Chapter 1
Abilee couldn’t wait for Spring. “Oh mother, the rain, the sun, and all the new flowers, it’s like everything is made new again.”
“Yes dear, it is.” Her mother softly replied.
“I can’t wait for all the new clovers to grow in. I really need to add to my collection.”
“Dear, don’t you think your getting a little old to collect four leaf clovers?”
“No mommy, they bring good luck! I have almost a hundred clovers now, I’m sure when I reach a hundred that I will have just enough good luck.” Abilee said wishfully.
“Abilee, what do you plan to do with your luck?” her mother asked curiously.
“You will see mother…”
When Abilee awoke the next morning, she was thrilled to see all the clovers that had sprung up over night. She stepped outside and giggled softly as she felt the morning dew on her toes. She walked through the clovers slowly, inspected them as she softly spoke, “Alright everyone, this is the year, I need to find enough clovers so that I have luck. I only need 23 more clovers, I’m sure a hundred will be enough.” Abilee spun in circles under the bud covered tree that shaded many of the clovers, wishing, I must find a hundred clovers, I must.
Abilee spent the next several days slowly searching through each patch of clovers for her lucky four leaf clovers. For hours and hours, minutes and minutes, she scoured the green green ground. She looked from dusk til dawn determined to get just enough luck, each day she would find a few more clovers. After several weeks she had ninety eight four leaf clovers. “Only two more and I will have a hundred clovers, it has to be enough, it just has to be.”
“Abilee, I’m afraid it’s about to storm.”
“Alright mother, I’m sure I can find them tomorrow.” Abilee sadly said as she walked in the house.
“Your brother is feeling a bit better today, why don’t you go speak to him.”
“Yes mother.”
Abilee treaded softly up the stairs to her brother’s room where he lay quietly staring at the ceiling. Abilee was always sad when she saw her brother hooked up to so many machines. Abilee sat on the side of his bed near the window, “Winston, how are you today?”
Winston smiled at his older sister, “I feel alright, I wish I could leave this room though.”
Abilee sighed, “Don’t Winston, I only need two more clovers and I will have a hundred. Then we will have all the luck we need.”
Winston smiled, “Oh Abilee, do you really think it will help me get better?”
“Oh yes, the doctor said you would really need luck on your side. It has to work!”
Winston smiled as he looked out the window, “Oh to be able to play outside with you everyday, to run down the stairs for breakfast, I simply can’t wait. Will you find them today??”
Abilee sweetly smiled, “No not today, it is about to storm, and mother will not allow me to be outside today. I will look and look tomorrow, I promise.”
The next morning though, Abilee’s brother fell more ill. When Abilee awoke, the doctor was by his bedside, telling her mother that his luck was close to running out. Abilee wept as she ran outside and searched on her hands and knees for another clover. “Please, please, just two more. He needs more luck; he just needs a little more.” Abilee searched for hours and hours, minutes and minutes, she didn’t eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Abilee searched the clover patch until nightfall, when the only light she had was the moon and the stars.
She stared up at the night sky defeatedly, I only need one more clover, please… morning isn’t soon enough. Abilee cried softly as she layed down amongst the clovers. She gasped when she thought she heard a voice say, “In your hand, I’m here.”
“Who is there?” she said aloud.
There was no reply.
“In my hand?” She asked herself. Curiously she raised both of her hands, her right hand had nothing, but her left held a large four leaf clover. Abilee smiled as tears rolled down her cheek, “I have it. The last clover I need, I have it!”
Abilee laughed as she ran into her house and up to her room grabbing all of her clovers, she quietly crept into her brothers room, “I have them, I have all the luck we need.” She whispered.
Her brother weakly opened his eyes as he smiled, “That is wonderful Abilee. Do you really think this will work?”
Abilee held her brothers hand, “It has to work.”
Abilee placed all of the clovers around her brother as he lay in his bed. “Do you feel any luck yet?”
Winston replied hopefully, “No not yet, maybe it takes a while.”
Abilee stared at her brother, “We will leave them overnight, I’ll sleep in the chair.”
Winston said, “Alright.” He grabbed his sister’s hand, “Thank you for being the best sister I could ever ask for.”
Abilee smiled, “Thank you for being the best little brother in the whole world.”
Abilee watched over her brother until she fell asleep.
“Pss.”
“Abilee, we are here.”
“Abilee, what is your wish?”
Abilee opened her eyes thinking she heard someone say her name. She wiped her eyes as she looked around and saw nothing, “Is someone there?” she whispered.
“Over here…”
Abilee stood slowly, “Where? Are you a burglar?”
The voice lightly giggled, “No, I am a guest. I’m sitting on a clover.”
Abilee looked towards her brother confused, “Sitting? On a clover?”
“Yes the one you picked tonight.”
Abilee bent down to look closely at the large clover and gasped, she saw a small person with light green skin and dark green hair, but sparkling white eyes looking up at her. “What, what are you?”
The little person smiled, “I am the fairy Perscillis. I am the guardian fairy here and heard your cry tonight.”
“A real fairy? I didn’t think faeries had anything to do with clovers…”
“Oh yes,” Perscillis smiled, “You see the four leaf clover is one of our most sacred treasures…even more sacred than any flower. We are the ones that try to keep them hidden from the world. Tell me, why do you have so many? You are a very persistent little girl.”
“Oh, well, the doctor said that my brother needed a bit of luck so that he can become well again.”
“Well? He is ill?”
“Yes he has been ill most of his life. He has never ran amongst the grass, picked a flower, or a clover.”
Perscillis looked sad as she looked at Winston, “That is awful. So you have been searching to help your brother all this time...”
“Will it work? Will he now have enough luck? Please help my brother...” Abilee pleaded with Perscillis.
Perscillis covered her heart, “I have been watching you for years searching for clovers, never understanding why you searched for so long. But now I see, it was for the love you have for your brother. I will bestow much luck upon him.” Perscillis stood on the four leaf clover as she started to glow a golden light. Abilee watched in amazement as Perscillis’ long dress sparkled in the light. She stayed by her brother’s side quietly and held his hand as she watched all of the clovers light up. As the clovers lit up and lifted in the air, they slowly floated around the room.
“Faeries, we have a very sick little boy that needs our help…awaken.” She softly spoke.
Abilee smiled as she watched more faeries appear in the room and land on the four leaf clovers. The clovers spun in a circle over her brother faster and faster, with gold light and sparkles reigning down on Winston. They spun and spun and the clovers landed on Winston’s heart as they disappeared one by one. The last clover hovered over Winston’s heart as Perscillis spoke to Abilee.
“Abilee we have bestowed upon your brother our most sacred treasure, our luck. The clovers are disappearing and will be reborn so that others may have luck on their side someday. We wish you and your brother well; you will always be a friend to the faeries.”
“Thank you so much for everything.” Abilee spoke as she squeezed her brother’s hand.
The next morning Abilee awoke to see her parents standing in the doorway holding each other as tears streamed down their cheeks.
Abilee looked towards her brothers bed to see it empty, “Mother, where is Winston?”
Her mother looked towards her, “My dear..”
Abilee awaited her mothers response, when she saw little arms wrapped around her parents. Her parents parted to unveil Winston standing in the doorway.
“It worked Abilee, I can walk, it worked, I’m not sick anymore.”
Abilee, leapt out of her chair running towards her brother hugging him tightly. “I knew you just needed a bit of luck!”
