“Peep!”
Peep opened its eyes and wriggled its body. It must have been sleeping in an odd position because its tail feathers were where its head should have been, and it wasn’t easy to get out.
“Pegya.”
“Peep, are you awake?”
“Peep, peep, peeeeep…”
Brigitte must have sensed something was wrong because she whispered to Peep from above. When it chirped for help, her long, slender fingers reached up and pushed its back end. Now Peep was facing the right way inside her hair, and it poked its head out.
She seemed to be in the middle of a class. Peep could hear what sounded like the teacher’s voice giving a lesson. During the afternoon lectures, when its belly was full, it usually dozed in Brigitte’s hair.
Peep hopped lightly down onto her desk. Since it was awake, it figured it might as well take a walk. “Peep!”
“Going for a walk?”
Peep nodded, then flapped down to the floor below her desk.
“Don’t go anywhere dangerous!”
“Peep!”
“…Well, Miss Chatty, do you know the answer to this problem?” the teacher asked her.
Uh-oh! But Brigitte stood calmly and recited the answer without pause.
“Yes, Ms. Naha. It’s the fairy Puck in a different form. Puck is quite mischievous and often changes into a child or horse to trick people. It isn’t specified in the text, but I believe it’s Puck in the form of a kelpie from the Unseelie Court who saves the main character at the end of chapter six.”
Several students gasped, and everyone applauded.
Brigitte was the top female student in her class. As her contracted spirit, Peep puffed out its chest feathers proudly.
“Excellent. You may sit down. But please do not chitchat in class.”
Blushing as Ms. Naha winked at her, Brigitte sat down.
Meanwhile, Peep started walking. As the long bell rang, signaling the end of classes, Peep wondered where to explore.
Where did I come from? What am I?
Peep did not know the answers to such questions. Spirits didn’t have families. Some spirits apparently created pseudo-familial relationships, but as far as Peep knew, no one had ever been by its side.
It was always flying somewhere high, all alone. It remembered cawing often in its isolation—that feeling was all that remained in its heart.
When Peep was with Brigitte and her friends, it tended to forget all that, but when it was walking alone, the past came rushing back.
Suddenly, after some time lost in thought, it realized it had wandered quite far from the classroom.
“Peep? Peep, peep?”
It tried asking where it was, but no one answered, so it drifted forward with a group of little fairies flying in front of it. Dodging student feet, it skittered over the marble floor.
“Oh, hello, Peep!”
At the sound of that voice, Peep’s downy feathers stood on end.
“Peep!”
Nervously, it glanced over its shoulder and began to shake. It had guessed right.
“What are you doing here?”
It was Kira Anik—a friend of Brigitte’s but a mortal enemy of Peep’s. She was a terrifying girl who was always scheming ways to cook and eat Peep whenever they met. Peep had warned Brigitte over and over how dangerous she was, pleading with her to roast Kira before Kira could roast Peep, but she just wouldn’t listen.
Kira squatted down in the hallway and slowly grinned.
“Listen to this, Peep! There’s a project going on at the dorm right now to put in some new facilities.”
“Peep?”
“I hear my proposal for a big wood oven in the garden will be approved…heh-heh. If it is, we can bake pizza and have barbecues every weekend!”
The conversation was moving in a suspicious direction.
“Which do you prefer, wings or drumsticks?”
“Peeeeep!!”
Peep was trembling like a leaf. Kira’s gaze fell on its wings. Was this the end?
“Hey, Kira, leave Sir Peep alone.”
Thankfully, Nival happened to be passing by. He was one of Brigitte’s followers. He wasn’t particularly useful, but he was a fairly effective counterbalance to Kira.
Peep ducked behind Nival’s leg. He smiled triumphantly.
“Where did you come from? Peep and I were just having a friendly conversation,” Kira said.
“A friendly conversation? You’ve cornered a spirit in the hallway to bully it. What if Sir Peep pees all over its pants? Then what would you do?”
