Stories

The Christmas Fairies and the North Wind (Part One)

The gently falling snow filled the dark night sky. High above the branches of the bare trees, stars twinkled in the distance. Some of the stars appeared to move about on the ebony palette of the sky. Flickering here and there and occasionally disappearing all together. The north wind blew cold and shivery. Suddenly the sky around a beautiful fir tree filled with twinkling lights, shimmering in the darkness, Christmas tree lights and yet not.

No one was in the dark cold forest to witness one of the most astonishing sights, for each light came to rest on a branch of the fir tree with the most amazing result. It was in this moment of calm, had anyone been around to look closely, they would have discovered that what appeared to be lights were actually tiny Christmas Fairies, resting on the branches of the tree.

Christmas Fairies while not as celebrated as Santa’s Elves are every bit as important. It’s just that being so tiny in appearance no one has ever actually seen one. They can twinkle about so quickly that if you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of light or a glittering bit of sparkle but not much else. Christmas Fairies flutter about from house to house all year long, checking on behavior, gathering information about wishes, and occasionally leaving behind tiny mementos of their visits.

This night, in the dark cold woods, gathered in the boughs of the tree, catching their breath, they sparkle with light. Amazingly Christmas Fairies rarely feel the cold. Perhaps it is a magical gift from Santa or perhaps they just move so quickly that cold does not dare venture close. This group was heading back to the North Pole after a gathering of Fairies from around the world. A gathering that lasted three days and ended with a beautiful Winter Ball, filled with fairy dancing, laughter, and well wishes.

“The North Wind does affect things in a very strange way tonight.” whispered a fairy very near the top of the giant evergreen.
“Whatever does that mean?” Snowflake asked in a voice that betrayed a bit of puzzlement and a twinge of anxiousness. The Fairy that had spoken first was Star and now she sat looking down at Snowflake with a trembling smile.
“Can’t you feel it?” she asked…. ”ill will”.

Fairies, especially Christmas fairies are very sensitive to feelings and can pluck a feeling from midair before it even arrives at the person it was intended for. Snowflake tossed her hair back from her petite face and turned her head slightly sideways. At that very moment a huge gust of wind swept through, tossing the tree branches creating a violent shrugging. Most of the Fairies took off in flight heading north without looking back.

However a small group including, Star and Snowflake held on to the branches that bucked and twisted under them. The wind stilled as suddenly as it had started. The remaining Fairies looked at each other and grinned. The Fairies: Star, Snowflake, Merry, Holly, and Twinkle, gracefully slid into the sky following the larger group which had taken off earlier. That group, mere glowing dots in the distance, were spooked by the North Winds moans and moved as fast as possible toward the safety of the North Pole and Fairy Forest.

The group of five moved silently through the night, with Snowflake dancing in mid air every so often to spin and look behind her. They flew quickly because the wind was making them quite dizzy. Suddenly all five lost flight ability and started swirling toward the ground at an amazing rate. Fighting the wind and whatever it carried with it in the dark night, they fought to right themselves and ended up landing lightly on their feet although a bit disheveled and wary.
“ill will…just like I said earlier” Star snapped at Snowflake. Snowflake scowled at her puzzled by her snappishness but remained quiet. In turn Star glared at her.

“Well whatever is the matter with YOU…”shouted Star and Snowflake merely shrugged.
Merry, Holly, and Twinkle moved farther away from the two quarreling fairies and looked cautiously around them. The ground was dry but frozen and they were in a small grove of trees, with branches stretching upward and disappearing into the dark night sky.

In the meantime Star was circling around Snowflake, fussing and fuming. Muttering words that were so soft it was impossible to make them out. She was being very disagreeable which was not her nature at all and caused the others to frown with worry.
They were exhausted and after much muttering, stomping, and complaining they convinced Star to nap for a bit before heading back into the wind. She tucked herself under a leaf on a patch of dried moss and her itsy bitsy eyelids fluttered shut immediately. The other four huddled together to discuss their situation. Each in turn expressed concern about Star’s odd behavior.

“Whatever is the matter with her?” Holly whispered in the tiniest of whispers for she was fearful of waking her sleeping friend.
Merry looked about anxiously, “I’m fearful of the wind tonight.” She stammered and Twinkle nodded in agreement.

As Fairy lore goes…the wind carries feelings blustering along with it. Have you ever heard the mournful wailing of the wind on a bitter night? Or felt a lifting of spirits when a gentle spring breeze blows? For mere mortals the wind carries little power for it is only occasionally that mortals feel a twinge of the affects BUT fairies are ultra sensitive and sometimes if there is a strong essence of a particular feeling it can have odd (if temporary) affects on the teeny beings. Best to stay put in the confines of the forest away from the magnetic pull of the gusting north wind until morning. And so one after another they each found a small hiding place to curl up and rest their weary wings.

TO BE CONTINUED……

COPYRIGHT 2007 Ginger Schenck