Posted by: lalainya on: August 20, 2008
Another Original Fairytale by Vikki Anderson
Things hadn’t seemed right for some time, she thought as she sat on a wooden swing in their beautiful garden. “What is the matter?” she whispered in a controlled, yet totally confused voice. “I just don’t understand.” Tears filled her eyes as she continued to move back and forth through the air with no effort on her part. Her mind wandered.
It was only a few short months ago that everything was so happy. Her husband, Joe and she had saved money for such a long time to have enough for a down payment on their dream house. They now had it and this dream was slowly turning into a nightmare.
At first, Joe was a good husband. He would let Stacia do whatever she wanted. She also had a good paying job, so neither of them worried about finances or of renovating their new home.
Stacia decided that the yard needed more color – more flowers! She went to the local nursery and picked out Japanese maple trees, manicured pom pom evergreens, dogwoods, cherry trees and anything she could think of to make their happy home a “happier” place, if that was at all possible.
Joe and Stacia worked in their yard on weekends and after work until it was too dark to see. They got such pleasure from working with Mother Earth who rewarded them with a lovely thick green carpet of grass, free of weeds or damaging bugs. They planted a variety of perennial bulbs. Joe wanted to throw the bulbs in a bucket and just pick out whichever one came out in a random order. Stacia had just read a wonderful article on “Fairies, Feng Shui and Flowers” by Jackie Levin, a well known Feng Shui expert, and wanted to plant the flowers in the bagua for maximum well being and happiness. Their yard and home were truly a safe haven from all outsiders or intruders. Nothing could ever hurt them here, they always thought.
They were trying to have children. Stacia never had an easy time of it, but with prayer and a belief that all things happen for a reason, they were contented in the fact that if it was meant to happen, it would.
Joe was happy to find a bargain, but he was always a very generous man. He then found a shrub at the local nursery that he truly loved. It was summer so the price of shrubs was cut in half. That made him happier.
In the far corner of the yard was a wild spot, as they called it, for no matter how much care was given to that area, it would return to a mildly wild field or meadow like state. The wild flowers had not been planted but they displayed such lovely colors and variety that they didn’t have the heart to pull out one of them!
In the middle of it all, there seemed to be a small mound of dirt with a worn tiny path around it. It was so unusual, yet at the same time it was so beautiful, calming and mysterious. Joe wondered if an animal had made that mound its home.
He dug a large hole in the center of the mound until it was deep enough to house all the roots of his new shrub. He called Stacia to see his new addition to their yard – it was his added touch to their hard work in planting this masterpiece.
“It just doesn’t seem right there,” she said to herself, although she smiled at Joe and said, “It’s great. I love it!”
“It’s perfect,” he replied and walked towards the house. The conversation was apparently over. She followed him into the house and continued to prepare dinner.
Back in the yard, the lonely shrub was witness to several earth fairies shouting furiously at one another. Gnome One yelled, “How can he plant this tree in a gnome’s home without asking our permission? We didn’t even get the chance to move!”
“It’s a shrub,” the small one replied.
“Now we’ll have to homestead another part of this meadow!” Gnome One continued in an annoyed manner.
“The small gnome answered, “It’s a yard.”
“What?”
“This place is called a yard. It is their property. We are the ones who are in the wrong.”
Gnome One was so angry that he couldn’t even speak any more as he paced back and forth in the grass wearing another circular path with his elf-like shoes. “All the gold he has will not suit him any longer. He will become mean and greedy from this day forward.”
“Greedy is it?” said another Gnome who had just decided to join in on the conversation. “Okay then, let’s cast our spells and plant the seeds of greed in his mind.” Gnome Two did just that; he concentrated and said some unfamiliar words with some very strange gestures and at once, the spell had been cast.
That night was a restless one for Stacia. She kept hearing small voices mumbling but thought for sure that it was her imagination since Joe was fast asleep. She eventually got so tired of straining to hear clearly that she dozed off to sleep as well.
The next weeks after the shrub planting were very bizarre at best. Joe complained about everything. The house wasn’t clean enough — even though he had fired the cleaning lady a few weeks prior. The yard was a mess – he didn’t like the flowers anymore. Stacia was in tears for days at a time. He rarely saw her cry because he all at once became a workaholic as well. They didn’t see each other much anymore. It was like living with a roommate with no shared responsibilities or goals.
