The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry

While celebrating her new found ability to mind-link with Ember Innocenzi, the Kind One remembered that there are more serious matters back at the ivy hedge. Menacing forces were trying to breach the portal and her family was in serious danger.

Before her fears could run away with her, Arial intervened. “Don’t give into panic–there is a better way,” she said, and she invited the Kind One to think about what she had learned from the queens, and her interactions with the faeries. After pondering the gifts she carried with her in a small pouch around her neck, and with a little help from Arial, the Kind One was suddenly overcome with clarity of purpose…the items she carried were not just friendship tokens, they were tools with immense power.

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I stood, shocked by the scene that confronted me when I finally returned to my cozy garden. The sun had long since set behind the mountains on the far side of the valley and shadows were getting darker under the trees, but there was still enough light left in the sky to make out a line of scorched grass that wove from the sidewalk to the ivy hedge. The path of devastation crossed the ivy, weaving up and down, leaving brittle, dead leaves littering the ground.

The laurel bushes at the back of my patio sit just to the left of the ivy hedge that conceals the portal, the small opening that leads to the faerie realm. The location of the portal is a tightly held secret, only a few of us know its exact location. Last year, our neighbor, Mrs. Shunner, a disgraced shape shifter who had been banished from the realm, started snooping around, trying to find the opening. Arial’s elite emerald guard started patrolling it 24/7 ever since.

Tears came to eyes when I saw the dried and shriveled leaves of the Laurel bush that stood farthest from the ivy. Arial, Sunny, Ferne, Bella and Pip all hovered in and around the branches and leaves of the wasted Laurel. Ferne pulled out her silver flute and played a melancholy tune while the others looked on with respect, honoring the departed green spirit of the shrub. When the last notes of Ferne’s tribute had faded away, I turned and dashed toward the house.

Pulling the back door open I called for my dogs. “Lucy, mama’s home! Lucy? Merry? Edie, where are you? Come to mama.” I was greeted by a cold, eerie silence and I felt a knot start to form in the pit of my stomach. Moving cautiously into the kitchen I called out for Bill. “Bill!” I took the stairs two at a time. “Bill….! Bill, This isn’t funny! Where are you?” All around me were signs of a hasty departure, dog blankets were strewn all over the floor, shoes had been kicked into corners, and Bill’s hoodie laid in a heap on a chair with its sleeves pulled inside out. I sat down hard on the top step and laid my head in my arms. What had happened here? Where is everyone?

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Bill stopped the car for the red light and checked in the rear view mirror to make sure the kennels holding the chihuahuas hadn’t slipped askew in his frantic departure. His eyes were met with three pairs of shocked, round puppy eyes. Wide eyes that asked the question…”What was that all about!” He started talking in a calm, but shaky voice. A calm he didn’t really feel. “It’s okay girls, daddy is just taking you for a little ride, we’ll go home in a while.” Edie, the smallest, gave him a sideways look, a look that we have come to know means that she is very skeptical. Very skeptical indeed.

The light turned green and he eased the car forward, still not sure where he should go from here. They were far enough from the house by now, far enough that he was pretty certain they were safe, so he turned into the entrance of our local park that sits across the street from a small shopping center. I’ll just stop here for awhile and catch my breath, he thought and swung into a parking space by an isolated pavilion.

Cool, quiet, darkness settled around them. The only light came from a solitary street lamp that stood across a wide expanse of well tended lawn. Bill rolled down the window and let the evening breeze blow the built up stress he felt out of the car and across the shallow stream that ran through the middle of the park. He had forgot about the two little gnomes that sat silently in the seat beside him.

Warren slipped out of the wide seat belt that he and Odette had hastily crawled under as the car sped down the street. He climbed up the back of the passenger seat and jumped onto Bills shoulder. Bill had laid his head back and was sitting with his eyes closed,  when Warren’s weight landed on him. He shot forward, almost hitting his head on the windshield. “Mr Bill…sir, would it be all right with you if the misses and I went for a wee stroll?” Bill sat, starring at him in stunned silence. This was going to take some getting used to, these tiny talking dolls. Without speaking a word he nodded, then watched as the diminutive couple grasp each others hands and leaped from the open window, hitting the ground in a graceful run. He watched them go, laughing and dancing through the deep green grass.He leaned the seat back and closed his eyes again, trying to calm his racing thoughts. This day’s revelations had taken all the energy right out of him.

