Two years ago I decided to gift my grandchildren, ages 4 and 6 at the time, a story for Christmas. Last year I sensed an opportunity to merge my work with the Sidhe and the wonderful understanding of the cooperative relationships trees have with one another arising from the research published by Suzanne Simard, Diana Beresford Kroger and others. Reading their books prompted Stella to come forth to tell me her story - a most marvelous one. And I’m hoping to hear more of it as time goes on.

But this story would not be what it is without the editing assistance of my dear friend, Lucinda Herring, a published author herself. She took my somewhat choppy manuscript, smoothed the rough edges, and turned it into what friends said is, “A pretty good yarn”.

I hope you enjoy it and look forward to sharing more as a new Winter Solstice rolls around. ~ RH

STORY 1 - THE FIRST DAY

It was a time of great changes in the world. Temperatures were becoming warmer and winter snows rarely arrived. Instead, fierce winds roared across the lands. The rains came, either not at all or in great deluges, flooding streams, rivers, and the lowlands. 

It was also a time when most of the great forests of the world were gone. The ancient trees who held the wisdom of the land had been cut down for firewood and buildings, or the land had been used  to grow food or raise animals. These great trees had lived for hundreds, even thousands of years, and they had learned the ways of everything that lived in the forest. They stored this wisdom in roots that grew deep into the earth. Through their roots, they knew all the trees, bushes, ferns, and creatures who lived in their neighborhood. The old trees were the ones who cared for all the life of the forest—the sword and licorice ferns, the blueberries and salmon berries, even the little ground hugging redwood sorrel that looked like a four-leaf clover.

Yet, as time passed, fewer and fewer elder trees remained. The old trees who survived knew how much the Earth and all of life needed them.  There came a time, not so long ago, when the eldest of the remaining trees came together in their spirit realm. In their gathering they spoke with one another and asked: “What can be done? So many of us are cut down. We have a hard time raising our children when we are so few. The humans have forgotten and do not understand our purpose on the Earth. The Earth is calling us. It needs us, for we are part of the great living world. We hold the wisdom of green life, and we must return this wisdom to the Earth.”

Trees have long lives, so these discussions were not hurried.  Years passed as the trees considered all that could be done.  Slowly, like all good ideas, the thought arose among the trees to consult with the Star People, who were close kin to the Humans. The trees trusted these Star People, for they often worked with the older trees and knew their ways. Some of these Star People even appeared as trees, and knew how the lives of the trees nourished the whole forest.  So, the trees came to the Star People with their request for assistance. The Star People too were concerned that so many of the ancient trees were chopped down by the humans, and so they agreed to help.

Perhaps you are wondering who these Star People are.  I will tell you what I know. We Humans have many names for them.  Some people call them the Sidhe; others call them the Fair Folk or the People of Peace. Many ages ago, Sidhe and Humans were one people, and we all came to Earth from the stars.  The name of our Earth is Gaia.  Gaia was very young in those days, and life was just beginning. We Humans were very different then. We did not have bodies, like we do now, with legs and arms and a head. We were more like shimmering ribbons of light, and we could hear each other’s thoughts, without having to talk. In those early days, Humans and the Sidhe were the same, for we were still one people.

There came a time when our planet, Gaia, asked all of us an important question.  Would some of us be willing to take on bodies like the ones we have today, with a head and arms and legs?  In that time, long ago, many of us agreed. The people who said yes became the first Humans while the others who remained as they were are now the Sidhe. It was a bit scary, but it was also a grand adventure. To become a Human meant we would be able to meet other Earth animals, like horses, cats, and ducks.  And trees too - all the many creatures and plants who lived on Gaia. 

