The Needle
Long ago, Sorrel the foraging elf lived a peaceful life in their small cottage, but alas, Sorrel really didn't like this house. Sorrel couldn't invite their best friends over because their house was too tiny: they only had a livingroom, kitchen and bedroom – all packed into the one room!
Winter was coming, and it was getting too cold to meet up outside. Harper the androgynous witch liked to couch surf and Kellie the lesbian siren lived underwater, so they couldn't meet up at their houses either.
Sorrel wanted to live in a nice insulated treehouse, with fairy lights all over. They wanted it to be in a tall tree with one big bed that they could share for sleepovers. They dreamed of having a little wooden elevator to go up to the house that ran through the trunk of the tree.
But of course, such a build was extremely expensive and they could not afford it. Being a forager is a low-paying job, and they mostly work in bartering.
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Kellie, being a siren, wasn't able to visit too often, so Harper and Sorrel would sometimes visit her at her lake. Kellie hated fishermen, because they disrupted the lake and fish up all her fishy friends. Sorrel and Harper didn't mind the fisherman: Sorrel bartered with them, so they needed them, and Harper sold them potions to make the fish bite.
One day, as the two came to visit to go surfing with Kellie, they saw her being caught in a fisherman's net.
'AHHHHHHH!' screamed Kellie.
'Put down that lesbian at once!' Sorrel demanded.
Sorrel shook their fists at the fisherman and ran towards the stony pier.
Harper, ever the practical one, walked forward calmly, took out a knife and started to cut Kellie loose.
The fisherman nervously backed away from the side of the boat, hands raised in surrender.
As the fisherman were distracted with Harper, Sorrel swooped in, grabbing Kellie from the ripped fishing net.
Kellie was wailing loudly, thrashing in the net until Harper cut her loose and Sorrel rescued her.
'Let me at 'em!' Kellie said furiously, lunging at the fisherman.
Harper quickly grabbed Kellie and began to drag her back to Sorrel's tiny cottage, and Sorrel skipped behind them.
'Next time someone tries to catch me, I'm gonna eat them,' said Kellie, deadpan.
'Calm down, ya crazy lesbian,' Harper said. 'Let's all cheer ourselves up and get some piercings.'
Harper was covered in tattoos of potion doodles, and had lots of piercings.
'Absolutely!' Kellie said enthusiastically.
Sorrel froze at the idea of getting a live piercing. Harper had always given them a sleeping draught to make sure they didn't have to see or feel the needle.
Harper noticed Sorrel looking upset, and said: 'It's okay, there's nothing to be afraid of, it's over in two seconds! But I'll get you some sleeping draught anyway.'
Taking their bag off their back and placing it on the floor, Harper rummaged through the contents. A look of confusion crossed their face.
'It's not there.'
To be continued…
Transgender Equality Network Ireland (Teni) is an advocacy, support and education organisation that focuses on the issues and needs of transgender and gender diverse people in Ireland. Each year, Teni hosts a family residential weekend for families who have trans children and/or young people. At last year's weekend, the organisation worked with a group of trans young people on fantasy world-building through writing, where they could imagine a world where trans and gender diverse people are not framed in a negative light.
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