In a land where glitter and rainbows reign, there once was a beautiful sprite named Twinkle. Twinkle had long flowing hair made of the finest silk, skin as soft as a cloud, and eyes that sparkled like stars. She was smart and quick witted so all of the other sprites in her homeland would gather around to listen to her stories and sing songs. Twinkle was always happy and loved to bring joy to others.
One day, Twinkle went to sit on her favorite spot in the forest, a spot where she could not only view the whole kingdom but she could also be still and notice the small quiet things like an ant moving a leaf or the waving of a butterfly’s wings. But as she sat in her forest she noticed something was different. The world was dry and there was not a rainbow in the sky. The trees were starting to lose their leaves, the flowers were wilting, and the sun seemed to be hiding behind the clouds. Twinkle had never seen her world so void of water. Not even a dew drop was on the leaves for the ladybugs to drink!
She decided to go ask her mother what was happening. When she got home, she found her mother and father sitting at the kitchen table looking worried. Her mother turned to her and said, "Twinkle, there is something we need to tell you."
Twinkle's mother explained that their land was in danger. It had been weeks since the last rain because the Evil Queen had cast a dark spell over the land. She has stopped the water from falling from the heavens, and unless they could find a way to stop her, the whole kingdom would be destroyed, and they’d be forced to find a new land with water.
Twinkle's mother told her that she needed to go find the Good Fairy to get guidance on how to break the spell. The Good Fairy has lived for 1000s of years and has the wisdom and tools to defeat the Evil Queen to break the spell.
Twinkle wasn't sure if she could do it. And it seemed odd that she was the one tasked to put a stop to the Evil Queen, after all, she thought “wasn’t there someone stronger or smarter than me to do this?”.
Her mother and father explained to her with these kind words “You are a leader, everyone in the village, young and old, look to you as the light that can defeat darkness, that brings joy wherever you go.” Twinkle was surprised and humbled to be seen in such a light.
She was scared, and the thought of leaving the safety of her home and venturing into the unknown is scary to her. She was hesitant and unsure of herself, and wondered if she was really up for the challenge. But after mustering up the courage and remembering the faith her friends and family had put into her, she began her journey with several days of rations of food and water.
After a few days of walking, Twinkle came across an old woman who was sitting by the side of the road. The old woman was thirsty and tired. Twinkle provided the woman with some of her food and water. They sat for a bit and found that they were on the same mission: the woman told her that she was looking for the Good Fairy too. She said her name was Rose and that she would love to repay the kindness and help Twinkle on her journey.
Together, the two set off in search of the Good Fairy.
After a long journey, Twinkle and Rose finally arrived at the Good Fairy's house. The Good Fairy explained that the only way to break the Queen's spell was to change her into something that could not bring harm to the kingdom. But Twinkle must do it alone, because only those with good intentions can ever leave the castle. The Good Fairy warned Twinkle "If your intentions are not pure you will forever be stuck in the castle like the Evil Queen."
The Good Fairy gave Twinkle a bag of wishing dust and a map of the Evil Queen’s castle so she could sneak in. With new hope, Twinkle waved goodbye to the Good Fairy and Rose and set off to finish the quest.
In two hours time, she came upon the castle.
The Evil Queen’s castle was unlike anything Twinkle had seen before.
The castle was carved into a mountain and surrounded by dry dark skies. Twinkle was scared, but she knew she had to go inside, she was the only one who could do this. Using the map, she found her way to the room where the queen was sleeping. As she crept towards her, she held the bag of wishing dust tightly in her hand, thinking “something harmless - what is harmless!?”. Just as she was a foot away, the floor made a creaking noise! The Evil Queen’s eyes flew open, but Twinkle’s reactions and quick wit came to the rescue. She wished the Evil Queen to be a frog.
The Evil Queen, swirled in a green tornado fog down to the ground. And as the Evil Queen got smaller, the world outside the castle window began to grow brighter and rain began to fall, giving way to the most beautiful double rainbow Twinkle had ever seen!
The Evil Queen was also freed from her bad intentions, she had been stuck in the castle for 100 years and was never able to leave because of her selfishness. But as soon as Twinkle changed her into a frog, all of the negative went up in smoke. She was able to leave the castle with Twinkle to live out in the land as a frog who only sought to eat, bask in the sun and swim for the rest of her days.
The beautiful double rainbow remained every day to guide Twinkle and her new froggie friend back to her home. When they arrived, the world was finally back to normal. The trees bloomed, the noise of the rushing rivers and the bees buzzing created a natural symphony of music.
Twinkle was hailed as a hero by her friends and family and the queen who had been trapped in her own hate. But the most glorious reward for Twinkle was not what she was given by others, but the pride of knowing she did something to help others and the return of the glittery dew that graced her favorite spot in the forest.
Let's Chat About the Story - Ideas for Talking with Kids
- When bullys get angry they are reacting from their own negative situations. Sometimes you can't help them, but you can recognize that they, like the Evil Queen, are stuck in a bad situation.
- Do you ever feel like you can't do something? What do you do?
- Do you ever feel like you are trapped in negative thoughts? Who can you talk to?
Read more about the original piece of artwork
