We begin with a door, always with a door. A portal into or out from a walled city, a fortress. But howsoever gray and thick the wall, there is always a door. And our story begins only when you find it, and open it, and walk through
Fairy tales require tests, proofs of courage, a willingness to pass through the dark forest. That very dark forest is everything, nurture and death. You will see eyes in the branches, you will see witches in the shape of trees and in the eyes of odd old women. You are not wrong to fear them, but do not think you understand them. You do not.
If you are lucky and brave and kind, if you help the woman rather than kill the witch, you will come to another portal deep in the woods, away from the river that might have led you home. This door will be a cottage, or a cave, or a well. It is in the middle of no-where, unmappable but unmistakable. You should not hesitate to enter, although everything will change when you do.
In a fairy tale, you may find your way to a world in the sky. You might climb a magic vine, or travel with a raven that you fed on one of your paths, or fall up a hole in the air. The world of the sky exists with different time, so be wary. The music that you hear behind the door is more beautiful than anything you have known.
The sky world has gardens with wondrous plants that youve never seen, and streams of singing water that you almost understand. Do not pick the blooming flora. Do not drink the water. Continue on your way, as if you knew your way, and be chaste. If you are kind and brave and lucky, you will find the final door. If you are even more that all these things, you will carry memories of the gardens enchantment with you always, and its magic will help you in times of great distress.
This last door is difficult, but if you can recognize it, if you oil its hinges and leave some small offering on the ground without being asked, a passage should open into the world you used to wake to every day without surprise. The bit of green that you finally will inhabit is surprisingly small, but you will not mind. It seems much changed, after all your traveling. If you find this bit of green, this small haven that is itself a portal between deep earth and deeper sky, then all will be well enough thereafter.