The Star People, or the Sidhe, having decided that they would help the trees, gathered in a great meadow under a towering tree. This was no ordinary tree, for it was one of the World Trees—the Tree of Life. Its leaves were made of starlight — reds, yellows, blues, purples, and silvers. And its roots reached down so deeply that they touched other worlds. From the roots of this tree, our world was joined with the world of the Star People. Many Star People came to this conference and among them was the family of Sashima, daughter of Olander and Marika.  Marika was a botanist. A botanist is a person who knows all about plants and trees. Sashima was also very interested in plants. And she was learning all about them in school. Besides knowing much about trees, her whole family also knew Humans, which was another reason this Sidhe family were invited to the gathering. Sashima and her family were familiar with Humans. They lived in the region of the Sidhe world called the Borderlands.   It was called this because it was located quite close to the Human realm. Both Sidhe and Humans often crossed over this divide between the two worlds and met with one another. Her father and mother often worked with a few Humans and Sashima got to meet them too. 

Though the Sidhe have long lives themselves, unlike the elder trees, it did not take them much time to come up with a plan. Once everyone arrived in the enormous meadow, they began sharing ideas with each other. The Sidhe can still read each other’s thoughts, like Humans could do in the old days.  So, when an idea arose in one Sidhe person, all the other people quickly shared it. They called this mindspeak. Together they came up with this idea:  

“If a child could be born on the Earth, having the red blood of the Earth and Human beings, and the silver blood of the Star People, this child, knowing both the Human and the Sidhe world, could discover ways to help the young trees grow into elders.”

All at the gathering agreed that this was a very good idea.  But then a question arose: Who would be the father and the mother of this special child? To be the father and mother of such a child, the parents had to love and understand trees, so they could teach their child everything he or she needed to know, growing up.   

Sashima, who was perhaps the youngest Sidhe at the gathering, said to to her mother in mindspeak,

“I know a couple who would make wonderful parents for this child, but they are quite old.” 

Her mother, Marika, thought back: “Share your idea with everyone dear. Your ideas are as welcome as anyone else’s here.” 

So Sashima, with her mother’s assistance, opened her ideas to everyone and said,

“I know a Human couple who are very kind and I love them very much. I know they love trees, because they grow invisible roots from their feet into the soil and listen to the trees talking with one another. And they have always wanted to have a child. But there is one problem. They are quite old - , well past the time when humans are able to have children.”

An elder member of the Star People replied:  

“Yes, this could be a problem. It would depend on how young in heart this couple are. But there is a solution. We understand time much differently than Humans do. They think time is fixed and only moves from one day to the next. We know how to skip ahead or fall behind in time. Perhaps this   child’s time can skip ahead as she grows up , while her parents' time can fall behind.”

Sashima spoke, “The couple I know don’t seem like old people at all to me.” They seem very alive.”

   And the elder replied, “Sashima, thank you for letting us know about this couple. They may be just the right mother and father for this child.”

Perhaps you are wondering why the elder Star person spoke of skipping ahead or falling behind in time.  Let me explain. When we are small children, we are taught that every day is the same. But some days have more daylight and some more darkness.  I’m sure you know this. Every day is not the same. Think about when you are having lots of fun, and time flies, and the next thing you know, it’s time to go to bed. Yet, when everything is boring, it seems to take forever before you can have fun again.

In the world of the Star People, time is very different. For example, a child of the Star People may grow up in three to five years of their time, instead of taking fifteen or twenty years like it does for a human girl or boy. The elder was thinking that this special child could grow up in seven years, instead of taking twenty one Human years.   At the same time, the bodies of the child’s mother and father would fall behind, so to speak, and only age one year in the same time it would take their child to become a grownup.

If this is a bit hard to understand, it is, because the Star People have star blood, and their bodies work differently from ours.

The old couple whom Sashima knew lived on the edge of a forest with a lovely creek flowing through it. There were many days when the couple walked the trails on their land. They loved seeing trilliums pop up in the spring, nibbling the sweet flowers of the big leaf maples, and speaking with their hearts to the trees, creek, wildflowers, and the many beings who lived there. Their land loved them in return, and many wildflowers, birds, trees, and animals came to live on their land.

