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/diary/ 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/2009/10/the-friar-kensington-abbey/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/10/the-friar-kensington-abbey/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:50:56 +0000 admin http://fairiefabels.com/?p=1777 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/10/the-friar-kensington-abbey/feed/ 0 candle,celtic cross,farmland,friar,glen,lantern,mist,monk,robes,shadows,vow of silence Night was quickly closing in around me and the path leading down to the little town of Willowmeer was becoming harder to see. If it weren't for the kindness of the monk I met on the road I would have been lost for sure. Night was quickly closing in around me and the path leading down to the little town of Willowmeer was becoming harder to see. If it weren't for the kindness of the monk I met on the road I would have been lost for sure. I rubbed my eyes and glanced quickly around me. The deepening shadows must have been playing tricks because it seemed as if he materialized out of thin air. With a humble nod, he greeted me silently,  palms pressed together in front of the Celtic cross that hung  around his neck. His tunic and cowl were dark gray. He wore the hood up, covering his head and obscuring his face. "Brother, thank goodness you're here. I had to park on the side of the road a ways back."  I turned to point back the way I had come and continued. "There was sign posted saying that Willowmeer was a kilometer down this path. I had no idea a kilometer was so far or I would have waited until morning to make the hike. Could you tell me how much farther it is to the town?" This mysterious friar moved closer, sending a chill breeze before him. It looked more like he glided than walked, then he stopped suddenly, close enough that I could hear his rasping breath. He gestured down the path, indicating with his fingers that it was only a short distance around the curve. I found it curious that he he wouldn't speak, then remembered that certain monks take a vow of silence.  That must be it. I felt a little embarrassed that it took me so long to understand and said, "Please excuse me for my ignorance Brother, I understand, you've taken a vow of silence." He smiled. It was a sad smile. I could see his face a little better since he moved closer and there were deep lines of sorrow etched around his hazel eyes. With his hands stuck inside the large cuffs of his robes, he bowed, then started up the path that I had just come down. I held up my hand to stop him and touched the sleeve of his tunic. When he turned, it felt like my hand passed through his arm and  a shiver ran down my spine. I shook off the chill that had come over me, telling myself that there was nothing to fear from this mild monk. "It's getting very dark, will I be into town before I lose my light completely?" He nodded and reached into a pouch that swung from the rope tied around his waist. When his hand emerged, he was holding a small lantern with a white candle. He brought the lantern close to his mouth and blew on the candle. I am not joking when I say that every hair on my head stood out as I watched the candle burst into flame. I stood, frozen, looking at the monk for what seemed to be a eternity, then hesitantly took a step forward to take the glowing beacon he offered. He nodded at me and smiled that same sad smile, then turned again to make his way up the path. When I looked up from the light, he was gone, it was like he turned to smoke and vanished into the murkey forest. The sun was low on the top of the hills that surrounded the little valley and the deepening shadows seemed to slither through the pines like ghostly wraiths.  A grassy meadow sloped down from the path and opened into a wide stretch of farmland dotted with small houses that had thatched roofs. As the shadows grew longer, a mist reached up from the ground with thin curling fingers and crawled through the glen, swallowing barns and fields, creeping closer to where I stood. I was startled from my thoughts by the quick, sharp hooting of an owl. Holding the lantern out in front of me, I hurried down the path and around the bend. Looking back I thought I saw the form of the monk , hood up, arms tucked inside the sleeves of his robes, wavering on the edge of the trees. © Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 4:59 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/queen-litha-the-fire-faeries-of-summer/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/queen-litha-the-fire-faeries-of-summer/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:40:17 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1391 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/06/queen-litha-the-fire-faeries-of-summer/feed/ 0 dragonflies,Fairies,fire,fireworks,lightening,magic carpet,shimmering,summer,Wizard of Oz "Summer Procession"      by David Delamare The air was full of iridescent blue-green dragonflies and faeries whose wings  crackled with energy. They circled and dived, then circled again. The elves in the trees came out to watch the aerial display. Ev... "Summer Procession"      by David Delamare The air was full of iridescent blue-green dragonflies and faeries whose wings  crackled with energy. They circled and dived, then circled again. The elves in the trees came out to watch the aerial display. Every so often a