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Sep. 23, 2008 - Found Among the Fairies---A Story : Part the First and Part the Second
Found Among The Fairies: Part the First
Twig and Olive bounced through the air and landed on top of each other outside the mushroom-ring. "Ha,ha Twig, I got your acorn-hat!" cried Olive. He was a five-inch tall fairy with auburn hair and a sly smile. Olive dashed to his feet and ran from his twin brother. "Oh no you don't!" exclaimed Twig who caught up to Olive and toppled over him again. Pulling in their see-through wings, the two tumbled over each other on the green Irish Moor. "Hey Twig! Stop punching for a minute--I don't think we're in our fairy-ring anymore!" Olive pushed his brother off his leaf-clad body and flew into the air, hovering a few feet in mid-flight, glancing toward the mushrooms. "Olive, are you chickening-out?" Twig yelled up to the fluttering figure above him. He never got an answer for at that moment they heard a strange sound.
"What in tarnation!" Olive dive-bombed back to the grass with his bony hands clasping his pointed ears. "Make what-ever it is shut-up!" He rolled around the greenery as if in pain. Twig, ignoring him, ventured pushing his way through the moor toward the sound. "Olive!!!!!" He shrieked excitedly. "It's a human baby crying!" Immediately Olive forgot the ear-piercing fuss that was bothering him so much, and rushed to Twig's side. "Ohhhhhhhh. What do we do with it?" He whispered. They both stared at the infant who was wrapped tightly in a gray cloth. "There is only one thing we can do!" Twig replied fervently after thinking for a minute. To Olive's surprise his twin added, "Leave it alone!" Twig started to fly back over the grass toward the mushroom ring. "We gotta go! Mother and Father will be worried back in the colony. COME ON! Forget the baby Olive! And for gracious sakes find that hat of mine you were holding.....Olive? What are you doing?!?" Twig stopped in the air to see his brother trying to heave the infant human forward! "Gosh this 'thing' must weigh a ton!" Olive mumbled. He had crossed to the other side of the infant and pushed his back against it, trying to roll it forward. Twig plopped back to the ground, shaking his head and repeating his un-answered question. "W-H-A-T AREEEEEEEE YOUUUUUUUUU DOING?" Panting, and lounging his body against the baby once more, Olive stopped and crawled atop it. Olive perched lightly on the nose of the child, who instantly hushed fussing and began to gurgle happily. "Well, we can't leave this 'thing' here. You are a dummy to thing so Twig! Besides, Mother will want to see it!" He gazed at the child, smiled thoughtfully and began again. "See, it is wrapped in a blanket, if we both work together, we can roll it back into the ring!" Twig, muttering to himself, gave into his brother, rather reluctantly mind you, and joined him on the ground, endeavoring to 'roll the thing' forward.
Crowding and mumbling in tense whispers, a mob of anxious fairies gathered around the glistening
So, reasonably enough, many fair, bright-eyed sprites had gathered around the wrapped babe in the palace, all wanting to know if the Queen and King would take ‘it’ in as their own child.
Trumpets blared, and descending from a majestic staircase from the top level of the castle, Queen Moss and King Aspen appeared, slowly alighting to the open courtyard where their citizens had gathered. Dressed in regal, fresh garments, (with clean hands and polished wings) appeared behind their parents, Prince Twig and Prince Olive. As the Royal Family took seats in huge gilded pod-seed shells, the crowd bowed gracefully and directed their questions toward the King. “Excellency Aspen, where has this human babe come from? What are we to do with it?” A voice asked from the throng. King Aspen smiled warmly at his people. “Fellow Fairies of Moon Stone Kingdom, my sons, Twig-son and Olive-Branch came upon this babe while out in the moor.” A rustle of murmurs swept over the group. “What in heavens-name were those two ‘rascals doing outside of the kingdom?” Asked a rough voice. Queen Moss seeing her husband red in anger at having his sons being called ‘rascals’, took up the question with a gentle smile. “The boys were out, er, exploring, my good Sir.” She stood gracefully and paced over to the child, who was staring wide-eyed at the fascinating faces around her. “My husband and I have decided to honor the tradition of the ancients and bring the human into our care.” There was silence for a moment, than, slowly, cheers started rising from the gathered fairies until the whole group was applauding loudly at the thought of coping their fore-fathers. “Blessed be the fairies, for we have a changeling!” They sang. (A changeling is the name for a human-child adopted by the wee-folks) The celebration died down and the mob slowly left to journey back to their homes which were dotted lazily about the paradise which stretched forth from the
The child was a small girl who had bright red, curly hair and a sweet disposition. (Although it could be argued that living among fairies would make any human good-natured.) She was christened with the name Sun-beam, for the King and Queen could thing of nothing else that the child was more like. The whole kingdom could be said to have reared the girl. Groups of she-fairies gathered to sew bonnets and baby-gowns out of rose-petals for her, and the he-fairies worked together to whittled human-sized blocks and toys for her. It was natural, since her very first memories were of the fairies, for Sun-beam to believe she was one as well (except exceptionally larger in proportion.) A better family she might never have had if the fairies hadn’t found her when they did. Ireland was at the time going through turmoil and a peasant child (as indeed she was from the look of the blanket she was found inside of) would not have had an enjoyable child-hood no matter if she had kind parents or not. Queen Moss toyed with the notion of attempting to locate the human-parents, but gave it up for she loved Sun-beam dearly. Everyday she was fed berries and taught simple words in the ancient fairy tongue only high-up fairies knew. Eventually, she grew too big for the palace and a luscious garden was built by a stream for the child to live in. The garden stretched as far from the back of the castle all the way to the border of the mushroom ring.
