A fairy tale, invented and written by Michelle Kramer and illustrated with unique designs made from real ostrich eggs.

At a time when wishing still helped, there lived a deer named Hubertus. As a young deer, Hubertus had a wonderful dream. He dreams that one early fall morning he had glowing antlers. In his dream he was the hero of the forest. He was looked at with admiration and appreciation by the other forest dwellers and, thanks to his light antlers, he was able to help other animals find food. Hubertus could only think about this wonderful dream. He hardly went forays through the forest anymore, he only ran to the old pond to look at his reflection in the mirror and notice that his antlers weren't glowing. He felt loveless and lackluster and of no use. Whenever another animal passed him without greeting, he thought of his dream with tears in his eyes. “If only my antlers shone as beautifully as in my dream, then everything would certainly be different!”

The years passed and Hubertus only grazed near the pond. He felt weak and heavy; every day he woke up with his normal antlers. He looked forward to the beginning of autumn every year because that was the season of his dream. He remembered dancing golden leaves flashing and sparkling through his glowing antlers. This year's autumn was almost over, and Hubertus was more desperate than ever before. At some point in the twilight, when the tears started rolling down his fur, a firefly saw it. It called the other fireflies and they flew together to Hubertus. “Hey deer, why are you crying?” asked one of the fireflies. Hubertus looked up curiously and replied: “I would really like to have glowing antlers.” The whole group of fireflies started laughing together. “What kind of stupid wish is that?” Bored, they turned around and continued flying. Hubertus thought to himself: “You’re having a good laugh – you’re shining!”

The firefly that Hubertus had discovered returned again and said: “Don’t worry about it, dear deer. My glow was very weak from birth and I was ridiculed for it. But I worked on my glow and now I am one of the brightest! I don't know how this can work with deer antlers, you'll have to find out for yourself." Hubertus couldn't believe it! Naturally! He thanked the firefly and decided to find out how to make his antlers glow.

He was still pondering the next sunrise. Then he had an idea: “Of course, I’ll ask the sun! She will know!” He sprinted to the spot where she was just lying on the ground, but when he got there, she was far too far away in the sky. He tried this on three consecutive days, but either it was far too hot or the sun was already too far away to speak to her. Hubertus realized that he needed another advisor. This time he was lucky more quickly because there was a night when the moon was very large and close to the earth. Hubertus climbed to the highest mountain and shouted, trembling and afraid of being laughed at again: “Hello moon, you shine so beautifully! I have a big dream, my antlers should shine like you. Can you help me?"

The moon didn't laugh, he said: "Hello, beautiful deer, thank you for the compliment, otherwise I only get that from the wolf. I am sorry but i can not help you. I don't know how your antlers could glow. Just ask the stars! There are so many, there must be someone who knows how it works!” Hubertus was completely surprised, the moon called him “beautiful” and spoke to him normally. That's great, plus you got a great tip. He decided to climb the mountain again tomorrow, maybe he was lucky and can ask a star directly. Hubertus climbed the mountain many nights, but the stars were always far too far away for Hubertus to notice. One night, after many calls to the stars, he was startled by a cheeky voice right in his ear: “Hello you deer, hello you deer!” There is no one here, who are you talking to?” Hubertus looked around in shock and saw something very small flickering around him.

“Hello you deer, hello you deer, don’t worry, I’m Eida, an elf.” Hubertus calmed down and said: “Hello Eida, my name is Hubertus and I want shiny antlers. My plan is to ask the stars for advice." "That's a smart idea, dear Hubertus. I'm looking too. I am an egg elf and live in empty eggs. Unfortunately my last house broke down again and I haven't been able to find a new one for days, because that's not so easy at this time of year. May I join you and warm myself a little in your fur? Maybe the stars can help me too, they have a great view.” Hubertus’ heart felt very warm. How wonderful, my wish is respected and I am needed and I am no longer alone. From that night onwards, Eida and Hubertus always traveled in pairs, they called out to the stars every night and had lots of great conversations and got to know each other better.

