Tara & the Gazing Ball

The Gazing Ball

  Helen Chapman  

  Copyright 2012

  Helen Chapman

  Published by

  Clowder Publishing

  P.O. Box 492

  Westmoreland, TN 37186

   

   

   

  Once upon a time there was a house with a very plain, very ordinary garden. Oh, the garden had a few Gladioli here and there, and some Tiger Lilies and Snapdragons that acted very fierce when the occasion required, but otherwise it was a very nondescript back garden. 

  However, the garden began to brighten up when a new family moved into the house. The father painted the tall wooden fence that surrounded the garden a very bright Mediterranean Blue. The mother planted some very bright, very pretty pansies, who considered everything and nodded their flowery heads in approval. Together the new couple built a small pond in the center of the garden, with a small fountain, and all the frogs and toads in the neighborhood came to croak together at the side of the pond all night long. They were very musical. 

  But Tara, their daughter, felt rather lonely. She didn't have any brothers or sisters, and there were no other little girls nearby for her to play with. So Tara asked her parents if they would plant a gnome or two in the garden, to make some company. 

  Tara's father thought her idea a very good one, and took her to a garden center nearby the very next Saturday. They went directly to a display where all the garden decorations were arranged, and Tara looked at each and every gnome in the display. She touched their heads, examined their clothing and talked with her father about the garden tools they held. Finally she picked out two: a very short, very round gnome pushing a garden cart and a tall, thin one she decided must be a brownie, because he was dressed all in brown, and held a lantern to light his way when doing mischief at night. Then, on their way to pay for the gnomes, she stopped in the center of the aisle. There, on top of a high shelf, was the prettiest Faerie she had ever seen. The faerie was very small, smaller than her smallest gnome, with bright, fluttery wings, even though she was made out of resin, just like the gnomes.  

  Tara asked her father if she could have the Faerie as well. Naturally, her father agreed, because Tara was a very good little girl, and never asked for much. So Tara waited patiently while her father found someone to fetch a ladder and fetch the faerie down. 

  She was standing with the trolley holding her gnome and her brownie, waiting patiently for the Faerie, when she heard her father call her name. She saw him holding the strangest looking thing she had ever seen. 

  'Daddy, what is that?' she asked politely. 

  'This, Tara,' Daddy answered as he placed his purchase in the trolley, 'is a Dragon.' 

  Tara peered over the side of the trolley, and then shook her head. 'But Daddy, Dragons are big and fierce, and they are not all funny colors, are they?' 

  Her daddy looked at the Dragon. 'Have you ever seen a Dragon?' 

  Tara shook her head. 

  Her father smiled down at her. 'Well, the Red Dragon looks after the Earth, the White Dragon minds the mountains, and the Blue Dragon tends the water. So I think a Paisley Dragon may be able to do a little bit of everything, because he has every colour in him.' 

  Tara considered the Dragon some more. 'But Daddy. This is a girl Dragon. See, she is all pretty colors together, and she looks really happy. She must be a girl Dragon.' 

  Tara's father smiled again. 'Well, does she have a name?' 

  Tara thought for a moment. 'I shall call her Ray.' 

  'But Tara, isn't Ray a boy's name?' 

  Tara thought a moment more. 'Well, boys are rather fierce, just like dragons. May I call her Ray Ann, since she is a girl?' 

  Her father laughed as he placed the Dragon in the trolley alongside the Gnomes and the Dragon. 'Yes, Tara, you may call her Ray Ann, and you can think of names for your other friends on the way home.'  

  Tara thought and pondered all the way home, trying to decide on names for the gnome, who was dressed in green with a pointy red cap, and the brownie, who of course was dressed all in brown, except for his green and brown cap.  

  She spoke to her father again as he was getting the figures out of the back of his car. 'Daddy, the gnomes have told me their names.' 

  Her father looked at her. 'They did? And what might those names be?' 

  Tara ran her hand over the head of the figure all dressed in brown. 'This one says his name is Bran, as he's the Brown Man.' Then she touched the gnome, and pointed to his brown boots. 'This one says his name is Tanner, because his job is to make leather. Does that sound right, Daddy?' 

  Tara's father considered for a bit, and then nodded. 'Yes, of course, Tara. If that's what they say their names are, that's just fine. What about your Faerie? Does she have a name?' 

  Tara touched the tiny Faerie's wing before she answered. 'Well, she said her name is Ree-ah-non, or something, but since it's so hard for me to say, she told me that I could call her Tina. The Dragon said she had never had a name before, and it was just fine if I wanted to call her Ray Ann. Is that okay, Daddy?' 

  Tara's father laughed. 'Certainly it's alright. If your friends say those are their names, I can't argue with them, can I? Now, let's get them into the garden, then we'll go in and have our tea.' 

  Tara's mother helped her and her father set the figures in the garden. Bran, the Brownie, went into the center of the pansy bed. Tara said that way, his lantern could light up at night so the pansies could see more things to consider. Tanner went beside the Tiger Lilies, so that he could keep order, if they got too aggressive with the other flowers. Tina, who was really Rhiannon, was set beside the pond, where she could watch over the frogs and toads. Of course Ray Ann, the Paisley Dragon, went in the middle of the Snapdragons, so she would never be lonely.  

  Tara looked over the little garden when her parents had finished finding homes for her new companions and smiled happily. 'Thank you. Now I'll never be lonely in our garden. May I take my tea out here with them today?' 

  Tara's mother did not know if that was such a good idea, as she preferred her family to sit down together. But Tara's father said they could all take tea outside today, in honour of their new residents. So they sat in the garden on the benches near the pond. Tara's mother and father drank their tea, while Tara drank a cup of chocolate.  

