Daydreams Of An Elm

They say that when a girl is in distress a fairy godmother would come to save her. Fairytale stories and happy endings were all little Elowen knew about. Elowen Elord was her full name. Her parents had given her up for adoption. Now all she could think about was why. Why wasn’t she wanted? Did she do something wrong?

Elowen spent years in the orphanage seeing other children find their forever home. She waited and waited but nobody came. She was told that someday someone would come to love and adopt her. But that person never came.

As Elowen grew older she found herself in a passion for dance. Ballet was her comfort. Her escape. She had even saved up money to buy a new pair of dancing shoes. She dreamed that one day when she was an adult she would travel from Europe to America to become a famous ballerina.

One day when she was instructed to pick flowers in the field, she met a beautiful being. An angel. Just like in the stories she once read.

Elowen befriended this angel who called herself the angel of dreams. Each night, Elowen and the angel danced together on the hill of flowers near the orphanage.

On the third night the angel stated this would be their last night together because she needed to fulfill duties in another world. Elowen pleaded for the angel to take her with her. The angel was the only friend she had ever had. At first the angel denied but they made a deal.

“You may come with me to this magical world then. But in return you can never go back to Earth and you cannot tell anyone that you're human. Don’t let them know you're not from there. Don’t tell anyone you're from Earth,” the angel stated.

Elowen agreed on these conditions and just like that she disappeared from Earth.

When they arrived in this other world, the angel said that this world was called Ezlen. “Ezlen? That’s such a pretty name!” Elowen noted.

Ezlen’s sky was nothing like Earth’s. The sky was full of color like a rainbow cotton candy pastel feeling. The trees were bright. The wind was soft. Almost like a dream. A dream like a fairytale story Elowen did not want to wake up from.

“Explore this place for a bit,” the angel told Elowen. “I need to finish my duties. I’ll come when I’m done.” And so she flew off and Elowen was left all alone again. Only this time Elowen felt joy to be in such a place. After all her friend would come back right?

Elowen stumbled upon a rabbit. To her surprise the rabbit spoke. She guessed this is how animals worked in Elzen. She made friends with the rabbit who soon became her lovely companion. Her name was BunBun.

They soon had made it into an elf village. Small but medieval. That’s where Elowen met a new friend. Elfawnia Aarden, the elf girl. An optimistic girl who loved to make potions and fight with a bow and arrow.

“Call me Elfie!” said the elf girl. “And your name's Elowen like an elm tree right? Can I call you Ella?”

From that point on Elowen was no longer Elowen. Changing worlds and changing names. She became Ella.

Elfie and Ella became very close. Elfie showed Ella her potion room and Ella showed Elfie how she danced ballet. Even Elfie had another animal companion, a frog named Feeble.

While Ella said she dreamed of becoming a famous ballerina, Elfie said she wanted to become a great wizard. The two girls had great dreams. They assured themselves they would help each other achieve their goals.

Ella might as well have been her only friend. Aside from the rabbit and frog of course. Each time they walked people would whisper. Whisper about the weird elf girl who brought this unknown girl to the village. Whisper about the elf girl who fights like a man and makes potions like a witch. Whisper about the sweet old man who lost his son and now the only relative that he has left to take care of him was his unfit strange granddaughter, Elfawnia.

Ella decided not to listen. After all, they didn’t know her like she did. Even her grandpa listened to what the other villagers had to say. The difference was he thought what they had to say was true. He wished Elfie would be like the other elf girls. Obedient, quiet, soft spoken and neat. He wished Elfie took interest in hobbies the other girls did. Like weaving, healing, sewing and crafts. But in the end she became the “bad example” parents would tell their kids to not end up like. “Girls don’t fight with weapons. You don’t want to end up like HER do you?” the grownups would say. “Becoming a wizard? Please. No elves become wizards, especially not THAT girl!” Elfie’s grandpa wished she would grow up and stop being delusional.

Elfie didn’t mind. After all, she had gotten used to the comments. The only one who she wished would change his point of view was her grandpa.

Ella saw a similarity between the elves here and the humans back on Earth. Both say people are wrong just for being different. Casting others out just for not fitting in a perfect puzzle. Maybe this world wasn’t so different from Earth after all.

Each day as Ella practiced her dance, Elfie would perfect her potion making skills. Slowly each girl became better with practice.

One day a family arrived and settled near the elf village. Two coal miner parents and their son. A great wizard accompanied them saying that the boy was this talented student. They have come to the village searching for more talented potion makers.

“This is the day.” Elfie told Ella. “The day where I can finally be recognized for my talents.” So Elfie told the wizard that she should be one of his students too. The wizard laughed. Everyone did. Except for Ella, the boy, and his pet ant.

