All was not right in the land of magic and the Queen was worried…

 

     The colorful birds had departed days ago - the leaves in the trees had ceased their musical melody - the dry tall grasses had halted their dance and swish-swishing song. Emptiness owned the life that was once sung through forest, glen and beach. No more was the movement of sparkling performance. The living art galleries that had told exciting tales of the past had vanished. Empty frames now hung sadly along the deep forest fairy-trails that were eons old.

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No more was the tap-tap-tap of tiny toes in the fairy glen.

 

 No more were the neon-lights of fairy-beings.

 

The color of exotic blooms were fading... Fading... Fast.

 

Silence was a shadow... 

Gloom seemed the only emotion to cling too. And that said little

for the faces that gingerly dared to peek from hiding places...

amid tea cups, old bottles, and spent birds-nests.

​

The old bush-land's creatures that loved to dance, sing and perform

had gone to ground.

 

Now, far out at sea, balls of purple-black clouds were rising up.

Ugly sizzling clouds swarmed over the horizon.

These clouds hailed the onslaught of what was to arrive - soon.

This is the view that had been seen, felt, tasted by the creatures,

the sprites, the twig-beings - the old - the new - that

were now hidden. Silent. Still. Thinking... 

 

What will be of us... ?

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Fear. Dread. Isolated from their forest-family.

 

Yuk! Tendrils, fingers, like slithering snakes were pointing this way, creeping, creeping, creeping closer to the enchanted, secret land...    

 

Have I waited too long to call for help?, the Queen queried the

gentle path that wove its way into the bush-land beyond. 

There was no answer - not from the trees...

​

SHE was alone...

 

The Queen had always protected this charmed isle of music,

magic and dance. The wishes and dreams of children – and the

enchanted, gnarled old tree that grew in the center of their

forest home - SHE was guardian to all...

 

All here was under her care.

 

These very precious things, be-ings - trees, art, dance,

fairy-kind, flower, the oldest library in the world, all

were all connected to those that called this

place home. 

 

The colorful twisted fairy-paths that sang at midnight – the

bright beaches - the fields of forever corn-faires - all were the

life-blood of the living forest. All this beauty, all this magic, 

was now under threat! 

 

Time hung by a mere thread...

To hands on a hidden clock that could not now be wound...

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Tick. Tick. Tick...

   

       Looking away from the darkening forest the Queen took in

the stormy seething ocean beyond. The heaving waves exploded

upon the shoreline. Sea-mist like a dragon’s breath hovered for a

few seconds over the craggy rocks then it was swept away by

the hot wind of a creature that was ready to pounce. 

 

       Her Majesty searched ardently along each wave’s crest. 

 

Where were they?

 

Why had they not come? 

 

The mythical beasts had galloped proudly out of the whitewash of ocean

swirls eons ago, to help protect this sacred place. But where were the proud unicorns

with their silvery manes and golden tails now?

 

 Could they still ride the secret ocean currents?

 

Would they arrive here in time to help Her save the birthplace of all magic, music and dance? 

 

     Or, had the unicorns faded away, like the dragons? Were the horses with the golden tails lost in the sea-mist, lost and forgotten by all? Or did they only still exist and live on in the hearts and minds of children?

 

It would take just one child's imagination to keep the legends of the mighty unicorns and mythical creatures alive. 

​

     The Fairy Queen whispered one word with her

heart of hearts, "Believe...Snip. Snap. Tap. Tap. Tap. For our wings of glory are not born from bone but gifted only to those with hearts of gold..."

​

The Queen held her bent branch, her wand, closer to her heart.

"Believe..." She whispered these words toward the ocean. 

​

Then to the trees..."I'll catch children's wishes in leaves as big as dishes..."

​

Slowly, a tiny new leaf sprouted from the end of her wand - hope, but no. It died upon the end of the branch and withered. Fell to the ground like a heavy brick. 

​

The fairy spell of ages was just as lost as all the magical sprites.

​

     But wait! She turned toward the shoreline. Searching through mist.

 

Another pounding wave. More mist...

 

The next pounding wave that crashed upon the shore revealed the sound! 

Majestic horse music - a heralding! Of hope! 

 

Joyous whinnying rolled out of the waves. The bubbling ocean foam quickly revealed a unicorn's horn. Then the next wave divulged the white head of the beast.

Immediately, the breath born of the unicorn snorted out of flared nostrils. 

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The Queen looked beyond the beast.

Looking...searching...for more signs of the herd. 

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There must be more than one...?

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But - no.  

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     There was only one unicorn?

 

Only one...!

