TALES FOR KIDS
A Yule Story for Children ~ The Tiniest Fairy ~
Author: Lady Abigail
In a time before time had been named, when life danced as a dazzling rainbow upon the mystical Earth, magick lived inside each earthen creature. Some, the big ones, were having a harder time seeing the magick now, than in the past. They were starting to forget that magick is all around you, if only you believed.
Alicia was a small and tiny earthen spirit with sparkling blue eyes and a pinched up nose; even in the fairy world, where all things are small, she was the smallest of them all.
Her home was deep inside the strong and twisting roots of a big Oak. It was safe and none of the winter cold snows could find their way a in.
She loved playing around her cozy and warm home with her mom and dad. They would play hide and seek and she could easily hide in the corners or under the furniture. They would read books by the fire light and sing songs that only the fairies knew.
Alicia was frightened of the other earthen creatures, as well as of what might be outside her cozy home under the big Oak. She had never been out before and saw no reason to go into the "outside."
When company came over Alicia would not come out of her tiny seed pod bed. When the Bunny family who lived next door came to visit, she was frightened that being so small, one of the many bunny babies might accidentally hop on her. She would only peek over the beds
edge with her tiny pinched nose when the Gloends, a family of glowworms; came to visit, because she wanted to see where the warm yellow glow was coming from.
At dinner one evening, Alicia's mom and dad told her that soon winter's hold would be ending. That frightened Alicia since she only knew the winter and could not imagine what might happen if it was to end.
They explained to her that in all the magickal world, it was her magick that would call in the changing of seasons and the turning of the great wheel. On the eve of the next night Alicia, her mom and her dad would go on a journey into the forest. Here, there would be a great gathering and all the mystical creatures of Earth would see her gift of magick.
But Alicia shivered with fear -- what was this wheel and how can she stop this magick and changing? She liked things just as they were and didn't want anything to change at all. She didn't want to go to a gathering where so many would be. She didn't know what this gift was that she was to give. What if she got lost and no one could find her? Or maybe the others would see her. Maybe they would not like her or make fun of her or laugh at her being so small.
Her greatest fear was that maybe she had no magick. She had not seen it. She couldn't fly like her mom and dad, she kept falling on her elbows. She couldn't make things like flowers or snowflakes like her mom and dad; all she ended up with some ice that melted. She couldn't even make light with her wand. How would her parents feel when they found out, what would she do?
Even as frightened as Alicia was of going into the "outside, " she was more frightened of what others might think of her. She didn't want to disappoint her mom and dad, so she decided it would be best if she hid. She would go into the "outside;" no one would look for her there. She would not go very far. Just far enough away where she could hide until the gathering was over, and then the change would not happen.
Alicia's mom was roasting acorns for the great gathering's feast and her dad was busy polishing up his ice wand. Alicia knew no one would see her leave, or think she would go into the "outside" alone, since she never had before.
With her wand in a small bag tied to her waist, Alicia carefully opened the door of her house and stepped into the "outside." She closed the door quickly and quietly so her mom and dad would not hear it creak. Then, she turned to see what was here in this "outdoors." It was white everywhere. She walked along for a little while when all of a sudden "crunch" she sunk into the snow up to her wing tips. It took a bit of work but she wriggled her way up and out of the snow. Now she was really cold and she could see it was getting darker. The bright bluish color of the sky was now turning a purple hue with streaks of red and yellow.
She wasn't sure, but if night was coming she had to hide quickly. If she could fly just to the edge of the forest she would find a place to stay until the gathering was over and then she could go home again. Then it would be safe because nothing would change. That is what she wanted.
Alicia was frighten and getting colder, but she had made up her mind. She had to do this, or everything she knew was going to change forever. She shook herself off and looked toward the forest edge. With all her will and might she jumped up and began flying forward. Then back a little, then up, then down, then around in some circles and then slower and then faster and then it happened. Bang! She flew right into a tree branch hanging low weighted heavy by the snow.
Alicia did not know what exactly had happened as she rubbed her head, but when she rose up again out of the snow it had gotten very dark. She could see tiny lights twinkling above her now. She looked around trying to figure out what direction to go. By now the gathering must be over and she could go home. Everything would stay the same. But which way was home?
Alicia couldn't see where to go, so she didn't want to try to fly. What if she hit another tree, it was dark now and she couldn't make anything out, plus her head still hurt from before. She had to be very careful deciding what way to go now.
All of a sudden, she heard someone calling her. "Alicia, Alicia." She felt her body begin to shake so hard that the tiny ice cycles that had formed on the tips of her wings, tinkled like little bells. As she turned around to look behind her, she saw a woman lying on a big pile of fur blankets. She was not a fairy, but she was beautiful, dressed in a green, red and white gown. Hundreds of earthen creatures stood all around her, many Alicia had never seen before, but none were scared or frightened at all. Although Alicia didn't understand it, she wasn't frightened either.
There seemed to peace about this woman, it was something calming. "Alicia, I have been waiting for you. I need your help." the Lady said.
"Waiting for me?" Alicia asked.
"Yes, Alicia, " she said. "Its dark now and we need your light to light the way, so that we can see what lies before us."
"My light?" Alicia asked, remembering she had not been able to make her wand light before.
"It's your magick Alicia, your magick that will call the light from within me." the Lady said.
Alicia slowly began to walk toward the woman. That's when she saw that this quiet lady was going to have a baby, and she was going to have it any moment.
