The Enchanted Seven Once upon a time, the world was different than it is now. Magical creatures were much more common than they are in our mechanized, computerized world. Unicorns, dryads and centaurs lived in primeval forests that stretched across continents. Mermen and their maids frolicked with dolphins in the ocean shallows. In hidden caves on mountaintops and in dank, steamy jungles, dragons slept atop their glittering hoards of treasure, one eye open for thieves. In short, the world was filled with magic. It sparkled in the air, it sang on the wind, it whispered with the waves on the shore, and every moonbeam and ray of sunshine was filled to bursting with magic. In this magical time past, deep in a quiet forest glen, a faery wept. She was a beautiful faery, with eyes like stars, and hair that looked as if it were spun from moonbeams. Her face was unlined, but her eyes were old and wise, and very sad. Her name was Arielle, and she had the gift (or the curse, as some may say) of foresight. She knew what was coming. She knew about us. She knew that the magical world she knew and loved was coming to an end. She had just seen it in a vision. She sat on an old mossy log beneath graceful, silvery birches, her lovely face buried in her hands. Her wings quivered as she recalled the awful world her foresight had shown her. No magic would be left. No unicorns, no dryads, no dragons or gryphons or centaurs would survive the onslaught of man. Technical contraptions and mechanical devices would rule the world. Their power would drain every last sparkle of magic from the Earth. Even children would stop believing, and that meant only one thing. The death of the race of faeries would not be far behind. Arielle cried far into the night, her faery heart broken by what she'd seen. It was so unusual to see a faery crying that before dawn she had gathered a small audience of woodland creatures. Their soft eyes gazed at her in wonder and fear, as they murmured among themselves, uncertain what to do. Finally, a doe gathered up her courage. She daintily walked to where Arielle sat, and nuzzled her hair softly. "Dearest faery, please tell us what's wrong. We are heartsore to see you in such distress. What can be so terrible, to make a faery cry?" Arielle gave a start. She had not seen the creatures of the woodland watching her, for she had her eyes buried in her hands the whole night. She made an effort to control herself and barely succeeded in stopping her tears. "I cannot tell you, my dear. The thing I've foreseen is so awful, so horrible, that few would believe me should I tell." The gentle creatures of the forest murmured among themselves. Never had they seen a faery in such distress. The Ancient Ones were always happy and light-hearted. "But we cannot fight what we don't know," said the cougar. "And the future can be changed, can't it?" "Sometimes the future can be changed, but not often and not easily. Sometimes the change is worse than what was foreseen, so few dare to try," the faery sighed. "Ancient One, if the vision you've seen is so terrible then we must try to change it if we can," the black bear rumbled. "A future so bleak as to make a faery cry is not one I care to live in." All of the other forest creatures twittered, hissed, growled, and squeaked amongst themselves, agreeing with the bear. They kept it up for quite some time, until at last the faery stood and held up her hand for silence. "I must speak with the Queen of the Faeries. She is very wise and will know what to do," said Arielle. "If she thinks we should try to change the future, then I'll agree to help." "We must go with you," rumbled the bear. "We're all concerned about the future, especially one so horrible that you won't tell us about it!" Arielle shook her head. "The queen would not be pleased to have all of us descend on her in a horde. I'll go alone, but thank you for offering to come with me." Arielle set out for the deep forest as fast as she could fly. If any mortal had been listening or watching, they would have seen only a shadow pass under the trees, like a cloud covering the sun for a moment. They would have heard only a sigh, like a breeze through the birches. The Ancient Ones could move swiftly and silently at need. At last, as night fell and the full moon rose over the treetops, she saw a glimmer of light in the distance. It shimmered in the night, moving like a will-o-the-wisp through the trees. Arielle stopped and rested herself with her back against a very old hemlock. "I must wait here. If they want me to approach they'll let me know." She sat in silence for several minutes, watching the light in the distance. Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by the Royal Elven Guard. They had slipped through the trees in silence. Not even Arielle's sensitive fae ears had heard them approach. One of the elves, taller and fairer than the rest, stepped forward. "Who seeks the Faery Queen?" Arielle stepped forward, her wings quivering. "I do. I am Arielle Starfyre. I've had a vision, and I need her advice." The guards surrounded her and led her still deeper into the forest. She saw the glimmer of light fluttering; now here, now there, now near, now far. The guards seemed to be following it, if anything could follow that shimmering, elusive scrap of light. Suddenly, the light stopped, and seemed to grow both larger and more brilliant. A magical glow filled the forest glen ahead with silvery light, and willowy winged forms could be seen moving within. As they approached, they could hear the wild music of a forest stream, and the voices of faeries singing. It was hard to tell which was more beautiful. The light grew and expanded as they neared, and they were swept up into it before they knew it. The faeries danced 'round them singing in their sweet voices of the wonders of the forest and the power of the sea. The perfume of wildflowers bloomed in the air, and there was a sparkle of moondust over everything. One graceful figure seemed to dance with more abandon than the others, her silvery hair floating in the breeze of her own dance. A sparkle of dewdrops crowned her fair brow, and a girdle of wild roses circled her tiny waist. Her wings shimmered with moondust as she sang and flew among the ancient forest trees. The song came to an end, and the faeries crowded around Arielle. The graceful faery with wings of moondust approached, and Arielle bowed her head in respect to the Faery Queen. "Welcome, sister! We have not seen you at the Royal Court for too long a time. What brings you to the deep woods this sparkling summer evening?" "I've had a vision, my Queen. I need your advice." The Faery Queen sat down on a patch of grass sprinkled with violets, and invited Arielle to sit with her. The faeries all gathered 'round to listen. "Tell us what you've seen, sister. It must be very grave. Your eyes are full of sadness." Arielle outlined her terrible vision to the Faery Queen. As she unraveled the tale, the queen's face grew more and more sad. "It seems we are doomed. The future can rarely be altered. Let us consult the Wise Ones and we will see if anything can be done." The queen left to confer with her advisors, the seven eldest and wisest of the faeries. Several hours later she was back, her face grim. Following her were the Wise Ones, each of them carrying a small bag woven of the finest spider-silk. The bags sparkled and glimmered in the moonlight. "There is but one chance. We must spread faery moondust over the dreams of seven key human children. They will keep the faith. They will lead others to believe, and so save a part of our world. We will grow dim, and vanish from the sight of most mortals, but we will continue to exist. Magic will indeed fade, but it will still be there, deep under the surface. "We would like you to lead the search for these mortal children, Arielle, since it was you who had the vision. You may choose two companions from among the fae. You must choose at least one from the denizens of the dark, for if light is to exist, there must also be darkness. The moondust must be spread between one full moon and the next. Since the moon is at the full tonight, you will have twenty-eight days from today to find and dust the dreams of these children. "We will give you a short time to choose your companions and prepare for your journey. In addition to the faery dust in these bags, we will provide you with food, drink, and weapons. The world is becoming a dangerous place for the fae." The Wise Ones came forward, and laid the seven bags of moondust at Arielle's feet. "We will return shortly with your other provisions. Please choose your companions quickly. The time is short." Arielle thought quickly of whom she should bring. Her head spun with the possibilities of danger and of the speed needed for the quest. Finally, she made her decision. Slower than the others because he was flightless, the elf Morpheus was nevertheless chosen because of his special affinity for dreams, and his ties to the world of darkness. The faery Aurora was chosen to balance Morpheus with her lightness and gaiety, and for her deep love of mortals. The Wise Ones gave each of them a special gift. Arielle was given a brass cylinder of farseeing. Morpheus was given a pair of magic wings, so he could keep up with the others. Aurora was given an enchanted hourglass, so they could travel through time. The queen gave each of the companions an elven cloak, to hide them from mortal eyes. She also provided each of them with food and drink, and various other items they would need in their travels through the mortal world. Each of them was given an enchanted elven sword for protection. The queen handed Arielle a scroll tied with a silk ribbon. "These are the names of the seven mortal children who can save our world. You must be sure to sprinkle the faery moondust on them while they are asleep and dreaming. It will cause them to have vivid dreams of faerie and fantasy, or horrid nightmares of the dark side. When they wake, they won't remember, but their dreams will lie deep in the subconscious, and influence the way they see the world. They will continue to believe in magic and they will cause others to believe as well. The technological age to come will cause us to fade, but as long as someone