Weaves.....
It Was just Another Autumn Afternoon, Dear Readers, as Time Wove its myriad threads; every strand a string of memories, every being's thread the fiber of life, meted out in the Dance of Days, intertwined with every other, passing over, under... back and forth... coming and going forming the vast intricate fabric of Now.... All that Is, as it were, and yet an ever new and ever-changing web. Yes, Time Wove its Golden Spell, whispering of missing moments and lost opportunities and the onset of Dark Times to come, luring the unwary out into the World... offering glimpses of Dreams for another Day, as sunbeams glinted on dancing leaves and breezes rustled in the meadows gone to seed. In other words, it was a perfect Afternoon to Escape all the cares of the moment, to follow those urges to go out and Play while the sun lasted! And the Little Dreamer had felt those urges and heard those whispers and realized it had been too long since she had heeded them.
She turned to her sister Amy and said "I'm going outside....
it's too stuffy in here... are you coming?"
And while they spent much time together,
they certainly didn't always agree about things like what to do now.
And so it was that Amy looked up from her book,
thought a minute and said "No. I want to read my story."
"But you can read your story later...." said Beth,
hoping to lure Amy out with her.
But Amy knew her mind. "I want to read it now"
she said, clearly not being swayed.
"Fine," said Beth, with a resigned sigh...
"But don't blame me if you miss all the fun...!"
she said as she left to room.
She headed out to the Briar Moors,
the wide open spaces calling her to explore....
She never knew what she would find as she headed across the Moors...
perhaps the ponies would find her....
she never knew!
Meanwhile, somewhen not too far away,
Tommy had also felt the afternoon calling to him.
He always took advantage of any opportunity
to go out riding on his pony Prince.
And this was one of those afternoons that must not be wasted indoors!
He didn't have any particular destination in mind,
but as often happened, they headed in the direction of the Castle.
The Castle was "forbidden territory".
He was not supposed to play there because
the ruins could be dangerous, according to everybody.
But Tommy didn't think they were at all dangerous.
He had been there more than once.
Mostly they were just empty and abandoned.
But sometimes he ran into other children there...
but he wasn't supposed to play with "strangers" either.
It was all a lot of bother.
And mostly just a lot of fun....
So he wasn't really "going" to the Castle...
but his pony seemed to be heading there anyway,
so he was going along too.
Perhaps Prince was hoping to meet the castle horses...
And if you know Tommy,
you will also know his little sister Beatrice.
Tommy was always trying to get "rid" of Beatrice.
She was always trying to follow him.
It was just the way of siblings.
The younger ones always wanted to do what the older ones were doing,
and the older ones wished the younger ones didn't.
And so when Beatrice noticed that
Tommy and Prince had gone off without her...
she decided to follow anyway.
She was pretty sure she knew where they were going.
They always went to the Castle even when they weren't supposed to!
She was pretty sure she knew the way. It wasn't too far away...
And In case you Wondered, Dear Readers,
The Witches at the Castle were well aware of the Seasonal shift...
"I suppose we are going to have to roll up the carpets..." said Cassandra
as she sat with her sister Lady Athena and Great Aunt Agatha,
drinking tea and contemplating the annual uproar
known locally as "The All Hallows Eve Party".
"Yes,....." said Lady Athena. "I saw Kendall hovering around
a few days ago, but he seemed rather vague to me." she added thoughtfully.
"He wasn't fully there, if you know what I mean...".
Cassandra nodded knowingly. "I felt the little ones coming and going as well...
it was difficult to know just when they were..." she said.
"We had better clear the way..." said Lady Athena...
"and mind the Portals... " she added.
"We wouldn't want anyone to go astray...." she added nodding sagely.
And in case you hadn't noticed...
there was one little fellow who overheard every word....
but didn't speak up at all....
it wasn't his Time or place to say....!
Who knew that so many could go astray...?
Meanwhile, as I am sure you recall, Pollyanna and Fleur
were excited by the decorating possibilities,
even if it did only include a few tiny things...
even tiny things can make a great difference!
They met at Pollyanna's workroom to have a look at what her ideas were.
"I've been dressing a few tiny ladies... "said Pollyanna,
"and I have a little garden area that they could be in..." she added....
"but I wish I had a "Haunted landscape...." she admitted.
"I think I could throw together a small graveyard...." she added,
realizing how few of her ideas were already finished.
"I think we should use that big old dollhouse
from my shop display...!" said Fleur excitedly.
"It is really too big for my shop window....
it really looks spooky all by itself...
but we could add some tiny ghosts and stuff..." she said eagerly.
"But shouldn't it stay at your shop..." said Pollyanna....
not wanting to presume.
"I think it would be great publicity to have it
at the Castle Party..." said Fleur easily.
People would notice it and remember my shop!"
she added really pleased with the idea.
"How difficult would it be to move it...? "
asked Pollyanna, getting excited.
"No problem...!" declared Fleur.
