Wednesday 20 June 2007

Midsummer Night


Once upon time, way up north, far, far away, there was a land where fairies danced through the bright summer nights. Gracious was their dance, delicate the movements of their transparent limbs.

To the people of the north, the dance of the fairies looked like the flutter of butterflies and they didn’t hear the twitter when the fairies swirled over the meadows. Only children could here the silvery mirth echoing from the huge stones which surrounded the daffodil meadow.

However, children were not allowed to stay awake on those light summer nights and the fairies continued their dance without viewers. Nothing disturbed their peace, until one Midsummer Night, a tiny boy got lost and fell asleep under the daffodils. His parents were frantic and they looked for him all over the village, but the boy wasn’t found. They strolled along the riverside, but the crystal clear water didn’t reveal anything.

The lazy sun stayed high up in the sky, the evening mist started to rise from the river. The fairies woke up and started the preparations for their dance. They washed their long, golden hair with the water from the river and the drops glittered in the spectre of all colours as they dried their hair in the warmth of the midnight sun.

Some drops fell on the sleeping boy and he opened his eyes. He looked up and saw the fairies twirl around. He had never seen such beauty and he held his breath, afraid to disturb the waltz of the air. But such joy filled his heart, that he had to cry out loud.

The parents saw the butterflies flicker above the golden daffodils and they heard the voice of their son. They found him lying on his back and when his mother told him there was no need to cry anymore, the boy just smiled and didn’t say a word.

The fairies rose higher towards the midnight sun, letting the Midsummer Night magic from their silvery wings fall all over the northern land far, far away.


*******

Midsummer




17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Vau mikä kuva! Näyttää aivan maalatulta, vaikka ilmeisesti olet sen koneella tehnyt? Onko pohjalla jokin valokuva?

SusuPetal said...

Pohjalla on valokuva, jota olen käsitellyt eri ohjelmilla, Viivi.

SusuPetal said...

Thank you, HPY:)

Peter said...

What a marvellous fairly tale - and illustration! A perfect example of Nordic mystery and summer nights!

SusuPetal said...

Nordic mystery in a source of inspiration, Peter!

*Itkupilli* said...

Awwww….story is so beautiful…and image so fascinating, they really captures the midsummer magic….

It’s really a great fortune to be here up north right now...really experience the nightless nights…

SusuPetal said...

The white nights of the north are a special treasure for us, Itkupilli!

Liisa said...

The fairies must have washed their hair in the water of the River of Love where they still dig gold...

SusuPetal said...

And the moon shines on the river of love, Liisa:))

Anonymous said...

Aaww, what a lovely tale...So magical and beautiful. It does capture the essence of what the season is all about. It's a beauitful story.
You are lucky to experience the nightless nights~that in itself must be truly magical.

SusuPetal said...

Kelly, we are so used to nightless nights, that the fact doesn't occur to us until we travel abroad, somewhere south, where the darkness comes early in the evening. That feels funny:))

The midnight sun lasts for a while, the long and dark winter longer.

Mick said...

This piece is wonderful, susu. What really defies my imagination is the concept of a land within the area of the midnight sun. I could live with that happily ... but then, as you say, the long winter follows. I don't believe I'd remain sane after a few of those.

SusuPetal said...

Yes, Mick, the long and dark winter is horrible. Here, in Helsinki, we do have sun in the winter, it hangs low and pale behind the clouds, but in the north, in Lapland, the sun doesn't rise for weeks in midwinter.
I've never been there, never seen that. Don't want to.

isopeikko said...

Hiano tarina. Nyt vasta sen luin. Kiios vinkistä.

SusuPetal said...

Tässä tarinassa oli aika vähän angstia, eikö ollutkin, Isopeikko! Ihan kuin ruusunpunaiset lasit olisivat olleet käytössä:)

jl said...

Hieno juhannussatu, nyt minäkin löysin sen. Pidän keijusaduista kovasti ja tämäkin sai minut sieluni silmin näkemään keijuja, jotka aina kovasti muistuttavat Cicely Mary Barkerin kukkakeijuja, kuten esim. tätä laventelikeijua http://www.insects.org/ced4/lavender.jpeg

SusuPetal said...

Jl, minulla on jossain hyllyjen kätkössä Barkerin keijukirja. Kauniita.