faerie would suddenly appear with a loud pop, sending a shower of red, orange, and yellow sparkles out in every direction. This was what I had seen coming through the trees earlier, this faerie firework display. Suddenly, the show halted. The dragonflies landed on the tree branches all around us, reflecting the sunlight in shimmering blue-green flashes. The faeries had drifted quietly to the ground and were hovering a few inches above the ferns on either side of the path. A hush fell over the clearing. The elves had ceased their murmurings and stood in respectful silence. Coming through trees just ahead of us was a large gleaming sphere carrying a faerie in a glittering red gown. She had hair that looked like fire, red turning to orange, turning to yellow and her crown was made up entirely of interwoven lightening bolts that were constantly flashing around her head (it reminded me of the Wizard of Oz when Glinda arrived in munchkin land, only not that big). There were faeries gliding along the ground on either side. Their wings were tall and thin, coming to a long, point.  Glittering lights followed the intricate design of veins that detailed each wing. I realized that these were the fire faeries of summer and that the spectacular faerie in the carriage must be their queen. The procession halted in front of Elendain, who bowed deeply as the queen emerged. The faerie queen circled her wand in the air, spreading a bright yellow light above her, growing in size until she was as tall as the mistress of  the Elvenwood. The royal pair hugged each other in greeting. "We are honored by your presence, Litha, Queen of the fire faeries, and want to welcome you and your court to our forest. Peace be with you." Litha's eyes sparkled and her smile warmed her face as she continued to hold Elendain's hands. "We come in friendship and gratitude. We are indebted to you for saving the Kind One." I stood watching the gracious diplomacy of the two queens feeling small and inadequate, like I had been some what of a bother. It must have shown on my face because Litha turned and approached me. She glided up to me and held me in her arms. "My dear, we were so worried about you." She held me at arms length and looked at me, tears glistening in her eyes. "I do not know what the future would bring if anything had happened to you. You are more important than you suspect, but that is the charm of your human half." There it was again, the half faerie blood thing. I sure wish I knew how to use it to my advantage. "Queen Litha, all of this..." I gestured around me, "is so far over my head. I am learning of things that I had no idea existed, of places I thought belonged  only in bedtime stories." Litha smiled and winked at me. "It is all quite something is it not? We have a very important celebration to attend so we must be going." She turned again to Elendain who had stepped up behind her and they hugged one final time. "Hail and farewell Queen Litha, may your journey be smooth and your nights be filled with stars." Litha waved her wand and a brightly woven rug appeared, hovering two feet off the ground. She motioned for me to sit on it. "A flying carpet!? I feel like I'm in one hundred and one Arabian nights!" She laughed at the analogy. "Well, why not, it is a long journey, you might as well be comfortable." She returned to her crystal bubble and waved at Elendain. "May you only know peace and happiness, Elendain, Mistress of Elvenwood." With that, the entire court of fire faeries rose into the air, flying carpet, dragonflies, and all, then darted toward the west, where the sun was already beginning to set. © Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 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 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/05/lilly-and-the-house-with-the-wild-roses/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/05/lilly-and-the-house-with-the-wild-roses/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 19:03:19 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1156 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/05/lilly-and-the-house-with-the-wild-roses/feed/ 0 Arial,blooms,gigantic Elm tree,house,lemonade,Lucy,Mrs. Shunner,Roses,walk There's a little white house down the street from us. It sits back off the road a little further than the rest of the houses, nestled among a riot of rose bushes. The roses bushes around other houses are tidy and ordered, There's a little white house down the street from us. It sits back off the road a little further than the rest of the houses, nestled among a riot of rose bushes. The roses bushes around other houses are tidy and ordered, their blooms somehow know the perfect place to position themselves and lend a royal effect to the gardens, but the rose bushes around the little white house are irreverent and wild, the canes arching in unpredictable directions and the blooms defy any order at all. I walk Lucy down past the little white house all the time. Like Mrs. Shunners house, there are never any signs of life, but, unlike Mrs. Shunners house, it has a welcoming aura about it, even with the masses of thorny rose bushes all around it. This morning I grabbed the leash and headed out the door with Lucy (she gets so excited).  