Crickett Finds a Secret Gate to Fairyland

Crickett is a tri-colored Corgi and her full name, which she loves telling everyone she meets, is Crickett Elizabeth Turtle Hobson. She lives with her parents in a nice quiet neighborhood in a nice quiet town. On occasion though she travels with her parents to new places and a few weeks ago they told her that they were going to go on vacation again. She hopes time goes by fast so that she can see this new place soon. In an attempt to distract herself until it’s time to leave she goes outside as much as possible and plays with her fairy friends.

On one such visit Awen, a fairy princess, tells her something exciting. The little fairy sits in front of Crickett and says in a serious tone, “Father says that there are fairies all around the world.” she pauses for an instant so that what she said can sink in. Crickett can’t believe her ears. She doesn’t interrupt Awen but looks on completely in awe at the idea that fairies are everywhere. Awen smiles at her friend's excitement then continues, “So there is a very good chance you will meet fairies on your vacation.”

The idea of meeting new friends is almost more than Crickett can handle. When Awen finishes talking Crickett jumps up and does zoomies. There is no calming her but once she does they play hard until it’s time for her to go in, eat dinner and go to bed.

When Crickett wakes a few mornings later she is still excited and bounds through the house looking for her parents. After searching the whole house and finding no sign of them anywhere she begins to freak out. Then she hears the front door open and calms a bit. Excited again she takes off in a run towards the door. As she rounds the corner she hears daddy say, “Sounds like the baby is awake.”

She tries to slow but it’s too late. As she hits them mommy falls to the floor laughing. Crickett instantly goes to mommy to make sure she is okay, jumping into her lap and kissing her face. Laughing mommy says, between licks, “Little one, are you ready for our vacation?” Crickett instantly jumps up and runs back the way she had come then back again and before long she’s in excited zoomie mode.

A little later they hop in the car and head down the road. Crickett barks excitedly but daddy tells her to hush. “Crickett love you’re hurting our ears.” he says as both he and mommy cringe at the volume and ear splitting pitch of her barks. She feels bad so she stops and lays down to nap and dream of her fairy friends. Her dreams are happy and playful until she wakes at a huge clap of thunder. She barks and whines at the sound causing mommy to look back at her and in as soothing voice as she can she says, “Shhh…Little one it’s okay. The thunder won’t hurt you. I know it is loud but you’re safe with mommy and daddy.” Crickett tries her best to calm down but the sound is so loud and scary she isn’t sure she can. She burrows deep in her blanket to make herself feel safe but it doesn’t help when another clap of thunder comes roaring directly above them. She whimpers again as the rain really hits hard then the wind picks up as well which causes her daddy to have to pull over. They sit in a store parking lot and wait for it all to die down a little.

Mommy is a little frazzled by what has happened so far so Crickett tries her best to remain quiet. By the time they reach the cabin they are wet and stressed. Then when they try the key in the front door and it doesn’t work mommy snaps and begins crying. Daddy then decides to walk around the house to search for another door and moments later he yells, “Over here.” Mommy walks to the side door to try the key. They both let out their breath when not only the key fits in the lock but unlocks the door as well. They unload what they have with them then daddy returns to the car to get the rest while mommy tends to Crickett.

When daddy gets back from his last trip to the car they decide to go back outside to get a look at their home for the next few days. They find the view off the massive deck breathtaking so they stand taking it in for a few minutes before walking back to the front of the cabin to take the trail they had spotted opposite the driveway. The path is beautifully lined with trees, the ground is littered with dead leaves left over from the fall, and as fog begins to form it gives the path an eerily beautiful look like there is a mysterious world just inside the trees.

They walk down the path for a little while and come to the little creek they had seen from the deck. The area is relaxing so they decide to sit on a nice wood and stone bench that had been left along the creek. They sit taking in the beauty for a bit before heading back inside to have lunch and relax after their harrowing trip.

When she wakes the next morning Crickett goes searching for her parents so she can go outside and look for fairies. She finds them still in bed and jumps on them and wakes them with licks and nips to their noses. Her parents giggle at their puppy’s excitement and get up. Once everyone is ready they all go outside after breakfast.