believes we exist, we will. "Be very careful, dear ones. The world you are going to enter is not kind to the fae." The companions knelt for the queen's blessing, and then the time came for them to leave. As the queen and her royal court watched solemnly, Aurora turned the hourglass upside-down, and their quest began. In the blink of a thought, they had traveled far into the future. They found themselves on a rise overlooking a small town. Aurora looked at the enchanted hourglass. Golden numbers glowed and then faded on the base of the glass. They read "1901." "Well, we're in the right time, anyway," said Aurora. "But are we in the right place?" It was twilight, and lights were going on in the houses as people prepared their dinners. There was a road crossing nearby, with a sign that pointed to the village and said "Edgbaston." Arielle quickly checked the scroll. "Yes, we're in the right place. Now we need to find the child. It's a nine-year-old boy. He's a scholarly sort and a very religious child. I'm sure we'll find him easily." They donned their elven cloaks, and walked down into the town. They watched and listened as the mortals went about their business. They found the information they needed at the church, and followed it to their destination. By now it was very dark, and the full moon was rising in the east. They slipped into the shabby little house, as silently as faeries can. They tiptoed to each of the bedrooms, until they found the one they wanted. Two small boys slept soundly within. Books lined the shelves. There were books about trolls, and about places far and near. There were books about magical languages and the dragons that spoke them. Aurora whispered, "Which boy is it? I can hardly tell these mortal children apart." Arielle removed one of the sparkling bags of dust from her pack. "It's the eldest boy, John," she whispered. "See, he's the one with the book. He's the most important child on the list. He will influence many people to believe in us. He'll even influence some of the others on the list." Indeed, one of the children appeared to have fallen asleep reading. Quietly, Arielle approached the bed. The movement of his eyes under their lids told her that the boy was dreaming. Morpheus approached the bed from the other side. "Well, he certainly doesn't look important right now, does he? How can you be so sure, Arielle?" "The Faery Queen has his name on this list, along with information the Wise Ones have gathered about him. He may be only a boy, but when he is a man, he will have great power. He will have a great following of mortals. They will believe in magic and elves, dragons and the little people." Arielle tipped over the bag of moondust, and a silvery stream of it poured into her left hand. She poured some into Morpheus' hand, and into Aurora's as well. The three companions joined their right hands over the sleeping boy, and raised their moondust-filled left hands over the boy's head. Chanting an ancient prayer to the Goddess, they let the dust sift down between their fingers. When the chant was done, the dust was gone. The boy sighed in his sleep, and then whimpered. His dream had turned to nightmare under the influence of the dust. He muttered in his sleep, but the only word Arielle understood was "spider." Before they left, out of curiosity, Aurora picked up the book the boy was reading. There was a picture of a dragon on the front, and the word "Beowulf." The faeries hurried away, the first part of their quest accomplished. Although John was the most important child on the list, the others must also be dusted or his influence would die with him. Once they were outside the town, Aurora set the hourglass in motion. As they whirled through time, Arielle wondered at how easy it was. The Faery Queen seemed very concerned for their safety and the success of their quest. Perhaps the queen was wrong, but something told Arielle the danger would grow, the further forward into the future they traveled. She resolved to be on her guard. The whirl through time abruptly stopped. Arielle looked around suspiciously. "What happened? Where are we? Did we get to 1929? Are we in Waukegan? She looked around and was dismayed to see that they were still in Edgbaston. Aurora was checking the number on the hourglass. "We're in 1929," said Aurora, "But we're still in the same place. I guess the hourglass is only for moving through time. We'll have to get to Waukegan on our own." "Where is Waukegan, anyway?" said Morpheus. "Did either of you think to bring a map of the mortal world? I didn't!" Arielle was rummaging through her pack. "The Faery Queen gave us many things to help on our journey. I don't think she'd leave us stranded here to find our way on our own. .AHA!" She pulled the cylinder of farseeing from her pack and expanded it to its full telescoping length. Examining it, she found the cylinder had several functions, including mapping. There were words engraved on its side. place names, actually. She held the tube to her eye, moved the lever to "Maps" and adjusted the setting to "Waukegan." A small map glowed at the end of the tube. "There's Waukegan, someplace