http://fairiefabels.com faeries through the ivy hedge Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:50:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.5 faeries through the ivy hedge The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no faeries through the ivy hedge http://fairiefabels.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://fairiefabels.com/category/blogs/ http://fairiefabels.com/2011/02/the-ember-audios/ http://fairiefabels.com/2011/02/the-ember-audios/#comments Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:50:07 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=2324 http://fairiefabels.com/2011/02/the-ember-audios/feed/ 0 http://fairiefabels.com/2010/02/dragon-awards/ http://fairiefabels.com/2010/02/dragon-awards/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:26:05 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=2082 http://fairiefabels.com/2010/02/dragon-awards/feed/ 0 http://fairiefabels.com/2010/02/ember-in-faerie-land/ http://fairiefabels.com/2010/02/ember-in-faerie-land/#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:11:23 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=2072 http://fairiefabels.com/2010/02/ember-in-faerie-land/feed/ 0 The Kind One realizing she was lost in the dark forest at night, cried out for Arial. A spectral ghostly faerie appeared in the mist. The faerie whispered, and promised to take The Kind One to safety. It was just a ruse to give the being a chance to lu... The Kind One realizing she was lost in the dark forest at night, cried out for Arial. A spectral ghostly faerie appeared in the mist. The faerie whispered, and promised to take The Kind One to safety. It was just a ruse to give the being a chance to lull her with mind-numbing spells. The Kind One was drifting into unconsciousness and breathing with great difficulty. She was dying. At the very last moment before she totally succumbed, golden lights like fireflies drifted through the mist and landed on her outstretched hand. Then they gathered and formed a large orb of golden light which catapulted straight at the misty faerie. She shrieked, as her true self was revealed. This was no faerie at all, but some evil creature with black eyes and leathery wings. ~~~~~~ I hit the mossy ground hard. The beast, now devoid of all life was spiraling out of control and heading,  face first straight toward the spot where I had landed. I could hear its wings whistling through the sky as it plummeted earthward. I knew I would be crushed if I didn't move fast but my brain wasn't sending the message to my legs so I just sat there, watching the large, bulky body growing ever larger. Blocking out more and more of the sparkling orbs as it fell. I was jerked, unceremoniously, behind a towering oak tree at the last minute. The lifeless body of the enormous creature hit the ground hard, making a huge crater in the soft earth. The impact shook the surrounding forest like a bomb, sending dirt and debris flying in every direction. "Whoa!" I shook my head and rotated my shoulder. The feeling was beginning to return causing it to ache and throb. "I could have been totally smashed!" A young woman with long fiery red hair stepped out from behind the tree and stood by my side. "Yeah, you really could have. Good thing I dropped by." I jumped back at the sound of another human voice. Keeping a small bush between us (I don't really know what protection a small bush would afford but it was all I had) I stared at the stranger in shock and amazement. "Who are you!? And where did you come from?" I was having a hard time keeping the stress of my recent brush with death out of my voice. I shook a half closed fist at her. "Don't come any closer or I'll, or I'll..." "Or you'll what? She brushed her hair back away from her face and smiled. "Is that any way to say thank you? I just saved your life." I pulled up my tattered gown and sat down on a soft patch of moss and indicated for her to sit beside me. "I'm so sorry, I have had a really bad night. Seeing someone else in this forest, alone, gave me a quite a fright. You can't really trust things to be what they look like in the fairy realm." "Oh, I understand, I have had so many adventures that nothing surprises me any more.  But I'm not alone." She leaned back and reached behind a small tree. "You can come out now."  I watched as a small fury creature with large owl eyes and hands that look like they were borrowed from a spider money crawled from under a bush and onto the girls shoulders, wrapping its thick, bushy, tail around her neck. "Let me introduce myself. I am Ember Innocenzi and this is Perhluna, my traveling companion." Perhluna waggled hello with flat tipped fingers. "As for where we came from...that's complicated. But I can tell you that we were dropped here by a very accommodating dragon by the name of Illustratia." "I'm afraid that you haven't had a very warm welcome. The faerie realm is a lovely place and the gardens around the queens palace are very peaceful. But the dark wood can be dangerous at night. I think we had better stay put until first light. Maybe Arial will have found us by then." I leaned my head against the oak tree and closed my eyes, aware of Ember's curious stare. Without opening my eyes, I asked the question. "Yes?" Perhluna disentangled his furry tail and went off in search of something to eat and Ember laid down on her side, propping her head in her hand. