bairnsidhe

“So, when did it start?” the detective asked.  It wasn’t a harsh question, was actually asked in a light and friendly tone, even.  Mallory had to chuckle at that, considering her position.

“Well, I mean, it obviously started when the faery walls came down.  When we got magic back, and all that came with it. But as for what I think you want to know… it started with the gnomes.”

The gnomes had been a surprise, honestly.  So many things that came sideways from the sun weren’t anything like they’re prettied up modern image.  Elves were warriors, pixies a menace, and the unicorns… no, nothing seemed to be the same.  Then, Mallory found gnomes in her trash cans.  Cute, tiny, in pointed hats and velvet coats, like living garden statues trying to equitably divide pizza crusts.  Obviously, she couldn’t just let them go on starving on scraps, so she pulled out all the leftovers the four housemates had, heated it up, and laid out a little buffet for them.  They were grateful, and in exchange, willing to help with the gopher infestation Mallory had been fighting for ages. It turned out, however, that gnomes talk, and that’s how it escalated to other magical misfits, to an organized circle of favors that might, allegedly, be somewhat resembling organizations like the Mafia.  

But it started with the gnomes.