For as long as she could remember, Rosalyn dreamt of those things mentioned in the storybooks her father read to her. Not only did she ponder over the realism of fairies, mermaids and unicorns in her daydreams, but at night, in her dreams, she entered their secret, mystical world. Sleep was a portal for her. It took her nightly to a wondrous land filled with magical beings, where there was never any worries.
It was there, at the tender age of seven, that she met Alesco, one whom she considered an odd little boy, most certainly. For starters, he had wings, and he flew. He was as handsome as any young child can be, his dusty light brown hair flopping in his face whenever he turned too quickly, covering his eyes colored the shade of the summer sky. During the dream when she first met Alesco, she tried to remain hidden behind a tree, but truthfully, Rosalyn was as curious of him as he was of her.
Alesco fluttered about her, once they finally said hello. "I haven't seen you before," he told her.
"I've been here before," Rosalyn answered. "Ask Evalina. She's a mermaid living in the pond with the waterfall. Usually, I walk the paths, swim with Evalina, or run through the fields when I visit." She'd never seen meadows and trees so vibrantly green, nor flowers so bright in their beautiful colors, nor water that sparkled and was so clear, one could see right through it.
The two opposites quickly forged a friendship. Every night, Rosalyn fell asleep, and her dreams brought her to the Utopia where Alesco lived. It was always daytime there when she arrived, and he showed her all the special places he liked to explore. Often, they'd spend time swimming with Evalina, who, as it turned out, was already friends with Alesco, too.
*****
One day, Rosalyn mistakenly told her mother of her friends and their perfect world that she so loved.
"Nothing's ever perfect," her mother corrected. That night, Rosalyn overheard her parents discussing her recollections of her friends. Upon mentioning that this Alesco that her daughter spoke of claimed to be a fairy, and that Evalina was a mermaid, her mother finished, saying, "Rosalyn has never lied to us before. I'm concerned."
Her father laughed. "She's not lying. Rosalyn's an imaginitive girl, with an imaginary friend or two. It's not hurting her. Lots of children have them."
Rosalyn went to bed, anxious that night, worried that her father was right, that Alesco wasn't real and she'd never see him again. When she finally tumbled into sleep and found her friend waiting for her, she hugged him tight, and secretly vowed never to mention his existence to anyone again.
*****
A few years passed, and Rosalyn blossomed into a lovely young woman. Her ebony hair grew long and hung in ringlets, accenting her dark brown eyes and rosy cheeks. She continued to visit Alesco each night, always finding him waiting as she crossed the threshold.
When she was seventeen and she entered Lacopia, Alesco's magical, colorful world, she found him flitting about, to and fro quite nervously and giving her strange looks. She finally stopped walking. "What?"
Alesco hovered near her, his wings flapping wildly, and he gazed at her for a long time before finally landing on a large stone. "You've been coming here a long time, and I've never really seen you before. Your beauty rivals that of Lacopia's prettiest flowers."
Rosalyn felt color flush her cheeks and she thanked him. Then, she knew what he meant. She saw him, as if for the first time.
Alesco had grown into a man before her very eyes. His sandy brown hair, still too long, wasn't so amusing now, as it was attractive, she realized. His smile, too, was oddly enchanting now.
"What's it like to fly?" she asked, for they'd never discussed it.
He leapt to his feet on the rock and announced, "I'll show you." Then, he swooped over and scooped her into his strong arms and flew. Fast.
The breeze against her face exhilerated her. She clung to him as he climbed the air currents and topped the highest trees and dipped to skim the quiet waters of the pools they swam in, so close she saw her reflection and his, both soaring as free birds. At the waterfall, he set her on a boulder near the shore and disappeared behind the falling water.
"Alesco?" She waited several minutes and called again, louder. "Alesco!"
Moments later, he reappeared and fluttered over to her. Positioning himself on the rock, he held out his closed fist. "In Lacopia, when one finds his true love, it's customary to give her the gift," he explained.
Rosalyn was speechless.
"In your case, it's even more important," he told her. "Most people your age have forgotten about Lacopia and stopped believing in magic. My gift will bind you to me, and to our world forever," he promised.
The world around her was beautiful. She'd grown to love it here, and her nightly escapes to Alesco and their adventures. Truly, she loved him as well, and always had. She held out her hand to accept his gift. A dust that sparkled like glitter was released from his hand and it rose in a soft cloud and settled around her.
"Now, you'll forever have me as a part of you."
"I already did. In here," Rosalyn said, and touched her heart, and leaned over and kissed him. His wings fluttered with their distinct hum, and the butterflies in her stomach reacted the same.
