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/daily-life/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/12/the-yule-ball/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/12/the-yule-ball/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:07:47 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=1914 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/12/the-yule-ball/feed/ 0 celebration,faerie magic,faerie winter palace,gift,holly berries,jingle bells,pine cones,shooting star,steampunk faerie "Winter Procession" by David Delemare Transporting the "faerie way" has a tendency to make me slightly dizzy, I think it has something to do with molecules rearranging... - We always arrive in the realm outside the palace, "Winter Procession" by David Delemare Transporting the "faerie way" has a tendency to make me slightly dizzy, I think it has something to do with molecules rearranging... We always arrive in the realm outside the palace, appearing  just at the bottom of the broad stairs that lead up to the ornate double doors of the royal home. Because this was a special occasion, and because Arial wanted to make her first visit to the newly arrived queen spectacular, she made sure that our whole entourage appeared right in the center of the Grand Hall. Personally, I thought it was because she was showing off for her mother, but she insists it was..."just for effect, in honor of Yule". The winter palace, as you would suspect, is made entirely of ice and snow. Every wall glistens. The floors are solid white and the color of choice is blue, every shade you can imagine. It sounds like a cold and foreboding place but I can assure you, it is just the opposite. Faerie magic is a wonderfully subtle thing, you can never trust your senses. What looks cold; is warm, and things that appear at a distance are actually closer than you suspect.  Now, standing in the middle of the winter palace, I was comfortably warm. The pale ice blue walls were draped with long runs of spruce garland that were decorated with pine cones, holly berries, and snowdrop flowers.Fireflies added their own particular type of twinkle.  Two large oak trees stood sentinel at both sides of the dais, where, instead of one chair, four chairs sat. I had to ask. "Arial, what's with the four chairs?" I pointed at the ornate stools, each carved with symbols depicting winter, spring, summer, and fall. Arial was busy greeting a steady flow of her faerie family. She looked very proud of her kind as she  turned to explained."The Festival of Oak and Holly is the only time the four sitting queens are together. The Yule ball is the time for all four seasons of the Fae to come together and celebrate the coming year." I nodded and looked around me. The grand hall was quickly filling up with faeries of all types and sizes. Other magical beings where in attendance as well. Elendain and the elves from the elven-wood were here. The centaurs were represented by Serg. There were dwarfs and pixies, mermaids and dyads (the mermaids accommodated by the placement of large fountains down each side of the hall). The dyads pretty much stayed in the oak trees, only coming out to greet the occasional well wisher.  This party reminded me of the one I attended at Midsummer, only more lavish. While marveling at my surroundings, I was surprised by a sudden flurry of faerie wings. Flashes of blue, yellow, red, and green obscured my sight. Four faeries whipped about my head in an excited frenzy. They were all talking in high tinkling voices at the same time, which made it hard to tell what was being said, it just sounded like a cacophony of jingle bells. Then it dawned on me, these were the first four faeries I ever saw! I held out my arms. Sunny, Bella, Pip, and Ferne all came to rest, two on each arm, wings fluttering wildly in their excitement . "Oh! my dear sweet friends! I am so glad you're back! Pip, I do believe you've grown, and Sunny, are you still a relentless teaser?" Ferne, the plant lover of the bunch, glided up to tuck a sprig of holly behind my ear and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. While we got caught up on the latest happenings, the lights dimmed and the huge crystal doors at the back of the hall swung open slowly. A path to the throne was made as the guests parted to make way for the procession of queens. As it turned out, I was on the front line after the throng of beings drew back to allow the queens passage. I could see them as they came down the aisle, stopping every once in a while to hug someone or share a few words. I noticed, as they made their way to where I was standing, that the people they stopped to speak with didn't look at all magical. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no http://fairiefabels.com/2009/11/its-great-to-be-home/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/11/its-great-to-be-home/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:27:55 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=1779 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/11/its-great-to-be-home/feed/ 0 Arial,chihuahuas,fire faeries,groceries,Hawthorne trees,Roast,yellow leaves Unlike the faeries of Winter and Summer, the more subtle faeries of Spring and Fall choose a quiet, unassuming nature when it comes to the changing of the seasons. Bulbs are coaxed silently from the ground in the spring. New buds form on branch and bow. Unlike the faeries of Winter and Summer, the more subtle faeries of Spring and Fall choose a quiet, unassuming nature when it comes to the changing of the seasons. Bulbs are coaxed silently from the ground in the spring. New buds form on branch and bow... The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 7:15 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/11/ghost-winds-blowin/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/11/ghost-winds-blowin/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:20:38 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=1838 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/11/ghost-winds-blowin/feed/ 0 ancestors,castles,Ireland,monk,Stonehenge,twilight,UK,vacation