Eric was something of a loner. He liked to meet up with a group of people he originally met in a study group but never spent time with them alone. They were all so happy and social, and always invited him along, but there was an obvious lack of chemistry. Eric was thankful for the invite, even if it was only out of pity. He spent most of his time in his room researching lizards. Eric was an amateur herpetologist, he loved the quiet stoic nature of reptiles. He felt more of a kinship to animals than to other people. They couldn't talk, were not very cuddly, nor affectionate, or very interesting. Yet they were beautiful. He had his sights on making a purchase soon, his own habitat ready for an indigenous species once he decided on one to bring home. He had installed a heat lamp and humidifier, soil, and substrate for optimal humidity and temperature.

People wanted to talk about their day or some recent movie but Eric wanted to talk about retiles. They were just more interesting. This did not make him many friends, he had even built up the courage a few times to go on a date but couldn't hold a conversation without a few reptile facts. He felt a little bad about not being able to connect but this was alright. If he was to be alone, he felt like he didn't need the company. There was comfort in solidarity, like a lone territorial lizard enjoying the basic needs of life like the heat of the sun and fresh water from the sky. He longed for companionship but felt it just wasn't in the cards. Why should he invest so much of himself only to be turned down or ghosted? It was better for him to spend his energy elsewhere. He spent his days going to college, studying well, and doing his own happy research at his apartment.

Eric hated to see the complicated drama and suffering of the real world. Things were so much more simple within the walls of the terrarium. He was immune to the complications on the outside, or so he thought. everything changed for him when walking back from class one day, he was walking back home from class and was accustomed to looking down. The risk of eye contact and potential for social interaction, hence disappointment, was too great. The groud was more predictable, had no surprises, and sometimes had a little bug crawling the vast expanse of the sidewalk. At least, that's what he thought he saw.

Eric stopped short and stared. His mind was conflicted. The rational side of him saw a bug but his eyes clearly identified a person. Near the edge of the sidewalk, face down and unmoving, was a tiny person. Long red hair obscured its head, and the clothing it wore had an opalescent shimmer in the light. Eric leaned in closer, squinting. It was a tiny woman, he guessed from the delicate frame and long hair. She was only about an inch and a half tall, and Eric noticed something even more strange than what he already struggled to believe. The changing colors on her clothes were actually translucent wings, almost imperceptible. They sprouted from a hole in the simple brown tunic she wore. Eric looked around the campus. It was getting close to dusk, he didn't see any other students. Part of him wanted to ask if someone else could see her. He thought it was a doll, but her features were too detailed and realistic. Part of him felt so sorry for her. She was splayed out, certainly not having chosen to just sleep here. It would be dark soon, and the night students would certainly injure her further. Or worse.

Eric knelt down and nudged her tiny form with a finger. She felt so light and moved easily to his comparatively massive touch. Her wings were gossamer, they didn't even register as a feeling when Eric gently tried to wake her. As gently as he could, he pinched under her wings and lifted her. She was so light, his fingers trembled as he tried to maintain static pressure with barely any feedback. He carefully transferred her to his palm, rolling her gently in the process. He almost dropped her when she twitched, shifting in her sleep as he turned her over. His hand shook, almost vibrating her. His breath caught her wings and gently rustled them. He couldn't see her face very easily because it was so small, but she looked to have soft, clear skin and mousey features. Her skin was almost perfectly smooth, save for a speck of dirt or two. Then Eric noticed a few holes in her tunic, small red splotches appearing from within. Whatever she was, she was alive. And she was hurt. Eric was never sure of anything else in his life, but he needed to protect this tiny broken creature. He laughed a bit at how ridiculous he was being.