“We’re spending too much on this house. I think we should sell it and bank the profit. I don’t want to retire to be a pauper.”
“Retire? Joe you’re going to be 30 years old. This is our first house and we’re not selling it. What has gotten into you? Our yard is so beautiful; the yard we both loved — all these renovations and landscaping — we put our souls into this place. What is going on? What has changed?”
“With me? You’re the spendthrift. Buying plants and things for the house all of the time. You don’t think about the future. Whatever you want you just buy it. Well, I won’t be responsible for your whims. Whatever you buy is your responsibility.”
“Have I ever asked you to pay my bills?”
“I should’ve never let you talk me into buying this dump.”
“Talk you into our dream house? Please, Joe, don’t spoil this for us. I love this house. I thought you did too.”
“It’s just a hole we’re sinking money and our lives into and we can’t afford to live here any more!”
Fighting was the normal daily activity at the Stevens household. Name-calling started by his calling her extravagant and she would retort with his being cheap. It wasn’t going anywhere.
Stacia, being a very spiritual and enlightened soul, sought many kinds of help from the universe. She prayed for guidance, went to hypnotherapy sessions for relaxation and visited her astrologer and tarot reader for assurances that things would work out all right. Occasionally, her guidance and answers would make her feel a little better about the situation, but Joe would get her depressed with the reality of his pettiness and verbal abuse.
She was sitting on her swing in the garden by the new shrub. She was crying into the flower garden as Joe worked. He worked longer and longer and she was getting very lonely. “Please help me,” she said out loud, “I didn’t do anything wrong. Why am I being punished like this? I love Joe so much. Why is he treating me this way?”
Three very small, fourth dimensional beings heard her pleas of help. Gnome One took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“I suppose it’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair?” asked the small gnome.
“It wasn’t her fault about the shrub. She seems to be the one who is suffering the most from the spell.”
Stacia continued, “Please dear God, I need your help. I don’t know what to do. Please help me.”
“It was really his doing. He didn’t even ask us if it were all right to plant this tree in the middle of our house.”
“Shrub.”
Gnome One and Two just sat on a small pebble and kicked the dirt beneath their feet. Smaller pebbles flew in several directions simultaneously. “I suppose the tree is a nice addition to the wood — and if you say shrub, you won’t get any supper tonight!”
Gnome Two replied, “It is lovely, isn’t it? It will bring more trees, uh, shrub fairies into our corner of the yard. Haven’t seen the pretty lass laugh for weeks now. It isn’t her fault, you know.”
All three gnomes looked at each other and decided to remove the cast from Joe because of Stacia’s loneliness and sadness.
Then a mysterious thing happened while the gnomes were removing their belongings from beneath the shrub. The lower tree branches were moving and all of a sudden a light went off in her brain. “Oh no. We’re disturbed a fairy mound. Dear sweet gnomes, I am so sorry for this outrage. We didn’t realize what we had done. Please forgive us. What was he thinking?
In a moment, Stacia had run back to the house with a shovel in his hands. “I will remove this bush from your home and I will promise to replant as many wild flowers as I can. I was planning to put a small pond where fish and frogs and hopefully all sorts of birds and wildlife will be attracted to this spot. May I move this tree?”
“No, my dear,” she heard in a clear voice. She was surprised at the response. She looked around until her eyes briefly focused on three little fairy lights hiding underneath the shrub’s branches.
“Your husband did not honor us or our home — but you do. We will stay with this tree and make it grow tall and straight,” he quickly glanced at the small gnome as if to threaten him not to correct his terminology for the shrub. “It is a good addition to our home. If you keep your word about the pond, fish and frogs, all the birds, squirrels and chipmunks will be a part of this sanctuary. I will even ask a few ducks to make their home here, if you would like that.”
“Did you make my husband Joe act in this bizarre way?
“I’m afraid we did,” said Gnome Two. “I made him feel greed since I thought he was greedy in acquiring our home without cause or regret and I also figured he would then spend no more money on greenery to plant.”
“Will he be all right now?”
“Certainly. I apologize for our actions. We didn’t consider you in this, my dear.”
“Thank you and I too apologize for the way we have disrespected you and your home.”
“Happy Birthday, my dear. May your life be one filled with much happiness and success.”
