There once was a little girl named Elle. She had green eyes that shone with energy, and her brown curls framed her face like feathers. She lived in a stone mansion with her parents and their servants.

There were three things that made Elle the happiest: music, reading and magic. She loved music for its ability to calm her racing heart. She loved reading because it made her fly to places she would never be able to see. But magic held the biggest place in her heart. She spent most of her time in the most magical place of all: the garden.

She would disrobe her lovely summer dress, to her mother’s despair, and put on trousers instead. She would chase butterflies and watch with wonder as they fly away. She would climb trees and admire their fragile leaves. She would sit by the creek with her little toes in the crystal clear water, fascinated by the fish and playing with the white stones.

At the end of the day she would sit and feel the glow of the sunset, knowing that the magic shall be there once more.

At the age of twelve, Elle still dwelled in the magic of nature. Her days were spent outside and her evenings busy drawing, trying to capture the magic of her soul.

Unfortunately, her parents disliked this magic of hers. According to them, she was too old to believe in magic. So they forbid her to go play outside, with the hope that her fantasies would eventually fade away.

Elle grew miserable. With every month that passed, her eyes became duller and her drawings more forced and desperate. She would stare out of her bedroom window and long to feel that magic once again.

One evening her mother brought her a peace offering, a small silver box. She hoped it would make her Elle happy again. In the box was a jar containing a blue butterfly, a white stone from the nearby creek and a large autumn leaf.

The box held three things that Elle loved, but it held no magic at all.

***

Tell us: Where do you find magic in your daily life?