With thoughts of the mysterious monk I encountered on the path to Willowmeer swirling through my mind I hurried around the curve in the path and was instantly transported back in time, just ahead of me stood the shops and cottages of  Willowmeer, With thoughts of the mysterious monk I encountered on the path to Willowmeer swirling through my mind I hurried around the curve in the path and was instantly transported back in time, just ahead of me stood the shops and cottages of  Willowmeer, looking exactly like the photo's in the brochure. ****** It was just a few months ago that I had decided to take a vacation to the UK. I wanted to see the grand old castles and visit Stonehenge, making the side trip into Ireland was a decision that I made when I got here. I reasoned, I'm so close why not visit the country of my ancestors. I picked up a few brochures in the lobby of my hotel and instantly fell in love with the photo of a small town that was only a day trip away. I decided that I would  leave in the morning. The drive through the beautiful rolling green hills of Ireland was serene and I almost missed the small weathered sign stating "Willowmeer-1km" pointing down the path on the right side. I pulled off the road into a small dirt parking area and got out of the car. The sun was still fairly high in the sky and I thought that it would only take and hour or so to visit the town, so I started off down the path. A kilometer turned out to be farther than I had planned on. ****** I pulled myself back from my reminiscing and focused on the  winding street in front of me. Holding the lantern out I made my way into the center of the town. Willowmeer was a quaint village  consisting of  stuccoed shops with paned windows and thatched roofs, some place right out of the seventeenth century. The street was cobblestone and was bordered on both sides with tall iron street lamps that were now glowing with a soft yellow light. A few women were closing up their shops for the evening and started walking together in twos and threes up the sidewalk, making their way to hearth and home. A couple of stout little women in long skirts and aprons smiled and waved to me, then drifted off into the twilight, talking softly between themselves. I stopped in front of a wooden door with a plaque above it proudly proclaiming it to be... "The Lucky Horseshoe Inn and Tavern, D. O'Brien-proprietor". A large tree stump sat off to the side with a pile of firewood stacked beside it. There were two axes leaning next to the stump and another with its blade buried in the middle of the large, nicked surface. It was way to dark to go back now, I would have to see if I could get a room here for the night. I placed the lantern on the stump and pushed hard on the door. To my surprise, it swung in easily, with me stumbling in behind it. A tall, rugged looking man with a red beard and shaggy hair was standing behind the bar, wiping glasses and setting them on a high wooden shelf behind him. He gave a short laugh when I made my embarrassing entrance and said, "Well lass, come on in then and set a spell, looks like you could use it." I smiled sheepishly at him then straightened up and nonchalantly smoothed my hair back. He waved his towel at the door. "Don't be forgettin' the door now, it's lettin' the cold in." Cringing a little I said, "Oh, I'm sorry!" I started to close the heavy door and remembered the lantern. Pulling the door open again, I stepped out to retrieve it. I had set the lantern down on the tree stump, I know I did, but now it was nowhere to be found. Where it had been was a circle of fine gray ash. I was staring at the stump when a chilling wind swirled around me and blew the ash out into the darkness. At that same moment, a hand landed heavily on my shoulder. I jumped and turned around as the bar keeper, towel thrown over his shoulder,  stepped out into the night. He looked up and down the street, now empty of all life, and said in a low voice, "ghost wind's blowin' tonight, better come in now." He took one more look around and lead me inside, closing the big door with a solid bang. Shutting out the spirits that roam the night. © Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 5:10 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/11/to-faeriecon-and-back/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/11/to-faeriecon-and-back/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:18:22 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=1826 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/11/to-faeriecon-and-back/feed/ 0 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/10/i-see-faeries/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/10/i-see-faeries/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:01:11 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=1781 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/10/i-see-faeries/feed/ 0 Blue Ridge Mountains,faerie fan club,faerie sighthing,Haiku,Katherine Bourgeois,magic of words,silver flute " Arial, come and look." I was working at the computer when an e-mail message came in from a good friend, Katherine Bourgeois. Kat and I met on a social site for business people and were immediately friends. " Arial, come and look." I was working at the computer when an e-mail message came in from a good friend, Katherine Bourgeois. Kat and I met on a social site for business people and were immediately friends. I was told by Queen Litha that faerie people find each other, and I am finding out that  she was right, people from all over are writing to me about some faerie sighting or another. "Remember Kat? She introduced us to Patricia Saxton." Arial was all smile's as she made herself comfortable on my shoulder. "Yes, I do remember, have you received new tidings from her? (Fairy's tend to talk "old world"). "I have, would you like to see?" Arial jumped up and swirled about in a fast, rather complicated series of aerial maneuvers. She stopped suddenly and drew a tiny silver flute from  her belt. It wasn't long after the sweet, melodic notes had faded away that the room exploded into hundreds of fall