She took a deep breath and noticed Joe pulling into the driveway. Stacia looked at the gnomes for a minute.
“Go to him. All will be well.”
When she got into the house, Joe was filling up vases with water for the dozens of flowers he had bought her for her birthday.
“Joe?”
“I bought these for your birthday. I hope you like them.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“I am so sorry, Hon. I don’t know why I was nasty to you or telling you that I hated this house. I love it and I love you so much. The finances — there is nothing wrong with them. We are doing fine. Can you ever forgive me?”
“We all do, dear.”
“We?”
She smiled and shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I do have something else to tell you though.”
He looked concerned.
“No, its happy news…we’re having twins!”
He picked her up and swung her around and was so happy. They kissed and hugged and he took her out to the most expensive restaurant in town for her birthday for after all, she did give him a 30th birthday present a few months early.
The gnomes looked at each other and smiled approvingly. They returned to their home; later the small gnomes were hanging out their fourth dimensional laundry on the third dimensional tree branch….uh, shrub branch and thought that this will probably work out very nicely.
The other gnomes went back under the “shrub” into their fairy mound and rested until they were needed to care for the flowers and grasses again.
Posted by: lalainya on: June 26, 2008
Another original fairytale by Vikki Anderson
In a beautiful and abandoned part of the forest lived a wonderful old woman named Aruna and her most beloved pet, Muffenpuff. Muffen was the loveliest calico long haired cat anyone had ever seen. She was very wise and loving and was the perfect companion for Aruna in her old age.
They were both getting on in years now and Aruna was getting doing things slower and sometimes forgetting everyday chores, like feeding Muffen. Muffen didn’t mind though. She was a God-send and a very spiritual animal, Aruna thought, if there were such a thing. Muffen never complained about not being fed or being fed late and would laze in the sun under the clear blue sky on her back and soak up all the vitamin D that she could handle.
The large black birds, squirrels and some chipmunks would come out to see Muffen. She would talk with them and never try to harm them. In fact, many times Muffen would call of the woodland animals when Aruna threw out some leftover baked bread that had gone stale from forgetting it was in the house or when she threw out sunflower seeds from her very own plants.
Muffen started asked the creatures of the forest what their names were and if they had lived there long. As long as she could remember, she lived in this house with Aruna. They were very happy. Aruna would read witches spells to her and make her laugh. She always wanted to be a would-be witch, but it was only a child’s dream. She read whatever she could get her hands on and then read it to Muffen knowing that her cat had a sixth sense about what people were saying. She knew Muffen understood every word, and so Muffen wound up being a very educated cat in metaphysics, tarot, astrology and Celtic Wicca.
The long haired Calico was a Gemini and Aruna was a Libran. She knew that was a perfect match; she remembered Aruna saying that same elements, in this case — air — were always a good match. They understood each other and yes, they had. For all the years Muffen remembered being here with her adopted Mother, she was treated like a special enlightened being.
She wondered if it were true that pets were the closest of all the animals to humans and would come back in their next incarnation as a human being! Would that be wonderful! Muffen would not have to talk to the animals any longer. She would converse with people and go to school and learn to dance. Where she learned about school, she didn’t remember, but she recalled hearing Aruna talking about a building in town that had classrooms and various teachers who taught different subjects. The tarot for instance was one of the required subjects. Then astrology, numerology, graphology, biorhythms, aromatherapy, massage therapy, reflexology. My word, there was a lot that she had learned throughout her life. Too bad she couldn’t enlighten someone else…a person perhaps. She had listened to Aruna’s words so carefully and her eyes revealed the understanding she was so capable of. All those books. Stacks and stacks of esoteric and metaphysical books that were scattered throughout the old, but clean house.
Aruna came looking for Muffenpuff. Muffen quickly ran to her because she knew Aruna’s legs were not as strong as they once were and she didn’t want Aruna to over exert herself. She was very thoughtful that way. She knew that Aruna’s spirit and hers would reunite someday when their time here on earth was through. Muffen needed to protect Aruna; she needed to be with her always. There was some connection. How she wasn’t sure, and thought that it was silly for a cat to think this way, but that there might be a reason for their sharing of ideas and experiences.
