Snowpepper woke slowly, sensuously, seduced into wakening by a delicious sensation of utter well-being. When she opened her eyes at last, she saw Mother Maples sitting at her bedside with a peaceful, enigmatic smile.

“Good morning, child,” she said, in her chocolate voice. I trust you are well rested?”

“Ohh, yes!” Snowpepper exclaimed, stretching luxuriously in the bed. “I slept wonderfully, like a baby. I don’t think I even dreamed.”

“Really? You don’t recall any dreams at all?” Mother Maples’ voice held the slightest edge. “Please, do try to remember. It’s rather important, dear. I definitely felt strong dreaming last night. I couldn’t be mistaken about that. It woke me, actually.”

“Uh… gee, no… I don’t think so,” she said, squinting, trying to remember. “Um…” Hey Sylvie, she thought, Did you have any dreams last night?

When Sylvie failed to answer her, she felt a mild alarm. Sylvie had always been there. Sylvie? Sylvie, answer me! Alarm began to escalate to terror.

“Mother Maples, she’s gone! My otherside self is gone! At least she’s not talking to me!” Snowpepper clutch Mother Maples’ arm, panic in her wide silver eyes. “Oh, please help me find her! I need her!”

“Snowpepper, little one, back up a moment and start over… please!” The witch stroked Snowpepper’s cheek gently. “Everything will be all right, I promise you that. I can see we do need to talk. I rather thought we did. Now, tell me, pray, what are you on about? What do you mean by your otherside self?”

“Oh, Mother Maples, she’s… she’s me, my otherside me, and I can’t say her name or I’ll be sent over there, where she comes from,” Snowpepper said. “She’s smarter than me, and she knows things, but this time I knew something… she didn’t want to come here, I told her to be quiet because I wanted to come, I knew it was right to, and she did be quiet and now… now she won’t talk and I can’t feel her!” Snowpepper burst into anguished howls.

“There, there, child,” Mother Maples murmured. “Go ahead and have yourself a good cry. From the sounds of it you’re ready for one. I’ll be back directly.” She bustled off while Snowpepper sobbed herself into relative calm. When the witch returned, she brought someone with her.

“Why, hello, dear Snowpepper,” the someone said. “And what are you doing here?”

“Quickfoot! Oh, Quickfoot! You’re here!” she shrieked. “We couldn’t find you, we got lost… How did you get here?”

“Why, I… I’m not exactly sure, dear faerie, come to think of it,” the rabbit said, scratching his furry chin thoughtfully. “I wasn’t here, and then I was, just now, in fact. I do believe I’ve come for you, though I didn’t quite know it. I have been looking for you, after all, and now here you are!” He nodded, beaming happily.

“Don’t be silly, rabbit,” Mother Maples said sternly. “I brought you here. Now, tell me please, what do you know of this faerie’s otherside self? She’s got herself in a state because she says her otherside self won’t talk to her anymore. I’d never heard of one making the transition consciously before.”

“What? Her otherside self? S—” he stopped abruptly. “I mean, yes, of course, I know the dear girl, she was herself before the Queen gave her safe passage by turning her into Snowpepper here, which is the usual way of things. But after Snowpepper came, the otherside self was gone, and all I heard about was Snowpepper.” He looked at Snowpepper expectantly.

“Oh, that’s right,” Snowpepper said. “She didn’t start talking to me until I flew away, after…” Her gaze hardened and she drew back from Quickfoot. “After you and Barkley were going to tie me down so I couldn’t fly! So I got mad and flew away from you!” She glared at the rabbit, who looked abashed.

“Yes, yes, I saw by your response that it was a bad, a terrible suggestion,” he admitted humbly. “But it seemed like such a simple solution at the time. I am very sorry I didn’t consider how it would feel to you, dear faerie, so soon after getting your wings for the first time. It was inconsiderate of me, quite insensitive. Please do accept my sincere apologies.”

Snowpepper beamed. “Sure, Quickfoot, I accept it. You’re sorry, that’s good.”

He added, “Barkley also regretted his hasty action. He asked me to convey his sorrow should we meet again. I must say, I am most happy and relieved to find you intact! I feared for you, terribly, I certainly did.”

“It’s okay about Barkley, it’s good that he’s sorry too. I’m not mad anymore. But I hope being scared didn’t get you into too much trouble,” Snowpepper said anxiously. “I wouldn’t want to be the cause of anything bad happening to you!”

“I’m fine. I’m here, aren’t I?” the rabbit said dismissively. “What I’d like to know is, how did you make it through? You were very angry when you left and I could sense the vibrations of your anger, and then fear, from quite a way off after that. You were dreadfully visible, you know. I felt sure you would meet a dreadful fate.”

“I would have, but it was her,” she said earnestly. “My otherside self. She came out and talked to me, in my head, you know? And she warned me when things were about to eat me so I could get away in time, and she told me things about how it all worked because she learned fast and figured it out. She’s smart!” Snowpepper said this with pride. “So much smarter than me. I couldn’t have made it without her.” Her lip trembled. “And now I can’t find her, I can’t feel her, she’s gone!”

“Hm,” Quickfoot mused. “Later I’d like to hear about what she learned and what she told you, if you wouldn’t mind telling. But for now I’ll believe I’ll stay on the subject. When did your feeling of having an otherside self in your mind stop?”

“This morning, I asked her a question, and she didn’t answer,” Snowpepper said in a quavering voice. “I called her, again and again, but she never said a word. So she must be gone!” She cried again, soft heartbroken tears. “What will I do? I need her!”

“Well, as to that, dear Snowpepper, I don’t know that it’s strictly true,” Quickfoot said thoughtfully. “After all, I don’t carry my otherside self around with me in my head while I’m here, nor does he have me cluttering up his head over there. It must be rather crowded with two minds occupying the same head.”

“You don’t have an otherside self to talk to?” Snowpepper said, shocked. “But… why not? And… but… where will I go when Sy—when she goes back to the place she came from? What will happen to me?”

“Why, you’ll become her and continue on as your otherside self, as she should have become you here. It’s rather unusual to split apart into two selves the way you say you have, dear Snowpepper. My own otherside self and I think of ourselves as two sides of one coin. It’s so much neater that way, I think, and it is the way things are normally done.” He peered over his spectacles at her. “Are you sure she really was there, dear faerie? Is it possible you were talking to your own self, your own mind?”

This confused poor Snowpepper terribly. “But…no! She was there. She was! She helped me, she talked to me. I want her back! I’m not smart enough without her!”

“Oh, my,” Quickfoot murmured. “Dear me, I’ve never encountered quite this situation before. What are you thinking, dear Mother Maples, about this?”

Mother Maples had sat listening to the two, looking pensive. She said, “It is unusual, no question of that. But I believe the faerie is right. She has divided into two distinct selves, each taking possession of certain personality traits and abilities. If that is the case, as I suspect, then our little Snowpepper is entirely correct. She does need her otherside self. She is not whole without her.

“My sense is that her second self has undergone some trauma. She must have been the one experiencing the powerful dream that awakened me in the night. It’s just barely possible that she’s still trapped there, in the dream state. It’s rare for that to happen, but then, everything about you is rare!” She cast a mildly ironic glance at Snowpepper. “You came to me seeking help, and now you require help for something that occurred under my roof. That is also unusual, child. Unprecedented, I must say. This place is a safe haven, that is its nature and purpose.”

The brown witch took a deep breath. “But since it has happened, it is clearly my responsibility to remedy the situation.”

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