It's the first day of October and I think that calls for a bit of story time, don't you? I've got a new one for you, entitled Mildred Silkthorn. She is quite an angry little fairy and gets herself into a spot of trouble.
I hope your Tuesday is a great one for you. Sending #positivevibes your way.
Read on.
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Mildred Silkthorn
It is not often you see a fairy in the Downs, but on one balmy evening, just before dusk, there was indeed a fairy making her way through the forest in a haphazard willy nilly sort of way.
Now, everyone knows that one should never walk through the Downs, but instead, creep, tiptoe and in an emergency, run. And of course, the most obvious rule of thumb, never travel the Downs alone.
Mildred Silkthorn paid no mind to the danger she had put herself in. She snapped branches, kicked rocks and crunched dead leaves as if she were taking a leisurely stroll through the Fairy Hollow, which is exactly where she should have been at that very moment; safe among family and friends.
Why didn't she fly, you ask? Well, to be honest, I don't know. She was quite angry when she left the Hollow. She had no real plan when she set off that morning and perhaps stomping her feet over the unpredictable terrain of the Downs was more satisfying than simply flying off to goodness knows where.
Why didn't anyone stop her, you ask? You ask very good questions, by the way. Mildred was known to be a bit of a hot head and it wasn't unusual for her to throw a tantrum and disappear for a while. What was unusual was the path she was currently on. Obviously in the heat of the moment, she had taken a wrong turn. She should've realized her mistake when she passed the clearing and more so when she came upon a giant tree stump that looked like a house. It had two round windows that glowed golden light from within and a round green door between them. Puffs of smoke gently wafted from a small chimney on the top of the stump. She sniffed and recoiled. It smelled like rotten eggs.
She was about to turn around when the door creaked open. There should have been a stream of golden light. The interior of the stump house should have been visible, but it was wasn't. Mildred looked from the door to the windows and back again. The open door revealed an inky blackness that not only confused the her, but scared her. At that moment and for the first time, she took a good hard look at her surroundings and realized she was farther away from home than she had ever been and in a place she did not recognize. Her anger melted away. In fact, she couldn't even remember what she had gotten mad about in the first place. It was time to get back to the safety of the Hollow and her friends and family.
"Come in, child," croaked a voice. "Stay a while. We will have tea and play some games." Laughter erupted from within.
"We like your wings," said another voice. This one was more of a whisper.
Mildred's eyes grew heavy. "N-No," she said.
"Join us little fairy. It has been so long since we've had visitors." Was that a third voice? Mildred wasn't sure. A little voice in her head screamed at her to run away, but the urge to be wrapped in the stump's darkness was strong. "Well, if you won't come to us," said one of the voices. "We'll just make you," growled another. Before Mildred realized what was happening, her feet began to slide across the grass toward the open door. She turned to run, but it was no use. She threw herself on the ground and dug her fingers into the soft earth, but she was still gliding towards the stump. The voices inside howled with laughter and hooted with glee. Somewhere in between, she heard the words, dinner and tasty.
Mildred dug her fingers into the dirt as hard as she could to stop her momentum, only to be met with handfuls grass. Her heart pounded against her chest. Sweat poured down her face stinging her eyes. Closer and closer she glided. "I will not be your dinner," she screamed. She sat up and flapped her wings with all her might. She clawed at the air, but it wasn't enough, because her feet were still on the ground. A buzzing started in her ears. The voices in the stump screamed with rage. "No. No. No. She is ours. We will feast this night and there is nothing you can do about it."
The buzzing grew louder. She was almost to the threshold. A few more inches and she would be inside the stump. Strong arms enveloped her from behind. Her breath caught in her throat. She turned her head to find her father's face inches from her own. He slammed his feet against the stump and pulled back. Mildred gasped. They stopped moving. She looked over his shoulder to see her friends and family hovering behind him. "We have many things to discuss when we get home, but for now, hold on," he said. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.
The rest of Fairy Hollow approached the stump, turned and flapped their wings so furiously the ground shook. The voices wailed. The window panes shattered. Shards of yellow glass flew through the air. Her father gritted his teeth. The muscles in his arms strained as he pulled backwards trying to free Mildred, then suddenly they were rolling backwards through the air. It was a few seconds before they were caught by the others. She breathed deep as her stomach did a few more sickening flips.
"We will get you next time, little one," screeched a voice from the stomp, then the door slammed shut.
Mildred rested her head on her his shoulder. "I think you know now that things aren't always as they appear to be. Anger clouds your judgement, little one. You must listen with your heart," said her father, as he scooped her up and headed for home.
https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B00NR8SP90
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