In the deep mid-winter, his parents’ blood bright on the snow, Herensuge bundled the children and set each on Halcyon’s broad back. “Farewell ‘til the far Awakening,” he said to the silent wood clearing. To his siblings, unquiet at a leaving without their parents, he softly whispered, “Tears freeze in the winterling, my sisters. Our parents would not want you as ice on a winter solstice day.”
Thus, began the sisters’ journey – through seasons and landscapes – seeking special places known only to him. As each moon plumped, one sister or another became excited – anticipating that night when their brother placed each one them in turn alone on Halcyon, and walked them into a near-by town’s square. As the sun tickled the moon out of the sky, the pair returned. At first, the sister was a bit different – quiet, kept to herself. But soon, she was all giggles and smiles like her sisters – unaware of what had laid behind them in the snow.
Then came the Dragon’s Moon – huge and blood red – Ledda, the eldest thought she understood their journey, and Herensuge’s worried and frantic search of the last few days. Six of the human children brought back. Six of the changelings reclaimed. She sought to ease his concern, “It is fine. I am aware,” she said.
He looked over at his other sisters, deeply asleep. “Are you really? I have searched for you but I can not find. Let me show you but a glimpse of that which you are so sure.”
He opened her eyes to his non-human form and thus gave Ledda a vision of his world.
“Tis fine,” she said. “They will need caring and minding as Mother did for them. They will need protecting and teaching as Father did for them. They will need love. Let us head home, Herensuge.”
For the first time since that dark day, Herensuge smiled a snaggly-toothed smile and puffed a bit of brimstone. He had hidden his human sisters well when the warriors came looking for their children. But his parents paid the price. As they lay dying, they gave him explicit instructions about the human changelings, and said, “Ledda is the wisest of humans. Herensuge, always remember, the wisest.”
Jane asked us this week to explore the John Bauer illustration:
“Who are the children on the white horse? Who is leading them and why? Are they searching for something or escaping? Tell me a story to fit John Bauer’s magical illustration”
{It’s taken me almost 350 words to tell my tale, and I suspect it is unclear as to who the children were and are. All critiques welcome!!!!!!}
Words in italics have been added, I hope, to make the story of the exchange of the changelings clearer. Thus, a stand alone fairy-tale. I could continue the tale another time and tell of human Ledda raising the nestlings with her brother Herensuge which, by the way, is olden Catalan for dragon. And sometime why dragons are like cowbirds in nesting practices. I lost a comment stream that suggested the story needed clarification and maybe continuation.
(c) Lorraine
December 15, 2016 at 12:59 pm
Intriguing…I’d like to know more too. (K)
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December 15, 2016 at 1:49 pm
This is a story in the making.
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December 15, 2016 at 10:05 pm
Good!
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December 14, 2016 at 3:03 pm
as I have come to expect a well-woven tale of dragon fairies
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December 14, 2016 at 4:30 pm
Thank you — there is a prelude I hope to post tonight or tomorrow.
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December 11, 2016 at 3:29 am
I love this, and now I want more! I think I had it the wrong way round at first, and thought he was giving changelings back and getting humans, but is it the other way round?
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December 11, 2016 at 7:20 am
He is returning the humans for the changelings/nestlings. A reversal.
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December 10, 2016 at 8:46 am
That makes it quite clear what’s going on. Much more magical and interesting than pimping :) I’m going to ask a couple of questions though, just to set the cat among the pigeons. The changeling girls look no different to the human ones so how did the human parents know their babies had been swapped, and knowing they had changeling babies, wouldn’t they have killed them? If Herensuge protected the girls from their biological parents at the expense of his parents’ lives, why swap them back? I’m going to end up making you write all of this story :)
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December 10, 2016 at 11:34 am
Actually, I do have a pre-quell to this story if you don’t mind a longer than microfiction or broken into episodes. I know the answers to your questions, I think.
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December 10, 2016 at 11:49 am
I may take this down to do my fixing — we will see.
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December 10, 2016 at 12:14 pm
I’m sure you do have all the answers—it’s your story. It seems to me that it’s really difficult to cram a fairy story into a very short form. It relies a lot on repetition which is anathema for the flash fiction writer :)
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December 10, 2016 at 2:14 pm
I shall write an episodic tale which is how I often write.
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December 10, 2016 at 3:13 pm
I look forward to reading it. It sounds as though it’s going to be a classic :)
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December 10, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Oh dear, not sure about that! lol
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December 10, 2016 at 4:27 pm
The idea is the stuff of classic fairy tale. Just tell it :)
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December 10, 2016 at 5:01 pm
Will do :)
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December 10, 2016 at 2:24 pm
It is difficult unless you are telling a well known story with a new twist.:)
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December 10, 2016 at 3:15 pm
Then you can take a lot of the story as read, I suppose.
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December 10, 2016 at 8:29 am
The tale fits the illustration perfectly. A very splendid piece of writing.
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December 10, 2016 at 11:35 am
Thank you, Bernadette.
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December 9, 2016 at 8:10 pm
A most interesting response to this great image…..more to come?
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December 10, 2016 at 5:32 am
Some words to add to clarify this one and yes, perhaps more. . . .
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December 9, 2016 at 4:50 pm
You’re right. I don’t understand what’s going on, but I’m intrigued. I suspect all will be revealed in the next episode. Won’t it? Taking one sister into the town and having her come back first silent then all giggly sounds like he’s pimping them. Tell me I’ve got the wrong/nasty end of the stick.
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December 9, 2016 at 4:52 pm
Yes — no pimping involved! All clean. He’s doing each a service, so to speak.
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December 9, 2016 at 4:53 pm
Arrgghhh! What?
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December 9, 2016 at 4:55 pm
Okay — returning the humans for the changelings now that his parents are dead. That was their instructions
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December 9, 2016 at 5:09 pm
Ahhh! Brilliant! What a good idea. Maybe you should give a few clues for the clueless like me.
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December 9, 2016 at 5:16 pm
Will do! Thanks Jane.
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December 9, 2016 at 4:54 pm
I could try and clear up the muddiness now if you think it would make for a better one off. One or two words might do it.
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