Category: Efem

Meanwhile, back at the mushroom...

5/19/2020

As Hewy and Sprite started their journey to Parsley's mushroom home at the end of the Mushroom Line, Parsley was getting an update on the Dragon sightings that were being reported.

Everyone knows that the Mushroom Line is the most reliable information chain in the Shadows' Realm especially since Parsley was appointed the Telegraph Master. At the moment though the telegraph master was drinking tea and laughing with tears rolling from her eyes. While Parsley was laughing, Efem was getting a little steamed. She was not happy with the apparent lack of progress in finding the Wish Dragon and she wanted answers now!

"Parsley! How can you sit there laughing when we have an emergency building? What could be so funny that you would forget why we are even here?" Efem growled as she scowled at Parsley. As Efem vented, Cornelia continued to sit quietly in the corner of the room, sipping her tea, knowing that something better happen soon or her sister was going to boil over.

Gasping for breath Parsley answered, "The mushrooms are telling me that we are going to have a stranger soon arriving. (Taking another deep breath.) Plus my son will be with him," Parsley slowly replied.

"What's so funny about that?" demanded Efem.

"Oh, nothing. I had just forgotten how frustrated you can get and was enjoying watching you. It was like old times," snickered Parsley. "The mushrooms also just told me that Sprout is talking his ear off about being hungry and I thought that was funny when you think about it..." mused Parsley.

Efem turned to Cornelia to see if she understood and then turned back to Parsley - continuing to looked confused. "What is Parsley talking about?" thought Efem. Then there was a snicker and then finally Cornelia started to laugh out loud too. Which only made Efem a little madder. "What is it that I am missing?" she demanded from them.

"Don't you get it? Hungry?"

At first Efem just looked at the two as if they were losing it... then the light came on. The young Wish Dragon's name was Hungry... Finally a small smile did appear as she just shook her head, wondering how she got stuck with a sister like Cornelia and a friend like Parsley. Then as she joined in the joke knowing that she was indeed lucky, and feeling happy, she glowed even brighter.

Letters from the Lovelorn Ladies...

1/27/2020

In all affairs of the heart, the Bellwether likes to pride itself as an equal opportunist for those that wish to express themselves in the language of Love.
As such, this week's edition of the Bellwether is devoted to the Ladies.

Who will be brave enough to come forth in their adventure of looking for Love?

My Roots Run Deep...
Don't hide your light under a bush. Are you someone I can grow closer to? If so, then long walks along the garden path and dancing in the moonlight are just the things that will bring out my glow of happiness. Meet me at the Entrance of the Sacred Grove at the next Full Moon to see if we are kindred souls.
P.S. Must love cats and Giggle Juiceberry cookies.
~~Share with me the beauty of nature,
 Efem, Tree Mother of the Sacred Grove

Come Sweep Me Off My Feet...
I am a homebody at heart and looking for someone to share the hearth with. We will spend magical evenings lounging by a spotless fireplace. Or if being well stuffed after one of my dinners in a well-scrubbed kitchen is more your idea of romance, I have been known to whip up something delightful in a moment's notice.
A game of matching the last sock out of the wash is one of my all time favorite matchmaking games.
Dust the negativity out of your life with me,
Granny Flare, House Brownie

Do You Believe...
As a Dowager, I excel at ruling over a large table of guests, but nothing warms my heart more than a lovely intimate dinner for two. If good food prepared by the best Brownie cook with stimulating conversation and dragon flames glowing in the sconces on the castle walls; followed up by a tasty dessert is your type of wish for a Valentine evening then *RSVP below.

(*RSVP - Reserve Seating with a Very special Person)
In friendship,
Griselda, the Dowager

Valentines Day is coming and love is floating in the air - who else will cupids arrows strike? One of the few immune to this Valentines Day holiday is Sprout. He can't figure out what all the hallaboo is about with squirrely giggles and fluttering butterfly kisses. So where is he? Parsley still has not found that boy...

The Tea Reading...

12/3/2019

The muffins were gone and the tea had been sipped and Efem was starting to get anxious again. “I have enjoyed this catching up but we need to start doing something to find the Wish Dragon,” Efem told Parsley. “He could have been found already and we are just sitting here drinking tea and eating goodies. Have the mushrooms found anything yet?”

“Don’t worry,” Parsley told her as she stood and began to clear the table of dishes. “We will be informed when they do, but in the meantime, our next step is to do a little magic of our own. Finish up your tea and remember to leave just a little in the bottom so that we will see what the tea leaves tell us.”

