How the Angel Got Her Feet

A Story by trapperhoney

a child's adventure

Elizabeth sat on her bed, her chin resting on her hands. She hated being punished, especially for something she didn't do.

Her little brother, Jeremy, tempted by the Christmas cookies Mom had been baking all morning, had pulled a chair up to the counter and tried to grab the cookie jar. It had come crashing to the floor. Elizabeth had shooed him away and pushed the chair back under the table. She had then tried to pick up the pieces, but her mother came in. Without waiting for any explanations, she had been sent to her room. Now here she was, alone. Tears began to run down her cheek, but she brushed the away harshly. She threw herself upon the bed and buried her face against the pillow. She pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle the sobs, and squeezed her eyes closed.

Suddenly, she sat up. She had fallen asleep, but a noise had woken her. She listened. There it was again, a light tapping at her window. She got up and walked over to peer outside. Sitting on the sill was a tiny angel. She opened the window and the little figure came inside.

"Who are you?" Elizabeth asked.

"My name is Mikelle. I live in a far off land where there are only toys. Right now there are a lot of problems. A wicked driad is trying to steal the throne from peace-loving Berry the lion. It is all so terrible!" the little angel wailed.

"Why are you here?" Elizabeth asked.

"I was hoping you could help. It might be dangerous and you don't have to come if you don't want to," Mikelle said, with a pleading look in her tiny eyes.

"I do want to help, but you said it was far away and I'm being punished," Elizabeth said in despair.

"With a wiggle of my nose we can be there and back in no time," she answered, her little wings beating quickly and causing her to rise off the sill.

"But I can't. Even thought I didn't do anything wrong, I'm not allowed to leave my room," Elizabeth insisted.

"I knew you'd feel that way, so I got special permission. You are allowed to come if you want," she answered.

"Well, okay. If you're sure it's all right," Elizabeth said. Mikelle nodded.

The little angel wiggled her nose. There was a flash of light and a feeling of weightlessness, then Elizabeth found herself on grass -- greener than she had ever seen.

"Oh, it's so pretty," she said.

"But very troubled," Mikelle replied.

A rustle in the bushes caught Elizabeth's eye, then a small yellow lion with a brown mane came toward him. She took an unsteady step backwards.

"Don't worry, that's Berry. He's very gentle and loved by everyone. That's why the evil driad can so easily take his throne," Mikelle explained.

"Thank you for coming. We knew you would," Berry said, looking up at her with soulful eyes.

"We?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, Viva and Buttons are my loyal subjects and best friends," he said. A teddy bear and a little cuddly dog peeked from the bushes, then walked out to join Berry.

"Are these the only ones who live here?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, there are many others, but the driad has captured them to make sure Berry will give him the throne," Mikelle told her.

"Will you please save my friends?" Berry asked. He looked so sad, not mean like lions were supposed to.

"I will try," the little girl told him.

"That is all we ask," he said. Mikelle gave her a small rope with a crystal charm tied to it.

"You must tie this to the driad. It's magical and will trap him inside the crystal," she told Elizabeth.

"Okay. Where do I find him?" Elizabeth asked. She was beginning to feel frightened now that she was faced with actually going after this creature.

"You'll find him in the dark forest. He lives underground. Our friends are kept in cells made of roots," Viva told her.

"Don't worry, I'll be with you, and if you ever get in trouble I'll take you back home," Mikelle told her.

"But if I leave before you're free, then there will be no hope," the girl protessted.

"Our freedom isn't worth your getting hurt," Berry said.

So Elizabeth and Mikelle set off, while Berry and his friends shouted encouragement.

They came to a part of the forest that was very dark. There were strange sounds and Elizabeth became frightened.

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you. They are creatures of the darkness and because you have good in your heart, they dare not get too close," Mikelle told her.

They walked on, over the fallen leaves that crunched under their feet, stumbling on rocks hidden by the dark.

Suddenly Elizabeth felt the ground fall from beneath her and then the sensation of falling. She heard Mikelle's high little voice shriek her name, then all went totally dark.

Gradually her descent slowed down, until she gently came to the ground. Torches lit up all around the cave and she could see many cuddly toys behind the entangled roots.

"Oh, the poor things," she said as she looked into the sad little faces.

"You should think about poor you," a cracking voice said. The driad came out of the shadows.

"Why did you lock all these poor creatures up?" she demanded.

