One time, a time long ago -or so it seems to mortals, there lived a Queen who ruled all in the realm of Twilight, between Darkness and Light.  One morning, the Queen awoke in a cold sweat, fearing that something was very wrong.  Glancing at her clock, she saw that it had stopped moving, and her feeling of wrongness increased.  Hoping against hope, she dashed from her rooms to find her sister, the little one, Princess of Dreams.  As the Queen entered her sister’s chambers, she was loathe to find that something was indeed, terribly wrong.  All the clocks were frozen, and her sister was gone.  Time had stolen away in the night.

Time was once a sprightly faery,  mischievous, but kind.  Friend to the Twilight Queen and Dream Princess.  Time, who loved long walks and late-night talks; who loved frolicking in emerald fields and sipping sweet tea.  The faery, who preferred to be called Thyme, who made her homes in books and mirrors, and controlled all the clocks in the Kingdom.  Without the time-faery, the Twilight Queen and the Dream Princess could hardly find a spare moment to speak.  Thyme, like many fickle faeries do, found herself bored, and in need of fresh air and adventure, so she slipped away in the dark of night and abandoned her duties, hoping to lead the Queen and her sister on a merry chase.

The Twilight Queen quenched her anger with Thyme and quickly made a decision.  She would find the troublesome faery, and the little Princess, and bring them home.  She went to her chambers to pack her things, and kissed her husband, the Light king, goodbye.  With an understanding nod and a smile, he slipped a small device into her bag, and stood at the gate till she was out of sight.  The Queen was on her way.

One Saturday, after long days of fruitless searching, the Twilight Queen was feeling particularly discouraged.  She had stumbled upon old clues, and tricks that led her in circles, but nothing to inform her of the whereabouts of the elusive Thyme.  She was so lost in her thoughts, that she did not notice the small pebble in her way until it was too late, and she was sprawled on the ground, her belongings scattered in front of her on the path.  The Queen felt frustrated tears prick her eyes, and another pang of familiar loneliness, because it was at times like these, when she was surrounded by chaos and hopelessness, when her sister, the little one, would find her, and once again bring smiles and laughter to her lips.  With a melancholy sigh, the Queen picked herself up and began to gather her belongings, only to find herself back on the ground, having fallen over in surprise.

Before her, on the grass, amongst her scattered belongings, lay the device the Light King had given her, covered with a sheen of faery dust on it’s smooth surface.  The King had given her one of Thyme’s magical gifts:  A cell phone!  This device, like the magic groves of invisible WiFi, and the Ethernet Snakes that loved her, was one of Thyme’s creations, made purely to help lost friends, like the Queen and her sister, find a moment to connect.  With a hopeful smile, the Queen picked up the device, and opened it.



Somewhere far away, on that same Saturday, the Dream Princess was watching a jousting tournament, longing for her sister’s company.  As the Knights clashed, the Princess couldn’t help but remember the bitter, disappointed words of the Queen, the night Thyme had fled, and her loneliness increased.  If only Thyme would cease her games, and come home!

The tournament ended, and the Princess made to leave, and continue on her journey, but something stopped her.  A shadow hovered in her path, and she looked up to find a small man, who looked to be of faery origin floating in front of her.  He smiled an impish smile and introduced himself as Tymm, friend of Thyme.  The sprightly little man presented the Princess with a small wrapped bundle, and with a flourishing bow, flew from her presence.  The Dream Princess, almost afraid to hope, gingerly unwrapped the bundle, and her mood soared as she gazed at the device before her.  Thyme had not forgotten her!  She jumped then, with hopeful shock, for the device in her hands had started to ring.



Thyme, completely unaware of the distress she was causing her friends, continued ahead on her merry chase, and left magical things like cell phones and calling cards; or whispered in the ears of willing helpers, like her friend Tymm and the Light King.  And so it was that the Twilight Queen and the Dream Princess continued their searches for the elusive faery, Thyme; hoping one day, to find her and bring her home, so that they may once more dance in the emerald fields and sip sweet tea, together, like they had in days long past.