It was early spring and one bright sunny morning, the woman said to her husband,

“I had the most strange and wonderful dream last night. I dreamed that I was pregnant with a child. But it was no ordinary child. It was surrounded by star light, as if the stars danced in circles around it. And this morning, I feel wonderful—like I’m a young woman again. 

Her husband, seeing the radiant light shining in her eyes, said, “What a marvelous dream you are telling me, and I see light beaming from your eyes. I feel wonderful too. I could climb to the top of the roof and sing!”

And he almost did too, until his wife told him to come down off the ladder.

As weeks passed, his wife felt more and more like she was pregnant. But this could not be possible, for she was far too old and she didn’t have any of the ailments that pregnant women often experience, like feeling sick in the morning.  But she knew that a baby was growing in her womb. She hesitated to tell her husband. Would he believe her? How could people, old as they were, ever be able to raise a child? You need to be young and energetic to have children, she thought. Then one night she had another dream. In this dream she heard:

“Hello, mother. I am your daughter to be. Please do not be afraid, for I am not an ordinary child. I have the silver blood of stars as well as the red blood of the earth flowing in my growing veins. My silver blood will nourish you as your red blood feeds me. The starlight in my blood will protect you from the usual pains of childbirth. Be joyous, for I come to you with great love, and support for all the beings of our beautiful planet Gaia.”

After this dream, the older woman, now a mother- to- be, felt great peace and knew that all would be well. The next morning, she told her husband her dream, and that she felt the presence of a child in her womb, but could hardly believe it herself. His reaction astonished her, for he did not seem that surprised. When she questioned him, he replied,

“I knew something wonderful was happening for you. Though I am not sure how we can possibly have a child at our age, I too have had dreams. I can feel a child bathed in starlight, hovering close to us.”

As the weeks passed into months, there was no way to hide the mother-to-be’s growing tummy. Of course, no one suspected that she was pregnant, at her age. So, the woman went about her chores, even going to the grocery store at times.  Because the woman knew that her husband would be of little use during the birth, she began searching for a midwife. This was not an easy task, for most midwives would not work with older women. They were afraid that the birth would not go well.  Our mother-to-be was unsure of what to do.  She decided to confide in an old friend. The friend, though old herself, had granddaughters who had just had babies. One of the granddaughters had worked with a loving and jolly midwife, called  Merry. (That’s Merry spelled M E R R Y which means happy and fun.) So, the older couple set up a time to meet with Merry. 

They went to Merry’s house, and, when they were all sitting together, the older mother-to-be told Merry that she knew a woman who was pregnant, even though this woman was older.  She asked Merry if she would be willing to be that person’s midwife.  Merry replied,

“Of course, I work with old gals all the time. Age is not a problem, if you are healthy and spry. Just give her my name and I’ll get together with her.”  Then she added, “What is her name?”

The man and the woman looked at each other with a little twinkle in their eyes. The woman then said: “I am the mother to be.”

Merry’s eyes opened wide and she nearly fell from her chair. She exclaimed, “Well bowl me over dear—did I hear you correctly? You looked a bit on the heavy side but … but… you must be way beyond the age of a woman who can have children. Not to be rude, but you look like a grandma, maybe even a great grandma to me.”

In reply, this mother-to-be said,

“No offense taken. I would be a grandma if we had been blessed with children. This one’s my first. And I’m speaking the truth. Place your hand on my tummy and you can feel her kick. But please, I cannot birth this child by myself.  I would be deeply grateful if you would be my midwife.”

Merry, though a fun loving and carefree person, was also a very knowledgeable, careful, and caring midwife.

She answered, “I will be your midwife. Though I cannot put my finger on it, I sense something special about you and the child whom you carry. For that reason alone, I want to help you.”

After this meeting, the pregnancy continued uneventfully. The child often came to her mother in dreams, and sometimes her father dreamed of her too.  In these dreams, the child explained that she would grow much more quickly than Human children do.  She also let them know that she had important work to do with the trees in the forest. She asked both her mother and father to teach her about the trees, and to go with her to the forest, so that she could learn more of their ways. 