Eric wrapped his fingers into a loose cage, cupping both of his hands to prevent any unnecessary movement for his little passenger. She was so light it felt as if she would disappear into the wind if he wasn't careful. Checking every few seconds to see if anything changed, he carefully watched his step all the way home. It was only a mile or two, but the pace was slow and he was very careful. It was dark by the time he arrived, his muscles sore from the constant tension. He had lost feeling in his hands, keeping them still and bracing against each other. The tiny woman slept and he could see the smallest rise and fall of her chest as she seemed to slumber peacefully. Eric carefully unlocked his apartment, performing a strange balancing act. 

He had been thinking of what to do his whole walk back, deciding on first examining the damage to her skin. He gently placed the tiny woman on a notebook over his desk and went to retrieve a first aid kit he kept under the bathroom sink. He returned with the box and began to lay out everything he might need. He had a pair of surgical scissors he was wondering if he would ever need to use, not even sure what they were even for. But he felt they would be the best tool to remove her tunic. He thought that he wouldn't need to remove it, or maybe that he shouldn't. But the blood underneath was spreading and if she was anything like a person, that stuff needed to stay on the inside. He didn't want to risk moving her arms around, either. Eric took a deep breath and with steady hands he cut away her tunic from the side, carefully avoiding touching her in any way. Once one side was cut, he repeated the action on the other side. Then with tweezers, he lifted the shredded tunic away.

There were three pinprick-sized holes in her abdomen, probably similar to a bullet-sized wound for a normal person. They were clustered together, and about the same size. She was likely hit by something. He hadn't a clue what to do but knew how to treat his own scrapes and cuts. He thought of applying some antibacterial ointment but was concerned it might do more harm than good. Who knows what she's made of? He cut a small square of gauze but looked at it in comparison to her body. It would cover most of her, he tried for another few cuts. He made them all about the size of a quarter of a stamp and lifted it with the tweezers. He ran one square under some warm water and used it to clean her up, lightly dabbing with tweezers wrapped in wet gauze. Then he applied a few dry ones to the affected area, stopping the slow flow of fluid. The wounds didn't seem deep, and Eric hoped there was nothing stuck inside her. He tore off a small strip of tape and carefully wrapped it once around her body. He took a step back and examined his work, and it suddenly dawned on him that she was nude.

The tiny creature sported medium-sized perky breasts and a slim but healthy figure. She had an almost otherwordly look, her skin and symmetry were perfect save for the bandage. Eric turned pink with embarrassment, cutting a large strip of gauze and laying it over her delicate frame. The tiny woman, still slumbering, lazily grabbed the gauze and pulled it over her shoulder like a blanket. Eric was beside himself. Such a human act, so innocent and yet so strange. He took a moment to fully appreciate the situation. What was she? Why did he just pick her up? He needed a veterinarian, or a hospital, something! Who would treat someone an inch tall? Who would even believe him without seeing her themselves? He blinked, pinched himself, paced around his apartment. Every time he rounded the corner to his desk, she was still there. Sleeping. Breathing. Shivering? He looked closer, she was shaking just a little. His apartment wasn't terribly cold, but he imagined a smaller creature would need more heat. He looked to his terrarium. 

Eric powered on the heat lamp and set the humidity to a little bit higher than the ambient air. He formed a small bed of coconut substrate, near the lamp but not directly underneath. He brushed his hands off and checked the digital reader. Seventy-seven degrees and humidity was 40%. That should hopefully be more comfortable. He went back to the tiny creature under the gauze, she looked adorable. She was snuggled up into almost a little ball, on her side. Eric gently pinched her, worried she might wake. But the little winged lady was out cold. She seemed to be somewhat responsive, curling inwards towards his touch. Eric carried her and placed her in the makeshift bed within the terrarium. The area had heated up nicely, and the small form of the woman seemed to fit snugly under the gauze within the tiny burrow.

Once she was in place, Eric immediately went to his desk and began to search the internet for pictures and information on fairies, pixes, sprites, anything he could think of. The internet was covered in pictures of small winged people that he had seen so often before, but of course, they were all just drawings. Eric searched for some kind of mythological explanation. Their lore was all over the place, originating across Europe all at once. So many cultures had their own variety of magic tiny people. He traced a few lines of cultural spread from Persia, to Ireland, to Britain, and beyond. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep is the legend of King Arthur and a footnote of a man named Guiomar who fell in love with the fairy queen.

