Autumn
by Rachel Koshinsky

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After being homeschooled since second grade, fourteen-year-old Marigold is about to enter high school. But just days before her first day, she discovers a little box near the Saskatoon river valley. Curious, she brings it home, only to be shocked to find a tiny fairy inside. In her surprise, she drops the box, sending the fairy tumbling to the floor and shrouding her room in sparkles. Startled, Marigold tries to pick up the fairy, but when she touches it, an agonizing pain shoots through her hand. Little does Marigold know, the strange little fairy has given her a gift—a power linked to the world of fairies. Nervous about starting school and unsure of the fairy’s fate, Marigold returns to the river in search of some solace. While there, she meets Stephan, a mysterious teenage boy who curiously knows all about fairies. In fact, he and his sister, Aurora, have mastered the “art of fairying,” and Stephan reveals he often travels to Fairyland. With some persuasion, the siblings agree to help Marigold explore her new connection to the fairies. But the more Marigold learns, the more questions she has about Fairyland, including its darker side. As Marigold becomes more drawn to Fairyland, however, she starts to wonder: Does she really want to know the truth, or will it destroy her link to this magical world she has come to crave?

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Rachel Koshinsky has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Saskatchewan and works at the Saskatoon Public Library. In addition to writing and illustrating, she enjoys parenting, reading, walking along the river trails in Saskatoon, organizing her home, praying, meditating, and practising Catholicism. She lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with her husband and five children.

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Contributors

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Rachel Koshinsky