LJ Idol Season 8, week 27, Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time there was a little girl who dreamed of magic and fairies. She lived in two worlds, one of going to school, eating dinner with her family and playing board games with her brother, and another world of fairies and unicorns. It seems most girls want to feel the silken hide of a unicorn or learn how to do a magic spell like a fairy. This girl was caught up in the glitter and whispers of the land of fairies.
As most often happens, the little girl grew up. She seldom thought of fairies at her job at the bank but she still had her unicorn collection from childhood and occasionally she added to it. Her job kept her very busy. She woke early every morning and guzzled her coffee as the sun was rising. She ate a cereal bar as her breakfast on the go. She slipped into a nicely pressed dress suit and a pair of nylons and heels. Her hair and make up were worked on until they were perfect and then she was out the door, and off into traffic on the way to the bank, brightly colored cars bustling around her.
She had big meetings at the bank. She had to present information on projects she was working on in an attempt to please the people in upper management and hopefully win her a spot there some day. After her big meeting at the end of the day she went home, changed into a little black dress, and went out on a date with the very nice man she had been dating for a year now. Tonight something was special about the date. He slipped a ring on her finger, she cried happy tears, and both of their faces lit from the inside with joy and affection.
Later that night, while sleeping beside him, she woke to a rustling sound in the room. She opened her eyes and thought she saw something sparkling in the moonlight which poured in the window. When she rubbed the curtain of sleep from her eyes nothing was there upon looking again. Yet she swore she saw something. She almost woke him, to tell him, but how silly would that seem?
The wedding plans began the very next day. She worked with her mother on decorations, food, guest lists, the dress, invitations, and just everything she’d need for a proper fairytale wedding. Meanwhile, she was promoted at the bank, and her new duties took up a lot of her time.
Six months later the wedding day came. She and her new husband were wed under an arbor of tiny climbing roses. The flowers were in full bloom and gave off a pleasant aroma, especially when combined with her bouquet. Her white gown had a long, full skirt, and her veil was set off by the flowers in her hair. She looked like a bride from a storybook, and her husband to be was handsome in a white tuxedo. Everywhere there were pastel flowers on the tables, and decorating the cake as well. Everything on her wedding day went splendidly.
Again, that night, once the new couple had finally begun to prepare for sleep, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, something sparkle. She looked again, more intently, and she could see the outline of a figure, and then suddenly it was gone. She asked her husband if he had seen it. He laughed, commented that she may have had too much Champaign, and wrapped her in his arms for a gentle kiss. She forgot what she had seen.
Years later she was nursing her new baby in the middle of the night and again the sparkling apparition came to her. This time she saw the being even more carefully. She appeared to be a fairy, dressed in skirts of lavender sequence, her iridescent wings appeared thin as tissue paper, but they had certainly carried her to the room, hadn’t they?
“May both of you be well,” she heard the fairy say.
She glanced around the room, hoping the voice had come from somewhere else. She didn’t respond to the fairy. She was a reasonable adult, Vice President of a bank, she simply could not talk to fairies.
Six months later the baby was ill with a fever. She sat up late at night rocking him as he cried. Again the fairy visited her, peering out from between the curtains which flowed gently in the breeze through the open window. The fairy spoke to her once more.
“You can wish upon a fairy, just as you did as a child.” The fairy said.
The woman did not reply.
“One life will be taken, be it yours or that of the babe.”
She clutched her son to her chest in fear. Fairies were supposed to be kind, not evil. They were supposed to bring good not ultimatums.
“I have been watching you,” the fairy said. “I have been waiting for the right time to bring you to the land of the fey.”
The woman cringed.
Finally she spoke. “I don’t understand,” she said.
“It’s simple,” the fairy replied, “it’s your life or the child’s, but one of you must come with me.”
“I banish you,” the woman yelled. “You are no longer welcome here. You must leave.”
With that the fairy was gone, disappeared out the window, or somewhere. The baby cried louder responding to the raised voice. The woman’s husband came into the room, worried that something was wrong. She soothed him even though her heart was cold with fear, for she was unsure if her banishment of the fairy would last.