I let Lucy take the lead, she has a predictable path that she likes to take when we go for a walk: past Mrs. Shunners house, down the street past the little white house, around the corner at the gigantic elm tree. We make a large circle, cutting through the block using an ally half way down the street. I always hesitate at the border between our house and Mrs. Shunners. The emerald guard placed protection charms in the flower bed to keep our property safely hidden from Mrs. Shunners prying eyes and I feel a slight tug when I break the energy field as I cross over the invisible line of safety. A cold shiver ran down my spine  as we passed the little blue house. I know what the inside of that house is like, and every time I pass it, it feels like it is calling to me, trying to pull me back into its evil interior. My head felt like it was swimming in a gray fog and the sunlight began to fade. "Lucy, wait, I have to sit down for a minute". I started to sit on the front steps of the house to regain my balance but Lucy tugged insistently on her leash, staring at the front windows and growling softly under her breath. Feeling unsteady on my feet, I let her pull me quickly past and continued down the street. As soon as we got past the far boundary of the house, all the fogginess disappeared. I glanced quickly around at the front door to make sure that no one was following and tried to shake off the gloom that had draped itself over me. When I was satisfied we were beyond Mrs. Shunners reach, I turned my attention back to Lucy and our walk. I hadn't realized it but we had crossed to the other side of the street and were standing right in front of the little white house with the unkempt roses. A petite woman with bright white hair was standing in the driveway, smiling at me. She was wearing a straw hat with a large floppy brim that shaded the sun from her eyes, she was holding a silver goblet in both hands. She held one out to me as we got closer. "You look like you could do with a nice cold glass of  lemonade." She smiled at me again and gave the cup a shake. "Come dear, it will do you good." She had a familiar aura about her and I somehow knew she was a good person, so I took the cup. "Thank you, I guess I do feel a little lightheaded." She turned her attention to Mrs. Shunners house up the street and a shadow crossed her face. Her bright green eyes smoldered black , just for a moment, then she smiled at me again. "Come, sit down with me in the shade until you finish your drink." She lead me to a little table under an Oak tree. Lucy sat at my feet, contentedly watching a robin hopping in the grass as it looked for worms. Sipping  at my lemonade, I watched the little woman across from me and wondered again why she felt so familiar. "I don't think I have ever seen you before, have you lived here long?" Her smile gave her face a timeless quality and it was hard for me to tell exactly how old she was. She looked like she was thoroughly enjoying my company. "Oh yes dear, I have lived here for quite a while. I usually keep to myself, I'm rather a private person you see." "Oh, I can understand that! The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 8:16 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/05/real-men-dont-see-fairies/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/05/real-men-dont-see-fairies/#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 20:56:11 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1069 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/05/real-men-dont-see-fairies/feed/ 1 believe,Black Cats,Faerie Vision,fairy world,Gnomes,Imagination,ivy hedge,portal,pumkin house,Spring Festival I'm Bill, you know the one that thinks it's all about the food? Maybe that is true, but it isn't my fault, after all, men since before cavemen have been the hunter gatherers. That was our main job. Find food. So, you see, because I'm a guy, I'm Bill, you know the one that thinks it's all about the food? Maybe that is true, but it isn't my fault, after all, men since before cavemen have been the hunter gatherers. That was our main job. Find food. So, you see, because I'm a guy, I was naturally born with it. Besides, my mother told me to eat so I could get big and tall. I did, and now I'm big and tall enough to take on any ol' woolly mammoth that comes along. Not by myself, of course, but with my other hunter gatherer buddies. Just kidding about the woolly mammoth. I know they are extinct. But an elephant...how about an elephant? Gee, now I'm hungry. I think I'll go make a sandwich. The other day my wife showed me her journal pages. I said, "You are making this up, aren't you?" She said, "No." "What do you mean--no? Do you really believe there is a portal in the ivy hedge where fairies come into this world?" I looked at her like I thought she might be going bonkers. After all, fairies, who in their right mind, believes in fairies? I knew she liked fairies because we have porcelain figurines all around the house of pretty girls with wings. Decorations she calls them. Just decorations.  