Valentine-The Magic Love Potion - a fantasy story for children book promotion by Jessica Hardiman
The secret about angels
When I was a little girl, I used to sit in my window and look up at the sky wondering if fairytales do come true. Just like in the story of Cinderella, I wanted someone to help me. Someone who was magic and would make my dreams come true.
From the beginning "Valentine –The Magic Love Potion" was just a short story that I wrote in school. Just like Emily, I was experiencing similar feelings to my parents' divorce, and to help me go through it all, I wished that an angel would be my friend.
The story of the little angel Valentine who invents a love potion to stop people from fighting came from my wild imagination. But at the same time, this little character became my best friend. As I grew older and had children I realized how dear this story was to me, but it wasn´t until my son started to ask me about what happens after we die, that I decided to write the book about Valentine. One of my favorite chapters in the book is "the secret" and many children ask me to read it for them. I now like to share it with you.
Excerpts from the book "Valentine-The Magic Love Potion" Jessica Hardiman. Illustrations Ida Antonsson.
Emily lay in her bed but she was unable to sleep, as she was just too excited. Down below in the kitchen, music seeped through the speakers and Emily's parents' laughter echoed through the walls. Emily smiled in the dark. She opened her eyes and looked for Valentine. But he wasn't in the slipper like he usually was.
"Valentine?"
Emily sat up. She then caught sight upon him. He sat in the window looking up at the stars.
"What is it, Valentine? Don't you feel well?" She said as she got out of bed and walked towards him.
"I'm okay," he said. "I'm looking for the angels in Heaven."
Emily peered up at the sky. The moon shone through the window and the stars seemed to shine even brighter than usual.
"Can you see them?" She asked.
"Not right now but they are up there," he said as he pointed.
"Whereabouts?" Teddy asked and took a leap into Emily's lap.
"Can they see us?"
"It is possible," said Valentine.
"But I can't tell you what the angels do because it's a secret."
"Please tell me!" Emily begged as she looked up at the sky.
"Tell! Go on! Go on!" Teddy nagged.
Valentine drew his fingers through his hair and pondered. "Okay then, but you must promise not to tell anyone. This has to stay between us!"
"We promise!" They both said in a choir, pushing their noses against the window.
"Do you see the shooting stars in the sky? Have you ever wondered why they move around and then go out? They're the guardian angels," Valentine said smiling. "They wander in the darkness with lanterns in hand and just now they're on their way to someone who needs their help."
"What do the guardian angels do then?"
"Oh, they often come down when you are sad and unable to sleep. Sometimes an angel will fly to your window, but you can't see them!"
"Why not?" Teddy asked.
"Because they can turn invisible. They camouflage themselves with the help of something in the room. It could be a lamp in the window, the wallpaper on the wall or even a teddy bear." Valentine replied.
"But what does the angel do when it gets here?" Emily asked.
"Well, as soon as the angel lands they throw a magical powder into the air, and you can't see or hear anything because you've been enchanted."
"Enchanted!" Emily exclaimed.
"Yes, the powder makes you go to sleep and dream that the angel takes you out into the black night sky. You sit on the back of their wings and you soar through the sky right up into space, and listen to the stars sing."
"But, stars can't sing?" Emily said.
"But of course they can!" cried Valentine, "Who else do you think invented 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star'?"
"People sing, and they can make music from notes." Emily said.
"Right! And whereabouts do you think the notes come from?" Valentine said. "Well, from Heaven of course! Flocks of notes fly around up there and when it rains, they fall down to Earth. It's so you can pick them up. Just like when you sang for me the other night."
"Could you hear me then?"
"Yes, it echoed all over Heaven," Valentine said smiling, "But I heard you the most."