Many years passed. The young baby grew up to be a young man with a family of his own. The woman and her husband passed into old age. Finally one day the husband died of a heart attack, peacefully in his sleep. Remembering the fairy, the woman looked about her for several days after his death, wondering if the fairy had anything to do with it. There was no sign of the fairy that had scared her so badly on that night many years ago, but she hadn’t forgotten what it had said.
Finally the woman was in a nursing home bed. Her son and grand children came to visit, but they could not care for her. One day she found that her breath did not come as easily. She was in pain and she began to wish for the fairy to come again and offer to take her life.
“Appear to me,” she whispered into the darkness.
The fairy did. With no signs of age on her kind face.
“You banished me.” The fairy said.
“Now I am ready to come with you,” the woman pleaded.
“It is not your time anymore,” said the fairy. “I gave you a choice and you banished me. Now you will die a slow and painful death.”
The woman pleaded and begged with everything she had, but with each breath it grew harder and harder for her to breathe and move or speak. The fairy visited her, but the woman did not care for the fairy anymore since she couldn’t travel to the land of the fey.
Her daughter in law was pregnant and the old woman was not sure she would live to see the baby. Each day she tried to struggle through so that she could live to see the birth of the child.
One day, after months of suffering the old woman died. As she was passing over, the fairy came to her again with a choice.
“I shall take someone to the land of fey,” said the fairy. “Will it be you or the grandchild your daughter-in-law carries?”
The old woman thought as she rasped out her last few breaths.
“Choose quickly, but choose wisely,” the fairy said.
“I will go with you,” said the old woman.
“Then come,” the fairy beckoned with one tiny hand. “There is only one stipulation,” the fairy explained. “Your son shall never see you again, no matter how often you visit him.”
“That isn’t fair! You tricked me!” the old woman gasped out.
“It’s too late to change your mind,” said the fairy, clasping the old woman’s hand.
This is where a new story begins.
Once upon a time there lived a little girl. She lived in two worlds, one with her father and mother and two older brothers and no grandparents, and in another where she had a fairy godmother who watched over her and spoke to her. The little girls parents did not believe in fairies, but the little girl did not care, and played with the fairies anyway. When she grew up she still loved fairies, and she probably always would.
As most often happens, the little girl grew up. She seldom thought of fairies at her job at the bank but she still had her unicorn collection from childhood and occasionally she added to it. Her job kept her very busy. She woke early every morning and guzzled her coffee as the sun was rising. She ate a cereal bar as her breakfast on the go. She slipped into a nicely pressed dress suit and a pair of nylons and heels. Her hair and make up were worked on until they were perfect and then she was out the door, and off into traffic on the way to the bank, brightly colored cars bustling around her.
She had big meetings at the bank. She had to present information on projects she was working on in an attempt to please the people in upper management and hopefully win her a spot there some day. After her big meeting at the end of the day she went home, changed into a little black dress, and went out on a date with the very nice man she had been dating for a year now. Tonight something was special about the date. He slipped a ring on her finger, she cried happy tears, and both of their faces lit from the inside with joy and affection.
Later that night, while sleeping beside him, she woke to a rustling sound in the room. She opened her eyes and thought she saw something sparkling in the moonlight which poured in the window. When she rubbed the curtain of sleep from her eyes nothing was there upon looking again. Yet she swore she saw something. She almost woke him, to tell him, but how silly would that seem?
The wedding plans began the very next day. She worked with her mother on decorations, food, guest lists, the dress, invitations, and just everything she’d need for a proper fairytale wedding. Meanwhile, she was promoted at the bank, and her new duties took up a lot of her time.
Six months later the wedding day came. She and her new husband were wed under an arbor of tiny climbing roses. The flowers were in full bloom and gave off a pleasant aroma, especially when combined with her bouquet. Her white gown had a long, full skirt, and her veil was set off by the flowers in her hair. She looked like a bride from a storybook, and her husband to be was handsome in a white tuxedo. Everywhere there were pastel flowers on the tables, and decorating the cake as well. Everything on her wedding day went splendidly.
