A Fable For Our Times
Or, Crush Benefit (MS)
Once uponse a time (that’s the way my young son would say it, years ago) there was a group of busy Singing Bees. They worked tirelessly making sweet honey for all the neighboring woodland creatures. They did this work because they loved being in the middle of all the sweetness, and they sang while they worked.
One day, one of their most loquacious and articulate bees had a vision. Loquacious Singing Bee, as he was called, gathered all the other Singing Bees together to share:
“I’ve had a vision, my friends! I can see all the Singing Bees and all the Humming Bees from the Faraway Forest gathered together in a giant celebration of sweetness. I see this taking place in the sacred part of the year. I can see our Beloved and Elusive Prince at the head table and we all are joining together in song,” said LSB. The other bees were gobsmacked by the audacity of this vision, but gathered up their courage. “We can do this!” they sang, as they worked hard to create beautiful invitations for the guests and the Prince.
But it wasn’t as easy as it seemed, for the Faraway Forest was… far away, and the bees in that forest were wary of the Singing Bees. They had heard strange stories about those dang Singing Bees and were afraid of their exotic ways. But the Singing Bees sent such a beautiful invitation and spoke such gentle and kind words, that the Humming Bees were won over at last, and consented not only to attend the event, but to help in its preparation.
The greatest task still lay ahead – to deliver an invitation to the Beloved and Elusive Prince. The B&EP lived in a high castle, on a high mountain, in a land of high elevation. The moat around the castle was swarming with sharks, and there were archers poised at every high window. The massive wooden door that guarded the castle was bolted with 300 locks and 300 guards each held one key.
This all seemed so impossible, but LSB’s vision burned hot in his soul, and he gathered the Singing Bees together. They traveled to that land of high elevation, they journeyed on to that high mountain, and they finally reached that high castle. One of the Singing Bees brought magic stardust, and she threw that in the eyes of the archers poised in the windows overhead. The archers were confused and distracted and didn’t see the party approach. Another of the Singing Bees brought some magic shark-sleeping-pills and he dropped those in the moat as they passed. The sleepy sharks paid them no mind. Still another of the Singing Bees brought a magic lock-melting potion and when that was smeared on the 300 locks, the metal dripped to the ground.
Together they pushed open the massive wooden doors and suddenly all was quiet. The small band of Singing Bees stood alone in a vast stone-paved courtyard. There was not one sound of a dog barking, or of voices laughing together or of children playing. All was quiet. The small group ventured carefully forward. Very quietly in the distance, if they listened very hard, they could hear an unearthly singing. This was a Voice of such intensity and purity that it was not of the known world, but was a vessel of communication between the worlds of matter and spirit.
THE HAPPY ENDING, not the real one, alas:
They quietly, gingerly, moved closer to the source of that Voice. They entered through an open door to a large chamber and there was the Beloved and Elusive Prince himself. The energy around him glowed with goodness and a gentle charm, and they knew they did not need to fear him. The LSB finally found his voice and asked, in a most eloquent way, if the Prince would honor them with his presence at their celebration. “We are your most devoted subjects,” said the LSB. “We have worked for years spreading the word of your good works and the beauty of your Voice throughout the land.”
And the B&EP smiled a wide and joyful smile and said, “Nothing would please me more.”
And so it came to pass, that the Singing Bees and the Humming Bees gathered together to celebrate in the sacred time of the year, and the Beloved and Elusive Prince sat at the head table. The singing that night was like no other night in the history of the world. The stories of that night will live on forever.
(Please note: no donkeys, mules or other beasts of burden were harmed in the telling of this story.)
~davidfanLIZ
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
I love the happy ending.
As in real life, we don’t always get THE HAPPY ENDING, do we?
no donkeys, no angry bears…
As David sang last night, “Let it be…”
I meant no donkeys, no angry bears here. That’s good.
What a lovely, enchanting tale, Liz!
And the B&EP smiled a wide and joyful smile and said, “Nothing would please me more.”
I could so hear the B&EP saying exactly this, had the invitation actually been presented before him.
HG -- Can’t you just picture his face?
Liz -- I gotta tell you -- as I read that story, I saw birds flying around the B&EP’s head, landing on his shoulder, and the song, When You Wish Upon a Star was playing in the background. Bwahahahahha
I so could picture that “wide and joyful smile.”
Funny, too, that you’ve got such a vision of the Beautiful and Elusive Prince under lock and key (shark-infested moats? 300 locks? Really?! ha ha!)
It’s like a male version of Rapunzel!
Oops! I mean “Beloved” not “Beautiful.” But either adjective works!
HG -- B,B&EP works for me lol!
I LOVE the happy ending, Liz! But then again I remember it didn’t happen.
But the Bees shall prevail!!!!
Bees FTW!
marlie -- me thinks the B&EP would love the happy ending too.
I teach elementary Special Education at a school for students who have severe bahavioral issues. It is my responsibility, my job, to modify those behaviors that further impede their ability to make academic progress. Monday through Friday I see more than my share of tantrums, fits, and meltdowns--students toppling desks, chairs, hitting, kicking, biting, and spitting. Almost every day I am reminded that I am a witch with a capital ‘B’ and every other combination of the alphabets you have heard a few you might not be familiar with.
