Merry and Bright

In today's story, Merry and Bright, Maisy Mouse and Sarah Fox enjoy holiday fun on the Morning of Good

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Today's prompt was inspired by the holidays and a celebration of light in the dark of winter. It's a shorter story than most episodes, but took me twice as long to write... working on all of those rhymes!

If you enjoy today's story, please share it with your friends and leave a review for Freely Written. You can also send me  a prompt suggestion, and I'll be sure to credit you in the episode. Thank you!

More about Susan Quilty

Susan Quilty mainly writes novels, including two standalone novels and her current YA series: The Psychic Traveler Society.  Susan's short stories for Freely Written are created during quick writing breaks and shared as a way to practice her narration skills before she dives into recording audio versions of her novels.

Website:  SusanQuilty.com
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The Freely Written Book: Freely Written Vol. 1
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Transcript

Below is the transcript for Season 1, Episode 131 of Freely Written, a podcast by author Susan Quilty:

Welcome to Freely Written where a simple prompt leads to a little unplanned fiction. 

[Light piano music]

Hi, friends! I’m Susan Quilty and today’s prompt is Merry and Bright.

Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Today’s story posts on December 25th. This year, that’s both Christmas Day and the first night of Hanukkah, or as some call that convergence Chrismukkah. 

While I grew up with Christmas, my adult celebrations are entirely secular. The Winter Solstice holds as much significance for me, and I love that this a period where many faiths and cultures have their own festivals that bring light into the dark of winter. 

At least here, in the Northern Hemisphere. For those listening from the other side of the world, enjoy your sunny celebrations and maybe come back to this story in June. 

Whatever you celebrate, I hope you’ll enjoy today’s tale. I wrote it with my usual Freely Written process, where I sit down with a prompt and write whatever comes to mind, with no planning and very little editing, then record the story and share it with you. 

As a quick reminder, I also write novels that are grounded in reality but often have a sci-fi, fantasy, or psychological twist. You can shop for them through my website, SusanQuilty.com, or look up “Susan Quilty” wherever you buy books. There are also links in the show notes. 

Okay, let’s get to the story:

Merry and Bright

It was a cold winter morning, merry and bright, when Maisy Mouse woke to a world filled with white. The snow was piled high on branches and rocks. It fell from the sky, on her friend, Sarah Fox. 

“I’ve waited for you,” Sarah Fox said. “I thought you would never crawl out of bed.”

“It’s only past dawn,” Maisy laughed with glee. “Are you about ready to visit the tree?”

The wizened old tree at the heart of the wood, was the gathering place on the Morning of Good. Each year, on this day, the young and the old would all come together, sharing warmth in the cold. 

Their coats were all shaggy with soft winter fur; their feathers were plumped; their hearts were astir. On this Morning of Good, small friends in the forest would join at the tree and sing out in glad chorus:

“Hail to the morning, merry and bright, welcoming good from day to night. On this day we come together, paw to claw, and fur to feather. With a pledge to share our dreams, make this winter season gleam.”

With the pale golden sun shining down from above, the animals gathered in neighborly love. They whispered of berries, small nuts, and seeds, sharing their secrets for where to best feed. 

Maisy and Sarah skipped ‘round the edge, peering intently through bramble and hedge. For there was a tale they truly believed, about a sprite that provided the gifts they received.

This sprite, it was said, rewarded the good with caches of treats found through the wood. For those who were naughty, so it was warned, their hopes for full bellies would likely be scorned. 

No one had proof that they’d seen this sprite, though many had claims of glimpsing her flight. She flitted through branches and skimmed over trees, dipping to clearings to spy as she pleased. 

Some forest creatures had different sprite stories, with multiple sprites in their own territories. To Maisy and Sarah, this made the most sense. How could one little sprite fill a forest this dense?

As they skirted the clearing, expanding their search, a rustle of branches made their hearts lurch. They followed the motion from tree to tree, until they lost track of where they might be. 

At the edge of a river, glistening with ice, they stopped in their tracks, and had to look twice. There on a rock, out in plain sight, lay a tiny, winged creature that must be the sprite!

She glimmered and glistened like dew in the spring, yet she limped quite sadly, testing out a bent wing.

“Oh, goodness!” she cried when she spotted the girls. “You’re not meant to see me!” she said with a twirl. Her wings wrapped around her, not quite concealing, and it was quite clear that her wing needed healing. 

“Don’t be afraid,” Maisy gently implored. While Sarah stood slack jawed, clearly quite floored.

The sprite made a turn, aware of their watching, “Do you think,” she asked, “you could offer me lodging?”

“Oh, of course!” Sarah answered, finding her voice. And the friends shared a laughing smile of rejoice. 

“But wait,” the sprite cautioned, with great inhibition. “If I take your help, it will come with conditions. You must keep me secret and not tell this story, not showing me off for your own taste of glory.”

They agreed without question, showing their merit. “We won’t tell a soul!” they promised. “We swear it!” 

The sprite stood up taller, her wing now unfurled, and offered a wink to the befuddled girls. 

“You’ve shown your true spirit,” she said with a smile. “I see that your hearts harbor no guile. Your kin will be blessed with berries and seeds, as long as you honor what you’ve guaranteed.”

The sprite then flew off with a glittery flash, and the girls watched her go, their paws firmly clasped. 

“We can’t tell this tale!” they agreed in a hurry, their eyes all aglow and their hearts in a flurry.

And then off from afar, they heard from the sprite, “May your cold days of winter be merry and bright!”

The End 

Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoyed this winter holiday tale as much as I enjoyed writing it. If so, please share it with your friends. And please do check out my books at SusanQuilty.com. As an indie author, your support means the world to me.

Happy holidays, happy new year, and…  

Until next time, try a little free writing of your own. Let go of any planning and see where your imagination takes you. 

[Light piano music]