Faerie Ring, Part 2

He began to feel quite drowsy; his eyelids drooping like a disappointed dog’s ears, and sleep tugging at the corners of his vision. He toppled over backwards as the relentless tide of sleep overtook him. He woke suddenly, with his fur jacket providing little protection from the cold as he floundered out from a snow bank with a chill wind ruffling his hair. He picked himself up, and scoured the land around him for any sign of the fairies or the little man. He saw nothing but snow, bare black trees, and a few startled deer. He reached up to a tree above him and pulled off a few branches and began the trudge back to his mother’s cottage. Later that night, with a roaring fire and a thick blanket tucked snugly about his toes he began to drop off. Just as the deadness of sleep was creeping over him, the fire was blown out. He eyes opened with a snap, and he scoured the bare board around the fire. He saw nothing. Then he heard a knocking. He looked at the door, but there was nothing interesting there. He turned to the single window and saw that it was open. A small figure, with a tiny woolen cap sat on the windowsill. It hopped in, and twisted its head from side to side, apparently taking in the cabin. Then the door burst and a rush of those tiny figures with their small woolen caps tumbled through the doorway. The young boy sat upright in his bed, his eyes opened wide by these midnight apparitions. The flood of little things immediately stopped. They slowly backed out, making each step was painstakingly slow and deliberate as humanely possible. When they had left, he got up, replaced the door, and restarted the fire. He finally relaxed, and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.