in a land called Illinois. It seems a far distance. We should get started immediately, and we must fly." Morpheus donned his magic wings. They set off for the west at great speed. Before too long, they were crossing a seemingly endless body of water. Beneath them, great ships without sails traveled the sea. They could see the great whales swimming below the surface. They seemed afraid, and avoided the ships of men whenever they could. It was good that the fae rarely tire, for their journey was long. It took five days to cross the great sea, and another two days to travel from the coast to the land of Illinois. When they reached Waukegan, they stopped and rested for a bit, eating the elven bread and drinking the sweet wine the Queen had given them. Refreshed, they flew down into the city. By the time they arrived, the last quarter moon was rising in the east. The child was easy to find, for he loved the night sky, and he was the only child outside gazing at the stars. From within a nearby house, a woman's voice could be heard calling him. "Raymond Douglas, you come in here this instant! You need to wash and get to bed. It's past your bedtime and you have school tomorrow!" "Aw Mom," the boy replied, "Can't I just stay and watch the meteor shower a little longer? It's just starting to get good!" "Absolutely not! You march yourself right in here young man, and get ready for bed! Eleven o'clock is plenty late enough for a nine-year-old to be in bed!" The boy sighed, and with a last regretful look at the starry sky, he went indoors. The faeries waited. At last, a light went on briefly in the child 's bedroom, and then went out. Arielle, Morpheus and Aurora approached cautiously. Peering in the window, they saw the boy lying on his bed. His eyes were closed, but not moving under the lids. "We'll have to wait." said Arielle. "The boy is asleep, but not dreaming yet." The window was slightly ajar, so they pushed it quietly open and slipped inside the boy's bedroom. Over a small desk, a newspaper article was tacked to a bulletin board. "Adler Planetarium Begins Construction" was the headline. Pictures lined the walls, some framed, and some crudely cut from magazines and tacked or taped to the walls. Pictures of mechanical men and outlandish flying machines drifting across star-laden skies were lined up alongside pictures of denizens of the world of fantasy. One picture of a very tall vampire had the words "Uncle Einar" scribbled across the bottom in a boyish hand. At last, the boy's eyes started to move under their lids. The fae performed their magic ritual just as before, and silvery moondust drifted down onto his head, vanishing as it touched his flesh. They left the boy still dreaming, a smile on his face. "Where is the next child, Arielle? This last was a most arduous journey. I hope our next is not so very long, or we may not have enough time to complete our quest!" Morpheus frowned. Arielle consulted the scroll. "It seems most of the children are on this side of the great sea," she said. "The last is back across the ocean, so we must plan at least a week for that. We must move swiftly, or Morpheus is right - we'll not have time to visit them all." Without further ado, Aurora turned the hourglass. As quick as a blink, they found themselves looking at glowing numbers on the base of the magic timepiece "1947." Arielle set the coordinates of the glass of farseeing to "Chicago" which was also in the land of Illinois. The faeries needed only a few hours to reach the city. They arrived at dawn and they were quickly overwhelmed. This was the mortal world at its worst. Thousands of people crowded about the fae, who were thankfully invisible in their elven cloaks. Strange wheeled vehicles puffed smoke into the air, turning the air yellowish gray with their leavings. Huge buildings towered over them. It was enough to take away their breath. They wandered for hours, lost in the city of stone and steel. Finally, Arielle ducked into a quiet doorway for a hasty conference with the others. "This city is too big. It's impossible for us to find one nine-year-old boy on our own. Let me see if the cylinder of farseeing can help. Block me from the passersby, and I'll examine it further." Aurora and Morpheus stood between Arielle and the street, spreading their elven cloaks to hide her from view. She removed the brass cylinder from her pack, and began to examine it again. Down at the very end of the tube, in very tiny elvish script next to a tinier button, was written the word "Lost?" There was no other explanation. Arielle decided to take a chance. She pushed the button. A little window popped open on the side of the tube, and a tiny quill and parchment slid out. At the top of the parchment were the words "Write target here." Thinking a bit, she wrote the name of the boy they were seeking on the tiny scrap. Nothing happened at first. As an afterthought, she wrote "His first name is Ernest, but he calls himself by his middle name, Gary." As soon as she lifted the quill from the parchment, the paper flared up in her hand in a flash of sparkling motes. They formed themselves into an arrow, pulsing