faeries, all struggling to look at the monitor. I had faeries sitting on my head and slipping off both shoulders, one even tried to perch on the tip of my nose. "Um...excuse me!" I carefully removed the offending faerie by lifting her up by the wings and setting her down on the desk, where remarkably, there wasn't one other faerie. "Thanks Arial, just what we needed, a faerie fan club." The room vibrated with excitement. Arial darted back and forth, "Hurry, hurry hurry!" A couple of  things I have noticed about my faerie friends, they don't have much patience, and they love a good story (that's probably why Arial is so insistent that I write things down). "All right, calm down! I'm opening it, look, here it comes. She sent pictures too!" Kat wrote: Tami, on a recent trip blueberry picking in a beautiful valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, my granddaughter Chloe and I discovered several beautiful faerie hideaways.  These lovely little spots also sparked a little faerie haiku. Arial wrinkled her nose as she tip-toed around the keyboard. "What is "haiku?" She ask this as if it were something to avoid stepping in. I had to laugh at the expression on her face. "Haiku is a form of non-rhyming, Zen-like poetry that originated in Japan. It has a formal structure limited to seventeen syllables, five in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third line. Would you like me to read them to you?" All the faeries clapped and cheered so I began: Deep in the valley I thought I saw a glimmer Of faerie luster. Twinkling by the stream Sparkling, blinking, and shining Faeries as flashlights ****** Faerie, tucked in for The night, did you hide your light Under the covers? ****** Silly Faerie, why Do you think I cannot see You blinking at me? ****** Do faeries smile and Stop to talk a while and be Friends like you and me? ****** Is there faerie time? Or can their days be measured In winks of an eye? ****** When faeries get mad Do they blink slowly and point A mean wing at you? There was a soft collective sigh when I stopped reading. Fairy eyes are, for the most part, large and dewy, but now I noticed that there were more than a few misty eyes in the group. I smiled. "Judging by everyone's response I take it that you like Kat's Haiku?" The faeries were sitting in groups of two and three hugging each other and humming softly. Arial came up close to my ear and whispered "We must send Kat a missive this instant thanking her for her charming words and her captivating still life!" The fall faeries drifted off, one by one, still caught in the magic of Katherine's words. © Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009. My heartfelt thanks go out to Kat for her wonderful poetry! The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 5:32 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/08/warren-and-the-gigantic-tomato-vine/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/08/warren-and-the-gigantic-tomato-vine/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:10:13 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=1615 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/08/warren-and-the-gigantic-tomato-vine/feed/ 0 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 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/the-invisible-walls-of-elvenwood/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/the-invisible-walls-of-elvenwood/#comments Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:28:20 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1369 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/the-invisible-walls-of-elvenwood/feed/ 0 charms,escort,invisible walls,platform,sunlight,trees Odette and I followed Elendain up the rope bridge to a large platform high in the tops of the gigantic evergreen forest. We burst out of the branches into bright morning sunlight that spread as far as we could see. I stopped at the end of the bridge, Odette and I followed Elendain up the rope bridge to a large platform high in the tops of the gigantic evergreen forest. We burst out of the branches into bright morning sunlight that spread as far as we could see. I stopped at the end of the bridge, holding tight to the rough rope. "Is it safe up here? I mean, won't we fall off if the wind starts to blow?" Elendain turned back to me, smiling. "My dear, we have been here since the dawn of time, no one has ever "fallen off". Come, walk with me and I'll show you." She held out her hand to me. "I promise, you won't feel even a whisper of movement." I took her hand and carefully stepped out onto the large, round platform. Elendain continued. "We live in harmony with nature, we respect Gaia and she respects us, the wind never blows strong in these woods. Walk to the edge and put out your hand." I moved gingerly toward the edge, a tingling sensation of dread crawling up my spine. Stopping about five feet back, I held out my hand toward empty space. Elendain glided up behind me. "That's right, keep going. Hold your hand out in front of you, yes, that's right." I nervously inched my way closer to the edge of the platform. Two feet to go and my hand hit something. My eyes told me that there was nothing there, but my touch said there was a wall in front of me. With my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open, I took a few more steps closer and put both hands out, palms forward, and mimed  my way around the entire platform. "It's an invisible wall!" Elendain motioned for me to return to her side. "There are charms all through the elvenwood. This great hall is where we hold all of our celebrations and we prefer to be as close as we can to the heavens. That is why we charmed the ceiling and walls to be invisible. Odette was giggling under her breath, with a mischievous look on her face she darted toward the edge. At the last moment, before she could leap out into the blue sky, she turned her body and smashed, shoulder first into the invisible wall. "Oh, Odette don't...". She rolled on the floor at my feet laughing hysterically. "Ah missus, these inviseeble walls mess with yer brain they do. Lettin ya think yer gona fall."  