Maria and George have known each other since childhood. And since childhood, they've been warned about the Eddies, the mysterious, hidden faeries that inhabited the woods near their village.
But as George grows up, he becomes obsessed with the faer...
The next day, George slept until noon, something that had never happened before. Mother Doca called his name countless times; then, because the boy did not answer, she barely climbed into his attic room. And George woke up from the touch of her old hands shaking him.
"Grandma, what happened?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"George, what's wrong with you, my dear?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "You come home late ... You don't help with the housework at all ... You're always talking nonsense. And you wake up at noon. You, who woke up at the first rooster's crow..."
George sat on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands. He felt his body numb."Everything's fine, Grandma," he tried to reassure her. "It's because of the heat ..."
"You used to love summer, my dear," the old woman shook her head. "I could barely get you inside the house when you were a kid. You could swim all day long. And now-- you don't feel like anything. You don't go out with the boys anymore. You don't want to see Maria anymore ... You're hiding from her. This girl has always loved you. She loves you still. And you love her ..."
George did not dare to look the old woman in the eye. He just felt a sharp pain in his chest."That'll be over soon, Grandma," he softly said, holding her old hand in his. "When I'll have the faery treasure, we will leave this place. We'll have a mansion. We will live like the boyars. And there will be no need for you to work one more day in your life."
The old woman caresses his cheek with a bitter smile on her lips. "Oh, my dear. You really don't see it, do you? I love to work. I love this life. I've always loved my life ..." she added, then slowly left the room.
Under the hot sun, George worked hard in his grandmother's garden all day long. At dusk, he dropped the hoe in his hand and headed towards the forest. He was to ask the faery for more gold coins. What else could she ask for in return? Whatever she would ask for, he had to be strong. He shouldn't fall under her spell. He was determined to make her fall for him. When she was to be completely under his spell, she would take him to the treasure. And when he would get his hands on that treasure, he would leave everything behind and start a new life.
He barely stepped foot in the woods, that he already heard the faery's playful laughter. He could feel her thin fingers poking his ribs and her fresh breath in his ear. Her scent, which he had begun to recognize from a thousand, accompanied him to the shore of the spring in the clearing.
Then, he realized that all the tiredness and worries were gone. And all just because she was there.
George spun in circles, trying to guess where the faery might be hiding. But every time he thought he was guessing, he would discover a bush or a white butterfly or a hazelnut branch instead.
"Magda, stop playing," he laughed. "I want to see you."
He didn't even finish, that he could hear her giggling behind him.
His heart melted at the sight of her, so wild and restless.
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