in the air. It pointed northeast, and then vanished. "We must travel northeast, it seems. We'd better hurry. It's starting to get dark." The three hurried on their way. At each crossroads, they consulted the cylinder again. The city was large and had many streets, making it a difficult task. Each time they pressed the wee button, instead of parchment appearing, a new arrow appeared and pointed the way. Finally, as midnight approached and the waning crescent moon rose in the east, the motes of light sparkled and pointed at one particular building. The three fae entered the building silently, and quickly found the bedroom of the child they sought. As they entered his room, Morpheus stumbled against a small table near the door. Tin soldiers in medieval armor tipped over and fell, making a small clatter. Arielle quickly looked toward the bed, but the child only rolled over and continued to sleep. "SSssssssh!!! Don't wake him, or you'll spoil everything," she whispered in agitation. Morpheus gently set the toy soldiers back on the table. A chess set was set up for play on the desk nearby. Lining the shelves over the desk were books on medieval armor, battle strategy, and castle defense. The fae surrounded the bed. They peered down at the boy's face in the dim light of the waning moon. He was already dreaming. They held out their left hands for the sparkle of moondust, and joined their right hands over the boy's head. As the shimmering dust touched his face, the child smiled in his sleep, then sighed and rolled over. Startled by the movement, the three fae fled through the open window, out into the street. Aurora turned the hourglass. In a flash, the golden numbers glowed "1950." The companions consulted the cylinder's maps, looking for New Orleans in the land of Louisiana. They set off at once, flying due south. They flew for two days and nights. When they found the city, they were astonished at how much magic it held. The city fairly glowed with it. Arielle pushed the "Lost" button and wrote the name "Howard Allen O'Brien" on the wee parchment. It vanished in a flash, and pointed the way as before. When they found the house they sought, a sliver of waning crescent moon was rising in the east. They found the room of the child they were seeking. Aurora approached the bed, and gasped. "Arielle, this cannot be the right child!" she whispered in a strained voice. "The Faery Queen must have made a mistake!" Arielle and Morpheus approached the bed and looked down at the nine-year-old. Startled, they consulted the Queen's scroll. "Whew!" said Arielle. "Look! This child will change its name in the future, probably because the name Howard is clearly unsuitable. How odd these mortals are!" The fae companions surrounded the bed, and the sparkle of moondust once again filled the air. Their spell complete, they were leaving the child's bedroom when they were astonished to find one of the denizens of the fantastic world trying to enter. Morpheus quickly pulled him aside. "Leave the child alone, Antoine. Find your meal elsewhere tonight." The vampire snarled, "I am hungry now. Out of my way!" He tried to force his way past the companions, but they drew their swords and the vampire fled at the sight of the bright elven blades. As he flew, he shrieked, "You cannot protect the child forever, Morpheus. It will be mine, in time." Aurora turned the hourglass and they moved forward until the glass glowed with the number "1956." They set the cylinder-map to Portland, and began flying northeast. The air became colder, the further north they flew. Finally, after flying northeast for three days they spotted the city below them, nestled against a beautiful bay. The lights glittered in the twilight as they approached. They consulted the cylinder-map again, and followed it to the house they sought. They flew by starlight, for the moon was new. Before they entered, Aurora turned to Arielle and ask "Is this child nine years old as well, Arielle? That seems to be the pattern." "Yes," said Arielle "The age was chosen because at that age most mortal children have formed their life-long interests, but are not yet distracted by... other things." "I see," giggled Aurora. "How strange these mortals are. They live their lives so quickly! Why, we fae don't even begin to be distracted by... other things, until we're nearly 200 years old!" The companions entered the home, and found the boy they sought asleep in his room. Baseball paraphernalia cluttered the room - mostly for a team that wore red stockings, according to Morpheus. There were also books about alien life forms, space travel, monsters and magic. As they sprinkled the moondust and chanted their prayer to the Goddess, the child whimpered in his sleep. Once again, the spell had produced a nightmare. Aurora frowned. "We're giving some of these children nightmares. I don't know if I approve of this, Arielle." "Think of it this way, Aurora. If we don't give them nightmares now, they' ll be bound for a lifetime without magic. A small nightmare now is better than the nightmare of living in an entirely technological world. Better a bad dream now, than no dreams at