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no http://fairiefabels.com/2010/01/mortals-who-would-be-faeries/ http://fairiefabels.com/2010/01/mortals-who-would-be-faeries/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:49:07 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=1967 http://fairiefabels.com/2010/01/mortals-who-would-be-faeries/feed/ 1 Adventures,Armies of Darkness,Autumn Queen,cloak and dagger,crown,dress,Dryads,fae,faerie blood,fall harvest,garden,gift of the faeries Dressed in their finest,  Arial and the emerald guard escorted the Kind One to the winter queen's palace. The grand hall was transformed for the faeries high holiday of Yule. It is the only time the queens of the four seasons, Orlaith, Alina, Dressed in their finest,  Arial and the emerald guard escorted the Kind One to the winter queen's palace. The grand hall was transformed for the faeries high holiday of Yule. It is the only time the queens of the four seasons, Orlaith, Alina, Litha and... The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no http://fairiefabels.com/2009/08/mortals-who-love-faeries-make-the-best-friends/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/08/mortals-who-love-faeries-make-the-best-friends/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:22:30 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=1578 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/08/mortals-who-love-faeries-make-the-best-friends/feed/ 3 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/08/midsummer-revisited/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/08/midsummer-revisited/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:48:31 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1477 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/08/midsummer-revisited/feed/ 0 bleeding hearts,crystal,dancing,dragonflies,faerie celebration,faerie realm,Flowers,frogs and crickets,humming birds,light of day,Midsummer,rose quartz I felt a tangible shift as I stepped into the fairy ring. A soft breeze began to sweep through the meadow, it carried the sent of lavender and jasmine as it swirled around the circle. I heard the rustling of a thousand  faerie voices blowing on the bre... I felt a tangible shift as I stepped into the fairy ring. A soft breeze began to sweep through the meadow, it carried the sent of lavender and jasmine as it swirled around the circle. I heard the rustling of a thousand  faerie voices blowing on the breeze, soft at first, then growing louder. I spun around and peered into the gloomy recces of the tall pines looking for the whispered solicitations, then, In one gigantic explosion, the air was filled with faeries. I couldn't see Arial anymore, she was lost in the frenzy of the faerie celebration. At the edge of the clearing, fireflies flew in and out of the flowers on the bleeding heart bushes, making them glow a soft red, still others flickered like tiny yellow candles moving in and out of the shadows at the edge of the clearing. Mixing with the melodious voices of the faeries were the sounds of the night. Frogs and crickets added the counter point to their song. The faeries circled and spun, diving in and out, their delicate wings fluttering through my hair. In an attempt to find Arial, I moved closer to the center, making sure not to step on any of the spiraling faeries. They were everywhere, flying on humming birds, and hiding behind flowers. I had been to the realm of the fae before but I had never seen so many different types of faeries, they were all shapes and sizes. The rhythmic melodies of the faeries were becoming more enchanting and I found myself swaying with the magical music. I caught sight of Arial just as a legion of faeries  lifted me into the air. Normally I would have been unnerved by the sudden change of altitude, but the high pitched singing had filled my ears and I was caught up in the turbulent dance of Midsummer. It looked as if I were dancing with the stars themselves, whirling faster and faster until everything blurred together. I heard musical voices whispering to me to leave the mortal world behind. The night passed into early morning and still we danced, twisting and leaping, until I felt as though I had merged with the fae. All memory of my mortal world was slowly seeping away. This is wonderful! I have no ties to hold me back, no responsibilities. I am grace and spontaneity! At this moment, I had given myself over completely to the faerie realm, I couldn't even imagine going back. I was so caught up in the euphoria of the moment that I hadn't noticed Arial spinning close by. She had a look of understanding on her face. "Kind One, we must get back to the ivy hedge before the sun's rays hit the meadow."  