Saturday - Stories and illustrations for children - sorcerers - OOPS

First published by Spellbound - A Fantasy Magazine for Children, Summer, 2002, Sorcerers

You have on your magic hat and magic cape.  You have just gotten a brand new magic wand.  You stand in front of the full length mirror, wave your wand, and chant those super magic words and . . . 

POOF!!!

You have turned yourself into a frog!

Now what do you do?

Saturday Stories and Illustrations for Children - Dandelion Wishes

Dandelion Wishes

By Marcia Borell

Shaggy yellow flowers 

glow like the sun

Cheerfully plucked by children

one by one

Yellow turns lacy white

seeds have begun

The child's breath sets them free

his wishing done

My Saturday Stories, Poems, and Illustrations for Kids - The glass slipper

First Published in Spellbound - A Fantasy Magazine for Children

The elf sat at his cobbler's bench every night. He had made shoes with laces, buckles, and bows. He made and repaired shoes for gardening, dancing, and running with friends. This was the first time that he had only one thing on his workbench. He had heard the legends about it. He hadn't believed that it really existed.

It was an open box. In the box surround by silver packing grass was the glass slipper and a note. The note said to take out the tiny tubes and jars. Very carefully he dug around in the box and picked out a small tube of gold paste, another tube of silver paste and six tiny jars of sparkling stardust. There was also a purple silk cloth, a blue fuzzy brush, and a spray bottle that just fit in his hand.

The elf went back to the note and read the directions through twice. He needed to do this perfectly so that it would maintain its magic. He picked it up and studied it. It was dusty, had cobwebs, scratches, and a small chips in the heel. He sighed and began to carefully dust it off. Once clean the magic could begin.

He began by mixing the red stardust with the silver paste and rubbed it into all of the scratches and small cracks. He read the chant over and over again as he worked. He was amazed at how fast the rough spots became smooth. Next he picked up the yellow stardust and added it to the gold paste and pushed it into the hollow chips in the heel.  He could feel it sealing the chips, smoothing them out using the pressure of his fingers wrapped in the silky purple cloth.

Time flew by. He suddenly felt tired. The glass slipper was repaired but still looked dull. There was no sparkle. He opened up the remaining jars of stardust and added them to equal amounts of silver and gold paste. Carefully he brushed them on to the shoe. He reread the directions and let it sit for ten minutes as he repeated another set of magical words.

Finally he grabbed the spray bottle and sprayed it all over the slipper inside and out. A stream of watery rainbows circled the slipper as it began to sparkle. He let it sit for another five minutes. Finally he began to carefully polish the glass slipper uttering the last set of magical words.

He carefully put the glass slipper in the box just as the sun was beginning to rise and warm the windows. He was surprised that the darkest corner of the room was also beginning to glitter. The shimmering sphere got brighter and brighter. Eyes wide he saw a set of luminous wings attached to the shoulders of a beautiful lady. Her voice was musical and filled him with joy.

She inspected the slipper turning it over in her hands. Happily his work was done and her magical work had just begun.

Saturday Drabbles, Flash Fiction, Poems, and Illustrations for Children

Poem

Nighttime
by Marcia A. Borell

Amid the trucks and toys your books may lay
Forgotten 'til the end of day.
With rubbing eyes and open yawn you seek
To cuddle and from under blankets peek.

With thumb in mouth and satin edge to cheek
We turn the page while rockers start to creak.
As dragons, knights and castles fill the air
A little finger twirls my hair.

I gently stand to walk across the floor
While ugly monsters vanish out the door.
One final hug in your warm downy bed
Your tiny fingers reach for bunny Fred.

With Fred in hand I stroke your silky hair
Then stretch and yawn and take the tiller's care.
I set the solar sails to guide our flight
A homeward bound we sail through starry night.

Marcia A. Borell
First published in Kid's Visions, 2004

Saturday Stories and Illustrations for Children - Where's my Bear????

First Published In Spellbound: A Magazine for Children, Fall Issue 2002

Where's My Bear?

A new Flash Fiction by Marcia Borell

It must have all started when I got a new bear for my birthday.  I added it to my collection and it got the outside edge of the bed. Big Bear was the guardian of the wall, then me, then my Snoopy Dog, then Huggy Bear, and now New Blue Bear. He still had lots of room but he always seemed to end up under my bed every morning. That was not the worst thing... my favorite blankie also was under the bed.

