It was all set for the following weekend. Cielo arrived in the sky rocket. They had invited Speranza and Johnnie along for the adventure. Johnnie was banned from smoking and Speranza needed to be brought down to earth a little as all he did was talk about Sunshine. He had no other conversation except Sunshine lately. Sunshine this and Sunshine that! To be honest, it got on everyone’s nerves after a while!!
Birch and Cielo were on one team and the other two fairies on the other. Paint war had been declared, bring it on……
They didn’t think they would have too much problem with Johnnie because he was always off with the fairies, just dreaming, but, as for Speranza well he was a different story, he was used to fending for himself when he was homeless so he was a good shot. Cielo and Birch hid behind the tree waiting for the other two to come by. The first paint ball shot was shot and Johnnie was covered in red paint.
‘One to Cielo and Birch’ they thought.
They hadn’t seen Speranza creeping up behind them. He managed to shoot three times one after the other, both Cielo and Birch were covered, they retaliated shooting Johnnie, he fell to the ground saying his arm was hurting, big fairy baby! Speranza was not ready to give in so he just kept shooting like he was in a war film, Cielo and Birch surrendered. Everyone agreed it was a good fun game and decided to go for a cappuccino and discuss each other’s lives and where they were going. Speranza was happy spending time with Sunshine, she was full of love, peace and colour. She had even stayed over a few times and he at hers but, they were happy to continue the way they were for the time being. Speranza did not want to leave his home and Sunshine didn’t want to leave hers as she had Rainbow to think of. Johnnie carried on in his own little world, he was happy in his own little far-off way. Cielo had become very mellow, becoming a nonno had changed him. He had grown to accept things in life which at one time he would have thought of as impossible. Now he was happy and fulfilled with his life and as for Destiny, she made his life complete.
‘‘What about you?’’ he asked Birch.
‘‘I have found love. I feel that I am ready to ask for this fairy’s hand in marriage.’’
Cielo felt a bit dismayed and disappointed. He knew that his daughter Willow had feelings for Birch and that she would feel devastated by his declaration of love for another fairy.
‘He is blind’ he thought to himself ‘blind and stupid!’ Birch swallowed hard and looked at Cielo.
‘‘I have been meaning to talk to you’’ he said ‘‘I would like to ask for Willow’s hand in marriage. I love her with all my heart. I promise to look after her and will always strive to make her happy.’’
‘Thank the fairy God for that’ thought Cielo.
He flung his strong arms around Birch’s shoulders. He pulled him towards him and said ‘‘come here son, welcome to the family.’’
Birch breathed a sigh of relief.
‘That was easy’ he thought to himself.
Willow was waiting for them when they returned. Cielo couldn’t help but, think that maybe this was planned!
Birch had already been looking at rings. He knew that Willow wasn’t a diamond sort of girl but, more of a Sapphire sort of girl, a beautiful Sapphire would pick out the blue in her eyes, this is what he would buy. Destiny offered to go with him. They called on Sunshine to go with them to the jewelers shop to have this special purchase made especially to suit Willow. A sapphire with a white gold shank would be perfect for his love, just perfect.
Cielo and Destiny felt that they would like to be a part of the proposal. They offered to host a dinner party so they could be there when Birch popped the question. Destiny had ordered a couple of white doves.
‘‘Is it too much?’ she said to Cielo who just smiled and thought ‘my fairy wife is insane but, I love her so if she wants to let white doves out of their cage and poop all over the dinner, well let’s let her!’
‘‘Perfect my darling’’ he said ‘‘just perfect.’’
Destiny had ordered a water bed for the happy couple-to-be because now that Willow’s wings were heavier, she sometimes had trouble sleeping.
‘An original engagement present’ she thought. She wanted the water to take away the weight. Cool or what?
Destiny had arranged for a chef on the chosen night and told Willow that they were celebrating Cielo’s up and coming retirement, he had been flying enough and they wanted to spend more time together and travel more to Hollywood to see the boys and their new grand-daughter.
‘Whatever’ thought Willow ‘there is no way that papi is ready to retire. He was only saying just the other day how he was upgrading the sky-rocket.’
Luna and Dandy even flew in for the occasion along with Renesmee.
‘Who cares what it is all about’ thought Willow thinking of her baby cuddles with Renesmee.
They sat around the long table. Destiny kept giggling, very strange! Olive had invited Oak and Destiny had laid the table with the best cutlery.
‘Another extravagant purchase’ thought Cielo. Retirement, as if! He couldn’t afford to retire until his wife stopped spending and that was never going to happen.
They enjoyed the most delicious meal ever. The lobster was especially tasty and as for those muscles, well they were divine. It was after desert and just before the Limoncello that Birch rose and said ‘‘I am in love!!’’ Well actually, he shouted it! Willow smiled in an embarrassed sort of way but, inwardly glowed thinking that perhaps he had drunk just a little too much vino, his cheeks were flushed and he was swaying a little…….
He fumbled a little, fell to his knees just by Willow’s chair and said ‘‘will you give me the great honor of becoming my fairy wife? I love you with all my heart and I promise to cherish you forever.’’
With that said he got out a beautiful blue velvet box from his jacket. He opened it with a flourish and said ‘‘Sposami mio amore’’ - ‘‘Marry me my love.’’
‘How romantic’ thought Willow.
Olive and Destiny were crying. They were such an emotional pair! Birch put the ring on Willow’s finger as she shouted ‘‘Si, Si’’ and then he swung her into the air where he toppled as he was a little merry and they both fell into Cielo’s lap!!!!!
‘Good job Cielo loved him’ thought Destiny ‘silly little drunk nervous fairy!’
At this point Destiny brought the two doves in and released them into the room.
‘‘Two doves are a sign of true love’’ she shouted. With that they circled around the room, pooping as they went!
‘‘Group hug’’ shouted Luna and Dandy. Those boys, they always want to hug, huggers!
And so there was a wedding to plan in the olive fields and this was going to be no ordinary wedding.
Willow and Birch wanted their wedding to be in the olive field amongst the olive trees, it was going to be a wedding of the earth. The earth fairy Priest was going to marry them amongst the sound of birds and wildlife.
Willow wanted her dress to be made of a natural white cotton material with a handkerchief bottom, all floaty and hippyish. She wanted to wear a head-dress of flowers.
‘Daisies would be nice’ she thought ‘and maybe flat strappy sandals as it was uneven in the fields.’
Destiny wanted heels and the higher the better!
‘Who cares if the ground is uneven?’ she thought ‘I may wobble a little but, Cielo will be there to steady me. I would like a green silk dress, short but, stylish, something like a movie star would wear. Perhaps Luna and Dandy could help me……..’
And as for Willow, what would she wear? She wanted to impress Oak, she thought that green would be a good colour but, her mamma was wearing green so she opted for gold. Gold with a shimmer, that would be nice and would make sure she sparkled in the woods.
She was going to be left on the shelf soon. She needed to get Oak’s love………
And so the party began.
It was a simple wedding in the woods. A band would perform just playing flutes and wood ins
truments. Instead of scattering petals, daisies would be scattered everywhere. This was going to be a wedding of love and nature.
Willow walked down an aisle of daisies through the woods. The dulcet sound of the flute and drums rang out in the woodland, it was perfect!
A simple feast was followed by a simple party. It was all about the love as far as the couple of fairies were concerned.
Olive smiled to herself. Her sister looked so complete and happy. It was this same feeling that she wanted to experience with Oak.
‘One day’ she thought ‘one day……….’
The couple decided to honeymoon in Venice. Their father Cielo said that he would drop them off in the sky helicopter, they were beyond excited. Venice was the city of love and romance.
As they flew into Venice, all they could see was water and loads of it, it was breath-taking! The Gondole along with Gondolieri bobbed along in the canals. They could see the dome of St Marks Square, large stone statues adorned the top of the buildings, the Campanille (the clock) was exquisite, the buildings were full of character and were reached by little canals that entwined themselves throughout the City. The Grand Canal was the centre-point, it wound itself right through the main city. Steamboats were available to carry the fairies wherever they desired. People were everywhere, the atmosphere was electric. Venice was full of the most beautiful masks you had ever seen, Murano glass, original arts, paintings, lights - Bellissimi!!! It took the fairies breaths away, they thought they had landed in paradise. They walked along the Rialto Bridge, hand in hand, mesmerized by the beauty of it all. They wondered into the old part of the city and came across the Jewish quarter which took them back in time. It had the most amazing glass on display. They managed to buy a little remembrance in Murano glass with the word ‘Shalom’ engraved across it which means ‘Peace.’
They found a little bar and had a glass of vino and a piece of pizza, it tasted delicious. This was an experience that neither of the fairies would ever forget.
CHAPTER 18
OAK
Oak is a big strapping fairy. He has a heart of gold and works with under-privileged fairies. These are the fairies who don’t quite know where in the world they belong, where they fit. Some are unruly teenagers who need something or someone to give them support in life. He wanted to teach them to have ambition and a sense of belonging. Life has something to offer to everyone no matter where they come from, he is a man with a heart of gold.
He was busy raising money to build a new fairy centre. He thought maybe if he asked Olive for her help, to give him a lending hand, she would help him to raise the necessary money and maybe just maybe, she would notice him more as a suitor.
He approached Olive with his ideas and asked for inspiration on how to raise money. What could they do? A sponsored walk? A sponsored game of fairy darts? A sponsored diet? It had all been done before, what could they possibly do that was different?
Olive suggested a sing-off. This would be ok for the fairies that could sing but, what about those that couldn’t? Olive thought that was the fun of it, it wasn’t all about those that had the best voices but, the ones with the worst were the funniest. They would bring laughter into the olive tree fields and she knew that her mamma and Willow would make everyone laugh. It was decided, a sing-off it was!
Olive and Oak made a list of possible songs if entrants couldn’t think of one themselves. They also drew up a list of possible sponsors to approach. They would go to the shopping centre Arcadia and all the surrounding olive fields. They would ask Speranza to approach the school board where he and Olive worked. They would make huge signs advertising the event asking for both sponsors and singers who wanted to participate, the response was much greater than anyone had expected. Luna and Dandy had even taken sponsor forms to Hollywood saying that the olive tree fairies of Salento in Italy needed their help. They hoped to raise over two million euros in sponsorship money. The sing-off was to be televised and it would be aired in over 50 countries world-wide. Luna would be the presenter as he was famous and world-known so would draw in huge crowds. Everyone was ready and excited.
There were over 60 fairies willing to perform in the sing-off, it was going to be a time to remember. Anyone between the ages of 5 and 70 could enter. Nobody would be discriminated against.
How it worked is that everyone would sing three songs over a course of three weeks. They would be played on the television and on the radio. They would be watched live and people would vote who was their favorite singer. The prize would be a huge gold medal with a picture of a spectacular olive tree on it with Luna’s signature on the back. They would also get tickets to Luna’s next premiere and red carpet event. They would be flown there in his private jet. They would stay in a top hotel in Hollywood. It was a prize not to be sniffed at.
Fairies flew in from all over Italy to participate. It was the competition of the century and was raising money for a good cause. Fairy Elvis impersonators turned up, there was a cover band of the fairy Teetles, fairy Mick Wagger came with his band, this was going to be a three week party.
Olive and Oak decided to sing a duet for their first song. Oak had a deep soul-fuelled voice. Olive was beyond surprised as Oak had never let on before that he could sing. They sang ‘Love lifts us up where we belong.’ The crowd cheered, they got a standing ovation. Both fairies felt the fluttering of new love in their stomachs and hearts. In fact Oak was slightly blushing, Olive was so sure that she wanted Oak that her fairy wings started to flap and she was lifted up into the sky just a little with the sheer joy of it all.
The competition went on for weeks. There was huge television and radio coverage. The sponsorship money came pouring in.
It was a very strong, close competition. The winner was a young fairy called Mercy Love. She had an amazing voice and was a worthy winner.
Three million euros was raised in the end. A new fairy centre for displaced teenage fairies and an adventure to the North Pole was arranged. Both Oak and Willow wanted to give these fairies something to live for, something to look forward to.
Oak was a shy person but, felt it was time to ask Olive out on a proper date. He wanted it to be special and mulled over where to take her. He decided to take her for a steak at the local new restaurant that had recently opened called ‘Cowboy Fairies ‘R’ Us.’ It was a fabulous restaurant and had just the right ambience to chill and get to know each other better. It was really quite authentic as a fairy cowboy would strum a guitar in the corner which provided a laid-back atmosphere. The food was buonissimo!!!!
Olive’s little heart skipped a beat when Oak finally invited her out, at last!!! Oak was anything but, forward in putting his feelings on the table but, Olive was happy to be in his company and alone…..
They had a magnificent meal of fillet steak with a mild pepper-corn sauce, jacket potatoes and salad. The side relish was to die for. The starter was some barbecue flavored wedges wrapped in bacon and for desert they had a healthy portion of treacle pudding. What more could a girl ask for? This was extremely rare in Salento as nobody seemed to venture any further than Italian food and this restaurant had taken the local Italians by storm. They just couldn’t get enough.
Oak asked Olive what place in the world she would really love to visit. Where did her heart desire?
‘‘Paris’’ she said ‘‘yes, I always dreamt of going to Paris, of going up the Eiffel Tower, to the Champs Elysse, perhaps taking in a show, it all sounds so fascinating.’’
Oak thought to himself ‘one day I will take Olive there and fulfill her dream.’
When the couple arrived home, Cielo was standing at the bottom of the olive tree waiting for them. He had a sort of smirk on his face.
Olive hung her head in embarrassment thinking ‘oh papi!!! Go inside.’
Then Destiny appeared ‘‘hello you two little love-birds, come on in and have some Limoncello.’’
‘Great’ thought Olive ‘that has spoilt any chance of an evening kiss.’
Ci
elo tapped Oak’s shoulder and said ‘‘now my boy, tell me your prospects.’’
‘Mio Dio - OMG!’ thought Olive ‘my parents are just the most embarrassing!’
Oak went red for the second time whilst in olive’s company but, took it all in his stride. After all, marry the daughter, marry the parents and that was his intention! He decided it was a little too forward and early to tell this to Cielo so all he said was ‘‘my intentions are honorable sir.’
Destiny took a big gulp of Limoncello to stop the laughter but, managed to dribble it all down her new dress, Olive burst out laughing and Cielo just kept saying ‘‘Cosa? Cosa?’’ which made the girls giggle even more.
‘I really love my parents’ thought Olive ‘one of a kind……’
Willow and Birch decided the join in the fun.
‘‘Why is everyone laughing?’’ they said.
Olive raised her eye-brows and said ‘‘oh its papi and mamma!’’
Willow gave her sister a knowing look.
Oak cleared his throat and said ‘‘we are starting the new building project in two weeks time. It will be a huge centre and will offer so much to all the fairies. There are exciting times ahead, we are also arranging a trip to the North Pole which will be a huge adventure for everyone.’’
So many builders, decorators, plumbers, electricians etc had come forward to offer their work free of charge or at a reduced rate. Oak felt confident that the centre would be up and running in no time at all and it was! It really changed the life of the olive tree fairies because there was always somewhere for bored or mis-understood teenagers to go and it cemented the community together.
The adventure to the North Pole was being arranged. Olive, Willow and Birch were going along to help. It was going to be an experience like no other and was the talk of the olive fields in Salento.
This was going to be a holiday to remember. First the group stopped off at the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi. The hotel was made up of snow with sculpted blocks of ice. The fairies of Salento couldn’t believe how cold it was as it had to have sub-zero temperatures to ensure it didn’t melt.
Olive - The Chosen One Page 11