When it got dark, the would-be witch would rock in her chair and read to Muffen who lay on her lap in the very cozy flannel afghan that Aruna had knitted for her. It was cold in the wood at night and they didn’t have a way to heat the house. Aruna was too weak to chop down any wood any more and so they bundled up together and read by candlelight and eventually went to sleep in her feather bed under piles of afghans, old quilts and blankets. It was so cozy. It was so right. “We must’ve been sisters” Muffen thought. “Maybe she was my Mother. Maybe, I was hers!” No matter what the thought, Muffen always laid by Aruna’s side so that her hand could pet the long, soft fur of Muffen’s back and head. It was as it should be.
The mornings were fun. They woke up whenever they chose and breakfast was always an adventure. Muffen wasn’t easy to please, but she wondered why they didn’t have eggs from chickens. She had wondered down the road many times and had befriended some local chickens who told her why they laid eggs and what the farmers did with them. She was fascinated that the chickens gave up their babies and then let people eat them! But in the end, she understood and just followed Aruna around without a sign of discontent.
“What should we have for breakfast today?” Aruna asked herself.
“Food would be nice,” Muffen thought to herself. “I’m hungry. You forgot to feed me last night, but I understand.” Aruna almost perceived Muffen’s mouth forming a smile.
“I know you’re hungry dear; I didn’t forget last night. We just don’t have anything left. I’m so sorry.”
“We’ll find something, you’ll see,” Muffen was determined.
She led Aruna down the road to the path where the chicken farms were plentiful. “Come this way,” she intimated. “Ladies, may we borrow a few eggs? When we can we will pay you back.”
“That’s okay, Muffen. You have always been our friend and listened to our chatter and we will be happy to give you some of our eggs.”
With that, a few of the bigger chickens rolled several eggs out of their hen houses with their feet and left them in front of Aruna. “May God bless you little ones. Come on, Muffen. You need something to eat. I’ll fix you a wonderful omelet to go with your milk.”
With the five eggs she had taken out of her pocket, she made four of them for Muffen. “You are a dear and must be hungry. You eat. I will make this one for me.”
Muffen refused and pushed the dish in front of Aruna for you see, Muffen also had a place at the kitchen table and Aruna could not bear to let Muffy think she was not as important as she. All enlightened spirits have a divine spark, even at the dinner table!
“We will share then. I love you more than my own life, Muffen. God has given you to me more than 18 years ago and there wasn’t one day in my life that I wanted for anything for you gave me all the love, companionship and inner joy that I could have ever wanted. You are a good friend and I will always treasure that friendship.”
Muffen was pleased with herself. She was 18 and as far as she knew, that was rather old for a cat in this part of the woods. She had no enemies since she talked to everyone and made friends easily and her daily lie-downs in the sun were such a joy to her for she met the creatures of the forest and more birds would be curious and sit on her head or her back to see if it were true — she would not attack them or take their food.
Their cow Shemah was their only source of milk and nourishment when things got rough. In fact, with the winter months coming shortly, Shemah would be spending most of her days in the house with them.
Muffen wasn’t too happy about having Shemah share the house since the house was small and she was so big. But Aruna explained that Shemah would die in the winter snow if she didn’t live with them, so there were no further discussions. Each winter, Shemah became a domesticated house pet!
Muffen’s talks to the squirrels and other woodland animals became griping sessions of all the wood. She listened to this one fighting with this one over acorns or some such nonsense and those families weren’t ever speaking again because this one stole someone’s piece of bread or sunflower seed. The list went on and on. And because Muffen was so spiritual, she tried to mend all the broken families and patch things up between friends and family. She explained that possessions were not what were important in this life; but that we all helped each other see the light. Our incarnations to human were what they had to strive for. They needed to become more human.
The day light hours were getting shorter and shorter as the summer passed into fall and then slowly into the white cover of snow over the land — winter was now here.
There she was – Shemah – mooing at all hours of the day or night. My God, what is a cow doing in a house? It was quite unusual and very hard to stay focused on her value for food – for giving milk and sustenance to them. The meager leftover hay that Aruna had brought into the house was slowly dwindling but there seemed to be enough until spring.
At 96, Aruna was now certain her time had come to go to her next incarnation and sat in her favorite rocking chair rocking with Muffenpuff in her lap wrapped in the colorful ripple stitch afghan she had made for her as a kitten. They were both bundled and cozy.
