Awakening

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Awakening Page 8

by Nancy Gaskin


  Conversation

  Once the story teller had left Titania flew over to where Dagmar was asking "Did you enjoy the tale sweetling? What did you think?" All the while walking slowly towards the palace. "I liked it very well your Highness, and last night I heard the song about it, but the ending was so sad!" said the girl in a small sad voice, "and what happened to the babies?" With gentle hands Titania raised the girls face so she could look into her eyes "What would you like to have happen to them?" "Well....the girl was left with the faery princesses parents in the human, I mean my realm. Did they bring her back here or did they stay there? I would have like it if they brought her here so she could get to know her family AND her twin brother. She has a right to know her brother!" The Queen of the Fae smiled at the girls words, "Tell me sweetling, what are your grandparent like. Are you happy with them?", "Oh yes your highness! I love my Oma and Opa very much and I am very happy living with them. Oma likes to cook and bake and she always hums or sings when she is in the kitchen or in her herb garden. She likes to call it 'her little patch of home'. Opa is tall and strong and he likes to go into the forest and bring back small game or berries and mushrooms. He is also very clever in the garden where I help him grow potatoes, pumpkins, beans, peas, carrots, strawberries" the girl was counting of on her fingers "oh and we have apple, plum, cherry trees and many more things." looking at the kind face of Titania "AND he makes beautiful things out of small bits of wood, he calls it whittling. Oma tells wonderful stories about HER Oma when she was a child."

  They continued to walk in silence, both wrapped in their own thoughts. As they reached the palace Titania led the girl through a series of open rooms, the first looked like a sewing room where a few faeries and pixies created some of the beautiful gowns from the previous evenings feast. The material was placed by a faery on something which had the shape of a person but was invisible until material hung from it, a lot of snipping, pinching and adjusting happened before a couple of pixies swarmed up and began to stitch the pieces together. As the pair passed through greetings were called and friendly banter exchanged with the queen. Another room was covered with maps and charts as well as a massive globe with blue, brown and green parts all over it. This room was empty but the child sensed that this was a room where big decisions were made.

  Queen Titania walked slowly, giving the child a chance to look around and absorb her surroundings. As they reached another room a mischievous smile was playing around Titanias lips. Walking through the open doors, the child stopped dead in her tracks. The room was filled with soft cushions and small tables and chairs scattered around, a massive dolls house occupied one long wall and was slightly taller than Dagmar. In the doll’s house were the most exquisitely intricate pieces of furniture lovingly carved and painted. Small dolls with moving arms and legs and the most delicate features and wearing dresses made of an absolute rainbow of colours. The girl reached in and tentatively touched one of the dolls "Go on sweetling, take them out and have a play. We can spend some time in here if you like, we are in no rush” said Titania as she made herself comfortable on one of the many chairs scattered around. "Oh could we?" responded the child with shining eyes. "Of course sweetling, we can spend a while in here for you to have a look and a play. Go on investigate and enjoy!" She did not have to be told twice and began taking out pieces of tiny furniture to admire more closely. Holding a doll in her hand, moving the arms and legs made her giggle, putting it back and choosing another she spotted one which had on a dress similar to the one she wore the evening before to the feast. "Look your Highness, this doll has on the same dress I wore last night." holding the doll for Titania to inspect, "Yes sweetling, many gowns, if the creators are re-created for the dolls to have. Do you like them? Would you like to keep her?” “COULD I??? Could I REALLY keep her?” asked the girl incredulously “She is beautiful but I don’t want to take another girls doll.” Explained Dagmar “Oh no sweetling, you are not taking another girls toy. You most certainly can keep her.” Replied Titania smiling.

