Fairies

By April Nisan McDonald

There were fairies in the bush that smelled like peaches.

During the summer when the sun was low and the plants were unkempt, the kids of 46th avenue played hide-and-seek. There were seven of us in total, eight when Sasha's sister finished her homework. She was in high school already because she was 13.

Arun was four and he was the youngest. Emma, the soccer player, was 11 and she was reigning champion, but she was nice about it, and wouldn't brag as Simon did. When he won he would tease everyone until we played again and Emma beat him. Then he would say she cheated but no one believed him.

The day I found the fairies was the first day of August before grade two. It was late in the afternoon and the shadows were long and skinny like scary shadow people. As Sasha started counting to 60, I searched for a place to hide. The apple tree, the Japanese maple, behind Ms. Everson's hedge? No, he would search all those places. "57, 58, 59..." Sasha counted. I panicked and dove into a yellow shrub. It was a little bit thorny but created a strong camouflage and smelled like warm, orange peaches. "Ready or not, here I come!" Sasha yelled. Footsteps sounded as he ran past my frantic hiding place. I sighed in relief and breathed in the gentle smell. It was then, sitting in a bush with a small cut on my face, my shirt partially ripped and my hair in a tangle, I had a very strong feeling that I was in someone else's home.

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April is a grade 9 student who enjoys reading and everything associated with it.