Ami's Tea Party in the attic

My name is Ami. I'm in the second grade. This is me on the right and my best friend Bunny. She lives next door. Her real name is Serina but no one ever calls her that. Her mom works in a fabric shop so she always has lots and lots of cloths that her mom makes. My dad used to be a Marine but he retires and now he designs cars for Ford. Mom says he just designs the engines but I think he's pretty cool anyway.
Its spring break now so Bunny and I are pretty bored really. Dad keeps telling us to go outside and play instead of spending all day watching cartoons and playing video games. It's too cold though and I don't have a big girl's bike yet to the only thing we can do is play by the creek across the street and it won't stop raining and mom keeps telling us we can't anyway because the creek is really deep in the spring and one of us could drown. I hate spring break. I'm so bored.

* * *

"Girls, if you don't find something to do besides watch TV and mope I'm getting you each a mop and bucket."
"But mom It's raining again and there's nothing to do."
"Why don't you girls play with your dolls?" Mom is really nice, but sometimes a bit clueless.
"We played with them all day yesterday." Ami whined. "You could have a tea party with Nana's good china."
"We can?" Ami's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Yes, you may. As long as you promise not to chip any of the pieces that are left." One of the lids was missing from the set and a couple of the dishes as well.
"Yipee!" Ami jumped up and down on the couch gleefully. "Hey now, stop that or I'll take it back."
"Ok, ok," Ami thought for a moment. Still standing on the couch she asked "Can we have the tea party in the attic?"
"Ami, we haven't cleaned up there since we put Nana's things up there. I'm sure It's pretty dusty up there."
"We'll clean it Mrs. Schultz." Bunny piped up. Ami gave Bunny a dirty look. Thanks a lot she muttered under her breath. Sorry Bunny whispered back.
"Take the tea set with you, dust the furniture and sweep the floor and then you can have a tea party afterwards all right?" Mrs. Schultz grinned at Ami and Bunny. Ami gave her mother's innocent grin a suspicious look.
"Come on Ami, get the tea pot out so we can make the tea. Can we have cookies too Mrs. S?"
"Now why would you want cookies?"
"Moooommmmm.." Ami gave her mother an exasperated look. "You ALWAYS have cookies with your tea."
"I do?" Mrs. Schultz feigned innocence as she playfully tossled her daughter's hair.
"Yah mom. Always."
"Well imagine that." Mrs. Schultz winked at Bunny who giggled and left the family room whistling. "Cookies it is. Chocolate chip or lemon?"
"Both!" the girls shouted together and then giggled helplessly as they climbed the stairs to the second floor and then the attic together."These stairs are really creaky Ami."
"Yah, I know. Sometimes at night it sounds like someone is going up them even when no one is upstairs." Ami gave Bunny a ghoulish look.
"Cut it out Ami. You're giving me the creaps already." "Am not." "Are too." "Am not times ten."
"Are too times fifty." Bunny stuck out her tongue and opened the creaky old door. The house had been built in the forties and the attic was really just an unfinished third floor without the heating system and hot water tank that were usually present as the house also had a full cellar that hat been converted to a basement several decades back. "Oh cool Ami, look, your mom and dad covered all the furniture with sheets just like in old movies."
"Yah, this is pretty cool. And at least with most everything covered, we only have to dust off the table and chairs." Ami lifted a sheet experimentally. "Ooohhh It's one of those psycho couches."
"Huh?" Bunny looked at the faded green upholstered chaise lounge Ami had discovered. "Oh, that's a feinting couch."
"Is not. It's a psycho couch."
"It's psychiatrist couch dummy and no it's not. It's a feinting couch. My Great Aunt Alita has one just like it. Psychiatrists have regular couches like everyone else."
"Yah?" Ami looked at the couch in interest. "Yah, only her's is pink."
"I hate pink" Ami stuck out her tongue and dropped the sheet back over the couch as she waved away the swirl of dust that flew up from the sheet. "I wonder what else is up here?"
"Probably most everything from you're grandma's house I bet." Bunny had moved on to peer under a sheet covering a large old mirror. She waived at herself in the dingy rainy day reflection before dropping the sheet back.
"Nope, Nana kept half her stuff when she moved to Arizona. Some of this is stuff that belonged to her sisters and brothers but none of my cousins wanted any of it."
"How come?" Bunny was now taking the chairs down that had been stacked under a sheet covering a small old oak farm table.
Ami came over to help her. "Well, Cousin Bob only has a little condo and his sister Irine is in the Navy living on a submarine so she hasn't got any place for it either."
"What about your aunt Kathy?" Bunny sneezed a couple of times in the dim room and wiped her nose on her sleeve.
"She says she doesn't like other people's old junk."
"Well, I like other people's old junk. I wonder what's in this trunk?" Bunny moved away from the table and lifted the lid of what might have been an old military foot locker at one point in it's life. "Hey Ami, come over here. There's lots of weird stuff in here." "Weird stuff? How weird?" "Really really really weird."
Ami came over from the table she was sweeping a feather duster over. "Hey, I recognize this stuff. It's Great Grandma Amos'."
"Who's that?" "Let me think. Um, Dad's Mom's mom. I think. Or was it Dad's Dad's mom?" Ami screwed up her eyes and nose and tried to remember which way it went.
"Oh, whatever already." Bunny picked up the tray in the top of the trunk and looked beneath it. "Who cares which way it was Ami. Check out this funky wicked dress." Bunny fished out and held up a gold dress with yards and yards of gold fringe. "Cool, did your great grandma really wear this?"
"Yup, Mom has a picture of her in it downstairs." "Girls! The tea is ready!" Mrs. Schultz yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
"Ok Mom! We'll come get it." Ami shouted back. "better not let her see we messed around with this stuff."
"How come?" Bunny looked quizzically at Ami as she bounced down the attic stairs.
"Because," Ami said with a grunt as she carried the now full tea platter up the stairs a few minuets later, "Mom is kind of funny about some things. No one really wants this stuff but she doesn't really like it when I play with it either." Ami set down the tray without managing to slosh more than a few drops over the top of the tea pot.
"Do you think we should put this stuff back then?" Bunny looked disappointed as there were several things wrapped in old news papers she still wanted to look at.
Ami sighed heavily with regret. "Yah, we probably should. I'm sure Mom is only worried we might break something valuable on accident but it isn't worth getting yelled at for."
"Ok, I'll just put it all back then." Bunny started putting the wrapped objects back in the trunk when she noticed something round and unusually heavy wrapped in a cloth. "Hey, what's this? Do you suppose it's a head?"
"Cut it out Bunny, It's too small to be a head."
"Maybe it's a baby's head." Bunny grinned at Ami as she turned green and set down her cookie. "Oh gross! Cut it out Bunny, it's probably just a really big paper weight or something. That was really sick. Has you're mom been letting you watch HBO at night again or something?"
"Well, yah, why do you ask?" Bunny said with a warped grin as she pulled the cloth back on the round object. "Its just a big glass ball." Bunny pouted. "Rats. I was hoping it was a head."
"Gross Bunny." Ami looked at the ball. "That doesn't look very much like glass." The ball was nearly opaque white and glowed, even in the gray rainy afternoon light.
"Yah, it looks like a big fiber optic bead like mom makes necklaces out of to me." Bunny shifted the ball so the striations in the crystal matrix shifted and flashed.
"You mean like a white cat's eye stone?"
"Yah," Bunny said, "exactly like that." Bunny looked closely at it. "It kinda looks like a crystal ball actually. But I always thought those were supposed to be clear?"
"I guess not." Ami absently chewed on a lemon cookie. "Tell me my fortune Bunny."
"Ok." Bunny put the ball in her lap and giggled as she rolled her eyes up and back dramatically. "I predict I predict I predict"
"Oh predict already slow poke. Or are you waiting for Christmas?" "Nope, Easter. I predict you will bring me another cookie."
"Why, did you want another?" "Yup, chocolate chip this time." "Ok." Ami handed Bunny the plate with the few remaining chocolate chip cookies on it.
"As, see, Madam Bunny sees all." Bunny cracked up gleefully as she ate a cookie. "Ok, now you do me." Bunny held out the ball to Ami.
"Ok." Ami reached out to take the ball only to pull her hand back. "You shocked me!"
"No I didn't. I didn't feel a thing." "That's because brainless people can't feel anything."
Bunny stuck out her tongue at Ami. "At least I passed math this semester." "I passed sort of." Ami's face clouded.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I know you try you're best. You just aren't very good at math is all. It's ok. No one in our class draws better than you do. You must get it from you're dad or something."
"Yah, Mom says that too. I wish I was better at math though. Mom says is I don't get my great up she is going to ground me."
"She is?" Bunny looked shocked. Her mom had never made such a threat even when she all but failed at spelling one time.
"Yah, for the whole semester and summer break too if I don't do better." Ami looked down at the ball in Bunny's hands. "I wish I could predict better grades."
"Me too. And an excuse to get out of gym." "What's wrong with gym? I think it's fun."
"That's because you are never picked last for the team every week." "Yah, say, how about you trade me your gym class for my math class?"
"Deal, but only if you take my next spelling test for me too." Ami laughed. Bunny was well known in the whole second grade for not being able to spell one bit.
"Ok, but only if you dissect my worm for me next week in science class."
"Worms are cool. All right, but you have to write my book report."
"Ewww I hate writing book reports. I'd rather write stories." "So write a story about the book then." Bunny suggested.
"Which book?" "The Red Pony." "No way Bunny. I hate that book. It's depressing."
"Yup, that's why I want you to write it." "That's mean. Give me the ball. I want to do your prediction now." Ami held out her hand.
Bunny dropped the ball into Ami's hand before she could yelp again that she had been shocked. "Ouch. That hurts."
"You're weird." Bunny said. "It didn't shock me at all."
"Ok I predict that you will be writing your own book report next week." "Well I predict you will take your own math test so there."
"No fair, I have the ball. I make the predictions."
"Ok, predict something else." Ami looked into the ball thoughtfully. "Um, I predict you will be visited by an old friend shortly."
"Which old friend?" Bunny couldn't think of very many people she would cal 'old' friends.
"The ball didn't say..." Just then, Ami's schnauzer Gretel came up the stairs and jumped into Bunny's lap. "Hey, that was pretty cool!" Bunny clapped. "Predict something else."
"Ok, um" Ami sipped her tea and thought while the ball rested in her lap. "I predict you will fall."
"Huh? I don't get it?" As she said this however, Gretel jumped down from Bunny's lap and because she was leaning backwards in the chair, it tipped and landed on the dry old wood floor boards of the attic with a boom and a puff of dust. Ami screeched and set the ball on top of the dress in the trunk next to her before running over to Bunny.
"Are you all right?" "Hey you guys!" Mrs. Schultz yelled up the stairs. "You had better settle down up there."
"Ok mom!" Ami shouted over her shoulder. "Bunny, I think we should go downstairs now."
Bunny whipped the dust off her nose and sneezed. "Yah, I think you're right."The girls cleaned up the tea things and stacked the chairs back on the table before putting the sheet back over it. Neither said a thing as they closed the trunk lid and walked down the attic stairs.
"Hey Ami." Bunny turned and faced Ami as they reached the upstairs second floor landing.
"Yah Bunny?" "That was fun. Can we do it again tomorrow?"

