Birthday Fairies

Wrote this story for Avery Grace - a friend invited me to a writer's workshop with her and you have to bring an original short story with you to read to the class.  I wrote the story....but have never had the guts to take it to the workshop:

Birthday Fairies

It was that time of day when magic happens.  The moon was just beginning to cast her yellow glow into the evening sky and the cicadas sang the last notes of their sweet songs for the night.  The stars were just beginning to wink in the navy skies.  

Avery was perched on the rocking chair by her window, gazing intently between the branches of the mighty oak tree that grew in her front yard.  She hoped to see tiny lights peeking through the leaves. Where were they?  Had they forgotten that it's August?  

"Avery Grace?" momma sang from the kitchen.  "Have you brushed your teeth?  It's time for bed honey.  Daddy's on his way to read your bedtime story, so hurry and get your pj's on and get those teeth brushed!" 

Avery climbed down from the big old chair and hurried to the bathroom.  She loved when daddy read her stories at bedtime.  He would tell her great tales about kings and castles and princesses.  She loved to hear his voice go up and down,  loud and soft as he told her tales of Once Upon a Time. Daddy always made the books come alive and Avery could imagine herself running through a forest path or up the staircase of a beautiful castle on a hill.  

Avery brushed her teeth and hurried to her bedroom.  She grabbed Teddy Bunny,  dove into her bed and pulled the covers high over her head.  She giggled in anticipation as she heard her daddy's footsteps.

"Avery Grace?  Where are you?" said Avery's daddy as he entered the room.  He picked up a pillow in the corner.  "Nope, she's not under there!" he said in a low pitched, bear-like voice. He walked over to the closet and peeked inside.  "Nope, not in here" he said in his funny, squeaky voice.  "Hum, I can't find my Avery at all!"

"HERE I am!"  Avery yelled as she threw off the covers.  "I am ready for my story daddy!"

As daddy snuggled down beside her she pulled teddy bunny close.  "Tonight can you tell the story about the birthday fairies daddy?  I have been looking for them but I think they have forgotten!"

"Okay Avery.  I will tell you all about the birthday fairies!"

"Once upon a time there was a little girl" her daddy began. 

"And her name was Avery Grace!" said Avery "and she had big brown eyes JUST like me!"

"Yes" said daddy as he continued his story, "Avery's momma and daddy prayed for many years and asked God to send them a little girl.  They both dreamed of a baby girl,  and what she might look like...what she might be like.  God heard their prayers and very soon, a little baby began to grow in mommy's tummy"

"That was ME!" said Avery with a big grin.

"Yes, dear one, that was YOU" said daddy with the sweetest sound in his voice.  "We started getting a room ready for our new little baby.  We painted her room..."

"Periwinkle blue" Avery added.

"Yes, the softest blue.   We bought a white crib at a little consignment store in town - and we found a beautiful blue rocking chair that fit just perfectly in the corner of your room...by the window.  We dreamed of how we would rock our baby girl in our arms, reading her books and telling her stories."

"and NOW the birthday fairies daddy?" said Avery, her brown eyes flashing.

"One evening, right before your birth, your mom was sitting in the old blue rocker watching me as i put the finishing touches on the toy box i made for you."  Daddy turned to look at Avery and smiled as he saw the joy written all over her face.  "Your momma looked out the window and her eyes flew open wide.  "Shawn, come here!" she cried.  

"As they stared out the window into the dark August night, hundreds of tiny lights flew in and out of the branches of the old oak tree."  

"Shawn, can you believe this?  How many fireflies do you see?  It seems like hundreds!"

"We both stared for the longest time in awe of what we were seeing" said Avery's daddy.  "The tree out front seemed to be alive with the light of the fireflies"

"Then I told your mommy i thought the tiny lights were birthday fairies and that God had sent them to announce the birth of our baby girl" Daddy said with a smile.

"But daddy i think they have forgotten my birthday this year.  My birthday is in FIVE days.  I have been looking for them since dinner and i haven't seen ONE" Avery whispered with the saddest little voice.  

"Let's go to the window and look now Avery Grace.  It's later and darker outside now.  Sometimes, when there's still a little light from the sun peeking through, it's hard to see them. But when God pushes the sun to the other side of the earth and the skies turn dark, their little lights shine brighter "

Daddy gathered Avery up in his arms and held her tightly as they both gazed out into the dark night.  

"LOOK! " cried Avery.  "I SEE them!  I see the birthday fairies!  They DID'NT forget my birthday!"

Avery and her daddy stared for a long time and watched as the birthday fairies danced around the leaves of the tree.  Little lights twinkled on and off, on and off.   

"Daddy, they are dancing!  They are blinking on and off and dancing a birthday dance for me!" Avery said with a grin.  

After a long while, Avery's daddy lifted her into bed and tucked her in tightly.  She bowed her head and began her prayer "Dear God, thank You for my family.  Thank you for my momma and my daddy. Thank you for my friends and teddy bunny.  Thank you for the birthday fairies in the tree by my window.  Thank you for loving me.  I love you with all my heart.  Amen"

Before your bedtime prayers tonight, look into the dark night sky and you too might just see birthday fairies dancing in the moonlight!