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, eyes closed, head back, when the feeling that he was not alone swept over him. It felt like he was being watched. Just as he was opening his eyes he felt a hand lightly touch his arm. Jerking his head around, he opened his eyes wide to find Lilly, the white haired little lady from down the street, starring at him with shining blue eyes and a reassuring, friendly smile.

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009-2010

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 Mab are ever seen together.  Residents from throughout the realm were arriving to celebrate winter’s return, and hoping to get an audience with the queens.

The lights dimmed and the procession of the queens began. In the soft light The Kind One noticed other mortals standing in the crowd but her curiosity melted when Mab, the queen of autumn herself stopped right in front of her and extended and invitation to attend a special meeting at midnight by the great crystal doors of the palace. The Kind One was told that the other mortals would be there, and Mab would bestow a gift upon her.

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The air in the room took on the subtle smell of wood smoke and the musty scent of falling leaves as Mab approached our small circle. Her dress of red and black billowed around her, and her crown of  fall harvest and leaves bobbled  in the soft light of the winter palace.

She greeted each of us, with a warm hug and bright smile. It appeared that she already knew each of us, but how? I hadn’t met her until tonight, and judging by the looks on all the faces, I assumed that they hadn’t ether. I stood a little to one side of the group and watched as she laughed and chatted with the others. Mab has a charming, easygoing, off-beat way about her. The muss of leaves in her hair and her yellow and orange striped socks under a  black and red plaid dress proved she was a character. I loved her immediately.

Mab looked around and saw that I was holding back a little, taking in the scene, and gestured for me to come closer. “Kind One, please, do join us. You must meet everyone.” The group turned as one and joined her in her bidding, all speaking at the same time. “Yes, come join us. So nice to meet you! Don’t be shy. What’s your name again?” They were all so friendly and inviting. I moved closer to join the group, making a mental note of the warmth and fellowship. Who was it that told me that those with faerie blood would come together to help save our world? In the midst of all the excitement and introductions I couldn’t quite remember.

When Mab was certain we were all together she made her way around the circle to introduce us. “Thank you all for coming tonight! What a special pleasure it is to see my faerie brothers and sisters from the mortal world here with us this Yule.” Mab smiled brightly and the room, as if it had a life of its own, radiated pure joy. “Now, you must all get to know each other for you will all become part of the grand design for the future of your world and ours.” Mab stopped in front of the petite woman I had seen earlier at the ball.  “Everyone, this is Sparkle, she loves bright colors and it is reflected in her art. Her intuition has led her to us through her painting, only one with faerie blood can paint so gloriously.” She gave Sparkle a hug and moved to put her arm around the gentleman standing by her side. “This is the Word Master. He was drawn to Sparkle in a quest to understand himself and was fascinated by her fascination with the realm. What he came to find was that he, too, had faerie blood flowing through his veins.” The Word Master bowed deeply and Mab moved on.

She continued around until she had introduced everyone, telling about the special traits that made each of us “faeries by blood”. “This is the Sculptress, she has a talent with the “shroomie” beings of the realm, and they in turn inspire her art. Her faerie blood makes is possible to communicate with these shy creatures.” Jewel followed. “Jewel, like the Sculptress, is drawn by her faerie blood to the natural arts, but instead of looking at the forest floor for inspiration, she looks to the sky. Jewel is influenced by the Dryads. Her special talent is finding the spirit within the leaves of sacred trees.” I looked around; there was only one more person to introduce before Mab got to me. Golden Heart.

“Golden Heart’s glowing countenance is only second to her striking black hair. She is the caregiver, the person always ready to volunteer. She has unfailing kindness for everyone she meets. Her faerie blood gives her the ability to see the good in all mortals.”

I stood in awe of the wonderful talent that each of these people brought with them and was caught up in my thoughts when Mab finally turned to me. I couldn’t for the life of me see what special abilities my faerie blood gave me. What could she say? I do a good garden, which the faeries love to come and play in it. I felt Mab’s presence right in front of me and shook the wild thoughts out of my head, but I saw in her eyes that she already knew what I had been thinking.

