Faery Tales?

Glad you could join us for the next improbable episode of Elliot’s Adventures. If you’re new here, you can catch up by returning to the beginning, and reading really fast…

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Photo credit: foxeye

The King stared at something far away and long ago that Elliot couldn’t see. When His Greatness spoke, there was such sad longing in his voice that Elliot’s heart wept.

“I used to be a Prince.” King Arnie the Former heaved a soul-rending sigh.

As a little slugger, Elliot had heard faery tales — from actual faeries — about humans who had been transformed into a fish or a bird, a squirrel, a donkey or a beast. It had always been a little scary to think about, but it had also been exciting, and sometimes comforting, to dream of being someone else.

His favorite had been about a human Prince who had been changed into a frog. Growing up, he and his friends had played at being the Snail Prince, hoping to convince some lovely little girl snail — or any little girl snail, for that matter — that her kiss would magically turn them into handsome two-legged creatures so they could tromp off to see the world and find their True Love Princess.

Maybe it hadn’t been just a faery tale.

Elliot shifted on his foot to keep his injury’s deepening sting from diverting his thoughts. “Your Greatness, do you mean you used to be a human?”

King Arnie’s laughter flowed over Elliot. “Oh, no no, my young friend. My father was King, and as soon as I was old enough, I entered his Knights of Service. Our job was to patrol the Kingdom to keep it safe from marauders and pests. To be honest, most of the time it was extraordinarily ordinary work. The pest eradication was delicious, but you can see what that did to me!” He jostled his bulk with a gentle jiggle.

“But I used to be young and handsome like you, and against all odds, the horrors of war brought me one brief shining moment…”

To be continued…

Previously, on Elliot’s Adventures ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Next time . . .

Author: Sue Ranscht

Having survived valve repair surgery and an experimental cardiac bypass at age 5, three years before it was an accepted medical procedure, Susan grew into the size of her overworked and enlarged heart. Maybe she thought she had enough to give it away -- twice. Both times, she had to retrieve the shattered pieces and puzzle them back together. She thanks her Dad for the only advice of his she ever followed to the letter: "Never get married. Learn to take care of yourself." So of course she is a writer. Susan has co-written a YA SciFi novel, and has three more novels in various stages of evolution. She's had several short stories published in other people's anthologies, some of which were contest-related. Let her tell you a story...

16 thoughts on “Faery Tales?”

  2. Pingback: Faery Tales Can Come True – Space, Time, and Raspberries

  3. Does he want Elliot to become a knight..? Or fight a battle? Or…I don’t know! I will wait impatiently for the next episode! 😺xx

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    1. Conjuring blood and severed limbs, ravaged villages, and starving orphans, yet in a style that embraces the cliché. Yay for fantasy/adventure! I love hearing from you, Tre! I’m a week away from the end of my costuming project, which will leave me free to visit and read — I have missed your heart and wisdom. *Big hugs* ❤

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  6. Pingback: Wisdom of the Ages – Space, Time, and Raspberries

    1. Thanks very much! It makes me happy that the words can create a strong image for you.

      Worth 1000 is defunct now, but they used to sponsor photoshop challenges that led to some of the most imaginative shots I’ve ever seen.

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