all in the future." Aurora nodded. "You're right of course, Arielle. How sad their lives would be without magic! I hope little Stephen Edwin would understand." The companions left the boy's room, and Aurora flipped the enchanted hourglass over. As swift as a snap of the fingers, the hourglass glowed with the numbers "1957." They consulted the cylinder-map again, setting the coordinates to Charleston, in the southern land of Carolina. The arrow pointed south, and they began their flight. Two days later, they arrived in the sultry city. A thin sliver of a waxing crescent moon was setting in the west. They searched the sleepy city and finally found James Oliver Rigney, Jr. Like all of the children, his room was filled with books. This boy had read books on the ways of wizards and dragons and one called "The Time Machine." Hourglasses and odd clocks lined one shelf. This boy seemed very interested in how time worked. James was sound asleep and dreaming. They cast their spell, chanting as they sprinkled the moondust over the boy's head. He sighed and moved in his sleep, but continued dreaming. "Thank goodness," whispered Aurora "I was beginning to have qualms about those nightmares, necessary evil or not." They had completed all but one phase of their quest. The last child lay across the wide sea, back the way they had come. They had twelve days left, more than enough time to reach their last destination and complete their task. They rested the next day, exploring the beautiful bay and refreshing themselves for the journey. The following morning, they were ready to leave. Aurora turned the hourglass, and they sped forward in time until the enchanted hourglass read "1974." They used the cylinder-map to locate the town of Tutshill, Wales. "Look, it's near a small forest!" exclaimed Morpheus. "Oh, it will be great to see masses of trees again. These cities of stone and metal make me feel cut off from the Earth." The companions flew across the wide sea heading northeast. They watched the ships and the whales traveling below them, crawling across the surface of the sea. On the second day of their crossing, a storm blew up from the south. The ocean swells grew huge and black clouds darkened the sky. Terrible gusts of wind buffeted the companions as they fought to keep a straight course. They were swept up into a towering thunderhead, and could not see anything around them for the dark mist. Suddenly, a huge silver bird whooshed past them out of the cloud. It came so close, that the wash of air from its passing tumbled the fae, who were already struggling against the wind. They were slammed down by a gust of wind and hit the surface of the tossing sea very hard. Morpheus looked around as he spluttered to the surface. He couldn't see anything in the dark and tossing waves. Frantically, he called for his friends. "ARIELLE! AURORA! WHERE ARE YOU?" Faintly, he heard a moan off to his left. He swam quickly in that direction, and found Aurora. She was barely conscious. She had been battered very badly by the wind and waves and there was a long tear in one of her gossamer wings. Morpheus helped Aurora stay afloat, as he continued to call frantically for Arielle. Finally, he heard her. "I'm coming! I'm coming! Hold on - I bring help!" Arielle's voice was like music to Morpheus' ears. A few minutes later, an enormous dark shape loomed up out of the sea. Arielle sat atop a huge whale, which had rescued her from drowning. The whale graciously lowered herself deeper into the sea, so that Arielle and Morpheus could lift Aurora onto her back. Then she swam off northeast with the three of them. Arielle examined Aurora's torn wing as they rode. "This can be mended, and we fae heal very quickly. But I'm afraid we'll lose a great deal of time. Let me see if the whale is willing to help us further." She spoke to the whale and then said, "The whale can take us part of the way, but she swims three times slower than we can fly, and she'll not take us all the way. She's ready to give birth, and needs to go the calving ground. She only travels in our direction for a short way. We'll travel with her while Aurora's wing heals." Morpheus pawed through the items in his pack. "Surely the queen included something for such an emergency," he said. "Ah, here it is." He pulled a skein of spider-silk from the pack along with a fine needle. He quickly sewed up the tear in Aurora's wing, making a very neat job of matching the torn edges. "There, that should help you to heal more quickly." They traveled whaleback for six days. Aurora fretted the entire time. "We' re going too slow! We'll never reach the seventh child in time. You must leave me here and continue the quest alone." "Don't be foolish, Aurora. You know the spell takes three to cast. If you stop fretting, you'll heal faster," said Arielle. "So be quiet and rest, dear. We'll reach the child in time." As they traveled, the whale explained about the silver bird they'd seen. Arielle was astounded to discover it was a mechanical device invented by mortals. "How strange they are, " she said. "Not content with what they are, they want to fly like birds. They are very