Both Efem and Cornelia had heard about Parsley’s ability with the tea leaves being second only to Chamomile (if you like a tea reading... check out the link by clicking on the highlighted name). Maybe it was because Parsley created her own blends of tea which gave it that extra power or because she was an herbalist, either way, Efem finally felt like they were doing something to find the Dragon. “What can we do to help?” she asked their host as she started to rise from her chair.

“Stay put Efem and finish your tea,” Parsley told them. “I will be needing your cups shortly. Think about the Dragon before you finish drinking. That will help when I read your tea leaves.” It only took a couple of minutes before Parsley had the table cleared and returned to her seat. “Now, let’s see what we can find out.”

Flipping each of the three cups over onto their saucers, then turning them counter-clockwise three times, Parsley touched each of the cups and mumbled some words that the sisters could not hear, she then turned Cornelia’s cup over first to see the leaves. “Ahh... I see here two faces going in two different directions. They will have to learn to work together if they are to find the missing young Dragon. If they do, then Nemmer and The CAT will find him, but the question remains - will they be the first to find the Dragon?”

Next, it was Efem’s cup to read. Turning the cup over, Parsley looked closely at the leaves. “Many are looking for the Dragon. That bit of information we already knew, but this tells me that there is some who are wanting the Dragon more than just to find him.

"See how he holds his arm out to the right? Almost like a wizard or a warrior. In his other arm he seems to be carrying something. I don't know if it is a shield or a baby Dragon. The message is muddled with how strong this searcher is and I cannot see what it is he wants from the Dragon.” Frowning, Efem started to worry even more than before.

Parsley could see that Efem was getting concerned. “Let me see if my cup can tell me more about the searchers." Closing her eyes, she placed her hands on her teacup. As she opened them, she turned the cup over and looked in. "One of the searchers is not of the Fae nor of the land while One is the land.”

“Parsley, I am confused,” Cornelia said. “What does that mean? One not being Fae nor of the land can only mean an outsider I would assume, but how can one be the land?” “I don’t know,” replied Parsley. “I am just as confused as you are. Efem, any ideas?”

"Give me a minute to think about what you have said,” answered Efem. “You have given me hope knowing that Nemmer and The CAT will find the Dragon at least. The problem is being the first. We must increase our efforts. Cornelia, you need to contact the B-Gs and have them looking also and I will connect to the Root Connection. We must be the ones that find the Dragon first.”

Parsley stood and started to the cottage door. "I'm going to run down Sprout! He needs to join in here to help look too!" Efem and Cornelia looked at each other. "Who's Sprout?" they thought.

Of Tea and Muffins and Dragons...

11/20/2019

“Please sit while I brew some tea for us to drink. Afterwards we can see what the leaves can also reveal to us,” said Parsley as she motioned for Efem and Cornelia to sit at her table. “I have a nice herbal tea here I would like you to try. It is my own special blend I call Chameleon as it changes flavors as you drink it."

“We don’t have time for tea,” replied Efem. “We need to be finding the Wish Dragon,” as she looked at Cornelia for confirmation. Efem saw that Cornelia was already moving towards the table though and pulling a chair out to sit on. She gave Cornelia a glare as she was sitting down. Efem was anxious to be doing something other than sipping tea. Corneila glanced back at Efem and motioned with her head for her to sit down and be quiet.

It is amazing how by not saying a word, volumes can be implied thought Efem. Taking a calming breath and the hint, she sat down at the table to await the tea.

Parsley turned away from the sisters and stepped over to the stove where she had a pot of hot water already simmering. She then took down her teacups from the cupboard and reached for her special blend. This she added to the steaming water and stirred in a silent wish as she turned back around with the pot of tea. Pouring the tea to everyone and taking a sip, she started the conversation. “Now, from what you have told me of the young Dragon, you both think the first problem is to find him before anyone else does. Is this correct?”

“Yes, we need to find him right away before anyone discovers he is a Wish Dragon,” answered Efem, frustrated and impatient to be started and not sitting here talking.

Cornelia continued to sip her tea and decided to try one of the muffins that Parsley has brought with the tea. Efem looked over at her wondering why she was not agreeing with her. Cornelia continued nibbling on her muffin and just smiled at her as she turned her gaze to Parsley. "Parsley, these are delicious. Mind giving me the recipe? I am sure Nemmer and The CAT would love some of these." Efem was starting to simmer and about to boil over from their apparent lack of concern, when finally Cornelia, taking mercy on Efem, asked Parsley "What do you think we should be doing?" “Finally,” thought Efem.