“Peep!”
Peep was indignant. It didn’t even have pants to pee in!
“See?! Sir Peep just said it peed its pants!”
“I think it’s furious with your lack of discretion.”
“How ridiculous.”
As Nival pressed his legs and twisted around, Peep made a run for it. It burst outside into the weak sunlight. Evening was approaching, and Peep hoped to meet up with Brigitte soon. But because Peep always relied on her to carry it around, it didn’t know how to get anywhere.
As it walked timidly forward, the library eventually came into view, so it decided to go to the gazebo. Brigitte often talked or read there with her friend Yuri. Peep hoped that perhaps she had headed there after class, but the gazebo was empty. Peep did hear a voice, however, and hopped down the stairs to find Yuri and his undine near the stream.
When Yuri noticed Peep, he gave the chick a puzzled look and started turning his head this way and that. Yuri was the one who had given Peep its name. He must have been searching for Brigitte.
“Peep, peep, peep?” Where’s Brigitte?
Yuri turned silently to his undine.
“What did Peep just say?”
“How would I know?” The undine tilted her head.
Yuri frowned. “You’re both spirits, aren’t you? I thought you’d understand each other.”
“We may both be spirits, but we’re entirely different species.” The undine stuck out her tongue. The gesture was girlish, but there was still something a bit sexy about it. To humans, at least—the charms of the spirit were lost on Peep.
“Peep, peep?” it asked Yuri again.
“…?”
Yuri sank into thought, creasing his brow. The undine was splashing playfully in the creek. Little fish jumped into the air, confused by the sudden change of direction in the water’s flow. Yuri walked over to Peep and crouched down. “I’m sorry, Peep,” he said sincerely. “I don’t understand your language.”
“Peep…”
“But if you’re looking for Brigitte, she hasn’t been here today. I think yesterday she said she would have class duty. She might still be in her classroom.”
“Peep!”
Aha! He’d understood well enough after all. No wonder—he had named Peep, after all. Peep blushed, its heart pounding.
Yuri looked mystified, but Peep hopped back up the stairs with relief. Halfway up, remembering something important, it turned back and said, “Peep. Peepeepeep.”
If you love Brigitte, keep trying.
Having said what it wanted, Peep fluttered off cheerfully. From behind, it heard the undine’s amused voice say, “I think I caught the gist of that myself!”
When Peep finally made it back to the classroom, Brigitte was filling in the daily record. No one else was in the room. Brigitte, ever the serious student, was writing down the day’s activities in detail, even though other students usually just jotted down a few words.
“…Oh, Peep, you’re back!”
“Peep.”
In response to the brief greeting, Brigitte kneeled on the floor. Peep jumped into her skirt. Placing its feet on her outstretched arms, it peered into her beautiful emerald eyes.
She giggled. “You’ve got dirt on your feathers! Where did you go on your walk?”
“Peep. Peep, pepeep.”
Peep enthusiastically explained the day’s adventure. I walked all over the school today! Kira almost ate me, but Nival saved me, although he’s so rude. And I had a word with Yuri about you…
Brigitte probably didn’t understand a word of it. Still, she nodded with great interest.
“Sounds like you had quite an adventure!”
“Peep!”
I did!
Peep had known those sparkling eyes for a long time. It had glimpsed them in the crystals that lay all around the spirit world. They shone like new jewels glowing with hope. The moment Peep saw them, it was enchanted. Peep had longed to be close to that powerful light…and had always wanted to meet the girl they belonged to. It wanted to meet her and tell her that everything would be all right. It wasn’t a frightening spirit, so she didn’t need to be afraid.
Brigitte blinked curiously. She cocked her head, as if she was hearing things. Finally, though, she smiled.
“I wanted to meet you, too, Peep!”
As she stroked Peep’s cheek softly, it closed its eyes.
Her warm fingers were more soothing than the touch of any other hand in the world.