A Little Bit Of This...

A Spring Equinox Story

With a sprinkle of pixie dust, the yellow bud of the daffodil opened its face to the world.  Dilly’s work was done.  This was always a bittersweet time of year for her.  She loved that she was finally able to see the fruits of her hard work, and now she was off for holiday for a few short weeks.  It was also sad that her work for the entire year would only be visible to the human kind for only a very small time.

As her tangerine colored wings fluttered, Dilly floated a little higher.  The face of the daffodil opened up brightly to the sky overhead.  It was just then when Dilly felt the cold sting on her face. 

“Drat!” she exclaimed as she looked up at the sky, pushing her golden hair away from her eyes.  “The Snow Queen is at it again.”

White crystallized flakes began falling all around Dilly and her newly birthed daffodil.  This did not make Dilly happy, one bit.

Giving the flower one last shower of pixie dust, Dilly darted towards the kingdom of the Snow Queen.  Soaring over the fields she noticed many other Flower Fae looking towards the sky and falling snow with disdain.  Dilly understood their frustration.  Spring had sprung and it was time for the Snow Queen to take her slumber, instead of dusting the flower fields with snow.

It did not take long for Dilly to arrive at the ice palace of the Snow Queen.  Dilly had never visited this palace before and was a bit taken aback by the unexpected beauty.  The first thing she noticed were the ornate ice sculptures surrounding the frozen pond.  She could see that someone had been ice skating there fairly recently.

“Probably Jack Frost himself.”  Dilly said out loud.  She then heard her own voice echo back to her.  “Strange indeed,” she thought to herself.

She made her way down a path, lined with trees adorned with thousands of twinkling lights, long icicles and each with a unique, over sized snowflake at the very top. 

Dilly approached the grand entrance and grabbed a hold of the knocker and pulled and pulled until she was able to lift it a few inches, then she let it drop.  The knocker fell back against the door with a thud.  The door was slowly dragged open by a red-capped gnome.

Dilly gasped.  Her mother had warned her about staying clear of the red-caps.  However, she didn’t have a choice in this instance.  She had to see the queen.

“What do you want, flighty little pixie?” rumbled the gnome.

Remembering her very best faerie etiquette, “I would beg to have an audience with the queen…” her voice trailed off.

“And just who are YOU to beg such an honor?”  The red-cap was scowling now, though it was hard to tell as his face seamed to wear permanent scowl lines.

“I am Dilly of the Spring Flower Fae Troupe.” She was wondering if she would even get a chance to see the queen, let alone speak to her.

The gnome started to tell her all of the reasons why she wouldn’t be able to see the queen, while Dilly remembered she was carrying a small bag of sleeping powder.  She put her hand into the satchel that was tied to her waist and found the bag of powder.  Dilly quickly untied it, one handed and grabbed a pinch, while nodding to the little gnome as if she were really listening.

She pulled her hand from the satchel and feigned a sneeze, blowing the powder into the gnomes face.

“And that is why…” The gnome said through a yawn and crumbled to the floor, snoring loudly.

Dilly quickly made her way from the grand entrance to the throne room, hoping the queen would be there.  Thankfully she found the door cracked open just enough for her to squeeze through.

Once on the other side of the door, Dilly’s jaw dropped open to see the queen slumped over slightly on her throne, with her head in her hands.   She never in all her days thought she would see such a sight.  The queen was weeping almost silently, tears rolling down her cheeks and falling to the floor, freezing before they hit the ground making a slight “tink” sound as it shattered.

Not exactly sure what to do, Dilly cleared her throat and said, “Excuse me, your grace?”

The queen surprised to discover she was not alone in her chamber, quickly wiped her face, tried to straighten her long white hair and adjusted her crown.

“Who are you?” the queen asked.  “You are not from my realm and how did you come to gain access to my throne room?”

Dilly swiftly answered the queen’s questions and followed up with a question of her own.  “Gracious Snow Queen what makes you so sad?”

The Snow Queen went on to explain how everyone in the kingdoms were always sad to see her time of reign and delighted when spring arrives and joyous with the return of the Sun King.

Dilly pondered this for a few moments, coming to understand the sadness of the Snow Queen.

“Your grace, have you forgotten that light has to have dark to bring balance?” Dilly questioned.  “And without cold, no one would appreciate the warmth.  Your reign is just as important as that of the Sun King.  Without you, my precious daffodils would not die back into the earth and re-nourish themselves unseen in the soil…”

Dilly continued to explain the important role that the Snow Queen and Jack Frost play in the world.  The queen began to smile.

Dilly and the Snow Queen came to an agreement that with the arrival of spring, the Snow Queen would start her slumber and allow all of the Flower Fae to enjoy their well deserved holiday.

The End

©Terri Clement, March 2012

joelfaviere:

I believe in my ability to stay strong. I mean it. I can do it. 

There is something to be said about “Personal Responsibility.”  Or, maybe I should say the lack there of in our society lately.  It is being witnessed in a variety of places and relationships.  Parent/Child, Spouse/Spouse, Boyfriend/Girlfriend, Friend/Friend, Co-Worker/Co-Worker, and on and on!

Let’s break that phrase down:

Personal = Individual, for one person.

Responsibility = Duty, obligation.

                                          (Image from Google Images)

No where in those definitions does it state that someone else is responsible for your needs (This includes your happiness).

Before you blow up on someone, for something that you perceive is their duty, take a moment and ask yourself this simple question:  “Is this my personal responsibility?”  Then give yourself an honest answer. 

Yes, it might hurt to take that long, cold look in the mirror.  It might be difficult for you to realize that you, yourself are for more responsible for your own life than you think you are.  That is where the growth begins.

©Terri Clement, January 2012

Enjoy your day and all that it brings to you.

Remember, even the darkest of clouds has a silver lining, if you take the time to look.