“Oh, I have already started. The Mushroom Line has been informed to find the Dragon as a priority news item. Anything involving the Dragon is to be reported immediately. They already have a few reports but nothing substantiated yet,” replied Parsley. “Do you really like the muffins?” she asked Cornelia. “They are one of Mrs. C's recipes. I just whipped them up for Sprout. He really likes them.”

“Enough of the small talk! What do you know about the Dragon?” an exasperated Efem demanded. “We should be out there looking!”

“Enjoy your tea Sister,” answered Cornelia calmly before Parsley could reply. “Parsley has already started the search and you know we came here to ask her help. This way we aren't wandering the woods hoping to get lucky enough to run into the Dragon. Nemmer and The CAT are already doing that.”

Parsley smiled thinking that Efem really hadn’t changed all that much over the years. “The Mushroom Line confirms your report that the Dragon was sent to a teacher by the Shadows’ King and was originally traveling with a Nytemare guide. They say that Scarlet has reported that the Nytemare was separated from the Dragon and has since returned to the stables.”

Taking another sip of tea, she continued, “The Twitter network reports several sightings of the young Dragon in several different places but as you know, the birds are not the best at hard facts. They have substantiated that others do seem to be searching for the Dragon as well since they have been asked by others if they know where the Dragon is. Now this could also include Nemmer and The CAT, but that is unknown.”

Efem was stunned. These were just the things she needed to hear. That everyone was working together to help find the poor lost little Dragon. She also realized that she truly had missed her old friend and started to glow with joyful feelings.

Parsley, seeing Efem starting to glow at her words, started to blush. She too had missed her childhood friend. To hide the blush, she lifted the pot of tea. “I will get us some more tea. Then we can see what the leaves also have to tell us about this young Dragon."

Stubborn as an old oak...

11/12/2019

“What brings two wayward Faes to my humble home?” Parsley asked as Efem and Cornelia started walking up to her door.

“Good day Parsley. Efem and I were out for a walk and decided to stop in and see how you are doing,” answered Cornelia, knowing that Parsley probably already knew about their mission.

Now this was a strange event indeed since it had been many a year since the sisters had come for a visit. "Could she still be carrying a grudge?" thought Parsley. The last time Efem decided to talk to Parsley was before she decided to become a herbalist instead of a tree mother like her. Shaking her head she extended her hand, “Please come in. I was just making a tonic for the mushrooms. I have a couple with some sort of blight that seems to be affecting their hearing,” she said as she ushered them towards the door. Cornelia did not move, but waited to see what Efem would do. Her sister better behave herself and not say something that would spoil everything.

Efem had been looking at her feet the whole time Parsley and Cornelia had been speaking. Finally she lifted her head and looked at Parsley. “Parsley, I know that it has been a long time since we last talked. I know I have been a stubborn old oak but right now we don't have time for chit-chat, we need your help.”

Parsley almost started to laugh. “Efem, you have not changed in all of this time, still jumping right to the point like when we were young. Okay, tell me what it is that is so important other than a young untrained Wish Dragon on the loose?” Efem and Cornelia both glanced at each other, both thinking, ‘see… I told you she would already had heard about it’.

“Does the Mushroom Line know where to find him?” they asked Parsley at the same time. Slightly embarrassed, Efem nodded to her sister to continue, “We must find him. We think it is important that we become his first teachers. At least that is according to the Sleeping Sisters and their Petal Post. Otherwise great havoc will occur in all of the realms.” Cornelia quickly explained to Parsley what they knew about the young Dragon and that they were aware that there were others now trying to find the young Wish Dragon too. The Sleeping Sisters felt that this must not happen until he understood the consequences of his abilities.

“I will help you both as this emergency affects us all,” decided Parsley. "Now come inside so we can start making plans." As they all entered Parsley's mushroom home, Efem did have something to say and knew if she did not say it now, it would not get any easier later. “Parsley, I am sorry. It never should have taken a Dragon to make me realize the friendship I lost through my obstinance."

"Efem, I regret that it took something as important as this to bring you here to my door too. You don’t have to say anymore, let us focus on what needs to be done now." Parsley wondered if the Wish Dragon was already granting wishes for she had wished for a long time to have this misunderstanding end.

“Now then let’s get started, we have a Wish Dragon to find!” smiled Efem at Parsley and Cornelia.