Thud

Thud

Thud

Eric awoke to rhythmic thumping. He burst awake, some deep-dive Wikipedia page opened on his desktop. He shook his head and took in the harsh morning light still low in the window. Had it all been a dream? He turned to the terrarium, the events of the previous night coming back to him. Slowly walking over, afraid of what he might find, he peeked over the edge of the burrow he had made. The Gauze had been cast aside, with no sign of the little woman. Eric searched the enclosure. He had neglected to place the lid on, he was more occupied with other things last night. He scanned for any sign of her, hoping to at least see a small footprint to prove he hadn't hallucinated the whole thing. Then he saw a small quivering stalk of grass, hanging on it was a tiny bloody square of gauze. It looked like the gauze had been taped to the little sprig, gently shaking in the breeze. Only, the other green stalks nearby were not shaking. Eric stared, puzzled. He slowly extended his hand, finger outstretched, towards the movement. Just before making contact, light sprang forth from the grass like a camera flash, and the woman stood there in the blind spot caused by the bright light. Eric jumped, tripping and falling over backward. A woman's voice, thick with anger, called out:

"You'll not keep me here like some caged bird, human!"

Eric looked around, the voice echoing in the room. He sprung to his feet, looking back to the terrarium. There she was, striking an intimidating pose as best she could. Her body was still wrapped in tape and gauze.

"Your kidnapping will not go unpunished! I demand to be released this instant!" Boomed the woman, louder than should have been possible.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I-"

"Silence! Foolish human. I will curse you and all your kin! Your house will tremble with-- Ah!" the woman cried out, her voice diminishing into a painful yelp. She clutched the bandage and fell to her knees.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry, I bandaged you as best I could.."

"You... did this to me? Why? How can you even see..AAH!" she yelled again as she tried to stand.

"Take it easy, you had some damage. I just found you, near the school? You were hurt." Eric spoke in a rushed and quiet tone.

"I see." She had layed down on the soil, Eric couldn't make out her face but she sounded defeated. "I don't suppose then, you would let me go?" She asked.

"Oh, my, uhhh, yes. I'll get you outside right away. Sorry about your shirt, I..." Eric trailed off.

"Well, what are you... Ugh.. waiting for?" The woman spoke through gasps of pain.

Eric's shaking fingers scooped up a small pinch of soil under the woman laying there, she looked up at him with something like a stern look. Eric was both worried about the wrath of some unnamed curse, and of accidentally injuring her further.

"Careful, human. I'm not at my best strength but I'll not... hesitate to hex you in an instant."

Eric watcher her face, her sonorous voice echoing through the room. Her mouth wasn't moving, but here eyes were locked onto his. Eric simply nodded, walking to the door. Crumbles of soil fell off as he transferred her to his palm. He opened the door, and the cool morning air rushed in. Eric stepped forward, into the light. Quivering from fear and bewilderment and less from the cold, he placed his hand down on the ground. The woman stood, taking a few halting steps before jumping off the small ledge of flesh. She looked around, then back up to Eric.

"Human. It seems I am not fully recovered. I must ask something of you, and not a thing that should be taken lightly." Her eyes turned to ice even at the distance from Eric's height. Her lips still remained motionless. Eric was transfixed.

"I ask, that you grant me permission to enter your home."

"Um, yeah, sure? You want to come back inside?"

"Human! This was not a simple question. Seek your soul, understand the risks, and... hnnnng... Answer with your heart."

"Risks?" Eric was puzzled.

"Are you daft? I am of the fair folk, a most powerful and noble race. You.. Ah! You humans cannot comprehend our power! An invitation to your home is a license for mischief and madness!" The woman was incensed, standing proudly upon the sidewalk. Eric couldn't help but be amused, she looked so small and was acting so mighty.