Crickett goes exploring with her parents in tow but stops suddenly on the side of the house when she catches sight of a creature she’s never seen before. She sniffs it and looks it over from every possible angle. It is a small creature that has four legs that are even more stubby than her own and on its back is a very beautiful hard shell that it ducks into when she gets too close for its comfort. Wanting to know what it is Crickett looks over at her parents. Daddy smiles at her and replies, “That’s a turtle love but don’t get too close to its mouth. It's a snapping turtle and may bite.”

Once the turtle leaves they move down the path to see where it might lead. Along the way they come across an abandoned treehouse. In truth it is so old that it’s barely a treehouse. The planks are mostly broken and the bottom is covered in moss. After taking some pictures they keep going and soon come to a beautiful meadow. They are in complete awe of the meadow's beauty and take many pictures of it. Her parents grasp hands then just stand leaning into each other taking in the beauty that surrounds them in the morning sunshine. Crickett on the other hand runs around the meadow taking in all the wonderful smells.

As she approaches a fallen log a small fairy leaps onto it with a little sword in hand. Crickett tilts her head at the little fairy. After a moment Crickett smiles at the fairy, her tongue flopping out of the side of her mouth. The fairy smiles despite himself then puts his little sword away. With a very serious look on his tiny face he says, “Well little dog, may I ask your name?”

Crickett says happily, “I am Crickett Elizabeth Turtle Hobson. I have many fairy friends back home. May I ask your name Sir?”

The little fairy smiles brightly and says rather excitedly, “You’re Crickett? King Fjord sent word that you would be coming.” he bows deeply then continues, “I am Thorn of Brown County, son of King Celeborn and Queen Nimue of the Forest Fairies.”

Crickett is very excited to meet a new fairy friend. She only just contains her excitement enough to bow and show her respect. The fairy prince hops from the log and walks over to Crickett. As he approaches she stands and looks straight ahead. She knows he is testing her mettle. She remains calm and at ease. The little fairy nods his head in approval then motions for Crickett to follow him. With a quick look back at her parents she decides to follow him but she knows that she hasn’t got much time before they notice she is gone. She tells Thorn as much and he says, “We won’t go far I promise.” Then off they go back the way Crickett had come. Minutes later they are back at the treehouse. Crickett notices a small knot at the base of the tree that hadn't been there before. Thorn walks over to the knot then says, “This knot will open wide enough for you when you visit. I will bring you back to meet everyone but not today since your parents are looking for you.”

With that said she hears her parents calling her name and looks in the direction the sound is coming from. She turns back to Thorn and says hurriedly, “I have to go. Thank you for showing me this." Then with a quick bow turns and runs towards her parents.

A few minutes later Crickett comes bounding out of the bushes all covered in twigs and leaves. Relieved, her parents gather her up in their arms. “You gave us a fright.” daddy says as they hold her tight. Crickett whimpers then licks her parents all over their faces. After a second or two they are giggling then Crickett is trying to wiggle out of their arms. They let her down and she runs around their feet yipping in happiness as they head back to the cabin to get ready to go on a hike.

They return home after their hike and promptly all fall asleep. When Crickett wakes first she sits to wait for one of her parents to stir. Her daddy does first and smiles brightly at her when he sees her awake. He carefully and quietly gets up to take Crickett outside. They walk quietly outside so Crickett can go potty. Afterwards daddy sits in a bistro chair by the cabin while Crickett plays in the sun chasing bugs and chewing on sticks.

Neither notice mommy approaching until she moves to sit next to daddy's chair. The instant she sits down Crickett runs to her and barks excitedly up at her. Mommy giggles and pats her little dog on the head. After getting her pats Crickett leaves her parents to wander around to see what she can find. She finds Thorn sitting on a big yellow mushroom. When she is a few feet away she sits in front of him and smiling at her new friend says, “Hello Thorn. How are you doing? We went for a hike this morning.”

Thorn looks at Crickett and replies with his own smile, “Why hello Crickett. I am doing very well. The morning was indeed a glorious one for a hike.” He jumps from the mushroom and flits over to Crickett landing just beyond her front paws then whispers in her ear, “Do you want to see where I live? I can take you.” Crickett would love to but she looks back at her parents, instantly concerned.