by Gert
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Poem 1-- A diamante


Emma
Witty, compassionate
Dancing, sewing, dreaming
Red-haired, childe, lady, green-eyed
Gardening, riding, ruling
Lovely, brave
Guinevere


Poem 2-- A cinquain


Emma
Time traveler
Visiting distant lands
Wearing the magical moonstone
Princess


by Judith Wainwright
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A golden egg

The sun rose high over Two Crowns Castle overlooking the Carpatina Mountains in the Kingdom of Arcadia,
signaling the beginning of another day. A pretty red-haired girl walked up the staircase, holding a
torch in her hand. "Alissa! Alissa! Wake up! Alissa!" she screamed.
Hearing this call, Princess Alissa, a lithe brunette, stretched her limbs out above her gilded canopy bed as
the sun's rays streamed from her open window. She wiped her turquoise eyes only to see her cousin Emma, her lady-in-waiting, standing there.
"Come look! Come look!" Emma grabbed Alissa's hand. They scrambled down the stairs and hurried to the front door. There was a gold speckled egg inside a
basket, neatly surrounded by other plastic eggs. As Alissa stooped down to pick it up, she found a note and opened it. "Please take care of me," it read,
with no signature. Hmm, Alissa thought to herself as she brought the basket and its contents into the castle and Emma followed her. "You can't tell anyone about this,
Emma. Promise?" Alissa said. "Cross my heart and hope to die," Emma promised, putting her hand over the left side of her chest.
Going back to her bedchamber, Alissa pondered on the large size of the egg. It was much larger than any other egg she'd ever seen. I wonder what kind of egg
this is, she thought as she examined it. Emma grabbed a blanket from Alissa's closet and wrapped the egg in it.
The next morning, Alissa got up to check on the egg. Nothing happened. She then turned the tables and called Emma up to join her. "How's it doing?" Emma
asked. "Nothing yet," Alissa replied. "Did you tell anybody?"
"Just Julia and Isabella." Alissa couldn't believe what she'd heard. "What? Why?"
"Because, they're our cousins too. I couldn't leave them out. Besides, I asked them for suggestions on what to do with it."
Just then Julia, a dark, raven-haired beauty, and Isabella, a lovely blonde, joined Emma and Alissa and sat cross-legged on the floor. Emma, sitting closest
to the closet where the egg lay, reached it and sat it in the center of the circle. "I think we should take the egg outside where it could get some sunlight," suggested Julia.
Added Isabella, "We need to find a place where nothing can disturb it." "Maybe we should rotate it," thought Emma. "Every morning one of us goes to our hiding place and checks
on it, make sure it isn't disturbed." "Sounds pretty good," agreed Alissa. "Now, we need to find a hiding place."
The four girls quietly left Alissa's bedroom, all in their nightclothes, and tried to find a place in the royal gardens where it wouldn't be disturbed. While walking through the magnificent
gardens, they decided that Emma would check the next day, Julia the next, Isabella the following day, and
Alissa on the fifth day. Finally they decided to hide the egg in a far corner
of the horse stable, and covered it with hay. Alissa also made a sign to put on the blanket: "Do Not Disturb."
Each morning the girl whose duty was to check the egg woke up before the sun rose, and walked to the area where they'd hidden the egg. Each morning they checked to see if it had been disturbed and if there were cracks in the egg, and reported their findings to each other. Finally, on the fifth day, Alissa slipped on her slippers and walked down the staircase. But
this time, her mother and father were waiting. "Where are you going?" asked the Queen. "Uh, just going to take a walk," replied Alissa. The King wondered, "At this hour?
"Yeah, it's -- it's nice outside." Alissa disappeared into the royal gardens, leaving her parents shaking their heads.
Alissa ran as fast as she could through the royal gardens and to the spot where she'd hidden the egg. She uncovered it and picked it up. She found some cracks!
Picking the egg and the blanket up, Alissa returned to the castle through a back entrance, and awakened her cousins Emma, Julia, and Isabella. "Look!" Alissa
exclaimed, showing the other girls what she'd discovered as they met in a hallway. "The egg's getting ready to hatch!"
Emma took the egg into her bedchamber, and the other girls followed. After setting the egg down, they marveled as more cracks began to appear on the egg's
shell. "Whatever it is," Julia said, "it's coming now!" After a few more minutes, the egg shell had nearly completely split in two, and its contents were just
now beginning to reveal themselves. "Look!" said Alissa, pointing toward the shell, "there's a beak."
"Looks like there are two beaks," noted Isabella. "You mean we might have -- twins?" asked Julia.
By this time the creature had completely shed its covering and revealed itself. Peculiarly shaped, its head and beak bigger than the rest of its body, it was
frail and unable to move without assistance. "What is it?" asked Isabella.
"I don't know," replied Julia. Alissa guessed, "Maybe it's a bird of some sort. "No way," thought Emma, "I don't think it's a bird.
Birds don't have beaks like that." "What do you suspect it is, then?"
Suddenly Emma came to an idea. "Alissa, why don't we go after breakfast to see the wizard Merlin? Maybe he can tell us what this creature is and what we can do for it."
"Good thinking, Emma!" Alissa agreed. "Until then, why don't we cover it up in the blanket?"
"What can we feed it?" wondered Julia. Isabella gave the creature a dead housefly, which it happily accepted. She then covered it up with the
blanket and carried it in the palm of her hand, while the other girls followed.
The four girls skipped through the royal gardens and left the enormous grounds of the castle. They passed a row of similarly shaped houses until they finally
spotted the one that read "This is the residence of the Wizard Merlin. Enter at your own risk." "Here we are," Alissa told them. "Brace yourselves."
Carrying the creature, Alissa led the girls to Merlin's front door. They were determined to solve the mystery of the golden egg.
"Come in, girlzzzz," a peculiar voice croaked, ushering them inside this sparsely lit, strange cabin full of artifacts of witchcraft and wizardry. A crystal ball sat on a table closest to Isabella, and a cauldron with unidentified contents boiled on some lit logs. A mysterious force seemed to usher them into this place, so different from where they came.
"Little fellow, where have you taken us?" Alissa asked, addressing the creature in the palm of her hand and caressing his forehead.
"Where is Merlin?" wondered Emma, curiously peering into every nook and crammy. "Where is he? I don't see him anywhere."
"That's because he isn't here," replied the croaking voice again. The source of the voice suddenly appeared, an old haggard woman in a tattered dress.
"I'm Merlyna, his daughter." In the blink of an eye she transformed into a tall, beautiful woman in a long purple robe. Her dark brown
hair was still in a ragged ponytail, but strangely she resembled an older version of Alissa. In a saccharine voice she asked, "May I see the creature?"
Apprehensively Alissa handed the creature to Merlyna, while Julia gave her the basket and the note. "Ah yes, I remember," Merlyna said with a secretive grin.
Isabella was outraged. "It -- it was you?" "You wrote the note?" asked Emma. "Why?" Merlyna smiled. "I picked the perfect place to hide this young baby dragon."
All the girls gulped. "Baby -- dragon?" they said in unison. "Relax, girlzzz. He is harmless. His parents live somewhere in the Carpatina Mountains. No one will
find him in the royal palace --" Alissa panicked. "But my parents -- they'll --" "I've taken care of your parents, Alissa. They will have no idea it even exists.
The only people in the entire royal household who will know of its existence are you and your maids. The reason I'm hiding him in the palace with you, the princess, is to keep him safe.
"This baby dragon has special powers. When he is fully grown, he will be able to speak, and he will be able to fly. Someday, Alissa dear, he may even save
your life. Oops, here I go prattling on, the soup's still on the fire. Would you care for any?" "No thanks," said Julia with a smile. "We'd better be
getting back to the palace before the King and Queen send out the guards."
Merlyna laughed. "Okay, then, girls. Goodbye, then. Come back and see me sometime."
With that the girls waved goodbye and then skipped out the door with their new pet and the knowledge that they'd made a new friend.


