A Message for Queen Lovely Lilly, James Gerard [smart books to read txt] 📗

I truly do not remember what I have done."

Shaking so very, very much, Lilly stepped closer to the young figure.  His eyes were very, very kind and his smile was very, very warm.  She was confused.  After all, she thought, if I had done something so horrible, then why was the young human so nice?

"Ah," he uttered, "Lovely Little Lilly.  Not so little anymore.  As queen, not so much an innocent heart.  Yes, you have done something so very, very bad."

"Will you please tell me what I have done?"

“Rather than I telling you, you tell me why?"

"Please my young friend, please tell me.  I just do not remember."

"Look into the sky Queen Lovely Lilly.  Tell me what you see."

Queen Lovely Lilly looked at the white, puffy clouds under the bright blue sky but did not understand what she was seeing.  Then, something caught her eye.

"Oh no," she cried.  Tears welled up in her eyes.  “Oh what a horrible, horrible queen I have been.”

A host of hawks flew high in the sky.  Not one of them would approach.

Lilly then looked around and saw no bright butterflies, lovely ladybugs, buzzing bees, fat fruit flies, and wet wiggly worms.  Not one silly sparrow, blue jay, red Robbin, yellow canary, white dove, or any blackbird was in the field of the mellow meadow.  She then realized the very, very horrible thing she had done.

There were no cottontail and fluffy baby bunnies, mice with wispy whiskers, goofy gophers, and sturdy stallions.  Many, many other friends that helped with the planting and harvest were also missing.

Even sneaky snakes, ravenous ravens, pesky gnats, icky insects, wily weeds, and all other pests pestering the field of purple petunias were not around.

"Yes Queen Lovely Lilly, you have hurt them so very, very badly.”

"I did not mean to."

"Who did you think planted all the seeds in spring and harvested the succulent and nourishing fruits and vegetables in summer while you allowed every human and fairy to abandon their work to play all the time?  Did you think to invite them to live among you humans and the fairies?  What was their reward for providing so much food for you to store in barns?  Do you know how very, very lonely they are?  Do you know how very, very hurt and sad they are?"

Queen Lovely Lilly sobbed loudly.  Her old legs became wobbly and sent her crashing to the ground.

“Yes,” she cried, “it is all true.  I must be punished for making them so very, very lonely and hurt.”

“Yes you must and you will,” the young human said.  “It is by the permission of the creator that I take from you the crown that has made you queen.  Also, you are banished from this kingdom.  You will live out the rest of your life alone and hurt just as you have done to all your friends these past seasons.”

Lilly, shaking and sobbing, struggled to stand.   Standing, she started to walk in the direction the mighty forest of oaks.

"Wait young human," a voice called out.  "What do you mean by 'to live among you humans?'  Are you not a human?"

Lilly stopped and looked around.  Foster was hovering right behind her.

“Do not worry my most precious and loved friend.  All will be well.”

"And when I was here before," Solange said as she came to a stop, "why did I not see all my friends?  I am a garden fairy and love them so very, very much.  They know that and would have come out to greet me."

"You," cried the newborn fairy once known as Aine, "why did you leave me in the very cold, cold world?  Why did you not bring me into the light and the warmth?  Why did you fill my head with lies?"

"Answer," Leena commanded.

"Yes, answer," said Loxie.

"Do not blame me for this," the young human answered.  "I am not the one who hurt all of your friends."

"Do they fear you?” asked Foster.  “Is that the reason all our friends do not show themselves?”

"Fear me?  Why, I am just a traveler.  I was told to stay here.  Surely you cannot blame me."

"Told," Foster responded.  "And who exactly told you?"

"Enough of this," the young man answered.

"Look," said Solange, "the kindness in his eyes has turned to cruelty and the warmth of his smile is now very, very cold."

"Yes they are," Leena responded.

"Why look my friends," announced Lilly, "why if it isn't the human king of old.  I might have been very little and young then, but I do remember you."

"I am not him," screamed the young human.

Foster, Leena, and Loxie flew toward the young human.

"Leave creature," they shouted together.

The creature, as fast as it could, ran from the mellow meadow and disappeared into the forest of mighty oaks.

“Hooray,” shouted all.

“I am so sorry my friend and queen,” said Leena as she flew up to Lilly. “For I thought that you might have been the creature.  Will you please forgive me?”

“Forgive you my dear friend.  You did no wrong.   It was me that behaved so very, very badly.  I ask for your forgiveness.”

Leena then flew back to Foster.  Feeling so very, very ashamed, she lowered her head while hovering before him.