I also see a bit of fantizing too because real life sometimes is just not what they want it to be.
My main goal is to get them to understand that it is ok to be frustrated, disappointed, or even angry. That frankly, life quite often is not fair. They learn that positive behavior is more likely to receive positive consequences while negative behavior results in negative consequences. I remind them daily that others might be disappointed in their actions but in the end they only hurt themselves by not stating how they feel in an appropriate manner (I don’t understand…, I am upset because…, I get angry when…, etc.)
I’m sorry this event did not take place. No doubt it would have been EPIC!
goboywonder -- I applaud you for the courage and patience it must take to do your job. I teach music at an elementary school, and I find that it takes all my emotional and mental strength to move through the day. I can only imagine what strength you must have to negotiate through your day.
hahahaha……good one!! Love the storyline and had to laugh out loud.
Laughter is good for what ails ya everybody. Take it to heart.
debra5354 -- I’m glad to see that there are still a few of us with their sense of humor intact!
Life it too short to stress over things you cannot control.
It is discouraging, (and sometimes infuriating)though, to develop a project, be encouraged to work on that project and then have it all appear to come to nothing. I don’t mean to make light of that underlying issue.
It helps IF you can take the attitude that it was meant to happen and something good will ultimately materialize.
davidfanLIZ,
Had to express my admiration for this piece. It’s so beautifully written and sweet. You might’ve meant as a humorous take on the recent drama but it brought tears to my eyes. I wanna say I love all the singing bees and loquacious singing bees and I’m somewhat weary of fretful humming bees, if that makes any sense.
Oh and what to say of B&EP? He’s the loveliest.
Valbraz -- thanks for that. It was quite therapeutic to write, I have to say! We all have our own ways of processing disappointment lol!
And thank goodness for the sweetness of our B&EP.
vermeer . September 27, 2009 at 7:55 pm .
“goboywonder and emmiegirl, but mostly goboywonder for the “WTF???” Are you saying it wouldn’t warm your heart to see the father and son looking happy together? I would love to see that. I did not say I DEMAND to see such an image. I am sorry to both if through my comment I came across as feeling “entitled”. That was not the intention.”
Vermeer, I will respond to your post here so that the “Game” thread can be laid to rest.
Please pardon me as I misunderstood your comments. I took it to mean that you would not accept or approve of Jeff and David’s relationship unless you saw some evidence to “prove” there was geniune affection between them. Although I am intersted in most all things David, I don’t need to see a phote to believe that they care for one another. Sorry to have brought this topic here but I didn’t want you to think I ignored your post. Again, my apologies.
DavidfanLIZ #15, Thank you. It is very challenging but extremely rewarding when I am able to get a student to accept responsiblitiy for their behavior and choices. Once that happens, it is so much easier to create an acdemic program for them. There’s just something so special to me when a student whose been struggling with something finally “gets it”. When I heard them tell some school staff or even themselves, “I can read now”, it makes me as proud of them as I am of David. They are my “Little Darlins’” and I love them. I have been able to transition several back to their school of residence but, unfortunately, some simply move on to a higher grade. Can’t reach them all (but wish I could).
goboywonder, thank you for your response. I really appreciate it.
In hindsight, if two people misunderstood my comment, I may need to improve on how I word my thoughts.
I assumed (bad mistake right?) that it would go without saying that the nature of their relationship is not subject to my or anyone else’s acceptance or approval. It is none of anybody’s business but theirs. So while it is not a need on my part to see them have a warm and loving relationship – I don’t doubt for a minute they love each other – it was simply a wish to know it is more ideal than not because then, I would know there would be even more happiness in David’s life.
goboywonder, I have the utmost respect & admiration for you. My sister works with the mentally ill/ handicapped as a job coach. She helps them gain employment and to tackle any issues that might arise on the job sites. And, the things I have seen her put up with, just boggles my mind. But, yet, she has always shown such patience, strength and understanding, that I am in awe of her and others who are able to perform such an important role in these people’s lives.
dfanliz -- love that creativity flourishes on this site. Your children must LOVE storytime. I did!
In response to something on a previous thread… How did that rumor that Jeff wrote “Dream Sky High” get started? Anyway, the writer is listed here:
http://www.sunnyhilden.com/sunnyresume.htm
Just a little personal beef… I wish the writers weren’t slighted, sometimes it can be such a challenge to dig up who the writer is. I don’t know why they aren’t included with lyrics on many of the lyric sites.
I don’t know of any music Jeff has written, so will reserve judgement about the Christmas song. Speaking of which, what the heck is up with Amazon? When I go there, I see David’s CD with a “New For You” caption--probably because of my ordering history (lol)--and there’s a “Play Sample” button. Wha…? It’s some kind of techno-sample percussion thing. Doesn’t sound remotely like Christmas. I can’t find any place in Amazon’s site to contact them. Argh. Will try again tomorrow.
