It was summer and a cool sea breeze quenched the heat of the ever-present sun. A young man with fair tanning skin, dressed in khaki shorts below the knees, a white tank top, and leather sandals, strolled through the western costal countryside of England. His eyes were blue, hair red, and smile bright. He came upon a small fishing village surrounding a cove. There, he visited the waterfront market and bought an apple before moving on. As he ate, something caught his eye in the grass near a fountain, which sat in an open yard to his right. The man stopped and cocked his head as he took another bite. Intrigued, he approached the fountain and put the apple away.

Squatting down, he saw something unbelievable: a female faerie. She sat near the ground on a leaf of a tall plant with small blue bell-shaped flowers. The man was baffled as to why she merely sat there, but a closer inspection revealed why. A chain was attached to an anklet around her left leg and clipped to a rusted metal post with a donut-shaped head and her Monarch-like wings had been torn away, leaving only tattered stubs. The petite naked faerie had light brown hair that sadly drooped around her pale tear-stained face and partly covered her breasts. Her green eyes were bloodshot from crying and she wore a look of hopelessness and betrayal.

She did not notice him at first, though her eyes were always towards him. When she did, her expression remained as she took measure of him. Once done, the faerie returned to her vacant stare. With a heavy sigh, the young man scooped the post and plant between his right ring and middle fingers and gently pulled them from the ground, taking the faerie in hand. Unprepared for this, she rolled back into his palm. He could feel her tremble in fear as she quickly curled into a ball. With a reassuring smile, the man revealed a pair of tweezers and began to unhinge the anklet. After a silent moment, the faerie uncovered her face. Only then did she notice her bond was gone.

Confusion turned to elation as tears of joy ran down her face. The man simply smiled and offered his left hand to her. Cautiously, she stood up and walked over. He then dumped the chain and post before kneeling down to replant the flowers. Standing up, he placed her on his right shoulder and returned to the road. In short order, they reached the meadows beyond the town. There he held out his hands and offered her freedom but she was content to stay on his shoulder. The man then took out the apple and offered her a piece. She gratefully ate it and soon fell asleep with a pleasant smile. With a sigh and a chuckle, the young man finished his apple and continued his stroll, now not so alone.