Contrary to all beliefs, not all Fairy godmothers are the kind, warm-hearted, twinkle eyed magical creatures who will make children’s dreams come true with a swish of their wands.
Crystal had been waiting for her own fairy godmother to come for years, but on the very day she decides to not believe in fairy godmothers anymore she accidentally meets Griselda; a grizzly, ghost-like, paper-skinned musty smelling figure who stands over Crystal in the middle of the night trying to touch the little girl’s forehead with her rotting fingers.
Griselda is not your everyday fairygodmother. To Crystal’s horror and contrary to all beliefs Griselda turns out to be a vicious fairy who climbs down pipes into mischievous children’s bedrooms and scares them in their sleep. Crystal finds out later that Griselds’s job is to punish children who misbehave; a responsibility which the ‘good’ fairy godmothers have chosen to avoid.
Crystal has no choice but to let herself be kidnapped from her own bedroom window, on the back of a massive lion-like cat called Spartacus who talks and leaps from roof to roof .
From her own bedroom, to Griselda’s house, to the Ministry of fairies, Crystal is taken on a magical journey of neverending hope to escape. But Crystal is not alone. She finds three more kids held prisoner in Griselda’s attic called Elizabeth, Mika and Tommy who share Crystal’s fate along with her.
Crystal stays imprisoned and is forced to work while listening to Griselda who constantly nags about her noisy old unoiled wings with bulb-eyed Maggie; the thin, wide lipped, sandpapery skinned friend who helps Griselda with her unlawful deeds and shares the secret that they have kidnapped children which is wrong according to the fairy law.
Soon Crystal realises that she has got caught in a vicious war between the good and the bad fairygodmothers…. and finds out to her horror that Griselda and her friends are going to use the kids to be a part of their war and their evil plans. Thankfully they also find hope in a godmother of light called Gil; a glowing young fairy whom the dark godmothers capture and torture. However, before they can cut Gil’s wings off the children help her escape and Gil flees promising to return for them.
But will Crystal truly be able to escape? Will her father who doesn’t even believe in fairy godmothers ever find out what happened to Crystal? Will Gil come back for them? Will the magic dust which makes doors open to other worlds take them back home?
Genre : CHildren’s horror / children’s fantasy.
Crystal’s Tale was published by The Jam Fruit Tree Publications in May, 2022.