He says very matter of factly, “We will be quick.” Crickett nods her head in agreement and they walk side by side down the trail until they reach the tree with the treehouse. As they near the tree Crickett notices the light emitting from the knot. Thorn places his hand on the knot and it opens. Crickett is at a loss for words at the beauty before her. Everything is green and the flowers are huge and bright. She has never seen anything so beautiful in her whole life. As they walk through the door Crickett hears so many sounds all around her and before long fairies begin to join them. She is so distracted by everything around her that she completely misses the fairy standing in her path. Only noticing him after she runs into him and knocks him off his feet. When she looks down she sees an older version of Thorn in the dirt. Thorn being closest helps the fairy. “Father. Father. Are you okay?” Thorn says as he helps the fairy to his feet.

Crickett quickly realizes the fairy is King Celeborn. She instantly bows to the little fallen king and says apologetically, “Sire. I am so very sorry. I did not mean to run you over.” Once on his feet Celeborn brushes himself off and walks to the little dog. With a smile on his jovial face he says, “You must be Crickett. Fjord told us you were coming. You are exactly as he said you would be. It is our honor to have such a brave little dog in our forest.” Embarrassed, she can bows her head at his praise. “Your highness I am but a dog. I do not deserve such praise for merely being me.” she says shyly.

The king closes the distance between them and places his hand upon her nose. Then looking into her eyes says, “Crickett you are far from just a dog. Please come and meet the rest of our family.” Crickett nods then follows the king.

The king leads them to a very beautiful silver white castle. When they get to the doors they open up and into a room with beautiful floors, lush green walls and lights that appear to be made of vines and flowers. As Crickett walks behind the king and Thorn she looks around. As they approach another door it opens of its own accord causing her to only have to pause for a moment.

Sitting in the room Crickett sees a very beautiful fairy with two younger fairies by her side. The king goes to the beautiful fairy, grasps her hands, kisses them softly and whispers, “My love we have a visitor. Nimue, this is Crickett.” Queen Nimue rises to get a look at the little dog that they had heard so much about. She instantly likes Crickett not because of all the praises that King Fjord bestowed upon her but because she can tell Crickett has a sharp mind and a very good heart. Smiling, she moves down the stairs to properly greet Crickett. Standing before Crickett she says, “It is an honor to meet you Crickett. I am Nimue.'' She pauses long enough to turn to the young fairies and motions for them to join. They do as they are told and when they are next to her she continues speaking. “These are our other two children, Zyran and Sitata.”

The young fairies giggle when Crickett bows to them and after a look at their mother they run to Crickett to pet her. A few minutes later the King approaches and regretfully says, “Crickett. It is time to go. Your parents are looking for you.” Crickett smiles at the mention of her parents then says her goodbyes.

Thorn leads her to the knot so that she can get home but before she walks through she says, “Thank you Thorn. I really enjoyed meeting your family and seeing your home. I hope to see you again soon.” Then she walks through and rushes to her parents.

She finds them where she had left them. Mommy bends down to pet her little dog then says, “Crickett love where have you been? Did you have fun?” Crickett yips happily then does zoomies. Daddy laughs and says as he watches his little dog, “I’ll take that as a yes.” Then the trio walk back to the cabin to get something to eat before bedtime.

The next morning they eat breakfast then prepare for another hike. While Crickett is waiting for her parents outside she sees Thorn and his siblings. She rushes to them and says, “Good morning. How are you guys doing?” The fairies giggle and Thorn replies, “We are doing fine. How are you this fine morning?” Crickett sits down with the fairies and tells them about the day’s plans and that’s where Crickett is when her parents find her. To them she is merely sitting in the grass yipping at the air and being silly.

“Crickett love, it’s time to go.” Daddy calls to her as he and mommy walk to the car. Crickett bids her friends farewell and runs to the car so they can go on their hike. When they stop to pay Crickett starts barking excitedly. Mommy says, “Cricket love, calm down. We're almost there.” Then to the park ranger she says “I'm sorry she’s a little excited.”

The park ranger, a nice man with dark hair and small wire rimmed glasses smiles brightly and replies, “It’s ok miss. It’s understandable. This park is a wondrous place to explore.” He then hands daddy a map and tells them to have a good day. Her parents wish him the same, then they go to find a spot to start their day. After a hike, they eat lunch then head home to rest.

On Crickett’s last day as she visits with the fairies she tells them that she is leaving soon. Thorn with what little happiness he can muster replies, “You will be back my friend. We have seen your parents here before and know they will return again. So you see this isn’t goodbye forever. It’s just goodbye for now.” Crickett smiles at his words then says, “Ok. Goodbye for now my friends.” Then gives them kisses before heading back to her parents so they can head home.