Annabella of the Roses

There once lived a family, on a small farm, just outside of town. They had a goodly sized garden, a small barn with a few animals, and small storage shed. All this was set cozily behind their neat, little clapboard house with an inviting porch swing. Inside the house were three young boys; Michael, the oldest, Cody, in the middle, and Sean, the youngest. There was Daniel, the father, and there was Annabella, their mother.

Annabella was a loving mother and wife. But , she was not happy.She worked very hard around their neat, little farm from the time she woke in the early morning till she went to bed late at night. She cooked, washed, sewed, gardened, milked, fed and generally did all the work that needed to be done.

She would ask her husband for help. But, he had a job in town, so when he came home, he just wanted to sit on the porch swing and relax. Sometimes he would ask her what was for breakfast, or when would dinner be ready. She would ask her sons for help. But, her sons were too busy running off with their friends after school, and playing muddy games, so they could see who had the biggest muddy footprint on the clean kitchen floor. Sometimes they asked her when was lunch, or had she mended their favorite shirt yet. They laughed , and made a game of placing their toys in such a way as to trip her when she came to tuck them in and kiss them goodnight.

Annabella had only one thing that really made her happy anymore. She had a secret place that she would sneak off to whenever she had a chance. But, she had less and less chance to go there lately. Behind the storage shed, where it created a secretive place between the fence and the barn, she had a rose garden.

One couldn't really call it a rose garden I suppose, not anymore.When she had first come to live here with her husband, it had been glorious. Now , it seemed, that her rose garden was a mirror of herself. It hadn't always been this way, a bit rough around the edges, uncared for, untended, unloved, but neither had she.

Annabella would creep out to her secret joy only at night, when all her chores were finally through. She would sing to her roses and tend to them as best she could by moonlight. Then she would slip back into the house. She would re tuck her boys in bed, singing softly and kissing their heads. She would wearily slide into her own bed, re-covering her snoring husband, and collapse into a heavy sleep, smelling of roses.

Fall came, and with it came harvest time, and canning season. Annabella was so busy that she could not find the strength to visit her roses at night anymore. She stayed away for weeks. She couldn't stand the thought of her precious roses wilting and dying, and she knew that before long, the blossoms would die, and her rosebush would hibernate for the long winter. She had to see her roses again before winter came. So, after a particularly long day of hard work, she crept out to her secret place.

When Annabella saw her rosebush, she fell to her knees and cried. They were wilted and dying, drooping, nearly lifeless. She cried for her roses and she cried for herself. Her tears fell on the rosebush, on a rose blossom that had closed itself against the coming night. The crystal tear slid along the velvety petals and the flower began to open. A warm and inviting light came from within, and a tiny woman stepped out.

Annabella stared, spellbound, at the tiny creature. She was bathed in the rosy light, in fact it came from her! She was a perfect, miniature woman. Her hair was spiky, like thorns, and iridescent wings, like a dragonfly's, fluttered at her back. Her clothes were made of rose petals and green leaves. She was absolutely the most beautiful thing Annabella had ever seen.

"Where have you been Annabella? We have missed you."

Annabella couldn't speak. She could hear this tiny woman as clear as day even though she was small enough to stand inside a rose. Annabella was enthralled.

The minuscule beauty wrinkled her delicate face into a frown and looked hard at Annabella. "Why are you crying?"

"I...I have missed you too." Annabella cried wholeheartedly. "I only wish that I could be here with you all the time. This is where I am happy. This is where my love and care makes a difference. This is where I want be, with my lovely roses."

"Are you sure that is what you wish?" Asked the tiny lady in the rose.

"Oh, yes. I want to be happy, and my roses have always made me happy."


Daniel woke late in the morning. He called out to Annabella, asking why she hadn't woke him, and what was for breakfast. When he couldn't find her in the house, he woke the boys to help him look for her. Cody called them to come quick, out behind the shed. There in front of a raggedy looking rosebush, lay Annabella's nightgown, robe and slippers. Even the red ribbon that she used in her hair.

The Sheriff, the Vicar and just about every other person in town had come out to look, and shrug their shoulders. By nightfall, he and sons were alone again. They scrounged around in the kitchen for some food and then put themselves to bed. No one got much sleep that night. Daniel lay awake and realized that he missed the smell of roses.

For a few weeks, the men struggled through the chores that Annabella used to do.They constantly fought over who should do what.They began to smell pretty bad, the boys had never really liked bathing. They began to look pretty raggedy, none of them knew how to sew. The animals were upset and cranky and the meals were bland, and none to healthy. But most of all, there were no soft kisses, no warm hugs, and no songs.
But the rosebush out back thrived.

Meanwhile, Annabella, was happy. She lived within the rosebush with the other sprites. She tended to each bud, singing to them and getting them ready for the long winters sleep. Her gown was made of rose petals and green leaves, and her hair was becoming spiky like thorns. Shimmering wings had also appeared on her back. But, after a little while, she realized that something was missing. She loved the rosebush, and it responded to her love, but it couldn't love her back. She began to remember that she had a family. She could see them in sudden flashes, a husband, and three sons. She realized that she truly missed her family, and was afraid that she might forget them again if she stayed to long. She went to see the Rose Queen.

Th Rose Queen looked deep into Annabella, scowling. "I gave you what you asked for Annabella. You can stay here with us forever, with your roses, happy."

"But I'm not happy. I miss my family. I want to hold them and kiss them and sing them songs. I miss my boys."

"Annabella, once you sleep through winter with us, when you awake in the spring you will be one of us. You won't remember your boys.You will be all sprite, and all happy, all the time!"

'How would I know happiness, if I didn't know sadness? I know that my boys love me, even if they didn't show it. No. I want to go home. I want to give my love to my family, not only to a rosebush."

Daniel was sitting on a bench out by the rosebush. He had brought the bench out here, because he somehow felt closer to Annabella out here. She had always smelled of roses.

"Oh, please Annabella. Please come home. We need you. But, most of all, we miss you." He felt both silly and somehow right talking to a rosebush. The sun came up over the horizon, and a cold gust of sweet smelling wind swept into his face, causing him to close his eyes. Suddenly, he was in shadow. He opened his eyes, and there was his Annabella. She was dressed in a gown made of rose petals, and she was smiling.

They ran into the house together to wake the boys. Ever after, they all worked together, showing their love for each other through kindness and respect. They loved to help each other and show how much they cared every day. And, as a family, they created a most glorious rose garden.