Muffen looked at Aruna and said, “I love you, Aruna, as if you were my own blood.”
“I heard your thoughts, Muffen!”
Muffen looked astonished. “You heard me?”
“Yes. I want you to know that you have always been a source of great comfort to me. I wouldn’t have traded a minute of your company for that of any other including human company.”
“I don’t know what to say. I have so much to say to you and I don’t know where to start. I want to know about astrology and how the stars represent a map of the sky at the moment of birth. I want to know about tarot and dreams and…” She looked at Aruna and her eyes were closed. “Aruna?” She did not answer. Her hand that was gently petting her long silken fur had fallen off of her back and to her lap. “Aruna, don’t leave me. I need you. You’re the only family I have.”
Muffen laid down her head in Aruna’s lap, in the afghan she had made especially for her so many years ago and went to sleep as well.
As spring approached, all the baby animals were scurrying around their parents and running up and down Aruna’s house. They were looking for Muffenpuff, their friend who had taught them how to get along and how to be generous and kind and love one another. Where was she?
They all wondered. Some went up to the house. Some looked in the window. Some went into the house via the front door where Shemah had pushed it opened.
There was a rocking chair in the corner and it was rocking with a colorful afghan Aruna had once made for her beloved cat Muffen — and no one in the wood had ever seen them again.
Copyrighted 2002 by Vikki Anderson. Do not reprint without permission. www.VikkiAnderson.com.
Posted by: lalainya on: June 26, 2008
Another original fairytale by Vikki Anderson.
On top of a very magical mountain in a land that was so old that inhabitants had forgotten its name, lived a 400 year old woman named Merrillyn who tended the biggest pumpkin patch ever known in her village. Her pumpkins were the most sought after in all the land since she tended them with such love and devotion that they became alive on her command. She wanted the town’s children to enjoy her pumpkins and to decorate them with horrible or funny faces to scare away the evil spirits that might by misfortune come into their lives. Her goal was to make a seedless pumpkin, which never worked, but her pumpkins by far were the grandest in all the land.
Each day she would tend the garden with her delicate purple gardener’s gloves. She would weed the patch and water it and let the sun shine on them for as long as it wanted. The clouds would occasionally shade her patch, but in the end, she would only allow just the right amount of sunlight. Her theory was that at the 25,000’ elevation, the sun’s energy and vitamins were two of the most important things to her pumpkin patch and its well being. Of course, she knew that without her fairies’ assistance, these pumpkins would be just like all the others…small, odd shaped and not delicious enough for pumpkin pie or soup after the All Hallow’s Eve Celebration had ended.
“There she is,” murmured the fairies. “There’s Merrillyn.” Even though the pumpkin patch fairies knew the old woman tended their patch every day without fail, they were still amazed that the Pumpkin Goddess would have time for them.
“Hello my sweeties. How is everyone today? Did you get enough water last night?” she asked in a rhetorical fashion as she pulled weeds and placed them in the very large compost pile she had been accumulating for as long as she could remember, “and how are you my darling fairies?”
“We’re fine, Merrillyn. I hope we’re helping the pumpkins grow to your satisfaction, as always.”
“Yes, the pumpkins are growing just fine. You’re doing a lovely job, Little Ones,” she answered. “The sun is supposed to be very bright today, so I will cover you with this canopy after a short time since I don’t want you to burn and die. The children are counting on you after all and so am I.”
“Whatever you wish, Goddess.”
The fairies have lived with Merrillyn their whole lives, nearly 400 years as well. It seemed they both appeared at the same time and have been inseparable ever since. When Merrillyn first came, she prayed to the nature spirits for their help in growing all the vegetables and fruits the small community needed down below. She donated all of her crops and never accepted money. She just wanted to help. It seemed they had heard her wish and because it was so pure and selfless, she was blessed with baby fairies full of life, love and a desire to help all who needed their help.
So with each passing day, week, year and century – the bond between Merrillyn and her garden fairies became cemented. It seemed no one could ever threaten the life they had so carefully built throughout time.
As Halloween was nearing, several uninvited fire fairies (or so they said they were) moved into the patch and caused havoc.
“This Merrillyn you talk about, she can’t be a Goddess.”
“She is,” the patch fairies insisted.”
