The Adventures of Phoebe Meriweather

Faerieland...
A magical place filled with magical creatures full of excitement and wonder...unless, of course, you happen to live there. Then, Faerieland was just another province within the magical community of Utopia Serendipity. Once upon a time, in this magical land of faeries and sprites, there was a young faerie child born by the name of Phoebe. She was smaller than the other children her age, shorter and more pear-shaped than most. Phoebe Merriweather lived with her parents in number 6 at the end of Chestnut Tree Lane. A lovely two story cottage of yellow and white, which was nestled at the edge of Faerie Belle grove, famous for the single Chestnut tree in the center of the field.Phoebe was a special little faerie because she had been born with Stunted Wing Growth Syndrome. SWGS was a very rare disease, occurring in only one out of every 222,000 faeries. It also meant that Phoebe would most likely never be able to fly! But, she loved to sit under the flowering Chestnut tree and dream. She would write make-believe stories in her journals, of traveling with friends and discovering new things and peoples, going on quests for hidden dreams, and solving problems no one else could solve. The tree was surrounded by blooms of zinnia’s and marigolds, tiny bluebells and daisies all pushing their way through the dense, purple blooms of the lavender to add their color to the scene. Phoebe would sit under a particularly tall, bright red zinnia with her back against the stem of the flower to write her dream’s in her journal.On weekends, after breakfast Father would try to show Phoebe how to fly. “It’s like this, Phoebe,” he said fluttering his faerie wings. You’ve got to spread your wings out as far as you can so you can catch the air currents. That will help give you lift as you learn how to fly. The breeze will help you to float in the air. Then by turning first this way and then that way you find that you can turn yourself, first left then right, up then down. Do you see?” Her father demonstrated flying and flitting over and over again as Phoebe tried desperately to copy him. “I just can’t seem to fly. I don’t think my wings are big enough yet,” she said, sadly. Phoebe spent the next several hours outside practicing the exercises...She practiced and practiced until her wings hurt and she was mentally exhausted. Phoebe wondered “Will I ever be able to fly like the other faeries my age?” She went to bed that night determined that she would practice everyday until she could finally learn to fly. Tomorrow would be her eighth birthday and all the kids from her class were coming to her party. She was excited - and a bit scared, too, since she sensed that tomorrow something would happen that would change her life forever.