A Fabulous Fabella's Birthday

20260227

Written for Bradley Ramsey’s “Flash Fiction February Day 27”.

Rebecca and Genny were previously seen here, here, and here.

To be fair, normally getting children to write letters to their favourite fictional characters was a perfectly harmless activity. But the school really ought to remember by now that changelings, bless them, were not normal.
So Rebecca was politely exasperated while leaving a message to explain why Genny wouldn’t be coming in to school tomorrow, what with them having gotten an invitation to the Mad Hatter’s Birthday Tea Party.
In the kitchen Graham was whipping up four dozen carrot cake cupcakes - “suitable for hares!”, as Genny had insisted. Genny herself was putting together a collage birthday card using materials from all her best scrap boxes. She’d even broken out her super-special stamp set.
The forbearing message left, Rebecca headed into the kitchen to start preparing icing.
“So,” Graham murmured, “do we think Genny’s reality warping is coming in much earlier than expected, or is an adult fey messing with us again?”
“Who knows?” Rebecca sighed. “At least she’s happy. And we got almost a day’s notice this time.”
“Mm.” Graham shot her a concerned look. “Are you sure you don’t want me to see if I can get the day off?”
“Your team’s already down two people, I can’t see your boss agreeing. Besides, you took her to the frog park. I said I’d do the next one.”
“But I had fun at the frog park - well, mostly. I can’t think it’ll be fun sitting at a party on… well, not on your own, but…”
Rebecca forced a brave smile. “It’ll be fine, love. Don’t worry about me.”
_*
So here they were, standing at the end of the garden, as directed in the invitation. Waiting for noon. Genny was bouncing up and down with excitement, the envelope clutched in her hands, while Rebecca had the little wicker trolley filled with boxes of cupcakes. Plus a big bowl of freshly prepared salad - suitable for hatters, and hares, and humans. Who knew what else was going to be on offer, after all. Rebecca didn’t want to be sitting there hungry.
“Now, poppet, remember-”
Genny grinned up at her and rattled off “Don’t go wandering off, don’t eat anything which talks - or sings, don’t touch anyone without permission even if they’re fluffy, and never agree to anything without hearing exactly what it is first. And ideally asking you.”
“That’s right.” While Rebecca’s nerves only permitted a wan smile, the expression was steeped in pride. They grow up so fast.
It would be fine, she told herself. Those fey who didn’t disdainfully ignore changelings doted on them tremendously. Part of struggling to have children, apparently. This would be a harmless little adventure, and nothing more - or else, once the Circle heard about it, there would be Fel Realms to pay. And nobody was fool enough to risk that.
However that did leave the mundane fears of making an ass of herself at a party. Which was only compounded by knowing she was probably going to be the only human present. Rebecca stifled an anxious sigh.
Between one blink and the next their trellis archway was filled with pearly mist. Genny whooped and grabbed Rebecca’s hand and they walked forward into a very different garden.
Firstly, it was shadowed by grass stems big as trees. Secondly it was decorated with fairy lights - for who else but fairies would use glowing live butterflies as decorations? They were very pretty, even if the fluttering could be distracting. And there was a long table covered in dishes and china, with chairs down both sides, filled with guests who all looked like they’d stepped out of an old children’s book.
A giant beetle, whom Rebecca assumed to be a butler based on his suit, bowed and waved her and Genny to the only empty seats, right by the head of the table, where the Mad Hatter and March Hare were singing about writing desks.
“You made it! You made it!” The Mad Hatter cried, leaping to his feet and accepting the card Genny offered.
“Happy Birthday!” Genny whooped.
“Happy Birthday!” The whole table echoed. “Happy birthday, Mary!”
“Mary?” Genny blinked and looked quizzically up at her mother, who was none the wiser.
“Yes! It’s Ellen’s birthday!” The March Hare said, as if it was obvious.
“Oh. Um. Is she here?” Genny peered down the table. Any of the creatures present could feasibly be an Ellen. Or a Mary.
“Of course not!” The Mad Hatter sighed. “Mary lives far too far away!”
“Oh.” Genny still looked baffled, but took her seat, Rebecca following suit.
Rebecca tentatively asked “Is Ellen here, then? We brought-”
“Weren’t you listening? Ellen lives too far away to attend!”
“…Do Mary and Ellen live together, then?”
This prompted peals of laughter, like it was a brilliant joke. Rebecca bit her tongue and forced a polite smile.
“Live together?” The Hatter and Hare whooped, holding each other up. “I’ll say she does!”
“Ohhh.” Genny said, apparently seeing some sense to all this. “Well, we brought Maryellen some cake!”
She put the first box down on the table and opened it with a flourish, and all the guests cheered - except the Dormouse, who'd immediately stuffed three cupcakes into his cheeks.
Rebecca busied herself getting the salad out and serving herself - and Genny - a bowl each before putting the rest on the table. Though Genny was already happily nibbling on crackers and pate and who knows what all these fancy hors d’oeuvres were. Rebecca uncomfortably wondered if the waitstaff had washed their appendages. It wasn’t something beetles were known for.
Was that racist? Fantasy-creature-ist, at least?
Oh well. No fey host would ever let a guest get food poisoning - particularly at a party like this.
Genny was hanging off the demented duo’s every word as they wittered about “Mary” and “Ellen”, mostly describing an implausible “castle made of libraries” and “garden of fables”.
Sounded like their distant host was some kind of Fabella Fey - and clearly a powerful one. Well… hopefully she liked leporidae-safe cake and handmade collage cards!

Prompt was “The Mad Hatter is throwing a very special tea party today for all of his friends, and good news! You’re invited as well.”