The Stolen Child

Come away, O, human child!

To the woods and waters wild

With a fairy hand in hand,

For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.

                                    The Stolen Child, W. B. Yeats

I came across this poem yesterday, and I think it perfectly describes the plot of Wednesday's piece! Or, at least, my villain's motivation. "For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."

This was just a WonHundred Word Wednesday post that I wrote at the last minute. It wasn't intended to be some big thing. But ideas for this story keep pouring in, and I'm loving every bit of it. It's hard to say why some stories catch on and others don't. But this one wants to be a novel when it grows up. 

Of course, a lot changes in a story between when it's just a few ideas sketched down in prose form and when it becomes a novel. I think Ellie may have a brother who was carried away to Fairyland. I'm excited to see how the whole thing develops. 

But, I need to focus on Magicland right now if I'm going to finish it by September. This fairy story has to wait in line with Codswallop and the others. I've always got a million stories that want to be written, but focus is what leads to finished novels. 

And I'm really excited about the direction Magicland is taking. My friend Quinlyn and I have been working on characters together, and we sort of broke Clara last night. But it occurs to me that Clara was already broken. So I'm going to emphasize that more within the story. And I have some other great ideas that I probably shouldn't spoil, since I like to think that all the people who read my blog (all four of you; I love you guys!) would also read my novel. 

Let it suffice to say, therefore, that I am making progress, though I haven't done a lot of writing in the past few days (at least, not in Magicland.) I'm stuck on Chapter 8 again. Chapter 8 is the chapter that gave me the most trouble in The Witch's Key. It's becoming a theme. I think I might start skipping Chapter 8 the way hospitals skip the 13th floor. It could be my signature thing... you know, along with adding a personification of death into every story. 

Le gasp! I don't have a personification of death in Magicland! This needs to be rectified. Guess I have some brainstorming to do. I'll get right on that (i.e. watch Leverage.) 

♥/Kat!e

Where dips the rocky highland

Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,

There lies a leafy island

Where flapping herons wake

The drowsy water rats;

There we’ve hid our faery vats,

Full of berrys

And of reddest stolen cherries.

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses

The dim gray sands with light,

Far off by furthest Rosses

We foot it all the night,

Weaving olden dances

Mingling hands and mingling glances

Till the moon has taken flight;

To and fro we leap

And chase the frothy bubbles,

While the world is full of troubles

And anxious in its sleep.

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wandering water gushes

From the hills above Glen-Car,

In pools among the rushes

That scarce could bathe a star,

We seek for slumbering trout

And whispering in their ears

Give them unquiet dreams;

Leaning softly out

From ferns that drop their tears

Over the young streams.

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.

Away with us he’s going,

The solemn-eyed:

He’ll hear no more the lowing

Of the calves on the warm hillside

Or the kettle on the hob

Sing peace into his breast,

Or see the brown mice bob

Round and round the oatmeal chest.

For he comes, the human child,

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world’s more full of weeping than he can understand.