1958. Apple-Song and Acorn-Rain

Phyllis had a fairy as a friend. No one believed her. In fact most people thought she was nuts. She would talk to her fairy and her fairy would talk back. They were inseparable. Phyllis’s fairy was called Apple-Song. So there you have it! If Apple-Song didn’t exist how come she had a name?

Phyllis didn’t have many friends apart from Apple-Song. I mean, who wants to be friendly with a girl who is nuts?

One day some naughty boys came along and they pretended to kill Apple-Song. Phyllis was very sad. Then people thought she was more nuts than ever. She still didn’t have any friends until Acorn-Rain came along. Acorn-Rain and Phyllis were inseparable. He was a boy fairy, whereas Apple-Song was a girl fairy.

These days Phyllis is a famous writer. She is a multimillionaire. Everyone else works their guts out achieving little in their humdrum jobs.

See? Who now doesn’t believe in fairies?

1839. The truth about fairies

Jacquitta took her two children, Vinny and Patience for a walk. Patience was four and Vinny was seven.

“Let’s see if we can find where the fairies live,” said Jacquitta.

“I don’t believe in fairies,” said Vinny.

“Oh, but they’re real,” said Jacquitta wanting to protect little Patience from the reality of an imagination-derelict world. “They live in little mushroom villages. They are usually kind and lovely, but sometimes, if you are mean to them, they can get annoyed and then horrible things can happen.”

“It’s not true,” said Vinny. “My friend said that his mother told him that fairies were made up.”

“I’m sure they live around here,” said Jacquitta. “Oh look children! There’s a mushroom ring! It’s a fairies’ village!”

“It’s not a fairies’ village,” said Vinny. “It’s a pile of poisonous mushrooms.”

Vinny kicked the mushrooms with his foot. He smashed them to smithereens. “See,” he said, “no fairies.”

Little Patience burst into tears. “You’ve hurt the fairies and broken their houses,” she said.

“You are a naughty, naughty boy,” said Jacquitta.

The next morning Vinny woke up with a club foot.

Music 140: Wild foxgloves

Wild foxgloves grow everywhere where I live. I find them a joyful flower. I wish each bell had a little clapper in it to tinkle in the breeze! Of course, if that were to be the case then there would be nowhere for the fairies to hide! The music ends very abruptly; either I suddenly got very busy, or someone scared the fairies away.

Listen to the music HERE!

Music 106: Snowdrops

It’s midwinter here. Shh! Do fairies live in snowdrops? Who rings those tiny bells?

Listen to the music HERE!

86. Phoebe’s Uncle Jason

Phoebe no longer believed in fairies. Her mother, knowing that the truth had been whispered around at school, sat Phoebe on her knee and explained that fairies were not real.

“But,” said Phoebe.

“No buts, darling,” said Phoebe’s mother. “Fairies are wonderful. They live only in our imagination. They don’t exist outside our head.”

It was therefore a little strange when it was announced that Uncle Jason was coming to stay. Phoebe overheard her father say to her mother, “He’s a bit of a fairy, isn’t he?” To which Phoebe’s mother said, “It’s no good pretending it’s not true.”

“Ah,” thought Phoebe, “they are trying to hide something from me. Uncle Jason is a fairy in disguise, and they don’t want me to know about it.”

When he arrived, Phoebe followed Uncle Jason around, watching, waiting. At night he went out and didn’t come back home until very, VERY late. Was he out doing fairy things?

Then it was the night of the big parade! Phoebe’s mother and father took Phoebe to see the great parade. THERE HE IS! THERE’S UNCLE JASON! He’s with lots of other fairies! He’s wearing glitter and has fairy wings! He’s wearing a fairy crown! He has a wand! UNCLE JASON! UNCLE JASON! HURRAH! HURRAH!

81. Tooth Fairy Inflation

Michelle and Anna-rose lived next door to each other in a relatively exclusive suburb on the fashionable side of the town’s river. They both had seven-year-old daughters. Michelle’s daughter was Poppy, and Anna-rose’s was Melodic-Purity.

Anna-rose was to attend her lawyer husband’s Christmas function, so Michelle was asked to look after Melodic-Purity for the night.

“And she has a wobbly baby tooth,” said Anna-rose. “So here’s five dollars for the Tooth Fairy if it falls out.”

“Five dollars!” exclaimed Michelle. “Poppy gets a dollar per tooth!”

“A dollar! How stingy is that? We always give five dollars per tooth these days. And the two top front teeth are ten dollars each.”

“Ten dollars!” choked Michelle. “You give ten dollars per front tooth? Poppy gets a dollar for whatever tooth. When I was a kid I got a dime.”

“No wonder my husband says Poppy’s deprived,” snorted Anna-rose. “At least we can afford it, with my husband being a lawyer. Of course, what’s Nigel? A bank-teller is it?”

“You know he’s an accountant,” muttered Michelle.

“Whatever. He’s a disappointment either way. Just make sure that Melodic-Purity gets her five dollars from the Tooth Fairy, and don’t go skimping because you’re a miser with Poppy.”

“You can shove the Tooth Fairy down your oesophagus as far as I’m concerned,” retorted Michelle. “If Melodic-Purity comes near my place just once, I’ll tell her the truth about Tooth Fairies, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and how babies are made. You can find someone else to teach her how to grow up like a spoiled brat.”

Michelle stormed out. It was no fun living next door to her mother.

58. At the bottom of the garden

Lucy lived with her grandparents. She was three, nearly four. She knew fairies were real. Someone had told her that fairies were not true, but she had seen them. At least, she had seen where they slept. Their sleeping chamber was made of long grass at the bottom of the garden, and decorated with the most beautiful jewellery and shells. Some of the jewellery was exactly the same as what Grandma once wore.

And then! And then! And then it was her fourth birthday! Lucy got a letter from her fairy. It was in the mailbox. It was beautiful. The fairy’s name was Gwendebelle.

Dear Lucy

Happy Birthday!
I am your special fairy. Today, if you hear tinkling bells, that will be me. I will leave a birthday present for you in the garden.
Your friend

Fairy Gwendebelle

Oh! The excitement! Grandpa! Grandpa! Get out of the garden! The fairy won’t come if you’re there!

Grandpa had been in the garden rigging up strings and pulleys “to keep the birds from eating my tomatoes.”

Soon it was lunch time! After that, Grandpa pulled a secret string pulley hidden behind his chair. Bells tinkled in the garden.

Gwendebelle! exclaimed Grandma. That’ll be Gwendebelle!

Lucy rushed out to the garden. There, hidden among the bell peppers, was a birthday parcel. It was a new dress for her doll. It fitted perfectly, and was stitched out of the same fabric as the dress Grandma had made for Lucy the week before.

That evening, as she lay in bed, Lucy said to her Grandma and Grandpa: “The birthday presents you gave me were lovely. But Gwendebelle’s gift was the best of all!”