“Have you ever seen her do any magic? Does she have any unusual powers at all?”
“Look at the size of these pumpkins – she cares for us and let’s the pumpkins take on their own personalities.”
“Please wake up! There is a world out there where you can live and meet other fairies like yourselves. This is just a very small village in one part of our dimension.”
“But it is our home. We love serving the Goddess. She cares for us.”
“Like pets? Or slaves?”
The fire fairies were upsetting the garden and earth spirits terribly. Toren, the oldest and most wise of all the elemental earth fairies and gnomes, said, “We don’t wish to be rude, but you must leave our home and our pumpkin patch. You do not belong here.”
“Why not?”
“Why? Because you are breaking the very core of our belief system. The younger ones will be confused and think you are telling the truth. They might leave the shelter of our home. You must leave!”
“Is it because we tell you that your Goddess is only a third dimensional creature – a human – with no redeeming virtues. Humans exploit resources, damage Mother Earth and have no respect for nature.”
“Merrillyn is different. She respects us and cares for us.”
“How?”
“She cares for us and loves nature, the sky, the ground she plants by herself with the pumpkin seeds. The vines she so carefully tends each day until they are ripe with personalities of their own.”
“Personalities? You talk as if they are alive!”
Toren looked at the fire fairies curiously. “You’ve never been to this land during the All Hallow’s Celebration?”
“No,” they replied.
“Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to watch our Goddess on All Hallow’s Eve. She protects the people who believe in her.”
“We don’t understand,” a few fire fairies replied.
“You will.”
As All Hallow’s Eve came closer and closer, the fire fairies were curiously awaiting the mystery to unfold. What was Merrillyn going to do?
The long awaited night finally arrived. All Hallow’s Eve. The night air was crisp and still. It was an eerie time.
Merrillyn came out of her house and into the garden where she addressed her fairies.
“Another year has gone by, my sweeties. I will make our lovely pumpkin creations come alive again and protect our people.” Within minutes, she was stirring a large black cauldron saying words which were unfamiliar to the fire fairies, but they listened intently. They noticed cousin fire fairies helping the fire burn brightly and hot under the large cauldron. They joined without hesitation. If their cousins assisted this woman, whoever she was, they would have no choice by to help out of duty to their kind.
“Pumpkins new and pumpkins old,
Listen to my story told,
You are blessed with life now true,
To the village people too
Smile, howl, and scream with fun
Till the dead souls do not come
To our village far and wide
Pumpkins now… be on our side.”
With that incantation, the contents of the cauldron started to overflow and the liquid quickly flowed throughout the pumpkin patch. Eerie noises were heard far and wide. The fire fairies watched with fear. The Goddess was making the pumpkins come alive! They started to break off of their vines and rolled away from twigs or branches which had kept them in place. FACES appeared on the pumpkins. Some had happy smiley faces, some silly, some scary and some, well, they were too upsetting to describe.
They started to roll down the mountain in a very long straight line and once at the bottom of the mountain, they started to find their way to each and every house in the village. When the pumpkins were in place on each doorstep, Merrillyn said a private prayer and all the pumpkins had a magically lit candle inside of them burning brightly throughout the night! Her work was done for this year. No spirits would enter her village to hurt the townspeople.
But one more task was to be completed. She called to her broom which rushed up to her without hesitation; she sat upon it and raced off across the moon. For it is said that the witch of each world had to ride across the moon to officially start Samhein or All Hallow’s Eve. Merrillyn did just that.
The fire fairies apologized to the garden fairies and indeed believed that Merrillyn was a Goddess. In fact, they realized she was a witch, but didn’t want to incur her wrath by telling her garden fairies, for as negative as some witches can be, Merrillyn was indeed a good witch – Goddess – or human, depending upon your point of view, but certainly no one that they wanted to anger.
Copyrighted 2002 by Vikki Anderson. Do not reprint without permission. www.VikkiAnderson.com.
Posted by: lalainya on: June 26, 2008
After making some mistakes in my treatment of the little ones, I have come up with a list to guide you. Anyone can make the little ones in their life happier and more willing to help.
BELIEVE. You have to believe in their existence. Why should they help you if you doubt that they are even out there? Talk to them – reassure them that you believe.
