>> To read chapter 1, click here <<

That night, a real storm brewed outside the windows. The large trees twisted and turned, and their branches banged and scraped menacingly as if trying to pry their way into the room. Worries and doubts were trying to sneak into their heads.

But then, the children turned on some quiet, peaceful music and imagined themselves to be in a beautiful, flowering garden, protected from all troubles. The dark fears receded into the background and, having calmed down, they fell fast asleep …

The next morning, Olga and Dima got up early, and by the time their guest arrived, a fragrant, freshly baked apple pie stood on the table in their room. The transition, when it happened, was so fast and smooth they almost missed it entirely. One moment there were just the two of them – and the cake! – in the room. And then, a mere blink of an eye and Elvira had appeared.
 
“Oh! Good morning, Elvira!” exclaimed the hosts, almost in one voice.

“Good morning, Dima and Olga!” the shy, slightly embarrassed-looking girl answered them.

“You won’t believe what I’ve dreamed of today!” Olga was the first to start out, chatting gaily as they sat down for tea and apple pie. “As if I was walking again in my magic garden. But for some reason the land there was so dry this time! All the plants were simply exhausted with thirst. I found a watering can, but it was empty! And though I looked and looked, there was absolutely no water anywhere to be found.” Looking around at the guys, Olga shook her head. “It was really sad.”

Dima looked thoughtful, but Elvira looked over at Olga and asked, “Did you save them? Did you kwa-kwa the garden?”

“Well,” Olga smiled happily. “As I walked amongst the flowers, it seemed to me that I heard a voice – just the merest sliver of a whisper, really – from the flowers themselves. ‘Joy, only joy can fill it with moisture …’ it seemed to say.

“And so I sat down on a bench and began to imagine all the most beautiful and happy moments I had ever had in my life … And when I looked again into the watering can … it splashed to the brim with pure water!”

Smiling, Olga drew a deep breath. “I worked hard and watered the whole garden. The flowers raised their heads again, breathing a sigh of relief. And then they whispered to me, ‘Thank you, dear girl! This is a gift for your kindness.’ And the white roses mingled their petals and wove them into a sheet of living paper, which then flew off and into my hands. And a moment later, as I looked down at it, a wonderful flower began to appear there.

“In the centre of this flower, it seemed the whole galaxy was spinning! ‘This a special flower, kind girl,’ they told me, ‘if someone brings it close to her face and breathes slowly and deeply three times, she will be filled with the energy of life and beauty! But remember, girl: magic works only if you believe in it! So believe, believe with all your heart!’

“And with those words I woke up,” Olga finished her story.

“How interesting, kwa-kwa,” Elvira said, with a gleam in her eyes. “In my dream too, I was in the beautiful garden! But there the big clouds completely covered the sky. It was scary and really dark and cold. I looked up, hoping to find the Sun. And then I heard a voice like the sounds of a harp: ‘Help, girl! Banish the clouds!’ I shook my head in dismay, because how can a kwa-kwa drive the clouds away? But the voice repeated and repeated to me the words: ‘Banish the clouds, girl! Think of the joyful and good!’ ”

Elvira smiled at Olga then, shyly. “I remembered your words about the garden, Olga. And then I tried to calm down and imagine that I had already freed myself from the spell and that we had fun and celebrated together. And as I did so, the evil clouds suddenly brightened and became small, turning into light snow-white clouds. The Sun peeked out from behind them and shone in the heavens!

“Then one of the clouds separated from the rest and flew down. It kwa-a-k! It quietly turned into a blank sheet of paper. And in the air above it, a golden feather floated. The feather fell onto the paper and began to spin. Faster and faster, faster and faster … On the sheet, the feather drew the Sun! When it was completed, the sheet slowly fell into my hands. ‘You can always bring Beauty and Happiness to this World if you believe in the magic of the Light!’ The melodious voice told me. ”

Elvira quietly sighed with admiration, reluctantly letting go of the image of her beautiful vision.

“And I received a paper sword as a gift …” Dima said thoughtfully, ignoring the quick grin with which his sister greeted his words. “I walked around some cosy park or garden. Everything was, like, just buried in flowers and butterflies. Except in one strange area where there were no butterflies or bees whatsoever … When I walked there, I saw something gleaming in the grass.”

