Once upon a time, there was a cosy world that existed just over the rainbow and beyond the clouds. It was so soft, you could almost touch it. People down below have claimed to see it time and time again, and some scholars believed fairies lived there. Do you think fairies live there? I think you’re right. In this magic land, a colony of fairies flittered around making their world soft and new. They brought cuddly comfort to the clouds, they made the rivers and streams feel and taste like pure milk and their flowers always brought fresh sap every day. Wearing nothing but bare, smooth skin, our little band of fairies flew here and there, making sure everything wasn’t out of place and just as snuggly as nature intended. The fairy children spend their time playing among the clouds and telling each other stories about the human world. However, four fairy children love to play better than any other…
That’s right, our names are Luke, Resus, Cleo and Sybil. We claim to be the best out of all the fairy children in Softopia, because we tend to have the most fun. Usually we’d sit around in a circle listening to one of the fairies tell stories about how the whale got its song or how the lion and the hyena became friends, but while all this was going on, we like to make our own soft fun. We’d snuggle up in the clouds and tickle each other, until our laughter was heard by other unsuspecting fairy children. We’d dive into the milk pool and splash each other and relax in a daily skin ritual. Best of all, we liked visiting the most tranquil place in Softopia - the flowers. Pillow flowers, you should call them. We love relaxing on the pillow flowers, because they proved to be the softest out of any of the flowers that grew in this kind, gentle world.
For many years, we were happy living there. So happy that nothing ever happened to our world. Not a single flood, or lightning storm, or earthquake, hit. Softopia was a safe world where fairies lived in perfect peace and harmony, hiding in the clouds, bathing in milk or sleeping in flowers. No fairy troop had ever experienced a softness such as this, especially us. We were fond of sunshine and soft, Summer breezes and fun, and we are inseparable. I often promised my friends we would never, ever part. Every day was safe and fine, as long as we played in the clouds. Sometimes, the peace will not be to last, and I’ll tell you of one particular time.
One sunny, warm day, Luke, Resus, Cleo and I decided to visit our old friend, Indy The Wise. Even though she was 6 years old, Indy was the wisest girl in all of Softopia. She was always there to tell the most interesting tales and give wisdom and advice for anyone struggling to be at one with these soft surroundings. She was often spotted doing yoga amidst burning, strawberry-scented candles, and when she’s not, she’s basically telling stories. We loved to visit her to hear a different story every day. The other week, she told us about a scarecrow who wished he could swim underwater. A dolphin fairy had to come and wave her magic wand, and then the scarecrow ran away from the farm, stripped off his raggedy old clothes and dived into the sea. That was it. Indy had learnt all these stories from her mentor Calypso, the head of all the fairies in Softopia, which is why she had gained so much knowledge.
We entered the hollow tree where Indy lived. She was searching through her big book of wisdom and tutting. “Oh no…oh no oh no. Oh no no no no no.” She was pondering to herself. “This doesn’t seem right at all.” “What’s the matter, oh Indy The Wise?” I asked. “This is definitely not happening, not at this moment.” “What’s not happening?” asked Luke. “The great storm.” Indy worried. We all gasped in shock. “The great storm?!” “But we never had a storm in Softopia, not in a million years!” I wailed. “I know, and the latest tale in my book isn’t a story, it’s a prophecy. Listen on and I will tell you.” Indy cleared his throat and began to read.
“In a day, Softopia will witness a great storm that will turn what was once soft, warm and comfortable to hard, cold stone. No milk, no sap and no pillows could ever be stored for safety in homes across the land, leaving all the fairies futureless. Legend has it that only four fairies with courageous hearts will be able to force their way into the human world and collect the legendary Golden Pillow that’ll have the power to bring the softness back to their world.”
For a few moments, we were all quiet. Then we just sighed and laughed, scoffing. “There’s no such thing as a storm anyway!” I laughed. “A storm? What makes you think that?” Resus giggled. “There’s no storm!” said Cleo, “It was something you made up when your mind told you to.” “I’m being serious, if the storm hits your land, then to the human world you must seek the Golden Pillow.” But before she could stop us, we left! Indy sighed and slammed the book shut. “What a bunch of non-believers. I hope that someday I could persuade them to believe. Oh well, I’d best make myself a nice cup of acorn cocoa and head off to bed. I think I should have to call it a day.” But as she went upstairs, outside the tree, a grey storm cloud was looming in the distance, thunder and lightning crashing like a thousand cymbals…
Luke, Resus, Cleo and I made our way home, laughing and joking. “Who cares about a storm?” I laughed, “Storms make no sense!” “Not to us fairies they don’t,” said Resus. “Fairies believe in softness and love, not storms and violence.” “Let’s ignore the fact that the storm might be upon us any minute and just get on with our lives. Never has there ever been-” Just then, our parents - Mike, Sue, Alston, Bella and Niles - fluttered in. “You look pale as death! Where have you been?” asked Mr Watson. “We’ve just been to visit Indy The Wise.” said Luke. “She told us that there’s going to be a storm, but we’re not falling for it.” “We have to keep our eyes open for what’ll happen to us when a storm does hit.” said Bella. “Anyway, look at the setting sun! It must be time for our little fairies to go to bed.” We sighed in relief. Bed. What a comfortable word. Our eyes were already getting heavier and our wings were getting tired too.
First, we had a little drink - the sap from the bluebells that grew in the meadow. The sap tasted remarkably sticky and a little like honey, but it still cleansed our pallets whenever it could. The taste was loved by anyone in our family, and usually sap was pollinated by bees, but bees can’t fly further than the rainbow anyway. Sap was our favourite thing to drink, and it exists in flowers too. Next, we had a bath to cleanse all the stickiness away. We bathed in pure, sweet milk. We were washed all over with a green leaf scrubbing brush, and Resus struggled when Alston, his father, used the sponge to clean his face, for cleaning was his least favourite thing. We were vigorously dried with a leaf towel, and then we flew over to the Pillow Flowers and snuggled on the soft petals, falling fast asleep. As soon as we did, I turned over and lay awake. “What if Indy was right about her story? What if Softopia really does turn to stone?”
My what ifs were true. That night, a big wind blew across the soft plains. It got heavier and more violent, and then it began to rain. The cloudy ground became all soggy, and the flowers and trees blew in the wind. Only the Pillow Flowers stood still in the heavy breeze. Then came the lightning. It crashed and flashed in the darkness. It struck every single plant and flower in this magical world, and a hard, cold stone coating built up around the ground, the grass, the clouds, the flowers and trees, until the wind subsided, and there was nothing but silence. The ground was hard as stone - literally. It was lucky the storm never struck the Pillow Flowers, because that was where the prophecy came full circle. However, it wouldn’t begin until the very next day…
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