"Between Daniel, Arthur and Will,
I am sure it can be done in no time at all...! " she said happily.
And I am sure you will understand
that it was only a Little while later
that they were setting up a table
in the Castle Great Hall.
"I think the cloth can make it feel more like a landscape..."
said Pollyanna, tentatively.
"I agree..." said Fleur.
"It is amazing how a little cloth can make a difference."
"Oh, here come the guys...!" she added getting out of the way.
Will had to back through the door
with Daniel and Arthur on the other end.....
"There's the table where we want it..." said Pollyanna helpfully.
"Gosh... it somehow looks bigger in here... !" she added.
"How far back do you want it...?" asked Will,
ready to reposition it properly.
"It should go right to the back edge of the table..." said Pollyanna.
"Like this...?" asks Will....
as he wrestles it back toward the wall....
"That looks great guys!" said Pollyanna happily.
"Thanks a million....!" she said.
"This is perfect... we couldn't have done it without you all...
I appreciate your help so much" she said cheerfully.
As the guys headed out, Fleur and Pollyanna had a closer look.
"I've set the small garden here..." she said,
pointing to the back corner.
"But I was hoping to fit in a tree over here...
and I wish we had some tiny skeletons..." she added.
"We'll have to see what else we can come up with"
said Fleur, encouragingly. "We still have some time...!"
And lest you think I have forgotten them, Dear Readers,
The Little Dreamer Amy had soon finished her Fairy Tale
and wanted to find Beth.
She remembered Beth saying she was going out.
Now Amy hoped she was not missing all the fun!
But Beth was nowhere in sight
when she looked out onto the Briar Moors.
She supposed Beth had probably gone to the Castle.
Maybe she could catch up to her if she hurried,
thought Amy as she headed out.
But she hadn't caught up by the time she reached the Castle,
so she went inside, sure she would find Beth in there.
She crossed the Guard Room....
the Guard didn't seem to see her as she passed by,
so she kept on going.
She looked into the Great Hall...
it was full of furniture and dogs...
but they didn't see her either...
so she went across to where she could see
a beautiful window through a door on the far side...
she didn't remember seeing that before!
She stepped through the door into what must be a little church!
She had never seen anything so beautiful before!
The walls and ceiling were covered in brilliant paintings...
of angels.... and clouds... and holy people...
she did not know their names...!
And then she noticed a little room off to the side...
perhaps Beth had gone in there....?
There was a candle lit....
But then she noticed the trap door open at her feet...
it led down into darkness....
would Beth have gone down there....?
"Bethy..." she whispered.....
"Are you down there....?"...
but she heard no reply...
not even a whisper...
But Where had Beth gone.... you might ask?
She had wandered across the Briar Moors
just as she had done on many another afternoon,
but soon she realized she didn't know exactly where she was.
Everything looked the same,
but somehow different...
And then suddenly she saw something
she knew she had not seen before....
there... right there....!
Nestled into the hillside....
there was a little building!
It seemed to be a little Shop...
Beth went up close and peered through the door....!
What she saw took her breath away.....
She opened the door and the lights lit up brightly....
Everything was quite small...
but it seemed that she could fit inside....
So in she went!
And Oh Heavens....
there were so many Tiny Wonders
she didn't know where to begin!
Little Shops... little houses... little furniture.... little trees...
and oh my.... there was even a Tree with little rooms inside...
with doors and windows and furniture....
she could not believe her eyes....!
Everywhere she looked was a new Wonder!
There was even a little space for making things....
with tools and books.... and.....
Goodness... it looked like somebody had left their snack.....
it looked like a slice of pie..... and was that a Fairy sitting in the pie.....??
"What are you doing in that pie.... ? "
she asked the little Fellow, astonished at the sight!
"I love blueberry pie...." murmured the Fairy....
"I just Looove Blueberry pie...." he said, sounding a little dazed... !
Well, thought Beth.... so did she...
blueberry pie was her favorite...
well, after cherry pie...
perhaps.
Beth just wanted to stay here forever and ever....
but she wanted to tell Amy too!
She needed to go find Amy....
but she wasn't sure she remembered where to look for her....
perhaps the Fairy knew....
And did you wonder if Tommy had made it to the Castle after all
on this beautiful Autumn Afternoon?
Well, Prince knew the way so of course he did.
But as they neared the shore and the Castle lands,
the clouds had thickened and a fog hovered over the coast.
Tommy hadn't paid much attention...
too lost in his daydreams to mind.
But as they topped the rise just before the Castle
Tommy suddenly wasn't sure this was the Castle he remembered...
it was so much darker....
it didn't look like the ruin he played in...
he shivered...
"Maybe we should just go home, Prince..." he whispered.
Well, Dear Readers... Time has Woven it's Spell across the Land...
threading those moments back and forth in that Great Tapestry of Life....
What will become of all the players remains to be seen...
Will what has been woven be undone....?
Only Time will tell...
Because Time Weaves....
(To be Continued...)
