“Once, long, long ago,” Amelia began, “in a small fishing village called Pesh, in the kingdom of Taman, there lived a girl named Luna. Let me tell you a true story—the story of how she fed the moon.

“Luna had always felt a certain kinship with the moon in the night sky above. Perhaps it was because she was named after the moon. Perhaps it was because the moon looked so terribly alone every night, even though it was surrounded by beautiful, glowing stars, and Luna could relate to that. As an orphan with no family to call her own, Luna often felt that way too. Or perhaps she felt that kinship for some other reason, now lost to the Ages.

“Regardless, as Luna stood on her little watercraft and fished in the middle of the night, casting her net into the inky, dark waters of Lake Pesh—which still exists to this very day—she looked up. She saw the inky darkness of the cosmos above, reflected in the waters below. It was a starless, cloudy night, and yet Luna could still see the moon hanging overhead as it always did, gleaming and helping Luna see as she fished. The moon looked cold, pale, and hungry that night.

“The moon looked hungry more nights than not. It started out full each month and then slowly shrank in size as it withered with each passing day. Of course, Luna knew that eventually, the moon would become full again, but it seemed like such a long, drawn out, uncomfortable process. She knew what it was to be hungry. And when she was, the moon shared its light with her so she could catch fish and be fed—why couldn’t she do the same and feed the moon? It was the kind thing to do.

“Now, two problems prevented Luna from feeding the moon: One, she didn’t know what the moon liked to eat. Did it like fish or something else? And two, she didn’t know how she’d ever get to the moon. It seemed so very far away. Luna doubted she’d be able to reach the moon, even if she stood on a tall mountain.

“Thankfully, Luna knew where she could get answers to her questions: She went to see Grandma Tama—a wise, old woman who knew the sun, moon, and stars by name. She also knew which way they would dance across the night sky. If anyone knew how Luna could feed the moon, it was Grandma Tama.

“After Luna told Grandma Tama what she wanted to do, the old, wise woman sat and thought for a long while. She knew Luna was a kind, thoughtful soul. She didn’t want to dismiss her wish out of hand, but she also didn’t want to get Luna’s hopes up. Her first question was easy—the moon would eat whatever Luna offered. It wasn’t picky. The second question proved harder to answer. Finally, Grandma Tama told Luna that if she wanted to feed the moon, she would need to go to Faerie and seek out the Spirit of the Moon herself.

“Luna had never been to Faerie—that magical, unseen realm of faeries, elves, sprites, spirits, and other Fair Folke. But she knew how to get there. You see, at the time of our story, Faerie was as easy to travel to as any other place in Valenoth. Doorways, shimmering and magical, could be found in every forest from the Great Forest to Ravenswood, halfway across the world. If someone wanted to travel to Faerie, all they had to do was walk through a Doorway, and POOF—they’d be there.

“And so, Luna set off for Faerie with smoked and salted fish that she caught and cured to give to the Spirit of the Moon. From her small fishing village, all the way to a shimmering, magical Doorway in the Great Forest, Luna walked. And walked. And walked.

“Grandma Tama had warned Luna that traveling through Faerie was difficult and dangerous. Not all faeries, elves, sprites, and spirits were warm and welcoming. And darker, nastier creatures lurked within that unseen realm as well. But Luna was brave, and she was determined to find the Spirit of the Moon.

“In her travels, she met and befriended an old green knight named Tomas—a questing hero from her world who stumbled long ago into the realm of Faerie and decided that he would stay there and help wayward travelers find their way back home. Tomas promised to take Luna to the Spirit of the Moon, for he knew where she lived.

“For three days and three nights, Luna and Tomas traveled through the realm of Faerie. They faced many dangers and much peril, but the old green knight kept the young girl safe, until at last, on the third night, they reached the tall tower the Spirit of the Moon called home.

“The Spirit of the Moon was pale and beautiful, just like the moon in the night sky above. As its reflection, though, she looked thin and hungry and quite miserable as she sat all alone in her tall tower. When Luna and Tomas arrived, Luna explained why she came and presented the celestial being with the fish she had caught and cured.

