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Ernie was crestfallen. He had applied to the Colors Realm, Brilliance division, Backyard Flowers. Not here. All of his credentials as a GreenFaerie pointed to his excellence as a color purveyor for the outdoors. Not some hack for Homes, which is where Energetics in their infinite wisdom had placed him. He was doomed to life as a HomeFaerie now, and he was pissed. All they do is set tones.
He read from the instructions:
Night: deep darkness, then subtle colors for night time human leaking events.
Dawn: subtle brightblue at the tail end of night, with promise of day singing in the molecules. (Oh, please.)
Morning: Loud light — either pink, yellow, gray or white, depending on weather.
(Ya think?)
It was all atmospheric stuff. Just the basic ratpassing that anyone can do. Such a waste of his incredible gifts. He was a GreenFaerie! He’d excelled in Growths and Earthsongs, in Flutter Nutrients for Shaping Blossoms, and his feats of collaboration with birds, moths and insects was legendary at the Academy. He simply wasn’t made for something as menial as ‘environmental quality of light.’ This placement was a crime.
But a placement was a placement, so he thumped to work every day just the same. Flipping the lights on in the morning. Flipping…
