Sprites at Contemplation Fountain
It was a sunny, magical morning in the land of the Sprites. To the casual eye, the stillness of the scene might have suggested idleness among these creatures of whimsy. Actually, the Sprites were working. They were focused on understanding the wishes of children. All over the world children believed in the power of the Sprites. These mythical beings were dedicated to rewarding that faith by fulfilling the children's wishes.
While the sprites carried out their responsibilities, the silly, carefree elves frolicked. They were laughing and tossing themselves into the crisp water, which was never too cold, nor too warm. You see, in Spriteland everything was perfect.
Elves Frolic in the Lake
Hours passed, and the elves left the lake in search of new adventure. Meanwhile, the sun rose in the sky until noon hour had arrived. Stomachs began to rumble, for even among the fey, in the kingdom beyond the clouds, food replenished the body and spirit.
Suddenly, the quiet of Contemplation Fountain was disturbed. The restless adolescents had returned! These lively young Sprites returned to the Fountain only at mealtime, and bedtime. Their disruptive manner never distressed the adults. Tolerance and patience were intrinsic to the nature of mature Sprites.
Restless Adolescents Scamper About
After the restless adolescents had been fed, they hurried off again. This was how Sprites learned, how they had learned from time immemorial. They were free. By being free, they came to know themselves.
As much as it was in the nature of Sprites to be gentle and patient, so it was in their nature to be free. Education of the young did not occur in a building with formal instruction. Such an environment would not have allowed young Sprites to understand their destiny. Only in the fullness of time and through free experience would Sprites realize, and accept, their purpose in life.
Quiet had returned to the Contemplation Fountain with the departure of the adolescents. The adult Sprites dedicated themselves once again to wish fulfilling. Suddenly, a horror descended upon them:
Corona Dragon.
From beneath the shimmering water, Corona Dragon burst forth to spew fire and destruction upon Spriteland.
Quickly, warrior Sprites sprang into action. They took to the skies on their ant steeds and fearlessly met Corona. Through the afternoon the battle raged. The Sprites' resistance was fierce. Soon Corona was driven back into his subterranean lair.
Peace returned to Spriteland, as did the important work of the Sprites: meditating and fulfilling the wishes of children.
All the GIFs, and the parable, were created for @shaka's #LMAC contest.
It's probably evident that I got really involved in making these GIFs. For me, it was therapy: slay Corona Dragon, and at the same time take my mind from thoughts about the pandemic. Thank you, @shaka!
Materials: These were all public domain elements, except for @shaka's original photo:
The fountain at the center of my picture came from Bluesnap on Pixabay
The red-headed pixies came from fairypath on Pixabay
The white crusading fairy came from vector clip art on Pixabay
Fairy flying in the sky also came from thefairypath on Pixabay
Yellow fairy standing in the fountain (I colored him in) was also clipart on Pixabay
The last GIF in the blog has a fairy sitting in the fountain: credit anarate on Pixabay
Corona Dragon: Rachealmarie on Pixabay
A couple of elements were taken from Paint3D: the elves, restless adolescents and blue fairy flying around in the fountain.
Finally, the ants flying in the dragon GIF): I drew them. This was supposed to look like a carpenter ant, but wasn't very accurate, so I used the drawing here.
Special effects--lighting and smoke, for example--were created with GIMP.
You can see my process by just looking at all the GIFs that came from it. There were so many missteps!!
I recommend you check out the other pieces on @shaka's blog. Amazing artists have joined in the effort. You will love their work.
Thank you for reading my blog