The Drabble Diaries
by Tomoyo-chan
Disclaimer: I do not own. Todays drabble is loosely based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and a quote from 'The Lost Princess and Other Stories' blog I read.
A Tinkling of Bells - June 12, 2012
'In the morning I found a cold silver bell, dripping dew, in my garden. Left behind by midnight revelers, it was caught on a vine and played a silken melody to the wind. I picked it like a tiny argent pear. I shall wear it on my charm bracelet and use it to catch Their attention, now and then.' - The Lost Princess July 13, 2009
Mary was licking her fingers from her breakfast of honey-bread when a passing butterfly caught her attention. Following its path a shimmer of light distracted her. There, at the base of the garden, where delicate lines traced down the wall, was a silver sparkle. Leaning closer she found it was a tiny silver bell no bigger than the tip of her finger.
Minuscule etchings traced its surface and as she traced them with a finger, she could feel a tingling under her skin. How had such a tiny beautiful thing have come to reside in the garden?
Gently detaching it from the hanging vine, she decided to show it to Ben when he arrived.
"It's a fairy bell." he told her, passing back the silver marvel.
"A fairy bell?"
He nodded. "They make a sound like raindrops, but you can only hear it when you are very happy. This one must have been left behind," Ben shook the bell but Mary heard nothing. Perhaps, she decided, that she wasn't as happy as she thought. Or perhaps the bell was broken.
Either way, she treasured that little bell and tied it with a string around her wrist.
And when she was very old and on her deathbed, surrounded by her children and grandchildren, on her way to once again see her husband, she thought she heard the sound of raindrops. But when her daughter crossed to the window, she said it was the clearest day outside. Mary smiled, for she was finally truly happy.