by Jill Simms
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The Queen of Carpathia

Act 1: Easter Treats from Aunt Cordelia	Act 2 : Dancing Princesses	Act 3: A Sprite's Gift
"Magic necklaces and magic words Can take you to a magic world. True beauty must be shared For wondrous adventures to be dared." Click on this link to read the complete story Just Magic	Click on this link to see all photos and read the story Just Magic	Click on this link to see all photos and read the story Just Magic

.......................................................Queen of Carpathia ~  CAST

Click on this link to find out who these dolls are
CAST

by Maria Greene of Just Magic Dolls
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Lady Fayelyn

Fayelyn flipped the page of the catalog, only to turn it back a moment later. She placed her chin into her hands and sighed as she gazed longingly onto the colorful page.
"What are you looking at?" Hadassa looked up from the funnies she was reading.
Fayelyn pointed to a picture on the glossy page. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Hadassa cocked her head to the side. "A moonstone necklace? It is beautiful."
Fayelyn sighed again. "I want one so bad. It's suppose to have magical powers" She allowed her voice to fade as she daydreamed.
"Why don't you ask Samantha if you can borrow one of her necklaces. Her's are pretty."
"Yeah, but they're not magic." Their older sister Samantha had a number of pretty necklaces. But Fayelyn didn't just want a necklace.
"Do you want to borrow my key? It's magic, sort of."
Fayelyn finally looked up from the catalog and smiled at her sister.
"Thanks sis, you're sweet." Fayelyn slowly got up. "But it's just not the same."
Fayelyn went to find Mamma. Maybe if she just asked for the necklace, Mamma would get one for her. In the sewing room, Fayelyn approached from behind as Mamma fiddled with the thread on the machine.
"Mamma?"
"Hi sweetie! What are you up to?" Mamma smiled down at Fayelyn only for a moment, then quickly turned back to the task at hand.
"Nothing," Fayelyn answered.
"Did you want something?" Mamma asked again as she threaded the machine's needle.
"Well," Fayelyn fidgeted. Mamma had gotten so many nice things for her, her two sisters and little brother. How could she ask for even more? She didn't want to sound greedy. She looked down at her feet and cleared her throat. "Should Preston wake up from his nap soon?"
Mamma glanced at the clock on the wall. "He should."
Fayelyn nodded. "Ok,thank you," she said, and turned to go. She couldn't bring herself to ask the question she longed to ask. In a way she felt good for not asking. But in another way, she felt worse. Will she ever get a moonstone?
In the bedroom, Fayelyn checked on her little brother as he napped. He was still fast asleep. She sighed again, this time in boredom. She glanced over toward Mamma's nightstand and felt a tinge of interest as she eyed the jewelry box. Maybe playing with Mamma's jewelry would cheer her up.
She lifted the lid and peered inside. She loved the mood rings and the sparkly crystal pendant. But this time the first thing to catch her eye was the Celtic Cross necklace. She gingerly reached in and picked it up. Fiddling with the clasp, she managed to fasten it around her neck, and then turned to the mirror on the closet door. It always looked so dainty and delicate when Mamma wore it. But it looked very regal and elegant on her. She held the cross up and looked at it. It had engravings of Celtic knots all over it. Mamma loved Celtic things. She was a descendant of the Celts. So I'm a descendant too, Fayelyn thought to herself. Didn't they come up with some of the greatest fairy tales?
Preston rolled over in his sleep and shoved his stuffed giraffe off the bed. Fayelyn grinned in amusement before she walked over and picked the giraffe up. She placed it back at Preston's side. She so loved her baby brother. So she crawled onto her own bed and waited for him to wake up. "Lady Fayelyn!" came a gruff voice from next to her.
Fayelyn opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a dense forest, and a slight mist seemed to be rising from the ground. The air smelled salty. She could almost hear the crashing of ocean waves nearby.
"My Lady," the voice said again. "We must hurry! The rally won't wait!" She now saw who was speaking. A man in a coat of armor held the reigns of two horses.
"What rally?" she heard her own voice ask.
"Lady Rhapsody's springtime celebration. The flowers are in bloom again, and all the ladies of the land are invited to join her in merrymaking. She insisted the Elfin Princess be among them. We mustn't tarry!"
Before Fayelyn could figure out what was going on, the knight, as she had figured he was, had helped her onto the back of one of the horses. She had never ridden horseback in her life, but surprisingly seemed to be taking to it quickly as they started galloping through the woods.
"Who are you?" she asked as the horses ran side by side. "Sir Philippe, My Lady. I'm to escort you safely to the rally."
As the horses galloped Fayelyn couldn't help but notice she was wearing a blue dress with lace hemmed bell sleeves and a lace girdle around her waist. There was embroidery and colorful beads around the neckline and the girdle. Silver threads hung from bows at her neck and sleeves. The silky fabric rippled as she rode through the mist.
Suddenly her horse veered off to the far right. She somehow knew how to pull on the reigns to steer it back on course. But it wasn't cooperating.
"Oh, My Lady! Isn't she beautiful?" Philippe whispered from behind her. Fayelyn spotted what her horse must have seen. At first it appeared to be another horse of pure white, with gold highlights in its long flowing main. But then she noticed a long horn from its regal head. "A unicorn!" Fayelyn whispered in awe. "She's gorgeous!"
Her horse tried to get closer, but the unicorn seemed to shy away, so she tried her best to hold the horse still. She surely didn't want such a lovely creature to run away. They watched eachother silently for a moment. Her horse whinnied and perked its ears. The unicorn too lifted its head and perked its ears. Suddenly the unicorn broke out into a run, and much to Fayelyn's dismay, her horse chased after it.
She tried desperately to gain back control, but the horse didn't even seem to know she was still riding it. She was already doing all she could not to fall off. As they ran out into a meadow filled with wildflowers, a loud screech sounded from behind her. Fayelyn looked back to see a huge gray dragon. She screamed at the terrifying sight.
"Ride into the woods," she could hear Philippe yell after her. He was grabbing his bow and a bunch of arrows as he prepared to defend himself against the beast. "I'll catch up."
Before Fayelyn knew it, she, her horse, and the unicorn had run back into the shelter of the forest. But the animals didn't stop running. After what seemed like many minutes of trying to dodge low lying branches and jumping over fallen logs, the unicorn finally stopped, and somehow the horse got the message and stopped too. Fayelyn stared at the unicorn as it started grazing as if nothing had happened. She brought her hands up to straiten her long red hair, now filled with seeds and twigs. Then she looked around. Oh great, she thought to herself. Now I'm totally lost. How will I ever get to the rally now? She turned back toward the unicorn. It seemed to look at her as if saying "Trust me". Fayelyn gently slid off the horses back. Grabbing the reigns, she slowly walked toward the unicorn. "It's ok, girl," she said quietly as she continued to step forward. "Do you know how to get me to where I belong? You do, don't you?"
The unicorn threw its head back. Fayelyn smiled. It did know the way. She held out her hand to the animal, and finally touched the unicorn's nose. She smiled bigger. Wow, I'm petting a unicorn!
The unicorn led the way through the woods, and Fayelyn gladly followed with her horse in tow. She enjoyed watching the unicorn move about. It was so graceful and almost seemed to float over the ground. What a beautiful creature she was. When the unicorn stopped and threw its head back again, Fayelyn looked around.
"Is this where you were taking me?" she asked. "But there's nothing here." The unicorn whinnied and nudged the air in her direction. Fayelyn stepped backward slightly and felt her foot land on something. She looked down. It had been a mushroom. And there was another one next to her other foot. And another. She turned around. It was a ring of toadstools. A fairy ring!
"Atta' girl," came another voice from behind her. Fayelyn flung around again to see another girl gently petting the unicorn. She wore leaves as a dress and flowers in her hair, and from her back poked two translucent wings. Fayelyn's mouth dropped open. "Welcome, Elf. My friend here tells me you need help. Is that true?"
Fayelyn found her manners and politely smiled. "Yes. I must get to Lady Rhapsody's rally. I fear I might be late." Fayelyn searched the fairy's face. She looked strikingly similar to her sister Samantha.
"I know the way to Rhapsody's castle," the fairy smiled. She patted the unicorn's nose before turning her full attention to Fayelyn. "My name is Elsie."
"Pleased to meet you," she replied politely. "I am" "I know who you are," Elsie interrupted with a grin.
The unicorn walked over to Fayelyn and nuzzled her hair as if kissing her farewell. She giggled at the whiskers tickling her cheek. Elsie then stepped forward and took hold of Fayelyn's hand.
"Come. We must fly," Elsie said. "We don't want you to be late." Fayelyn turned back toward her horse. Elsie seemed to read her thoughts.
"Leave your horse here. It'll be safe with the unicorn, and I'll return it to you."
Fayelyn barely got to nod in agreement before Elsie's wings were fluttering, and she started rising upward. As she held on to Elsie's hand, Fayelyn could feel her feet leave the ground.
As they soared over the trees, Fayelyn looked around. Vast ancient forests spread as far as the eye could see. Lush meadows rolled over hilltops to the right, and an azure blue ocean stretched out to the left. This land was beautiful!
"Where are we?" she asked once she found her voice again. "We're over the Misty Moore, in the Land of Moonstone."
"Moonstone? It's so beautiful here," Fayelyn smiled as she watched birds chase their intended meals through the air. She suddenly remembered something else she had seen flying over the forest not too long ago. She quickly turned her head to look behind them. But then gave a sigh of relief. No dragons.
She looked forward again in time for them to swoop out toward the ocean and toward what seemed to be a peninsula. Mounted on the rocks at the end was a stone castle. The blue sky formed an appropriate frame around the mystical structure. Elsie gently lowered herself and companion back to the ground. "There's Rhapsody's castle," she nodded toward the peninsula.