"You DARE mock me, human?!" She shouted, flinging her hands upward. A gout of flame erupted from her fingertips, reaching only about six inches into the air. Eric was more surprised than scared, taking a step back.

"Uh, no, sorry! I just... I don't mind if you come back inside."

"You would invite me into your home?"

"Uhm, yes."

"Very well." The woman began to take halting steps towards the threshold. Eric took a step forward, bending down to help her.

"No, human." She pushed her arms up, "I must enter on my own. Carried or captured by a human holds a certain power. Power I'm not willing to give up. Now, stand aside."

Eric complied, he watched for a full 20 seconds as she shuffled back through the door, climbing over the threshold and inside the apartment. she stood still just inside the open door, looking up.

"Perfect." She exhaled, then collapsed onto the floor.

Eric stood frozen, startled from her sudden incapacitation. Then he sprung into action, gently lifting her once more. He grasped her around the waist, trying his best to avoid looking directly at her nudity. Her limbs hung loose towards the ground, and he used both hands to hold her in his cupped fingers. She was so soft, Eric felt as if his hands were being blessed by a God. He carried her back to the terrarium, returning her to the small area he had made for her. Once back in place and tucked into the gauze, Eric was shaking with excitement. This was real. This happened last night, it was still happening! He wheeled his computer chair over to the terrarium, sat in it backwards, and watched her sleep. He was determined not to miss the next time she woke and was content to watch the small bundle of fabric move up and down. He stared with fascination, her face was so alluring. She didn't quite look real, but certainly looked human enough. Her features were just not quite right, and his brain needed more images of her.

It was an hour before she woke again. She came to fist with tossing and turning, then she sat up.

"Hello, human. Don't you have responsibilities to attend to?" Her voice was clear and crisp as the dew on the grass outside.

"Uh, hi. I have school, but I can miss a few classes."

"I must confess I've never been in the presence of your kind, much less spoken to."

"Umm, I haven't been in you're, uh, kind's presence either."

"Tuatha Dè Danann" She said in some strange accent.

"Uhm, what?"

"The fair folk, the fey? Fairies? Have humans lost so much of their past that they've forgotten us?"

"Oh, no I know fairies, sure. I'm just not used to, well, you know?"

"Speak plainly. I don't play your human games."

"I don't talk much to other people, Uh, humans. I definitely never spoke to a fairy."

"Of course not, we remain hidden." Her stern look softened.

"How can I see you?"

"I'm weak, my glamour is soft and tired. I can't even fly, I'm so drained. I must have been struck..." She trailed off.

"You have three small holes, I uh, patched you up."

"Human, why have you helped me?" She walked up to the glass, mouth still, her voice dulling to almost a low whisper.

"I just.. did. You needed help. I'm sorry-"

"No, human. No need for apologies, I owe you my life. I would have surely perished. You have given me some of your Draoideachta."

"Dro- what?"

"You, know. Your innerself. Draoideachta. Magic?"

"I... Uh, I don't have magic."

"You all do, human. You've just forgotten." She looked suddenly overcome with sadness.

"I really just bandaged you, it was medicine."

"You stopped my body from decay, but I require Draoideachta to survive. We consume the ambient energy of all things, given willingly. Unlike your kind, killing and destroying just to survive."

"I don't understand..."

"Human there is much you fail to understand." She turned away.

"Look, my name is Eric. I-"

"Human! You just.." She whipped around "You cannot simply give your name so freely! A fey could snap you like a twig with only a word! Have you no sense! Gods, it's no wonder you are so detached."

"Sorry, I... I'm not sure what you mean? Everyone knows me as Eric. Well, at least a few people do..."

"Again you risk your home and soul for me. Why so freely? With your name, with your permission, even my weakened state I could drag you to the far reaches..."

"Are you going to?" Eric seemed a little more curious than afraid.

"I would not endanger you, Human. I owe you a life debt, and I still must recover my strength."

