Ellie’s Arrival
This is the continuation of Ellie of The Woods (3 of 3). These may someday be published as beginner chapter books, but for now, I’m sharing them here as 3 separate blog posts. Enjoy! 💖
Chapter 1
“Gee, Uncle Crow, we’re here already?”
“Yes, Ellie. From the time you arrived at the forest, you were never far from home.”
“I had no idea!”
“You weren’t supposed to, Child.”
“Oh…”
Ellie drops the subject as she runs excitedly from tree to tree.
“Hello! Hello! I’m back!”
“We missed you, Ellie,” they call back, their leaves shivering with excitement.
Owl, Bat, Bear, and all the Wild Ones come out to greet her. She runs to them and is wrapped up in a big hug.
“We’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
When the celebration is over, Ellie lays on the ground.
“I’ve missed this, too.” Ellie whispers softly to the Earth. “You feel different here than you did everywhere else.”
“That’s because this is your true home, Ellie,” Earth whispers back.
Ellie allows herself to be held by Earth and the Wild Ones for a long time. She relaxes into their love and feels supported in ways she didn’t know she was missing.
Chapter 2
Ellie’s not sure how long she lay with Earth and her beloved Wild Family, but the sun is now much higher in the sky.
She sits up slowly and stretches her arms and legs out, wiggling her fingers and toes.
“I feel so alive and at peace here. Like trying to hold that space inside myself is easier.”
“Yes, Ellie,” Uncle Crow replies. “That’s because you’re home.”
“I figured. But, Uncle Crow, why wasn’t I supposed to know that home was so nearby? I could have come to visit or something.”
“That’s exactly why, Ellie. Home was always here for you, but you needed to learn and grow without coming here or leaning on us.”
“I guess that makes sense. But the break would have been nice sometimes.”
“I’m sure it would have been, Ellie, but what would you have learned if you could escape from your reality any time you wanted?”
Ellie thinks about this for a few minutes. “I guess not much. I’d only have learned to run away. I wouldn’t have learned to accept reality. I wouldn’t have worked so hard to create a community and find like-minded people. I wouldn’t have found the places inside myself that are quiet even when all around me is loud. And I might not have worked so hard on all the healing that needed to be done. Knowing home was waiting for me was the ultimate destination - it kept me going and pushed me forward when I felt like quitting.”
“Exactly, Ellie!”
Crow sticks out his wing. Ellie gently grasps it with her hand. Together, they fly into the sky. Higher and higher until they meet with Eagle.
Chapter 3
“There you are!” Ellie yells with joy. “I was wondering when I’d see you.”
Crow gently hands Ellie over to Eagle. Together, Eagle and Ellie soar even higher.
“The view up here is amazing! I can see all the places I traveled to and the forest where I was living right before I came home.” Ellie keeps this to herself. She doesn’t want to spoil the magic of the moment.
After a while, Eagle and Ellie begin a slow, spiral descent to Earth.
Mama Bear walks over and puts one paw around Ellie’s shoulder.
“That was amazing Mama Bear! You should have been there! I could see all the places I went and the forest I just left.”
“And what did you learn from that, Little One?”
“Two things. First, I want to make this home, our home, a Sanctuary for all Wild Ones and for humans, too. I want it to be a protected, safe place for all Beings. And I want it to be legally acknowledged, too. Because I know from living among humans that if it’s not on a legal paper, it doesn’t count to some of them.”
“That’s a beautiful idea Ellie! We’ll help you as much as we can. What’s the second thing?”
“The second thing is that I now know I couldn’t come home until I was ready to make this place a Sanctuary for everyone, not a place of escape for myself. I had to be ready and willing to share it in a compassionate and loving way. Coming home isn’t an escape, it doesn’t mean the work stops. It’s actually a place to continue the work, to share love, compassion and healing even more...and in new ways.”
“Yes, Ellie! Very good. You’re definitely ready to be here.”
Ellie smiles a bright, big smile that lights up her whole being. She snuggles her face into Mama Bear’s chest. “I’m so happy to hear that. I was half afraid you’d ask me to leave again.”
Mama Bear pats Ellie’s back. “It’s okay, Little One. That was an understandable fear. We’re here to help and to guide you, as always. We’ll make suggestions and ask things of you, but you can trust that you’ll never be asked to move out of here again. This is your home base and always will be.”
Ellie cries tears of relief and allows herself to be held securely in Mama Bear’s arms.
Chapter 4
The next few days, Ellie walks in the woods. She reconnects with all the Wild Ones and Trees she knew as a child. They’ve all grown so much!
“I definitely need to make this place a Sanctuary. I’m just not sure where to start.”
The next morning, she calls all the Wild Ones and Trees together. “I love you all so much. You know that I want to protect you, protect this place, and create a place for healing - a Sanctuary.”
They all nod and cheer.
“The thing is, even with all the time I’ve spent living among the humans, I’m not exactly sure how to do it, from the legal papers standpoint. So I’m going to go back to the community I made and ask for help. I will be back tonight and I need your help while I’m gone.”
“Sure Ellie! What do you need?” They ask as one.
“I need you to create a spiritual protection around this place, an energetic barrier that will not allow any who wish to cause harm to enter.”
“We can do that!”
The Wild Ones and Trees are happy to have something they can do for Ellie. They get right to work while Ellie walks back to the community.
Chapter 5
“Ann! Julie! Ben!” Ellie is a little breathless. She ran part of the way here.
“Ellie! We didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”
Still catching her breath, Ellie says, “I know. But I need your help.”
“Of course, Ellie. What can we do?” Ben asks.
