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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

August 19, 2013

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Rose Fairy finds a Family

Each fairy breath of summer,
as it blows with loveliness,
inspires the blushing rose.
— Unknown

On the day Rose Fairy was born, a young family picnicked in the sunshine. Their chubby firstborn, Barnabus, wore a solemn smile and chewed on his fist. Then his father slipped on the stony ground, and fell smack, bang, boom on the ground with an “Ooof!” that could be heard for miles.

Barnabus’s mom cried out, “Charles, dear, are you okay? Is anything hurt?”

“My pride!” Barnabus’s dad answered with a hand rubbing his bottom, where he landed on the rocks, and straightening his glasses.

Barnabus removed his fist from his mouth, and drew in a deep breath.

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

August 17, 2013

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Awards!

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Celebration Symphony

Making blogging like a fairy tale, wonderful people have joined voices to give me this amazing symphony of awards.

Thanks to those gifting me recognition and honors, but also to all of my readers, commenters, followers and friends, who keep me going with your warmth and attention!

In celebration of summer, I want to remember all those who take care of the children. All the parents, whose children are near and far, young and grown. And to all the children who love their parents, might not have children of their own yet, but still love the kids in their lives. All the people who are not the birth parent, but are heart parents, who nurture, love and support their adopted children and friends. To all the grandparents, big and little parts of the lives of their grandchildren, but holding them in their hearts. And to all the music teachers, tutors, camp counselors, swim instructors, life guards, camp administrators and staffers, wow, you are amazing!!

Caregivers aren’t perfect. We all make mistakes, but there we are, day in and day out, helping protect and raise the next generation. I celebrate all of you! You are all miracles! Today I’m granting the You are a Miracle Blogger Award to some good blogger friends who are there for their children and/or grandchildren. I hope you will check them out, they rock.

mummyflyingsolo
Emily at fortuitous
Apronhead-Lilly
Lady Fi
BeWellandHappy
The Mother of Nine9
Scottishmomus
Icecreammama

I know so many more of you are out there, and I want you to know you are miracles, too.

I also have thanks to pass along to Julianne Victoria at Through the Peacock’s Eyes, for a duet of amazing awards: The Versatile Blogger and the Wonderful Team Member Readership Award. She has so much wisdom at her site, I hope you’ll visit her. Then Funny for Nothing came in on the last chorus and performed the WTMR Award in an amazing guitar solo! I’m thinking Eric Clapton meets Joshua Bell and the devil goes down to Georgia.

To Ajaytao, bless him for his peaceful presence, has contributed a lilting trio: the Most Influential Blogger, the Inner Peace Award and the Very Inspiring Blogger (WOW! Three powerhouses!!).

Morgan at BooknVolume performed a wonderful duet, followed by another lively rendition of the same two awards by Megan at Creative Magic. Thanks to both magical, wonderful women who have powerful words and great images. Thanks to them, friendlyfairytales is hearing the wonderful music of the Versatile Blogger and the WordPress Family Award.

And last, but not least, a new friend has given me a unique appreciation award, thanks to SoundEagle! It means a lot to me to be honored by such a multi-talented person! You won’t be disappointed if you visit him and check out the swimming koi. 🙂

I hope music surrounds you and makes your day joyful! All this music has lifted my soul high.

What virtuosos you all are. I’m privileged to be gifted all these honors.

I started my blog to make it easier to share my writing with my friends and family, because photocopying was getting expensive. I really did not expect to reach any other audience, but when the first email came, announcing a complete stranger thought my story was awesome (Thanks again Len at Kraken’s Wake!), I was hooked. Yep, I’m even friends with the Hook now. I love this cyberworld I share with all of you, you’ve changed my life forever.

And, by now it’s tradition, some flowers for thanks:

May all your endeavors bear fruit and may you shine with the glow of health and sun! And be blessed by the fairies!

Warmly, Brenda

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

August 13, 2013

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Boys, Fairy Tale for Girls, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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Clan Destined, Part II

Part II of the newest Adventurous Fairy Tale, Clan Destined, has arrived! In Gregori Returns, Darvin’s foster brother returns injured but alive. Together, they must find a way to stop daylight smelting or the clan’s safety will be endangered. The last part is written and will be published in a day or two.

Photograph taken by busymindthinking

Excerpt of
Gregori Returns

Darvin drifted as part of the clouds for a long time, enjoying shoving them this way and that with his will. He forgot why he was there in the clouds. The ground looked black beneath him.

“Darvin! Darvin! Darvin!!” Darvin heard the call, and he became confused. Where was he? Why could he not move? He remembered he was scrying, and he remembered controlling the clouds. He tried to find his body, but he had lost all sense of direction drifting.

“Darvin!” That sounded like Sillette. He drifted along the water, particle to particle, moving toward the call, his consciousness moving along the water bridge as quickly as sound travels. He let go of his urge to control the clouds. They started to break apart.