 

     Four hooves, massive, topped with hair tap-danced upon the next wave that tried to drown her. Tossing her silvery mane triumphantly the one white unicorn galloped through the sea foam, past the relics on the beach and stood forever faithful, forever loyal at Her side - the Fairy Queen. 

​

     The black inky storm clouds were coming in faster now...

Toward the shore. Toward them.

Toward their home.

 

Clusters of lightning strikes sizzled the air. The air smelt suddenly pungent.  

 

     "There are but mere moments left for us here, dear one...Dear Unicorn." the Queen's ardent voice sang in the air and reverberated in the forest behind them. The unicorn raised her exhausted head higher and her warm brown eyes focused only on the Queen.

 

They were eye to eye.

​

The Queen took in the great animal's body. Time had passed for the unicorn. She seemed so old. Thin. Wasted. The skin of the beast was tight over her bones. Gone were the big muscles. Now only stretched skin. Wrinkled. Worn. A pale blue shadow of old age was veiled across the warm brown eyes.

 

The Queen let her hands move lovingly over the unicorn's neck and muzzle. "You are still beautiful to me, dear friend, beautiful." She whispered in the great animal's ear. "You know all..." The Queen stepped in even closer to her old companion of the past and let herself take in the scent, the perfume of the unicorn. Wonderful. Wonderful... So many memories...So much love. 

​

A crack of thunder broke the silent communion.

​

     The Queen turned her back to the bragging blackness that was plunging across the sea toward them.

 

Time...was now. "The Moon-Fairy and her white violin must be secreted away and the human girl must arrive here before the cape of darkness destroys all. Use your camouflage magic and timeless speed, dear unicorn. Go now! Hide the Moon-Fairy and her white violin."

 

     The unicorn with the golden tail vanished. 

 

And the Fairy Queen did not look back at the dark horror that was now upon the enchanted isle's shoreline. 

 

     Her Majesty held her wand high. It was a branch, it was twisted like candy-cane and it was still crowned with an old bird's nest. She tapped the wand three times upon the earth.

​

Tap.

Tap.

Tap...

 

Sand, shells, driftwood, grass, living vines, leaves, wild flowers and earth began to envelope the Queen. With each step that she took on the meandering path toward the forest the Fairy Queen became one with the land.

 

Then She too, vanished.

 

     The storm screamed and bellowed at the beach but no one was listening.

 

     Or was there? 

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                                                                   ###

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Chapter Two 

The invitation from a fairy

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         The elderly woman’s voice was warm and knowing as if she had whispered these words many times before. She paused as she tossed her silvery long hair away from her crinkled brown eyes. Only then did she return to the old book in her lap. The tome was as thick as a pillow – the pages were puffed up with age. But the gilded edges of each sheaf of paper within still held a rich glow – defiant of time. Nothing could remove any reader’s impression that this book had been, and still was, a treasured and well-loved, family, artifact.

​

         A low musical rumble from a storm, still far off, reverberated in eerie consonance about the dimly lit, tiny bedroom. A magical night lay ahead for sure. Tonight – was the night. Tonight, a new legend would begin.

 

A magical journey lay ahead, for sure…

 

        The little girl with the mass of long, black curly hair turned in her bed and looked at her Grandmother. “Read more, please, Grandma. More... Who’s going to help the Fairy Queen protect the magical, musical land? Who is the human girl? And will she have to go on this journey alone?”

​

Roar...Roar. Roar...

 

The voice was quite clear as it arrived through the ornate heating grate. The grate was small and door like. It had small handles to snap open so the dust could be cleaned out. It was about fourteen inches high and the brass doors were decorated in swirls. If you knelt down on your knees you'd be able to peer straight into the apartment bedroom next door.

​

     Natasha, the little girl that was listening to her Grandmother read from the fairytale book hung her head over her bed and spoke to the heating grate. "Fern, you can't scare me!"

 

A puff-puff-puff sound echoed back to Natasha.

 

The boy's voice answered Natasha from the other side of the heating grate. "Believe. Somewhere in this building a Water Dragon lives!"  

 

       

 

Natasha's Wood TM - Written by, Fay Maddison.

Excerpts from the TWEEN NOVEL TRILOGY - (unedited version). All Rights Reserved. Copywrite. 

Written by Fay Maddison - author, creator of Natasha's Wood Inc.

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​

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What will the black inky storm clouds delivery upon this secret land? 

​

Is this the end of magical music, dance and art?

 

Natasha doesn't know that she's a fairy - but she will soon.

 

"For wings of glory are not born from bone but gifted to those with a heart of gold...Believe!"

 

(c) All Rights Reserved.  

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A magical night lays ahead for sure.

 

Believe in the dream-time land of Natasha’s Wood. (c)