Olive - The Chosen One (5 page)

    After washing in an old-fashioned iron tub, they were served an amazing feast of ribbed steak, fairy jacket potatoes, sweet corn and some vegetables.  Very tasty!  This was all followed by a fairy apple crumble.  Heaven!

  ‘Fairy Heaven’ they thought. 

   Afterwards they made their way outside to where a camp-fire was burning.  There were several cow-boys sitting around waiting for their guests to arrive.  One of them held a guitar and seemed all geared up for a night of singing.

  ‘‘Who knows God gave me everything I own?’’

  ‘Not me’ thought everyone in unison but, we know a few Elvis songs.  Elvis it was!

  One of the cowboys began to tell a story of when the Indians attacked and his family was slaughtered.  It was a generation back but the girls couldn’t help think ‘not the best thought to take to bed with you!’

  Johnnie got a bit bored after a while and decided to take a walk in the woods to meditate and have a cigarette.  He had a lot of bad habits that Johnnie!

    He returned half an hour later ready to sing us one of his own songs ‘Peace in the woods.’

  ‘Okay!’ thought everyone.

    One of the fairy cowboys known as soulful Jessie suddenly sat upright.  His nose started twitching. 

  He said ‘‘I can smell smoke and it’s not coming from the camp fire!’’

  They all looked up towards the woods in unison and saw smoke billowing amongst the trees.  Everyone turned towards Johnnie and said ‘‘were you smoking up there?’’

  ‘‘Yer man but, only one.’’

  ‘‘Well that’s all it takes, just one cigarette thrown into dry trees and grass, everything is up in smoke!  You should think before you throw.  Never throw a lighted cigarette end.  Are you nuts?’’

  Johnnie hung his head in shame, it was an accident, he just didn’t think but, this was going to be a lesson he would never forget as long as he lived.  The fairy fire-brigade was called.  Fairy helicopters came quickly and sprinkled sand and water to put the fire out.  The fire was raging and took hold really quickly, thick black smoke billowed throughout the trees.  Fairies were heard screaming, animals tried to dash to safety.  The Grand Canyon forest was going to be ruined for ever unless someone did something very quickly.

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Wish - Please stop the forest fire

Olive got up. 

    She took Willow’s hand and said ‘‘come with me, you know what I have to do.  I have to save this forest.  This is part of the Cowboy’s legacy.  We cannot let it be burnt to the ground.’’

    They went behind one of the tee-pees.  They held hands as they were both anxious by what was happening.  They made a heart of little rocks. 

   Olive said ‘‘calling Priscilla, calling Priscilla.’’

   Within a flap of a fairy wing Priscilla was there.

   ‘‘Yes my fairy child!  What is your wish?’’

   ‘‘Please save the forest.  Put the fire out and save these people’s homes.  I wish it.’’

    Suddenly a load of pink fairy dust flew out from the skies over the forest.  The fire was distinguished.  It was another wish that had been used wisely.

    This experience will never be forgotten.  Johnnie had learnt a very big lesson.  Everyone was bonded even more by their experience of near-death.  One day, they would all return to the Grand Canyon but, everyone agreed there would be no smoking!

    The next morning the family left the Grand Canyon and returned to their hotel.  They had to pack quickly as they were leaving and going back to Italy and their beloved olive trees.  They were all exhausted but, had experienced the time of their lives.  They decided there was just nothing quite like Vegas!

  Viva Las Vegas!

CHAPTER 8

FIGGY

Figgy was waiting for Olive the very next morning when she got up.  He looked a bit forlorn as he had missed her so much.  Olive was such a good listener. 

    It is true that Figgy was known as a fibber because he had a tendency to tell little white lies.  Olive knew that he had a good heart and did this to protect himself from the bullies. 

    All his life, he had been bullied and it just wasn’t fair.  He felt he didn’t fit in but, Olive always seemed to be able to spare some time to reassure him that the problem did not lie with him.  She gave him the confidence to move forward.  The bullying at school had left a huge impact on the way he handled himself in life.  He felt it hard to relate to people, was a bit of a show-off and tried to cover up his real personality.  Olive couldn’t understand why at the time he didn’t go and tell the teachers or even his parents but, he just said he was too ashamed and embarrassed.  He couldn’t handle it!  After all he was a big boy! 

    It seemed to Figgy that no matter what he did, someone was always there to poke fun at him.  He felt he wasn’t particularly good at anything.  He did a lot, he tried a lot, he was just average in everything.  He hadn’t quite found his gift or niche in life.  Olive thought perhaps she could help him find his gift.  She believed that everyone has something special about themselves, everyone!  It was just a case of finding it.  Sometimes when people knock you down all the time, that gift stays dormant.

