Dating : The elf

It had only been a week since she moved out. Lana was happy to finally have an exchange as always dreamt. She was in Dublin and was enjoying every single moment of that magical country that at many points referred to childhood legends, stories that her mother always told.

She was sure it would be an incredible semester. She was enjoying college and was taking a Gaelic course, which was another way for her to learn as much as possible about local culture. Surprisingly, she started to like beer. Or at least, Guinness.

Everything about that place fascinated her and it looked like Lana was living a fairy tale. Until the first annoyance. Like every day, she woke up late to catch the bus to the college. When she left his room, she noticed that there were some glasses on the kitchen table. Strange … She lived alone and was sure she had organized everything the day before. Well, maybe she was wrong.

After a day of study, followed by a walk at Dublin Castle, she arrived at her apartment. A little suspicious, she took a good look at the kitchen. Fortunately, everything was as she had left it. Maybe what happened the day before was just nonsense.

The next day, she was late again. She took a short walk around the apartment and everything was in order in the kitchen. But not in the living-room. The sofa cushions were messed up. Now, she was even more lost, because she could have been confused the first time, but twice, it was impossible. It was pretty clear that something happened.

Did thieves invade her place? She checked the door and had no sign of a break-in. It really wouldn’t make sense for someone to break into someone else’s apartment just to mess up and leave. Lana looked at the plush Leprechaun she had bought as soon as she arrived and thought: the only ones who would do that were the elves, from whom she always heard her mother speak of.

What was boredom turned into excitement. How awesome, elves living with her. Was this common in Ireland? And did all the houses have their own elves? SheI hadn’t even found a four-leaf clover yet and she was already lucky. Lana needed to find a way to interact and confirm the presence of those beings. Then she had a great idea: before going to sleep, he left a plate with some sweet cookies in the kitchen.

The next day, Lana woke up anxiously. Not for the college, nor for the sightseeing that she could do. But from what she could find inside her own apartment. And as soon as she got to the kitchen, she started to celebrate. The cookies were all gone. The floor was a little dirty with crumbs, it is true. Only the most important thing was the proof of the presence of his distinguished guests. Magical beings need not follow rules of etiquette.

A few weeks passed, and every night before bed, Lana left cookies for the elves. It was still a secret, after all, who would believe her? Would her mother believe? Or would she think her daughter is making things up because she feels lonely?

It didn’t matter anymore, she couldn’t take to hide what was happening no longer. She didn’t even know how it lasted for so long.

The next time she made a video call with her mother, she said she had news to share. The mother wondered it could be anything: Lana was pregnant, she decided to change countries every month until she got to know the whole world, she was taking an archery course to participate in the next Olympic Games. Anything was more likely than the real news.

Shortly after talking to her mother, Lana was thoughtful. Her mother seemed to be right… The cookies that were always eaten were not a confirmation. They could be mice, really. The mess and broken plate on one night explained that. And she would unravel the elf rat mystery once and for all.

Lana woke up excited because the mystery was finally going to end. She went into the kitchen and, as expected, the cookies were gone. Only this time, a strategically placed camera would reveal the truth.

She took the camera and went to see the recording. And she found that her first guess, however unlikely, was the correct one. It was a thief. A thief who just stole food. But it was not a rat. That’s how Lana found out why she was putting on weight, apparently for no reason. Throughout that time, sleepwalking turned her into an elf.