Mab whispered in my ear, “Do not underestimate your powers Kind One, you are a very important piece of the puzzle.” She turned and spoke to the group. “This is the Kind One, she is having a hard time understanding her place in such an influential group, but knows this, it is the subtle strength of will that she possesses, that allows her the ability to hold the energy of an entire region in the west. Her faerie blood drew her toward one of the portals of the realm just in time to keep the Undak from entering the mortal world.” Everyone exhaled a collective sigh as they rushed toward me for a group hug. I have to say that Mab made my adventures sound important and dangerous, real cloak and dagger stuff. I thought about that for almost two seconds before I was awash with bodies. I didn’t think what had been happening was so special but at the moment I didn’t care, I just liked being included.

The Autumn queen stood back and watched with delight as the mortals who were part faerie talked and laughed then stepped forward and addressed us once more. “My time in the palace of the Winter queen grows short but before I go I want you all to have my gift.” Silence fell over the great hall as we waited in anticipation of the final gift of the faeries. Mab held her wand out and waved it over her up turned palm. An image wavered over her hand flickering in and out like it had no intention of materializing. She frowned and gave the air a little stab. The image solidified into a soft golden bag.

The queen worked her way around the circle we had made. Stopping in front of us, she pulled out a small ivory horn that was rimmed with gold and hanging from a golden chain. The horn was about two inches long. She draped it around our neck and moved on to the next person. “My gift to you is the gift of communication. With The Horn of Aeon Myst you can summon the fae or hear great distances. You would be wise to keep it close to you at all times. The Armies of darkness will stop at nothing to take it from you if they know you possess it.” Six mouth’s dropped open and six pairs of eyes stared at her in shocked disbelief.

Mab backed away and clapped her hands. Six faeries of the fall queen’s court appeared in a flash of rusty sparkles. Before they all winked out Mab turned to face us, she wore an impish grin. “You should see your faces!” She laughed, and her court echoed her mirth. We looked around us and relaxed. The faerie court rose into the air as one, and from the fog of sparkles I heard Mab’s voice, “Remember Kind One to always keep the Horn of Aeon Myst close to you.”

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009-2010

With Arial’s help, I have found my way back to the mortal world, and my garden. I have never been to a midsummer faerie festival and I’m here to tell you that it can take a lot out of a person, even a person like me with faerie blood flowing in her veins.

The summer season is progressing and I can feel a touch of fall in the air, Lughnasa, which marks the beginning of the harvest (Aug. 12th) has come and gone and we are quickly advancing on Mabon.

Mabon is celebrated on the Autumnal Equinox, the time when day and night are equal and is sometimes called the second harvest, the Festival of Dionysus, or the Feast of Avalon. In times past, a good harvest meant surviving the cold winter months.

At Mabon, we  reflect back on our accomplishments of the year and give thanks for all that we have achieved. We plan for the dark cycle of the year, but look  forward to the future and the promise of spring.

In looking back, I am proud of my accomplishments but it is Warren, my little gnome friend, who surpasses me . This year, I decided to grow a garden. In the spring, Bill surprised me by digging up some stumps so that I could plant a faerie cottage garden. Warren helped where he could but kept getting under foot so I insisted that he just watch. I planted several different  perennials and some herbs, and when the weather warmed up a little, I planted some snapdragons and petunias.

When the cottage garden was planted and happily growing, I turned my attention to the vegetable  garden. I planted tomates and cucumbers, green peppers and zucchini.

After all the starts were planted, I had one little tomato plant left over. It was the smallest plant of the bunch and I thought that I would just throw it away but Warren ask if I might let him have it. I didn’t know where to plant it so I just stuck it in my flower garden. I put a cage around it and left it for the gnomes to tend.

August has come and the tomato’s are ripening. Mine are having some difficulty, the spring was wetter than usual so I have been fighting powdery mildew and blossom end rot. Warren’s tiny tomato plant on the other hand has grown into a gigantic vine and has taken over the entire flower garden! I knew gnomes had a way with gardens, that was one of the reasons I asked Warren and Odette to come and live in mine, but this is amazing. I have never seen a tomato vine get so big.

It has grown up and over the cage, then down and over all my perenials. Warren loves teasing me, he is very proud of his work and has offered his expertise for our garden next year. I think I will take him up on his offer, but if all my tomato’s grow this big, I will have to have more space.

The days are getting shorter and soon the fall faeries will arrive to help usher in the hibernation of winter. As much as I love the fire faeries of summer, I can’t wait to see my winter faerie friends again. Arial has been  spending a lot of time lately looking toward the north in anticipation. As I watch her now, I wonder what the dark winter nights have in store for us…it has been to quite at  Mrs. Shunner’s house.

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009.