The Adventures of Phoebe Meriweather: Alligator Clips

By Meryl Leigh

Phoebe Meriweather is a little faeiry unaware of her own special abilities. At school, Phoebe is considered a slow learner and a bit of a late bloomer for Faeiryland. She is also shorter than her classmates; standing a mere 20 centimeters (8 inches) tall rather than the 30 centimeters (12 inches) she should be by now, in comparison to her peers. Blissfully unconcerned, Phoebe always keeps a positive attitude and a belief in her heart that she, too, will learn to fly!
Then, on the eve of her ninth birthday, Phoebe has a surprise visit delivered by messenger from a magical world. Suddenly, she is whisked away into an adventure of mystery and surprise, of deception and discovery, where she has to use her wits to solve the challenges she has to face to move forward. In the process, Phoebe discovers the magic in her own unique abilities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: May 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781452597300

Meryl Leigh

As a teacher, Meryl Leigh has traveled the world working with children for more than twenty years. A lover of children’s fables and stories, she’s a firm believer in Santa Clause, Prince Charming, and happily ever after. Currently on teaching assignment overseas, Meryl keeps a home in San Diego, California.

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Copyright © 2014 Meryl Leigh.

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ISBN: 978-1-4525-9729-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-9730-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014908196

Balboa Press rev. date: 05/15/2014

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INTRODUCTION

Faerieland...

A magical place filled with magical creatures full of excitement and wonder...unless, of course, you happen to live there. Then, Faerieland was just another province within the magical community of Utopia Serendipity.

Once upon a time, in this magical land of faeries and sprites, there was a young faerie child born by the name of Phoebe. She was smaller than the other children her age, shorter and more pear-shaped than most. Phoebe Merriweather lived with her parents in number 6 at the end of Chestnut Tree Lane. A lovely two story cottage of yellow and white, which was nestled at the edge of Faerie Belle grove, famous for the single Chestnut tree in the center of the field.

Phoebe loved to sit under the flowering Chestnut tree and dream. She would write make-believe stories in her journals, of traveling with friends and discovering new things and peoples, going on quests for hidden dreams, and solving problems no one else could solve. The tree was surrounded by blooms of zinnia’s and marigolds, tiny bluebells and daisies all pushing their way through the dense, purple blooms of the lavender to add their color to the scene. Phoebe would sit under a particularly tall, bright red zinnia with her back against the stem of the flower to write her dream’s in her journal.

It would soon be her ninth birthday and all the kids from her class were coming to her party. She was excited - and a bit scared, too, since she sensed that something was going to happen that would change her life forever.

ALLIGATOR CLIPS

Once upon a time, in the magical land of faeries and sprites, there was a young faerie child born by the name of Phoebe. She was smaller than the other children her age, shorter and more pear-shaped than most. But, what made Phoebe such a special little faerie was that she had been born with Stunted Wing Growth Syndrome. SWGS was a very rare disease that occurred in only one out of every 222,000 faeries. It also meant that Phoebe would most likely never be able to fly!

Phoebe’s parents were saddened by the news of their child’s handicap. They decided that they would not tell anyone in Faerieland of this problem. They wanted their daughter to have a normal faerie life for as long as possible.

They also never told Phoebe.

In the morning on the day before her ninth birthday, Phoebe looked out her bedroom window over the fields of Faerieland and wished she could go outside. It was a beautiful spring day and she had been cooped up in her bedroom for the last three days with a slight case of floppy wing.

Phoebe’s bright red hair glinted in the sunshine as she stood on her tiptoes at her bedroom window. She could see butterflies floating in the air over the flower fields and she watched the bees, busy as ever, flit from flower to flower, collecting pollen and nectar for their hives.

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Oh, why do I have to be cooped up inside? Phoebe thought. I picked an awful time to be sick. But, I am feeling better. I hope I can still have my birthday party tomorrow. Phoebe wished that to be so. She wished and wished as she stood at the window,