Cats in the Kitchen, Flora in the Garden

Here we go the site is up and running ready for your Christmas contributions, here's the link to it:-http://daisyschristmascircle.blogspot.com/

Here is my Christmas Story, I will be transferring it shortly to the Christmas Site, but for now you can read it here. Warning it is quite long, you may need coffee or tea whilst you read it.

A TRUE LOVE TALE

[A STORY IN THE STYLE OF AN OLD

FASHIONED FAIRY TALE]

BY

DAISY LUPIN

PART ONE

Once upon a time in Fairytale Land there lived a beautiful princess and a handsome soldier who was in charge of the palace guards. Everyday when he was inspecting his guards he would watch the princess taking her daily walk in the gardens. He thought he had never seen anyone as beautiful, she was always smiling and her clear tinkling laugh would be carried by the breeze over to the parade ground where the soldier was drilling his men. He began to make sure he was inspecting the two guards outside the palace door when it was time for her to return after her morning stroll in the gardens. And so it came to be that in time, she also noticed the handsome soldier, and thought to herself, what fine young man he was and her heart began to beat faster when she saw him. As the days passed they became braver, he would salute her, and she would nod towards him and give him a wonderful inviting smile, whilst her eyes twinkled. One day she emerged with a beautiful bunch of yellow and cream roses in a basket and she offered one to him to pin on his uniform. That day marked the beginning of their true romance.



Now even in fairy tale land there are rules and regulations to be obeyed, and it was not thought a wise thing for a beautiful princess to be enamoured of the Captain of the Guard, however handsome he may have been. There were far too many unmarried princes in the land looking for princesses, and as everyone knows in that land it is princes and princesses that marry each other, but sometimes the prince or princess was a long lost one living as an ordinary citizen. Alas the Captain of the Guard was not a long lost prince in this story.

Consequently, it was not proper for them to meet each other except at a palace ball where they would be allowed a dance with each other. This princess, Mimosa, was quite a wilful and spirited young lady, and if she decided she wanted something, she would make sure she got it. Mimosa, kept beautiful white doves, who were very tame and she began to use them to send messages to the Captain of the Guard. At first he was fainted hearted, and ignored the messages, but day after day as she passed him on her return to the palace she smiled a beguiling smile at him, a smile her mother would have said was overbold, and after a time, he returned the dove with a message from himself attached to its foot.

They began meeting, early in the morning, she would get out of bed and sneak down the long forgotten passages and staircases of the palace to meet her dashing captain, in one of the enclosed gardens as the hot summer days began, or after supper, in warm summer twilight she would again escape to hidden, secluded parts of the grounds to pursue her love affair with him. As the summer progressed they continued their meetings, and became bolder about them and spent longer together, until as the summer reached it height and descended towards autumn, the palace staff had begun whispering of Mimosa’s love for the Captain.

Then one late summer day a wicked fairy who had travelled to the area, looking for lives she could meddle in, happened to be lurking around the palace, where she heard talk of this affair. She spent those last summer days hiding in various palace gardens hoping to catch the two lovers. So it happened that upon one early morning with a hint of autumn in the air, she was lucky and caught the two embracing under a pergola. In a flurry of dust and wind she materialised beside them, pointed her finger at them, screeching ‘I accuse you of breaking the rules of fairytale land.’ Her voice carried on the wind towards the palace and bells began to ring. Shortly the palace guard without their leader, turned up at the garden and escorted the bewildered twosome back to the palace.



The Queen wept and sighed and flung herself at the feet of the King, pleading with him not to report his beautiful daughter. To no avail, he told his wife that if a Wicked Fairy had discovered this, it could not be hidden and the proper procedure must take place.

The Captain of the Guard and the Princess were taken individually to the capital of fairytale land where the Emperor, had his court and reigned over the whole land. On the appointed day the pair were brought in front of him to hear what their punishment would be. The Emperor sat on his high throne and the Wicked Fairy stood at the bottom step looking sternly at the two, a joyful glint in her eyes, as she loved to spoil people’s happiness. After a fanfare of trumpets and a prolonged drum roll the Emperor said this to the weeping princess and her lover.

‘There are rules in Fairytale Land that must be upheld, as if they are ignored the Constitution declares that Fairytale Land is at risk of disappearing into the ether. I hereby declare that you two have broken these rules by your love affair, which has been thoroughly investigated. I am afraid there is no way it can be allowed, for this is just a Captain of the Guard, and not as one or two of the Council thought a long lost Prince. Thereby you have broken the rules and must expect punishment as expressed in the Book of Rules that starts ‘Once upon a time.’ This book states that the punishment shall be chosen by the person that found the prisoner committing the crime, thereby, this punishment shall be chosen by the fairy Shadowgrowl.’

