Scotland's Fairies-Isla & The Owl-Story 3 (Sleep Story)

Hello,

My name is Rachel.

My country is Scotland,

A country steeped in fairy faith,

A place of mythical valleys,

Fairy glens and fairy pools and logs,

And ancient Caledonian pine forests,

Where fairies,

Or we folk,

Can be found in the tree hollows and abandoned birds' nests,

In the rivers and barns which flow through the mountainous valleys.

There are river sprites with webbed feet,

Who ride on the back of the leaping Scottish salmon,

Tucked away inside unused teapots and empty shortbread tins.

We folk,

Called brownies,

A sort of house fairy,

Live amongst the Scottish people,

Inside their very homes,

Although most people never look close enough in the nooks and crannies to ever spot them.

Now I'm guessing you might like to join me on an adventure here in Scotland and hear more about these mystical we folk,

Guardians of our hills,

Forests and homes.

So get comfortable,

Maybe have a little wiggle of fingers and toes,

Take a deep breath in to fill your chest full of air,

And a deep breath out again to relax your body down into whichever be spot you might be sitting or lying in.

Gently close your eyes and come with me to Scotland.

I hope you listen to my last story in which Isla met Morven,

The fairy queen,

At the loch and accepted her invitation to go with her on the fairy boat to Elfhame,

The fairy palace.

Now we will join Isla as she speeds along on the tiny wooden boat,

Pulled along by the salmon,

And discover what magic awaits her at Elfhame.

Isla still felt the warm glow through her body as she stood barefoot on the deck of the boat,

Holding on to Morven's hand.

This warmth struck Isla as being unusual,

For it was dark outside and the air was rushing past her.

The island in the distance now looked like a vast land,

With Isla only standing about as tall as an apple.

Isla felt as though she was in a dream,

As the overwhelming sensory input from the bubbling water,

The air rushing past her ears,

And the ethereal humming combined with the glow of the moon had lulled her into a deep sense of peace and calm.

As they got close to the sandy shore of the island,

The fish began to slow and then gently stopped.

The boat began to bob slightly,

And Isla,

Watch transfixed,

As the head of a water sprite popped up out of the water and waved to her with a friendly smile on their face.

The water sprite then carefully undid the silvery loops which had harnessed the salmon and then swam with the silver cords to tether the boat to something on the shore.

Morven gracefully leant over the bobbing boat and stroked the shimmering pink scales of the salmon,

Thanking them for their assistance before they flicked their tails and disappeared off into the inky water.

There was a stretch of water now between the boat and the dry land,

And Isla guessed that the salmon were unable to pull the boat any further into the shallows for fear of getting stuck,

But she wondered how she would get across the water,

Checking for a moment over her shoulder,

Wondering if in fact she had become a fairy and now had wings herself,

As if reading her thoughts,

Morven turned away from the water and spoke to her.

Isla,

As you do not have wings to get yourself across the water,

Please take my hand again and the hand of Nessa and we will fly you across the water to the shore.

Please do not feel frightened,

We will stay a safe distance above the water and will not fly too fast or too high.

Isla smiled at Morven,

For she was in fact delighted to experience flying with the fairies.

She would have been willing to go with them,

Even if they had suggested flying to the moon and stars.

Morven,

With both silver hair and a wispy silver gown,

Gently clasped Isla's left hand,

Whilst Nessa,

Clothed in velvety green and with tumbling red hair like Isla's own,

Took her right hand in a warm and friendly embrace.

Are you ready,

Isla?

Asked Morven in her otherworldly voice.

Yes,

Grinned Isla,

And before she knew it,

Her bare feet had risen off the deck of the boat and she felt an exhilarating lightness to her body as she was guided over the shimmering water and through the night sky.

Nessa gave Isla a reassuring smile and a squeeze of the hand and whispered,

You are a natural flyer.

They landed on the soft sand of the island and Isla let out a little giggle as she couldn't quite believe what had just happened.

Isla looked ahead of her and there were two little wooden posts with lanterns lighting up a path from the sandy beach through the trees on the island.

