Midsummer Chimes: Night Fables

By Jason Wardle

Midsummer Chimes: Night Fables

Seven tales. One night. A thousand connections.

On the same midsummer night when Puck works his mischief in an Athenian wood, seven other stories unfold across a realm where Shakespeare's dream bleeds into deeper magics. Through the strange logic of dreams, these tales both echo and influence the events of that famous comedy-every choice rippling across the night in ways both subtle and profound.
A knight chooses love over transcendence at a ruined grail chapel. A mermaid's mercy saves a drowning sailor in a sea-cave that becomes cathedral. Gnomes and pixies negotiate the delicate politics of woodland governance. A village refuses to burn its accused witch when fog reveals the true shape of their fears.

In each tale, a red thread appears-binding a wrist, catching in a crown, threading through starlight. A bell rings once and is answered by seven. Three silver coins choose their own paths between worlds. What begins as separate stories becomes a single song, as characters discover that transformation and connection are the night's true magic.

Lyrical and luminous, Midsummer Chimes weaves myth, magic, and moral philosophy into an interconnected tapestry that honors both Shakespeare's vision and the tradition of literary fairy tales while creating something entirely new. Each story stands alone, but together they form a mandala of choice and consequence-where cups become grails and strangers become teachers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FPDY9TSV
• ISBN13: 9798263199630
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 74 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"