"You can just call me Eric, it's ok.."

"I will not, your name holds more power than you think. Your name on my lips is like a key and a lock. You fail to understand..." She began to pace the terrarium, kicking over tiny rocks.

They enjoyed the silence for a few minutes. The woman explored the terrarium while Eric stole furtive glances at her. She removed the tape and bandage, feeling the pink scars already beginning to heal. He wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. 

"How can I help?"

"Help with what, human?"

"Your recovery, the Draoid-something."

"Draoideachta. I will have enough from these plants here within a week, thank you. I wouldn't ask for more of your innerself. giving too much can be draining."

"I want to help, I don't mind."

"Human." She walked back to the glass. "Bring your hand to me." He obliged, resting his palm near her in the soil. She walked onto his palm. His hand rose, bringing her up to his face. She was so small, yet stood with the air of someone sure of herself. She sat cross-legged in the center of his palm, wings folded behind her. Her voice rang out again, from nowhere in particular,

"You would share your Draoideachta with me, expose your innerself and give over to me your name? What kind of ploy is this?"

"No ploy, I don't really understand. I just want to help. It's not dangerous, is it?"

"Is viewing a rainbow dangerous? Is witnessing the birth of your child? What about feeling the ground of your home under your feet?"

"I don't... think? so?"

"Your innerself is all those things and so much more, human. You have so much inside you are not connected to. It will not harm you, no. But you will change."

"I think... I could use a change, honestly" Eric's last word faltered, a single tear forming in the corner of his eye. He wiped it away quickly before it could depart onto his cheek."

"You have kept your innerself bottled so long, do you realize it wants to get out?" Her head tilted, her eyes full of pity.

"I don't know... how. I guess." Eric stifled a sob.

"Oh, Human. We can share our innerselves in the same way humans share Draoideachta with each other. I will help you, if that's what you want."

Eric nodded.

"Come here." Her voice echoed, he felt his body tremble with anticipation.

Eric leaned in, bringing her right to his face. His breath rustled her wings gently. She walked to the end of his palm, to his lips. She embraced the outside of his mouth and began to passionately kiss him. Eric heard the small but unmistakable sounds of kisses and felt a warm sensation spreading around his mouth. She paused, walked to the other end of his hand, and grasped one of his fingers with both of her hands. She walked the finger back, facing him. Then she laid down flat.

"Touch me." Her voice was like a whisp on the wind.

Eric massaged her body, finger gently shaking. He started near her abdomen, but her delicate hands guided him towards her breasts. He gently pressed them with a circular motion, feeling the soft skin and quickening heaving of her chest. His mouth hung open as he fondled her whole body, two of his other fingers joining in. He nearly encompassed her with his hand and began to touch himself over his clothes with his free hand. Almost immediately she mirrored his actions, her delicate fingers reaching down to her exposed pussy. She began to rock her hips and gently tease herself to the motion of his fingers. Her voice began to take shape in the room, moans and gasps swirling around him. His pupils dilated wide as he drank in her figure, feeling every inch of her.

"T-taste me." She gasped.

Her legs parted, and Eric's pants dropped. His free hand was fully wrapped around his cock as his tongue extended along his palm. It approached her open legs, sliding along unlit Eric tasted an explosion of sensation. Not just taste, but smell and memory. He felt so large and powerful and yet so small. His vision began to swim as a sensation like vertigo began to take over. He stumbled to the bed, now half-naked. He sat as his vision seemed to flick like a TV remote with every thrust of her pussy against his tongue. His saliva dripped thick against her thighs, and his fingers pushed her even closer inside his mouth. He perceived a light, then a faraway beach, then a forest. His bed was traveling rapidly through multiple locations. He became dizzy with the movement, shutting his eyes. Flashes of color arced through his vision like a dream, her moans, and cries of pleasure making waves over his synapses. He felt both happy and sad, triumphant and despondent, alive and dead. His body stopped being in one location at a time, his erect penis thrusting upwards in multiple places at once. He lay down, dumping the woman's lower half into her mouth. His tongue ravaged her delicious womanhood, her juices flowing deeply into Eric. He had a hold of her upper half between two fingers, rolling her breasts against his thumb as she pointed straight up. She abandoned all hope of pleasing herself, her arms falling to her side as she was tasted and teased. Eric was still teasing himself, fingers pressing against his erection. He desperately wanted to begin masturbating in earnest, he needed lubrication...

