During her summer visit to Aunt Maeve’s green home in Northern California, Caitlin comes face-to-face with a band of Fairies who tell her, in no uncertain terms, that she must correct the damage that Bumbles (otherwise known as humans) have caused; global warming, pollution, extinction of animals...and oh yes, most importantly, death of Fairies!
“Fairies? Here? Really? Isn’t that kid’s stuff? And aren’t fairies supposed to live in England or Ireland...or in fairy tales?” asks Caitlin.
As Caitlin’s Bumble-mind opens up to a world of new possibilities, magic trespasses into her everyday life. Pixies harass her during a hike, animals talk to her, and Spirit Orbs float mysteriously in the barn. Will Aunt Maeve discover Caitlin’s secret life and special powers? Can Caitlin possibly correct the damage that Bumbles have caused in her village and the world?
Enjoy an excerpt from Willow Wood
Prologue
The Wreck of The Lyric
1850
"I see land, sir!" shouts the mate. Barely heard over the shrieking wind he clings to the clipper’s mast. From his post he feels as if he’s atop a bobber, tied to a string, hooked to the granddaddy of all fish. Tossing back and forth, up and down, it’s a miracle that he ever saw the thin strip of land in the pale morning light.
"Where?" shouts his captain.
"Directly ahead, sir. I see trees, along a ridge, about two miles away."
Still far away, thinks Captain Conway.
"Continue course," he instructs his first officer.
The Lyric charges ahead, slicing through the frigid gray water off the Northern California coast. Bound for the Gold Rush city of San Francisco, the captain is in a particular hurry. He’s just sailed six thousand miles from China and his ship is laden with supplies. Forty-niners with new-found wealth are eager to purchase his fine blue and white porcelain bowls, brightly colored silks, camphor trunks, shiny lacquered ware, and gold filigree jewelry.
Not only is the captain anxious to sell his wares but he looks forward to visiting his Irish friends in San Francisco. He sailed from Cork many months before and he misses Ireland. He’s stocked The Lyric with good Irish ale from the homeland to share with his friends. He expects a good time!
The wind rattles the rigging as gulls battle the gale to greet the clipper with piercing calls of, Come along and Go away. It’s hard to tell which. As The Lyric plows ahead towards the coastline, waves relentlessly pound her hull. The icy cold is bone chilling, turning fingers and nose-tips numb and blue. A misty sea fog dances across the deck and over the surface of the water so that all looks like an illusion in a frosted mirror. Briny wind-tossed spray kicks up from the sea to land in shout-opened mouths. Time is lost in the frigid gray world.
Suddenly, a break in the fog.
"Land sir! Ahead sir! Just off the starboard bow!"
"Hard to port!" cries the captain. The Lyric shudders, hangs, and lurches left. Gulls shriek, Come along. Go away.
A low coastal terrace lies in wait beneath the liquid surface as black sea stacks whip the water into yellow foam. Struggling against the current, The Lyric creaks as she dips and rises, narrowly missing the largest juggernaut. Bottles of Irish ale rattle in the hull.
"Pull us out of this!" shouts Captain Conway. The Lyric strains, and with sails beating, she dodges yet another black monolith. "Hard to port!"
Groaning, the wooden hull compresses under the force of a crushing wave and holds fast. Fighting for her life, The Lyric looks for open seas but, pitched into a trough, she bobs closer to shore. Come along! Go away!
"Mister Murphy, hard to port!" shouts the captain.
Too late. She’s surrounded by the black demon rocks. A series of waves rolls in and spins the clipper like a top. She crashes into the rocks. The first blow snaps off her rudder, the second splinters a hole in her hull. The Lyric is stuck on the sandy coastal terrace, buffeted, listing, and taking on water. The crew scrambles to abandon ship. Out of the fog looms a massive wave. It descends and scoops up our brave Lyric, holds her high in the air for all to see, and throws her onto the jagged rocks.
Spilling from her cracked hull are the China treasures: blue and white porcelain bowls, brightly colored silks, lacquered ware, camphor trunks, and gold filigree jewelry—six thousand miles of sea voyage.