Fayelyn looked at her. "Can't you bring me to the gates?"
Elsie shook her head. "I must leave you here. I so despise crowds and mustn't allow any chance at being seen by a human." Fayelyn nodded, and somehow understood. Elsie smiled at her. She gently took Fayelyn's face into her hands.
"Now make haste, Lady Fayelyn. They are waiting for you." With that Elsie's wings fluttered again and she floated over the ground. As she departed, she turned back once more. "I will return your horse to you. You have my word." Now alone, Fayelyn looked again toward the castle. She took a deep breath and started toward it.
A short ways down the coastline, Fayelyn noticed something in the sand ahead. At first glimpse it looked like maybe a beached whale. But no, it had scales. Could it be a beached fish? Or was it dead? She wrinkled her nose, but her curiosity got the best of her as she inched closer. She soon noticed that it wasn't a fish at all. And it wasn't dead. Right up against it, Fayelyn leaned over to get a better look. She gasped.
"Eek!" came a startled scream from the creature. "Oh, you frightened me."
Fayelyn jumped back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to" Her voice faded as she continued to stare. It was a mermaid with long chestnut hair. She wore braided kelp over her torso, but below her waist it was all scales, tipped with two fins. Noticing Fayelyn's stare, the mermaid looked down at herself and blushed.
"I know it's not customary for a mermaid to be on shore. But I do so like the sunshine. It's so warm and bright. I can't help but get out of the water to enjoy it every now and then." She scooted over the sand toward the water. Fayelyn smiled slightly. She noticed the mermaid looked similar to her sister Hadassa. The mermaid reached the water and started rinsing the sand off her arms. "I'm Anemone. Who are you?"
"I'm Fayelyn. I'm on my way to that castle," she pointed toward the Rhapsody castle.
Anemone looked toward the castle. "Oh yes, I've been hearing all sorts of cheerful sounds coming from over there. They must be having another rally."
"They are," Fayelyn nodded. "And I should have been there by now. As much as I'd love to stay, I really must be going."
"You say you're running late?" Anemone looked back toward Fayelyn. Fayelyn nodded. With another quick glance toward the castle, Anemone came up with an idea. "I can take you across the bay so you don't have to walk along the length of the shoreline. It'll be a lot faster, if you don't mind getting wet."
Fayelyn looked down at her lovely blue gown. The fabric felt light enough to swim in, and it should dry rather quickly once she's out of the water. Maybe she could get away with it. She only had to take off her slippers.
Fayelyn was surprised that as long as she held onto Anemone's hand she didn't need to surface to take a breath even once while they were swimming across the bay. But she couldn't talk like Anemone could.
"Have you ever been to the castle?" Anemone asked. Fayelyn shook her head, sending her hair in all directions. "I bet it'll be fun," Anemone commented. Fayelyn nodded, again sending her hair in all directions. Anemone laughed, perhaps at the fact that her friend couldn't speak under water, or maybe the way her hair floated when she moved her head.
Soon they reached the shore again, and Anemone helped Fayelyn up onto the rocky ledge.
"Here we are," Anemone smiled as she remained in the water. Fayelyn put her slippers back on, stood and wrung her dress and hair out. "I am grateful to you, my friend," She smiled down at her. "Now I must run. There is no more time to kill."
"Have fun," Anemone smiled again before slidding back under the water, and as Fayelyn climbed the ledge toward the castle, she was sure she saw a pair of fins slapping the sea below her.
The ledge was steep, but Fayelyn climbed with grace as well as strength until finally she reached the top. She ran around the wall to the front gates. The ocean breeze had helped a great deal in drying her gown and hair. Although she wasn't sure she still looked appropriate for such formality.
"Welcome My Lady, are you here for the rally?" asked a guard at the gate. Fayelyn answered in that she was. After giving her name, the guards opened the gates and she was allowed inside the castle. She entered the courtyard and looked around. There were tables set up with the most delicious food she was sure she had ever seen. And ladies surrounded her, each wearing elaborate gowns, and some with headdresses. A few gentlemen stood with them too.
"Lady Fayelyn!" A voice called from one side. Fayelyn turned toward the voice. She had to look down to see who it was coming from.
"Lady Fayelyn, we've been waiting for you! I must bring you to Lady Rhapsody at once. This way now."
The voice sounded grown up, but he looked like a child. In fact, he looked like her brother Preston. He must be a dwarf, she thought to herself as he took her hand and hurried her toward the back of the courtyard. She passed even more tables of food and beautiful ladies and caught a glimpse of a court jester as he juggled some type of fruit. As she searched the crowd, the dwarf finally stopped and kneeled before a woman dressed very elaborately. A gentleman stood a short distance behind her. "Lord and Lady Rhapsody," he began, "The Elfin Princess has arrived. Our merrymaking can now start."
"Thank you Lester," the woman smiled at them. "Welcome Lady Fayelyn! Come and join us in my springtime celebration!"
Fayelyn curtsied politely, but not before she noticed that Lady Rhapsody looked a lot like Mamma. Suddenly a shadow passed over her, and she looked up. A winged horse landed right next to Lady Rhapsody, its wings sending a refreshing breeze her way. A boy about her age slipped off its back.
"Well," Lady Rhapsody glinted, "I'm glad you're not the last one here," she winked at Fayelyn. "Jonathan, will you ever be on time?
The boy looked at the Lady, and nodded. "I'm sorry mother."
Fayelyn looked at the beautiful horse. Its dark fur almost shimmered in the evening sunlight. Its wings folded at its sides like a bird's. But then she caught sight of the boy. She hadn't seen anyone so handsome. He had eyes the color of the sea on a sunny day, and golden curls in his hair. She couldn't take her eyes off the new stranger. He noticed her too, and bowed graciously.
"Which lovely Lady do I have the honor of bowing to?" he asked her.
"I am Fayelyn," she answered.
"Ah, Lady Fayelyn, Elfin Princess. May I say there is no better name for such a lovely elf as yourself."
Fayelyn blushed. "You do flatter me, sir."
"Please call me Jonathan."
Slight commotion in the crowd soon drew their attention to an armored man making his way toward her.
"My lady," Phillippe said as he bowed in front of her. He dropped the reins of two horses. "I do apologize for leaving you like I had. I am not worthy of being your escort."
Fayelyn gave him her hand. "All is well, Sir Phillippe. I had the help of many friends. I am just glad to see you are alright. I do hope that dragon wasn't too much of a burden on you."
"Oh, that was just Rufus. He gets cross when I leave him to do some of my duties. But it's nothing a few pricks with those arrows can't handle." Fayelyn noticed the arrows in his saddlebag were small tranquilizers, to calm, not to kill. "A question if I may," Fayelyn asked. "Where did you find my horse?"
"She was tied to a tree at the edge of the forest, with a note," Phillippe answered. He handed Fayelyn a piece of paper. She opened it and read the inscription inside. "Please deliver me to the Lady Fayelyn at Rhapsody castle this very eve. It is quite unlikely the maiden can get by without her steed." It was signed "Elsie, Fairy of the Moor".
Jonathan took Fayelyn's other hand. "As you have now arrived safely, may I have the honor of being your escort?"
"The honor is all mine, Jonathan," she answered him with another curtsy.
Just then, Lady Rhapsody clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention. "Let the rally begin!" she declared. Suddenly the music of strings, pipes, harps and flutes were filling the air. Many of the people started dancing to the lively tune.
"Would you care for a dance?" Jonathan asked as he led Fayelyn toward an open spot of the courtyard.
"Not at all," Fayelyn smiled, and they started dancing around in circles to the music as it played. She looked again at her partner. He truly was handsome, and charming. She was sure she'd be enjoying herself during this rally. As she spun around, she caught a glimpse of a decorative Celtic Cross hanging around Jonathan's neck.
"Fayelyn!" a voice cried from somewhere nearby. Don't disturb me, she thought to herself. I'm busy.
"Fayelyn!" Leave me alone, she almost said out loud. "Fayelyn, wake up!"
Fayelyn opened her eyes. She looked up into the sweet little face of Preston as he peered over at her from his bed. Samantha stood behind him.
"Mamma wanted me to get you. She's made you something, and wants to see if it fits," Samantha said.
Fayelyn sat up on her bed and drowsily dropped her feet to the floor.
"Fayelyn up!" Preston grinned at her. "Yes, sis Fayelyn is getting up," she only half smiled.
As they walked past the living room, Hadassa jumped to her side. "Do you know what Mamma made you yet?" she asked.
Fayelyn shook her head. "Hadassa, you know what I just dreamt?" she whispered. "I dreamt I was in a fairy tale!"
"Really?" Hadassa asked in interest. "What was it about?"
"I was an elf in the Land of Moonstone, a knight in shining armor rescued me from a dragon, and I chased a unicorn, and flew with a fairy, and swam with a mermaid, and then danced with a handsome boy who owned a winged horse."
"Wow, a Pegasus!" Hadassa gasped. "Sounds like it was fun!"
Finally in the sewing room, Mamma jumped up from the chair and kneeled in front of her daughters. "Fayelyn, I just finished this. Tell me what you think!" She held a handful of blue fabric toward her. "Is that my necklace?"
Fayelyn looked down at the Celtic Cross and shamefully nodded.
"Well," Mamma smiled, "It will go well with this. Let's see how it looks on you."
Mamma, Hadassa, and Samantha helped Fayelyn dress into a beautiful medieval styled gown. It was blue with lace hemmed bell sleeves, and a lace girdle. Embroidery and beads decorated the neckline as well as the girdle. Silver threads tied into bows at her neck and sleeves. While Mamma laced up the back, Fayelyn looked down at herself. Her mouth dropped open, and she turned to Hadassa.
"And in my dream I was wearing this exact gown!" She clutched the cross. "Hadassa! I think Mamma's Celtic Cross is magic!"
"My necklace? Magic?" Mama remarked. "I highly doubt that, silly girl!" She teasingly tweeked Fayelyn's nose.
Hadassa looked at her sister and the necklace that was around her neck. "Mama's right," she smiled. "The real magic is in you."
Fayelyn looked down at herself again and smiled. She turned to hug Mamma. "Thank you Mamma! It's just like a fairy tale!"