The Emperor looked down at the wicked fairy, who jumped to attention with glee showing in her face and announced.

‘For this flouting of the rules I can see no alternative, but to make you both disperse into the ether in a cloud of dust.’

The Princess openly wept, and the Captain of the Guards, top lip gave a quiver. Suddenly a cloud of sparkling dust appeared at the foot of the throne beside the wicked fairy, and a musical voice emerged from it followed by a dazzling beautifully fairy dressed in silver, with a magic wand, who said.

‘I am the Fairy Godmother of Princess Mimosa, and although I know that punishment must be given to these two as the Constitution of Fairytale Land dictates, but I would ask, as befits my post of Fairy Godmother, that the punishment, although still to be based on a banishment, be transmuted unto banishment to a different land in a different form.’

The Emperor considered, and decided that as the basis of banishment was still intact the slight tinkering with the where and how was admissible. He stood up and drew himself up to his full height and pointed his sceptre at the young couple, who had turned to look into each other’s eyes, a bolt of lightning emerged the sceptre and struck the pair, blue smoke engulfed them and when it dispersed the place they were standing was empty.

*****************************

PART TWO

Claudette, gently unwrapped the tissue paper to display the object inside it. She sighed with satisfaction, it was just as beautiful as it had looked in the antique shop. The perfect figure for the top of the tree for their first Christmas as husband and wife. So beautifully made every detail perfect, the rich ivory satin embroidered with gold thread for the dress, her perfect porcelain face with blushing cheeks and sweet pink lips, surrounded by a mass of cloud like blonde hair. The delicate long porcelain fingers and high arched feet, and best of all the fine gossamer wings attached to the back, indeed, just the perfect fairy for the Christmas tree. Claudette placed her gently on top of the tree and hugged herself in delight.

She showed it to Edward when he came home that evening, and talked about the beautiful Christmas tree fairy throughout dinner, remarking how beautiful but lonely she looked. Edward smiled at her indulgently, they had only been married three months. The next evening, he came in shouting for Claudette, and waving a red tissue package around, she took it off him and discovered a fine nutcracker soldier inside. She covered Edward in kisses, saying what a clever husband she had to find such a handsome painted companion for the tree fairy and placed the nutcracker soldier on the bureau top across the room from the tree. She was full of praise for her husband and complimented his romantic ideas, all evening until laughingly they retired for the night.



As the clock ticked towards one in the morning, there was a rustle at the top of the tree, and the Tree Fairy stretched her delicate arms and pointed her exquisite feet. Her mind was a whirl, how had she arrived here, where had she been between being banished and being placed on this tree. Slowly and delicately, as be fit’s a princess she climbed down the tree and made her way over to the handsome Nutcracker Soldier. He was still a lump of wood, so she placed her rosy pink lips against his and kissed him until she felt the wood turn into living flesh and blood begin to circulate. He looked confused and croaked ’Mimosa?’ She gave a gay laugh, ’Yes, my dear Hugo, we are together again at last.’ How they enjoyed the night, until as dawn crept upon them and they could feel themselves reverting into their doll forms.

Every night of that Christmas season Mimosa and Hugo met celebrated their love, danced, talked and had a wonderful time. Until Twelfth Night, when Claudette and Edward carefully dismantled the Christmas tree and wrapped all the delicate decorations in tissue to be stored until the next year.

For many years the Princess and the Captain of the Guard met in this way, Claudette and Edward, had children, they moved to a large house in the country and every year the Fairy topped the tree and the Nutcracker Soldier stood on a piece of furniture on the opposite side of the room. They were the happy years and the children grew up and left home for lives of their own.

As Claudette and Edward grew into old age, it became apparent that the large old rambling house was too much for them to cope with, they had lost one son in the war, one daughter had married and moved to America which left them with one son that visited them. Staff were becoming more difficult to get, as many never returned after the war to their previous jobs, and had gone looking for better pay in newer industries. Slowly but surely standards dropped in the old house which became shabby slightly musty and damp and uncared for. During these years, the large tree was never put up but the Nutcracker Soldier and the Christmas Tree Fairy, were oblivious to this is their deep year round slumbers.