“The Spirit of the Moon was taken aback. She was touched by the young girl’s bravery and unexpected kindness. Mortals had visited her before, of course, begging her boons and favors in exchange for gifts. But never before had a mortal risked life and limb to travel to Faerie to meet her—much less give her a meal—for no other reason than that it was the kind thing to do.

“The Spirit of the Moon graciously accepted Luna’s gift. She ate the fish Luna brought, and in the night sky above, the moon no longer looked so thin and hungry.

“For her unexpected kindness, the Spirit of the Moon promised Luna something in return. Whatever she wanted, the celestial being would grant it with her powerful magic. Wealth, power, magic, and might—whatever she wished, the celestial being would see it done.

“Luna wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t come to feed the moon because she wanted something in return. She came because she wanted to do something kind for the moon. Finally, she told the Spirit of the Moon that she wanted no special gift. She didn’t need anything at all. But if the Spirit of the Moon wanted to be Luna’s friend and let her come back and visit, that would be enough for her.

“The Spirit of the Moon was taken aback for a second time. After a long moment, she smiled. As she did, the cold, pale moon in the night sky above no longer looked quite so lonely. And neither did Luna. The end.”

“Whoa, Grandma. That was a really good story!”

Leslie was still wide awake. She never fell asleep during her grandma’s stories. Too many questions came to mind—questions that needed answering before she could rest.

“Thank you, Leslie. I’m quite fond of that one myself.” Amelia noted her granddaughter’s expression and smiled faintly. “Go on then,” she said. “Ask away.”

Leslie took a deep breath and then rapidly asked one question after another without giving Amelia time to answer the first.

“Have you ever been there, Grandma?” she asked breathlessly. “Faerie, I mean. What did it look like? Did you meet any of the Fair Folke? What were they like? Have you ever met the Spirit of the Moon? What was she like?”

Amelia patiently waited for Leslie to run out of questions and answered each in turn, one by one. She never begrudged Leslie or scolded her for asking so many questions. The last thing Amelia wanted was for her granddaughter to stop asking questions and seeking answers. Besides, it paid for a witch’s apprentice to have an inquisitive mind. Uninquisitive witches didn’t do too well with witchcraft. (And they were dreadfully boring to try to teach.)

Yes, Amelia had been to Faerie. Many times, in fact. It was a beautiful, magical place that looked very much like the mortal world—just a bit . . . stranger at times. Yes, she had met some of the Fair Folke. As a witch, she dealt mostly with spirits and other beings that made their way into the mortal world. Mortals weren’t always kind to the Fair Folke, and Amelia did her best to look out for them. Witches kept an eye on the seen and unseen workings of the world of Valenoth. However, Amelia had never met the Spirit of the Moon. Her travels had never taken her that far afield in Faerie.

Why not? Well, it wasn’t as easy to get to Faerie as it had once been. Over the years, people kept accidentally stepping through Doorways and getting lost in Faerie. Some had even entered Faerie with sinister intent. To keep their realms safe from outsiders and invaders alike, the inhabitants of Faerie—the faeries, elves, sprites, spirits, and other Fair Folke—used their magic to seal off every last one of the Doorways. They made it so that only inhabitants of Faerie could open the Doorways with their magic. If anyone from the mortal world wanted to travel to Faerie, they’d have to be invited in, and it was most unwise to outstay their welcome.

“Will I ever go there, do you think?” Leslie asked.

Amelia patted her granddaughter’s hand and leaned over to kiss her forehead. “You’re going to be a witch, aren’t you? I imagine you’ll go to many, many strange and far-off places, my dear. Now, get some sleep. We’re headed into town early tomorrow morning. I have some blankets to sell and some stories to tell at the tavern.”

“Okay. Goodnight, Grandma. Thank you for the story.”

“Goodnight, Leslie. And you’re welcome.”

As Amelia left the room, and Leslie drifted off to sleep, the young girl wondered briefly if her grandma was right. She wondered if she’d ever get to meet someone from Faerie—or even go there herself. Maybe someday. Someday.

Little did Leslie know, she’d do both the very next day.