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.
