Once Upon a Time

Once Upon A Time

By Anna Cummings

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Dedicated to Chinook, my dog, for inspiring and building my characters.

Brattleboro, Vermont

Mapleleaf Writing Project

Copyright 2016

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“And they lived happily ever after. The end.“ Grandmama closed the book and stood up. “Good night, my sweet heart.”

After she left the room the small girl, no older than 8, lay in bed. Though it was not very dark she could not see anything but blackness. Sophie, the girl, had been blind all her life. Her father had gone after she was born and her mother died while giving birth. However, her grandmother was loving and cared ever so gently for her supplying her with stories, stories, and more stories. Her favourites had fairies in them. Sophie knew that Grandmama changed the stories so Sophie could better imagine what the characters looked like, acted like, and did. ‘What is red?’ she had asked once. ‘Red is the way something hurts when it bleeds.’ Grandmama said. Sophie’s one fear was that no one would ever accept her since she was different. Because of this she had begged Grandmama to to stay home with her and teach Sophie herself. The grandmother said that school would be fine, there were other children like her. Sophie always refused. She was afraid everyone would laugh and hate her. She was sure she would would not be loved.

This night was like every night. Grandmama read to her and left the room and then Sophie was left to dreams. Her dreams were of what the city of London, for that was where she lived, was like. Since she seldom left the flat she had hardly heard nor smelled nor touched anything but objects inside her home. Her dream this night was different though. She was somewhere and voices wafted through the air. The air was sweet like the voices.

The morning came swiftly. The smell of bacon and potatoes wafted through the flat. Usually the smell was enough to make her mouth water but today Sophie felt as tired and as limp as a old string bean that had been left without any water for days yet also having an energy that was contained but wanted to escape. Her grandmother led her to the closet from the bed.

“Grandmama, please hand me my dress that only goes halfway down my legs. “

“Sophie, it is winter! “

“Today is special, I know it, I feel it. “

“Very well, I will leave while you get dressed. “ Grandmama handed Sophie the dress and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Sophie stood still, wondering why she had said today was special. It had popped into her head all of a sudden.

She felt a draft. Had Grandmama left a window open? It couldn’t be; this breeze was soft and warm, not frigid and sharp like winter winds are in London. She felt drawn to its source. As she walked forward a thought struck her and she realized, what if Grandmama's stories were real?

“Don’t be silly, that is ridiculous, “ she said to her herself, but after thinking added, “but if there are queens that are beautiful and magical creatures like fairies I’d like to meet them. “

“Very well” said a voice, smooth and silky like a cat’s purr. “ I, I mean, we can do that. ”

Sophie shuddered, stumbled, and nearly fell. It was very terrifying to hear such a strange voice so close but not know exactly where the thing was.

“What are…. Ahh! “

The last remark was because a curious sensation was creeping through her. It was not unpleasant nor pleasant. The feeling was like a caterpillar was crawling across her toes, then her knees, then her waist and all over. There was a sound like the wind through trees and a sudden jolt.

Somehow she knew she was in another world. Sophie stumbled. The air was moist and damp smelling, with a hint of lavender. Whatever was underneath her feet had turned lumpy. She bent down and felt papery wettish things. She felt around the edges of them. They were circles with a line of harder material sticking out one side. What were they called again? Oh yes, leaves.

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“Where are we?” she asked.

There was no reply. Then there was a rustling sound of feet shuffling forward and towards her. The same voice she had heard before the caterpillar sensation spoke.

“We have come to a realm. The Realm of the Fairies, to be more specific. You, a little girl with a big imagination, have been chosen. You are necessary for a cure. You are a special and can save us from disorder and the death of our queen.”

Here the voice paused as if its owner were taking a breath. Astounded, the girl thought for a moment. Then, all of a sudden she spoke.

“May I touch you? I mean, I cannot see, and you must be from here, so you are different from anything I know, “ she concluded.

The creature seemed to ponder this very carefully and as Sophie listened she heard a slight thump as if the thing had sat down on the ground to think better.

It mumbled, and the sound was fuzzy. It probably was sucking on something. “Yeeesss, I suppose. Stay where you are and I will come over to you. “

Steps came closer and closer until something pressed against Sophie’s outstretched hands. It was furry and warm. Sophie stroked it up and down and came to what she assumed was the neck and head of the creature. It had two triangular ears like the kitten she had in her flat at home except these ears had tufts of fur at the end. She felt down its snout to its cold, wet nose and on the underside of its head she found two smooth curved triangles that must be fangs. Sophie felt down the other way and found a twitching tail with long fur on it.The creature came a little higher than her waist. Most of its fur was about a couple centimeters long.

“I am Masmada, “ the creature said. “ Sit on my back and I will take you to the queen. But first feel behind you. ”

Sophie did. She felt a long bumpy pole with smaller poles sticking off it. On the smaller poles there were some leaves. Grandmama had one of these in their flat; a tree.

“Take a leaf. “

Sophie plucked one of the leaves. She held it up to her nose. Oh, all delicious smells were captured in that leaf. Sophie inhaled deeply and smelled all her favourite smells from home, peppermint, jasmine, lemon, baking bread, and Grandmama’s perfume.