The unlikely team formed a close friendship. Eida urgently needed an egg home; Hubertus's warmth would not be able to compensate for the lack of the important egg shell for long. Hubertus continued to long for his glowing antlers, although conversations with Eida helped him become more confident. Then the night came, which accelerated the two of them again. Eida saw a shooting star and shouted: “Hello, Hubertus, hello, Hubertus, quick, a star is coming to earth over there!” Hubertus ran to the spot as quickly as lightning and was surprised at how agile and fast he had become.

“Hello shooting star, you shine so brightly! I have a big dream, my antlers should shine like you. My friend Eida is also looking for an egg home. Can you help us?" The shooting star hissed happily: "Hello fast deer, thank you for the compliment. I am sorry but i can not help you. I don't know how this could work. I don't know anyone who rents out egg houses either, I only know snail houses. Just ask the cardinal, I’ve long admired this bird because of its bright plumage.”

Eida and Hubertus thanked him and immediately went looking for the cardinal. Here Eida Hubertus was again of great help because she flew up to the highest trees and looked for the bird with the bright red plumage. Every time Eida flew to Hubertus to tell him what she had found out about the cardinal, she brought him a few beautiful twigs from the forest. With this she lovingly decorated his antlers. She thought a lot about her friend and wanted to cheer him up. Then the time had come: Eida found the cardinal and flew with him to Hubertus. Hubertus was filled with admiration and gratitude when the two reached him. “Hello Eida! Hello Cardinal, your feathers shine beautifully! I have a big dream, my antlers should shine like your feathers. My friend Eida is also looking for an egg home. Can you help us?"

The cardinal warbled clear as a bell: “Hello proud deer, thank you for the compliment. Unfortunately I can't help you. I don't know how that could work and I don't know anyone who owns egg houses, I only know bird nests with hatching parties. Just ask the deer, I admire this forest dweller because of his shiny eyes.” Eida and Hubertus thanked him and immediately went looking for the deer. This search won't take very long because Hubertus knew where to find the deer. He was annoyed that he hadn't come up with the idea straight away and that the solution could be so obvious. Eida reassured him: “Hello, you Hubertus, hello, you Hubertus, now imagine, you Hubertus, then we would never have met and I would probably have frozen to death without your warmth.” Eida was right, and it started violently to snow. The flakes danced icily around Hubertus' nose, and he was surprised that he wasn't exhausted at all. Maybe because he also took this path for his elf friend?

When he found the deer, it was already standing deep in the snow and looking at him shyly. “Hello deer, your eyes shine beautifully! I have a big dream, my antlers should shine like your big brown eyes. My friend Eida is also looking for an egg home. Can you help us?" The deer thought for a moment and then said tenderly: "Hello clever deer, thank you for the compliment. Unfortunately I can't help you. I don't know how that could work and I don't know anyone who owns egg houses, I only know of mushroom houses for elves. Just ask the fox, I admire him for his cleverness, he will certainly be able to help you.”

Eida and Hubertus thanked each other and looked at each other hopefully. They felt that this was important advice! Hubertus asked Eida if she could also live in a mushroom. Eida explained to Hubertus that unfortunately this is not possible. She told him that there are an infinite number of elven races. For example, the flower elves, who live in flowers and only live for one summer. The mushroom elves, in turn, live in mushroom houses in the forest and live for hundreds of years because they sleep when their mushroom house is destroyed, they sleep until a new mushroom has grown and then rebuild their new building.

Eida would be happy if she could choose the type of house herself, because the egg houses are very fragile and are stored in dark cellars for long periods of the year. Unfortunately, people only bring the beautiful eggs into their cozy homes and decorate them lovingly for a very short time. She came into this world as an egg elf, there is no other option. She further reported that she didn't want to bend either because she loved the smell and the feeling when she touched the surface of the bowl. She also needed the lime from the eggshells to survive; she licked this elixir of life from time to time. She looked sadly at Hubertus and said: “I feel that I don’t have much time left, I’m getting weaker.”

Hubertus became very afraid for his best friend. He had to find the fox, and he set out to search while Eida rested in his fur and slept a lot. He ran tirelessly, many days and nights. He had the feeling that he must soon have reached the end of the forest, what would await him there? When he no longer believed in it, he met the fox. “Hello Fox, you are known for your cleverness and my friend Eida and I need your advice. I have a big dream, my antlers should shine like the stars. We are also looking for a place where there are eggs. My girlfriend urgently needs an empty egg to live in. She is an egg elf and loses strength and power without a suitable home. Can you help us?"

