Peach Kid

Greetings, reader. Last week, we looked at the story of Momotaro, a fairy tale from Japan about a boy who was born for greatness and gets there by killing the demons with the help of three brave animals. Read on for my modern interpretation of this story.

You'd never know this dog was actually a fairy.

I am usually referred to as a fairy, when people realize I'm not the old lady they thought they were helping. I don't do very much of that anymore, though. People have put their faith in technology instead of magic and I don't see the need to remind them of what they've forgotten. To be fair, it's amazing what they've been able to do, but back in my heyday, I could have done more with a wave of my wand.

Most recently, I've been following the journey of a young boy who was born from a peach. He's one of the few truly magical creatures to be raised by humans these days, and it's been interesting to see how that has gone for them. It's just lucky for the parents that he's a good kid at heart, or they would have had a much harder time raising him. I knew he was going to do something extraordinary, so I waited to see if it was something I wanted to help with. For awhile, his dearest wish seemed to be becomming a muppet, but as the years passed, he grew to care more about justice and fairness. Soon enough, he was talking about conquering the demons that run the world.

Finally, one day he set out to a place no GPS could take him and no cell signal could reach him. Perfect. I decided to appear before him as a dog. They were still supposed to be man's best friend, after all, and the thought of cracking some demon heads was too tempting to resist. My fur was black to better use the element of surprise in the upcoming battle, and I was strong.

"Hello," the boy greeted me. "What should I call you?"

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised he knew what I was despite my disguise. "Call me Spot," I said. It was as good of a name as any.

"But you don't have any spots," he objected.

I sighed and a spot appeared on my neck, leading down to my chest.

"Perfect," he said with a smile. "Call me Jimmy."

This boy was going to destroy the demons of the world and he wanted me to call him Jimmy. I nodded and tried not to show my disappointment. He was still young, after all.

We were traveling in a forest. It didn't matter which one because Jimmy had been able to step beyond the forest most humans find into the continuous forest that combined all of them. It also included some land that used to be forest, so you had to watch your step or you could be run over by an angry cow. As we walked, I had to wonder if Jimmy knew where he was going. I didn't know where the demons lived, or I might have tried this years ago. Still, it was probably better to attempt something like this in a group.

I had barely finished thinking that when a monkey swung down from one of the trees. He was a spirit that lived in the continuous forest and managed to avoid most of the human forests. His kind had avoided humans as they had grown and were unrepentant tricksters. My hackles rose before I realized it. What business could he have with Jimmy?

"Calm down," the monkey said to me. "I want to help."

"Jimmy, you have to be careful," I instructed. "His kind is known for trickery."

"My kind," the monkey chittered. "Big words when there's not many of us left." He turned to Jimmy. "Let me come with you. These demons are hurting my people as much as they are hurting yours. I promise I will help you as much as I can in your quest."

I growled a little, but hung my head, defeated.

Jimmy laughed. "Ok. What do I call you, monkey?"

"Bobo," he said at once.

Jimmy laughed, but I shook myself, trying to get my hackles to go back down. Just because Jimmy liked this didn't mean I had to.

As we traveled further into the forest, I knew we would meet someone else. These things always happen in threes, you see. Sure enough, a pheasant scurried out of the undergrowth and bowed before Jimmy.

"What do I call you?" Jimmy asked.

The bird was taken aback, but that didn't surprise me. His kind was flighty enough even before they turned into birds. "Bill," he said quickly.

I stared at him, and my head angled to the side before I could stop it. It was a confusing name for a bird.

"I'm Jimmy," the boy said, like he talked to pheasants every day. I eyed the bird, but decided not to object. If I did manage to drive him away, we might get stuck with someone even worse.

As we journeyed on, the forest got darker and less cheerful. Jimmy produced a peach from thin air. He mutely offered it to each of us. I declined. I might not actually be a dog, but it didn't do to take chances with food that could hurt them. Jimmy snacked on several peaches, dropping the pits behind him as we walked.

When we passed a particular tree, Jimmy bent down and picked up a branch. A breath later, it turned into a sword. It seemed we were getting close. After a moment, I stopped short, my nose working. The demons were just ahead. My hackles went up, and I just stopped myself from growling.

"What is our battle plan?" I asked Jimmy quietly.

Jimmy looked at me. "Beat them," he said firmly.

Great idea. I gave a doggish shrug and followed behind him. We passed into the next clearing and there they were. They weren't expecting us, so the beginning of the attack was easy. I plunged in headfirst. Bobo took to the trees and jumped onto a few heads. Bill dove at them from above. We took care of quite a few demons before I noticed Jimmy had walked right up to their leader and was fighting him.

"This will be a battle to remember," I thought, attacking with renewed vigor.

Then, from out of nowhere, another dog appeared on the battlefield. This was a regular dog. When she saw Jimmy, she barked and began bounding over to him. From far away, I could hear a woman calling, "Jimmy! Come inside for dinner!"

"Oh," Jimmy said. "I'd better go home." He managed to stun the lead demon and ran off the battlefield, his dog following faithfully at his heels. I caught a glimpse of Bobo swinging away through the trees. Bill took off into the air.

Annoyed, I made my way out of the battle and disappeared. Fairies can do that, of course. "The boy is still a child," I thought, drifting away. "Maybe in a few years he'll come back and we can defeat the demons for good." That was the boy's destiny. I could only hope to be there when he finally fulfilled it.