The Lives of Fairy Godmothers, Witches and Angels; Catherine Dubois’ Odyssey to Enchantment

By Bonnie Jennings (BoJenn)

 

(An excerpt from the introduction and part of chapter one)

The Dedication

The main character, Elizabeth Catherine Dubois, is warmly dedicated to:

My father, Jim, who taught me the wonder of the heavens and the stars;

My mother, Babe, who showed us life’s magic;

Carol, my sister, who is a warrior queen;

Elysia, my daughter, who gives God’s love;

Joel, my son, who renders grace;

and, to Jacob, my grandson, who is God’s gift.

Most importantly, this book is dedicated to my God, who is patient with me.

The Introduction

i

“A scream was heard that summer day. Three-year-old Catherine’s screams echoed

into the mystical wind. She told the wind to find Thomas. Bellowing into the breeze, her

little heart begged, with vigorous might. The current carried her voice. It never ceased,

until one day, I heard it. The zephyr had carried the message in search of Thomas. It

had traveled lifetimes, into where memories dwell. In the dark space of matter, it moved,

seeking the answer to the child’s petition. It did not stop, until it found accountability.

It had echoed, in and out of woven petitions, spirits and prayers, asking, “‘Have you

seen the child, Thomas?’”

“Even as an older woman, Catherine could not stop the determination of the enquiring storm – to

find the answer to her childhood question. The mission of the wind was to solve that petition. A

request by prayer was sent that day, long ago; and then I came riding in on the wind,” Eleanor had

explained that day long ago.

Tadhg Harding entered the story, wearing a warm angelic smile and kilt. Tadhg who had just

recited the poem for Catherine added, “Eleanor wrote it.”

Catherine delightfully accepted the magic of an answered prayer, “At last!”

Tadhg now welcomes you to journey inside this tale of a woman named Elizabeth Catherine

Dubois. “Everyone needs help – the supernatural kind – right?” Well, this tale is about the when,

where, why and how angels, or fairy godmothers answer prayers.

---

“Welcome! Thank you for stopping by for a cup of orange and cinnamon tea. Please, enjoy

yourself, as you settle in to a cozy chair and hear a story about the magic of love, the dignity of grace

bestowed from God, and the power of deliverance from oppressive spirits on an older woman who

was once her parents’ little fairy princess,” Tadgh invites, with a wink and a hope.

Like so many older humans, Cat Dubois almost lost her happiness to ill-fated happenstances

which couldn’t be avoided. The only difference between Cat and others, who seem to dissipate by

death in the vagueness of their pain and sorrow? The young girl cried out a prayer that found a way

to God’s ears and heart.

So, He responded; He sent Eleanor, who came riding in on the wind.

This story is about the struggle of life and the resolutions that come to Cat many, many years later;

but nonetheless, answers come, just in time, in a magical way.

“So, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tadhg Harding, and I’m the keeper of stories and

poetry. That is the meaning of Tadhg, and this is what I do. I am both the storyteller and an active

participant in this tale; and I am also related to Eleanor, an oh-so integral character.. We are related

by spiritual order and virtue. We travel through time, space and the world together. Come in, let us

draw near. There is nothing to fear; this tale is an active adventure.”

Humans, at times, question the fairness of a loving god. Life can feel like a test of human

endurance. Why are some people fortunate or “blessed,” while others ache with despair and tragedy?

Why is the innocence in children’s beautiful faces often lost within hardships, over a lifetime? Why

are some untouched by horrors and deep valleys of sorrow and hatred? Lastly, why are some on a

non-ending roller coaster of frights and thrills?

In order to understand and appreciate goodness, the darkness must be known, as it’s been taught

many times before this story. Behold, the light of God shall shine upon the paths of danger, for our

own good, and lead us, instead, to the way of enlightenment for our spirit’s development.

We shall lie down in those green pastures, and there our souls will be restored. We will one day act

like God.

ii

“Could it be in a different dimension or lifetime?”which, of course, is an age-old debate

pontificated in sanctuaries and bars across a world of speculators from the righteous to the sinners.

And, should we choose to accept the calling to a higher self, our assignment, or our journey into the

syllabus He has prepared for each of us, individually, this road must, eventually, be travelled. If so, it

surely is, then, that we shall be like Him, and see Him, in the splendor of His love; because, in human

living, love, mercy and grace, are the traits of the Father who has come down from the lights and

resides in our souls.

Unique, are we. Good and evil will be known, but few will defeat dragons in one’s lifetime.

”Dragons are real,” many will say, but I ask you, “Are they real today?” Are not dragons, real or

imagined, just our conduits to godliness? For within the very best of us, and the very least of us

masterpieces, lie imprisoned spirits which are trapped by the flesh of mankind, or Adam. Adam was

from the dirt of this planet Earth. Neither Adam nor his seed will live forever. But the Spirit of God

will survive forever; spirit is infinity. We are not.

Then, there is the soul – the ego. The dual nature which longs for the earth or the “Adamic”

nature. It begins innocently, then falls into God’s grace. The quest – our mission or lesson – is to

defeat the opponent, the enemy of ourselves, our egos. So, this story is about defeating the challenger

of God, who uses the voices of the accuser. It is the strong one of this earth who whispers to the

accepting Adamic humans all the reasons that failure is the final destiny.

