Sylphi had always been a tad too curious for her own good. From the moment she first bloomed, she had been the first to leap from her flower, wings or no wings, consequences be damned. While her kin had flit cautiously among the petals, she roamed fearlessly through the wind, riding drifting leaves and tumbling with pollen on the breeze. For seventy-nine years, she lived in joyous abandon, playing with her fellow pixies, teasing the nymphs, and whispering secrets to the flowers she tended. The enchanted forest was her world, vast and boundless—until she learned of the one place she was never to go.

The elders, their spirits now nestled within ancient trees, always warned them about humans. Selfish creatures, they said, who took more than they gave, who severed trees and plucked flowers without thought. Sylphi had listened, but was not convinced. Were they truly so terrible? Did they not also sing to their young, just as the birds did? Did they not stop to admire flowers, just as the pixies did?

Then, one fateful day, a human crossed into their sacred land.

It should have been impossible. Wards and spells had long kept their world hidden. Yet there she was, stumbling through the undergrowth, as if she belonged. The forest hushed in wary silence—the pixies retreating into their blooms, the nymphs melting into foliage, the animals cowering behind roots and rocks. Yet Sylphi did not hide. Peering from her flower, she watched.

The human seemed... adorable.

Clumsy yet careful, she stepped lightly over roots, avoiding even the smallest flowers. She gazed at the canopy with wide, awed eyes, stopping to breathe in the scent of wild blossoms—never plucking, only appreciating. The way she ran her fingers gently over a fern, the way she hesitated before stepping through a patch of mushrooms, the way her lips parted in wonder at every little thing stirred something warm and unfamiliar in Sylphi’s chest.

Ignoring the protests of her kin, she emerged.

The wind carried her close, her tiny form landing softly on a low-hanging leaf just a breath away. “Are you lost?” she asked, her voice like wind through hollow reeds.

The human turned abruptly, eyes wide. But she did not answer. Of course—she couldn’t understand. To her, Sylphi’s words were nothing but a chiming melody carried in the air.

That wouldn’t do.

Leaping lightly onto the human’s palm, she studied her up close. There was no fear in her expression, only wonder. Encouraged, Sylphi darted up, and pressed her forehead gently against the human’s. A warm glow pulsed between them, soft and golden like the first light of dawn as Sylphi’s magic took root.

The human inhaled sharply. Sylphi pulled back, tilting her head with a grin. “Are you lost?” she asked again. This time, the human understood.

The answer was yes, and Sylphi—thrilled beyond words—guided her through the winding paths. She perched on her shoulder, calling out turns, pointing out hidden flowers, laughing as the human gasped at every glowing vine and fluttering sprite. She had never spoken to a human before, never seen one up close, and now she had one all to herself. When they reached the edge of the forest, Sylphi hesitated.

The human turned to thank her, but Sylphi’s fingers curled tightly into the fabric of her clothing. Her heart pounded. She barely knew this human, and yet—she didn’t want to let go.

She looked up, her luminous eyes wide and pleading. “Take me with you!” she begged, her voice ringing like delicate silver bells. “I want to see your world too!”

The human hesitated, but there was no denying Sylphi when she was determined.

And that was how the pixie left her forest.

The human’s home was unlike anything she had imagined— the walls were made of stone, the roof did not breathe, the windows were still like water that did not ripple. But what truly made Sylphi’s heart soar was the interior. Color and fragrance flooded her senses, rows upon rows of blossoms stretching toward the sun, a sea of petals swaying in silent greeting. With a delighted chirp, she leapt from the human’s shoulder, rushing to the nearest flower. It perked up at her presence, stem straightening, petals quivering with energy.

She turned, beaming.

“You love flowers too?” she asked, a hopeful lilt in her voice. “It’s good you brought me—I can help take care of them!”