In the morning, Rosalyn's mother came and woke her for school. When she pushed open her curtains, the sunshine shone in on Rosalyn. The light was captured in tiny sparkles in her daughter's hair. "Is that glitter?" her mother asked.
Rosalyn touched her hair and smiled. Pixie dust, she thought to herself.
*****
During the next few years, Rosalyn graduated from college and began her career. She dated several times, but her heart belonged to Alesco. Their love continued to blossom, and they were incredibly happy together, despite the brief intervals that her sleep brought them together. Rosalyn really had no interest in her daytime life, and Alesco began to feel that she was deprived because of her love for him. He knew he had to do something.
When Rosalyn turned twenty-six years old, he apologized to her.
"For what?" she asked, completely puzzled.
"Because you accepted my gift and tethered yourself to me. I've never been to your world before, but I know it's very different than Lacopia. You deserve more," he said, and brushed his hand across her cheek.
Her eyes fell to the ground. She knew what he meant, but asked anyway. "More?"
"A life. In your world. Children. I can't give you any of that, because you have to return to your own world each day."
"Alesco, isn't there some way I can stay?" She already knew this answer, too.
He held her hand and kissed her. "Promise me," he said. "I want you to have a full life. I'll watch you through the pixie dust, and when you've carried out your promise, and found someone and had your children, I'll open the threshold again," Alesco vowed.
Rosalyn felt that her heart was breaking. "You're locking my entrance? I can't visit you, then," she cried.
"You won't obey my wishes if I don't," he whispered.
She knew he was right, and they spent the rest of their time together locked in embrace, holding each other until the time came for her to leave. She did so tearfully, and while Alesco tried to be strong, she knew he disliked their separate worlds as much as she did.
The next night, when she fell asleep, her dreams automatically swept her off to the direction of Lacopia, only to find a solid door blocking her path. True to his word, Alesco blocked her way in. She wept, and awakened the next morning with tear-stained cheeks.
*****
Gradually, she visited the door less and less during her nightly journeys, but she kept Alesco close to her heart; refused to give up his memory. She did as he wished, and eventually married and had children.
Often, she wondered if either of her two daughters traveled to Lacopia through their own entrances. During their teenage years, she watched for the tell-tale glittery pixie dust in their hair, and never saw it. Rosalyn had been special, she realized.
Time passed quickly; her daughters eventually married, and on the night that her eldest gave birth to her own little daughter, Rosalyn went to the door in her dreams. Much to her amazement, she found it open slightly.
She pushed it open and peered in at Lacopia. It was still a paradise. Exotic birds sang their songs, the vibrant colors filled every place she looked. In the distance, the ever-flowing waterfall crashed into the pond below. Finally, after all this time that she had wondered whether or not it had really been her nightly destination, she was allowed to see it again.
Alesco was nowhere to be seen, and she left quietly, almost afraid to see him after all this time. She had aged, and wouldn't be what Alesco remembered her to be. Rosalyn needed solid, peaceful rest anyway. She hadn't felt well recently and had an early morning doctor's appointment the next day.
The results of the visit were disheartening at best. Rosalyn's aged body was stricken with cancer. She had choices, though: chemotherapy or medication to ease her pain as it got worse.
The only thing she thought of was her pixie lover, Alesco, from so long ago. That night, after drifting off, she crossed the open threshold and called for him as she walked.
Rosalyn found him at their waterfall, alone. "Alesco?"
"Rosalyn!" He fluttered over to her and embraced her. Alesco was as young as the day she left him. "I thought you'd forgotten about me."
"Never! You have always been here," she said, and touched her heart.
"I've missed you. That first night, I sat on this side of your entrance and was with you as you wept all night." Alesco peered at her. "What's wrong, my Love?"
Rosalyn sighed deeply. "I'm so old, and you're young. And, I'm ill. The doctor says I don't have much time left."
"You came to say goodbye forever," he guessed. Rosalyn couldn't answer and he took her in his arms, and showed her their reflection in the water. In Lacopia, Rosalyn had reverted back to her younger self. "Lacopia is a magical place, remember?" he gently reminded.
She gasped and turned to stare at him. "It truly is, but my world isn't, and in my world, I'm still sick." She touched his face. "I must go, Alesco. I've always loved you."
Rosalyn turned to wave at him from the door. In that instant, her entrance silently closed.
The next day, Rosalyn's husband woke to find that his wife passed away quietly during the night. Perhaps he wouldn't have grieved if he knew she lived for eternity in Lacopia, forever young, forever happy, with her first true love.
