2
"THE CARNIVAL WHEEL"�
This story is dedicated to all who believe that help comes from the most unexpected places.
�I will help your daughter�she will be fine.�
�����Other than these few words, spoken softly, and a cloudy gray-blue shirt, I remember his eyes. They were kind. They were intense. They were the color of the Bermuda Sea. All I wanted to do was say �Thank you� but no one could find him.
�����It was nearing mid-November, that special part of the year we like to call Indian Summer. The Snow Moon(1) would shine upon Earth in a few days giving the call for Winter(2).
�����To celebrate the changing weather, our village was planning a wonderful faire(3) to be held near the edge of the woods in the clearing. There would be games for the children, cakes and ale for all attending, and fine company for young and old alike.
�����Everyone was enjoying a playful day. The Sun was unusually warm and the heady(4) scents of Autumn wafted(5) in the air. The leaves on the trees reflected the colors of a Summer garden.
�����To watch the children play at hoops and ring-a-round was a pleasant sight. They were so happy and filled with energy.
�����The elders of the village enjoyed the antics of the tots and some of them joined in on the fun. To see Lady(6) Mim dance the ring-around made one�s sides hurt. She was a spirited grand elder of the village and highly respected for her great wisdom.
�����Dancing and holding her long black dress above her knees, silver garters reflected the rays of the Sun. I remember her not as being the oldest attending but as the most beautiful and fair. Her skin was as fresh beeswax and her honey blonde hair chignon(7) held many threads of silver. If there ever was a living portrait of a goddess, it was Lady Mim.
�����The afternoon danced quickly toward Sunset. A quick wind came up, seemingly out of nowhere.
�����Suddenly � screaming���a young girl����
�����������Oh, no�.it�s �Licity!� I dropped whatever it was I had in my hand and went running toward the heart-wrenching screams.
�����People all around, I pushed my way through. The huge carnival wheel had toppled with the wind and struck my youngest daughter. She was covered with blood. Caressing her wounded head, I did not know where all the blood was coming from. She was unconscious.
�����I became afraid.
�����My tears, mixed with her blood, pooled into her closed eyes and down her paling cheeks. She stirred momentarily but I held her tight. She was trying to open her eyes.
�����A young gentleman appeared next to me. He lifted my chin.
�I will help your daughter�she will be fine.�
�����He asked for cold water from the creek, clean rags, and honey. �����As I held her, he gently cleaned the blood off her wounds. Her scalp had been gouged(8) in four places on the back of her head and above her left ear; her back had been lacerated(9). She woke up after a few minutes, which seemed like hours to me. She was scared and began to cry. The man whispered something to her, I could not hear. She was quieted and she smiled.
�����Upon each open head-wound he placed a dab of clean honey. He wrapped cool, damp cloths about her head as a bandage. He massaged the golden balm into her back wounds until her skin glowed in the evening Sun.
�����He asked that I continue to massage her skin while he went to get her some warm fruit cider.
�����Lady Mim came with some cider for Felicity.
������Oh, where is the gentleman that gave you this?� I asked her.
������Oh thank you, m�lady, I appreciate your kindness,� I answered, bowing my head to the elder.
�����She returned my gesture and smiled a sweet smile.
�����A few of the townsfolk helped to get Felicity home and into a warm bed. I had no idea who the gentleman was that had helped my daughter. I asked about him. Everyone said they had seen him but they all said that once the little girl was better he seemed to have vanished.
�����I finally was able to get my daughter to sleep, humming soft lullabies as the church bells were sounding ten. I needed to get some rest, too.
�����I washed up for the night and checked on her one last time before retiring. She was resting comfortably and her cherished cat, Em, was asleep at her side.
�����In and out of sleep all night, I walked to the window and looked toward the clearing. The sky was of deepest blue. Something out there reminded me of a day from a very long time ago.
�����I loved to go fishing with my Daddy. When I was about ten years old I stood up in the boat when I wasn�t supposed to and took a terrible tumble into deep water. I remembered being afraid.
�����When I awoke I saw his eyes�they were kind�they were intense�they were the color of the Bermuda Sea�and he was wearing a cloudy gray-blue shirt! He whispered, �You�ll be just fine.�
�����I needed to look no further�
�����I whispered, �Thank you, Daddy. I miss you.�
�����Stars were beginning to twinkle in the night sky...I knew he heard �and all was well.
for November
WORD LIST FOR THIS STORY
(1)SNOW MOON - the November Moon
(2)WINTER - the first Season of the year
(3)FAIRE - carnival, festival
(4)HEADY - heavy, fragrant
(5)WAFTED - moved; as on a breeze
(6)"LADY" - a title of respect in the Old Religion
(7)CHIGNON - hair pulled back from the face and held in a 'bun'
(8)GOUGED - punctured
(9)LACERATED - heavily scraped and scratched
SableHawk
������I saw no one,� said Mim.
������I thought only that the young�un needed to drink and cider would be best.�
� 2001. All rights reserved.
The Library of Congress
Washington, D.C. 20559
USA