Everything taste better with a little honey...

10/1/2019

"I don't know why we need her," moaned Efem. “Surely we can think of another way to get our mission accomplished."

Cornelia turned her head towards Efem. "You know we have already talked this to death and she is the only way," replied Cornelia as she and Efem continued walking through the woods to Parsley’s place. Over and over again Cornelia could hear in her head what she knew Efem was thinking but not saying. "WHY? Why must we go there?"

As they continued on the trail, suddenly Cornelia realized that after all of these years of feuding, it was going to take a Dragon to get these two to talk to each other again? Chuckling with that thought, she decided that she better start talking before Efem asked her what she was snickering about.

“This isn’t so bad,” she told Efem as they walked. “I mean, after all, you probably don’t even remember why you and Parsley are still squabbling.”

“That is not so,” retorted Efem, but as she said these words, she realized that all the time they had been walking she had been trying to remember what started the feud in the first place. Her and Parsley were once the best of friends, the closest two could be without actually being sisters. They grew up next to each other and did almost everything together. “When did it change?” she thought. She stayed silent - thinking, while Cornelia continued talking about the things they must do to find the young Wish Dragon. Silent and only slightly listening she mused on what was it that had come between her and Parsley.

“You aren't still angry at her for choosing to work with herbs instead of trees are you Efem? You know you both could be doing healing magic on the forest instead of fighting,” Efem heard Cornelia say. “That was it!” Efem realized to herself. “She turned against me and decided to work with herbs instead of trees.” Thinking about it now, after so many years, Efem was starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, she was being silly and that Cornelia could be right (not that she would ever admit that in a million years).

Suddenly she noticed it was quiet and that Cornelia had stopped talking. She was just standing there staring at her. “Okay Cornelia. I will be on my best behavior. I know that seeing Parsley is for the best and that we need her help.” As they continued their journey, Efem decided that actually now she was wanting to see Parsley again after all of these years. Smiling, she thought it might just be time to apply a little of "Cornelia's honey" to the situation and do a little healing herself. Maybe it was time to swallow a little pride and put the past behind her. After all, everything tastes better with a little honey applied to it.

Cornelia only looked at her sister and worried about that smile. "Hmmm," she thought to herself and wondered why Efem was starting to glow?

The Mushroom Line...

9/23/2019

As Efem and Cornelia were discussing their plan of locating the missing Dragon, Efem asked, "Now that we have sent Nemmer and The CAT to look for the young Dragon maybe we should contact the Twitter network?"

"Yes, we could. Everyone in the Shadows’ Realm know the birds are a good source of gossip since they do like to twitter all day long to anything that will listen. But you and I know the most reliable source of news is the Mushroom Line," answered Cornelia.

Efem nodded her head as she had to agree, for where ever a shadow lay - a mushroom was sure to sprout, and even though their ears don’t stick out they hear everything that is happening in the woods.

No one knew how they told each other what they heard - not even the trees using the Root Connection could understand it; but the Mushroom Line was usually the first to report anything ‘unusual’ in the Realm.

And if you have not guessed it yet, Parsley is the Telegraph Master to this news line which just irked Efem to no end. Efem wasn't thrilled that she and Cornelia needed to ask her for help in finding the elusive Wish Dragon before anyone else found him.

Efem, who prided herself in being the first to know anything happening in her Sacred Grove, was already feeling a little hedged in as she was sure that Parsley already knew that Efem and Cornelia had already started their journey to see her. That is how efficient the Mushroom Line is.

So as Parsley prepares herself for her visitors, and Efem and Cornelia make their way to her - the mushrooms watch and listen for more news in the Realm for tales of a Dragon.

Coming Up With The Plan...

8/28/2019

"Ha! I can't wait for the Appleshot competition at the next Guild meeting. I wonder how many of the others can shoot an apple inside of another apple," grinned Nemmer. As he started to notch another arrow, he heard someone coming up from behind him. Turning he was a little startled to see Cornelia. She normally did not come down to the archery range. "Something must be up," he thought.

"There you are. I have been looking all over for you," said Cornelia. "Do you see this?" holding out the Petal Post and waving it in front her.

"You know I can't read those Petal Posts without sneezing my head off," Nemmer growled. "Plus you know The Sleeping Ladies would get me banned from the Golden Guild if they thought a male knew how to read those flowery posts."

“Oh that... well, it doesn’t matter. What matters is this. We need you to go hunting," she told him.

