32I stood in the middle of a bridge, great stone blocks holding me up over a black chasm. Wind whistled around me and the bridge creaked, as if it was carrying a load too heavy for it to hold. I turned and looked at one end of the bridge. There the stone braces turned into a cobblestone path, which soon became slabs of concrete. This sidewalk led up a hillside of nicely trimmed grass until it disappeared over the top. Weeds grew through the cracks in the concrete at intervals, and a dandelion bloomed here or there, but overall the landscape was smooth and flat.
I turned to the other end of the bridge, and found that the cobblestone path led into a misty forest. The stones faded away until a dirt track was all that remained. Even the track faded after a while, until all I saw were towering trees and leafy underbrush. Butterflies danced amid the trees, and squirrels chattered at one another as they leaped between the oaks and maples.
The wind swirled around me, yanking my sash off and carrying it over the edge of the bridge. I leaned over the rail and watched it float downwards. The red soon disappeared into the yawning emptiness and I jerked back from the edge, head reeling. As I spun, I saw two figures, one at either end of the bridge. At first they were hazy, insubstantial, but as I peered closer, each solidified. On the side of the trimmed lawn stood Gaia, an emerald aura surrounding her figure; on the side of the forest stood Danu, encompassed by an amber glow. Neither was affected by the wind which whipped my hair and clothes.
Together they spoke. "You must choose. Earth or Faery. You are of both, but you may only live in one."
"I'm what?" Suddenly all the pieces I'd been thinking about fell into place: how Trazie said I was a fae, how I felt like I belonged in Faery, why all the fae were staring at me. "They're wondering if you'll stay," Maia had said. I turned towards Danu.
"Of course I'll –" I caught myself. Stay forever? Leave everything I've ever known for a place I've barely seen? Just because it "feels right?" What about my parents, how would they feel if I suddenly disappeared? What about my friends, would I get to see them anymore? I turned towards Gaia. And then back. "I can't decide," I whispered.
"You must decide," they chimed. The wind from the chasm swirled around me, and I heard the bridge creak once more. This time the sound went on and on, a rending, grinding sound, as if the bridge could no longer hold my weight. As I watched, a boulder from the rail tore from its mortar and tumbled into the pitch-dark chasm.
"I stand for the Earth," Gaia intoned. She raised one hand and the emerald light collected on her palm, flowing into a ball. "I stand for family and old friends, familiarity and safety." The light arched out of her hand, spreading across the surface of the bridge.
"I stand for the Fae," Danu commanded. She raised one hand and the amber glow swirled into an orb on her palm. "I stand for community and self, wildness and comfort." The color flowed from her hand, shooting atop the bridge, mingling with the emerald.
They both pressed their hands together, holding a rope of light which spread into a swirling platform. "You must choose."
Images spun through my mind – my parents, friends, the Faery Palace – which would I chose? Which did I want more, feel like I fit more? My parents, my friends, I knew them; but I felt at home with the fae, even the short time I'd been there. Which should I choose? The wind whipped around me, throwing me off balance. Another stone from the rail screamed its last dying breath and dove into the abyss. The whole bridge rumbled, and a stone from the floor shifted and fell, leaving a gaping hole in the surface. If I could only have one, which would I miss more? My parents and friends, I knew I would miss them, I knew I would want to see them again, I knew I would wake up homesick after too long. But never to come back to Faery, never to wear wings again, never to feel this connection to community, feel like I belong completely? Which would I choose?
"I don't know!" I screamed.
"Know, know, know…" the chasm mocked me, throwing my words back into the wind that almost shoved me over the edge.
"Choose." Danu and Gaia commanded. The bridge shrieked, its mortar flaking off in chunks. Soon the whole thing would collapse, and I had no idea if the amber and emerald light could hold me up. I closed my eyes, reaching deep inside my self. What did I want? Was I fae, or was I human? The wind whined and I desperately blocked out the sound. What did I want? What did I want? The sound of the wind faded in my ears and in my moment of calm I knew the answer. I was fae.
I opened my eyes, returned to the screaming wind. The bridge moaned and shook as another boulder dropped from the floor. I scrambled across the surface, pelting towards the forested side I had chosen. As my foot touched the ground, the bridge rumbled and collapsed, dust slowly drifting down in the eerily calm air.
I picked myself up from the dirt and looked around. Both Danu and Gaia had disappeared as the bridge crumpled. Well, I chose this side, I thought. Might as well keep going. I took a step into the forest and everything dissolved around me.