Millie's Magic Toys
In the small town of Shallow Creek situated on the steps of the grand Blue Ridge mountains, lived an elderly woman called Millie Abbott. She was no ordinary inhabitant though, she was the town's famous toy maker. She had been crafting beautiful toys from wood for several decades, which had created a sense of awe for her work upon the town's denizens. This is a tale of Magic, friendship and unspoken wishes that will paint a brilliant picture of courage and perseverance.
Millie, 80 years old, had sparkling blue eyes and a radiant smile that could light up the grimest soul. She used to live alone with her old cat named 'Comet'. Comet was more than just a companion, he was Millie's confidante and her best friend. Millie had a small wooden workshop at the back of her lovely lavender color house where she brought smiles to life by creating the most charming, quirky, unique and amazingly crafted wooden toys.
One Autumn, Millie had worked on a special project - a wooden owl with sweeping wings and an exquisite golden beak. Of all the toys that she had ever made, this owl was her favorite. She named it ‘Aurora’ to commemorate its celestial beauty. After giving a final caressing touch to Aurora, she placed it by her cot intending to present it to the town’s Mayor as a Christmas present.
That night, under the moonlit night, something unexpected happened. A brilliant comet tore through the sky, trailing a blaze of stardust behind it. It swooshed across right above Millie's house. Something fell from the comet, a dazzling crystal bead as small as a pebble, and it slipped into the open window of Millie, resting on Aurora, the wooden owl.
Their sleepy town of Shallow Creek was buzzed with excitement the following morning about the comet. Little did they know that a fairy, Luna, had hitched a ride on that comet. Luna, a petite and pretty fairy had traveled from the far reaches of the cosmos. Luna's fairy powers came from her crystal bead, which fell into Millie's house. When Luna found her bead was missing, she was utterly devastated and clueless about how to retrieve it.
Back at Millie's house, when Millie picked up Aurora, she noticed something odd. The wooden owl was warm and the eyes illuminated a brilliant azure. She was spellbound for a moment; she had never seen anything like this before.
Days passed, and Christmas was around the corner. The thought of giving Aurora to the Mayor never crossed her mind again. Instead, she placed Aurora on the highest shelf in her room where no one could reach it.
Luna, in the attempt to find her bead, alighted upon Millie’s window one chilly winter evening and watched Aurora, the wooden owl, subtly sparkling with her magic bead resting in it. Luna met Millie and Comet, and the unlikely friends helped Luna to reclaim her bead.
In return, Luna decided to extend a piece of her fairy magic to Millie's toys, making them a whole more special. The magic enabled the wooden toys to bring out the most cherished wish from within the heart of the child playing with them. Each toy that Millie produced from thereon contained a smidgen of Luna's fairy magic that was gifted to her with heartfelt gratitude.
Word spread far and wide about Millie's unique magic toys, which now came alive with the innocent laughter of a child. Shallow Creek was bustling with more joy, warmth, and laughter than ever. The fairy, Luna, still visits Millie and Comet every Christmas, bringing along copious tales, magical gifts and cometic delights from distant galactic wonders.