The Evil Fairy

by Elena Neri (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

A leap into the unknown Thailand

A little green creature shot up into the air. Its spindly legs, delicate wings and graceful movements made me think about a ballerina. “It’s a fairy!” I shrieked, whilst Sarah gazed at the insect, fascinated, also recognizing the vaguely human shape. What we did not know at the time is that fairies, believe it or not, may well be evil. I had met Sarah only a week before, whilst hiking in Chiang Mai. Being both solo travelers thirsty for adventure, we had become inseparable companions, pushing each other to the limit at every opportunity. Here we were now, hiking up the top of a mountain in Namtok Mae Surin National Park (Mae Hong Son) with our big rucksacks full of water and Thai snacks. Using big bamboo sticks to beat our way through spider webs and mosquitoes, we climbed higher and higher whilst the vegetation changed around us. The luxurious jungle and reddish paths slowly turned into rocks and shrubs and then into a mountain forest. The temperature decreased and the clouds that we had seen from below were now surrounding us as a foggy mist. We walked for hours without meeting one single human being, but it didn’t worry us. We were strong, invincible and we had each other. We reached the top, panting, and full of joy we ate our Pad Thai directly from its banana leaf, before deciding to descend the mountain by a different route. Soon it started to rain and the downhill path became so slippery that we kept loosing our balance and sliding down into the mud. We were forced to slow down our pace and realized just how tired our legs were. The trail became narrower and narrower, until it disappeared completely. We kept walking through the plants, hoping to find its continuation further on. But there was no path. We tried to go back to where we came from but even that part of the trial seemed to have vanished. We kept looking, desperately, fighting against the realization that we were lost, in the jungle, and that it was getting late. The jungle is confusing, disorienting, hostile. We climbed across rocks, trees and roots, having no idea if we were going in the right way. We starting panicking and rushing, wasting the little energy that we had left. Sarah suggested that we followed the river, as it was the only thing that could give us some sense of direction. This meant climbing across a slippery, sloping surface, several meters above the water, which was full of sharp, pointy rocks. We decided to attempt it. We didn’t really have much choice. I don’t remember how it happened. I just remember Sarah’s terrified face before I slid down the rocks. I remember thinking about that little green insect, the evil fairy. I remember the feeling that I was going to die. I remember falling into the vacuum before splashing into the river. I was so lucky to miss all of the sharp rocks, and simply land into a puddle of quicksand. I had blood pouring from my legs and leaches attached to my feet, I had lost my phone, but I was alive. Sarah climbed down the rocks to join me in the river and we swam, holding our backpacks on the top of our heads. It was completely dark now, and it was so cold. We were living on pure adrenalin, prepared to do anything that we could to get out of that place. I was scared, convinced that I wouldn't survive another mistake. The river turned into rapids and we had to get out of the water. It was dark. We kept on moving, sobbing silently. We had to stay positive. Surrendering to desperation was not an option. After a few more hours, various attempts to call different emergency numbers and a large animal snapping branches just next to us, we eventually managed to get out of the jungle. It was about midnight. We were filthy, bloody and stinking. We were dehydrated, hungry, and cold. But we were alive. We hugged for a long time, blaming our stupidity, praising our luck and dooming, for all time, that evil fairy.