The luck of the Fairies…

When Anise entered the forest domain despite her father’s warnings, she felt a sense of anticipation as well as hesitation.
She spoke to no one about her plans and hoped to find out if there was any truth to the talk about fairies in the woods at night. It was dusk right now and that made her feel brave, but soon the sun would set and she wanted to be in a soft pine needle grove she had discovered one morning. She would stay there all night because it would be too dark to walk out alone.

Some would say she was crazy to venture forth as such, but some would understand her predicament. At the sweet age of eighteen she was still unmarried and for a reason of something terrible that had happened to her very long ago. As a child of eleven she had been helping prepare the evening meal and had gotten too close to the flame. The fire quickly spiked up her dress to her face and by the time it was extinguished Anise had been badly burned. And now, years later, few young men could look at her face and not be appalled.

Her only hope lay in the fairies, if they existed, to be kind enough to repair her body and make her a worthy candidate for marriage.
If not, well she really didn’t care if she never came out of the forest.

After two hours of trekking through underbrush and passing by gigantic oak trees Anise found the grove as there was still a little light. The sun was going down soon though and she began to make herself comfortable with a blanket she had brought and a basket of simple food mostly dried meat and some bread. But there was something else in the basket that was of great importance…A gift for the fairies. Anise had gone to the mines many times with her father to help with the laborers and she had a collection of beautiful stones and prescious diamonds that she had retrieved as her own when nobody was paying attention. Most of what she found she gave to father for the family’s survival and their family did quite well. But Anise could not get it out of her head that if she brought the fairies that finest gift she could think of , well maybe they could help her.

As the woods darkened more quickly that she realized they would, quiet calm came over her. At her gut level she knew this was the thing to do. So she put her head down on her basket and drifted off to sleep. But what a strange dream she had. The sky brightened as though it were day time and the ground was covered with a fine misty fog. As she watched in amazement what seemed like a family of bunnies hopped over to her. Mamma, Pappa, and at least six babies. She held out her had to pet them and they let her.
And then came a shock. They spoke to her. “hello,” said mamma bunny as the others echoed the same. “Its not often we have humans this far in the woodlands, especially at night…are you lost?"

Anise swallowed her surprise and reminded herself it was just a dream " No, I’m not lost. I’m sleeping and your in my dream. I’m hoping the fairies will come to visit me. I’ve brought gifts and I need a special favor if they are willing to do it." “What kind of favor?" Pappa bunny asked. "Maybe we could help." “Oh, I don’t think so. Just look at my face. It melted in a fire and half of me under my clothing as well. When I was a little girl I go too close to the hearth."

“That’s odd,” said the Mamma bunny as Anise petted her soft coat and ran her fingers up her long ears ever so gently. “What do you mean odd?” asked Anise. “Well I don’t see anything but a kind and exquisitely beautiful girl." “That is definetly because I’m dreaming” Anise answered back. “Well dream or no dream why don’t you follow us down to the pond where you can see your reflection for yourself!” At that Anise agreed. When they got to the pond and Anise looked in she gasped in surprise. “But that can’t be me!" she exclaimed. It does not look like my face even under the burn!” Mamma bunny smiled with a twinkle in her eye and said that the fairies would want her face to match the beauty they found on the inside. As a matter of fact, when Anise looked down and under her clothing all the scarring had vanished. That awful tightness was gone as well. Why would they do this for me without even accepting the gifts I brought for them she wondered. Anise and the family of bunnies headed back to the grove where the blanket still lay with the basket untouched since she had laid her head on it.

As she looked over her shoulders to say something to Mamma bunny to her amazement the bunnies were gone. Right where they had stood where the most beautiful fairies Anise could have ever dreamed of. But then-she was still dreaming wasn’t she? She did her best to bow ever so slowly and show the proper respect. The first fairy was just as small as the mamma bunny and she had on a glittering dark blue dress that wrapped around her and pinned to her shoulder with a tiny broach that glittered like it was made from a diamond. Her hair was very long and almost the color of daisys with sparkles running through to the tips. The rest stood behind her and were equally as beautiful but in different iridescent colors that would have lit up the forest,had it been dark. But, Anise thought to herself, that it had been daylight since the dream had started.

“I’ve come with respect and a plea for help. I have also brought gifts.” Anise retrieved her basked from the ground and opened it.
With a gasp of surprise she saw that the valuable stones and pieces of gold were missing. “oh no” she exclaimed. My gifts for you are gone. As tears began to well up in her eyes the fairy in the front stepped over to her. “don’t fret over it beautiful Anise”
"You came with gifts because you deparately needed help and we have those gifts and you have your wish. The reflection you saw in the pond is truly you. Your beautiful inside and out. Now while the light stays with us we will walk you to the edege of the wood and when you reach the clearing all will be dark again. You will make your way to your bed and go right to sleep. Say a prayer to the most holy one thanking him, and that is what you say healed you, because without devine intervention, we could not.

As they walked the two hours back to the edge of the clearing Anise realized she hadn’t thought out an explanation for her family but the fairies were right. They would believe in devine intervention, after all miracles happen everyday. Or she could explain the truth, that she went into the woods looking for the fairies to help her and they had. Everyone knew there were farries in the wood.

The next morning Anise awoke and went to her mother’s looking glass and was amazed at the transformation. She was beautiful. Her brunette hair shone with natural highlights and framed her heart shaped face in a gentle flow. Her skin was a darker tone than the red had been and she could have looked a little European. Her green eyes hadn’t changed except the skin around them was no longer tight and scarred and her eyes stood out like emerald diamonds. Under her clothing everything was perfection and comfortable. No more
pain. As she stood admiring herself her mother awoke and gasped, at first thinking Anise was a stranger in the house. Then she recognized her and jumped out of bed crying that the lord is great and has granted a miricle to their family. With that she hugged her daughter with tears running freely down both their faces. Her sisters had married years before and lived aways from the area but Father was yet to wake up. The women went to make tea and let him sleep but he sensed something was going on and appeared in the doorway. "Holy Mother my heart can't take the shock," he exclaimed.

As they all drank tea, Anise explained about her trip into the woods and how strange things had worked out. “Daughter, don’t you realize there are wild animals that could have killed you? I have told you over and over not to go into the woods, especially at night."
“Father, the only wild animals I came across were a family of bunnies and it was daylight when I woke up in the woods. When I came to the edge of the clearing it was again dark. I crossed the field and came home to bed. Not only was I safe but look at me! No more am I scarred and no more is my skin so tight and painful.

Well, the natural end of this story is that Anise was married very soon after to a handsome man who loved her for the rest of her life.


THE END