Page 12 of Folds
Before long, though, I understand what he means. Up ahead there’s a meadow, and in it, a wild, overflowing garden. It’s brilliant, beautiful, incredible. A little burbling creek runs alongside the garden, and it is possibly the most pristine place I’ve ever seen.
When I approach, Selvanar guides me toward a pathway that is otherwise hidden by the overflowing plants. I’m much too large for the path, though, so I still run into things. I apologize to every plant I bump into as I go by.
Then we reach a tree stump, and on it are growing dozens of tiny brown mushrooms. They don’t look remarkable to me except for the white spots, but Selvanar holds up a hand to stop me when we reach them.
“Here they are,” he says. “They taste terrible, but they will work.”
“How do you know? Is this something you do often, turning people into fairies?”
Selvanar snorts. “We have no interest in humans visiting us. These mushrooms do not have the same effect on fairies. It’s mere nutrition for us.”
Hmm. I guess I can accept that.
Bending down, I pick a mushroom and then clean off the surface in the creek. Once it looks clean of debris, I hold it up to my lips.
“Just eat the whole thing?” I ask uncertainly.
Selvanar crosses his arms. “The whole thing.”
Sighing, I open my mouth and bite down. The mushroom tastes absolutely terrible, like wet dirt and sweaty feet mixed together with a spongy texture. It’s the worst food I’ve ever eaten, and yet I take another bite, then a third, until the whole little mushroom is gone and I feel like I might throw it back up.
I stand straight, trying to keep my roiling stomach down, and pick up the purse. But nothing happens.
“How long does it take?” I ask.
“Your body must begin to digest it. We ought to hurry now to the barrier.”
Right. I grab the purse and hustle back the way we came. When we’ve returned to our original spot, I notice that my foot feels… strange. When I look down, I find it’s simply vanished inside my shoe.
“Oh my god!” I reach down, panicking. “Where’s my foot?!”
Before I can get far, though, my hand vanishes. Wait—no, it’s not gone. It’s just… very small.
“Why is only my hand small?” I wail.
“Trisha!” Selvanar calls out from inside the purse on the forest floor. “This is normal. Just wait.”
I try not to panic as the ground rushes up to me. I scream, but I don’t fall forward in the dirt.
No, I’m just much closer to it now. But I’m stuck in something and can’t move.
That’s when I realize I’m tangled up in a massive shirt—myshirt—and I’m completely naked.
“Ahh!” I cover myself, though Selvanar has already seen me without clothes in the shower before. “My clothes didn’t shrink, too?”
He cocks his head. “Why would they? Only your natural body responds to the mushroom.”
I approach him where he sits inside my purse. It’s much farther to go than it would be were I full sized, but when I get there…
Wow. Even covered in hives, Selvanar is beautiful. I can get a closer look at him now, and he grins and holds out a hand.
“Welcome to my world,” he says.
I help him climb out of the purse, and he leans against me so I can help him walk. He’s much, much heavier now than he was before, that’s for sure.
Around us, the air shimmers. It feels like I’m trying to pass through a wall of milk. I gasp, freezing in place.
“Keep going,” Selvanar whispers to me, and I remember that he’s there and this is probably normal. So I keep on through the thick air, until at last, we emerge on the other side.