by Lynn Dawn
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The Healer

Once upon a time, there was a pretty girl named Julia. She loved to walk in the woods, and sit on a rock and eat her dinner. But one day as she walked out of the house it started to rain.
"Oh no!" she moaned, "But it's so boring inside!"
But she decided to go anyway. As she ran to the nearest tree, she heard what sounded like a muffled cry. So she stopped to listen. But remembering it was poring, she quickly ran to the tree.
She ate her dinner, and when she was done the rain started to stop slowly. But then she heard the cry again. so she picked up her picnic basket, and walked slowly toward the sound.
And then, as she was thinking what a stinky, itchy, dress she was wearing, she saw it. A beautiful, but bleeding Unicorn, sat there, wailing.
"Oh my gosh!" she said, panicking."Your hurt!" she quickly tore off her coat and pressed it against the wound. "I'll help you." she cooed. "You will be alright."
She knew a trick. One that could heal Unicorns. With enough love, and a mint leaf, two sticks and some weird chant, she knew she could do it.
Quickly she collected the things she needed, and said the chant slowly, with lots of love in it. "Bo shy om shi fee la moaty" she said, feeling really dumb saying it.
And suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared, and the Unicorn stood up. "Yes!" she said happily, pumping her arms in the air excitedly."It worked!"
"You are a true healer." the unicorn said. "Thanks." she said. "What's your name?"
"Ti Moon." said the Unicorn. "And yours?" "Julia." Julia replied. "I will always remember you." Ti Moon said. "Thank you." And she was gone.
Julia knew that they would meet again. It was fate. Julia skipped home happily, knowing that she had helped.
That felt good.

by Stella Boonshoft
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Da Vinci and the Unicorn

Once upon a time there were 2 girls. Their names were Grimalkin and Pixie. They had an amazing magical power. They could jump into paintings and become part of them. They had a lot of fun with this magical power. One day their teacher introduced them to a girl named Julia. She was a new girl in their class.
At recess that morning Julia went over to them and said, "Can you keep a secret?"
"We can." said Grimalkin. "I have a magical power," exclaimed Julia. "I can jump into paintings whenever I want."
"Us too," said Pixie. "Well, since we're going to an art museum on our field trip, would you like to be partners with me?" asked Julia.
"OK" said Grimalkin and Pixie at the same time.
The next day at exactly 12:00 in the afternoon the class left for their field trip to the art museum. As the class explored the museum, the 3 girls wandered off by themselves.
They found a painting of the Mona Lisa.
"Let's go in THAT one," exclaimed Pixie. The girls smiled and nodded to one another. Grimalkin reached toward the painting. She felt herself tumbling and before she knew it, she landed at someone's feet. Just then Julia and Pixie appeared beside her. "Who are you?" bellowed a man dressed in strange old-fashioned clothes.
"Who the heck are you?" said the very bewildered Grimalkin.
"Why! I'm Leonardo Da Vinci," said the man.
"The famous Leonardo Da Vinci?" exclaimed Julia.
"I'm known for my paintings and inventions." said Leonardo. "And you've interrupted me while I was painting my best friend's daughter. And you scared her so bad that she ran out of the studio." "We're very sorry, Mr. Da Vinci and we won't do it again." said Julia who was a very polite girl.
"But who are you? I demand to know." bellowed Leonardo.
The girls introduced themselves and explained that they were lost.
"What's the matter with you? Don't you curtsy to people at all and don't you call them 'sir'?
The girls tried to curtsy, but all 3 of them fell over with a crash. Pixie, who was very sensitive, burst into tears.
"Don't cry." said Leonardo. "Why don't you come with me to the Medici ball tonight?"
"Thank you. We would love to go but we don't have anything to wear."
" But your clothes look fine to me." said Leonardo in a puzzled voice.
The girls looked down to see that they were wearing beautiful Italian gowns. Julia smiled when she saw her long flowing gown of peach colored silk with a green velvet bodice trimmed in gold. She touched her head and was amazed to find a head piece and veil. Grimalkin was wearing a matching gown in blue, and Pixie was in red velvet.
"I should see if my best friend's daughter, Nelly, is ok. She was pretty scared. You girls go ahead and look around and I'll be right back."
Leonardo walked out and the 3 girls started looking around the studio. There were unfinished drawings and paintings. On a table there were Leonardo's notes and drawings of inventions. On a wall was a large tapestry. "What's that?" asked Pixie.
"That's a tapestry. People used them to keep out the cold air in the winter." explained Julia who knew her history.
The tapestry showed a lady wearing a crown with her arm around a unicorn. "That's pretty! exclaimed Pixie. "I love unicorns."
Grimalkin was curious and reached out to touch the tapestry. Suddenly, the threads wrapped around her arm and pulled her into the picture. Julia and Pixie jumped in after her. There stood a lovely woman dressed in a white gown with long flowing brown hair. Her arms were wrapped around the neck of a beautiful white unicorn. They were standing in a beautiful horse-shoe shaped garden that was full of flowers.
"Holy cow! Where are we now?" said Grimalkin. "Will you please help me?" said the exquisite lady. "I am Lady Eleanor, Queen of the faeries. Are you human children?"
"Yes, of course, we are." said Pixie. "My name is Pixie and these are my friends, Julia and Grimalkin".
"What strange names you have?" Grimalkin is our name for a cat with magical powers and this garden is full of pixies. Are you a good pixie or a bad pixie?"
"I'm not a pixie at all. I'm human and I'm good." said Pixie who was quite upset by now.
"Well, never mind. I just need your help." said the woman. "What can we do for you?" asked Julia in a kind voice.
"Many years ago some evil pixies came to my garden. One day when my daughter was out playing in the garden, the head pixie got angry at her and turned her into a unicorn. She was only 8 years old. Why a unicorn you might ask? Because outside this garden there are hunters who hunt unicorns. They use their horns to cast magic spells, and they use the unicorn blood to bring back the dead."
"How can we help you break the spell?" asked Pixie.
"Somewhere in the garden there is buried a moonstone that only a human child can find." explained Eleanor. "Is that all you know?" said Grimalkin who was getting tired and grumpy.
"The head pixie mentioned something about the moonstone being in a lady's slipper. But I don't understand it," said the Eleanor sadly. "I haven't seen any ladies shoes around here anywhere."
"Oh, I know," said Julia excitedly. "He didn't mean shoes he meant a flower ­ lady slippers are a type of flower and there are a lot of them in this garden. I know a lot about flowers because I visit my aunt Cordelia every summer and she has a huge garden."
"That's interesting. It's also confusing. What the
heck do these things look like?" said Grimalkin.
"I don't know anything about these things. I have a gardener." said Lady Eleanor.
"Lady slippers are a little white flower that look like a shoe." said Julia as she took off running through the garden looking for lady slippers to show them. "Here they are!" shouted Julia.
Everyone ran to see the lady slippers and then spent the next hour digging around the small groups of lady slippers that were planted all over the garden. The lady slippers were hard to find because of all the weeds.
Suddenly they heard a shout. "Here is it!" said Pixie jumping up and down. "I have the moonstone! I have the moonstone!"
Pixie showed them the moonstone. It was covered with mud but you could still see a tinge of blue.
"Oh, you found it! You found it!" cried Eleanor joyfully. She burst into tears thinking that her daughter would finally be a faerie child again.
The unicorn cantered over to them. They all petted her silky coat and cooed "Oh, you cutey baby baby."
"So, ok. We're human children. We found the moonstone and nothing happened," grumped Grimalkin.
Julia pulled off her blue leather necklace, took the moonstone and put it on the leather string. Then she tied it around the unicorn's neck. Suddenly there was blinding blue aqua colored light, and there stood a little faerie princess. She ran to her mother and kissed her all over.
"We've saved the day again. Now let's get out of here and go to that Medici ball," said Grimalkin.
After lots of thanks from Lady Eleanor and her daughter, the 3 girls found the place where they had entered the garden. They saw a small blurry hole. Grimalkin reached out to touch the hole and the 3 girls found themselves back in Leonardo Da Vinci's studio.
Just then, Leonardo walking back into the studio to take them to the ball. Pixie, Grimalkin and Julia had a wonderful time at the Medici ball. Grimalkin got over her grumpiness. And the 3 girls danced all night long until they all wore holes in their slippers. When they got back to the art museum and finally got home that night, their mothers wondered why their daughters were so tired, went right to sleep and slept all night long.

Credits
Author: Julia Silverstein
Computer skills and typing: Mom
Editing: Julia Silverstein
Photographs: Dad
Illustrations: Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Anonymous French Tapestry

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Gifts of the Golden Fairy

One beautiful spring afternoon, the sun was shining brightly and a warm breeze rustled through the new green leaves on the trees. Off in the distance a castle stood high on top of a hill. In a clearing on the edge of the Royal Forest two little princesses from the castle had just finished their picnic and were resting happily in the dappled sunshine. Disguised in ordinary clothes, they had sneaked away that afternoon from the watchful eyes of their elders, to visit a treasured friend who lived deep in the forest. One little girl lay dozing in a patch of sunshine, and the other quietly picking daisies and making chains. A crown of daisies was perched atop her beautiful auburn hair, and she was just finishing up a daisy chain bracelet for her friend when a sudden flash of gold in the grass caught her eye. She looked and saw a tiny golden butterfly, the most beautiful she had ever seen.
"Julia, come and look at this," she said to her friend, "I've just found the most unusual butterfly I've ever seen. Oh no, I think it might be injuredit doesn't seem to be able to fly."
"Careful, Emma," said Julia, "Whatever you do, you must never touch a butterfly's wings, or it may not ever be able to fly again."
"Julia," said Emma excitedly, "I don't think this is a butterfly, it's a fairy! But I think she may be injured." Julia looked closely at the tiny winged creature. It was indeed a fairy, with gossamer wings and a dress of the finest golden threads, but she lay on her side feebly trying to flutter her wings. Slowly she lifted her tiny golden head up and looked at the two girls with a pleading look of helplessness. Tears welled up in Emma's big green eyes.
"You're right, Emma," said Julia, "We need to take her right away to Isabella. She'll know exactly what to do. But we must be careful not to touch her delicate wings. Let's find something soft to carry her in."
"What about this buttercup?" said Emma, picking the flower from the ground beside her. "Perfect," said Julia, who lifted the fairy up with a leaf and gently placed her inside the soft petals of the buttercup.
The girls entered the Royal Forest where Isabella the fairy girl lived in an ancient oak tree. As they hurried on in silence, Emma thought about all of the times Isabella had rescued them from all sorts of misadventures. Isabella was a fairy of the most wonderful sort. She was big, and appeared to any outsider like a real human girl, so that she could be amongst people, and help where she was needed most. Often, she used her fairy magic in unseen ways, so that the recipient didn't even know that she had helped. Isabella loved her two friends the princesses, and during their visits she charmed them with tales of dragons, wizards, evil trolls, gnomes, pixies, and fairies, and all that is magic in the great forest, but that humans can no longer see or hear.
But there was a sad side to Isabella too that Julia and Emma understood, although Isabella never complained about it. They knew that she was often very lonely. They had heard that many of the fairies in the forest shunned her because of her big size, and distrusted her because she was part human.
Finally the girls reached the part of the forest where Isabella lived. They found the hidden door in the ancient oak tree, and as soon as Isabella opened the door, she could see that something was dreadfully wrong. She hurried them inside and listened quietly and thoughtfully while Emma and Julia told her about finding the tiny golden fairy. Quietly Isabella set to work picking leaves and flowers from an assortment of special plants growing in a tiny herb garden to the back of the tree. How strange, Julia thought, that she hadn't even noticed the garden when they were standing outside. But then all sorts of unusual things happened when they were with Isabella. As she looked again, the garden suddenly seemed to fade away before her very eyes, and once again all she could see was a carpet of moss littered with oak leaves and twigs. Isabella gave the fairy some of her concoction, and gently placed the injured fairy on a little pillow to rest. She sang a gentle song to the fairy who responded in the most unusual voice the human girls had ever heard. It was a fairy language rarely heard by human ears, which sounded like a song made of the whispering of the wind through the trees. Then the injured fairy lay down to rest amidst Isabella's healing herbs, and then Isabella quietly explained to the astonished princesses what the fairy had told her.
"Gildora is her name, and she is the queen of a very rare and special clan of forest fairies. Often nicknamed 'Midas Fairies' legend holds that they are the descendants of an ancient fairy queen who somehow was bestowed with the gift of the Golden Touch, but no one really knows for sure how the gift works, only that it is passed from queen down to the next queen. Naturally, they are highly protective of their queen, and they must be extremely careful not to be seen, because as you can imagine, there are many who would wish to possess this beautiful creature because of her special gift. For the whole of the year, they travel under cover of the darkness of night, going to where they are needed. In this case they were travelling to the northern edge of the forest where a baby unicorn has just been born. Few people realise that the Midas Fairy queen must touch the baby unicorn's horn, or it will not grow.
"Unfortunately, there is just one day of the year when they must expose their queen to danger, and that is the first warm sunny spring day of the year, when the queen must renew her magic energy by immersing herself in the golden sunlight shining on the newly opened leaves of a magic tree that grows on the edge of this forest. And, as it happened, it was the very tree that you had been picnicking under.
"An evil and greedy troll happens to live nearby, and as luck would have it, he also happened to be in that part of the forest. His big greedy nose smelled gold and he spotted the tiny fairy basking in the sunlight. He took a big clumsy swoop at her trying to grab her, but luckily you girls suddenly arrived at the clearing just at that moment and frightened him off." While Gildora slept, the three friends talked in hushed tones about the excitement of their discovery, and then gradually as the afternoon wore on the talk turned to ways that the friends could plan to meet up in secret. The princesses plotted ways to sneak away from the watchful eyes of the castle guards, and Isabella promised to surprise them with some unexpected visits where she would come to the castle disguised as an ordinary human girl. As dusk began to fall, Gildora gently awoke to the sound of the three friends' happy laughter. No one noticed her listening , and she found she was deeply touched by the friends devotion to each other. It was a type of magic she rarely got to see, as rare to her as her gifts were to others.
Emma suddenly noticed the twinkling glow coming from Gildora's bed and the three friends fell silent. They watched excitedly as Gildora rose from her bed and began to stretch her beautiful golden wings outward. Then slowly and gracefully she began to fly upwards into the air until she faced the three girls. Hovering in midair, she opened her mouth and began singing to them a most beautiful song in the mysterious language, this time in a voice as clear and delicate as starlight. When she had finished, she slowly bowed her head in grateful appreciation to the girls.
At last Isabella spoke. "She was singing about how grateful she is for saving her from a nasty and terrible fate at the hands of the troll, and she says that she wants to give you a gift to show her appreciation."
"Oh but we don't need gifts, really we don't," said Julia, thinking to herself that as princesses they had far more gold and jewels than they could ever possibly need.
Gildora flew up to Julia and placed the delicate buttercup in her hands. With the gentlest of touches from Gildora, the flower suddenly glowed and turned to gold. The girls gasped in surprise.
Next Gildora gently floated up to Emma, and placed her tiny fairy hand on the daisy chain which still circled Emma's head. With a flourish, the chain dazzled and became solid gold.
"You see," said Isabella, "what the nasty troll and all of the others who seek her for their own greed fail to realise is that Gildora's gifts can only be bestowed upon those who do not seek it for themselves. Only a kind and pure heart will ever be deserving enough to gain one of her gifts."
Emma and Julia looked at one another and then at Gildora. They were thinking the same thing and Gildora nodded her head as if to say she understood what they were thinking. Gildora flew over to Isabella and gently touched the ring on Isabella's hand. "But my ring is already made of gold!" Isabella said. "Then perhaps she has a different gift for you, Isabella," said Emma gently.
Gildora began to sing sweetly a beautiful fairy song. Julia and Emma gasped in excitement as they discovered that they could at once understand the previously mysterious fairy language. And Isabella was surrounded by a misty haze, and then suddenly became as tiny as Gildora.
As Gildora sang this time the princesses could understand. She sang a sweet song about Isabella wanting to fit in and be small like the other fairies in the forest, so that she could play with them, and not feel so lonely. The song went on to say that she could just touch the golden ring, and then be whatever size she wanted, big or small. Next, Gildora sang about the princesses wanting to understand the language of the fairies, so that they could know some of the hidden magic in the woods.
Now the three friend understood the real gifts of the golden fairy, not just the gold which glitters prettily on the surface, but the deeper and more lasting gifts. Understanding and belonging were far more precious gifts, the gold was just on the surface. Gildora slowly turned toward the window where her clan waited patiently for their queen. "Thank you for showing me the most wonderful gift of all, true friendship!" sang Gildora in her whispery fairy voice, as she and the Midas Fairies flew away into the dark forest.

by Barbara

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EMMA AND THE MAGIC APPLE

One day, Emma was in the garden. The birds were singing soft and gently. Emma found a apple and she took a bight of it. Then something happened.
Then she shrunk. Then her friends came. "Emma!" said Isabella and Julia. "Where are you?"said Julia and Isabella.
"I'm here !" shouted Emma. "Where!" said Julia. "Here!" said Emma. "There you are!" said Isabella. "Found you!" said Julia.
"Why are you so small?"Asked Isabella. "I ate a magic apple and shrunk". "Cool!" said Isabella.
"Can I have some" said Julia." Yes. AM!!! ZOOOOOOOOOOM!!!.
"Hay I am small is well" said Julia. "So am I!" said Emma.
"Hay! Take a bite!" said Julia. So she took a bite.
"YUMMY!" ZOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
"We're all small" said Isabella.
"Hey, let's go on an adventure!" said Julia. "Yeah, that's a great idea," said Emma. "Let's go to the seaside," said Isabella. So they set off.
"Here we are," said Julia. "Let's swim in the sea," said Emma.
"Whoa!" they all cried, because it was so wobbly with the waves.
"I think we should get out," said Isabella.
"Me too," said Julia. "Me too," said Emma.
"I think we should go to the shop and buy a little tiny boat." said Julia.
"That's a great idea," said Isabella.
"Let's go then," said Emma. "Here it is," said Isabella.
"Now, before we get in let's count our money. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Now, I think we have enough money so let's go in and see if they have it." said Julia.
"I know," said Isabella, "One of us can stay outside of the shop."
"Can I?" said Emma
"Okay," said Isabella.
"They have it," said Isabella and Julia.
"How much is it?" said Emma. " It's ten pence," said Julia. "Let's buy it." said Emma.
"Okay," said Julia. So they went into the shop.
"It's very high," said Emma.
"Let's ask the shopkeeper. Excuse me, can you get the boat down please?" said Isabella.
"Of course I can," said the shopkeeper.
"Can we buy it?" said Julia. "Yes you can," said the shopkeeper.
"Here's the money." said Isabella.
"Thank you," said the shopkeeper. "You may have your boat." "Thank you" They all said. "Lets get in" said Isabella. "It's very high" said Julia. " I think we need a ladder" said Isabella. "Let's go to the shops" said Isabella "to buy the ladder" said Julia
"okay" said Isabella. So they set off. "Hire we are" said Julia
"Let's look if they have it." said Emma.
"Yeah," said Isabella.
"They have it," said Emma. "How much is it?"
"It's free," said Emma.
"Well, that's good," said Julia. "That's super good." said Isabella.
"Let's get it," said Emma.
"I'll get it" said Emma.
So she got it.
"Here it is. Let's bring it to the beach." said Julia. "Let's walk to the sea and get in the boat, " said Emma.
"Here we are," said Isabella
"Let's get in it now," said Julia.

