Story A Day In May - Story 5

The Magic Scarf
by J. Smith Kirkland

Of the things that could go wrong while crocheting, opening a portal had seemed like a low probability. But Eli can not deny that the large swirling disk in the middle of his living room must indeed to a portal to somewhere. He thinks back to how this could have happened. He was making a scarf for his son Samwise. He has done this sort of thing before. The needles were the same ones he always used. The yarn was not even new. The only thing different was that he had woven in some interesting looking reeds that he found at the edge of a stream in the woods. Surely a simple reed did not posses the physics altering power to open a portal. But there it is.

The portal makes a whispy kind of sound with intermittent sharp screeching, like a needle skipping on a record. Samwise would not know that sound, or what a record was, but the noise was enough to bring him running into the room.

“What is that, Papi?”

“I believe it is a portal. It appeared while I was crocheting you a scarf.”

Eli hands Samwise the scarf. Samwise takes it and wraps it around his neck. Neither taking their eyes off of the portal during the transaction. Samwise moves a little closer to the portal.

“Where does it go?”

“I don't know, Samwise, but don't get too close.”

But it was too late. As if someone had reached out to grab it, the scarf is pulled into the vortex, and Samwise pulled along with it. Eli grabs Samwise's hand to keep him from being dragged away, but instead they both go tumbling head first into the portal. When they land on the other side, they are in a strange new world.

“Samwise, are you okay?

“I think so.”

Eli gets up and helps Samwise to his feet. They look around them at the odd forest they have landed in. Maybe forest is not the right word. There are plants as tall as trees, but they have no leaves, or branches. They are thin and curved and pointed at the tops. It takes a moment, but Eli realizes they are reeds, like the ones he had woven into Samwise's scarf.

“Where are we, Papi?”

“I'm not sure.”

A flickering light dances in and out between the reeds. It moves around the two as if it is investigating them. Then another light, and another, until there are a dozen lights around them. Suddendly the lights all stand still for a few seconds, then flash off out of sight through the reeds. Before Samwise can ask what they were. A single ball of light floats out of the reeds and hovers before them. With what looks like a spark, it lights up so brightly that Eli and Samwise close their eye. When they open them, a creature is standing there in front of them. Creature may not be the best word; it is not scary. It is actually lovely. It looks human like, except for the blue glowing skin, the four arms, and the wings. Other than those things, it could be human.

“Who are you that intrudes in our home?”

The voice was lovely also, melodic and calming. Eli almost forgot to respond to the question because he was enchanted by the voice.

“I am sorry we are intruding. I am Eli, and this is my son Samwise. We did not come here on purpose. We were thrown here through a portal.”

The creature circles them once as if inspecting whether he is speaking the truth or not. Then stands back in front of them.

“And where did you get that scarf,” the creature queries Samwise.

“Papi, made it for me.”

The creature looks puzzled.

“I'm Papi,” Eli explains, “His papi. His father.”

The creature seems to relax a bit.

“My name is Ryder Raylene. Welcome to my kingdom of the reed nymphs. We aren't accustom to visitors from other realms. So forgive us if we seemed mistrusting.”

“I understand. We just appeared from nowhere. That must have startled you.”

The other flickering lights start to come out of the reeds and gather around behind Raylene. One by one they transform into beautiful fairylike creatures like Raylene.

“Come. It's time to feast, and you must join us as our guest.”

With that, some of the other reed nymphs whisked Eli and Samwise into the air and off through the reeds. They land in an open field surrounded by reeds, and set with tables covered with plates of food. There are berries, leaves, and seed. Raylene invites the guest to eat as much as they like, and offers then cups of sweet liquids that they learn are honeysuckle nectar and berry juices.

After everyone has eaten their fill. Raylene proclaims the dance to begin. Some of the reed nymphs pick up strange instruments and begin playing beautiful music, other begin dancing joyfully around in the field. Eli notices Raylene is quietly talking to some older looking characters away from the festivities. Then she floats gracefully over to Eli and Samwise, smiling.

“I have been talking with our wizards. They believe you were able to open your portal to our kingdom because you wove reeds from our forest into a gift of love.”

“My scarf,” Samwise declares happily.

“Yes, young one. Your scarf is woven with love, and since our forrest is magic, your scarf is woven with that also.”

Samwise it quite pleased that his papi has woven him a magic scarf. But Eli has one concern.

“Your kingdom is beautiful, and you hospitality is wonderful, but”

“But you know you have to go home.”

“Yes. How can we go home?

“The wizards say the scarf that brought you here can take you home anytime you want. But before you go, stay and dance with us, then listen to the stories of the elders. So you can take good memories of our world back to your.”

Eli and Samwise took Raylene up on her kind offer. They danced with the reed nymph, heard stories of heroes of old, and feasted more on berries and honeysuckle nectar. Then as the feast was ending, Raylene took them back to the place they were found. They said their goodbyes. Then Eli took Samwise's hand, and Samwise held onto the scarf around his neck. The portal opened and they stepped back through, tumbling onto their living room floor.

“That was a great adventure, Papi!”

“It was, Samwise. It was.”

That night Samwise dreamed of the dancing, and the stories, and the honeysuckle nectar, and his magic scarf, and of going back one day to the land of the reed nymphs.

The Prompt

Freewrite from this opening sentence:

“Of the things that could go wrong while crocheting, opening a portal had seemed like a low probability.”

Story A Day Framework

An aspiring writer and father is crocheting a scarf for his son Samwise.

So to make it special he finds some reed like plants in the woods and weaves them in

and because of that portal opens

and because of that he and samwise are taken to an enchanted land

and because of that they meet the queen of the reed fairies