Wax Flower Fairy

"What a wonder it must be to travel so far away." thought Adelaide quietly to herself. She was stargazing again, as she did on most nights. On these nights her mind would drift beyond the  heat of the savanna and off to the tip of the highest mountain in the desert. She imagined herself balancing on the point, singing to comets as they passed; eyes sparkling with moonlight and stardust. Her mind flitted back to her as she remembered where she was. She turned over in her makeshift bed and closed her eyes. She might not get there tonight, but tomorrow she'd be one day closer.

The Australian outback was a harsh place for those who couldn't handle the challenges the creatures in the underbrush posed. Snakes, dingos, and lizards posed threats to small travelers like little Adelaide. Strong-willed and spry, she had already made it halfway through her long and treacherous journey. This was a big task for a fairy in the desert. Born in the bud of a wax-flower, the late summer sun filled her toy heart with sparks of adventure when its rays first shone on her sandy skin. Her spindly legs caught fire the moment they touched the arid ground, and the bitty sprite hasn't stopped running since.

The sound of an approaching storm woke her. Alert, pointed ears picked up echoes of thunder off the sharp orange cliffs jutting out of the horizon. The early morning sunlight would be cloaked with rainclouds by midday. "I do love a challenge," Adelaide said. "I'll race the wind and the rain!" She grinned as another clap of thunder announced her challenge was accepted. As she packed up her temporary home, she thanked the hollow cactus for its hospitality. She leapt onto the cool ground below with her pack by her side and the storm at her back. The rising sun set her path ablaze with light.

Adelaide had two speeds; sleep and sprint. She had somewhere she needed to be, and quick feet were the only way she was going to get there on time. Some might have seen being wingless as a disadvantage when traveling, but Adelaide thought they might have weighed her down. "Flouncing through the air was no way to take a serious journey." she thought. "Certainly not," She sailed through the warming air. It smelled like rain already. A quick glance behind her showed the showers had already dampened the cactus she left that morning. She laughed airily, untroubled by the nearing sounds of thunder.

When in rained in the desert, it poured. The thirsty desert fauna emerged from secret homes under the dry ground to celebrate the downpour. "I can't image wings being useful in this type of weather."Adelaide said, hair drenched and feet muddy. She jumped through puddles and splashed with the toads. Thunder crashed above the overhanging cliff, under which Adelaide had found refuge, and a finish line. Her face turned skyward, she sang her victory to the falling rain.