004 The Hedge

Einar and Mair left the tavern leaving Ein wondering if the horses they were riding belonged to Mair or the Hag or if they had rented them... does one Rent a horse here like they rent a car in the modern world where he is from? Regardless he is mostly hoping they did not steal these horses from something that might eat them to get the horses back as that seems like a possibility in this world.

He suddenly realizes he has no idea what this place is, "um... Mair?"

She turns to look at him.

"What is this place?..."

She stares at him for a moment. He wonders if maybe she didn't understand the question.

" You know this world or reality... or whatever

... what is it called?"

She looks like she is thinking about what to say and suddenly grabs a stick off a low hanging tree and points to a bush as if it is the answer.

"Its the... bush?"

She shakes her head and then points at it again then slides the stick forward pointing at the row of bushes along the side of the dirt road.

"The...um... underbrush?"

She shakes her head and looks a bit exasperated.

"The bushes?" He guesses.

She shakes her head and stops then nods and pantomime scissors.

"The trimmed bushes!"

Her excitement dies and she rolled her eyes and let's out a long quiet sigh. A moment later they come to a path which crosses theirs and she points at it with the stick then acts as if she is drawing it with the stick.

"The crossroads? What about them?"

She points at him and herself and at the ground.

"We are in the crossroads?..Crossroads?... wait... we are in the Hedge?! The fricken land of fairies and monsters?!"

She throws the stick in the air like it's confetti and nods releived he finally figured it out.

"But I can't be in the Hedge! And I drank her wine and oh no... am I stuck here?!"

She shakes her head and points at his left arm where the feathers are still sticking out and have become more pronounced since he first noticed them.

"Wait?! No way! That's impossible! I'm human this has to be some crazy curse or something there's no way I wouldn't know for 37 years that I'm a freaking fairy!"