I've been reading a lot of Grimm's Fairy Tales
And so, I've writen my own fairy tale! Yay!
There once lived a woodcutter and his wife who had happy, prosperous lives, and while they were not rich, neither were they poor. All they lacked was a child, which they wanted very much but never had.
One day, the woodcutter went into the forest, and he found a fairy ring of mushrooms and flowers, and lying in the middle of the ring was a large piece of ebony wood. The woodcutter supposed it was a gift for him from the fairies, and so he took the wood and left the fairies some bread and cheese and a drop of sharp cider as payment, then took the wood home and carved from it a beautiful little girl, life size and perfect in every way. His wife was delighted and dressed the girl in her own old clothes, fitted just right, and made her up a bed near theirs, and said she would be content with the ebony girl, if that was all they could have.
In the middle of the night, while the man and wife slept, the fairies arrived. In truth, the wood had fallen into their circle on accident and had pinned the fairy queen beneath it, so the woodcutter had done them a double kindness by freeing their queen and giving them good food and cider. As payment, they flew to the ebony girl, sleeping in the bed beside them, and made her alive with dark skin and darker hair, and gifted with the Sight, so that she could see fairies and all manner of fairy creatures. And so it was, when the woodcutter and his wife awakened the next morning, their dear child was up before them, making them breakfast, and they rejoiced that she lived.
Years passed, and the ebony girl grew more lovely and sweet tempered by the day. Every night, she would go down to the river and bathe and dry her skin until it glowed with a lovely polish. Now it happened that the Moon looked down on this lovely girl and wished to have her for one of his sons. Most of his sons scoffed, saying, "She is a mortal human while I am eternal! I shall not have her for my wife!"
But the youngest son looked down on the ebony girl and was instantly smitten with her beauty and goodness. So he flew down from the moon to her in the form of a moonbeam and landed on her lovely dark skin and on the river bank. But the ebony girl was gifted with the Sight, and she knew at once that he was not a moonbeam but a man, and was frightened.
"Please!" he begged of her. "Do not fear me, for I am the son of the Moon, and I would have you for my wife!"
"No, no," she said. "I am my parents' joy and it would break their hearts if I should leave them."
"Bring them here tomorrow night and we shall see if we cannot strike a deal."
And the ebony girl agreed, because in fact, the sight of the Moon's son did please her as he was fair and glowed with the silver light of the moon.
And so, on the following evening, the ebony girl brought her parents to the river, having told them all that had transpired between her and the Moon's son. They had discussed it, one with another, and had decided that their daughter was lovely and sweet, and if it was not the Moon's son, it would be someone else seeking her hand, and so if the price was right, they would let him have her for his wife.
The Moon's son arrived again as a moonbeam, bringing with him riches, but most importantly, a sapling. He showed himself to the woodcutter and his wife, since they were not gifted with the Sight and could not see him for what he was always. "All this is for you, and the sapling is an ebony so that you will not feel you are forgetting your lovely daughter."
"Are we to ever see our child again?" the woman asked, suddenly distraught.
"She is to live with me on the moon," the Moon's son replied. "And once we are wed, she will be a princess, and will not be allowed to spend time on the ground. My father would be very upset."
And the woman began to weep, because she did not want to say goodbye forever to her dear sweet girl. So the Moon's son thought and got an idea.
"Every month, on the new moon, she will be able to come home for the night, because then my father's face is hidden and he will not be able to see that she is here. But my dear, you must be home before the Moon's face shows again, or he will never let you back."
The ebony girl agreed, and her parents agreed and went home with their treasure and planted the ebony tree and every new moon, the ebony girl returned to them and spent the evening and told them stories of the skies, and she always brought a gift home, and so the woodcutter and his wife became wealthy and never had to work again, and the ebony girl and the Moon's son lived together happily ever after.
There once lived a woodcutter and his wife who had happy, prosperous lives, and while they were not rich, neither were they poor. All they lacked was a child, which they wanted very much but never had.
One day, the woodcutter went into the forest, and he found a fairy ring of mushrooms and flowers, and lying in the middle of the ring was a large piece of ebony wood. The woodcutter supposed it was a gift for him from the fairies, and so he took the wood and left the fairies some bread and cheese and a drop of sharp cider as payment, then took the wood home and carved from it a beautiful little girl, life size and perfect in every way. His wife was delighted and dressed the girl in her own old clothes, fitted just right, and made her up a bed near theirs, and said she would be content with the ebony girl, if that was all they could have.
In the middle of the night, while the man and wife slept, the fairies arrived. In truth, the wood had fallen into their circle on accident and had pinned the fairy queen beneath it, so the woodcutter had done them a double kindness by freeing their queen and giving them good food and cider. As payment, they flew to the ebony girl, sleeping in the bed beside them, and made her alive with dark skin and darker hair, and gifted with the Sight, so that she could see fairies and all manner of fairy creatures. And so it was, when the woodcutter and his wife awakened the next morning, their dear child was up before them, making them breakfast, and they rejoiced that she lived.
Years passed, and the ebony girl grew more lovely and sweet tempered by the day. Every night, she would go down to the river and bathe and dry her skin until it glowed with a lovely polish. Now it happened that the Moon looked down on this lovely girl and wished to have her for one of his sons. Most of his sons scoffed, saying, "She is a mortal human while I am eternal! I shall not have her for my wife!"
But the youngest son looked down on the ebony girl and was instantly smitten with her beauty and goodness. So he flew down from the moon to her in the form of a moonbeam and landed on her lovely dark skin and on the river bank. But the ebony girl was gifted with the Sight, and she knew at once that he was not a moonbeam but a man, and was frightened.
"Please!" he begged of her. "Do not fear me, for I am the son of the Moon, and I would have you for my wife!"
"No, no," she said. "I am my parents' joy and it would break their hearts if I should leave them."
"Bring them here tomorrow night and we shall see if we cannot strike a deal."
And the ebony girl agreed, because in fact, the sight of the Moon's son did please her as he was fair and glowed with the silver light of the moon.
And so, on the following evening, the ebony girl brought her parents to the river, having told them all that had transpired between her and the Moon's son. They had discussed it, one with another, and had decided that their daughter was lovely and sweet, and if it was not the Moon's son, it would be someone else seeking her hand, and so if the price was right, they would let him have her for his wife.
The Moon's son arrived again as a moonbeam, bringing with him riches, but most importantly, a sapling. He showed himself to the woodcutter and his wife, since they were not gifted with the Sight and could not see him for what he was always. "All this is for you, and the sapling is an ebony so that you will not feel you are forgetting your lovely daughter."
"Are we to ever see our child again?" the woman asked, suddenly distraught.
"She is to live with me on the moon," the Moon's son replied. "And once we are wed, she will be a princess, and will not be allowed to spend time on the ground. My father would be very upset."
And the woman began to weep, because she did not want to say goodbye forever to her dear sweet girl. So the Moon's son thought and got an idea.
"Every month, on the new moon, she will be able to come home for the night, because then my father's face is hidden and he will not be able to see that she is here. But my dear, you must be home before the Moon's face shows again, or he will never let you back."
The ebony girl agreed, and her parents agreed and went home with their treasure and planted the ebony tree and every new moon, the ebony girl returned to them and spent the evening and told them stories of the skies, and she always brought a gift home, and so the woodcutter and his wife became wealthy and never had to work again, and the ebony girl and the Moon's son lived together happily ever after.