I.
“‘Long ago, when wishes often came true, there lived a king whose daughters were all handsome, but the youngest was so beautiful that…’ ”
“Yeah, yeah, she was so beautiful and then she met the frog and he was a prince and they lived happily ever after. C’mon, Wallie we’ve heard this story before, tell us something new,” said the sandy haired boy. He had a line of freckles that stretched from his left ear to his right, and his hair draped down to where it was even with them. He liked that everything was ‘all nice and even’ as he commonly said.
“Jason, I’ve already read you guys all the books we have.”
Gazing over the sea of children in front of him, Walter could see all twelve of them trying desperately to squeeze onto the small rug that partially covered the yellow stains on the cold tile floor. “I don’t know what else to tell you. Let’s just skip the story tonight and do something else. Maybe tomorrow we’ll get something new.”
“Move over, Jimmy! I can’t see,” Cindy roared as she shoved a bony elbow into the side of her brother.
“No, there isn’t any more room, besides there’s nothing to see,” replied Jimmy.
“Well, then, have the new girl move over,” Cindy pointed towards the scared little girl whose black hair draped across her face, hiding every feature. She was sitting curled with her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around.
Cindy was a tough girl. She always had a sour look on her face as if she had eaten one of the Brain Buster candy tarts. She was never really seen with a smile (except for the smile that was forced by the tarts) or even talking with anyone other than her brother.
Jason could be seen trying to look past the fighting kids, and he asked again, “Wallie, there’s gotta be some story you can tell us?”
“No, I don’t…”
“Ouch! Jimmy!” cried Cindy as she rubbed her arm from where Jimmy had punched her. Jimmy was smaller than his sister and a year younger. He always seemed timid and on alert for something, and would rub the front of his head whenever he felt unsure. But like his sister, he only ever talked to her and kept close to her side.
“Well, don’t push, stay on your side, Cin.”
“No, that’s enough. I think it’s time for bed. Let’s go, everyone.” Wallie was getting angry, the space between his pepper-colored pair of bushy eyebrows started to disappear and became a pointed V-shape. He couldn’t stand to see those two fighting all the time, but fighting is what they did, at least with each other. When they were out with the rest of the school, they kept quiet and stayed hip to hip. Yet, here in the common-room with their fellow students they always fought.
“Aww, no, Wallie.”
“Com’on, we’ll be good,” pleaded Cindy.
“Please tell us a story,” said Jason
“We’re sorry Wallie, we won’t fight anymore,” Jimmy added to the complaints about going to bed.
The children sat still and looked around the room at the quiet and almost empty hall. It was a lot scarier at night to be in that hall, where they played games and watched television during the day. The old wooden walls creaked and the wind found its way into the building through the many loose hinges on the windows. The hand-painted sign over the archway, which connected their library to the common-hall, read Skyview Foster Home.
“Wallie, can you tell just one story before bed?” said a very polite voice that shocked everyone.
“Wow, she can talk,” snorted Cindy.
“Cindy, stop that,” yelled Wallie. “Now, I want you all to go to bed and that’s the end of it.”
“I told you Jimmy, we’re different and none of them really likes us,” Cindy whispered to her brother as they stood.
All of the children were getting up to leave, looks of disappointment on their faces. In the beginning, when counselors were assigned, this particular bunch of children was, for lack of a better word, undesirable. The children were detached from the rest of the kids at the center, never talking with one another, never running and playing. They were considered the “critically unstable” children, never showing any sign of real feelings or opinions.
Looking down, Wallie gently slid a finger over the tattoo on his left hand between his thumb and index finger. His old wrinkled skin made the leaf move around as if a terrible windstorm was carrying it off. With a glaze over his eyes he began.
“Hey, com’on kids,” he said softly. “Come sit down.”
The children turned back to Wallie, hesitant at first, then they all resumed their seats on the carpet.
“Who said no one likes you?”
None of the children responded.
“I don’t wanna hear that from you guys, you hear me? That’s not true, some of the kids just like to be mean, and we all know what happens when we are mean to each other, don’t we?”
Again, the children just sat.
“How ‘bout this, I’ll tell you guys just one story and then you can go to bed. Now, let me get my storyteller voice,” Wallie rubbed his neck, cleared his throat and gave his body a little shake, this was his way of transforming into a professional storyteller. Then he began, “This happened a long time ago, before any of you were born…”
* * *
As smooth as silk and white as snow lay the heaven filled clouds. Acting like blankets that would never be folded up and put away, masking the small mountain Endel. In the sunlight, it appeared to be a light blue mountain that had no trail leading up to it. Upon looking up at it, there were no obvious blemishes, except for a small gorge towards the base of the mountain. And when the sun would start to set, the blue tint turned into a soft purple, and a slight outlining glow appeared. But still no trail could be seen. Endel was unattainable.
To the small valley below, Endel was known as a mystical place. Since no one had ever been known to get close enough to touch it, many myths and tales were told through the imaginations of curious townsfolk.
Deep, within the heart of Endel lived the Woodland Pixies. Gentle and warm, never fearful and never foul, these pixies roamed over the forest of Endel and cared for all of the creatures that lived there. Woodland Pixies were never exposed to anything other than the peaceful ambiance that was provided, and they never knew of any other creatures outside of their forest home. It was as though nothing else existed beyond.