"I'm ready. Mmmmhmm... Give yourself to me." Her voice was dripping with hunger.

Eric removed her from his mouth, her legs twitching and her hands returning to keep up the momentum.

"Give me your cock, human... now... please..."

Eric lowered her to his manhood, placing her breasts down against his shaft. She immediately grabbed hold. Eyes closed, Eric released her and everything began to change. His cock wasn't just being massaged, he felt a whirlwind of activity around his shaft like soft lips at high speed. The woman teased the entirety of his shaft, moving up and down while somehow able to stimulate around the whole circumference. He felt her tiny form slip under his foreskin, eliciting a shudder from the tip of his penis down to his hips. He gasped, holding back the orgasm to fully experience her. She worked his cock like a thousand lips, the sensations blinding him to anything else. Her tempo increased, massaging him faster than he could keep up with thrusting. She was once force, but in many places at once.

He cried out in lust and ecstasy, nearly losing himself but wanting so badly to continue. His eyes opened to a dark forest of crystalline trees, each interconnected in a shimmering opalescent web. He felt as if all the strings holding him together were being pulled in every direction, his body being carefully disassembled. He saw himself, far above, rocking and kicking in a massive orgasm. He looked below the bed and saw himself again, placing the tiny woman on his cock. He fell to the bedsheets, convulsing. The sensation of the woman's lips moved to the tip and began working his desperately contained opening. The passionate force then ebbed and flowed, she began to enter him. He felt his cock take in the soft ethereal presence, moving along his erect shaft. For a few moments his erection was nearly made of her, she filled his cock from the inside all the while leaving passionate kisses and a trail of sex. The sensation went deeper and deeper, colliding with something inside him. Past the base of his shaft, deep into his loins. She probed down to his core, his legs and cock twitching as she teased him from within.

"Eric." Her voice cried out from within him.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as all the little strings holding him together were drawn taut. His limbs held fast against the bed as his prostate quivered. His cock was poised on a hair-trigger, ready to explode. His muscles were already beginning the pumping motion.

"Oh, Eric!" Her voice wrapped around his cock like a warm embrace. He felt the strongest need to cum but she was holding him back from within. He began to cry out in brittle pleasure, ready to break.

"Eric!" Her cry was primal, desperate.

All the little strings holding him together snapped at once. His back arched and his hips twitched as his cock erupted, pumping again and again. His eyes opened and he saw every string of every living thing connected to him at once, his own self meshed into the network. He came into the womb of creation itself, the force of the woman inside his cock flowing with the stream of semen as his essence spilled upwards in a cacophony of ecstatic screams. His breath stopped, his mind sought nothing but another thrust, another pump of his cock. He twitched and came until he no longer felt her presence inside his cock, thoroughly losing himself. His eyes closed, and he collapsed into darkness.

He was back to reality just minutes later, collapsed and half-naked on his bed. His breath came in ragged bursts, his body unable to move. He felt movement on his bed but lacked the strength to move his head to look. He stayed staring at the ceiling. A face appeared above him, the face of the woman. She was flying, hovering just above his face. Her skin was glossy and slick. She was panting, her face smiling.

"We could have gone deeper, human, but I understand." She flew down to his collarbone, coming to rest on the base of his neck.

"What.. can I call you?" Eric managed to get out.

"Nice try, human. Maybe next time when you actually feel my innerself on the other side. But, for now, call me Dream. And go to sleep, Eric.

Immediately Eric fell into a deep and restful slumber.