The wizard said he came to look for talented elf BOYS not delusional elf GIRLS. But Elfie persisted saying she should be given a chance.

“Very well then. Defeat my student in magical combat. I’ll take you as my student only if you defeat him,” the wizard stated. The wizard knew she couldn’t do it. He wanted to prove to her she couldn’t.

Elfie’s opponent introduced himself as Aspen Hart. A shy but sweet boy who didn’t feel right learning magic. It wasn’t his calling.

With magic, potions, spells and persistence Elfie defeated Aspen in battle. Everyone was shocked. Elowen was not. Some of you may think that Elfie was just simply more talented than Aspen. But without passion you cannot reach your full potential. Both girls realized this.

Even though Elfie had won, the wizard still refused to mentor her. Elfie and Aspen realized that being under the wizard’s wing was not what they wanted. Afterall, Elfie was already great at teaching herself and Aspen preferred to pursue something he took interest in.

Aspen didn’t know what to do next. His parents felt shocked by his decision but supported him. Elfie and Ella welcomed him into their friendship. “Don’t worry.” They said, “We can help you figure yourself out.” Aspen had hoped that someday his sister would come back home to help him discover that. Tragically in the end, the daughter of the coal miners never made it back home. The only child they had left wanted to grow up into someone his older sister could be proud of. But she never came.

What did Aspen have now if he couldn’t be what he thought he wanted to be. If only he knew what he wanted to do in his life. If becoming a wizard wasn’t where his passion was then was it all just a waste of time? Was it all for nothing? Where ever his sister was could she ever be proud of him?

There it was again. Something else that seemed familiar to Elowen. Elowen thought about the humans back on Earth. About the other kids who also seemed lost and sought validation in the orphanage. How could the same feeling come from two different experiences?

It seemed like the longer Elowen was in Ezlen the more similarities she found with Earth. The more she was reminded of that place. She didn’t want to remember. She needed to forget. She needed to forget what it was like being human. She needed Elfie and Aspen to forget too. To forget their sorrows, pain and blueness. She wanted to make them happy. She needed to. So this fairytale dream would continue and never end.

Still, Elowen wondered when that angel would come back. It had been a few weeks since she left. Elowen wanted to ask her questions about this world. But it seemed she had to wait a bit longer.

The three friends continued their lives. Ella made sure her friends would stay happy. They went on adventures together. Traveled together. They went on a quest. They laughed. They joked. They never looked back.

The three of them truly became closer. Aspen finally had people who made him feel complete. Elfawnia finally had people who never judged her for who she is. Elowen finally had people who would never leave her. People who she could call family.

Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. They got older. Spent their teenage years together.

Aspen found an interest in using a pickaxe for combat. Elfie now grew an interest in becoming a hero. And Elowen was soon forgetting about the deal she made with the angel.

Aspen became more sure of himself and upbeat. Elfie gave Ella new ballet shoes. And Elowen began to wonder why she never told the truth of where she came from to her friends.

Elowen, Elfawnia, and Aspen told each other everything. Their bond was greater than any friendship. Deeper than what any language can describe. The purest of love. They were there for each other when times were worse and bright.

Elowen thought everything was perfect. She had a family. Even the rabbit, frog and ant got along. Why did Ella need to keep a secret anyway. Why lie when she could tell them the truth. So she did. Elowen told them she was a horrible thing…called a human.

. . .

When Aspen woke up the next morning his friends were gone. He found himself alone for the very first time in 8 years. Ella and Elfie were missing. Aspen knew he needed to find them. Then he promised the sweet old man that he would find his granddaughter and went on his way.

Along his journey Aspen met a few friends. A nymph named Calliope and a siren named Indigo. Even they helped him search for his friends. He longed to see them again. The ones who once welcomed him, now missing. His family.

Aspen thought about the elf girl whose parents died too young. The elf girl who showed no fear and laughed with him. Aspen thought about the human girl who knew pain too young. The human who was sweet and smiled at him.

Aspen wondered how horrible Earth could be if it made Elowen want to escape it and never return. He hoped his friends were safe. He hoped he would see them again. He hoped they were alive.

Maybe there are no fairy godmothers. Maybe there are no fairy tale dreams that exist. Aspen wished Elfawnia were back at her potion shop house. With her loving parents and grandfather. Aspen wished Elowen were back on Earth with parents who wanted her. With happiness she once wished Aspen had. If that’s all it took for them to be safe he wished it was true. If them meeting was a curse then Aspen didn’t want to be the cause of hurting them.

Maybe that’s reality. Maybe none of it was real. Maybe just maybe…Elowen would find herself back in her parents car looking out the window from her seat. Maybe it was all just…daydreams of an elm….