Use Your Words: Fairy Stale

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I’m using: mountains ~ flashlight ~ fairies ~ fire ~ clouds

 They were submitted by: Stacy Sews and Schools.


Back in January of 2014 I found out that I have a successful children's storybook author and illustrator in my family. I thought, in the way that only I can, that I now understood the reason I'm not wildly famous, I hadn't properly identified my genre. I decided to tap into the talent that's clearly somewhere in my DNA and try my hand at a children's story. The result was a post called Fairy Tale.

The post was a success. I even had the balls guts to reach out to the author, Elisa Kleven, in a private FB message. I explained how we were related (barely) and told her about my (kind of, sort of) fairy tale. She either has a very good sense of humor or is exceedingly polite but she claimed to have enjoyed the story.

On my blog that post did so well that readers came to my FB page in droves telling me that I needed to write a book of fairy tales. They were adamant, both my friends and even readers I didn't know. I decided that I would do it. Humorous fairy tales would be different enough from every other blogger book out there, so why not?

And I tried, I really did. I wrote a story. And then I edited it. And edited it. And edited it. And when I was done I had about 3 words left. 

I put the project on hold.

When I saw my words today, "fairies" in particular, I thought it was a sign, try again. So . . . 

Once upon a time there was a beautiful, intelligent woman, a wife and a mother to two young boys. She lived and loved and laughed, had friends and parties, raised her kids.

This woman also had a secret, one that allowed her to live her life confident that nothing bad could happen. And her secret was this: she had a safety net. She had a fairy. 

It was not a unique situation for her. All through history her family had a long standing relationship with the fairies. Each female baby born into her mother's line was assigned one of their own. The fairy could be summoned, a wish would be granted.

But the woman chose to live a normal life; she took tough tests in college, ended relationships, went through childbirth, lived like anyone else and never called her fairy. Always knowing that if she really needed to, one day she could, one day she would.


What the woman did not know, had never been told, is that a fairy stays young and vibrant and happy through granting these wishes. This is their purpose.

From the time that they were little, her sons knew of their mom's fairy. They'd even seen their grandmother's zip in, wave her wand and grant many a wish. It was nothing unusual for them and often they would ask their mom to call her fairy.

"Mom, I want a sandwich and this bread is stale" or "I want chips and the bag wasn't closed tightly" the oldest would say "call your fairy". And the woman would refuse. She would buy bread more often, close the chip bag more carefully, no one wants stale bread or chips, but this was not a situation that called for a fairy.

Or the youngest would say "I don't want pork chops for dinner, I want Crusted Spicy Chicken Breasts, call your fairy." And the woman would refuse. She could make chicken tomorrow, but this was not a situation that called for a fairy.

Crusted Spicy Chicken Breasts

Until, many years later the woman and her boys, now in their late teens, decided to take a day trip. This would be one of their last before the boys started college. It was a beautiful warm sunny spring day, perfect for a hike in the mountains. 

Hours later, far up the trail, it was now late afternoon and time to head home. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere the sky turned black. Clouds moved in, the skies opened up and they were soaked.

"We can take shelter under the rocks, try to start a fire, and wait it out" the boys said. But no, the woman knew that this could be a dangerous situation. This, now, this was the time. Finally, after all these years, she knew that she needed her fairy to zip in with her wand. She shut her eyes, concentrated, and silently summoned her fairy.

Up flew meandered the fairy. Slowly, unsteadily, dipping and weaving, thick glasses on her nose, hearing aides in both of her ears.

"Eh?" said the fairy, holding a hand to her eyes. "Is someone there?"
"I'm here" the woman said, grabbing the flashlight from her backpack and holding it to her face so she could be seen.

"Huh" yelled the fairy, fumbling with her glasses "Speak up, did someone say something?"
"I'm here" the woman yelled "and I need my wish".
But the fairy did not see her. The fairy did not hear her. And the fairy promptly disappeared.

Moral of the story: You can buy your bread more often. You can close your chips more carefully. But if you want your wishes granted, you do not want your fairie stale.

Links to the other Use Your Words posts:

Spatulas on Parade

The Momisodes
The Bergham's Life Chronicles

Southern Belle Charm
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy 
Sparkly Poetic Weirdo 
Stacy Sews and Schools 
Someone Else's Genius 
Never Ever Give Up Hope 
Confessions of a part-time working mom 
 The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver
Searching for Sanity 
Climaxed 
Juicebox Confession  
Cluttered Genius 
The Angrivated Mom 

Crusted Spicy Chicken Breasts

                                                                            ©www.BakingInATornado.com  

Printable Recipe
 

Ingredients:
 
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp thyme
1 1/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup vegetable oil
 
1 ½ cups tostito chips
1 cup fritos
½ stick butter, melted
 
Directions:
*Cut the chicken breasts in thirds and place chicken pieces into a gallon sized resealable bag.
*Mix together the seasonings and the oil. Pour into the bag with the chicken and massage to be sure that all of the pieces of chicken are completely coated. Refrigerate from 4 hours.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 casserole dish.
*Finely crush the fritos and tostitos.
*Remove the chicken from the fridge and coat with the frito and tostito crumbs. Press the crumbs firmly into both sides of the chicken.
*Place chicken pieces into casserole dish, drizzle the melted butter over the top.
*Bake for 45 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the topping is browned.