“Do you need more yellow flowers?” Ann wonders.
“Can I help you with some research in the library?” Julie asks.
Ellie smiles. “Thank you all for your willingness. I may need all of those things, but right now, what I need is information and guidance.”
“Okay!” They all agree.
“I want to make my birth woods into a Sanctuary - a safe place for all Beings. I want it to be a place where the Wild Ones and Nature will not be harmed and where humans can be invited to come for healing and rest.”
“That’s a beautiful plan, Ellie. What information can we give you?”
“Well, I know that for it to be respected by all humans, I need to somehow legally register it. Creating the energetic space and protections won’t be enough.”
“Very true.”
“But I’m not sure where to begin. I need to understand the laws, the regulations, and who I talk to start this process. I need to know which forms I have to fill out, what information goes on them and where I file those forms.”
“All great questions, Ellie. I’m not sure we know either, but between the three of us, we can figure it out!”
“That’s great! Thank you so much!”
Ellie hugs her friends. She’s so happy she has this community of people to help her with the next healing mission.
Chapter 6
As Ellie heads back to the woods, she thinks about how her mission has shifted since she started.
“First, I thought it was about healing other people, helping them find their inner peace and live their best lives. Then, I thought it was about healing the Earth and taking care of myself and my community.
“Now...now, I realize it’s all of that, but also not. It’s really about creating space for all of that healing work to happen. It’s not about me or my gifts at all. It’s about SPACE!
“Yes, my gifts, skills, knowledge, and learning are all necessary to create that space. And yes, the journey I’ve been on was worthwhile - for a lot of reasons. But this mission feels so much more peaceful.
“Up til now, I’ve felt like I had to force things. Push through, pull myself up, fight to be understood, fight for others’... it was always so tiring. Joyful, but tiring.
“And I’m sure some aspects of creating this space will be tiring, too, but not in the same way.
“I remember feeling like my soul was tired. Then I came to this forest and my soul wasn’t tired anymore, but my brain and body got a little tired...I still thought I needed to escape.
“It’s funny how as soon as I accepted that I couldn’t escape, that I had to learn to embrace my current reality and use that to improve myself and my community, I got the very thing I wanted - I got to go home!
“And it’s funny how now that I’m home I have a new, exciting mission, when I used to think that going home meant I could relax, could stop doing the healing work and focus on things differently.
“Honestly, I don’t want to stop the healing work. It brings me joy now. I had to learn a lot of things to understand how to do the work, use my gifts, in the way that’s best for all, including myself. And I had to learn to do it without being in my birth woods where I feel safest. Because that kind of safety would have meant I didn’t feel I needed to work on myself and grow in the ways I needed to.
“I think the Wild Ones and Nature always had a plan for me, and still do, but I’m only allowed to see a little bit of it at a time because I need to make mistakes, learn, and forge a path for myself. But when I listen to their guidance, I stay going in the right direction.”
Ellie finds this thought comforting. It helps her relax into her new mission even more.
In the past, Ellie would have felt a fierce determination to get on with the mission and get the job done. Now, she feels sure it will happen and trusts that her community and the Wild Ones will help her.
“What a relief to have help! It’s not all on me, and that is so much easier than trying to do everything myself.
“What a relief, too, to feel like it doesn’t all have to happen RIGHT NOW. It’s much more peaceful to trust that whatever the timing, it’s the right timing and truly know in my soul that’s true. I guess I’ve grown up a lot!”
Chapter 7
When Ellie gets back to the woods, all the Wild Ones come to greet her.
“Ellie! We did it! We created lots of different energetic protections around this space. How did you do with finding the answers you needed?
“That’s great! I’m so happy those protections are in place. My friends in the community are working to find out the answers for the human legalities. It’s going to take a little bit of time, I think, so we should all stay vigilant and do what we can to keep those energetic protections secure.”
“Okay, Ellie. We will.”
“Great! I’m going to go lay down and communicate with Earth to see if there’s anything else that’s needed right now.”
“Good idea. We’ll be here if you need us.”
Ellie smiles. “I know. You always have been, even when I forgot.”
----
Ellie lays on her back and stares up at the sky.
She feels Earth and Sky connecting within her. The swirl and dance, creating space within her to hold the love and compassion necessary for this part of her journey.
Closing her eyes, Ellie invites Earth and Sky to show her what else is needed right now.
Earth and Sky continue to swirl and dance inside her.
“Ah. I see. What’s needed now is stillness, creating a place for Earth and Sky while the human side of things gets figured out.”
Ellie lies there a bit longer and realizes she needs the Wild Ones to help make space for Earth and Sky.
Chapter 8
Ellie calls the Wild Ones and Nature together once more.
“I need your help again. Please help me make space for Earth and Sky to connect.”
“Of course, Ellie. How would you like us to do that?”
“I feel like we should dance and drum. What do you think?”
“Yes, Ellie, yes! That’s perfect. And we’re so proud of you for knowing those are the right things to do instead of asking us what to do.”
Ellie hadn’t realized it, but she’s much more comfortable knowing how to create and heal without asking the Wild Ones and Nature what to do. Her relationship with them has become a partnership, instead of parent and child or teacher and student.
Ellie, the Wild Ones, and Nature join hands. They dance in a circle while Trees bang out a rhythm.
Earth and Sky combine in the center of the circle. The weather changes and Fairies make themselves known.
The combined energies keep the woods safe.
When the time is right, Ellie will go back to her community again and get the answers she needs to make things legal for the humans.
For today, she dances for joy with the Wild Ones in her birth woods.