The Timid Fairy

Once upon a time, in an old and desolate Croatian castle, lived a woman named "Mirjana." Mirjana was incredibly beautiful and kind-hearted, but there was one problem—she was so timid that even the sound of a door slamming shut due to the wind would make her scream, thinking it was a ghost.

One day, Mirjana decided she had had enough of being scared. She told herself, "I am an independent woman, and I will no longer fear ghosts, shadows, or pigeons." Yes, pigeons terrified her just as much as anything else spooky.

That very night, strange noises began echoing through the castle. A soft breeze swirled around, and streaks of light peeked through the doors and windows. Summoning her inner courage, Mirjana declared, "That's it! Tonight, I will find out what’s making all this noise!"

She slowly made her way toward the old staircase. With each step, the stairs creaked as though mocking her. Still, she pressed on bravely. As she reached the bottom, a pigeon suddenly fluttered right in front of her. Mirjana let out a scream and jumped backward, but instead of falling to the ground, she began floating in the air!

"What? I’m flying?" Mirjana gasped in disbelief. The way the light shone around her in the castle made her feel like a magical fairy. The problem was, her feet weren’t touching the ground. She was awkwardly hovering, and from a distance, another pigeon cooed mockingly, as if laughing at her plight.

Mirjana composed herself and said, "Enough is enough! Whether I’m magical or not, I’ll show that pigeon how brave I really am!" She tried to charge toward the pigeons, but her floating movements were so clumsy and funny that she started laughing at herself instead.

Just then, the castle’s ancient door swung open with a loud creak, and a strong gust of wind blew through. The wind caught her white dress, making it billow dramatically, and she ended up looking exactly like a ghost. The pigeon, upon seeing this bizarre sight, got so frightened that it flew away from the castle immediately.

Mirjana cheered, "Wow, I scared the pigeon away! I’m finally brave!" But in truth, it was her floating, ghostly appearance and fluttering dress that terrified the poor bird into retreat.

The castle’s residents spent the next day gossiping about how a "magical ghost" had chased the pigeons out of the castle. And Mirjana? She was proud of her newfound courage, though she still felt a bit uneasy whenever she heard the sound of a door slamming shut.