“Lick it.“

She did and it was utterly sour. Sophie could not believe that anything so sweet-smelling would taste so disgusting. She stuck her tongue out. However, she felt strong and ready for whatever happened.

“It may not taste good,” said Masmada, “but it has prepared you. Now climb on my back. “

“Where are we going? “ Sophie asked with uncontainable curiosity.

Masmada did not speak. Sophie grudgingly obliged and felt forward with her hands until she reached the soft fur of the creature. She got on its back. Suddenly, Masmada was off, fast as the wind. Sophie felt as if she would be blown off and tossed about for all eternity. Gradually they slowed and Sophie felt her hair, which had been pushed back by the wind, settle around her face. Then, a soft keen voice, that was not Masmada’s, came to her ears.

“Ah, so it is true. You believe that the child the woodlanders speak of, the one that can save us, is true. “

Her head was full of questions. Who said that? Me? Why? How do they know I’m the one? Masmada spoke sharply but to Sophie it was like his voice was coming through an eiderdown quilt.

“This child is special. I can feel it in the tufts on my ears, Sifter. If I’m wrong, I’ll cut them off, “ said Masmada. “Bring us to the queen now. “

Then they were moving again. Masmada padded softly on the ground with Sophie on him. She heard a scuttle like that of a spider’s and realized that it must be Sifter.

“So, child. You are in a new world and new times with new people like myself. I will tell you about myself. I am two feet tall and have four legs that go out to the side and bend at the knee. If my legs were straight, I would be nearly three feet tall. Also, I have sixteen shoes and none of them match and there are sixteen because we have four days in a group and each day I wear new shoes until the next group of days starts! Oh, and something you would find interesting is… “

He babbled on and on. Sophie stopped listening and rested her head on Masmada’s shoulders. His rhythmic up and down motion soon lulled her to sleep.

When she woke, Sifter was going on about the river and the trees and much other stuff she did not understand. He had not noticed she had been sleeping. His droning stopped abruptly. They must have reached the throne room.

“I will show myself in with the girl,” Masmada purred. He or it was unnerved and ruffled by Sifter’s unceasing chatter.

As Masmada walked forward there was a loud screech like Sophie’s dresser drawer opening without really wanting to open. Masmada arched his back and Sophie clambered off. She put her hand on Masmada’s comforting and familiar fur; he was like an old friend now. The room they entered was strangely quiet and made Sophie feel forbidden; she should not be here. She walked slowly forward.

“Good, so you have come,” someone said, as if their voice slowly was coming into existence. The voice was dry and frail. “I am the Queen, but I have been ravaged by a disease. The woodlanders have prophecies about you. You can find the fruit among others, you can find where it’s tree grows, you can go there, you and you alone. “

A different person or creature began to say something but another voice said,“Let the girl sleep. It will happen only if she dreams it.”

She was led to a room and lay down. It was the softest thing. As soft as the moss she had walked on when she came to the realm. Sophie was told that she must relax and go where a dream told her. If it was the right dream she would go into that world like Masmada could. Once there she should flow with the dream. Whatever she had would go with her. When she came out it could be that she was here, in the realm of fairies or at her flat. Sophie was thrilled at that idea, though she did not know what she would tell Grandmama. No matter what, the fruit would come to the queen. The fruit needed a bridge to go to who needed it and that bridge was Sophie. Soon after the fluttering of fairy wings was gone and whatever kind of creatures the queen and her pages were had left, Sophie fell back against the pillow which was soft and sinking. She fretted but then still fell asleep.

She had the dream. It was like she was awake with sound and smells and feeling but no sight as usual. She was walking. The smell of lemons filled the air and the ground was soft under her feet. There was a whispering of spirits.They whirled around her, chilling her, sending shivers down her spine.

Come, come, take it, use it, come… “ they chanted eerily.

They were pushing something in her hand. They were giving her the fruit, the fruit she needed, so she took it. Grabbed it and held it firm against her heart. She had it. She should go now. The spirits were pushing her and she burst into the real world.

“What happened?“ she said, expecting to hear Masmada speak carefully or Sifter’s babble, but no one spoke. It was then that she realized that the smell of bacon and hash browns was in the air and she was in her own world. There was no fruit in her clenched hand. However, she got the feeling that somehow the fruit had landed in the realm of the fairies and cured the queen while she had landed in her flat with…

“Grandmama!” Sophie cried out.

“What is it, dear?” Grandmama called. “ How many pieces of bacon would you like?”

So it was true. She was really back in the real world. She might have been apprehensive about the queen but in her heart she knew it was all right. The fruit had cured her. It had all been so quick, could it really have happened? But yes, there was a lemony smell on her hands and her tongue was somewhat bitter from the leaf. Sophie wanted a good normal meal.

“I’m coming, Grandmama.” Sophie said.

Her day might have been normal after that but she realized something. She was not so different than other children, she could fit in with them if she could be friends with magical creatures. Sophie might have had an extraordinary adventure and it had given her a thirst for knowledge; she would learn and have friends.

Later that day Grandmama told her a new story;

“Once upon a time…”