Pausing for effect, he grinned back at Olga. “And yes, it was a sword, such a beautiful one, with ancient runes! I picked it up and looked around, to see if I could find who it belonged to, but there was nobody in the park except me. Then, unexpectedly, I noticed something weird! There was a strange translucent creature – a spirit, maybe? – sitting on a tree branch. It sprayed the flowers with a long stick, with a black tassel at the end. It was speaking to itself. ‘A good poison,’ it said, ‘effective. Now all the flowers are mine! Ha ha ha!’

“I got so angry and wanted to hit the evil spirit with the sword. But the sword suddenly became very heavy in my hands, and …” He faltered for a moment, looking unsure. “I think it spoke to me. I heard this voice in the back of my mind … ‘I can only be used for good and for protection!’ ”

Caught up in the retelling, Dima missed the glimmer of hope which kindled in Elvira’s eyes at his words. “Then I thought, thought … and decided to try and talk with the creature. The sword agreed with me and felt lighter in my hand. But no matter how I called the spirit, no matter how I tried to shout to it, it did not hear me. So wholly carried away by its dark deed it was.

“But what if I cut a brush with the sword? The thought flickered in my mind, and in response, I felt the sword almost dancing in my hands. I raised it, aimed, and chopped. And the brush immediately fell on the grass. At once the spirit’s eyes lit up with an angry, red fire and it furiously exclaimed: ‘Hey, you idiot! For what did you break my brush?’

“ ‘Why are you spraying flowers with poison?’ I asked in turn.

“ ‘And what’s that to you?! These are my flowers! Mine! I planted them here, I watered them, looked after them … And those nasty, thick bumblebees and scarily dangerous bees, they are bothering me and my flowers, okay?!’

“ ‘Do you like honey? Fruits? Do you eat berries?’ I asked in response.

“ ‘Are you stupid or something? Who would refuse such delicacies?’ the spirit called out mockingly.

“ ‘Well then, you can’t do without insects,’ I replied as politely as possible.

“The creature scratched its head and looked at me incredulously, so I explained further. ‘Those insects, they fly from flower to flower and pollinate them. Make them fruitful. So that later fruits will grow there. Yes, and honey collected from poisonous flowers will not do you any good either,’ I explained.

“The spirit looked thoughtful, but still sceptical, I thought. So I tried again, ‘And also, I really like to sit on the grass and dream, looking at the beautiful butterflies, fluffy bumblebees and businesslike bees fly from flower to flower. And my dad says that it is very relaxing and brings peace and joy,’ I finished.”

The girls looked at each other and then back at him, slices of pie forgotten and only half-finished on their plates … “Well, how did the dream end?” Olga asked impatiently after a moment’s pause.

“I can’t remember,” the boy said quietly, wrinkling his forehead. “Only, when I woke up, it seemed to me that I had a paper sword in my hands with great magical power …”

“I see!” Olga said with a confident voice. “We draw the Flower, the Sun and the Sword, and then we will experiment with them! Elvira, do you mind?”

“Not a bit! Kwa-ak! be fascinating!” She exclaimed in response.

Postscript

💖 Dear friends and guests of my blog, I hope you are enjoying my fairy tale, ✨ written for children and illustrated by their work! You can also read it in Russian or in Danish, if you prefer. 🎁

🍀 The drawings are displayed with animations and effects on YouTube. You will find the name and details, including any relevant links, for each of the contributors in the attributions sections. 🌈☀️

Please enjoy and have fun! 😃

🌼 PS: Can I invite you to be part of the next chapter in the fairy-tale? Then please send me either a copy of the drawing or a link to a place (e.g. Instagram or Flickr) where it is displayed. I will be happy to check it out! 😊

Some possible themes…

• Olya draws a magic flower.
• Elvira draws the magic sun.
• Dima fights with the help of a magic sword with a huge web.
• Elvira gives the magic Sun to the witch Anna.
• Olya, Dima, Elvira and Anna have fun together in a beautiful garden.
• Olya, Dima, Elvira and Anna climbs a big tree.

💝 I wish you all the best, inspiration and joy! Please write and comment, and let me know what you think! 💖

Attributions

Story, Music & Video Art: Elena Voroniouk © 2020, all rights reserved.

The Drawings (in order of appearance):
In The Night, by Code Loco
Magical Garden, by Kyaraa
The Flower of Life, by Daria Losik
Walking in the Magical Garden, by Maria Larsen
The Sun Eternal, by Daria Losik
In the Garden of Dreams, by Luca
The Protecting Sword, by Evgenij Aleshko
Elvira’s Dream, by Code Loco