“The Queen’s Curse.”
I have been listening to lots of myths, folktales, and fairytales recently and so I came up with my own. Dear readers here is my story “The Queen’s Curse.” …
Eira was a dark and mysterious girl, she loved nothing more than to play a beautiful ebony harp in the moonlight of a clear nighttime sky. Yet, even though she was dark, solemn, and silent, she dearly loved her younger brother Cormac. You could not separate those two; they would be forever playing in-between the magnolias, all pink checks and hearty laughs. They were healthy little souls, bound by the weight of childhood.
Then one summer, young Cormac fell deadly ill. No one could do anything for him, all the doctors of the land failed to restore him, and all the neighbors failed to lift his sister Eira’s spirits. Without her brother she felt broken; she was incomplete, like one of her organs was missing. Everyone tried to console her but to no avail.
Everyone that is except Mrs. Lana Humph. Now, the Humph family had earned its name from the very first Humph who was called Pedra. She had said ‘humph’ to nearly everyone she ever met (with the exception of her husband Pierre) and so the name had stuck.
Mrs. Lana Humph was as stuck-up and snooty as the rest of her family. She never smiled or wished anyone ‘a good morning’. She was the meanest lady in the whole village and she knew it.
And then one day, Old Mrs. Lana Humph did a most extraordinary thing; she payed Eira and her parents a visit. Everyone knew that Lana Humph never, ever, payed anyone a visit. So why now? No one sure. Eira was suspicious of Lana. “What are you doing here?” She asked her. “I shall tell you later,” Lana Humph replied, tapping the side of her nose. And then she continued to nod thoughtfully and it the cake that was given to her. After a while, she stood up and said “I’m sorry but I simply most be going.” “Oh but of course,” said Eira’s mother, Maia. “Hope you enjoyed your stay,” said Eira’s father, Axel. “Now, can I have a quiet word with Eira?” Lana asked. Eira’s parents looked at each other, shocked. Then they shrugged their shoulders. “Sure,” they said.
Lana turned to face Eira. “Eira, can I see your brother please?” Eira was a little taken aback but agreed. They climbed the steps up the small cottage and into Cormac’s bedroom. Lana peered over and him and stood staring for a long time. Finally she went away. Eira was relieved. She wasn’t too keen on Mrs. Lana Humph and didn’t really want her hanging around Cormac. The next day a note was slipped through the door of Eira’s family house. It was addressed to her. The note read:
Eira Orenson,
your presence is requested at the Faery Circle in the Beech Woods, this Monday Night. It is about your brother.
Yours,
The Faery Queen, Shaylee.
Eira was flabbergasted. But she knew two things, one was that you mustn’t disappoint the Faery Queen, and another was that if this was anything to do with Cormac, then she needed to go. So off she went. Down the path into the Beech Woods, as it was nighttime she thought it wasn’t going to be easy to find her way. Yet the faeries clearly were expecting her, as the path was lit with their dust. She reached the Faery Circle and there was the Faery Queen, Shaylee.
She was dressed in long argent silk gown, which caught what little light there was, and sat on top of her head of golden hair was the most beautiful crown; it was made of real silver and encrusted with rubies, emeralds, and a single peridot. Shaylee was no bigger than Eira’s knee but she could feel the power radiating off her like heat. “Your majesty, you said to be here on Monday Night,” it was Eira who spoke. “And here I am.” “Indeed, you are,” said the Faery Queen. “You see Eira, me and my people are suffering a terrible loss of our magic.” Eira digested this. “Oh,” she said. “How dreadful.” “Indeed,” Shaylee continued. “And so, when we discovered that your brother Cormac Orenson had magical powers, you can imagine our excitement.” Eira nodded, feeling a little bit numb. Cormac was magical?! Well, this was a surprise, she couldn’t decide if it was a good one or not.
“And so we decided to borrow a little bit of his magic to help ourselves to get back on our feet. But magical children are delicate things, and when we did it your brother become suddenly ill.” Eira was angry and yet she understood their need. “Now,” the Faery Queen said. “I have come across something that could solve all problems at hand. You see Eira, you are magical too. Not in the same way as your brother, but magical none the less. And so, if you are willing, we would like to return your brother’s magic, and with that his health, take a little bit of yours.” Eira was shocked, she didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t know that she was magical too. And as much as she wanted Cormac to get better, she didn’t really want to give up something that she had only just discovered. She had no idea how to decided.
Luckily, she didn’t have to. Just at that moment Lana Humph appeared in cloud of pink light. She turned to look at Eira, and Eira was bemused to see an expression of fear and anger on the old woman’s face. “Eira, stand back, I’m going to obliterate this fearsome female!” She cried, pointing at the Faery Queen, Shaylee. “What no!” Eira cried. “She’s going to help me.” “Yeah right!” Lana sniggered. “More like exploit you!” Then she seemed to soften and looked at Eira. “Look, I know Shaylee and her people. They have plenty of power and magic, they’re greedy, they simply want all the power that they can lay their stealing fingers on. They cursed your brother. And they would be able to make Cormac better without using your magic. So, let me. They deserve to go.” “But what about Cormac?!” Eira screamed. “Surely if you ‘obliterate them’ he won’t get better?” “Oh yes he will,” said Lana. “Now that you have found your magic it is even more powerful than it was before. Do not fret Eira, you will be able to make your brother better, and I will help, I promise.” Eira looked at the faeries then and saw the greed on their faces, saw the power that they could use against her and Lana, and then she knew what she had to do.
“Obliterate them!” She cried, as loudly as she could. This created panic among the faeries, who had not expected this. And, in all the confusion, and spells that Lana threw at them, Eira managed to grab Shaylee and she smacked her. “You evil witch!” She shouted at her, and then Eira cast her first ever spell and Shaylee become a field. Bound to the Earth and unable to call for help or cast a single spell herself, Shaylee had to witness the death of all of her fellow faeries. And so, Eira Orenson and Lana Humph destoried the faeries and turned them into butterflies. They wander restlessly, flitting from flower to flower, hoping for the day when they will be able to do magic again.
And as for Eira, she and Old Mrs. Humph walked back to the village together in a new found friendship. They combined their spells to heal Cormac and all three were very happy doing magic lessons on Sunday afternoons.
The End!
BJMN
