“Forgive me, they are very fragile. This one came from Europe. It would be impossible to replace. The design gives the viewer the impression of movement.” Fairy Mary replies, watching her with a thoughtful expression.
“It’s lovely. Your shop is amazing! I have never seen anything like this.” Caderyn says with a smile.
“Thank you, I must say I am excited to work with you on this project. I have many clients that would love a life-sized fairy garden, as you can see, the miniature versions are elaborate. Fairy gardening unleashes the inner child and brings a fairy tale to life in one’s own yard. It’s in that spirit that I opened my shop.” Fairy Mary says.
“I understand perfectly. I love landscape design because I’m limited only by my imagination, and of course the budget.” Caderyn smiles gently, feeling like she has met a kindred spirit.
“Let’s go this way.” Mary walks to a sunroom towards the back of the shop, and Caderyn follows. She smiles in delight when she sees a tea service set up for two.
“Would you join me for tea, Caderyn, while I look over your design?” She asks, gesturing for her to have a seat.
“That would be wonderful, thank you,” she sits down with a contented sigh.
“Caderyn is an unusual name; tell me how you came by it,” Mary asks as she pours her tea.
“I was named after my grandmother, she was Welsh. It means battle king. My grandparents raised me after my parents died.” Caderyn looks away, as a wave of pain rushes over her. Six months ago, both of her grandparents died within weeks of each other, leaving her truly alone for the first time in her life.
A soft hand touches hers, and looking up, she sees sympathy in her green eyes. “It is a gift to be given the name of one’s ancestors. Such a strong name must be given carefully.” She says caringly.
Not sure what to say, Caderyn sips her tea and enjoys the music. She reaches into her bag and retrieves her sketchpad, handing it to Mary. “Here’s the design, please be honest.” Fairy Mary looks at the design and then up at her in delight.
“This is lovely; you have a great eye for detail. It looks so real. I can almost imagine walking down the path and stumbling across the garden. We should get started!”
Two hours later, Caderyn loads her jeep with her purchases and hugs her new friend goodbye. “Thank you for your help, Mary. This is going to be perfect! I will send you pictures if I get the contract.”
“I know you will, they would be foolish to let you get away. If you need any more help, please; feel free to call me.” Fairy Mary watches until the jeep slips out of view, then spins with her butterfly wings flapping, and flutters off to greet her party guests that have arrived.
Chapter 2
Caderyn puts her packages on the kitchen table of her small bungalow and decides to make coffee. It’s going to be a long night, she thinks. The phone rings, and she looks at it the caller id and smiles.
“Hey, you!” she hears her best friend, Jazmin say, “All work and no play, bores me to death! Go out with me tonight,” she begs.
“I can’t. Jaz you won’t believe it, I met a fairy!” The next twenty minutes she spends telling her about Fairy Mary and the contract. Best friends since college, Jaz has always supported her dreams. She works as a travel agent during the day and sings in clubs every chance she gets. She has a smoky, sexy voice, and the body to go with it.
With a loud sigh, Jaz says, “I guess I understand, but you are twenty-six now. How are you going to find prince charming if you never go out?” She demands.
“Prince Charming? Jaz, I stopped believing in him a long time ago. When you find him, let me know, okay?” She teases with a laugh and hangs up. She did date, occasionally. Her time has been consumed the last six months with getting her business off the ground. This job is the perfect opportunity to make her mark.
Unpacking her supplies, she sets each piece aside to organize later, and she finds one miniature that she did not buy. Wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with a note that says:
“Please accept this piece to begin your journey into the world of Enchanted Fae Gardens.” It’s the blue gazing globe from Mary’s garden.
Holding it at eye height, she looks at the three-inch-tall piece and is amazed at the intricacy of the design. The pedestal is a swirled resin design, painted white and resting on top is a perfectly flawless, cobalt, blue crystal gazing ball.
“Beautiful!” she says as she sets it on the fireplace mantle. This will be a perfect inspiration she thinks with a smile. As she turns away to get busy, she does not see the smoke swirl inside the marble-sized sphere.
Chapter 3
Caderyn sleeps as a blue mist seeps from the sphere and wraps its way around her mind. She dreams of two shooting stars, dancing across heaven. They spin, twirling and circling each other. One blazes red with fire and laughs as he chases the cool mist of his sister’s trail.
Singed by the intensity of her brother’s heat, she changes direction and hurtles towards the Earth. She hears it, the call of her soul. The music beats a rhythm luring her home, and she dashes towards it. Her brother watches as she races away and joins in the