Click link to continue reading Gregori Returns.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

August 12, 2013

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Boys, Fairy Tale for Girls, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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Clan Destined

Friendly Fairy Tales has a new Adventurous Fairy Tale!!

Clan Destined will take you on an adventure to Clan Mountain, home of Darvin, son of the Dwarvish Laird. Darvin discovers new powers in Part I, Flight in the Clouds. Parts II and III are written and will be published over the next few days.

Top 5 Sunrise by Vit Peyr

Excerpt of
Flight in the Clouds

Darvin treasured the quiet moments of dawn. He was crouched among the rocks on the shore, and anyone looking would mistake him for another rock. Cold from the rocks and sea spray seeped into him. As the dwarvish do, he embraced the chill after a night of warm dreams.

As the sun rose higher, the yellow sky was garlanded by purple and orange blossoms. Some dwarvish cousins spend their lives underground never seeing a sunrise, but Darvin’s Mountain Clan live above ground. Darvin could not imagine life without sunrises to center him.

His father, Wizen, lay gravely ill. The peacefulness of the sunrise helped Darvin face his fear. If his father did not pull through, his childhood would be over. He would be Laird of the Mountain Clan. He was only 16. All the responsibility would be his. He told himself to breathe, just breathe. He let the cold bring him back to himself, then he headed home, climbing far up Clan Mountain.

His family longhouse was made of stone, blending seamlessly into the mountain. His uncle Forst was sitting on a boulder plucking a chicken.

Click to finish reading Flight in the Clouds.

Note: Top photograph by the very talented Vit Peyr.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

August 8, 2013

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Boys, Tales for Kids of All Ages, Young Fairy Tale

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50 Comments

The Shepherdess and the Prince

Jonas walked up a hill behind the soccer field where his parents were watching his brother’s game. Being only six on his next birthday, he was not allowed to play.

Jonas pushed through thick bushes, stumbled and fell. When he got up, he felt as though the world had tilted and then righted itself. He shook his head, and opened his eyes. His vision blurred then sharpened. A strong, salty wind brushed his hair back from his forehead. He could hear surf in the distance.

Before him was a stone ruin, and he walked around it. He walked inside, and admired the thick walls. He had never seen any ruins near the soccer fields before. A tall window was set in a partially standing wall. He looked through, and as far as his eye could see stretched rolling hills and bright blue skies. He stepped through, and the air shimmered.

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Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

August 5, 2013

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Boys, Tales for Kids of All Ages, Young Fairy Tale

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The Stallion and the Fortune-Teller

Marcellino’s Grandfather Gerardo took him to meet his old school friend from his boarding school days. His friend had recently become King Bengal of Tropica Nadia, a small country off the coast of India. King Bengal lived in a splendid palace overlooking the sea.

Marcellino’s smile enchanted the king. The king invited him to a party for his young daughter, Sahara, in three days time. Marcellino was very happy, but his Grandfather Gerardo was worried. What should they bring little Sahara for a present? What do you buy for a ten year old princess?

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Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 29, 2013

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Boys, Tales for Kids of All Ages, Young Fairy Tale

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The Birthday and the Troll

A Dance for Tomorrow by Alf Sukatmo

Satri knew that walking deep into the mangrove forest by himself was not allowed. Sometimes the noise of his six brothers grew too loud for him to hear his own thoughts. He was careful not to let Raksasa or Manu see him going. The twins were the eldest, and always acted as if they were the bosses of the other 5 brothers. All of them except Manu called the oldest Raksasa behind his back, because he was huge and tall, like a towering giant. He also had the quickest fists, so the brothers were careful to call him Jay to his face.

Satri slid away while Raksasa and Manu were fighting with Ragawan, the second youngest, who had taken out a trumpet and was blowing it as loudly and discordantly as he could. Widagdya and Lintang were beating drums. Wijah was laughing and dancing on his hands, a trick all the boys could do. Wijah, third youngest and three years older than him, was his best friend amongst the brothers, but today he really wanted to be alone.

Deep into the mangroves, Satri wove his way along narrow paths, leaving behind him the din of his older brothers. He stepped carefully over tree roots, skirting pools of water washed up from the Java Sea, never far away on this island. He ducked under low branches, moving softly in hopes of seeing a monitor lizard or a golden ring snake. The sun was shining, the light dappled under the trees, and the sea breeze blowing across the Thousand Islands cooled the air. The birds were silent. He saw nothing. That should have given him pause, warned him of what was to come. However, he was too grateful for the quiet to heed its warning.

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Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 27, 2013

Posted under

Tales for Kids of All Ages

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For Chloe

A wonderful fairy tale for bedtime. May all the small children sleep with bliss in the arms of the dream fairies tonight.