Again, that night, once the new couple had finally begun to prepare for sleep, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, something sparkle. She looked again, more intently, and she could see the outline of a figure, and then suddenly it was gone. She asked her husband if he had seen it. He laughed, commented that she may have had too much Champaign, and wrapped her in his arms for a gentle kiss. She forgot what she had seen.
Years later she was nursing her new baby in the middle of the night and again the sparkling apparition came to her. This time she saw the being even more carefully. She appeared to be a fairy, dressed in skirts of lavender sequence, her iridescent wings appeared thin as tissue paper, but they had certainly carried her to the room, hadn’t they?
“May both of you be well,” she heard the fairy say.
She glanced around the room, hoping the voice had come from somewhere else. She didn’t respond to the fairy. She was a reasonable adult, Vice President of a bank, she simply could not talk to fairies.
Six months later the baby was ill with a fever. She sat up late at night rocking him as he cried. Again the fairy visited her, peering out from between the curtains which flowed gently in the breeze through the open window. The fairy spoke to her once more.
“You can wish upon a fairy, just as you did as a child.” The fairy said.
The woman did not reply.
“One life will be taken, be it yours or that of the babe.”
She clutched her son to her chest in fear. Fairies were supposed to be kind, not evil. They were supposed to bring good not ultimatums.
“I have been watching you,” the fairy said. “I have been waiting for the right time to bring you to the land of the fey.”
The woman cringed.
Finally she spoke. “I don’t understand,” she said.
“It’s simple,” the fairy replied, “it’s your life or the child’s, but one of you must come with me.”
“I banish you,” the woman yelled. “You are no longer welcome here. You must leave.”
With that the fairy was gone, disappeared out the window, or somewhere. The baby cried louder responding to the raised voice. The woman’s husband came into the room, worried that something was wrong. She soothed him even though her heart was cold with fear, for she was unsure if her banishment of the fairy would last.
Many years passed. The young baby grew up to be a young man with a family of his own. The woman and her husband passed into old age. Finally one day the husband died of a heart attack, peacefully in his sleep. Remembering the fairy, the woman looked about her for several days after his death, wondering if the fairy had anything to do with it. There was no sign of the fairy that had scared her so badly on that night many years ago, but she hadn’t forgotten what it had said.
Finally the woman was in a nursing home bed. Her son and grand children came to visit, but they could not care for her. One day she found that her breath did not come as easily. She was in pain and she began to wish for the fairy to come again and offer to take her life.
“Appear to me,” she whispered into the darkness.
The fairy did. With no signs of age on her kind face.
“You banished me.” The fairy said.
“Now I am ready to come with you,” the woman pleaded.
“It is not your time anymore,” said the fairy. “I gave you a choice and you banished me. Now you will die a slow and painful death.”
The woman pleaded and begged with everything she had, but with each breath it grew harder and harder for her to breathe and move or speak. The fairy visited her, but the woman did not care for the fairy anymore since she couldn’t travel to the land of the fey.
Her daughter in law was pregnant and the old woman was not sure she would live to see the baby. Each day she tried to struggle through so that she could live to see the birth of the child.
One day, after months of suffering the old woman died. As she was passing over, the fairy came to her again with a choice.
“I shall take someone to the land of fey,” said the fairy. “Will it be you or the grandchild your daughter-in-law carries?”
The old woman thought as she rasped out her last few breaths.
“Choose quickly, but choose wisely,” the fairy said.
“I will go with you,” said the old woman.
“Then come,” the fairy beckoned with one tiny hand. “There is only one stipulation,” the fairy explained. “Your son shall never see you again, no matter how often you visit him.”
“That isn’t fair! You tricked me!” the old woman gasped out.
“It’s too late to change your mind,” said the fairy, clasping the old woman’s hand.
This is where a new story begins.
Once upon a time there lived a little girl. She lived in two worlds, one with her father and mother and two older brothers and no grandparents, and in another where she had a fairy godmother who watched over her and spoke to her. The little girls parents did not believe in fairies, but the little girl did not care, and played with the fairies anyway. When she grew up she still loved fairies, and she probably always would.