Isla became very aware of just how small she was now and felt the first pang of nervousness as she wondered how she would manage the enormous trick ahead of her that stretched out into the dark forest.

Morven again,

Seeming to sense her thoughts,

Said,

Don't worry,

Isla,

As you don't have wings and cannot fly,

We have arranged a friend a friend to give you a lift to Elfenhaim.

With that,

Isla heard the unmistakable hooting call of a tawny owl and looked up to see it swooshing silently towards her and the other fairies.

Isla loved tawny owls or brown owls as they are often known,

Sometimes glimpsing one,

Leaving its hole in the tree and flying soundlessly through the forest beside her house.

Owls have unique comb-like serrations on the edge of their wing features and soft and soft velvety feathers that help break up the turbulent air that causes other birds to make a noise as they fly.

It was unusual to see a tawny owl out on an island because they usually don't like flying over water.

The tawny owl extended its wings out full,

Dipped its head and had its claws out in front of it as it landed just in front of Isla and the other fairies.

It looked at Isla with its rounded head and hooked beak and large brown eyes with glowing pupils.

The pupils have this glowing effect called eyeshine because behind the retina in their eye they have a mirror-like tissue which reflects light back through the retina,

Meaning that they have excellent night-time vision.

The owl gave an inquisitive and inquisitive call before Morven introduced it.

Isla,

This is Doreha,

A Gaelic word meaning dark,

Dusky,

Hidden and mysterious.

Doreha is a loyal friend and he will fly you to Elfheim.

You'll be safe in his warm velvety feathers and we will fly alongside you.

Doreha made a gentle kiii-wik sound and dropped his body down for Isla to climb aboard his feathery back.

As she climbed she was reminded of the feeling of cootieing up in her sharper fleece blanket,

Although this felt so much softer and warmer as she nestled into position on the tawny owl's back.

She felt so safe and secure and secure that she was almost disappointed that Morven had said it was only a short journey to Elfheim,

For she could imagine just how lovely it would be to snuggle up here for a lovely long sleep.

The owl gave another hoot and required nothing more than a single flap of his wings to take off.

Its large wings and small body allowed it to glide effortlessly.

It was exhilarating to move through the trees with such agility and pinpoint accuracy.

Isla looked over to her side and could see the fairies flying alongside her like darting wisps of light.

Whilst Doreha seemed to maneuver between the trees with only the slightest tilt of his body,

This shift almost imperceptible to comfy Isla.

The fairies seemed to be on a more erratic flight path.

Their flight reminded Isla of a butterfly dancing from flower to flower.

This is because,

Like a butterfly,

A fairy's wings flex and contort to give it lift and propulsion with both its up and down stroke,

Almost as if it is swimming through the air.

Suddenly,

Doreha and Isla emerged out of the darkness to a lit up clearing in the middle of the trees.

To Isla's surprise,

It was a hive of activity and in the center of the clearing stood a large tree stump,

Broad and thick like that of an ancient oak.

But,

Unlike an ordinary stump which is decaying,

This one was covered in life.

Leaves and flowers and other foliage seemed to be growing out of it in every direction,

Making it look like an adorned temple.

The stump was surrounded by a circle of lanterns and there were wee folk of every description laughing and chatting and coming in and out of the entranceway in the stump.

Music also seemed to be emanating from within it,

The unmistakable sound of a ceilidh band playing Scottish folk music on the fiddle and accordion.

As Doreha gently swooped down to land,

The wee folk outside of the stump started to dance a wee jig and clap their hands and Isla assumed that this excitement was in anticipation of the arrival of the fairy queen Morven who was seconds away from landing beside her.

But to Isla's surprise,

The wee folk were running towards her and Doreha shouting merrily,

She's here,

She's here.

The wee lass Isla has finally arrived at Elfenhame.

At Elfenhame.

Now,

I hope your mind is full of beautiful images of the gentle and mysterious Doreha and you have sweet dreams imagining what it'd be like to coorie down in his soft feathers.

Please join me next time where we will find out what is inside the tree stump of Elfenhame.