Trafford Publishing: Meru And The Magic Thread

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Meru And The Magic Thread

by Marla Hanson & Scarlet Eskildsen

59 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-1319; ISBN 1-55395-603-6; US$12.50, C$14.95, EUR9.80, £6.80

A young boy faces the dominions of evil as he responds to a divine invitation that will inevitably require him to accept a great responsibility. Illustrated children's book.

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about the book
praise for Meru and the Magic Thread about the author sample excerpts catalogue info

About the Book

Meru and the Magic Thread is the story of a young boy who faces the dominions of evil as he responds to a divine invitation that inevitably leads him to great responsibility. Meru's world is about to undergo a shift that will bring a great change and Meru has been chosen to deliver this message to all who live there. He carries no weapons other than the purity of his own nature as he confronts the forces of darkness that hide within the recesses of all of our souls.
Meru wakes up one morning to find a magic button on his doorstep. He learns that it can only be sewn on with magic thread. He must make a difficult journey to the Eastern Mountain to find the Star Lady, whose spinning spiders weave the magic thread. Come with him on this journey as he faces his past and future while trying to escape the fury of the River of Reflections. Meet the wizard who attempts to steal Meru's innocence in the Forest of Forgetfulness. Travel through the Cave of Completion where Meru's faith is tested. Finally behold the Star Lady who reveals the real reason for Meru's journey.
This story delivers a timeless message of Love, Innocence, and Faith, three qualities that inspire and sustain the human spirit. This book will be of great importance to parents who are trying to nourish these qualities in their children. We hope the story of Meru will create a wave that will gather strength as it opens the heart and mind of each person who reads it.

Praise for Meru and the Magic Thread

One morning, Meru wakes to find a magic button on his doorstep. The button is gold and a drop of dew swirls in the centre. Meru's friend Dawn informs Meru that the button is a gift from the Fairies. When Meru goes to sew the button on to his clothes, Dawn tells him that it can only be sewn on with magic thread. He must make a difficult journey to the Eastern Mountain to find the Star Lady, whose spinning spiders weave the magic thread.
Meru then embarks on a long journey that teaches him (and us the reader) valuable lessons. We follow Meru as he goes through the River of Reflections where he learns that love is the mightiest power in the universe. We quake with fear in the Forest of Forgetfulness as Meru learns that innocence is something that resides within all of us. We shake with nervousness in the Cave of Completion where Meru must learn that the true self has no limitations and that boundaries are only external forms that box us in.
For such a short story, it is a powerful one. It reaches right into you and lets you tag along on Meru's adventures. For those learning to read, it has something that I've never seen before. For the difficult words, if you look at the bottom you will find a definition of that word or a synonym. What a wonderful thing for children who are just learning to read! Why hasn't anyone thought of doing this before?
What was surprising about "Meru and the Magic Thread" was its maturity, its bleakness. It was a tender, touching book of self discovery and self-exploration as well as the beginning of what will most likely be a great epic fantasy. However, the book is still a little dark; Meru has to confront some pretty heavy personal demons and a few external ones to continue on his quest. For a children's book, it touches on all the right things though: fun, escape, adventure, a grand quest, magic, Fairies and monsters.
While "Meru and the Magic Thread" didn't provide any earth shattering revelations about me from its lessons, it did get me thinking. The book stays with you, its message of loving life clear from the very beginning and not letting go until you've learnt that lesson. It's a haunting tale that you will keep going back to again and again. I myself can't wait for the sequel.
"Meru and the Magic Thread" is a truly magical book that speaks not just to the child within, but the person. It reminds us to look within ourselves and teaches us lessons that we may have forgotten in the hustle and bustle of daily life. I know for myself, the book forced me to stop, just for a moment, and simply enjoy. As Meru's Grandfather says in the opening lines of the book, "Life is one experience after another..." "Meru and the Magic Thread" reminded me to enjoy each experience. It's not enough just to live them.
Reviewed by: Jamieson Wolf, AdventureZone - Nov 2003

