Chris didn’t say anything, he just stared at me, and despite his glare, despite having never spent one second in this house like this, I didn’t feel out of sorts. The opposite, rather. I had made my choice, and Chris knew the truth. It was liberating, instead of stifling.

I waved my fingers at him and smiled a spritely smile, “You alright? It looked like you hit your head.”

“You. . . you’re a . . f-fff. . .”

I walked up to him and kneeled down, “Mmhmm. I’m a fairy,” I said to him. The truth, now in the world, was surprisingly easy to speak. I held out one of my hands for him to take. He looked at my small and dainty fingers and smooth skin that had changed right in front of his eyes. He didn’t accept my help.

“Why do you have a tooth on your shirt?”

“Because it’s my job. I’m a tooth fairy.” I said.

Chris began to shake his head. “No, no. This is crazy. This is nuts. I’m having a dream . . .”

“Chris, you’re . . .”

“. . . that my best friend has a magic wand . . .”

“This isn’t a dream,” I said, trying to put my hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away.

“. . . and is the tooth fairy.”

“A tooth fairy,” I said, “there are lots of us.” He looked at me for just a moment, then sprang up and left the room.

“Chris!” I said, jumping after him. He was moving quickly through our shared house, getting his truck keys, his red cap, and sandals.

“Chris, where are you going? This isn’t a dream.” I tried to maneuver around his larger body so that he had to face me, wings, tutu, tiara, and all. But every time I made a move, he blocked me or turned and moved off to some other place. I tried to get ahead of him down the hall, but he shoved me back. Hard. I wasn’t expecting it and tumbled to my ass.

“Damnit!” I said as I fell back.

“Gotta get some fresh air,” Chris said to himself, heading for the door. I could let him go. He thought this was a crazy dream. I could work with that. One little charm while he was asleep, and everything went back to normal. To him, I would go back to being just a normal guy. Just Brian. I would go back into hiding.

“No.” I said. Then, as I got up I waved my wand around. Light and glitter snow cascaded around me. My wings were already buzzing, “Zippity Do da.” My body dissolved into glitter and left me as my true, three-inch-tall self. I didn’t waste one second and raced forward, a little spark of whizzing light. I left the world of humans, becoming a tiny stranger in their lands.

I sped after Chris with all the might my little wings had, knowing just how quick I was at this size. I zipped down the hall, banking into the foyer and toward the rapidly closing door. I moved like a cute Patriot missile, spinning through the shrinking gap between the huge wooden door and the frame. I went under Chris’s hand that was larger than my whole body, weaving between it and his stomach, past the screen door and out into the front yard.

A year ago, this had given me a heart attack. The world had been so giant that it might as well have been an alien planet. Now, I buzzed easily to the tree in our front yard, perching on a low branch and watching Chris come down the sidewalk. I waited there for a few steps, then leapt off the tree and began a bombing run, diving down to waist level before spinning up past Chris’s face, up and knocking that stupid red hat back from his head.

Following it, I went up and over his hair as Chris gave a low-rumble shout.

“Zip zam zoom.” I said with a wave and a spin, growing many times my size in the blink of an eye. I landed with one foot on Chris’s hat before he had fully turned around.

He stared down at me and I stared up at him, our eye lines well reversed from what they normally were. I crossed my arms, “Enough,” I said as a thwacked him with my fairy wand. It glowed lightly, “This isn’t a dream.”

Chris blinked. I continued to stare. “Brian?” He asked.

“Call me Brianne, at least when I’m like this?” I stuck out my hand again and gave my best friend my best spritely smile.

“How did this happen? Were you always . . . like this?”

“No, this is kinda new. And as for how, well that’s a longer story. I can tell it to you, if we go back inside.”

He nodded and rubbed his head. Rubbed where I had hit him. He still hadn’t taken my hand. “Then, let’s go inside before anyone else sees you.”

I frowned as he walked around me and to the door. “It’s not a big deal, really. I don’t . . . I don’t care if anyone sees me like this.” I said as I followed him up the walk.

Chris spun then, “Well, I care.” That took a step back.

“Ok. well.” I motioned forward. “I’ll follow you.” He turned back and opened the door for me. He never did that for me as Brian. I frowned but said nothing as I went inside. Chris said nothing, just crossing to his Captain’s seat, a recliner in white leather, as I took up a spot on the couch, pulling my legs up underneath me. I had become used to making myself small.

“So, uh,” he said, “How did this happen to you?”

“Well, once upon a time . . .” I began.