I felt like cold water had been splashed in my face. In the east, the sky was beginning to show the first light of day. The celebration was already beginning to fade from my memory and I became aware that I was floating high above the ground. "No Arial, I don't want to go back, I'm one of the fae now, I've been invited!" Arial held her wand over her head in both hands and spoke in elvish. The wand began to glow as we slowly drifted back toward earth. Arial spoke, her words soft in my ear. "Hold out your hand." Reluctantly, I gave in and held my hand forward. She waved her wand  and a small polished stone materialized in my upturned palm. The stone was soft pink rose quartz that had a hole in the center. I watched as black cording twined around the stone then draped itself over my head so that the pendant hung over my heart. "This is beautiful Arial, thank you, but what do I do with it? Does this mean I can stay?" Arial smiled. "The Fae need your help on the other side Kind One, your work and the people who love you are there. You are much to important to us to stay in the realm."  She could see that I was having a hard time remembering. "Hold the stone up to your eye and look through it, you will understand better." I brought the crystal up to my eye and gazed through the center. The faeries I had been dancing with were fading into mist, their delicate hands reaching out for me. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 7:36 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/07/she-still-knocks-me-out/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/07/she-still-knocks-me-out/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:17:34 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1492 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/07/she-still-knocks-me-out/feed/ 0 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/07/come-away-with-us/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/07/come-away-with-us/#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2009 01:45:43 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1464 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/07/come-away-with-us/feed/ 0 Cloudless Sky,dragonflies,faerie realm,Fairies,forest,Midsummer,mushrooms,music,predawn,soft breeze,Sunset With the fire faeries doing such a wonderful job of heating up the season, the only time I can enjoy my backyard is in the cool of early morning. The sky is a cloudless light blue and the air is calm, as if the world is holding its breath, With the fire faeries doing such a wonderful job of heating up the season, the only time I can enjoy my backyard is in the cool of early morning. The sky is a cloudless light blue and the air is calm, as if the world is holding its breath, waiting for the sun to melt away the last of the predawn shadows. I love to lay on the chase lounge and watch my faeries coming and going through the ivy hedge. Ever since the celebration of Midsummer I have had a hard time concentrating, I feel the faeries whispering to me, inviting me to join them and leave the mortal world behind. “Come away with us, come, and leave your cares behind. Feel the soft breeze of the realm; hear the stream as it trickles over cool, mossy stones. Come away, come away…if it weren’t for Arial, Odette and I would still be there. Arial has been trying to get me to write down my experiences, she tells me that it is the only way to break the spell cast over me when I entered the faerie circle; it seems that having faerie blood running through my veins makes it a little harder to resist the pull of the Fae. “Kind One, please, write down your thoughts on your computer machine, I will help if you like.” I had to smile. “Arial, I didn’t know you could type.” Arial flew in low over my laptop, skimming her tiny feet across the keyboard. “I don’t mean helping you to spell the words, I mean helping you remember.” She flew up and landed lightly on my shoulder then began to braid my hair. I felt it again, that hazy euphoric feeling. The trees started to sway back and forth and I heard pipe music playing in the distance. It could have been my imagination but I could swear that the energy field around the portal wavered. “Thanks, I think I can handle it.” I saw a look of disappointment wash across her face and felt ashamed that I had been so short and hurriedly added, “Why don’t you sit  and keep me company, I might need some clarification, I do still feel a little light headed.”  She jumped up and buzzed around my head, adding to my already disconnected feeling. A slight breeze blew through the trees, carrying with it the sweet scent of honeysuckle. It lifted my hair and made the wind chimes sway. The pipe music I was hearing grew louder as the backyard seem to fade into a fine mist. My thoughts took me back to the path at the bottom of the hill. The dragonflies and faeries had escorted us  from the Elvenwood and were landing in groups of two and three at the edge of the forest. The sun balanced on the top of the hill sending blazing fingers of orange and pink reaching out toward high, thin clouds, and in the east, the early evening hues of violet and indigo signaled the coming twilight. Arial suddenly materialized on the path in front Odette and I. Her sparkling bright