Emma and Molly (revised)

Fairies of spring appear in this world much different than all other creatures. Every one hundred years, on Spring’s birthday, as the sun lifts its head over the horizon, newborn fairies can be found nestled in the heart of a flower. These fairies are born with inherent wisdom of the woodland world and all its creatures. While their souls are filled with ancient knowledge, their young bodies are tiny, only the size of a baby bird, and their wings are as fragile as a dandelion puff. Because fairies are such delicate beings, their lives are filled with peril and adventure. Yet, they can live to be very old indeed, especially when compared with the lives of humans. 1

On this first day of spring, deep in the middle of a forest of gumdrops and fireflies, only two flowers bloomed at daybreak; therefore, only two fairy children were born. One was named Emma, and the other Molly, and no two fairies could have been more different.2

Emma, who was snuggled up in her rosebud cradle, peaked her wee eye open, and said sleepily to herself, “it is much too early to start the day, I wish the sun would close its eyes for only a little longer.” 3

When the sun woke up and stretched in the sky, Emma’s rose reached its petals up to touch the sun’s warm fingertips. Emma remembered the ancient saying: Roses love their faces in the sun and their feet in the water.  “This rose surely loves its face in the sun!” 4

As the flower extended itself, Emma was shook from her bed and tumbled onto a patch of velvety moss lying underneath the rose. The flower was so happy in the sun’s warmth that it stretched itself a little too far, and a tiny piece of red broke off its petal. The color floated down and landed right on top of Emma’s head, and a few delicate specks sprinkled on to her nose.  So, Emma wore hair of red and speckles on her nose for the rest of her fairy days. 5

After Emma gained her footing, standing on wobbly newborn legs, she looked around her new home. In the distance, gumdrop trees of all different colors and flavors surrounded a small pool dotted with lily pads. The water shimmered in the sunlight. The pool looked deliciously tempting; Emma thought she could stand it no longer, and said to herself “Well, I guess it is time for a dip.”6

Making her way through the forest toward the water, she heard a loud sobbing. Twisting around in all directions, she listened to the cries. Finally, she realized they seemed to be coming from the top of a towering flower. She walked over to the flower and inspected it closely. From her viewpoint, all she could see was a large emerald stem; so large in fact, that she couldn’t even put her arms all the way around its trunk. She looked up only to see the shaking bottoms of wide yellow petals. The crying became a howl. Now, to a human ear, it may have sounded like the long cooing of a Mourning dove, but to a newborn fairy, it was unbearable, and Emma, was terribly distressed by the sound of some poor creature’s misery. 7

“Hello up there,” she yelled, “Do you need some help?”8

The crying quieted for just a moment, a sniffle, and then another howl was sent bouncing around the forest air. 9

Hmm, Emma thought to herself, this is terrible, but what can I do? I’m so small and my wings aren’t old enough to work quite yet, and I would rather be in that wonderful pool right now. No, she thought firmly, I must do what I can, to help such a sad creature. 10

“Hullo, can you hear me?” She called again.11

“Go away.” A tiny voice yelled back, “I feel much too crabby and drabby to talk.”12

Emma was perplexed, what could be so terrible on such a perfectly splendid morning? “But what is wrong? Maybe I can help you?” 13

“No, no one can help me, I’m, I’m, I’m done for.” The voice quivered and began a new procession of howls. 14

“Oh come now,” Emma was slightly exasperated by the crying, “what can be so awful? Please tell me.”15

A little heart shaped face poked itself over the edge of the flower, “Do you really want to know?”16

“Of course I do.”17

“OK, I will tell you, but only if you pledge a solemn vow with a cross on your heart not to laugh at me.” Emma thought about this for a moment. A solemn vow was a serious thing; one should not take vows lightly. What if she burst into fits of giggles? She would break her vow. She had never had a giggle fit, but after all, she was only a morning old, and who knew what could happen? “How about if I promise to try not to laugh?” she asked.18

“Well, fair enough, since we have never met before, a try is more than anyone can hope for.” The little head heaved a heavy sigh before she began, “You see, I was born only this morning. I found myself in this smiling sunshiney sunflower, but I am so hungry I feel as if I might die from emptiness in my belly.”19

Emma brightened, “ Well that’s easy enough, just get down and we will find you some food.” This sounded like a good idea, since she was starting to feel a little hungry herself.20

Tears welled up in the tiny eyes, “But don’t you understand? I’m so high up in the sky that I can’t get down, and my wings aren’t old enough to work yet.”21

Oh, this is a dilemma, Emma thought. “Now try to be brave, I’m going to go look for help.”22

