The Lumenkern [2025 Books Nook Writing Contest]

Valentini

The Lumenkern

There once was a fairy, named Hickory, who had a habit of writing everything down. From the number of blossom petals in Spring Valley down to the number of seashells in Palm Tree Cove.

It was not for bibliographical reasons, but for greed. You see, fairies like to hide things in strange places. A pearl gift for tonight’s date could be placed in the hollow of a tree. An extra portion of Pixie Dust can be buried in the sand. A fairy’s Honey Cookies for lunch? Hidden inside of a cottonpuff. Hickory loved these gifts.

Everything that existed in Neverland, existed with her knowledge.

As Hickory finished writing the final count of all the pumpkins in the Pumpkin Patch into her journal. One by one, she slapped each pumpkin, listening for any audible difference, when suddenly, one pumpkin gave out a hollow sound.

“Bingo!” said Hickory with delight. Eyes gleaming with greed. She took out a sharp clam and carved a hole. Once she finished, she slipped her arm in, and felt something inside. Retrieving her arm back, her hand was clutching onto the newest Electric Red Sparkle Slippers. She reached back in again, and pulled out another pair. And another. In total, 10 Electric Red Sparkle Slippers. A Fairycart reseller’s stash had been found! “Finders, Keepers,” said Hickory as she loaded up all 10 slippers into her bag.

Hickory flew up to the sky and looked down at the Hollow. The Hollow stretched out beneath her feet, and yet, it seemed small. And all of it is mine, she thought. No one can take this from me.

***

Arriving at Springtime Orchard, she met up with her Garden Fairy friend, Pips. He was crouched beside a freshly watered mound and inspecting the soil with quiet focus. He looked up just as her shadow passed overhead, a smile flickering across his face.

“Hix!” called Pips, waving his arm to her as she flew closer.

“What are you up to?” asked Hickory. Pips, without saying a word, just gestured to the ground.

“The Lumenkern isn’t like a regular seed, it requires a lot of attention,” he said quietly. Hickory’s gaze lingered on the mound where the seed lay hidden. The ground pulsed with its presence. It must be more than just a seed, she thought. Something this guarded…it has to be worth something.

***

That night, Hickory returned back to Springtime Orchard. The garden was silent, every fairy went home, and every lantern dimmed. Perfect. The Lumenkern was left unguarded.

Hickory made her move and started digging into the mound. Dirt had got caught between her nails, but she didn’t care. Little by little, she dug until she exposed the Lumenkern. It shimmered like sunlight trapped in a seed, as its power was borrowed from the Sun. Hickory snatched the glowing seed and put it into her bag. The seed’s light still showed through her bag, as if making its theft obvious. Hickory took the prize to her house.

***

The next morning, Hickory was brewing herself a fresh cup of tea. Her home echoed with creaks. Unusual. Every step she took her house creaked harder. I’ll get a Tinker to look at my house later. Taking her tea and tea cake, she stepped outside onto the balcony of her high rise home. Something was wrong. The Hollow had changed. Instead of seeing the usual vibrant colour and sounds, the flowers were wilted and fallen. The tree roots were blackened with rot. There were neither birds nor butterflies in the sky. Everything was eerily still. Even her own home, made of Tulip petals and wood, had rotted badly.

Something was wrong. And she knew exactly what it was.

Hickory rushed back into her home in search of her bag that housed the Lumenkern. The creaks got louder. Suddenly, the floor gave way beneath her feet. She shot upward just in time. If Hickory had no wings, she would have fallen with the floor. But it’s not the floor that worried her, it’s the ceiling. The ceiling weakened every second. Cracks spreading across the beams. Hickory flew to her second story bedroom and crawled under the bed for her bag. Retrieving her bag, she quickly got out from under the bed and the ceiling had already started collapsing. Hickory flew out of the window as fast as she could. Her house was gone. Overtaken by rot. With the Lumenkern in her hands, she made way for Springtime Orchard.

In the distance, she could hear the sounds of more collapsing structures. She landed hard onto the mound and quickly started to remove it out of her bag. Then came a very loud creak. Hickory looked around for what it might be and her heart sank. The tree was about to collapse onto her. Hickory gasped and crawled backwards. When all seemed lost, a mysterious force pushed her out of the way. It was Pips. The tree collapsed behind them. They were both safe, but just barely.