One pixie was always talked about, Skyler. She was a young pixie; young in the sense that her wings had not yet begun to wilt, like those of the Ancients, but not at the age where her wings were un-useful, like those of the less experienced pixies. In a world without magic, she could be a teenager.
She would flutter through the woods everyday on her usual path, with her translucent wings that could only be seen because of a purple haze that bordered the very edge of them. When standing still, you could see a slight sparkle, making them look as though they were made of nothing more than the clearest of crystals. Skyler’s shoulder length hair was of the black that midnight brought, and her eyes contrasted sharply because of their brilliant, crystal, blue tone.
Her clothes were made solely out of the resources Endel provided for her. Single leaves from the giant trees made enough clothes to last a week, they would wrap around the lower part of her body forming a skirt-like bottom. These leaves came from the same tree that Mona, the soft orange colored horse that Skyler loved, would pull off its branches to eat. Flower petals from the Dixie Garden in the center of Endel, where the waterfall is as peaceful as the sunset, would gently cover up her upper body in a heart shaped shirt. And the wool and fur that was given to her as a gift from those animals whose time was soon to end, covered and shielded her from the cold.
Skyler was the Keeper of Water on Endel, and she spent most of her time at the Dixie garden watching the water fall gracefully into the lagoon. She would sit on the rock bed that enclosed the lagoon, gently being splashed as the falling water would hit. A mist would fill the surrounding scenery making it so surreal. Animals would occasionally appear to take their drink from the water and always acknowledged Skyler, as if giving thanks. By fluttering over the land and creatures in need of water, her purple dust would fall and form into water droplets for all to drink making sure all the animals had a plentiful amount of water. If the trees or plants ever needed more then she could handle on her own, she would call on the rain and ask for help in nourishing her friends.
One afternoon while Skyler was fluttering through the sky, a sudden gust of wind flew through Endel, a gust so hard that it flung the small feather-length pixie into the sky. Her wings thrashed about trying to catch the air in a way to calm herself so that she would be able to land. But the wind carried her off into a darker part of Endel, a part she had managed to overlook in her years of life.
This land was lower on the mountain, much lower then she had ever been before, and it was a lot drier and in need of water. The trees were black and gloomy and the ground was covered with the brittle leaves that collided with the outlining flower corpses. The rocks had fallen from their positions on the side of the mountain, leaving nothing more than gaping holes to show where they once lived.
The magical creatures that covered the Woodlands were nowhere to be seen. The orange steeds, who took pleasure in dashing though the lands, disappearing from once place and showing up in another with a single flip of their mane, were gone. The many birds that would walk in the sunlit sky, were nowhere in sight. And all of the other Woodland creatures, the mimicking panthers who would camouflage and blend into their scenery if need be, the gibbering squirrels, the white deer, all gone!
Curious and saddened by the fact that she had somehow ignored this part of the mountain, Skyler twittered through to it in hopes of bringing it back to life. She circled around and around releasing her purple dust trying her hardest to bring water to this thirsty land, but nothing came of it. The earth was quiet and bleak; it did not have the peaceful sound of life and the soft pastel colors, and when Skyler called upon the rain for help, it did not come.
Skyler was saddened and began to weep, “Rain, hear me please. This poor soil is in need of your help. I ask of you to show yourself and free it from this pain.” But still, no rain.
After a few moments of utter despair, Skyler left the dead land. She started to flutter back as fast as she could, crying. The fact that she could not help this poor land broke her heart and she could not bear to stay there any longer. She flew back through the Dixie Garden and passed the waterfall in such a rush, that the water was disturbed with the breeze made by her flapping wings.
Skyler’s wings carried her all the way back to the large Weeping Willow tree that was her home. She lay in her nest that had been given to her as a gift from the Hollybird family. A few years ago the Hollybirds were close to extinction because an illness overcame them. Skyler was there with fresh water every day to help nourish and heal them, and in return they gave her all they could, a bed.
On the eve of the great shadowing, the Hollybird family had fallen ill. Their youngest had disappeared in the late of night and upon his return, brought with him a drought and an unquenching thirst. A thirst that was so dreadful, a mere drink of water would not defeat it. This ill-fated occurrence plagued the entire Hollybird family and drained them of all their life giving sustenance, water.
Skyler, sensing this pain, began searching for the Hollybirds. Determined not to leave them until she was sure of their fate, she remained with the Hollybirds, continually nourishing them with the purple dust of her wings. Water filled their bodies and each drop of dust that turned into droplets gave them what they needed to overcome this dreadful aliment.
Within days, the Hollybirds were able to open their wings and stretch with the morning sun. They flew as hard and as fast as they could, up into the sky and back down to the grounds of Endel in complete merriment. Skyler had come to the aid of these birds and in return they presented her with the most extravagant bed of twigs and leaves she had ever seen.
Skyler lay in bed remembering this very story. “I helped the Hollybirds, they almost died, but I was there for them,” she said as she touched the intertwined twigs that made up her bed. “Why couldn’t I help that poor land?”