Sun-beam was five years old. Her cubby legs plunged into the fragrant blossoms that grew up to her waist. She sped along but Twig and Olive flew just as fast and could keep up with her. “Come on Twiggy!” she sang delightedly. “Faster Olive-Banch!” Her face grew into a wide grin as the twin boys fluttered to her and began to tickle her side. “You know those aren’t our names silly!” They sang. Sun-beam giggled and gently pushed them away, her legs danced faster and she lost the fairies in distance. Suddenly she halted. The flowers had came to an abrupt ending. “I’ve never come this far.” she thought to herself. “I wonder what happens if I go farther?” She took a step and then other. She was in a patch of barren, brown land. A few more steps and she would reach a curving line of mushrooms. She was about to take another step when she heard screaming from in back of her. “No Sun-beam! You headed outside the Kingdom!”
Part the Second:
Sun-beam whirled around and headed back into the field of flowers. “Twig? Olive?” She tilted her head questioningly when the two small fairies joined her again in the blossoming meadow. “Sun-beam, you need to come with us.” Twig stated gravely. His youthful smile had faded, and a dark cloud seemed to appear over is face. Olive, turned quite severe as well and gave Twig a knowing look. She’ll have to learn the truth today. It seemed to say.
Back at the castle, Sun-beam plopped on the grass outside the glittering structure. Twig and Olive were atop a balcony looking down with their parents upon the small human child. “We should tell her the truth: that she is human and not fairy. The child seems to think she’s really one of us despite her size.” King Aspen murmured gravely. A look of genuine love and concern covered his young, stately face, as if he knew that the ‘truth’ might harm the security of his adopted child. Queen Moss nodded. “We must. Even though she is a mere five human years, Sun-beam is intelligent. In order to explain the boundaries of our kingdom, we must touch on the human world that lies around our mushroom-ring. I feel it only part of the truth to tell she’s comes from the world outside of this realm.” Twig nodded at his mother’s reasoning. “But will she attempt to cross back into the human-world once we tell her?” He asked in a worried tone. “Yes mother! Is there anyway we can make her stay here?” Olive piped up, quite vexed. The two finders of the babe were attached to Sun-beam and the thought of losing her was unbearable. “If she does want to go, we cannot stop her and hold her a prisoner! We fairies aren’t kidnappers!” remarked the King. Queen Moss nodded. “But do not fear. She is still young. We may have her for a while yet. She is curious, but I believe the gardens and streams are too much for her to leave. This is the home she is used to.”
Explaining as best they could to the young girl, the fairies told her where she had come from. It is doubtful she really understood it then, but what she did comprehend was this: Mother and Father don’t want me to play past the mushrooms ring. The gentle fairies soon learned that child had no wish to leave her flowery play-land, and so it was that many joyful years passed without much incident. Although pleased she didn’t wonder outside the empire, King Aspen was such a truthful fairy that he reminded his child of her origins, but always made it clear that finding her was one of the best thing that ever happened to him and Mother Moss. Sun-beam grew up with the knowledge that she was loved and cherished. It could be said that as she grew, so did the genuine love for her from the fairy people. After a time, it was regarded that she was such a blessing, that if the kingdom ever lost her, terrible calamities would occur and bring an end to their prosperous realm. So it was that certain shadowy figures began to plan a way to keep the child from ever attempting to go away; even if they had to do it in an under-handed way.
Comments
Sep. 24, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Bluejane
Wow, that was really good! I enjoyed every minute of it. Then again, I have always liked fairy stories.
Well... not counting Tinker Bell.
Can't wait to read more!
Out of the Blue:jane
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