“It was you?” asked Pips, looking at her holding the Lumenkern. Almost a disappointing expression came over his face. It was not anger, just a quiet ache.

“I'm sorry” repeated Hickory. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“You can explain later,” interrupted Pips. “Right now, you need to put it back.” Hickory looked to the mound but realised the tree had collapsed onto it.

“W-What do we do?” asked Hickory, panicking as the Hollow rotted faster each second. The air filled with the smell of decay. The Lumenkern’s glow began to vanish.

“Here,” called Pips. He was crouched onto the ground, his hands deep in the soil. He had carved out a fresh hollow in the earth, rough but ready. “It’s not the original spot, but it will have to do.” Hickory crouched beside him and placed the Lumenkern into the soil and quickly worked to bury it.

They waited patiently. The Lumenkern wasn’t pulsing through the earth.

“It’s not working,” whispered Hickory, the words catching in her throat. Defeat settling in.

Pips didn’t look up. His eyes stayed fixed on the soil, as if ordering it to respond. “It has to,” he said, voice tight with disbelief.

But the ground stayed cold. The Hollow had turned its back. The soil had rejected it.

***

In the coming days, the Tinkers got together and made use of lost things to build temporary homes for all the fairies whose homes had collapsed, as lost things were immune to the rot. Thimbles were melted and turned into beams. Buttons made into doors. Fabrics such as gloves were turned into roofs and walls.

Hickory began to count again, but differently. She used her extensive knowledge to map safe routes in the decayed Hollow. She helped lost fairies find their way. And to find any food in the far reaches of Neverland. Small bands of scouts travelled outside of Pixie Hollow in search of supplies. Water Fairies continued to water the Lumenkern.

Hickory visited the Lumenkern frequently. Each visit with small hope. Maybe this time she would feel a pulse and spot a green sprout. She waited by the spot for hours. I’m sorry, she thought, again and again.. She continued to sit near it, quietly.

Pips joined her. He didn’t say anything, just sat beside her. He was carrying a rock bowl with a mashed banana on it. Despite what had happened, he held no grudge. He knew what she was. And he would be lying if he didn’t. If she had known the consequences, maybe things would have gone differently or so he believed.

“The…,” started Pips, “scouts just came back with a large fruit.” He handed her the bowl. “They found the trees, your journal led them straight to it.” Hickory stirred her meal, eyes still fixed on the Lumenkern. “The Hollow is surviving.” Pips whispered gently.

“I made a mistake,” murmured Hickory. “Because of me, the Hollow is surviving and not thriving.”

“Yeah,” added Pips. “But we’ve come back from worse.” Hickory looked at him uncertainly. “When the Hollow froze, was that not solved? Or the thistles destroying our progress, did we not rebuild everything? We’ll get through this too. We always do.”

Hickory felt a sense of relief. He was right. Whatever trials Pixie Hollow had faced : the Freeze, the Thistles, the Rot, the fairies always rebuilt it.  

“You’re right,” nodded Hickory in agreement. She had a boost of energy. She stood with a new purpose. “Pixie Hollow will be alright and I will continue to count in order to help the Hollow return to its former glory.”

At that moment, the ground released a powerful pulse. Hickory staggered, but Pips helped regain her balance. The ground pulsed again, and again, and again. The rhythm grew stronger, like a heartbeat waking from sleep. Slowly a green sprout came out of the ground. The sprout revealed a bud, and then that little bud bloomed into a purple carnation.

“The Lumenkern!” exclaimed Hickory.

“Lumenbloom now,” corrected Pips. “The Lumenbloom takes on the traits of its planter. I’ve never seen a purple carnation under my care. I think it’s…yours.”

“Mine?” asked Hickory. She approached the purple carnation. The ground pulsed harder this time, as if responding to her presence. She reached out and brushed the petal. It was soft, vibrant, and alive.

“Look!” shouted Pips, pointing to the ground. Hickory looked down. The ground’s colour was returning. The moss and grass turned green. She lifted her head up and saw the trees lifting their branches. The birds started to sing again. And the butterflies took flight once more.

The Hollow had mirrored her greed. But now, it reflects something else.

Her bag was lighter. Her heart, heavier, but in a way that meant it was finally full.

The End