The Last Fairy Tale by E. S. Lowell

lap and took the apple from Locke, her eyes shining brightly. The apple was one food that she had wanted as far back as she could remember. It had appeared many times during her childhood—in one of the encyclopedias and even when she learned the letter ‘A’ in the alphabet. The children had never been allowed to ask why they always had to eat Crud, so she had dreamed to herself that one day she would be able to taste an apple. That dream was about to come true.
     “You’re welcome!” Locke said. He took a large bite out of his apple. “You act like you’ve never seen an apple. I mean, it’s not like apples depend on magic, so you have them in your world, too, right?”
     “I think we used to have them,” Olivia said, gazing happily at the apple and debating on whether she should eat it or hold it a little while longer.
     “Used to? What do you mean by that?” asked Locke in a muffled voice. He closed the sack, holding his apple in his mouth with his teeth.
    “What I’ve told you about my world so far has been based on what I know of the past,” Olivia explained. “It used to be beautiful, like this.” She pointed behind them into the forest. “But something went wrong, and now we all live inside vaults called orphanages. I think only children remain in my world…” She stopped, suddenly remembering the children back in the orphanage. She wished she could go back and bring them all into this new world. She reminded herself that she had made a promise to visit the Great Fairy and see what he wanted from her before she went back. She wanted to go back despite how wonderful this land was. It’s not fair for me to be here and for everyone else to be stuck back there , she thought.
    “Well, cheer up,” Locke said, patting her shoulder. “Things like this don’t happen every day, you know. Twigs, things like this have never  happened before. I’m pretty sure.” He looked up with a thoughtful expression. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is a once-in-a-lifetime type thing. The Great Fairy wouldn’t have asked to see you if he didn’t desperately need you. To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know you existed. I thought humans were just a fable. So, the Great Fairy knows more than your average scrowl, I can tell you that!”
     Olivia looked up at Locke and smiled. She didn’t know what a scrowl was, but decided against asking for now. She appreciated Locke’s constant effort to try to keep her spirits up. Even if everything about Aeldyn seemed unbelievable, Olivia felt that whoever the Great Fairy was needed her help.
     “You’re right,” she said, gently tossing the apple and catching it. She took one more look at it before biting into it. The fresh, crisp taste was unlike anything that she had imagined or expected—it was far better. It was sour, but sweet at the same time. Juice dripped down her chin as she took another bite, and another. She wished the apple would last forever. She turned the apple a little and bit into it again. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she savored the taste. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
     “There are plenty more apples,” said Locke, looking at Olivia with a faintly sympathetic expression. “Well, we better get moving again. I also brought some nuts, if you would like to have some.” He held up the small pouch.
     “Sure, that would be great.” Olivia wiped the juice from her chin and the tear from her cheek with the sleeve of her cloak. “What should I do with this?” She held up the apple core.
     Locke grabbed the apple core, tossed it into the air, and caught it in his mouth. He chewed for a second and then swallowed, grinning. “Mmm, the core and stem are my favorite parts!”
     Olivia laughed. “Good! I was having a tough time trying to eat them.” She wiped her hands on the hem of her uniform and asked, “So, how far is the Great Fairy’s Hollow from here?”
     “Follow me and I’ll show you.” Locke nodded to the edge of