I wondered if that is what she was talking about, those little statues. Now she was looking at me like I was the one that was cracked. "Bill," she said, "You've been to their world. You've met Arial and her mother. You saw me transformed from a cat." "No I didn't. How can you say those things? I haven't been to any faerie world and you certainly haven't been any gol darn cat! If something like that had happened, I would remember it. A cat, boy have you got some imagination." She almost shouted, "Don't you remember the Spring festival? And how about the gnomes living under our sink?" "Under our sink?" "Yes, I'll show you." With that she flung open the cabinet doors and said, "There is their pumpkin house. Odette will you come out?" I guess the imaginary thing she called Odette said no, because I didn't see any gnomes or pumpkin house either. All I saw was the trash can, cleanser, a box of scrubbing pads, and some air freshener. To be fair the box of scrubbing pads was kind of pumpkin orange. "What?" my wife asked, leaning her head toward the open doors. I didn't know what she was doing, but it looked like she was talking to somebody. This could be worse than I imagined. Right now I started making plans for taking care of stuff while she was locked away in some looney bin. I don't know much about nut houses, having never been to one before. Should I pack some clothes or do they provide those at the home? How about a bathrobe, and slippers? I don't even know who to call. Do I dial 911 and say my wife is out of her ever lovin' mind? " "Of course, that explains it. Thank you Odette." She turned to me, slipped her hand around my arm and twined our fingers. She smiled at me lovingly and moved to lead me out of the kitchen.  "Let's sit in the other room." She wasn't mad anymore, but this was too good to be true , this sweet act she was playing at. It was almost as scary. I was suspiciously sure she was nuts, but I was willing to hear her out. I'm nothing if not reasonable. "Bill, honey, the reason you can't remember seeing the fairies and couldn't see the gnomes is because you haven't developed your fairy vision. " "Huh?" "Oh, don't feel bad, there are only a few of us who have it, and none are men." Thank goodness this mental illness only strikes women. Just because she now has bats-in-her-bellfry doesn't mean I'm going to get it too. I didn't say that though, I just said, "Whew." She ignored that sigh of relief from me and went on. "Fairies are magical you know. When you are close to them you see them, and can talk to them. If you get further than ten feet away you can't see them anymore and the memory of them fades away like a dream. Do you understand? Bill, have you had any odd dreams lately?" I didn't want to admit it, but there was something in what she said. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 5:29 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/04/beltane-the-fires-of-renewal/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/04/beltane-the-fires-of-renewal/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:10:54 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1024 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/04/beltane-the-fires-of-renewal/feed/ 0 Arial Hollyberry,Beltane,celebration,Fairie Stories,Fairies,fire,flower garlands,Gaia,Green Man,Irish,ivy hedge,Maypole "Spring Procession" by David Delamare The flower faeries of spring have been busy all week coxing the flower buds to appear in preparation of the May celebration of Beltane. The gathering of the faeries in May is second only to the raucous gala of Mid... "Spring Procession" by David Delamare The flower faeries of spring have been busy all week coxing the flower buds to appear in preparation of the May celebration of Beltane. The gathering of the faeries in May is second only to the raucous gala of Midsummer. Cythia has persuaded Arial to help her and the other flower faeries with all the arrangements for the festival tonight. All must be made ready for the arrival of  Alina, queen of the flower faeries. Arial and I were in the kitchen when Cythia suddenly popped in. "There you are Arial! Would you mind showing that group of faeries over there the best place for the Maypole?" She spun around and pointed to a group of five or six faeries who were hovering in the sunshine,their  wings shining. They were giggling and whispering to each other. Obviously not focused on the task at hand. "Not at all. Did you bring the potion for the Kind One?" Cythia's attention was distracted by the laughing chatter of the faeries. She tapped lightly on the window pane with her wand, "Ladies! Ladies please! Oh,  I am having such a hard time with them, all they want to do is play. Ladies!" Arial floated up behind her and tweaked her wing. "Cythia, would you please pay attention." "So sorry, what were you saying?" One of the faeries laughed and Cythia spun around, pointed her wand at the faerie, and a flash of light shot out of the tip and found its mark on the back of her head. There was a multitude of high piercing squeals and the group winked out. "My apologies Kind One." Cythia took a spot on my left shoulder. "Arial tells me that you are having trouble remaining intact." She giggled. "Sometimes these thing things happen, but I have a potion for you that should knock those nasty cat molecules out of you for good." She looked closely at my eyes, first one, then the other, pulling them open by my eyelashes. "Hum, it is strange though, usually my potions don't have this kind of effect on humans." Cythia drifted around to the side of my head and tweaked the top of my ear, then grabbed a fistful of my hair and ran her fingers through it. "Your hair is finer than a normal humans hair, and the red highlights are deeper. She came around to face me again, "Are you part elf?" "What? I don't think so, but I'm Irish on my mothers side of the family. Hey, how many times have you given potions to humans?" Arial