Chapter 5 - Project Proposal

               “As you’ve gathered, I’m sure, the world you know isn’t the only world. For simplification’s sake, we can refer to the world I live in as the ‘fairy world’. The fairy world has existed far longer than human memory, and while in many ways it is separate and distinct, it also overlaps and bridges with the human world. Some fairy world creatures enjoy traveling back and forth more than others, and there are places where it is easier or harder to cross over. This has led to humans experiencing a range of interactions with fairy creatures, with higher concentrations in certain areas of the world.

              “As you know, humans have recorded these experiences over time, and passed down the stories through the generations and across their communities. They have changed and distorted over time, as these things tend to do, and even those that began as relatively accurate representations of the encounters have since become almost unrecognizable works of fiction. And this is exactly the issue I wish to address.

              “You see, despite the differences between our worlds, there is a very large part of the fairy creature population that enjoys reading fairy tales of the human-written variety. They find the stories fascinating, especially since so few of them have had direct contact with humans in recent decades. But the portrayal of fairy creatures in the stories is so far removed from reality that some of the older generations are complaining about the youth reading these, well, ‘lies’ as they would say. I would like to remedy the situation by producing new, or rather original, versions of these stories that better represent the fairy creatures’ points of views.

              “This would be an ongoing project of large scope. Some of the creatures will be easier to track down than others, and some will be more or less willing to participate, but I think once we get going that word will spread and it will be easier to find the characters from the old tales and help them share their side of the stories.

              “And as for schedule and rates,” the Crone finally gave a long pause, glancing down at the paper on my desk before me, “The schedule for interviews and recordings will be variable, depending on availability, but I would suggest that we begin with a rate of $80 an hour for weekday evenings and $95 an hour for weekends or overnights, say after 8pm, for the interviews and recordings. Transcription, which can of course be done on your own schedule, could be at a rate of $110 an hour, with time and a half for any that spills into the weekend? While I don’t have a set timetable for these to be produced, I would like to see a relatively quick turnover so that we don’t get bogged down as we get further into the project.”

              She sat back and smiled at me. “How does this all sound?” I gave myself a moment to absorb and process. Nothing on my list seemed to mean much anymore, but I looked it over again. “Well, what about safety? Is there anything dangerous about this?” I started to ramp up. “And I’m not entirely sure why you think I’m the best person for this. And what would we start with? And do I need to do anything to my office to make room? I don’t have the best recording equipment since that isn’t really my focus, but I suppose it would do to start off. The rates seem reasonable enough, and I can stop taking on as many side projects, but I do still have a few regular clients I would want to hold on to.” I petered out.

              “Safety is my priority. You will never be left alone with anyone, and if you decide someone makes you too uncomfortable they will be removed immediately. I don’t anticipate any concerns, but all you have to do is say the word and I will take care of it. Your office will be fine. I can accommodate anything that needs to be taken care of as we conduct the interviews. As for equipment, I can provide a generous stipend to allow you to upgrade your system to whatever you think is best, which will of course all be yours to keep when the project is complete.

              “And as for ‘why you’,” her smile grew warmer, “if you will allow me a little mystique, I would like to hold off on answering that for a while, until I think you are better prepared to understand it. But I assure you, I do have very particular reasons.”

              I swallowed and nodded. “Ok then, so, how do we get started?” Chuckling, the crone reached under a fold in her dress and drew out a parchment scroll. “Let’s dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s, shall we?” She unrolled it on the desk. Words appeared in an ornate but legible scrawl, matching exactly what we had just discussed. It included the clause “subject to change with the full and unreserved agreement of both parties”. I looked it over a few times, making sure that the words didn’t change between readings, since they had seemed to appear out of nothing. They looked stable enough, and when I saw she was gently offering forward a quill, I took a quick breath of decision, took it from her hand, and signed.