Looking around, Emma spotted a bee buzzing busily around a purple gumdrop tree. She ran toward the tree as fast as her tiny fairy legs would take her. “Excuse me, excuse me, Mr. Bee, can you hear me?”23

“Mmmm I can hear you, what do you need? I have work to do, I don’t have time for fairy play today.” The bee buzzed rather sharply.24

Emma excused the bee’s rudeness, for she knew that bees are very busy creatures, and she truly needed his help. “Mr. Bee, please I need your assistance, there is a poor creature stuck atop of that sunflower over there, and she is miserable with starvation. I can find nothing to aid her so it is imperative that you help us. Please Mr. Bee, will you help us?”25

The bee looked over at the flower, and then back at Emma’s yearning face. “Alright young thing, I muzt discuzz thiz with my queen. I will return az zoon az pozzible.”26

Feeling hopeful, Emma ran back to the sunflower and its sad occupant. “Excuse me, excuse me, are you still there?”27

“Well where in the woodland world do you think I went?” the flower’s inhabitant retorted. “ I told you I am stuck. Are you making fun of me?”28

“Oh, no, not at all, I wanted to let you know that I employed a bee to help us in your current situation. He has presently gone to his queen to confer and then he promised to return to us.”29

The head poked over the side of the flower again. “I am sorry for snip snapping at you like a touchy turtle. It’s been such a dreadful day and my stomach will not stop telling me it’s hungry. Thank you for helping me, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t stopped to help.”30

“It is no problem at all. Actually, I was just born today too. I was on my way to that lovely pool over there to take a dip when I heard your crying. Can you see it from your flower top?”31

“Yes,” the head replied, “it looks sumpluscious. By the way, my name is Molly. What is yours?”32

“My name is Emma, I came from that rosebud back in that clearing.” 33

“Oh, it looks so nice. Nice and not too tall.” Molly looked at it longingly. 34

At that moment, a shadow fell across the sun’s path and the air was filled with a loud buzzing sound. Molly looked up to see a mighty swarm of bees. A little frightened she cowered down on her sunflower. 35

The sea of bees parted and an elegant bee flew to the front of the swarm. She lowered herself close to Molly, so that Molly could see the crown on her head. Knowing at once that this was the Queen bee; Molly bowed low to show her respect.36

“Get up my child, we muzt take care of your predicament,” the bee said lovingly. As soon as she spoke, Molly was no longer afraid; the bee’s voice was a buzzing lullaby that soothed her aching heart. 37

“Firzt, we muzt get you fed, zo that you can be ztrengthened for your journey off the top of thiz ztunning zunflower.” The queen sat on the flower next to Molly, with concern in her voice she said, “ I have honey to nourish you with, but before you take it I muzt warn you. Thiz honey is for royal beez and zo it iz much more valuable than ordinary honey. If you chooze to take thiz, there will be conzequenzez.”38

Molly was taken aback by the queen’s serious nature, her deep blue eyes blinking in confusion. “Please explain.”39

“Firzt, you will forever be linked with our world, thiz meanz we may need to call on you in timez of distrezz and that you may alzo look to uz when you are in need. Zecond, your hair will alwayz be the zoft color of honey. And third, you will zuffer from a dizorder that iz dizturbing to your kind.”40

Shocked, Molly asked “What? What kind of dizorder- I mean disorder?”41

“You will be afflicted with untidinezz. Thiz will be difficult for you. Fairiez are very tidy creaturez. Yet, onze you tazte the honey of the royalz, the honey will be with you for all of your fairy life and zo, many unpleazant thingz will ztick to you.” 42

Molly mulled over the queen’s words, yet, the gnawing hunger in her stomach left her no other option, and so she agreed. The queen nodded her head solemnly, and called for a cup from one of her guardsmen. She lifted the cup to Molly’s lips and the little fairy drank deeply. The honey was rich and thick; it took merely a drop to fill up her fairy appetite. Then two guardsmen flew over, with sticky feet they picked her up by her dainty shoulders, and flew her down to land gently right next to Emma. 43

When the two fairies laid eyes on each other for the first time, they hugged with delight and relief. Tears of happiness streaked down their tiny cheeks, both were overjoyed with the sight of the other. Neither had ever seen the face of a spring fairy, and their reaction was just as anyone’s who sees this type of fairy for the first time: speechless by the beauty and wonder of her innocent appearance. Each had almond shaped eyes in different shades of blue. Molly’s the color of a sapphire, and Emma’s were as clear as the morning sky. They both had cherry colored lips and chubby cheeks that looked as if they had each been kissed by a pink chrysanthemum. Emma had long legs, and fingers and was a full fairy head taller than Molly.  Hugging each other, the fairies felt the promise of a life long companionship. And so began the friendship of Emma and Molly.44