The fox felt flattered and replied superiorly: “Hello helpful deer, thank you for the compliment. Unfortunately I can't help you. I don't know how that could work, and I don't know anyone who owns egg houses. But I know someone who can definitely help you, we say “Goodnight” to each other every evening. Ask the rabbit!” Hubertus looked skeptical and asked: “Should I ask the rabbit? Why is that?" The fox replied: "Believe me, he will be able to help you both. He is also called “Master Lamp” and lamps shine, I overheard people saying that. “People also say that the rabbit hides lots of colorful eggs every year.”

Hubertus thanked the fox and immediately ran to the place where the two meet every evening. Sure enough, the rabbit was sitting there, looking at him respectfully and looking as if he wanted to run away quickly. Hubertus called out from afar: “Don’t worry, Master Lamp, don’t run away, we urgently need your help! My friend Eida is not feeling well, she is an egg elf and needs an egg house to live in very quickly. The fox told me, “You know your way around?” The hare replies with relief: “Hello, brave deer! Yes, I can actually help with that. Actually, people don't decorate eggs at this time. They only do this in the spring for a few weeks. However, I know a house where there is a huge egg in the window all year round. You will find the house right on the edge of the forest, you can't miss it. It is currently beautifully decorated with festive Christmas garlands, shiny Christmas baubles and glowing fairy lights.”

Hubertus no longer heard the end of the sentence, and he didn't want to talk about his desire for antlers anymore because he knew that he had to hurry. Eida had been quiet for a long time now. Hubertus was very worried. It was now dark and bitterly cold, he ran as fast as he could and then he saw the house. All around is a beautifully lit garden, like stars, like fireflies, like the moon! The garden glowed like everything he had ever seen glow. It took his breath away, he was so overwhelmed. He immediately saw the egg, which strangely enough also glowed. Hubertus doubted his sanity and exclaimed: “Do I see everything shining now? Am I going crazy?” He stood right in front of the window with a huge egg and called desperately for Eida. Nothing! What should he do now? He ran back and forth restlessly and carelessly, and his antlers got caught in a ribbon or a rope, or was that a trap? Panic rose in him, what was that unknown thing up there above his head?

Hubertus remained brave, he wanted to save Eida. He called loudly to her again, stomping on his feet, and then he suddenly heard the beloved shimmering in his ear. “Hello you Hubertus, hello you hero, you did it! How beautiful, how beautiful! How beautiful you are. I have to get to the egg quickly, Hubertus, thank you, my friend.” Hubertus watched her disappear almost invisibly, first into the window frame and then into the bright, large egg. He felt great sadness and great happiness at the same time when Eida waved to him through one of the small holes in the egg. She looked so happy and overwhelmed. She clapped the whole time and blew him kisses. Does she want to tell him something? Suddenly he noticed his own reflection in the window pane. He couldn't believe what he saw there, but he turned his head back and forth and it was there!

His antlers shone all over. It sparkled like someone had attached stars to it! This time Hubertus cried tears of happiness. They both made it together, Eida found a new and safe home and he found his light antler. Where had it come from so suddenly? Do wishes just come true if you fight for them? Hubertus nodded once again to Eida and then ran blissfully back into the snowy forest. He didn't notice that the chain of lights slipped from his antlers because he found a glow on his way that no one can take away from him.

Egg pilogue

Eida has more space than ever before in her ostrich egg lamp. From here she can look into the forest all year round. Every now and then she flickers out to her shining hero Hubertus and gossips with him about important detours, charity and unexpected powers that sometimes lie deep within you... Hubertus has become a little “star” in the forest through his unique journey. There is no longer a single animal that walks past him without saying hello.

I would be happy to make you a very personal, unique ostrich egg. The topic can be the fairy tale of Hubertus and Eida, but of course I also try to make all other wishes come true, because I think we should live in a time again where wishing helps...

Did you like the story? Also available as a fairy tale booklet in our shop, with lots of great photos. A nice source of inspiration for ostrich egg fans and decoration lovers.