odd indeed!' When it was time for the whale to turn away toward the calving ground, Aurora's wing was mostly healed. She could fly, but more slowly than before. There were only three days left before the moon would once again be full. They set off at once. Two days later, the fat gibbous moon rose, shining down on the country they were seeking. There was only one day left to find the child and complete the quest. Arielle said a silent prayer to the Goddess for help in finding the girl quickly. They found the town of Tutshill and quickly began their search for the girl. The full moon was in the western sky, so they had no time to waste. They flitted through the little village, following the directions of the magic cylinder-map. They located the girl at last, and tiptoed to her bedside. She was sleeping soundly, and a dream was dancing behind her eyelids. She too, had read many books of faery tales and horror. There was also a strange list on her desk with the heading "Odd Place Names." The fae performed their spell and moondust sparkled in the air for the seventh and last time. It vanished as it touched the face of the sleeping child. "Well," said Arielle "Little Joanne Kathleen carries the tale forward. May she tell it well!" The companions went outside and watched the full moon set in the west as dawn rose in the east. Arielle took the scroll from her pack and ticked off the names in her head. "Yes, we've done all seven spells. Now we can go home. I can't wait to see our home forest again!" A sudden gust of wind caught the parchment from her hand, and sent it flying into the nearby River Wye. A long-legged wading bird caught the scroll up in its bill, and flew off with it. "Oh well, we don't need the names anymore." Arielle said. "Let's go home, my friends." Aurora turned the hourglass sideways, and the fae were instantly transported back in time, to their home forest. They arrived to cheers of welcome and a feast given in their honor by the Faery Queen. At the River Wye, the bird landed on its great nest, and tucked the parchment in between the sticks of its nest, to act as insulation for the eggs within. If the bird could read, it would have understood the message written on the torn and dirty scroll. The Enchanted Seven John Ronald Reuel Tolkien Age 9, 1901, Edgbaston, West Midlands, England As J.R.R. Tolkien, he will write a children's book called "The Hobbit" and an epic fantasy novel called "The Lord of the Rings." The books will tell tales of dragons, dwarves, warriors, wizards, and the little people called halflings or hobbits. He will inspire many fantasy believers, and is the most important child of them all. Raymond Douglas Bradbury Age 9, 1929, Waukegan, Illinois As Ray Bradbury, he will write a fantasy tale called "The Illustrated Man" and several tales called "The Martian Chronicles," with Martians who are very like the fae. He also will write tales of a vampire named Uncle Einar and his very strange family. Ernest Gary Gygax Age 9, 1947, Chicago, Illinois As Gary Gygax, he will invent a set of rules for a battle strategy game called "Dungeons and Dragons." Many young adults and teenagers will learn to play the game, and the belief in fantasy will take hold among them. The game will also inspire hundreds books about the world of fantasy. Howard Allen O'Brien Age 9, 1950, New Orleans, Louisiana As Ann Rice, she will write a fantasy tale called "Interview with a Vampire." The book and its sequels will reinforce belief in the dark side of fantasy. Stephen Edwin King Age 9, 1956, Portland, Maine As Stephen King, he will write many novels of the dark side of fantasy. He has a following of many, many mortals. James Oliver Rigney, Jr. Age 9, 1957, Charleston, South Carolina As Robert Jordan, he will write an epic fantasy novel called "The Wheel of Time." The story will have a great following among adults. Joanne Kathleen Rowling Age 9, 1974, Tutshill, Wales As J.K. Rowling, she will write a series of books about a boy wizard named Harry Potter. Because of her influence, children will clamor to be sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And they all lived happily ever after. Contributed by Heronwing (S) Copyright © 2003 Cathi Pelletier, all rights reserved. To return to the index page, please close this window. Submissions to Scribe contests are all offered by members of Sisters of the Golden Moon. If you are a member and would like to contribute to future contests, please contact Galaxy Star Honor74 . Except where noted, all articles, submissions and graphics are copyright © 2004, Sisters of the Golden Moon, all rights reserved. To the best of our knowledge, all entries submitted to Scribe contests are the original work of the person submitting them. "Queen of the Faeries" image is copyright © 2003 Jessica Galbreth, all rights reserved. We are grateful to this talented artist for making her beautiful paintings available. The "Fairies and Fantasies" webset was created by Heronwing for Sisters of the Golden Moon and is copyright © 2003 Sisters of the Golden Moon, all rights reserved. Neither Ms. Galbreth's art nor the webset are in the public domain.