An Elf’s Story

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“What are you doing?” Willow’s mother asked. “You’re supposed to be helping the mortals!”

Willow sighed.

“Why do the dark elves get to have all the fun?!” She cried. “All I do is work, work, work, and the mortals are never satisfied. I’ll never be good enough.”

Aurora worried about her daughter, but she remembered the Wise Elf’s words long ago, about the natural progression of goodness. She knew how Willow felt, you see. She too had experienced those urges when she was young, but she had learned her lesson eons ago.  

Just like Willow, Aurora had once longed to be bad. She would sneak away when she could, and she’d flutter about with the dark elves – just to get a taste of their mischievousness.

It was fun for a time, when the darkness was slight – harmless pranks like stealing a mortal’s underwear and hanging them from a tree limb – but each time she accompanied them, the darkness became darker. 

Then Aurora met Harry, the mortal that lived in Calcutta. He and Aurora would play together in the fields for hours and, in time, she came to love him like a brother. He was a kind and loving soul, and he was a good man.

Aurora continued her secret flights with the bad elves until one evening… when the gang fluttered upon Harry’s farm. They had their way there, messing about in the crops, and then one elf opened up the gates – letting Harry’s horse escape.

Aurora was horrified. Darkness consumed her as guilt and shame filled every fiber of her being. She felt sick, and fluttered away quickly to hide in the dandelion patch where Willow now played as a young elf. Harry, who was in search of his horse by this time, heard Aurora sniffling in the weeds.

“Why so glum?” He asked. 

Harry’s voice was soft and forgiving, and Aurora began to confess. 

“Well Aurora,” he said, after listening to her story, “at least you know you are a good elf now. If you were truly dark… you would have no remorse.”

Suddenly, the dark elves circled above. They had come for Aurora this time.

“You’re no dark elf!” they yelled. 

Harry stood over Aurora, protecting her from the dark elves, but there were too many of them, and he lost his footing. He crashed to the ground, and his ankle cracked loudly.

For the first time in her young elf life, Aurora felt the true power of her goodness, and she unleashed every ounce of that power to chase the dark elves away and lift Harry to safety.

She carried Harry to his farm, where his horse was waiting peacefully in his pasture, as if nothing had happened. Aurora cried out in relief, but she also cried because she finally knew, deep in her heart, that she was proud to be a light elf.

From that day on, Aurora watched over Harry, and he watched over her. Sadly, Harry was a mortal, and eventually his life on earth came to an end, but Aurora never forgot him.  

Aurora’s thoughts were interrupted by laughter. It was Willow, fluttering above John, Harry’s great, great grandson who lived on the family’s farm.

The two were playing together in the field, where she and Harry once played, and she thought again of the Wise Elf’s words – about the natural progression of goodness. Aurora smiled.

Willow was going to be just fine.

THE END.

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So, obviously my “E” word is Elf. The only knowledge I’ve ever had of elves is the red and green ones you see at Christmas – so it was interesting to learn a little more.

Elves originated in Germanic folklore in the 1500s and the supernatural beings were often depicted as small, mischievous and fairy-like.

In Norse mythology, they were divided into two categories; the Ljósálfar (light elves) and the Dökkálfar (dark elves) – hence the idea for my story.

It reads like a children’s book (I think), and it’s kind of a childlike happy ending, but certain parts seemed very familiar to me… from my own life, and the world around me.

So, there you have it. That’s about all for now.

Thank you for viewing or reading… I hope you enjoyed! I’ll be back soon for the letter F!