Once upon a time, there was a grandmother, a mother, and her twelve-year-old daughter, Alys, who lived in a stone cottage in a deep, dark forest. During the daylight, they worked together tending the vegetable garden and minding the cottage. In the evenings, the grandmother often sat by the fire and told true stories of things she had seen in the forest. Alys and her mother didn't believe her stories but never said as much. That wouldn't be kind.
One afternoon, Alys and her mother were in the kitchen preparing food. Grandmother was at her desk drawing the illustrations for her book about the things she had seen in the forest.
"Alys, I need some mushrooms for tonight's dinner. Can you and Grandmother find some in the forest for us?" Alys' mother said.
"Grandmother is working on her pictures for her fairytale book. I can go without her."
"Do not eat any mushrooms until I look at them."
"Yes, I know. Grandmother taught me how to find the edible ones."
After fifteen minutes of searching through the forest, Alys came to a grassy clearing that she knew quite well. She decided to rest for a few minutes.
When she sat on the soft ground, a wind swirled around her. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself inside a glass cottage with one door and two windows.
Alys jumped up and touched the walls. They were translucent but solid. She tried the door and windows. They wouldn't open.
"What is this? What's going on? This can't be real," she thought as she pounded on the glass walls, door and windows.
"Someone help me!" she screamed.
Then, she dug at the ground under the walls. There was hard rock under the thin layer of soil. She yelled again but her voice only echoed. She sat down in defeat.
The sun began its descent behind the tall trees casting long shadows. Alys tried to open the door again. It wouldn't budge. She looked through the door and saw three flickering lights, like stars on a clear night, hovering three inches off the ground.
Alys recognized them.
"I can't believe it. It can't be!" she thought.
At that moment, she heard a clicking sound. The door opened. When she stepped through the doorway, the flickering lights disappeared.
Alys ran home as fast as she could. She rushed past her mom in the kitchen and found her grandmother sitting at her desk.
"Grandmother, where's your picture of the three flickering lights in the forest?"
Grandmother turned the page in her book of fairytales and smiled at her granddaughter.
"Grandmother, I saw them! I saw them!"
"So, now you can believe," Grandmother said and gave Alys a hug.
One afternoon, Alys and her mother were in the kitchen preparing food. Grandmother was at her desk drawing the illustrations for her book about the things she had seen in the forest.
"Alys, I need some mushrooms for tonight's dinner. Can you and Grandmother find some in the forest for us?" Alys' mother said.
"Grandmother is working on her pictures for her fairytale book. I can go without her."
"Do not eat any mushrooms until I look at them."
"Yes, I know. Grandmother taught me how to find the edible ones."
After fifteen minutes of searching through the forest, Alys came to a grassy clearing that she knew quite well. She decided to rest for a few minutes.
When she sat on the soft ground, a wind swirled around her. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself inside a glass cottage with one door and two windows.
Alys jumped up and touched the walls. They were translucent but solid. She tried the door and windows. They wouldn't open.
"What is this? What's going on? This can't be real," she thought as she pounded on the glass walls, door and windows.
"Someone help me!" she screamed.
Then, she dug at the ground under the walls. There was hard rock under the thin layer of soil. She yelled again but her voice only echoed. She sat down in defeat.
The sun began its descent behind the tall trees casting long shadows. Alys tried to open the door again. It wouldn't budge. She looked through the door and saw three flickering lights, like stars on a clear night, hovering three inches off the ground.
Alys recognized them.
"I can't believe it. It can't be!" she thought.
At that moment, she heard a clicking sound. The door opened. When she stepped through the doorway, the flickering lights disappeared.
Alys ran home as fast as she could. She rushed past her mom in the kitchen and found her grandmother sitting at her desk.
"Grandmother, where's your picture of the three flickering lights in the forest?"
Grandmother turned the page in her book of fairytales and smiled at her granddaughter.
"Grandmother, I saw them! I saw them!"
"So, now you can believe," Grandmother said and gave Alys a hug.