scooted up beside Cythia with a look of excitement on her face . "Queen Orlaith gave her a blessing and bestowed on her a sacred crystal from her crown! I have never heard of her doing that with a human before." The two faeries exchanged knowing looks. "I think you're getting distracted again. Can I please just have the potion?" I pointed out the window. "I would love to have my voice back, and I think your girls need some supervision." We all watched as the pastel faeries of spring darted in and out of the ivy hedge playing tug-o-war with the flower garlands. "Hold out your hand." Cythia waved her wand and a small vial filled with cloudy blue liquid appeared in my upturned palm. "Drink this and you will be right as Gaia's rain in no time!" As soon as the little glass bottle had settled in my hand, Cythia grabbed Arial's and the two faeries rocketed for the door. "Come, sister Arial, we have so much to do before tonight!" Before they rounded the corner, Arial shouted, "you will come tonight, the Green Man will be there. We will be singing and dancing around the Maypole and jumping the fires of renewal, please come! I will send the emerald guard for you!" They were out the door and streaking for the ivy hedge before I could get a squeaky whisper of acceptance out. I turned my attention back to the  small bottle. Uncorking it, I carefully sniffed the contents. It smelled like grape jelly. I held it back and looked closely at it to see if there was anything unnatural floating in it. I wasn't eager to drink anything a faerie gave me after that last little incident, still, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no http://fairiefabels.com/2009/04/just-call-me-squeaky/ http://fairiefabels.com/2009/04/just-call-me-squeaky/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:07:31 +0000 Arialhollyberry http://www.fairiefabels.com/?p=1017 http://fairiefabels.com/2009/04/just-call-me-squeaky/feed/ 0 black fur,breeze,coughing,Fairie Stories,mouth,potion,Spring,throat,voice When I woke up this morning the sky was a clear blue. The birds were chirping in the trees and the breeze carried the scent of spring through the open window. The first thing I did when I opened my eyes was check my arms and legs for black fur. When I woke up this morning the sky was a clear blue. The birds were chirping in the trees and the breeze carried the scent of spring through the open window. The first thing I did when I opened my eyes was check my arms and legs for black fur. I jumped up and slipped into my robe. Ah! how nice it was to be walking downstairs on just two legs. I walked into the kitchen to find Bill pouring himself cup of coffee. When I opened my mouth to say good morning the only thing that came out was a squeak. I couldn't talk! Well, I could talk but all the words came out in a scratchy whisper. I grabbed my throat, "I can't talk! I don't know what's wrong, my throat feels all clogged." Just speaking those few words sent me into fits of coughing. Bill slapped me on the back like he was trying to dislodge something from my throat. "Maybe it's allergies" I straightened up and tried to catch my breath. Now, not only was my voice gone, my throat was raw from all that coughing. "I don't think so, it wasn't like this yesterday, I was fine." Just then Arial spiraled down the stairs and darted into the kitchen. We watched as she did her best Tinkerbell imitation around the kitchen, darting here and there, all bright and bubbly. "Airal?" I squeaked out the word. Arial froze mid flit and quickly turned to look at me. To say that she had a look of concern on her face would be putting it mildly. With a quick flip of her wings she was at my nose, pulling on my upper lip to get me to open my mouth. "Arial, stop! What are you doing?" If it wasn't hard enough to speak before, now I had to try to get my words out in a raspy whisper with a faerie pulling on my mouth. " Be quiet, open your mouth and let me see inside." My, she can be bossy at times. I stopped trying to push her away and said "aaaahhh....". Without warning she crawled in my mouth, half way to my tonsils. Being blessed with an over active gag reflex I almost hurled. She was tickling the back of my tongue. Trying not to bite down I croaked, "Ahweal, ge  ouw!" When she didn't budge I grabbed her by her skirts and pulled. I held her dangling a few inches from my face. "What were you looking for?" The words came out a little to strong and it sent me into another coughing fit. She took the opportunity to break free of my fingers and flipped saliva from the tips of her wings. I gained control of the coughing. "Sorry about that, but you were the one who chose to crawl in my mouth." Arial just smiled at me, "Not a problem. I know what's taking your voice away. It looks like your voice box wants to revert back to cat form." "It what!" Bill and I shot each other alarmed looks. "Not to worry." Arial was calmly weaving back and forth with a bright smile on her face. "I'll just have Cythia brew up a potion and you'll be good as new." "Yes, but how long will it take? There's a lot of stuff I have to do that requires a voice, like recording." Arial whizzed around my head a couple of times then stopped and gave me a light kiss on the cheek. "Not to worry!" She waved goodbye and dissolved in green sparkles. © Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009. The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry no 5:00