Oops! my bad on the Jeff & Sky High. Thanks for setting the record straight Highervibe. Just shows you can’t believe everything you read. And, I always take such pride on double checking my facts. X( Mea Culpa
Liz, just wanted to add that I see a lot of “craftsmanship” and beauty in how you wrote this. Don’t get me started -- I’ve got work to do!!
vermeer, oh gosh, sorry for the misinterpretation. No worries. heck, people have no clue what I am talking about when we are face to face! No biggie. And I am with you 100% on the wishing him all the happiness his big heart can handle. Look what he has given us all.
davidfanliz, apologies to you for not complimenting you on an amazing fantasy! You should write children’s books!(or do you?)
emmiegirl, no worries. I was shocked I was misunderstood (in a bad way to boot, eek!) but without the “face to face”, it could happen and it did to me this time. Communication in cyberspace is a tricky business. Speak with caution LOL.
highervibe How did that rumor that Jeff wrote “Dream Sky High” get started? Anyway, the writer is listed here:
http://www.sunnyhilden.com/sunnyresume.htm
I heard Dealan K the vocal coach of David said it was Jeff and others peoples in a chat with FOD?, anyway is a beautiful song and the writers merit the credits.
Sorry ‘deserve the credits’
Regarding “Dream Sky High”, my aging brain is struggling but I believe I’ve spoken about this last year. davidfanLIZ can maybe help me remember. When she went to an AI tour meet & greet last September, I had asked her to ask Jeff, I guess, if not David, who wrote “Don’t Tell Me” and “Dream Sky High”. Liz, was it only about “Don’t Tell Me” that I wanted to know?? I know for certain I asked to find out about “Don’t Tell Me”. The answer to that (from Jeff himself right?) was that David wrote the melody and the lyrics were written by a young friend in his early 20s. And I thought it was then also that Jeff said he himself wrote “Dream Sky High”.
Hopefully Liz recalls. If I’m wrong about what I thought I remembered about DSH, sorry in advance!
vermeer -- it was Don’t Tell Me. I didn’t ask Jeff anything about Dream Sky High.
Liz, thanks! I am glad one of us remembers well! But like others, I remember so distinctly about DSH definitively being Jeff’s creation, whatever the source of that info was.
vermeer, 33&35
the ascap database shows that a song titled “Dream Sky High” was written by Jeff C. Archuleta. this may be what’s causing some of the confusion. the song listed in the ascap database may be totally different from the one David sings. also, i don’t believe jeff’s middle initial is “c.”
http://www.ascap.com/ace/
amer society of composers, authors, & publishers (ascap)
desertrat, thank you for the ascap info. Interesting.
emmiegirl -- you are too kind. All the drama around this event just cried out for a fantasy treatment!
Hi desertrat--I love your avatar image, that’s a beautiful desert!
Thanks for pointing out that ascap link. Hmm. I wrote to Sunny Hilden to inquire about the discrepancy. Hope she writes back.
As stories, fables and fantasies go, they may have prequels and sequels, right?
Who knows, this fable may have its apt happy ending someday soon.
But please promise me one thing: should it come to pass, that a recording of the event is made and be available for sale -- to add to the fund raising! It can be via hard copies or downloadable thingies -- I dunno, probably similar to iTunes. But what am saying is am sure am not the only international fan willing to pay, just as long as we can vicariously live the experience through your recording.
THIS IS IT!
XMAS ALBUM SNIPPETS:
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Heart-David-Archuleta/dp/B002LLDT9U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1254219778&sr=8-1
snippets schmitxzyzxz!!!!!
forgive my over the top exclamation points but if there is one more reason to love David more is this
LATE BREAKING NEWS!!!
Tha Katy Perry-Boys Like Girls Concert slated for this week here in Manila has been postponed.
MTV is moving the event to Oct 17 and it will be Katy Perry AND DAVID ARCHULETA. Proceeds to go to Red Cross for the benefit of Ondoy victims.
Final, final confirmation tomorrow but it has been twittered by Tim Yap, one of the movers of the event
David loves Ma-neeh-la! He really does!!!
{goes to crying now}
Just wanted to publicly say “Thank You” to the team at TDC for all their hard work in attempting to put together this event. They had a vision for a very lovely and magical evening that would have been a win/win for everyone involved, including the B & EP. I’m very sorry that the details were never able to be explained fully to those who might have made a difference.
Liz, I love how you process disappointment. This was beautiful!
goboywonder @ #14 -- you and Liz and all others in the teaching and nurturing profession have my deepest admiration for the not-for-everyone vocation you have chosen. Only those with the huge capacity to love and empathize can deliver your daunting tasks.
My hats off to you.
What’s more, you guys are Archies
Cool! 
IT IS CONFIRMED: David’s Manila visit on Oct 17 to pair with Katy Perry for a charity concert is on! He is coming! (sniff, sniff)
What is now pending is Katy’s availability. Although we of course will take David solo anytime, this is still Katy’s concert… so let’s hope she can get her affairs in order.
Dear Louise aka lettucegirl who still in Missouri, honey will you be back by then?
Ditto, davidfanliz: Bees FTW.
bluesky: