Whimsical Wednesdays
If You Dream of Fairies is a story I wrote for my daughters and niece last summer. I will present it here in serialized form. It was my first foray into fiction.
In case you missed something:
If You Dream of Fairies - I
If You Dream of Fairies - II
If You Dream of Fairies - III
One Saturday afternoon Liz was lying on her back near the garden, enjoying the feeling of the warm sun on her face after the cold winter. The ground was still a little cool, and she was contemplating the contrast between the cool ground on her back and the warm sun on her face and wondering if she could find an essay in it because she had a compare and contrast essay due next week and she had been drawing a blank as to what to write about. This was not in any way an unusual situation. Contrast was easy, but she was having a hard time with the compare.
“Liz!” Oh good! Maria! Maria would be a welcome distraction. She sat up and waved. Maria didn’t return her wave and Liz could now see that that was because she was carrying something in her arms.
“Whatcha got there?”
“Oh wait till you see!” Maria answered, walking quickly but not quite breaking into a jog. As she got closer, Liz got a glimpse of what was so carefully concealed in Maria’s arms.
“Do you want to hold him?” Maria carefully placed the sleeping puppy in her friend’s outstretched arms. He registered the switch with a yawn and a stretch before falling asleep again, this time on Liz’s lap.
Liz widened her eyes and whispered to Maria, “What the HECK? I didn’t know you were getting a PUPPY!” Her whisper was more of a stage whisper, as loud as some people’s regular tone.
Maria answered in a voice as soft as the breeze and as excited as – well – as excited as a girl with a new puppy. “He was a surprise. He’s a rescue. He’s a mutt. Isn’t he WONderful? What should we name him?”
“Keebler.” Liz answered suddenly, surprising even herself.
“Keebler.” Maria responded. “It really works.”
Keebler stirred at that moment and seemed to smile as he sighed and settled himself further into Liz’s lap. Liz smiled, too, marveling at the fact that the perfect name had come to her out of thin air. Perfection was usually more Maria’s domain.
The two friends became three that spring, as Keebler was Maria’s constant companion. It was all she could do to be away from him between the time the school bus picked her up in the morning and dropped her off in the afternoon. Keebler was exuberant and sweet and he seemed to love the garden as much as the girls did.
One afternoon when they were reading together, Keebler tired of being scolded for running across the books on their laps, wrinkling and sometimes tearing the pages. He seemed to mope for a moment, sprawling out full length on his belly with his paw over his snout and covering his eyes, but his shame was short lived. He quickly jumped back up and started batting playfully at the flowers as well as the butterflies and bees that were hovering around them.
Liz heard a rustling near the tree that she’d heard twice before. She decided not to even mention it to Maria, since she knew Maria would say that Keebler had made the noise and, really, that made the most sense. But just as she made the decision not to say anything, Keebler froze, mid bat. He became very alert and started sniffing the air purposefully, all sense of playfulness gone.
“What are you doing, you silly boy?” Maria asked, looking at him indulgently.
“I heard it, too, Maria.” Liz offered tentatively.
“Heard what?”
“That same weird rustling by the tree I told you about before.”
“I don’t remember…” Maria started, furrowing her brow in concentration. She resembled nothing if not a sweet, worried pixie.
“Never mind. What the heck is that crazy dog up to?”
They both turned their attention to Keebler, who was digging frantically at the base of the tree. They approached him to try to see what he was getting at.
There, under the ground cover, where the tree met the earth, was what could only be described as a door.
“Liz!” Oh good! Maria! Maria would be a welcome distraction. She sat up and waved. Maria didn’t return her wave and Liz could now see that that was because she was carrying something in her arms.
“Whatcha got there?”
“Oh wait till you see!” Maria answered, walking quickly but not quite breaking into a jog. As she got closer, Liz got a glimpse of what was so carefully concealed in Maria’s arms.
“Do you want to hold him?” Maria carefully placed the sleeping puppy in her friend’s outstretched arms. He registered the switch with a yawn and a stretch before falling asleep again, this time on Liz’s lap.
Liz widened her eyes and whispered to Maria, “What the HECK? I didn’t know you were getting a PUPPY!” Her whisper was more of a stage whisper, as loud as some people’s regular tone.
Maria answered in a voice as soft as the breeze and as excited as – well – as excited as a girl with a new puppy. “He was a surprise. He’s a rescue. He’s a mutt. Isn’t he WONderful? What should we name him?”
“Keebler.” Liz answered suddenly, surprising even herself.
“Keebler.” Maria responded. “It really works.”
Keebler stirred at that moment and seemed to smile as he sighed and settled himself further into Liz’s lap. Liz smiled, too, marveling at the fact that the perfect name had come to her out of thin air. Perfection was usually more Maria’s domain.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The two friends became three that spring, as Keebler was Maria’s constant companion. It was all she could do to be away from him between the time the school bus picked her up in the morning and dropped her off in the afternoon. Keebler was exuberant and sweet and he seemed to love the garden as much as the girls did.
One afternoon when they were reading together, Keebler tired of being scolded for running across the books on their laps, wrinkling and sometimes tearing the pages. He seemed to mope for a moment, sprawling out full length on his belly with his paw over his snout and covering his eyes, but his shame was short lived. He quickly jumped back up and started batting playfully at the flowers as well as the butterflies and bees that were hovering around them.
Liz heard a rustling near the tree that she’d heard twice before. She decided not to even mention it to Maria, since she knew Maria would say that Keebler had made the noise and, really, that made the most sense. But just as she made the decision not to say anything, Keebler froze, mid bat. He became very alert and started sniffing the air purposefully, all sense of playfulness gone.
“What are you doing, you silly boy?” Maria asked, looking at him indulgently.
“I heard it, too, Maria.” Liz offered tentatively.
“Heard what?”
“That same weird rustling by the tree I told you about before.”
“I don’t remember…” Maria started, furrowing her brow in concentration. She resembled nothing if not a sweet, worried pixie.
“Never mind. What the heck is that crazy dog up to?”
They both turned their attention to Keebler, who was digging frantically at the base of the tree. They approached him to try to see what he was getting at.
There, under the ground cover, where the tree met the earth, was what could only be described as a door.
Now I want a puppy.
ReplyDeleteAnd, hello, way to leave me hangin'! That was your point, though, wasn't it? :)
Oooo! Open the door! Open the door!
ReplyDelete