4 An enraged man

Muriel had a fur lined cloak over her figure, thick boots on her feet, warm gloves on her hands, and a basket of purchases on her arm, when she heard someone cry out on the street, "You're a fairy! A damned fairy! Cure me or I'll bash your brains onto the road!!" It sounded like a large man.

Fighting against the powdery snow, most of which had been shoveled away, Muriel hurried to the commotion. There were was an enraged man outside of a book store. He was screaming at a young woman who was beside an older, more lavishly dressed woman. Both of those females seemed quite frightened, and understandably so.

Hm? That man's skin was green, a bright and shiny green. Did he fall into a vat of dye?

Muriel watched as a passer-by, a young man with long curly hair, got between the green man and the women. "Have you no dignity?! Are you a man?! How dare you treat a woman so disgracefully?!"

Pointing one of his green fingers at the young woman, the upset man claimed, "That's a fairy! She cursed me! I know she did! Last night she refused my calling card and now I'm green! She cursed me!!"

Muriel thought about the situation for a few seconds.

Then she intervened; it wouldn't be good if more people got involved.

Her clothing fluttered in the cold air as she ran up to the group and asked in a fairly loud voice, "Where's your mark?"

The green man turned to look at Muriel with a confused expression. "Huh? What?"

Muriel drummed her fingertips on her arm as she said, "Come now, show us your mark. When a fairy puts a spell on a target, both the fairy and the target receive a mark, the same mark on the same body part. What mark formed when you became green?"

"Oh!" The green man pulled his right arm out from under his coat. Then he tugged his shirt's sleeves up. On his forearm, there was a dark blue mark, like a tattoo. It was tiny and shaped almost like a tentacle of sorts.

Muriel shrugged and looked at the young woman. "Miss, would you mind showing us your right arm?"

The woman's lips were trembling. Her pretty brown eyes were glittering with tears. Her round cheeks were pink. Her fingers nearly tore her sleeve as she revealed her forearm.

There were no marks there, not even a mole or a freckle. To be certain, Muriel removed a glove, reached for the woman's arm, and rubbed her fingers against the pale flesh. She couldn't feel any powder or paint. Looking up to the green man, Muriel announced, "She's not the one who cursed you! You'd better let her be, or else someone might accuse you of harassment!"

The green man's eyes were still quite violent as he looked at the young woman, but he backed away. The young woman thanked her with the lightest, most delicate voice. She even kissed Muriel's hand.

"What's your name, Miss?" the young woman asked.

"Muriel Devin."

The smile the young woman gave her was far too delightful.

As the two women hurried away, Muriel watched as the curly-haired man from before gave the green man a list of insults. The green man made an uninterested gesture and went off in an apparently random direction.

Muriel shrugged and checked on her purchases to make sure nothing had fallen away or had been stolen. Then she rushed away so she could return to her home's warmth.