ASK. Don’t demand. The fairies would much rather be asked for their help than commanded to obey your every whim — just as we would!
ACKNOWLEDGE their subtle gifts. Haven’t you ever walked with a group of friends and heard chimes, felt a cool breeze, or smelled an orchid that the others were not aware of? These are gifts. A simple, silent “thank you” will do.
GIFTS to the fairies. Elves, sylphs, and all the others appreciate the occasional little gift as much as we do. Leave a rose next to a valley for the gnomes or a crystal in the sun for the salamanders. Sprinkle petals onto the water’s surface for the undines or set a Celtic tune adrift on the air for the sylphs. There are so many little gifts you can bestow on them. Remember – they will treat you the way you treat them.
RESPECT their property. There is, of course, the ever-popular fairy mound; a raised, circular plot of land often outlines in mushrooms. I’ve also come across what I call a “gnome valley.” They are simply inverted fairy mounds, but not always perfect circles. Make sure you don’t step on these sports unless you’re sure that you’re on good terms with the inhabitants.
ASK PERMISSION. Don’t pick a bunch of flowers or mow down a wild lawn without asking the permission of the little ones. They most always oblige, but appreciate your thoughtfulness in asking.
EXPLAIN. Tell the dark fairies why you are invading their space (basements, attics, etc.). Say some like, “I just need to do some laundry,” or “I’m just going to look for my good China and will leave after that.” Try not to keep the lights on too long. They will get annoyed; after all, they are DARK fairies and like the dark.
Again, ASK PERMISSION. I can’t stress how important it is to ask permission to cross bridges. I’m sure you’ve all heard the tale of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” Though the trolls that live under the bridges (probably!) won’t gobble you up, they do like to know who you are and exactly why it is necessary for you to wake them.
ASSURE. Make sure the little ones know that you want them in your life. They’ll do almost anything for you. They just have to know you care.
Allow them their GAMES. Don’t get too upset when you’re positive you put your glasses down in a particular place and then they mysteriously disappear (as mine often do!). The sprites are just having a good time watching you frantically search around the house. They’ll soon give the missing object back when they get bored.
All in all, just respect the little ones and make them part of your daily life. I speak from experience when I say your life will be much happier and better for it!
Posted by: lalainya on: June 25, 2008
Another original fairytale by Vikki Anderson
Spring was here and the children were playing at the lake for the first time in months. The winter had been harsh and although they skated upon the mirror like foundation of ice, it was more appealing to them in the spring and summer when they could fish, boat and swim.
The children were from a small town where everyone knew each other and all was safe and secure for the little ones. All knew how to swim; all knew how to boat and fish and safety the adults of the community had always encouraged.
It was for this reason that the children were very upset when they heard cries of help from around the lake. It was a very small voice. A youngster’s voice indeed. “Help, we can’t get out. Please help us!” The cries were so frantic and upsetting that the children decided to look around the lake in sections by groups of three. The cries continued and the children were starting to cry. “Help us. Something is holding us down. We can’t get up. We can’t see the light. Please help — anyone — help us!”
One of the oldest children ran home, just on the other side of the lake, to get her parents. They raced down to the awaiting children and also heard the cries for help. They looked and looked, but couldn’t find anyone. They searched under the bridge and thought the local troll may have captured one of their kind, but he was asleep. They asked the water fairies for help and even though they are in competition with the earth fairies at times, they were very obliging and searched the length and depth of the lake to see if any other earth fairy was in trouble. The earth fairies were puzzled and yet, the little voice cried out over and over again. “We’re here, please help us.”
All of a sudden, one of the pebbles near the large oak tree slightly moved. The pebble shaped crystal was about an inch in diameter; it looked quite heavy to move. All the children helped the parent earth fairies push the crystal to one side after struggling with it for a few minutes.
Immediately, a beautiful crocus came springing forth with brilliantly colored purple petals and a strong green stem stretching towards the mid-day sun. One of the tiniest earth fairies anyone had ever seen popped out of the ground brushing himself off of excess dirt and grime. “I couldn’t help the poor crocus bloom with that boulder in the way. Thank you all for your help,” and as mysteriously as he had appeared, he had vanished!
The children returned to playing near the water and tried to pick up as many “boulders” as they could to help any other flower fairy trying to help a bloom reach the sunlight in the rebirth of springtime.
