“Mama!” A four year old Asha came running up from the garden to show her mother a bug she had caught. Everything fascinated Asha, she was a bright shining light in this darkened world, even when the other children would push and shunt her about, Asha would smile, she'd pretend or genuinely thought it was a game they were playing!

No one has yet noticed her bulbs for horns that was still small enough to hide behind her half Elf-Human ears. Her sharp shoulder blades, had not changed once since birth, and luckily it wasn't drastic at all and could only barely be noticed when touched her shoulders a certain way. She looked nearly normal to be either Elf or Human, except for her eyes that were silver, for no Elf or Human had silver eyes! But the Elves pushed it off to being a trait from Cetcily, her silvery blue laced eyes…

“What does she have for us this time?” Theo came stepping out of their home onto the porch that looked out onto the ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see.

“Gi!” She shouted joyfully running up to him to get one of her many daily hugs, the white streak in his now naturally black-greying hair was a reminder of him saving this girl’s mother so that she could be able to smile as brightly, as she did now, every other day to come.

“Look! Look!” She opened her hand that held the bug.

“Lady! Lady!” She said with such glee that Theo couldn’t help but laugh slightly.

“I see! A Lady bug, you do know what it means if you were able to catch one, right?” He asked mischievously.

“I can make a wish!” She beamed up at him.

“Theo, you shouldn’t encourage her with false stories such as those, what if…” Cetcily’s words were cut off.

“Now, now Cet! No need to get upset! What if those stories where true?” He winked at her to tell her that it was alright to let a child believe, because children only have their early years to do so, when they would become older the harsher realities would start to sink in and often it was innocent faith that kept them strong!

“What is a ‘false story’?” Asha tilted her head ever so slightly.

“It means… Something of faith…” Theo interpreted the meaning in a creative way.

“So what’s you wish, my little one?” He asked as he bent to his knees to look her in the eyes.

“I wish for a stringy thing that makes those pretty sounds, the one they play in the square, a pretty one like Celli plays!” She gave her wish, after a long thought, her voice was pure and innocent as her mother’s, but it still held that childish sound, especially when she was speaking fuller sentences, when she mumbles!

“Good, now you have to release the Lady so that she can take your wish to be granted!” Theo smile coaxed another brighter smile from Asha. She opened her palm again and gently blew on the lady bug, to fly away.

“When Celli and Seg visit?” Asha remembered to open her mouth when speaking, but sounded even more like toddler, her vocabulary now in ruins, but neither Cetcily nor Theo thought to correct her, it was something that made her specially! You could tell just by these two very different ways she spoke how much thought she put in or how much excitement or curiosity is contained in her.

“That’s a bit hard to say. Celli and Segre take special trips just to visit you if they are nearby! And they left just three weeks ago! Are you telling me you miss them already?” Theo took a seat on the porch and gestured for Asha to sit on his lap.

“I love Celli… And Seg warm, like Gi!” She beamed, tilting her head backwards to look up at her ‘grandfather’.

"And Gi, Baron, funny! He fell in the mud!" She continued telling Theo of everything that happened that day, laughter taking up most of the story telling.

Folding her hands over Theo’s arms that wrapped themselves tightly around her waist, she allowed Theo to sway her gently, watching the sun slowly set below the horizon. This was how most of her days ended, with her falling asleep in Theo’s arms, and with occasions her mother singing for them like now…

The next morning as soon as Theo heard Asha waking up, he knocked on her door.

“Morning Asha! Guess what?” He said with all seriousness. At first Asha looked at him in confusion, what must she guess? Then a sharp smile spread across her face.

“Strings! Strings!” She shouted in a sing song voice! Theo turned to Tay, who was still terribly afraid of Asha, yet didn’t show it when near the girl!

“Help get her ready” He gave Tay a warm smile, noticing her anxious look for the umpteenth time.

“She won’t bite, Tay! She’s just a little girl! And besides Asha is horribly smitten with you!” Tay gave him a confused, surprised look. It wasn’t the first time Theo had told her this, but he’d never tell her why Asha would ‘like’ her, when all she did was try her best to insure Asha wouldn't grow close to her.

“How so?” She asked, her voice not as smooth as was with other Elves, but held a certain maturity in it considering her young age.

“Another time! Just try to get to know her a bit! She’s not a monster and you know it! Hell you were there helping her come into the world! You of everyone in this village should know by now… She’s just a normal child!” Theo half scolded Tay, and the young Elf seemed to consider the idea, sure she was there, sure she has been able to see Asha every day, but… She was a freak of nature! Aura that was equal if not greater than the Mer-Folk’s, scales and horns? What else if not a monster?

“Please, Tay, try!” Theo pleaded with her, and saw Tay, put up the charm of an actor… He shook his head, when was this girl going to realize it? He had thought getting Cetcily to agree that Tay should be the one to spend the mornings getting Asha ready for the day would help the tbothe of them,Cetcily and Tay to reconnect somehow. Sure they would talk and share gossip, but it was strained, and in a way forced, he felt.