The devil within is conquered, metaphorically, in isolated forests; deep-flooding valleys; on rocky

hillsides; in snake-filled pits; in vast oceans where a single lifeboat drifts eternally; in lonely, locked

cells; in cold hospital rooms; in the loss of a child or loved one; in burning towers; crashing planes;

bombshelled cities; in an orphaned child; in unwed mothers; in life-changing events; until kingdom

comes. The devil is appointed an unending reserve of trials.

The test’s purpose is to stretch ego and character into a form of divine inspiration. Sometimes it

works and never fails. Perhaps, it is not determined in one lifetime, but in many. The soul determines

the result for the lap. The soul steers the course. It develops; and graduation of a lesson occurs as we

become more and more like God.

iii

iv

Our story begins now. It is the story of a woman’s journey from innocence, to enslavement, and

then to freedom, within a lifetime. You might share the sorrow and pain of her battles, and relate to

her innocence during childhood, which is magically experienced by Cat. Seemingly, you might

experience and share her rejection from the fellowship of those with whom she grew up. You might

feel her hurt, her loneliness, her isolation, and know her addictions as your own. And, just when you

think there is no hope for her (or maybe even you), you may find yourself cheering because there is

magic and goodness in a dark world. There are fairy godmothers, angels, and guides who do help us

just when we need them the most.

I welcome you into the story of Elizabeth Catherine Dubois.

Chapter One

Now, Elizabeth Catherine Dubois, or “Cat”, as she prefers, lives in a lonely house in the

Appalachian Mountains, in a place known as Glory Town. She is young; growing up is upon her.

As you sip your tea, I will tell you all about it. Hers is a tale of loss, troubles, enchantments,

delights and the magic of God’s angels, fairy godmothers and other divine interveners. These divine

creatures – angels, guardians, fairy godmothers, or your choice of moniker for those who carry

goodness on their wings – came to Glory Town for the sole purpose of restoring Cat Dubois.

Now, Glory Town is nestled between two old mountains in The Appalachians, the picture-perfect

quaint village of 11,000 residents, which is not quite as perfectly round a number as 12,000, but

purposely maintained at approximately 11,000. Furthermore, the municipality is never allowed a

population exceeding 12,000. This was written in the foundations of Glory Town’s “secret codes” and

governed by the town’s three founders.

These three are: David Finks, whose wife is Hannah Finks, with whom they have three sons,

Warwick, Winston and Chad. Next in the hierarchy is Robert Fletcher-Snutgrass, with his wife,

Jessica, and their four children: eldest daughter, Emily; middle son, Taylor; Claire, the next girl; and

then, baby, Suzanne. The third family led by a founding father of Glory Town are the Thornton-

Henchmens with their tribe: patriarch, Theodore or “Teddy”, for short, and Selma, his wife, and

Hector, Molly and Thorpe Thornton-Henchmen.

Also of notable importance are the Reverend Davis (Daniel Davis’s father) and the preacher’s

wife, Rebecca Palmer Davis. Other families, though less impressive, include: The Bartons – Henry,

Ruth and their 3 daughters, Priscilla, Patsy and Daphne; the Johnsons – Larry, the town mechanic,

1

his wife Mary, and daughter Tammy; then are the Millers and their two infamous sons – Dillinger

and Cooper. Finally, the immigrants from France and England are the Dubois family, comprising

Philippe and Catherine Harrington-Dubois, and their daughter, Elizabeth Catherine, around whom

this story revolves.

“Joy to the world! The Lord has come.” The crowning attraction of Glory Town is its famous

claim as THE Christmas town most photographed and visited by tourist families with the delighted

eyes of imaginative children and their parents, who still wonder, like children themselves, at the

warmth of the holy season. Glory Town enlivens their memories like a picturesque scene on a vintage

postcard, assuredly giving Christmas lovers warm fuzzies.

When approaching Glory Town from either mountain’s winding road, it appears like a Norman

Rockwell painting that everyone wants, but only a few truly experience in a lifetime.

White snow, white picket fences, gently billowing smoke from the home fireplaces burning warm,

and sidewalks, along which passersby smile endearingly while wishing all “Merry Christmas!” signal

the revelry. Carolers beckon from the sanctuary, donning red choir robes and halo-white satin

collars, heralding the music of pleasant voices in perfect a cappella, lifting up Gregorian hymns as the

gothic organ opens with Bach’s “Passacaglia in C Minor”.

The Carolers, in a procession of holiday finery, continue their serenade to the corners in front of

Victorian homes prominently, proudly, situated within what area, over many Christmases past, would

become the town’s spiritual epicenter.

“Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn king…’” Everyone in Glory Town is

expected to play roles demonstrating angelic behaviors at all times – and especially when guests are

afoot. This whole town is a “Christian town”, hastening one back, in a heartbeat, to a Charles

Dickens setting. Good behavior as far as one can see has been dreamed of, desired by, and lusted

after, by those who have ever read or heard of the charm found only here, only now, this magical

time of year.