All the fears and worries Alicia carried with her were beginning to melt away, just like the ice on her wing tips. As she looked into the meadow green eyes of this lady she wanted more than anything else in her small life to make a light for her.
Alicia, still trembling, took her wand from its little bag, and raised it up. With every magickal hope she had ever had, she put her energy into lighting her wand.
The lady smiled gently at her and in that instance there was a great flash of light which came from the tip of that tiny wand. It was a brilliant luminous light which filled every corner of the night.
As Alicia held her wand high she looked over to see that now the lady was holding in her arms a baby; a wonderful little baby boy. Suddenly, she understood it all, everything her mom and dad had been telling her.
This was the magick, this was her special gift. Alicia, the tiniest of all fairies, she was the one who carried the spark, the spark which released the light of the world and the turning of the wheel of life.
In her tiny being she had carried that magick, the magick to unlock the power of love and understanding for the world to share. Standing in that brilliant light, Alicia understood who the Lady was and the importance of this baby. She was a part of the rebirth of the Light. This baby was the Light again reborn of the Goddess. The beautiful Lady was the Goddess of life, and Alicia was that spark of magick which survives all time and through which we find boundless possibilities.
Soon the edge of the forest was filled with earthen creatures and spirits from all over the mystical world. Alicia's mom and dad watched their fairy child as she beamed with joy. The Lady holding her baby boy, blessed all those who shared in this time of magick as the feast was served and great happiness was shared by all.
Alicia didn't even notice that she was floating on the air. She was no longer weighted down by all her silly worries or fears. She knew that even though she was tiny she had the power to light the world. Now she understood, magick is all around you if you only believe, and trust in yourself.
So each year as you light a candle to call the light, remember the tiniest fairy, for it only takes one tiny spark to give light unto the whole world.
Blessed be our Lady the Mother of Light.
Lady Abigail
High Priestess Ravensgrove Coven
Just an Ordinary Child
An Earth Mother story by Elspeth Sapphire
There was a child.
Just an ordinary child.
Yet in one way, he was not so ordinary. This child cared.
He cared about his mommy and daddy. He cared about his dog. He cared about Mrs. Sally, his next door neighbor. He even cared about grumpy Mr. reen who lived in the ugly house on the corner.
"Mommy, if I lived in such an ugly house, I might be grumpy, too!" Then he waited until Mr. Green left the house and went down to sweep his walk.
The child was always doing something helpful. His mother would get up in the morning to find the kitchen clean and shiny.
"Oh! Is it brownies?" his mother would exclaim.
The child would only smile and say, "No, just me!"
He helped because he cared.
Then came a day where people made fun of him for caring. "Why waste your time helping?" they asked. When he tried to help, people either yelled at him for what he did or said that it wasn't enough. Slowly the caring turned from love to dislike to finally hate. He started doing things just because they hurt other people.
One day, his mother yelled at him. The child waited until she was out of the room, then picked up a ball and threw it at the vase that his mother had cherished since she was a child. As he stared at the shattered pieces, the child realized that he finally gone too far.
Without stopping to think, he ran out the door and down the walk. He ran until he was out of breath. Looking for somewhere to hide, the child noticed a small woods by the side of the road. He slipped into the cool shade and threw himself down on the grass and wept.
How could he have done such a thing? He loved his mother. How could she love him now? Why should she care?
As he laid, grass tickling his face, a breeze began to blow between the trees. The child ignored it, clenching his fists around clumps of grass. The breeze only blew harder. Then it began to whisper his name.
Amazed, the child sat up. "Who are you?" he whispered, looking all around the trees.
"I am a mother...just like your mother." The voice sounded gentle...like a sigh.
"But where are you?" The child was puzzled by this voice without a body.
"I am everywhere, my child, for I am the Earth. I heard your pain and answered your Call."
Tears began to fall down the cheek of the child. "I didn't call anyone! Besides, I am a bad person and no one likes me."
A laugh now echoed through the breeze. It ruffled his hair like a caress. "Silly child! Do you think that just because you were angry, your mother will love you less?" The voice grew sad. "My children are always doing hurting things...both to themselves and to me. They try to
destroy me time after time. And I, too, sometimes get angry. Yet..."
The voice was silent for a long moment. "Yet, they are my children. And I love them. Perhaps, if I care enough, someday they will learn to love instead of hate...create instead of destroy. Someday..."
The boy sat silent. He thought about how he used to care about his fellow men. Then he let all that caring turn to angry and hate.
"Mother Earth? Maybe if I love enough people...if I care...it will teach them to love in return." "Perhaps..."
The child jumped up. "I will! And I will start with my mother!"
As he exited the woods, the child heard a whisper in the wind, "Never be ashamed to care!"
Hurrying home, the child was surprised to find his mother sitting weeping in front the broken pieces of the vase. *She must be more upset about the vase than I thought.* he thought as he stood in the doorway.
"Mother..."
To his shock, his mother jumped up and hugged him tight. "I was so worried about you." She brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Surely, you know that you are more important than a vase."
The love in his mother's eyes made the child feel strange. She was more concerned about him? In that moment, all the anger that he had created to keep him from caring melted away. Standing in his mother's arms, he vowed that he wouldn't let anything ever stop him from caring.
There was a child.
Just an ordinary child.
Yet, in one way he was not so ordinary. This child cared.