  Dagmar moved back to the doll’s house, carefully placing the little doll on a pretty chair "I have a spinning top that spins and spins forever. It is painted all the colours of the rainbow, Opa made it for me. Oma made me a beautiful doll out of material scraps and it has big brown buttons for eyes. I have my very own things to help Opa in the garden that he made especially for me and my size." Walking over to a very colourful box with a very pretty lid, lifting the lid to take a peek inside, gasping with delight, picked up a fluffy teddy bear and pressing him to her small chest "OOOH, how soft" she whispers. The queen watched this touching moment and asked softly "Would you like to keep him sweetling? You are most welcome to have him." "Could I? Could I REALLY? Oh he is just so SOFT" rubbing her face in the bears belly and inhaling deeply "he smells SO GOOD" inhaling again "AND he smells just like Oma!" Burying her face in the teddy breathing in deeply and a sad look was casting its shadow over beautiful blue eyes. "What is it sweetling? What is making you so sad?" Titania swiftly moved to comfort the child, putting her arms around her shoulders she hugged the girl close to her rocking gently "Hush sweetling and tell me what has saddened your heart?"

  Dagmar snuggled closer enjoying the comfort of the physical touch, with a muffled voice buried deeply in the queens’ shoulder “I don't want to be rude or ungrateful to you but I am starting to miss my Oma and Opa." A small sob escaping her after she finished speaking. Hugging the child to her more closely Titania and gently swayed and hummed letting the child calm her emotions. "Oh sweetling, you will be able to return as soon as the veil is thin again, not long, little one. Come let us go and explore some more!” Straightening up, Titania offered her hand to the girl, which was quickly taken. With that they began strolling through more rooms, some with books from floor to ceiling and big tables with huge books open and waiting for their reader to return, whilst others were full of musical instruments some Dagmar recognised and could name, but many which looked very exotic and strange to the child’s eyes. Titania looked at the child and said with a smile "I know of a place that you should enjoy. Come I will race you to that building just over there" pointing towards a glass building with a glass domed roof. Lifting her skirt slightly Titania began to jog, looking over her shoulder pleased to see that the girls face had brightened, still clutching the teddy bear and joined in the chase.