About the Author

Marla Hanson was born in San Francisco California but raised in Los Angeles. She returned to SF where she became a well known musician in the late 60's and 70's. Along with being a published song writer, her band worked with renown groups such as The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and Big Brother and The Holding Company. Her group opened shows for Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix. She is on many of the old record albums and went on to record an album with Unity Records. After a turbulent career in the music business she turned to teaching music in the public schools of Marin County California. It was there that Meru and the Magic Thread was born and turned into a full length play at San Geronimo School in Lagunitas CA. She continued her career in education and became a preschool teacher, an Assistant Director and a Director of various schools and programs in Marin County. After her husband passed away she joined her family in Hawaii and has lived here on the Big Island since 1998. She owns and operates Big Island Nannies a childcare company serving the major hotels and resorts on the Kona and Kohala Coast.
Scarlet Eskildsen has traveled all over the world but in 1986 the beauty and culture of the Islands inspired her to make Hawaii her permanent home. Scarlet was born in the Bay Area of Northern California. As a child she was drawn to art and sculpture showing considerable talent in both areas. This is not surprising since she is directly related to Francoise Boucher, a French painter from the Louie IV period, whose paintings hang in the Louvre, London, Europe and the Huntington Library in California. Over the years she developed her artistic skills and now is a local artist who sells her work at Hilo Hattie's in Kona. Married, with two children, Scarlet leads a busy life but over this last year she found the time to illustrate and publish Meru and the Magic Thread, a story that she believes will generate hope and faith in the hearts of those who read it. This belief was the motivating force that prompted Marla and Scarlet to rewrite the original story into the unusual and captivating tale that it is today. In a collaborative effort to further their deeply shared principles of love and nonviolence this unique mother/daughter team is happy to present Meru and the Magic Thread, the first book in a trilogy called In Search Of The Golden Disc.

