The Sun, The Sword and the Flower, Chapter 3

>> To read chapter 1, click here <<
>> To read chapter 2, click here <<

The first to finish his drawing was Dima, and he thought his sword had turned out really amazing! Elvira was still carefully guiding her feather, drawing a beautiful golden sun, and Olga was deep into her painting of the magical flower.

Suddenly a movement appeared in the air, and a moment later a huge grey web flew over the children. Olga, still passionately at work, did not notice anything and Elvira was frozen with fear. But Dima was not taken aback. He grabbed his paper sword and putting all the strength of his spirit into it, he chopped at the web. The web immediately crumbled to the ground with a loud rustle, as if it were made of sand. The boy grinned and let out a victorious cry.

Startled by the sound and the sudden movements, Olga looked up from her drawing, mouth open in surprise. But before the children had time to take a breath and come to their senses, a new web flew into the room. Even larger and more suddenly than before. The boy stepped forward and boldly chopped at it again.

“Hurry, Elvira, let’s finish work and help Dima fight the webs!” Olga cried excitedly and shook her shocked friend.

“Yes, of course!” answered Elvira blinking.

Their hands shook with fear and excitement, as the girls worked furiously to finish their drawings while the webs flew at them. More there were, and even more! Dima soon felt exhausted, cutting them all down as soon as they appeared, and throwing them to the floor. Sweat trickled down his face, but there was unwavering courage in his eyes.

Finally, Elvira finished her drawing. She grabbed it and jumped back into her world, slamming the door behind her. Well did she know that her wicked witch-neighbour would be there, right behind the door, sending all those net-traps. But she also knew that her friends would never be able to stop and defeat the witch at a distance. No, she had to do this herself. To face the witch – and beat her, one on one. This was her battle alone. The mere thought made Elvira shake with fear, but she had to save her friends!

Holding the paper Sun high above her head, the girl closed her eyes. She tried not to think about anything, except the unceasing, good Light pouring from her magical drawing. Shining in waves down upon herself and upon all those around her …

She never knew for how long she stood there, focusing on the Sun Eternal and the Light streaming from it. But then, suddenly and unexpectedly, Elvira heard a sob. She opened her eyes and saw Anna, the girl next door, sitting on a lawn, her face covered by her hands and her shoulders trembling. Elvira went up to her and quietly crouched beside the young witch.

“When I discovered that I had a gift for magic, I was so happy! I … I even cured a little kitten by brushing it!” Anna said in a tearful voice. “Then, one day, I watched a program about magic on the Internet. There were so many new and exciting tips … And it also explained how one could take revenge on a person with whom you are upset and angry … And in my class at school, there is a boy who is really mean to me all the time … And also … I also really wanted to be friends with you, but you kept pushing me away all the time! …” Anna cried even harder than before.

“Well,” Elvira answered as she reached out and hugged the crying girl. “My teacher says that we all make mistakes. That we are human, and thus we err. But we should try to learn from those mistakes – both our own and others. Learn from them, and become better.”

“Can you forgive me for what I did against you and your friends, Elvira?” Anna asked forlornly.

“Yes, I think I can. In time. Because I see how you regret what happened. But you have to really promise me not to get carried away by dubious sites and advice anymore!”

“There are doors … through which it’s better not to look in,” Anna answered, smiling through her tears. And then added, almost in a whisper, “Thank you, Elvira … I will never do black magic again!”

“That’s good! And now take my magical Sun as a gift and let’s be friends, please. It will always help you in everything, as long as you believe,” Elvira said, smiling back at her.

Anna was surprised. “But what about you? Don’t you need it for yourself?”

“I’ll draw one more for myself!” Elvira winked. “For now, sit and wait for me. I will go back to the world of my friends and see if everything is alright with them, okay?”

“And apologize for me, if you can?” the neighbour asked shyly.

“Sure!” Elvira said, waving her hand, and disappeared.

A moment later, Elvira appeared back in the room with Dima and Olga. And what she saw there made her gasp and rush headlong towards her friends. Dima lay on the floor with his eyes closed, not moving in the least. Pale as a sheet – or an empty canvas … Olga sat next to him, crying softly, stroking his head and begging him, “Dima, dear, wake up! Wake up …”

“What happened?” asked Elvira, her heart tight with pain.

“I don’t know. He fell unconscious right away, just as you closed the door to your world behind you … Probably, he was completely exhausted from the battle …” Tears flowed non-stop from her eyes, but she didn’t wipe them.

“Why don’t you use your magic flower?”

“It does not help,” Olga said hopelessly.

Elvira went to the table and took the drawing. She looked carefully at the flower. Then she closed her eyes, took a deep breath several times, and imagined the energy of the whole galaxy gathering in its centre. Bright, beautiful Light began to swirl in her mind within and above the centre of the flower. Feeling the warmth of its presence, she opened her eyes and brought the magic flower to Dima’s face …

Initially, it seemed that nothing was happening … But after a long moment, the boy shuddered and then began breathing again. And soon a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. He stirred and opened his eyes.

“Elvira,” he said. And smiled.

The following day was the most wonderful ever, and they felt sure they would remember it for as long as they lived! Olga and Dima decided to celebrate the victory of Good over Evil. They invited Elvira and Anna to a picnic in their garden. What the children did not do that day! They played board games, they rode on a swing, jumped on a trampoline. And then they climbed a large, cascading acacia. From up there, they watched a nightingale bathe in a plate of clean water, joyfully splashing sparkling drops all over the lawn! And then, at last, lying on the grass and surrounded by fragrant daisies, they gazed up at the white clouds floating across the sky in the most marvellous shapes of magical animals and fantastic castles …

As evening came and it was time to go home, they went up to Olga and Dima’s room. There the children reluctantly said their goodbyes to each other. Elvira had already opened the door to her world. But then Olga suddenly ran to the cabinet and took out two crafts. They were made in the shape of hearts. One of them was strewn with exquisite roses, and on the other was an image of a friendly waving hand.

“A present,” said Olga with a smile, giving them to Elvira and Anna. “As a sign of our friendship.”

“Thank you very much!” answered Elvira and Anna, looking at the beautiful work in surprise.

“Come on, next weekend we will gather at my place and come up with a fairy tale with these beautiful hearts!” Anna exclaimed happily, smiling at the others. “And I know of a place with a merry brook full of leaping fish, amazingly friendly squirrels, and the most strange and outlandish flowers and butterflies you have ever seen!”

“Oh! Marvellous!” And the children knew that next weekend would be truly special as well.

Postscript

🙏 Dear friends and guests of my blog, thank you very much for your attention! I really hope you enjoyed the last chapter of the fairy tale and the new music video “In the Magical Garden”. 🌷🌼🌻
😃 The story and the video are also available in Russian and in Danish. 🎁

⛲️ From the bottom of my heart, I express my gratitude to the participants for all the wonderful drawings and creative work, which served as a real source of inspiration for me! They are presented with animations and effects on my YouTube channel Rainbow Stories. You will also find the names, details and related links for each contributer in the attribution section at the end of each story. 💖

For a complete playlist of all the videos in this story, please click here!

🍀 I sincerely wish you all a most beautiful, bright and happy time, and I look forward to hearing from you!
~Elena V.~ 😊🌈☀️

Attributions

The Drawings & Creations (in order of appearance):
“Battle with the Witch’s Web”, by Luca
“The Witch”, by Sif
“Golden Light of the Sun”, by Kyaraa
“The Gates of Gaia” (orig. title: The Flower Girl), by Hedvig Poulsen
“Magic Hearts”, by Evgenij Aleshko
“The Fly and the Butterfly”, by Hedvig Poulsen