Then one morning Edward went out for a walk and never returned, he had fallen in the woods and suffered a fatal injury. Claudette, knew it was time to give up her home to her eldest son, George and his wife Isabella. George, who had made a fortune in the war, decided that he and Isabella would live in the house, once it had been brought up to date and been made inhabitable. This pleased, Isabella who was a modern thinking lady who loved all the new trends in décor and had no time for the old. Claudette was moved to the lodge at the end of the drive with a lady to care for her, she had never really recovered from the Edward’s death. The year flew by and the house looked magnificent, Isabella was determined on a grand Christmas House Party to show the place off.



One day near to Christmas, the Christmas tree was in place and George was rummaging around and found the old box of Christmas decorations. He brought the Christmas Tree Fairy out with a flourish and explained to Isabella how it had always adorned the top of the tree. Isabella replied:

‘We certainly, can’t have that old thing on the tree, look at the state of it, the dress is shabby and frayed, and it looks like something has been nibbling it. Even her wings are disintegrating with age, look I have pulled them off in my hand, throw her in that box that is going to the Village Church Christmas Sale.’

Having spoken she took the fairy out his hand and tossed it carelessly in to the box full of old ornaments etc. Edward next showed her the Nutcracker Soldier, asking if that should go to the Church Sale as well, but Isabella thought it was hilarious, and said that at least it had a job to do of opening nuts. Then she picked up the box and took it out to leave at the kitchen back door to be picked up.

Night fell, the Nutcracker Soldier awoke and looked at the Christmas Tree, a large multi coloured glittering star was at the top of it. He shook with consternation, where was his love, his Mimosa? He got down from the table and circled the bottom of the tree talking all the time about his Mimosa, to no avail.

After a while he realised he could hear a small squeaky voice, clearing it’s throat and saying:

‘Excuse me Captain, have you lost your beautiful lady?’

He turned and saw a small brown house mouse standing by a crack in the skirting board ready to flee at the slightest unexpected movement.

‘Yes, my beautiful Princess Mimosa’

‘She is to be taken to the Village Church Fair and is in a box outside the kitchen door ready for collection tomorrow’

‘I must get to her and save her, please show me the way’

‘You will never be able to open the heavy doors on the way to the kitchen you must follow me through my highways and byways to reach her. Come with me.’

And saying that the brown house mouse turned and led the Nutcracker soldier a devious route to the kitchen, through furniture, walls skirting board, until finally a very dirty and dishevelled soldier emerged through the kitchen grating into the cold winter’s night, there was the box in front of the step.

From the box came the sad sound of weeping, and the Nutcracker Soldier made haste and clambered into the box. The crying stopped as Mimosa saw her love had reached her, they embraced each other tightly, then Mimosa began weeping again and asking what was to become of them. The Captain said he thought they had only two courses of action, he could hide further down the box and go to be put in the Church Sale with her, but there was no guarantee that they would be sold together. Although he would search the village for her, or they could set out now and try to find a way to be together in this wild and cruelly cold world. They would only be able to move at night time, and he had no idea what would happen after Christmas time, when they were usually returned to their boxes. Would they go to sleep till next year wherever they found themselves or if they weren’t put away, would they be alive each night all year round. Grave thought must be given to these two paths they could follow.



The Church bell in the village struck three in the morning, and the Captain realised that a decision had to be made. Mimosa, snuffled and sniffed interspersed with soft weeping at his side, she hiccupped that she would do as he thought best. The Captain came to a decision, at least they were guaranteed to be together if they just left the box and went off, whilst being for sale at the Christmas Sale gave them no security of being together. So they would take their chances in the night and start on a search to find someone who could rescind their punishment or at least let them live a life together all year round in some land somewhere.

He told Mimosa, and she looked at him adoringly and agreed, not a thought in her pretty head of how hard this was going to be. The Captain, rummaged around in the box and came up with a small piece of fur that had adorned a pocket trim on a dress, he gave it to Mimosa, saying this can be a wrap to keep you warm as you just have that thin dress on He also found cut out leather leaves that had decorated a coat’s lapel. He bound these round her small delicate feet.

‘Well we are as ready as we will ever be. Let’s begin our journey’

And he pulled Mimosa out to the top of the box, got out himself and caught her in his arms when she jumped down to him.

If anyone had been looking on that cold moonlit night they would have seen the strangest of strange sights, a small one foot tall soldier and a ten inch lady with rather odd coverings on her feet, a ball gown and a fur wrap, hand in hand, running along the side of the drive, making for the front gates and their freedom. They made the gates, turned right and disappeared alongside the hedgerow where they could not be seen. Together again, at last, what adventures would befall them before them before they made their dreams come true.

To be continued ………………………Next Christmas