About a month ago, Jess Banas, online Coordinator for PSI and a good friend of mine sent this story she wrote. In the madness that is everyday life with toddlers and babies, I stored it away and have just now rediscovered this gem of a story. I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I did!

Once Upon A Time…

The queen of a small kingdom gave birth to what she was sure was a perfect child!! One beautiful Spring day, the lovely new mother decided to take her new family for a walk through the countryside and show her subjects the Angel that had been given to her.

Suddenly, the sky grew grey and a storm overpowered the small caravan. They were forced into “The Forest of Despair”…the queen’s caravan was overturned and she became separated from her family. Panicking, the queen ran deeper and deeper into the forest until she tripped over an exposed root and collapsed in a heap of fear and inconsolable sadness…She was LOST!!! Held captive by the forest’s gnarled roots and tangled branches, the queen began to cry in great heaving sobs, her tears landing on the dead leaves of the forest floor.

As her tears fell, one of the fairies of the forest floor awakened. She saw the beautiful queen weeping and said, “Do not despair! Those roots are holding you down. Move your feet and follow me! I will show you the way home!”, but the queen could not hear the fairy, for she was being infected by the roots of despair and the roots were making her very sick. The roots were filling her head with thoughts of utter hopelessness…Telling her she was not worthy…that she would never be home…and that no one would miss her. Not even her husband or her baby.

The fairy saw that the roots were infecting the queen’s thoughts, so the little fairy glowed brightly and shouted, “Heed not the words of your mind, for they are not the truth. You are infected by the roots of despair! Move your feet and follow me! I will show you the way home.” the queen heard the little fairy, but did not believe her word’s because the roots of despair held her tight in their grasp. The determined little fairy only glowed brighter and flew down to the forest floor, calling out to her friends, “Sisters awake! Our queen needs us!” until one by one, all of the fairies awoke.

The fairies saw that the queen was imprisoned, so they all glowed as brightly as they could and shouted in unison, “DO NOT DESPAIR!! THOSE ROOTS ARE HOLDING YOU DOWN! HEED NOT THEIR WORDS, BUT MOVE YOUR FEET AND FOLLOW US!! WE WILL SHOW YOU THE WAY HOME!!”, until finally the queen, warmed by the intense glow from the fairies, was able to move her feet and get up.

Now the queen was still a long way from home and far from healed. The path was terrifying and full of twists and turns and her mind was still full of the root’s poison. The trail seemed to constantly switch back and forth from path to path, and twice the fairies had to backtrack from a dead end…but the fairies were constant and true, even when the queen faltered and stumbled…they NEVER left her side, but only glowed brighter and brighter still…guiding her and holding onto hope for her when the queen felt all hope was lost…until one day the queen came HOME!!

But alas, as she neared her kingdom she saw it was not what she and once known it to be. The countryside had fallen into poverty since her absence and her castle was in desperate need of repair. The queen was shocked and asked the fairies, “What do I do?”, to which the fairies replied, “How do you FEEL, dear queen?” The queen was quiet for quite sometime…suddenly realizing that not only was she well…she was STRONG AGAIN!! She had traveled a road fraught with much danger and hairpin turns, but now she was whole, confident, stronger than ever before, and filled with HOPE!! No her kingdom was not what it once was, but what was important was not the kingdom’s changes…it was the changes in her! She knew without a doubt that she could rebuild her kingdom and her life to BETTER than it was!! Hugging her family tightly to her breast, she knew that the worst was finally over.

That evening, as the sun was setting in the golden mountains, the queen said a tearful goodbye to her friends, the fairies. The queen had to know just one more thing, “Why did all of you help me? I am no one, just the insignificant queen of a tiny kingdom…who am I that all of you would help me so faithfully?” Suddenly, the fairies all twinkled and in the glimmer of the sun’s setting rays, the fairies were gone…in their place stood nine clanswomen of all shapes, sizes, and ages.

They said in unison, “We are the women of kingdom’s past and we are now known in our part of the world as the Clan of Nine…we represent those who were all once caught in the Forest of Despair and though many have been lost forever, many more of us made it out. When we joined this clan, we all vowed to help any who have fallen prey to the forest, turning into fairies upon giving our oath. We guide all who are lost until they are safely home. We wait in our great halls, hidden deep under the earth, until we are called upon. Someday, if you like, you can answer our call and help another queen who has fallen prey to the forest’s cruel disease. In the meantime, know that we will always be here should you ever need us again. We are now your sisters. You are now one of us.”

And as the queen waved goodbye to her sisters, happy tears flowing down her face she thought, “That day will be a GOOD one…indeed.”