"Because I want to rule this worthless kingdom," he barked.

"If it's worthless, why should you bother?" Elizabeth asked.

"Because I hate things that are soft and are always having fun. Don't they look miserable?" he asked, chuckling to himself.

"You are very, very mean," she said angrily.

"Yes I am. I can prove it too. I know you came to rescue them, and I can't let you do

that," he said. He walked in a circle, scratching his beard. "I know, I will turn you into a tree!" He raised his thin twig-like arm and as he was about to shoot a magic lightening bolt, Mikelle pushed her out of the way, only to be struck herself. She fell to the ground and her little eyes closed. She was so very, very still.

"You horrible, horrible monster!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Yes, I know," he smiled. Then a mighty roar shook the cave, and both Elizabeth and the driad turned to see Berry and his friends. He looked very angry, just like the lions she had always pictured in her mind.

She realized that the driad wasn't looking at her, so she crawled silently over to him and quickly tied the string to his ankle.

"No, NO!" he wailed pitifully, then disappeared.

"You've done it! The driad is gone!" Buttons cheered.

"Yes, but Mikelle is dead," Elizabeth said. The little group gathered around their friend, and at the sight of the pale angel, Elizabeth began to cry. The tears ran down her cheek and dripped from her chin on to Mikelle. Suddenly, the room became very bright and the ground above them opened up.

"Look, she moved," Buttons said. Mikelle opened one eye, then the other.

"Oh, Mikelle! You aren't dead," Elizabeth said happily, and took her into her arms and gave the angel a big hug.

"The driad, he's gone?" she asked.

"Yes, I tied the crystal to his ankle while he was watching Berry and he disappeared," Elizabeth told her. It was quiet for a long time.

"That's wonderful," Mikelle said, but there was no joy in her voice. Elizabeth thought she actually sounded sad. The little angel hurried away from the group, flying out through the opening above them. Berry came over to Elizabeth.

"What's wrong with Mikelle?" she asked the lion.

"Mikelle is a cuddly toy like all of us. She doesn't have any feet, and when you mentioned the driad's ankle, you reminded her," Berry explained.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Elizabeth asked.

"The only way is if she can get some ladyslippers," Viva said.

"They are very delicate flowers in our land. If you touch the petals they fall apart, and the stems are poisonous so you can't touch them or you'll die," Berry told her.

"Where can I find them?" she asked.

"They are on the hillside, but please be careful," Viva warned.

Elizabeth found the hillside covered with pink blossoms that looked like tiny slippers. She went to them carefully.

"How am I going to get those flower?" she asked herself. She heard the babbling of a brook nearby and got an idea. She went over to it and took out four flat rocks. She found a plant with blossoms and put two of the rocks near the top of the stem, gripping it between them, and did the same near the ground. She carefully pulled the flower up, then hurried back to Berry.

A stork took the flower, carefully gripping the rocks and flew to the old owl.

Elizabeth found Mikelle under a bush crying.

"Mikelle, I'm sorry about what I said," Elizabeth told her.

"You didn't know. I'm being foolish anyway. I can never have feet," she sniffled.

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'When a bell rings and angel gets his wings'?" Elizabeth asked. Mikelle nodded. "Would you ring a bell on my Christmas tree if you ever got feet?"

"I'd ring every bell in the world," Mikelle answered happily.

"I think Mister Owl might have a surprise for you," Elizabeth said.

"Oh thank you, Elizabeth!" Mikelle said, giving her a quick hug and quickly flying away.

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"Elizabeth, wake up," her mother said. Elizabeth opened her eyes. She was back in her own room in her own bed. "I'm sorry, honey. I saw Jeremy climb onto the counter. I know it wasn't you who broke the jar. Will you forgive me?" Elizabeth smiled.

"Of course I will," she said, giving her mother a hug. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About three hours. It's almost six-thirty," her mother answered. They went downstairs to the livingroom.

"Mom, what's a driad?" Elizabeth asked as her mother turned on the television.

"It's a tree spirit. Why do you ask?" Mrs. Ferrell questioned.

"No reason," she answered. The television began to warm up.

"A strange thing happened today," the newsman announced. "Bells started ringing simultaneously all over the world with no explanation."

"Isn't that strange? I wonder how it happened," Elizabeth's mother said.

Elizabeth just sat there and smiled as she saw the tiny bell jerking happily on a branch of their Christmas tree in the corner.

THE END