Lucy Literati

“I want to be a Fairy, Mum” said Chloe, as she pulled the nighty on over her head.

“Fairies are sooooooo lucky. They don’t have to go to proper school, only Fairy School. They don’t have to learn Maths”.

“In Fairyland, the sun is always shining but you never get sunburnt. Everything is green and there are flowers everywhere. I wouldn’t get told off for picking them because Fairy flowers don’t die”.

“Fairies get to wear pretty dresses All. The. Time. Like THE best party dresses ever. They never have to wear a coat, or shoes and socks if they don’t want to. I could wear pink every single day. Even at school”.

“Fairies get to live in a Fairy Castle. I’d never be bored in a Fairy Castle! There would be hundreds of rooms full to the ceiling with toys. I bet they even have an Ice Cream Maker”.

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 24, 2013

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Boys, Fairy Tale for Girls, Tales for Kids of All Ages, Young Fairy Tale

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27 Comments

The Rain Dance

Two children surprised a fairy. Mona, the fairy, was of the Swallowtail Fae. In the twinkle of an eye, she shifted to her butterfly form. She fluttered to a butterfly bush, then to a high hosta bloom. She watched the children.

The little girl pointed at her, “Stephano! I saw a fairy!” Mona wondered if she should flee.

Stefano laughed. “Isabella, that’s a butterfly,” He shook his head. “But we’re here to do a rain dance, remember?” He clapped his hands and stomped rhythmically in the grass. He danced in a circle, widdershins, and Isabella joined him, also clapping.

“We need to ask the Great Spirit for rain,” Stefano said. Mona was surprised the children knew of the Great Spirit.

Together the children chanted: “Great Spirit in the sky, the garden’s way too dry. Begging your pardon, please rescue our garden. Let rain clouds form and bring on the storm!”

Nothing happened. The sky stayed blue, and no clouds came. Stefano was crestfallen, but Isabella giggled about their prayer. “Mommy! We sang to the Great Spirit, and I saw a fairy!”

The air shimmered as Mona shifted back to her fairy form. Blue Iris petals formed her dress. Fairy magic kept them as fresh and soft as the day they unfurled. Mona was as disappointed at Stefano. She had been using her wand to keep flowers alive, but what they really needed was rain and lots of it.

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Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 22, 2013

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Girls, Tales for Kids of All Ages, Young Fairy Tale

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Nana Knows

“Nana, where do the fairies hide?” Jana sprinkled water on the potted flowers with her red watering can.

“Dearest, they could be in the darkest parts of the pine tree. Between rocks in walls, in the curl of an unopened flower or in the wrinkled bark of a tree.”

Jana looked carefully in all those places, even peering into the furled petals of flowers, but nowhere did she see shimmering wings or shining faces. Then she lifted the leaves of a hosta just opening its white trumpets.

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Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 20, 2013

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Girls, Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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Follow Not The Swans

The Night Swans

by Walter de la Mare

Tis silence on the enchanted lake,
And silence in the air serene,
Save for the beating of her heart,
The lovely-eyed Evangeline.

She sings across the waters clear
And dark with trees and stars between,
The notes her fairy godmother
Taught her, the child Evangeline.

As might the unrippled pool reply,
and answer far and sweet,
Three swans as white as mountain snow
Swim mantling to her feet.

And still upon the lake they stay,
Their eyes black stars in all their snow,
And softly, in the glassy pool,
Their feet beat darkly to and fro.

She rides upon her little boat,
Her swans swim through the starry sheen,
Rowing her into Fairyland –
The lovely-eyed Evangeline.

Tis silence on the enchanted lake
And silence in the air serene;
Voices shall call in vain again
On earth the child Evangeline.

Evangeline! Evangeline!
Upstairs, downstairs, all in vain.
Her room is dim; her flowers faded;
She answers not again.

(Originally published 1902 by Longmans, Green, London, New York.)

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 17, 2013

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Boys, Fairy Tale for Girls, Tales for Kids of All Ages, Young Fairy Tale

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31 Comments

The Three Fat Hogs

Three little pigs were born to Daddy Fat Hog, a Rock Star. They grew up on Hog Heaven Estate in the Bel Air hills. When his money ran out, Daddy Fat Hog went to live in an ashram in India and became a spokeshog for Pigghadistra. Meanwhile, the three little Fat Hog triplets spent their days bickering and eating all the food from the enormous pantry. The sheriff came with twenty deputies, shook them down, and kicked them out. The three Fat Hogs were not allowed to keep any possessions, but waddled sadly out a side gate.

They continued down the mile long drive toward the isolated hills of the Platinum Triangle. They passed Daddy’s Safari Outback where the elephants and giraffes nodded good-bye. They gazed mournfully at Daddy’s old Lear Jet with its bent wing and the Rolls Royce up on cinder blocks.

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