Merrydale's Corner

"Tell them stories" is what Lyra and her companions advise those waiting to face the harpies in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. Every time I come across this passage again it moves me anew. I was introduced to stories, by someone telling them to me. 

My mother would ask about our day and then weave a bedtime story out of what had happened. She used to leave my bedroom door open, so my sister - with three years ahead of me much too old for stories - could stealthily open her door across the hall and listen as well.

I wouldn't know because I was too young to remember properly, but I believe that on those evenings my love for storytelling was born. Later on, when we'd progressed to books, I would hear one phrase over and over: "It will be so exciting once you can read by yourself." Turns out my mother was right. I have loved reading ever since.

I didn't set out to be a writer, preferring instead to tell people about things I had read and - later - sharing books. Reading out aloud became a passion too and has remained so. 

My parents' friends' children were mostly left with us children and quite frequently, after they had seen the books in my room and spotted one they liked, I ended up reading out loud to the younger ones. I have always enjoyed sharing stories. It creates a certain kind of magic that is completely its own. Stories can do that. They are powerful and sharing them is like a bond, connecting us to others. 

That is why I relate so strongly to the exchange between Lyra and her companions and the harpies. Stories are important: they open up a window into another world; they can even help set us free.