I didn't think much about it until the night I heard the odd sound. I couldn't fall asleep that night. I heard a creaking then sort of a rattling scraping sound. I know I should have been brave and looked under the bed, but I wasn't that brave. Instead I squeezed my eyes shut as tight as I could and covered my head with the sheet, my blankie, and quilt. Nothing can get you if you have your eyes shut and your favorite blankie over your head.

Then came the night that I had blankie folded up under my head, I heard the same sounds but something else, sort of a sad sigh, or whimper. Then New Blue Bear fell or was pulled off the bed. All the hair on my head felt like it was standing up stick straight. Not an easy thing for curly hair. I didn't know what to do so I relied on my old standby, the eyes shut and blankie routine.

Sure enough when I bounced out of bed I could see just the edge of my blanket and New Blue Bear's foot. The rest of them were all the way under my bed and my blanket was stuck. I pulled and tugged and finally saw that part of it was stuck under the floor boards. I gave it another hard tug and the boards lifted up and I fell on my bottom. I got out my flashlight and checked out the boards. They were easy to lift and they creaked. There was something living under my bed.

That night I was prepared. I had on my favorite PJs, my flashlight, and my bike helmet. Mom always said that would keep me safe. I didn't move and kept pinching myself to stay awake. Finally, I heard the creak and the odd crunching sounds. New Blue Bear disappeared over the side of the bed. I jumped up and caught it in action.

It was white and all bones and seemed really afraid of me. All of its bones were shaking and rattling, making enough noise to wake up my Mom and Dad. I put my fingers to my lips and whispered, "Shhhhhhhhh."

I got out my extra blanket and wrapped it around him. I told him that he could have New Blue Bear for his very own. He seemed less afraid. I tucked him in under my bed and wished him pleasant dreams. Even a skeleton can need a friend. Goodnight everyone.

Coyote, Crow, and Star Weaver - Saturday Drabbles, Flash Fiction, and Illustrations for Children

Illustration first published in Spellbound: A Fantasy Magazine for Children Winter 2002 

Coyote, Crow, and Star Weaver

The world was so lovely in the bright sunlight. The birds, insects, and animals loved to feel its warmth on their backs. The sounds they made were clear and bright, joyful in the shimmering sun.

That would change as the sun traveled high above their heads and disappeared behind the mountains. The sounds made by the birds would grow silent, the buzzing of the insects would grow louder, and the sounds made by the animals would sound sad or scary in the cold dark night.

One day coyote saw crow busy at the water's edge. Crow was pecking at sparkling things in the water.

"What are you doing crow?" asked coyote as he tilted his head to one side.

"I am picking out all of the shiny clear stones to make lights for the night sky," crow answered.

Coyote replied, "That is a wonderful idea. But how are you going to get them to stick to the sky?"

Crow stopped and stared at coyote. She ruffled her feathers and turned her head from side to side. She looked up at the sky and wistfully whispered, "I don't know."

"Crow, do not worry," said coyote, "I will walk through the woods and see if I can find a way to help you."

Crow went back to adding clear shiny stones to her pile as coyote walked off into the woods. Coyote looked first for long sticks that would reach the sky. None of them were long enough. He picked up a pinecone and tossed it into the air. It fell back to earth and bounced off his tail. He found a long vine and looped that around a pinecone twirling it and tossing it up in the air. That one got stuck up high in a tree. Coyote sat and scratched his head with his paw. None of his ideas worked.

He got up and started walking again. As he walked down the path he felt something sticky on his nose. It was a web from the weaver. He wiped it from his nose and walked on. Then he saw the weaver leap from a branch catching the wind and flying with it to another tall tree leaving a long sticky thread in her path. She then used it to add more strings to her weaving until she had made a beautiful web.

Coyote asked, "Weaver, could you reach the tail of the sun?"

Web weaver stopped and thought for a bit, "Yes, if the wind was strong, I think I could reach the tail of the sun."

Coyote explained crow's idea about lighting the sky.

The wind was perfect that night. The web weaver climbed to the top of the tallest tree and jumped grabbing the tail of the sun. Back and forth the weaver wove her web as the sun slowly tugged it behind the mountains. Coyote and crow began handing her the shiny stones.

Joyfully they placed the last stone and brought incredible twinkling lights to the night. 

(This flash fiction story (500 words not including title) was written to go with my illustration and is published here for the first time.)