“Please forgive me my friend for wishing the most horrible, horrible things to happen to you.  I thought for sure you did kill the queen with the poison.”

"What do you think I was doing when I wanted a moment to myself before entering the chamber?  Although my tears may have been salty, I don’t think it did any harm to my Lilly.  You have done nothing wrong my friend.”

Queen Lovely Lilly looked all around.  Sadness returned to her heart.

Solange noticed her sad expression and flew further out in the field with patches of purple petunias.  She was puzzled.  How the creature was able to live within the newborn fairy known as Aine while still appearing as the young human was a mystery.   However, the shadowy figure and the young human were now gone.  The darkness was no more, yet Queen Lovely Lilly was still sad. 

Solange looked around at the field of purple petunias, the forests of tall and mighty trees surrounding the mellow meadows, and suddenly realized something was missing.

"Of course.  Enough now,” Solange announced, but not a single friend stirred.

“If only Cambria, the finest animal fairy there is, was here.  Oh well, let me try.  Now as your friend, I ever so kindly ask you to come out and face the queen.  She, we all are, so very, very sorry for what we have done.”

“Yes friends,” a voice said.  “Come out.”

Solange turned around and there was the kind fairy.  Her eyes sparkled like diamonds and her smile was as warm as the summer day.

All of a sudden, friends and foes appeared.  Buzzing bees, bright butterflies, wiggly worms, silly sparrows, lazy ladybugs, goofy gophers, and sneaky snakes came out of the forest surrounding the mellow meadow.   Fat fruit flies, icky insects, sturdy stallions, pesky gnats, host of hawks, and ravenous ravens revealed themselves.   Cottontail rabbit, white fluffy baby bunnies, mice with wispy whiskers, spindly spiders, red Robbins, blue jays, yellow canaries, white doves, blackbirds, blue birds and every other animal, bird and insect both big and small crowded the field with patches of purple petunias in the mellow meadow.

Foster, Leena, Loxie, and the newborn fairy once called Aine flew over to Queen Lovely Lilly.

“Oh my dearest friends,” said the queen, “while it was the creature that kept us apart, it was me that let the creature back into the world.  It was because of me that you were hurt and so very, very lonely.  Please forgive me.”

All the animals, birds, and insects answered by happily chirping, buzzing, squeaking, and sounding out with such joy that it instantly brought a smile to the queen’s face.

“Well, it looks like everything if just fine again,” the kind fairy said.  “So, I must be going now.”

“Where to?” asked Foster.

“To the other side of the clouds.”

“The other side of the clouds?”

“Yes, to the other side where no matter what, the sun and moon always shine and the stars always twinkle.”

“Oh please stay,” Solange pleaded.

“Do not worry my friends.  I am sure if you ever find yourselves in trouble again, the creator will send me back to you.  In the meantime, live with the love he has put in your hearts and in peace with one another.  Goodbye.”

In the blink of an eye, the kind fairy vanished.

Solange turned to her friends and was very, very puzzled.

“Foster, Loxie, Leena, and the newborn fairy were here, but where did you come from Cambria?”

“Hush,” she said, “our queen is happy.”

Solange’s eyes popped open wide.  Her chin dropped.  Before she could say a word, Cambria threw her a wink and a smile.

“Hush,” she said as she brought a finger to her mouth, “this is our little secret for now.  In time, you will forget.”

Solange quickly covered her mouth to stop a giggle from coming out.

“All my friends,” announced Queen Lovely Lilly, “let us all go back to village and celebrate.”

“No,” said Foster.  “Why don’t we stay here and celebrate Lilly.  Our friends have grown the most delicious fruits, vegetables and nuts.  We will all eat together.”

“Oh what a wonderful idea Foster.  Let us do that.  Leena, would you please go to the village and tell every fairy and human friend that there is a feast waiting for them in the mellow meadows.”

“It will be my pleasure my friend and queen,” Leena said.  She then flew fast to the village.

“Well Lilly, the love has certainly returned to the kingdom,” Foster whispered in Lilly’s ear.

“This time my most dear and precious friend, we will keep that love alive.”

With that, every fairy, human, animal, bird, and insect came together under the white, puffy clouds beneath the bright blue sky and ate, danced, and sang on the warm, summer day.

Imprint

Text: James Gerard Burch
Images: Right to used purchased from Cisek Ciesielski@fotolia.com
Cover: James Gerard Burch
Editing: James Gerard Burch
Publication Date: 05-26-2018

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