orange and pink appearance took us by surprise and we had to shield our eyes from the intensity of her glow. “I’m so glad you are back! I trust that Elendain treated you well. Don’t you love the elvenwood? I knew she was nervous because she was talking fast as she whipped around us in an excited frenzy. “We must hurry to the meadow, the celebration is about to begin.” I grabbed Odette and carried her as we made our way up the hill. By the time we reached the top, the purple and blue of the evening sky was blending with the sunset and the shadows on the forest floor were quickly deepening to black, blotting out the definition of the tall deep green pine trees. I expected to see a flurry of activity in the meadow but it was empty. “Arial, where is everyone?” Arial had flown ahead of us toward the center of the clearing and was hovering just inside what looked like a ring of soft white mushrooms that were nestled among the tall grasses, their large caps tilted in every direction. Arial's glittering wings reflected the last of suns fading rays. She beckoned us forward.  “Come, come and join the dance. Step inside the fairy ring, come. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 6:31 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/07/my-goblin-problem/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/07/my-goblin-problem/#comments Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:59:36 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1443 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/07/my-goblin-problem/feed/ 0 Arial,computer,Creatures,Faerie stories,Fairies,goblins,ivy hedge,Kevin Costner,Lilly The other day I walked into my magic room to find a couple of rather nasty goblins under my desk. They were hunched over and chewing on my computer cables. After chasing them around the room for a few minutes I called Arial to help get rid of the nefa... The other day I walked into my magic room to find a couple of rather nasty goblins under my desk. They were hunched over and chewing on my computer cables. After chasing them around the room for a few minutes I called Arial to help get rid of the nefarious creatures. "Arial! come quick! There are sneaky goblins reeking havoc on my computer!" Arial shot into the room followed by two glowing fire fairies. They formed a triangle around the two little slimy green beasts, pointed their wands at at the center and chanted: "Goblins green in face and arm Here to do the Kind One harm Be ye gone by count of three Lest we fairies clobber thee" Streaks of bright green light flashed from the fairie wands and surrounded the offending pair of goblins in a glowing bubble, then vanished in a burst of sparkles leaving only a  faint trace of footprints. Arial checked around the room to make sure that there were no more intruders. "That should do it. I think that it will be a long while before those two decide to come over again" I turned on the computer and tried to get on the internet. "Shoot! They have fried the modem cable." I checked to see if the lights on the router were flashing, nope, all dark. "Oh no, they wrecked the router too." I looked over at Arial and the other fairies. "It's going to take at least a week before I have this all replaced, what are people going to think if I don't keep them up to date on the fairie happenings?" Arial landed on my shoulder, her usual place, and whispered in my ear. "If you write it, they will come." Yeah, yeah, I know, ever since Arial discovered videos she spends entirely to much time watching TV. She is a HUGE fan of Kevin Costner. I had to think for a minute. "I guess I could try to tweet on my cell phone until my network is up and running again, it won't be the same, but I guess it will have to do. I wonder how they came through the portal, isn't it invisible anymore?" The three fairies put their heads together in a huddle then Arial floated back to my shoulder and stood with her hands behind her back. "It is the opinion of my colleagues that they came through the night you came back from the Midsummer celebration. Honeyed mead can make fairies a little, oh, how shall I say it, light headed." I frowned at her. "So what you're saying is that no one noticed that we had two to  many people in our group?" She giggled."We do love our celebrations." She stood a little taller and flipped her wings. "But we are now focused on the task at hand once more, never fear." The two fire faeries slid up beside her, nodding agreement. "Well, the damage is done, there is nothing else to do but go forward from here. Just make sure that the emerald guard is watching the portal." I thought back to the day the trolls hairy arm came through the ivy. "It could have been a much scarier creature." The three of them spun around my head, smiling and whispering words of consolation, then they winked out of sight. I have noticed something about the fire faeries, the air shimmers around them. The more determined they get, the more defined the shimmer becomes. When Arial and the two fire faeries winked out, the fire faeries had a very heavy shimmer around them. I looked out the window to see Lilly heading down the