The Winter Solstice was drawing near —the longest night and the shortest day, but also the time when the world begins to brighten again. The mother’s tummy was so big by this time that she could not see her toes.  One evening, at dinner, the mother told her husband that it was time to name their child. She said,  

“I’ve been thinking of the name “Stella.” It is a lovely name for a girl and it’s a very old name that means ‘star’. What do you think?”

“I like that name,” her husband said. “Stella is a fitting first name, and it is a girl’s name too. But what would her middle name be? What about ‘Child’, since she is a child of the stars? Or is that too corny?“

“You’re right.” she replied, “Stella Child’ is corny, and reminds me of someone who cooks. We need a better middle name.” 

They thought about middle names for several days. Then at dinner her husband said, 

“I have an idea for a middle name. It comes from the German language and it is the word for child. It is spelled K I N D. In German, you say it as ‘kint’ but in English it is ‘kind’. So, her name would be ‘Stella Kind’ or Star Child, but everyone would think it was ‘kind’. We know that she will be kind. So, it’s a perfect name with two different meanings.” 

The mother pursed her lips and looked over her husband’s shoulder. “Hmm” was all she muttered.

At dinner the next day she said, “Stella came to me in my dreams last night and was quite pleased with ‘Stella Kind’. It seems that this is our daughter’s name.”

The day of Stella’s birth came closer while the days grew shorter and shorter. On the day of the Winter Solstice, the mother said to her husband, 

“The midwife needs to come now. Stella has announced that she is coming TODAY.”

Her husband grabbed his phone and dialed 1 (for the midwife was on his speed dial), When Merry answered, he blurted out, “Come quickly! The baby is arriving soon.”

Fathers are not calm when their wives are giving birth. I know this because I remember when my daughter was born. And Merry knew this too. But to soothe this soon- to -be father, Merry said,

“I will rush right over and be there in a flash!” 

And so Merry was. She found Stella’s mother lying quietly in bed. 

The mother said, “Our daughter is coming today on the Winter Solstice -the day that the light returns. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Merry was very surprised to see how calm Stella’s mother was.  Usually, a  mother giving birth is breathing hard and having a challenging time.  However, Stella had told her mother in the first dream that the birth would be peaceful. And so it was.   

Unlike the rainy days that often come before Winter Solstice, the sun came out in the early morning and played with the clouds for the rest of the day. The sun was happy that it would be visiting the people of the land more and more over the coming days. Just as the sun was about to take its daily plunge behind the Earth, Stella arrived with her eyes wide open, gazing at this world. And around her the light seemed to ripple and shimmer. as if the world of starlight was sending waves into the world of sunlight. 

As these waves of sunlight and starlight streamed through the worlds of Human and Sidhe, the trees sensed them passing, their needles quivering and their leaves fluttering. The trees, like all Gaian life, celebrated this newborn child, Stella Kind.

Stella was wrapped in a blanket and held in her mother’s arms.  The child gazed with her silver blue eyes at her mother and spoke with her thoughts,

“Mother, I am so glad to see you with my very own eyes.”

And her mother gazed back at Stella, with deep love flowing from her eyes and she said in thoughts, 

“I am so happy to see you too!”

Then Stella Kind turned to her father and spoke in thoughts,

“I can see that you too welcome me to your world. I love you, and know that you love me too.”

And her father, with tears of joy in his eyes, could only say,

“I love you Stella.  I love you too.”

~

My story tells of the first day in the life of Stella Kind, Star Child. There will be more stories to tell, for Stella came to our Earth Gaia to aid the trees, and to help Humans recover from all the ills and misunderstandings accumulated over the ages. But for now, our story must come to an end, on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. And as Stella grows up, there will be other Solstices and new stories of her life with the Humans, the Sidhe, and the Trees.

~~~

© Copyright 2022, Ron Hays all rights reserved.