Chương 45: Define Truth…

Jasper placed his cup on a table beside him, then turned to Celestia. He nodded reassuringly at the fairy.

"Let's begin, shall we? Agent Featherstone, could you please tell us, in your own words, the events that led to you discovering the infant?" Celestia's hands had become clammy and her heart raced as all eyes fell to her. Seraphina gave the young fairy's leg a reassuring squeeze under the table, then nodded for her to begin.

"Well, sir," she began.

"I was patrolling sector 96, when I observed an old human woman walking in the woods carrying a bundle in her arms. Finding that odd, I surveilled the woman as protocol suggests."

"Can you explain why you found an old woman, walking in the woods, odd?" Jasper asked.

"Well, sir, generally on night patrol the only individuals out in the woods are those who are up to nefarious deeds," Celestia said, confidently looking at him.

"I'm not sure if you are aware, but the human realm is a dangerous place. Especially at night. Women, particularly older women, and children, well… well, they often meet their demise while walking unescorted. The whole thing just felt off. The bundle she was carrying affirmed my suspicions that something was amiss."

"How could an old woman, in the woods at night carrying a bundle, be considered suspicious, Agent Featherstone?"

"The circumstances on their own weren't suspect, in and of themselves, sir; it was the whole thing. It wasn't the bundle she carried that made me want to investigate further, but how she carried it."

"I'm not sure I understand," Jasper said.

"Well, she carried it like it was a baby. I am not sure if you are aware of this fact, but in the human realm, they dump unwanted children in the woods all the time, begging us to take them. We used to, but when we were accused of stealing children… the practice stopped."

"Agent Featherstone, you said the practice of taking children from the human realm was no longer standard protocol. Why would determining if it was a child be an issue then?" Jasper asked.

"Mr. Forebearer, just because we no longer take human foundlings to Fairy Central does not mean we no longer try to assist. We do not leave infants in the woods to die or be mauled by wild animals. We move them to an area where they would be discovered by a human. What the humans do with the child afterward is… well, it's up to them." Celestia said, turning to look at Seraphina. Seraphina gave her a nod and a reassuring smile.

"So, you trusted your prior experience and your intuition and believed that it warranted further investigation, correct?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, sir, that is correct."

"Can you tell us what your surveillance of the woman involved?" Jasper asked.

"Surveillance in the human realm generally means observation with no contact. We generally stay out of human affairs," Celestia said. Celestia paused, glancing around the room. Seeing confusion on several faces, she added, "We were being blamed for too much in that realm, so for the last one hundred or so years we have patrolled, but been relatively unnoticed."

"I see, Agent Featherstone," Jasper said, stepping out from the podium and making his way around the room with his hands behind his back.

"So, you are telling me that for about a hundred years it has been standard practice to observe but not intervene or interfere. So, what makes an infant being abandoned different?" Jasper asked, coming closer to Celestia's seat at the table. Celestia looked around the room nervously, unsure how to answer the question.

"Agent Featherstone?" Jasper asked, waiting for her response.

"What makes the fact that it was an infant change the standard operating procedure?" Celestia looked to Seraphina, desperation in her eyes, searching hers for answers. Seraphina gave her an encouraging nod. Celestia took a deep breath before beginning, trying to slow her racing heart.

"Well, sir, it's not something I can readily explain, sir. It's an innocent. It's helpless. It did not choose to be left behind. All children deserve at least a chance at survival."

"Once the woman had abandoned the child, and you went to retrieve her, did she look differently from say, any other child in the human realm?" Jasper asked quickly, before shooting out another question, "Did the child show any distinct characteristics described in the prophecy?" A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"At first glance, sir, I would have to say no," Celestia said, wringing her hands in her lap.

"So, let me get this for the record," Jasper said flatly, "at first glance, there was nothing that outwardly directed you to believe that the child was in fact the prophesied child? Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," she said softly.

"So, your original intent was to simply move the infant to a safer location?"

"Yes, sir, originally I had no intent of returning to Fairy Central with the infant," Celestia replied.

"What made you decide that this infant was far more than an infant in need of aid?" Jasper asked.

"Well, at first glance, I noticed her coloring was not standard for a human child. She had what I can only describe as a bluish tint. Everyone knows, human children are never blue and if they are, then… well… a blue human infant is never a good thing."

"Anything else that led you to conclude that this was in fact the prophecy child, Agent Featherstone?"

"Well, her ears were tapered to points and her eyes… well, they fit the prophecy line. With eyes bluer than the deepest sea. Her eyes were so bright and blue that they emitted their own light. Then there was…" she broke off.

