...foods and drink including freshly pressed apple cider. The little autumn sprites have decorated today with twinkle lights and a large fire in the pit. There are veggies roasting that can be smelled from way down the mountainside, and a bell is ringing, calling the gnomes and their human friends up to the feast they will be sharing this evening. Suddenly, from far above near the stars, the dragon flies, breathing a large stream of fire. Everyone looks up and basks in the majesty of the magnificent beast...

As she begins to weave the Tale the flies come in a bit closer so as not to miss a word. "Deep within the earth the creatures are preparing for one of the busiest times of the year. The crimson and gold paint has been mixed in jars so the leaf sprites can paint the all the leaves in the land before settling into their winter homes. They will each take a jar and brush and in the earliest morning between the time when the night and day creatures are awake and asleep, they carefully paint each leaf the colors of autumn. Always singing, the song they sing helps the leaf know just what to do  next. In the spring as they paint buds they call to the leaves to come out and play. Now, in fall, they tell the leaves to let go of the branch they have been holding onto all the summer long. "Let go" they sing. "Let go and fall, drifting, drifting, drifting down to the ground." The leaves are excited for a new adventure and fall happily, along with all their friends to the soft ground below. The worms and beetles welcome them and sing the leaves a lullaby so they fall fast asleep for the winter long. They will dream of a magical journey where the whispers of the sprites carry them into the ground and through the roots of the trees and plants where they will live for the wintertime until the spring when they will respond to the sprites' song and come out again in the buds welcoming the warmth and joy after their amazing trip. 

The Tales one can tell are infinite in their possibilities. You can tell a Tale catering to your younger child or tell a Tale with your older child. From this card you may want talk about the actuality of what happens during the winter when the plants from above nourish the plants down below for the winter-long until the spring to come. You may want to just tell about the little homes that the sprites live in underground with their spiderweb blankets and their firefly lights. You may want to tell about the parties that the sprites have to celebrate the changing seasons or about the time when a child followed a sprite and was quick enough to grab onto his tiny shoe falling down into the little portal, becoming small himself and having the adventure of a lifetime (before being returned safely after what seemed like months, but was really only moments later - as usually happens to humans when transported into lands of magical beings). You may wish to talk more about what the flies do after the story - Where do they live? What do they talk about? What will they do for the wintertime? 

Have fun. Happy September!