"Yes Ma'am. I am your best choice! What do you want me to bring home for dinner?" Nemmer replied. Cornelia was shaking her head NO as she stomped her foot. "You aren't listening to me." By now Efem finally caught up with her as Cornelia said, "I don't want you to kill something but to find..."

Efem, figuring Cornelia has already told Nemmer about the Petal Post, jumped into the conversation "We need you to hunt a Dragon". The look on their faces and the serious way Efem had said it, Nemmer decided they weren't kidding.

"You want me to kill a Dragon! Are you both NUTS?" he yelled. "I may be a great hunter, but A DRAGON? And now that I think about it, what I am to do? Send you a Petal Post to let you know that I have been eaten?"

After he had finished, Efem smiled and continued as if he had just agreed to go. "I understand he is a very friendly Dragon. The Shadows' King sent him to a teacher here in the forest, but you need to find him first and you must be very careful. He is a young Wish Dragon and you know the trouble they can cause if not properly trained."

Now Nemmer understood. An untrained Wish Dragon could be a serious situation if left on it's own. "What is it you want me to do once I have found it?" he asked them.

"Why, bring him to the cottage of course," Cornelia and Efem both replied. "We need to talk to him before he creates any situations."

"And what about The CAT?" Nemmer asked. "Can I use him for bait?" The "glare" he got from his wife and her sister was definitely a loud and resounding "NO". They did not even have to say it and he got the picture.

"You may need The CAT though to talk to the Dragon," Efem replied.

Now Cornelia was surprised and turned to look at Efem as did Nemmer. "You mean The CAT can talk? Oh, he and I are going to have a conversation when this Dragon business is all over," she growled.

You've got a Petal Post...

8/19/2019

It all started with that Petal Post and now Cornelia had to see Efem right away. If the Sleeping Sisters were correct, and they almost always were, they were going to have to hurry to avoid the catastrophe that was predicted. By the time Cornelia arrived at Efem’s grove, she had the beginnings of a plan. “Now all I have to do is convince Efem,” she thought.

When Efem saw her sister entering the grove, she called to her. “Corny, I still think we need to talk to those gnomes about their conduct at the last DRAYD meeting. They really have to get over the bird bath issue and wanting to put shower curtains on all of them. The birds have been twittering in the trees in my grove complaining ever since.”

“Effie, we need to talk about something more important than birdbaths. I got a Petal Post and you need to read it,” Cornelia told her. “Something is coming this way and we need to intercept it before anyone else does or our whole world will change. And according to the Sleeping Sisters, not necessary for the good,” she finished as she handed the message to Efem.

After reading the Post, Efem just sat for a minute, stunned. “What are we going to do, Corny?”

“I have a plan, but you won’t like it. We are going to need Parsley to help us,” said Cornelia stepping back and wincing as she saw the look that came across Efem’s face. Efem looked at Cornelia as if to say ‘No... not her’ then sighed as she realized that Cornelia could be right. Cornelia continued, “We will also need Nemmer’s help. Here is what I have in mind...”

Fae or Nymph???

3/27/2019

Fae or Nymph... that is the question... My newest character, Efem, has revealed her name but she is still shy about telling me more about who she really is. She really loved that last little twist I added to her ears when I was sculpting her. The twist that created a tree-like branch look to her ears. Is this the first clue she is ready to reveal? I decided a good place to look might be into tree spirits for more information.

Wow! What I thought would be an easy task soon turned into a volume of information to sort through. So I decided I would start my own book as I collect information. This is what I started with -

(more notes I need to add to the book)

...There were even several distinct groups of nymphs as well, that were based on where they lived and what they protected. I knew that Efem liked the association with trees, so I looked further into the hamadryads and dryads. Hamadryads are one with their tree and cannot be separated without withering and dying away. This was not Efem as I felt she could travel anywhere she wanted to go. The dryads, on the other hand, were free to move about in a forest or any place trees lived.

This sounded more like Efem as she really doesn't like being rooted to one spot. So what type of tree familiar or spirit is she is connected to? She did not seem to have the characteristics of the Pine, as she is not quick tempered and needling, nor was she as bendable in her nature as the Willow, flowing from happy to sad with the sun and the rain. She was not like an old Oak, slow to move but very knowledgeable, nor motherly like the Maple.

I went through the list of trees and then it hit me. She is the Hawthorn/Haugh tree (I should have known this from the start – read March 5th's blog). The Hawthorn tree is about the balance of power and it is a perfect depiction of the concept of Yin and Yang much like the way Efem got her name.