    Olive took Figgy to dancing lessons but, he had two left feet! She gave him singing lessons but, he found it hard to concentrate as he was a little tone-deaf!  She lent him her guitar but, he wasn’t musical in any way!  She did a fairy Xmas nativity play but, he insisted on the non-speaking part!  What was she to do with him?

    There was no denying that Figgy was artistic and good with his hands.  Maybe painting would be his thing, after all they lived in the middle of an olive tree field, there was beauty all around them, if only Figgy could apply himself!  Olive thought maybe this might be the thing and decided to give it a go.  Olive was very arty herself, everything just seemed to come to her so naturally.  She brought a couple of easels, a few pencils, a rubber and some oil paints.  Olive and Figgy arranged to meet every day at 10.00am, focus on a point of beauty and sketch it.

    Figgy was a natural.  He had found his gift in life!  It wasn’t long before Figgy was selling his paintings at art exhibitions all over the world.  He became very attached to Olive but, as Olive explained to him ‘‘I love you as a brother, my heart only beats for Oak.’’

  Figgy understood and accepted that to have Olive in his life, it would be as a sister not as a lover.  This was fine!  Some of Olive was better than no Olive.

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Wish - Bullying to stop

    Olive knew that she had helped Figgy in a way that no other person had but, she felt for the other little fairies that were withdrawn and scared because of being bullied.  She always believed that bullies bully because nine times out of ten, they have either been bullied themselves or are insecure in themselves and so take it out on other people.  A person who bullies another needs pity, help and understanding but, if they persist then they need to be punished.

    ‘Time for another wish’ she thought.  This affects so many people and can ruin the rest of their lives. 

    She laid out a circle of leaves and chanted ‘‘calling Priscilla, calling Priscilla.’’

    Within a flap of a fairy wing, Priscilla the fairy God-mother was there. 

   ‘‘Did you call my fairy child’’ she said.

   Olive explained what had happened to Figgy and how because of the bullying, it changed his personality.  It made him into a person he wasn’t and because of this she wanted all bullying to be stopped.  She wanted a bully to realize what they were doing as soon as they started, to have a fairy flash go through their brains that made them think to themselves ‘Stop!  What am I doing?  I must stop this and become a hugger!’

    ‘‘I wish for all the bullying to stop’’ she said.

   The fairy Godmother waved her magic wand and red fairy dust flew over the land.

  ‘‘Your wish is granted my dear.’’

   As she flew away she thought to herself ‘that is why Olive is the chosen one.  She has a compassion for others, she is wise and so far has used her wishes wisely.’

CHAPTER 9

THE ART OF UNDERSTANDING

Olive had a new student called Pixie who started to come for singing lessons.  She had an exuberant personality, was full of life, held her head high and had an air about her that could be mistaken for haughtiness.  Her voice could reach really high notes.  When she sang, she lifted herself up right onto her little pixie fairy toes.

    Pixie felt that she was the most mis-understood fairy in the universe.  She had a heart of gold.  Why couldn’t others see it?  She was a bit of a day-dreamer, she dreamed of far-a-way places, exotic beaches, finding that hidden planet and chatting with the aliens.  Yes!  Aliens!

   To an outsider she appeared to have it all.  People either loved her or hated her, a bit like Marmite!  But, those who loved her, adored her and those who hated her, hated her with a vengeance.  But, that’s another story! She had a hard exterior but, inside she was like a soft marshmallow.  That is why other fairies thought they could walk all over her!  They also thought she was a bit cuckoo and lived in a cuckoo land that no-one understood.

    Pixie got up one day feeling a renewed spirit.  She looked into the mirror and said ‘from this day forward, no-one and I mean no-one will bring me down.’

   Olive (her music teacher) had told her ‘you need to learn to love yourself for who you are before you can expect others to love you.  Love and respect will follow.’  Pixie took this statement to heart and made a pact with herself that every morning she would look in the mirror and say ‘I love you Pixie, you are beautiful and no-one can bring you down.’  After all, fairies like that just have their own inner demons to deal with and that is why they act that way.  She sealed this daily ritual with a kiss x
baci
x

    Pixie thought it would be a little over the top to wear a jumper with ‘I love myself’ emblazoned across it.  She would just adopt a different approach in the future when she felt misunderstood or even misguided.