So they all got in. Then Isabella pushed the boat in to the sea. When she did that Emma and Julia holded her on the hands and pulled her up into the boat.
"Now let's see if the waves makes the boat go into the actual sea." said Emma.
Then they found out that the boat was already in the actual sea. They saw fish, dolphins, and whales. If they were clever enough they put their hands into the water and grab a fish. They didn't know how long it would take to get back home. When Emma caught a fish, they ate it. When Julia caught a fish, they ate it. When Isabella found a whale, they sterd at it. It was getting dark the three girls were getting scerd
Wen the three girls were getting scerd they fell asleep.
The next day they wok up Emma got som fishise .At brecfist time somfing caught Emma's eye. she did not know wott it was then the boat got closer and closer and closer and closer intill she could see it. "Hay" you gise look wat I found "wow "said Isabella
"A dohlfin" said Julia "Hay there coming closer" said Isabella
"Hello" they crid "Hello to you" said the dolfin in a miryey voys
"how are you"said the dolfin "fin" said the three girls
"Hay dolfin do you know how to get to bosstin?" asked Emma
"well I shor do"said dolfin "can you pleceas tell me because we need to go back home" said Julia "Okay" said dolfin "you sail to the west then go to the south.
"Okay" said the three girls "good-by" said Isabella see you agen.
So they went to the west then the south and they got home.
They found the magic apple they took a bite and tirnd big agen.
THE END.

By Alexandra age 6 1/2
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Moonstone Magic

Between classes in the crowded hallway at school, Emma stood by her locker and watched what was a frequent sight. The popular girls were once again teasing Sara, a new girl in school who was quiet and shy and gnawed at her fingernails. But what made Sara most susceptible to the other girls, insults was not her demeanor or habits, but her attire. Not only were Sara,s clothes not trendy, but they were shabby: thin dresses too short and too small, as if she,d worn them for years and had outgrown them long ago, with tattered hems and fraying holes, faded and discolored and worn. Rather than toting her books in a backpack, she carried them in a plastic grocery bag. What should have elicited sympathy from the other girls was instead the opportunity for amusement and prey, at Sara,s expense. Today, Emma watched as silent tears began to stream down Sara,s face. "You look like you sleep in a box or something," Kaitlyn, one of the popular girls, taunted. "Does your family even own an iron?"
"I bet she sleeps with pigs," chortled another of the popular crowd.
"Pig sleeper! Pig sleeper!" some of the girls chanted.
"How can you even stand to look at yourself in a mirror?" said Kaitlyn, smirking.
"I bet she can,t afford a mirror," laughed one of the girls.
Finally Sara said through her tears, softly as if she could barely muster the strength, "You just don,t understand. I wish somebody could understand."
The girls just laughed. Emma still watched, wanting to stop them, wanting to say something, or to at least break up the crowd and take Sara away from their taunting. But she just stood there, not sure what to do or how to do it.
That night, Emma was readying herself for bed and thought once again of Sara. "I wish someone could understand her," thought Emma, as she brushed her long red hair. The moonstone necklace on her dresser caught her eye as it glinted in brilliant blue. It had been a gift from her aunt, and it somehow contained a magical power that had carried Emma and her two cousins on some incredible adventures. But it also served as a comfort to her, so at this moment she put it on out of a wave of loneliness. She didn,t expect to be taken anywhere, as she didn,t realize she had wished anything.
But suddenly in a flash she found herself gone from her quiet bedroom and instead in a cold, windowless room. Her lacy nightgown had been replaced with a tattered and stained nightshirt that seemed two sizes too small. In the darkness of the room she could see the dying embers of a small fire in a fireplace, a small kitchen table, an old-fashioned stove, and a small bed in which two adults and three children were sleeping. On a pile of blankets on the floor slept two more small children, one of whom was wheezing in his sleep.
Emma was frightened and shivering; never had she gone on an adventure before without her cousins. Where was she? She was used to dazzling ballgowns or shimmering regalia, consorting with princesses or woodland fairies, instead of this dark chill of poverty.
"Emma?" whispered a voice behind her. It was Kaitlyn, the popular girl from school, dressed in rags and covered in dirt. "Where are we? What,s happened?"
"I don,t know," said Emma softly.
One of the little boys asleep on the floor awoke to their talking. Wide-eyed, he stared at the girls in terror. "Who are you?" he whispered.
"I,m Emma, and this is Kaitlyn."
"What year is this?" Kaitlyn asked.
"1884, of course. Wha,d yer fink it was?" he said in a Cockney accent, staring at the girls as if they were insane.
"Look, I,m getting out of here, Emma," said Kaitlyn roughly. "I don,t know what you did or how you managed to drag me here, but I,m tired of this crazy little charade. I,m leaving." As Kaitlyn stepped over the cold, creaking floorboards to make her way toward the door, the woman in bed sat up startled. "Who,s there?" The woman whispered.
"I was just leaving," said Kaitlyn, but Emma grabbed her arm.
"I, um, we, uh, came here--we were led here, by something--someone--who thought you could help," stuttered Emma.
"Aye, yer orphans," the woman said with a gentle smile. "I understand. Little Jimmy here was an orphan too, till we took im in. We,ve got a lot of mouths to feed--the rest of em,s me and Johnny,s--but it,s better than those dingy orphanages where they sends em to workhouses all day and keeps all the pay for emselves, profitting from the misfortunes of younguns barely old enough ter speak. Oh, don,t look so frightened. We,re ere ter elp. We don, ave much, that,s fer sure, but it,s enough. Johnny,s got work now at the moment--,e blackens, shoes, e does, for a right good cobbler--so things are much better than they used ter be. Oh, come now, you both can settle into the bed. You look so tired. I can sleep on the floor, it,s all right. Come, get some sleep." The girls were too tired and shocked to object.
The next morning they awoke to the smell of scrambled eggs, a real delicacy for the family, they learned. The mother of the family gave Emma and Kaitlyn much larger portions than anyone else, "because Lord only knows what they fed you in that wretched orphanage." And all the children were so sweet and accepting, and their mother gave them reading lessons while Johnny was at work. When Johnny came home, tired and filthy, the children instantly flocked to him with delight, and he hugged all of them warmly. His wife wiped his dirty face with a damp cloth, then kissed him gently on the cheek.
Kaitlyn realized that she had never seen such love in her life, or such generosity. These people had so little, yet they were so loving, so caring, and so giving with what little they had. It was while she was thinking about how wonderful these people were that she suddenly found that she was back in her pink satin sheets, nestled under her canopy bed, back in her warm bedroom. Had it all been a dream? It had seemed so real.
Emma was similarly transported back to her room, where she was so tired that she fell asleep without managing to analyze what had happened.
The next morning at school, the other girls were once again taunting poor Sara. But Kaitlyn approached and took Sara aside. "Sara," she said gently, "I packed an extra lunch for you. I,ve noticed that you don,t tend to eat much." Sara stared at Kaitlyn in disbelief, as did Kaitlyn,s posse of popular girls. Sara was afraid this was another mean trick, that she would open the lunchbag to find worms or mud or some other prank for others, amusement. But inside was a very nice-looking sandwich, pudding, and even a cookie. "Um, thank you, Kaitlyn," said Sara, still amazed.
"Kaitlyn," said one of the other girls, roughly, "what on earth are you doing?"
"I,m making a friend," said Kaitlyn. Sara smiled. It was the first time Emma had ever seen Sara smile.
And then Emma knew. She had wished, just as Sara had wished, that someone could learn to understand Sara. It was the first time Emma realized that the magical moonstone necklaces were not just simple playthings for their enjoyment; the necklaces had the power to change the world.

By Jenny Lentz
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