  Racing towards the glass house faeries leapt out of the way to the left and the right, some letting out surprised squeals as their queen and the small child came barreling towards them at great speed. Pixies jumped out of the way tumbling all over the place just in the nick of time. As the racing pair reached the glass double doors, both were out of breath and laughing. Opening the double doors to the glass house still laughing and gasping for air the pair stopped just inside "This sweetling, is our green house where we have plants and flowers that cannot survive outside because they are too delicate." explained the queen as they looked at all the tables and benches filled to overflowing with pots and baskets with plants growing in them. Dagmar walked over to the nearest bench and to her amazement she saw, ugly pair of eyes were looking at her from on pot, the thing had green sprouting from the top and the rest was buried in rich dark soil. Reaching out with her right hand, extending her small index finger the child was about to poke the thing in the eyes when Titania pushed her hand out of the way "Oh no sweetling no poking the mandrake in the eyes, that will only make him very cross and the last thing we want is a cranky mandrake" pushing the pot further back and out of reach of the child "I did not mean to scold you sweetling but when mandrake is cranky they manage to kick free the soil and then they scream ... not just any scream but a horrid scream that gives you nightmares. Oh look this is a pretty one and not dangerous when pocked." Titania said pointing to a small pot with very pretty small sky blue flowers. Dagmar was about to sniff to see if they had a nice smell when she heard a tiny voice "OY get your big hooter out of my face
! Cant a flower even have a little snooze without waking up to nosey noses?!" Pulling back in surprise the child blinked in amazement, the flowers had little faces! Looking at Titania for reassurance she said apologetically "Please forgive me, I had no idea you were there or I would not have been so rude." "Well at least she got manners to apologies.” said the first voice "Who are you anyway?" said another more gentle voice “Never seen you here before" said yet another. Dagmar stared in stunned silence and her mouth slightly ajar "Better close your mouth or are you imitating a venus fly trap?" asked the gruff first voiced flower, looking at the queen again the child shut her mouth and carefully worded her response "I am Dagmar of the human realm and I am pleased to meet you." Bobbing down doing a little curtsey. Titania moved closer and explained "These are known as babble flowers and are known for their witty conversations, when in a good mood. You will find that one will hold a short and abrupt conversation and one an intelligent brief chat and then one which will enjoy hours of discussion on many subjects. They are very clever plants." walking further along the queen points to other puts and baskets and explains their contents stopping at another bench in front of a large pot with a strange plant with a stem which looked more like that if a tree then a plant "This is a tree fern and her name is 'spike', hello spike how are you on this blessed day?" A fond uncurled and a face appeared and a whispered voice said "You’re Highness, what a pleasure to see you. I am fine thank you and how are you on this blessed day? Oh and who is this little foundling." Looking at Dagmar with huge green eyes and smiling green lips was a dainty face "May I introduce Dagmar of the human realm, Dagmar this is Spike our resident tree fern" bobbing a small curtsey the child smiled and said "Hello. Nice to meet you Spike” not sure of what else to do the girl stepped back waiting for the queen to finish her conversation. "We must be on our way my friend. I will make certain to stop by very soon for a nice long chat" touching the fern gently Titania moved away to another bench to which Dagmar followed in silence "May I ask you something your highness?" the child asked in a meek voice, turning Titania said "Firstly sweeting call my Titania, and second you can ask me anything you want and if I can answer your questions I will" bobbing down to have direct eye contact with the girl patiently waiting "Yes your ... ummm Titania. What is this place? Why do the plants talk?" asked Dagmar "Mmm now that are good questions my sweetling. We are in our green house where we grow faery plants. Some for making medicines, some for special potions and ceremonies, some because they are the last of their kind and some just because they just happen to be. We have Fern and Feather to thank for all these wonderful plants being so vocal. It is due to their gentle commitment to these shy beings that they are now speaking so openly to visitors. Does that answer your questions?”. “Yes and no Titania. How can they speak?" "Well that is just some of the magic the Fae have to offer the world my sweetling. We all poses gifts of some degree or other, some much stronger than others. Fern and Feather are flower fae and they have the magic to heal and help plants to grow. There are others who have healing gifts and then others who have the gift of far sight and far hearing, the gifts come in many forms and strengths." Dagmar stood quietly listening to Titanias answer "I see! What special magic have you got?" Laughing the queen explains "I have the gift of speech. It means I am able to speak to animals and plants." the child was amazed at that "Oh I have always wanted to talk to the bird and squirrels and to the trees in our garden" looking a little excited "do you think you could teach me?" the girl looked at the queen with expectation "Sweetling, it is not something you learn, it is something you are born with. You have some fae blood in you and we have to yet work out how strong that blood is, so maybe you have a small gift. We will go and find the wise one later and see what they can tell us, if that is to your liking?" Dagmar looked surprised at the queen wondering what her gift was "Yes that would be exciting, thank you very much. Why are people always saying I have fae blood? I am an ordinary girl from an ordinary family."

  They continued to wander through the aisles of benches stopping occasionally to look at or speak with a plant as they reached the second last row they stopped at an ordinary looking pot with flowers in it that Dagmar recognized "Oh I know these ones, they are forget me not’s and they are Oma's favorites" "Are they now sweetling? Yes they are forget me not’s and they do have a very long memory. If you need to clear your mind but not forget, you talk to a forget me not and it will keep your memories until you are ready to look at them again. Since we live for a very long time our memories become very full and need to be emptied every now and again so that the memories do not get all jumbled because there is not enough room for them, so we have these wonderful plants to help keep our memories in order" "Oma talks to her plants and she spends lots of time with her forget me not’s. I wonder if she is sharing her memories with them." "She could be sweetling, your Oma is very old and maybe needs a little help to keep them tidy. Shall we keep exploring, with you little one, I see everything through fresh eyes and it is very rewarding." With this they continued on their way until they reached big double door at the other end of the green house. "Shall we go and have a snack? I am feeling a little hungry after all that exercise." Holding hands the queen and the child walked back to the palace in search of the kitchen and something to eat.

 

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