    Pixie had two brothers.  They both adored her, after all was she different!  If you felt down, Pixie would always lift your spirits and make you laugh by sharing one of her many daydreams.  She had her head in the clouds that one!  They thought this but, that was part of her appeal and charm.  They thought that she tried too hard to please and was too bothered by what other fairies thought of her.  So what if she was the first one to dance on a table at a party or wind herself down a fairy column provocatively! So what if she had the odd tattoo, after all it just added to her character!  And ok her skirts were a little too short but, she had the legs!!!!

    Pixie knew that sometimes fairies would be pretend to be her friend just to find things out about her.  She put together a plan to make them misunderstand her even more.  Who are they?  Boring fairies of the universe, they have no right to judge!

    Pixie decided that you get one chance in this life, just one and she was going to make the best of hers.  This was her life not a rehearsal!  She wanted to be the first fairy to fly to the lost planet.  She knew of some fairy astronauts that were building a fairy sky rocket and were looking for volunteers to join their adventure to look for the lost planet.  She always felt in her heart that aliens would like her and maybe even understand her.  She thought this because she was different!

    She decided to confide in Olive about her fascination with aliens and how she had put herself forward to land on the moon or to find a hidden planet.  She felt that if she could sing, she could woo those aliens and they would come running just to befriend her.  After all, how can you not love someone who is full of music?  She asked Olive if she would come with her to ‘Wings & Dazzle’ and help her find some dresses that would be alien appropriate.  She thought maybe a silver plastic zipped dress with some retro boots based on that 60’s era that she had heard so much about would make her stand out.  Along with some silver heavy false eyelashes, they would look cool and maybe a wig!  Yes!  That would look really good.

    ‘Now what song would woo an alien’ she thought to herself?  ‘Umm, I will have to think about that one……..’

    The day for the rocket take-off was fast approaching.  Pixie was more than prepared, in fact she was the most prepared fairy ever for landing on a lost planet and making friends with the aliens.  If humans can’t always love her, then their loss, she would find another race that adored her.

    She was all packed and ready to go and made her way to the fairy sky rocket launch pad.  Both her brothers ‘Hugo and Bertie’ went with her to wave her off.  It was really weird in the cabin of the rocket.  Unless you were tied down, you just floated all around the inside.  It was very strange but, had quite a feeling of freedom.  She had been reading all about aliens, what to expect and had even brought some PG tips tea-bags with her because if all else failed a cup of tea would always bond them together or so the English say.  She had some recipes to share and some chocolate.  Yep!  She was ready!

    From the rocket window, she spotted what looked like some really holey ground.  The ground was full of holes a bit like Edam cheese if you get the picture!  Pixie was told that she had to wear an oxygen mask and was to stay attached to the sky rocket at all times by way of a long pipe.  They didn’t want her being lost to the aliens.

    She should have felt fear as she saw someone or something bobbing towards her with big eyes and antennas sticking out of its head. 

   She shouted quickly ‘‘I come to you in peace and have brought you some tea!  My name is Pixie, what is yours?’’

   The strange bobbing lady looked at Pixie and said ‘‘Wogy-bogy-togy-woo.’’

   ‘That’s strange’ thought Pixie ‘I don’t understand what that alien is going on about!’

   She offered her some tea-bags and the Yorkshire pudding recipe that Olive had given her from her mother Destiny.  The big-eyed creature just pointed and said ‘Oggy-Oggy!’

   Pixie hesitated.  She wasn’t sure if this was a friendly spout of words or whether the fact that she held a poker shaped knife in her hand meant she didn’t like tea or her!  ‘Ok’ she thought to herself ‘even the aliens misunderstand me!!!!’

    She started to sing ‘Aliens of the world unite.’

   It was quite tuneful actually and very appropriate.  She got out her tambourine just to add to the feel of it all.  Olive and she had made this song up ready for such a moment!  A little smile spread across the aliens face, not a big one but, enough to give Pixie a little hope that she wasn’t going to have to make a run for it and she would live to tell her story when she got back home.

    She followed up with a fairy peace dance and invited the alien into the sky rocket so she could show her how to dance on a table without falling off in heels.  This alien was a bit of a groover!  She didn’t understand her vocabulary but, she did understand her body language so they were able to communicate by a different method.

    ‘A big lesson was learnt here’ thought Pixie.  It isn’t all about what you say but, what you do.  The art of understanding!  Pixie said her goodbyes to the alien with the big eyes.  She christened her Polar because she was so very pale.  She promised that one day she would be back.