  Tara went out shopping with her mother again the next day, and noticed a woman selling things on a table set up in the doorway of an empty shop. She was a curious little girl, and dearly wanted to know what the woman had on her table. But she was also very polite, and first asked her mother's permission. 

  Her mother stood beside her as she admired all kinds of interesting things: including candles in glass holders, and pretty coloured stones. The woman behind the table told her that the stones were crystals, and that each different crystal possessed a different meaning. Then Tara saw a glass ball, that seemed to hold all the colors of the rainbow, and stared at it in fascination. 

  The woman behind the table lifted the ball to hold it in her hand. It was about the size of a tennis ball, and seemed to be made of very thin glass. She held it out so that Tara could see it closely. 'This is a Gazing Ball,' she told Tara. 'People like to put them in their gardens. They look very pretty when the sunlight or the moonlight shines on them. Can I give it to you as a gift for your garden?' 

  Tara's mother smiled, and the woman wrapped the Gazing Ball up, placing it very carefully in a bag before handing it to Tara. Tara's mother thanked her, and tried to pay her for the ball, but the woman shook her head. 'You cannot pay for a gift, lady. It is for your daughter.' Then she sat down on a chair behind her table and began to read a book. 

  Tara and
her mother went into a shop to buy some groceries, and Tara looked around her in surprise when they came out again, because the woman with the table was gone. Tara could hardly believe her eyes and was quite sad. Her mother felt quite puzzled. 

  However Tara made up for her sadness by running out into the garden to find a home for her new Gazing Ball when they got home. She carried it round and round, trying to find the perfect place. Then she noticed how sunlight reflected in the pond, and realised that she had found just the right spot. 

  She asked her mother to help her place the Gazing Ball on a stone near the middle of the pond, and her mother held her above the water as she placed it very carefully. Then she sat down with her mother to watch water from the little fountain splash over the Gazing Ball, and clapped with glee as the sunshine danced and sparkled on the glass whilst her mother smiled to see her so happy. 

  Tara took her father out into their garden to admire the Gazing Ball as soon as he came home. Her father told her that it shone very prettily, and asked Tara if she had thanked the lady for her present. He smiled when she told him that she had, because he was very proud of his daughter. 

  The moon was full that night, with no clouds in the sky, and all the stars shining very brightly. The moonlight touched the Gazing Ball about midnight, and the light from the Gazing Ball shone out brightly across the whole garden, first touching Tina the Faerie, then Bran the Brownie, and Tanner the Gnome, and finally lighting on Ray Ann the Paisley Dragon. Slowly the little resin figures all began to move, and then dance in the reflected moonlight, with Tina and Ray Ann flying in circles above the pond, dancing in the air.  

  Bran spoke to Ray Ann, the Paisley Dragon, and talked her into blowing a small flame into his lantern, better to light the garden. Tanner began busily collecting holly leaves to turn them into fairy leather and make new boots for Bran, whose own were rather worn. Tina, whose real name was Rhiannon, danced with Ray Ann and a group of Dragon Flies who were busy skimming over the pond. She was also very polite to the Dragon Flies, because sometimes they are really faeries in disguise. 

  Tara went out to the garden straight after eating her breakfast., and sat on the grass next to the pond, ready to tell Tina what she had eaten for breakfast. But Tina had vanished. Tara looked all arout the garden, and saw that Bran and Tanner had also disappeared. She ran to the fence and moved the Snapdragons aside, looking for Ray Ann.  

  She found all her faeries lying down, sound asleep amongst the Snapdragons. She thought someone must have moved them at first, until she heard a small noise. Ray Ann was snoring gently, puffing out little puffs of dragon smoke each time she snored. 

  Tara ran into the house to tell her mother. But she was so excited that she could not speak, and took her mother by the hand instead, pulling and tugging until her mother followed her to the garden.  

  They arrived at the Snapdragon bed just as Tina sat up to rub her eyes. Ray Ann rolled over, snorting a big puff of smoke. But Bran and Tanner just slept on. 

  Tina looked up at Tara and her mother and gasped a tiny faerie gasp. She had thought she and her companions would be able to return to where Tara had placed them before anyone might discover them. She began to flutter her wings as if she might fly away. 

  Tara's mother spoke to the faerie softly. 'It's alright, Rhiannon.' She used Tina's real name because she thought it more polite. 'You and your friends may stay here in our garden as long as you choose. We have just finished our breakfast, but I'll be happy to bring you all some tea and toast.' 

  Tina, who was really Rhiannon, thanked Tara's mother in a tiny faerie voice. 'That's very nice, ma'am, but faeries live on dew drops, and little dragons like Ray Ann eat glow worms. Perhaps the boys would like something though.' 

  She woke Bran and Tanner with a brush of her wings. The two gnomes sat up sleepily, and then gasped as Tina had done when they saw Tara and her mother watching them. 

  Tina told them that Tara's mother knew all about them, and that they could stay as long as they liked. The Gnome and Brownie both beamed when they heard that Tara's mother was offering them tea and toast, but also said thoughtfully that they would like marmalade on their toast, and lots of milk and sugar in their tea. 

  Tara and her family now open their garden door every morning. The two gnomes breakfast with the family each day on tea with milk and sugar, and toast with marmalade. Sometimes Tara also catches a few glow worms and puts them in a jar for Ray Ann, and sometimes she collects a saucer full of dew drops for Tina. Tara's father is already planning a gazebo as a winter home for the four little people, with a stove for Ray Ann, and plenty of storage space for Tanner's holly leaves. And, best of all, Tara is no longer lonely.