she isn't here to become either of those things! She's my friend, ok? My best friend!"
From the look on Mrs. Brennan's face it was clear she was about to protest or argue or something. At the same time I found myself dealing with some happy feelings, from the way my friend kept calling me Kiki and using she-her pronouns for me.
Then Nia took her mom by the arm and half-dragged her away to the far end of the hall. Then she started talking in hushed tones, like she obviously didn't want me to hear that conversation. Except my big radar-dish mouse ears meant I could still hear both of them clearly, despite their whispering back and forth.
"Mom she's J ok?" Nia whispered. "You remember J Moodie? My best friend? She came to me for help, she needed a place to stay for the weekend. So I decided to finally bring her over here."
Mrs. Brennan glanced my way then frowned as she whispered back, "Surely you know better than to try and fool me like that my child. There is simply no way that female mousekin can be the human boy you're referring to. I could manage such a transformation, but you wouldn't have a hope of it. And I know of no other witches in the area who could pull it off either."
Hearing Nia referring to me as J made me sad for some reason, but that was nothing compared to the sinking feeling in my gut when her mom called me a human boy. Which left me feeling confused, since it was the truth. This whole mouse-girl thing was just temporary. And it's not like I'd even had a lot of time to get used to it. Although I certainly did feel comfortable this way, after the surprise wore off.
Meanwhile my best friend was still whispering as she explained, "It was a bad reaction to the fairy wine. I know it's super rare, but it can happen, right? Her body changed at the same time the veil was parting for her."
Mrs. Brennan turned to stare at me for a second or two before looking back at Nia again. "Rare reactions to fairy wine include having one's hair turn pink or fall out entirely. They can also lead to unexpected levitation, or the unwitting production of bubbles whenever one attempts to speak."
"Growing or shrinking by more than half a meter would be considered 'extremely rare'," the older fae stated. "Unexpectedly swapping one's gender might happen once in a hundred years. And a species change is all but unheard of. Not to mention, any such extreme side-effects typically wear off in a matter of minutes."
Nia's mom paused to glance at me once more before quietly concluding, "Based on what I recall of the young Mr. Moodie, for him to turn into that tiny mousekin girl after consuming nothing no more than a few drops of fairy wine... That my child is simply impossible."
Whatever else Nia and her mother had to say was lost to me, as Mr. Brennan finally spoke up to break the awkward silence between the two of us.
"So, your name's Kiki is it?" he asked in a friendly tone. "I'm Nia's father, Tadhg Brennan. How did you and my daughter meet?"
I grimaced slightly but tried to be polite as I replied, "Hello sir. Nia and I met at the elementary school where you used to teach. I uh, knew you as Mr. Ted Brennan there, instead of Tadhg."
"I was always kind of a loner," I continued, "And your daughter seemed lonely too? Probably because you'd all just moved to town, and she didn't know anyone at school. So we ended up hanging out, and we've been best friends ever since. We're even taking the same program at college now, Conservation Biology."
His eyebrows crept up, "I see. And um, so you're going by Kiki now? Or is it still -"
"It's Kiki," I interrupted before he could say my guy name. "For now at least? Nia said this would all wear off once we eat some human food, but I'm going to stay like this until we have to go back to classes on Tuesday."
"Alright Kiki," he nodded slowly. "And you're ok with this? It seems like a very big adjustment."
My cheeks coloured again, or maybe they were still red from earlier. Either way I shrugged, "Yeah I guess? It was a surprise at first, and there's a few things I still have to figure out. But otherwise I think I'm ok with it."
By that point Nia and her mom were finished their private conversation so the two of them returned to where me and Mr. Brennan were waiting. Mrs. Brennan was watching me with that same intense look again, while my best friend seemed a little more anxious.
"Um Kiki?" she began nervously. "We need to talk. My mom's a little uh, concerned about some stuff."
I glanced at the other fae woman then looked back at my friend again and asked nervously, "What's wrong? You're not going to turn me back to normal and send me home, are you?"
"Of course not!" Nia insisted as she shook her head.
I let out a little sigh of relief, "So what did you want to talk about?"
"And what was your mom saying before, about me being your familiar?" I added. "If that would help with your magic I'd be willing to give it a shot. Especially if it meant I could learn a bit of magic too?"
My best friend looked worried as she started shaking her head, while her mother's eyes lit up with excitement at the idea.