street toward her little white house, it looked like she was talking to someone, but there was no one with her that I could see. I squinted my eyes and looked harder, nope, there wasn't anyone else with her, not that I could see anyway. There is something more to her than she is letting on. I made a mental note to visit her again, maybe I can figure out what it is. © Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 5:43 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/the-morning-after-or-wow-did-i-have-a-wierd-dream/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/the-morning-after-or-wow-did-i-have-a-wierd-dream/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:04:03 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1420 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/the-morning-after-or-wow-did-i-have-a-wierd-dream/feed/ 1 Alice in Wonderland,Dreams,Jim Butcher,Midsummer,NeverNever,white rabbit Arial has been after me for days to write down my impressions of the celebration of Midsummer in the faerie realm. It isn't that I have forgotten dancing with the faeries in wild abandon, after all, I have faeries coming and going through the ivy hedge... Arial has been after me for days to write down my impressions of the celebration of Midsummer in the faerie realm. It isn't that I have forgotten dancing with the faeries in wild abandon, after all, I have faeries coming and going through the ivy hedge all the time. No, it isn't that I have forgotten, I just don't know where to begin. Arial poked me again. "Begin at the beginning." She spiraled around my head, tracing intricate patterns in the air with the tips of her fingers. How frustrating it is to try and write with faerie wings buzzing in my ears! "Arial, you sound like something out of Alice in Wonderland, begin at the beginning. You know very well that it's the "beginning" that I am having a problem with." She did a mid-air cartwheel, as she passed in front of my nose, I blew on her wings making her bobble. I want to stop here to tell you that, yes, I did find Arial (she was waiting for me  on the grassy slope leading up to the  firefly meadow, silhouetted against the sun as it hung on the horizon), and yes, Odette came with me to the celebration. She rode with a fire faerie on a particularly stout dragonfly. When the entire court landed at the bottom of the path, the plump dragonfly that had been transporting Odette wobbled off into the tall grass where it proceeded to flop down and stretch out  its tired wings. I could swear I heard a loud, heavy sigh of relief coming from its general direction. Arial giggled at my teasing. "You know, I met Alice's white rabbit once, very congenial little fellow. The flower beds are nice enough, but I didn't really care for the caterpillar." I gave her a a skeptical glance. "You really want me to believe that Alice was a real girl, and that Wonderland exists?" As I think about it now, that was a dumb question. Arial twirled around, making her skirts flare out. She raised one eyebrow and gave me one of her famous quirky smiles. "Do you really want people to believe there are faeries in your backyard?" Like I said, dumb question. "Point well taken, but I do think that we are way off the point now. The question on the table is, what was the beginning. And something else... should I tell everyone what happened when Orlaith found out that you had a hand in sending me off into the faerie nevernever?" With all due respect Jim Butcher, but that is a wonderful word! Arial frowned and kicked her toe against the side of my keyboard then paced back and forth in front of the monitor, thinking hard. "No, I don't think we have to include that." She scratched her head. "I think you should start when you arrived at the meadow, you know, when the sun was going down. Oh! and you can put something in about how wonderful it was to see me again!" I hunched over and looked at her sternly (I went cross eyed, but it made my position very clear). "I'll just bet you'd like that." She nodded vigorously. I pinched my lower lip. "No, I think I'll start with waking up on the chase lounge in the backyard. After all, it did seem like a dream." "When I think about the times I've been to the palace, the troll, the time when I changed into a cat, and getting mail delivered via sail cloth, and everything else that has happened since seeing my little faeries." Arial feigned surprise, I ignored her and went on. "Midsummer was definitely something dreams are made of, not that that is a bad thing mind you, but something that will take a little explaining." I looked at the clock that hangs on the wall to the side of my computer. "It's almost five o'clock and I have to give the dogs their dinner." Arial looked at me suspiciously. "Oh, I promise that I will let everyone know the details tomorrow, hey, you can stay and share the dogs dinner!" Arial jumped up from where she had been sitting on my camera and shot out of the room. The last thing I heard as she headed for the ivy hedge was..."eeeeuww!" I do love it when I get the last word with a faerie. © Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 5:27