In children’s rooms, on shelves, cabinets, and sideboards, where books stand, something magical sometimes happens. And it happens all over the world! In every corner of it! Although we cannot see or hear it, the pages rustle, move, and all the fairy tale characters emerge from them.
So beautifully illustrated, in their best clothes, in long dresses, tuxedos, or colorful kimonos. Colorful, elegant, festive. Always extraordinary, always well-tailored, covered with delicate, shimmering specks, sequins, and stones. And all of this because they are heading to the ball!
Out comes Thumbelina from her fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood is already on her way, and Peter Pan has long flown to the venue. He simply couldn’t stay any longer between the closed pages of his book! He was in such a hurry for this ball! Because it is always wonderful there!
All the characters from all the more or less known children’s stories are now there in the fairy tale sky, where the stars have made space for them. Where there is a magical dance floor surrounded by comets, stars, and moons. Where one can dance to the music of an extraordinary orchestra composed of violins, cellos, trombones, trumpets, and pianos; even a small flute is there! And many, many other instruments capable of playing beautifully. They produce the most beautiful sounds that softly flow among the dancing fairy tale characters.
And although this ball takes place every day, always at the same time, and the guests dance eagerly among themselves, getting to know as many friends from other stories as possible, they still do not all know each other. There are so many of them! And with every new fairy tale that arises, someone new arrives!
And somewhere in this magical, fairy tale crowd is he – with beautiful blue eyes, blond hair already lightly dusted with gray, in elegant trousers and a blue shirt, buttoned all the way to the last button, which beautifully highlights the color of his clear eyes. Perhaps he is from some Scandinavian fairy tale? Or maybe he flew in all the way from Estonia or from a Lithuanian story? I am not sure.
I also do not know where she is from, probably from some manga (a type of comic from Japan). She has beautiful black, loose hair and eyes of the same color – shiny and large. And a lovely face! With delicate fair skin, slightly rosy cheeks, and small, beautifully colored lips. She is in a red dress, shimmering gently as if sprinkled with tiny diamond dust, long down to the glass slippers she borrowed for the occasion from Cinderella. The fabric of her creation beautifully forms thick ruffles while gently lifting as she makes her dance turns.
It is precisely they who met in this crowd, as if an invisible magnet had drawn them together. They stood there against the backdrop of the black sky, which was unobtrusively illuminated by the twinkling stars. He approached her and gently extended his hand, inviting her to dance. She smiled slightly, and in the background, a soft, calm melody flowed.
Swaying gently, they took a step to the right, only to lean together to the left a moment later. The heroine, though curious, initially felt tense because she did not know this fairy tale character, clearly from another, unfamiliar corner of the world.
Calmly and gently, he led the dance, waiting for the princess in the red dress to feel a little more comfortable. He knew that trust is built slowly, in small steps, gently.
And she, feeling his calmness, the absence of haste, having as much time as she needed, slowly closed her eyes. Unconsciously, she rested her hands on his arm and let go of her uncertainty and fear, listening to the music.
Feeling that it was the right moment, he began to lead her confidently, still with sensitivity—making sure she did not bump into anyone, that she did not trip over anything, and that she did not get dizzy. He wanted her to feel as good as possible, inviting and encouraging her to take more dance steps and figures while not forcing anything. With respect, with attentiveness, giving a sense of safety.
As they danced and twirled, they created a gentle magical whirl around themselves that enchantingly wrapped them up. Making them focus only on each other and that delicate flow amidst the pleasant sounds of music, the magical orchestra.
Trusting each other, they looked even more beautiful, even more fairy-tale-like, though that seems impossible. And although there were so many dancers around, they decided to dance only with each other, caring for what made them feel so good together. For trust, for attentiveness to each other. They knew that if one closed their eyes, the other would make sure they did not drift too far and accidentally step on any shining star.
They sometimes returned to their books to delight young readers with their tales and adventures. And they loved doing that! And then they would again emerge with the rustle of paper from the pages of their fairy tales and return to each other. Telling each other about the emotions of the children they saw on their faces while reading, and about which parts of the story children and adults like the most.
And then they just danced, there at that fairy tale ball. In peace, in trust, in safety.