Sample Excerpts

excerpt from Chapter 1: The Gift
"There is a first breath and there is a last breath and in between is life; One continuous experience after another, from the moment we are born until we no longer exist."
The lines on Grandfather's face had grown deeper in the last year, but his hands were still strong and his mind was still sharp. Best of all, his eyes still twinkled whenever he spoke.
"Most of us define our experiences as being either good or bad," he said, "but those who are wise measure the worth of each experience by what they have learned."
Grandfather loaded wood into the out stretched arms of a young boy. The boy had lost his parents years before. Now he lived with his Grandfather at the edge of a beautiful meadow bordered by a great forest. The boy's name was Meru and, though his Grandfather's words held truth, he found himself confused.
"I do not understand your words," Meru said.
Grandfather raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Someday you will understand them."
Meru frowned. "You always say that when you don't want to explain something to me."
"Do you remember learning your letters?" asked Grandfather.
excerpt from Chapter 2: The River of Reflection
The path led Meru to a crumbling footbridge. As he walked toward it, he remembered a lullaby that was sung to him when he was a baby and he knew he was beginning to feel the river's power. As Meru took his first step onto the bridge, loving memories and secret longings flowed like mist into his mind. He even thought he heard the voice of his long, lost mother calling to him, beckoning to him, gently urging him to look down into the water. He could smell the fragrance of her hair and thought he felt the softness of her breath upon his cheek. His mother's memory courted him, surrounded him and permeated every cell in his body. It offered him shelter, comfort, and solace. As the desire to see his mother's face became overwhelming, Meru's steps became slow and unsure. Instinct warned him that if this desire was satisfied, it would rise up in him again and again and yet again, becoming stronger and more compelling each time he gave in to it. Finally, it would envelop him so completely that his own existence would no longer matter.
The river felt Meru's resistance. It was hungry and wanted to feed. If it could not conquer Meru's will through seduction and deception it would try to break it through intimidation and fear. The River rose up in anger. It became a seething, churning, living thing. Its water began to crash against the pilings that supported the bridge. The old wood shuddered and splintered from the vicious attacks. The bridge could not withstand such brutal treatment. It began to shift and tilt as its pilings sank deeper into the river's bed.
Meru was thrown off balance and fell against the handrail. He felt his courage dissolve and he crumpled into a heap in the middle of the bridge feeling desperate and afraid.
The river sensed Meru's weakness and renewed its efforts to overcome him. It spewed huge jets of water into the air. Each drop that fell upon Meru felt like the sting of an angry bee. Within seconds he was drenched in the river's fury. He struggled to stand but his legs were shaking. He reached for the handrail and pulled himself up. Painfully clutching the handrail for support, he began dragging himself in the direction of safety.
The river became wild with rage. Its prey was escaping. In a final attempt at victory it began to swell, and gathering all of its strength formed into a massive wall of water able to crush anything in its path.
Meru could no longer avert his eyes. He looked into the depths of the monstrous wave as it approached the bridge. For the first time in his life he felt totally helpless. He could not move. He had pitted his will against that of the river's and he had lost. He had depended upon his courage only to feel it drain away in the wake of the river's wrath. It was obvious that the river had won and he would be swept away into nothingness like the others before him. He no longer fought the river but instead awaited his fate as the tremendous force of water gained speed and momentum.
excerpt from Chapter 3: The Forest of Forgetfulness
The fingers of the wind lightly shuffled the leaves of the trees. Meru enjoyed the solitude and was immersed in his thoughts when something shiny caught his eye. Nestled next to a rock was a small plant. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to have produced a spectacular jeweled flower instead of a fragrant blossom. Meru quickly looked around and found these plants growing everywhere. They sparkled and gave out much light. Resting in the center of each flower was a precious gem that had grown perfectly into its setting. They all offered the promise of great wealth to anyone who dared to pick them.
One flower in particular was so alluring that Meru began to desire it for himself. Its stem and leaves were made of soft jade and its mother-of-pearl petals circled a striking diamond center. Meru imagined himself picking the flower and taking it back to his Grandfather. They could trade it for food and clothing and grandfather wouldn't have to work so hard anymore. But underneath these kindly thoughts, Meru felt a growing passion that quickly became an intense craving to possess the flower for himself. He forgot about his Grandfather and his friend Dawn, but worst of all he forgot that he was a good and honest boy.
Meru looked anxiously over his shoulder and then down the path in both directions. There was no one around. Surely these jeweled flowers were growing wild. There were no signs of cultivation. What harm could there be in picking just one?
As if in answer to his thoughts, the ground began to rumble and rising up out of the very earth itself was what appeared to be a man. He was wearing a long magnificent coat and a large pointed hat upon his head. There was a faint smile upon his face as he focused his gaze upon Meru and began to glide across the forest floor. Meru was amazed but stood motionless, something he had learned to do when in the presence of a possible predator.
excerpt from Chapter 4: The Cave of Completeness
Turning around, he came face to face with a giant serpent who had quietly inched its way up on to a rock. The serpent's skin shimmered and glowed with iridescent colors that melted into each other as its upper body and head swayed back and forth in front of Meru's face.
"Good evening, young fellow", he hissed. "My name is Marat. I am the keeper of this cave and have been so for five million years. Do you wish to enter?" Meru sat very still. Snakes could either be friends or foes. Finally he found his tongue. "Y-Y-Yes," he stammered, "for I must stay on this path if I am to find the Star Lady."
"I see," answered the serpent. "I know of the Star Lady. You must go through this cave in order to reach your goal. It is called the Cave of Completion. Inside it is darker than a moonless night. Its catacombs are vast and endless. There are no exits, but there is a way out."
Meru listened with an attentive ear. The serpent coiled its tail snugly around itself and continued. "When you let go of all your fear and confusion, your desires and passions, and even your hopes and dreams, only one thing remains. In order to pass through this cave you must find out what that is. You will not be able to recognize it with any of your ordinary senses. It is far beyond them. If you find it you will not be able to embrace it, instead, it will embrace you. Inside there will be no one to help you, no one to give you advice, no one to offer solutions. You will be completely on your own. You will try and go in many different directions but in the end there will be only one direction you can go if you want to survive. Remember it is only when you are truly empty that you shall be full." With these last words the serpent gracefully slid from the rock and took his position as sentinel next to the mouth of the cave.

Catalogue Information