Elendain was laughing too. I turned toward her with a mock look of exasperation. "Don't encourage her." I tried to keep my voice stern but it's hard not to laugh when everybody around you is laughing. Somewhere below a flute played. Elendain turned toward the east. "Your escort is arriving." In the distance I could see bright flashes of red, orange and yellow all through the dark green of the trees, it looked like tiny  fireworks moving toward us. As we made our way down, dropping once more into the  shelter of the evergreen boughs, I had a thought. "Elendain? If there are charms all through these woods, how did a troll find you? When Arial and the emerald guard helped me get home through the woods by the faerie palace, they kept throwing little silver orbs into the bushes at the side of the road. They said that it made the path invisible to the trolls and since they couldn't see the road, they would wander off in another direction." A shadow of doubt played across Elendain's face. Her eyes darkened the way Lilly's did the day Lucy and I walked down the street in front of the little white house. Elendain's voice pulled me back from my musings. "Yes, that is a good question, and one I will be looking into, but for now..." She stopped at the bottom of the tree and stepped to one side to let me pass in front of her. "Your escort is here." I looked up, flying toward us through the lingering mist on the forest floor, came hundreds of  faeries riding on fireflies. © Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 5:37 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/1248/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/1248/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:22:27 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1248 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/1248/feed/ 0 centaurs,crystal,forest,moss I landed face down in a bed of thick damp moss, two seconds later, Odette landed right beside me. With the smell of ozone still heavy in my nostrils, I rolled over and sat up. The last of the light was leaving the sky and the forest  was becoming incre... I landed face down in a bed of thick damp moss, two seconds later, Odette landed right beside me. With the smell of ozone still heavy in my nostrils, I rolled over and sat up. The last of the light was leaving the sky and the forest  was becoming increasingly dark. Odette stood beside me pulling bits of leaves and moss out of her hair. "An what would ya be thinkin just happened?" She seemed to be very calm, given the fact that we were just magically transported who knows where. Now that I had a chance to pull myself together, I didn't seem to be all that worried either, I had some bumps and scratches, but that was it. I picked Odette up and put her on my lap. "I think that there was some sort of negative effect when the energy beams from the two wands crossed, and we got caught in the middle of it." The underbrush rustled violently to the side of us. "Shh! I put my fingers over Odette's mouth. "Somethings coming." I got quietly to my knees and crawled into a stand of tall ferns, signaling Odette to follow, then pulled the fronds up behind us. Twenty feet away, two young Centaurs crashed into the clearing, jumping wildly and butting their heads together as they took turns using defensive moves. They shoved and pushed their way closer to us, unaware that we were watching. When they were just feet away they suddenly stopped and turned  in our direction, sensing our presence.  Odette and I sat frozen in place. Odette opened her mouth to say something but I quickly put one finger to my lips to signal her to keep quiet. The centaurs started pushing through the undergrowth, working in opposite directions around the clearing. Before they could complete the circle back to where we hid, a horn sounded, high and thin. They snorted and bounded off through the trees, leaving us alone in the forest. I released the breath I had been holding. "I thought they would find us for sure.  Do you think they were friendly?" My nerves were frayed, reality was setting in, we were alone in the forest and no one knew where we were or how to find us. "There there dear, that's what I've been tryin to tell ya, centaurs are faerie friendly, I've known em to help all the different faeries. Chances are, the faeries have called all the forest dwellers ta gether ta help find ya." The light in the sky was almost gone now and I was starting to shiver. We had landed in very damp moss and my clothes were soaked through. "Odette, I'm getting cold and I don't think we had better stay here any longer. Lets find some place where we can get warm." When I stood up a sharp pain shot through my knee. I muffled a groan. Odette peered at me through the growing darkness. "You okay missus?" I crouched down to pick her up and another pain coursed through my knee, I bit back an exclamation. "Yes, I'm fine, just sore from the landing I guess." I needed to change the subject. "If the centaurs are friendly maybe we should go the way they went." I pointed across the clearing. "Over there, between those two trees, see, we can walk where they trampled through the underbrush. We started across the clearing. Bruised from the fall, and with my knee constantly reminding me that there was some wrong with it, I worried that I wouldn't be able to walk very far.  I looked around to find a stick that I could use as a cane. I couldn't see anything, the forest was completely  submerged in darkness now. Discouraged, I sat down with my back against a gigantic tree, tears welling up in my eyes. Odette climbed up my arm and with the edge of her apron, wiped the tears away. "Here now missus, no need for them tears, things will work out, you'll see." She sat down on my shoulder. It reminded me of the way Arial would sit and braid my hair while talking to me and the tears started again. "Odette, it's pitch dark now, I can't see two feet in front of me, I'm cold, and my knee hurts. I'm having a very hard time seeing how things will be okay." Odette thought for a minute. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 7:12