"Well, she spoke to me. I know it sounds ridiculous but…" Celestia said.

"You are telling us, Agent Featherstone, that the child talked to you?" he asked, his eyes showing his skepticism.

"No, sir, not in the traditional sense, she did not speak to me verbally, she spoke to me telepathically. I just knew I had to protect her."

"Thank you, Agent Featherstone," Jasper said.

"Now then, when did you know beyond a doubt that it was in fact a communication from the child and not a sympathetic response to a helpless infant being left in the woods?" Celestia paused to think. How was she supposed to respond? Was this a debriefing or a trial?

"Sir, I became certain that this was the prophesied child after I picked her up and her eyes glowed with the most brilliant blue light I have ever seen. There was no mistaking that. There was no conceivable way this was a human infant."

"Was this light constant? Intermittent? A one-time thing? Was it perhaps a trick of the light?" Jasper asked, as he looked directly into Celestia's eyes.

"Are you certain that is what you saw, Agent Featherstone?"

"Yes, sir! I am certain!" she said sitting up straight in her chair.

"The glowing eyes were something she did from time to time, it was not constant, it was not a one-time thing, so intermittent would be the best way to describe it." She sighed.

"This child was unlike any child I have ever encountered in my life. She was aware of her surroundings. She seemed to follow conversations and occasionally responded via telepathy. What else do you want me to say?" she said, her eyes filling with tears.

"I did the best I could for her, I may have broken the rules to get her to safety, but I…" she broke off.

"Please take a moment to compose yourself, Agent Featherstone," Jasper interrupted.

"I apologize for the barrage of questions, but we need to know what motivated you to come to your conclusions regarding the child." Celestia took a breath and sat back in her chair looking at the bundle in Seraphina's arms. She could feel tears of frustration stinging her eyes, while struggling to maintain composure. It was painfully obvious to everyone in the room that this was becoming increasingly difficult for the young fairy.

Seraphina squeezed Celestia's leg reassuringly under the table trying to let her know it was okay; she was doing fine.

"Are you ready to proceed, Agent Featherstone?" Jasper asked softly. Celestia looked up at him and nodded.

"Yes, sir," she replied, casting him a harried glance.

"Very well," he said, nodding his head in her direction, his eyes filled with warmth and compassion.

"Based upon your testimony, Agent Featherstone, after your initial encounter with the child, it became increasingly obvious that she was in fact the prophesied child. There was no way you could have explained those things away and drawn any other conclusion. Is that correct?"

"That is correct, sir," she began.

"The more time I spent with the child, the more apparent her unique gifts became. The truth became undeniable. This was the prophesied child."

"Thank you, Agent Featherstone, for your candid responses," Jasper said, smiling at her.

"I now open the floor to any questions regarding line items one and two."

"Agent Featherstone," a middle-aged woman began, "why didn't you leave the child and follow protocol and reach out to your supervisor while still in the field?" Celestia took a deep breath before answering such a ridiculous question.

"I did not want to risk harm coming to the child by leaving her alone in the woods," she began.

"I am not sure how acquainted you are with the human realm, but there are several species of animal that reside in the forest who would have devoured her in my absence."

"How long would it have taken you to reach out to your supervisor to inform her of your discovery?" the woman said more than asked.

"I seriously doubt that the child would have been in any danger while you sought advice from your superiors." Celestia looked at her, stuffing down her growing frustration with the line of questioning.

"I'm not sure, ma'am. I would have had to get back to fairy central. Locate my supervisor. Explain to her what I found, then get back to the human realm. Then of course, locate the child or potentially whatever was left after a coyote or bear got to her. I'm estimating…" she paused, doing some mental math.

"When all was said and done, it would have taken at least a half hour to forty-five minutes to return to the location where I found her. How long do you think it would take for a bear to devour or at least walk off with an infant this small? In my assessment, at the time, the risk of leaving her there in the woods alone, was one I was not comfortable with." The woman looked at Celestia, taken aback by her response.

"Agent Featherstone, do you routinely make judgment calls of this magnitude without first consulting your supervisor?" Jasper rolled his eyes at this one.

"Mrs. Peabody, I do not see the relevance to the question. Ms. Featherstone has answered all relevant questions regarding what propelled her to take the child with her. In this instance, following protocol would have most certainly endangered the child's life."

"I have no further questions," Mrs. Peabody replied tersely, before scribbling something on her notepad.