 Fiona Flies into Danger
It was a cold February morning, a watery sun had just woke up and was shining over Fingles Wood.
There was still some snow left on the ground but now at least the snowdrops could feel the warmth of the sun on their pretty white gowns.
In the tree tops the rooks were calling to each other whilst in the bushes the sparrows and robins were asking everyone to wake up. Two little field mice scuttled down their hole to sleep for the day.
Deep under the ground Monty Mole could hear the singing of the birds.
 "I can’t for the life of me understand why they have to be so cheerful every morning.” he said, before going back to sleep.
Flora the old fox was still dreaming of the days when she used to give the huntsmen a run for their money, now she just lay snug and warm in her den and let the young cubs have the fun.
Mrs Rabbit had been up before the birds, with six children to look after and the weather being so lousy,she had to try to get the housework done before they woke up.
 She had just finished washing the clothes and she went outside to hang it up. “Morning Robby, morning Sidney.” she called out as she walked over to the washing line.
“Morning to you to Mrs Rabbit.” the birds sang out together.
“You have been busy this morning, are the children still in bed?”
“Yes, thank goodness.” She shouted back.
Molly Rabbit looked up at the washing line then stopped in amazement.
She couldn’t believe her eyes, for there, hanging on the clothes line, was a little fairy!
Molly closed her eyes and opened them again, there really was a fairy stuck to her washing line.
“Well now, how on earth did you end up stuck on here?”
The little fairy opened her eyes at the sound of Molly's voice and began to sob as Molly gently held the wee creature in her paws.
 “ Oh do be careful,” she said in a jittery voice, she could hardly talk her teeth were chattering that much. “I fear my wings are frozen to the line, if they snap off I’ll never be able to fly again.”
“Don't worry I'll be very careful," Molly said wrapping her warm paws around the fairies body. "You don't seem dressed for winter though my lovely." She said unfolding her wings and wiped them gently on her line cloth.
She was only about six inches high; with fair hair and blue eyes.
“There you go my dear, you should be alright now”.
Mrs Rabbit gently eased her off the line and popped her gently into her apron pocket.
 “Right, lets get you into the house and get you thawed out.” |
Fiona snuggled deeply into Mrs Rabbits pocket and let herself be carried into the house
Once there she was placed on the table whilst Molly looked for something more comfortable for her to sit on.
After a quick rummage in the dresser draw she came back with a little furry egg cosy.
“There you go if I lean you here against this warm teapot, you will be as right as rain in no time. Now you make yourself comfortable while I make you something to drink.”
Fiona was already feeling a lot better, her fingers and toes had stopped tingling.
“Here you are, you drink this down you.” Molly passed a thimble full of honey and rosehip tea to Fiona,"
Molly Rabbit thought the silver thimble made a lovely cup for her little friend who was not much bigger than her paw.
Fiona drank eagerly... then “atishoo, atishoo,” she sneezed which made her spill some of the drink on the table.
“Oh dear, I'm so sorry," she sobbed and began to cry.
“Come, come now my dear, what are all these tears about, your safe now. Now I think you had better tell me your name!"
 "It's Fiona." she said searching for her hankie in her dress pocket, it was a little on the soggy side so Mrs Rabbit gave her a paper tissue to blow her nose on. There was a giggle from the side of the table and Fiona looked up to see five pair of eyes staring at her.
“I’m sorry.” said Mary, Molly's oldest daughter, “but the tissue is so big."
“Let me see, let me see.” Came a tiny voice from underneath the table.
Mary reached down and lifted up a fluffy baby rabbit, with a little pink nose and long white whiskers.
“Hello, you must be Betsy?”
“How did you know that?” Mary said in amazement.
Fiona smiled “I know all your names. Now let me see, you will be Mary. and you're Peter, for you’ve got your nice yellow waistcoat on, and I see you taking farmer Giles's carrots, but I'm sure he doesnt miss them to much." Peter blushed and hung his head.
She frowned as she looked at the identical looking rabbits in front of her.
“Aha, you must be Hatty and Henry, the twins, which leaves only Matty left, and of course little Betsy.”
“Wow, that’s fantastic.” Henry said, "no one ever gets our names right."
Betsy climbed out of Mary’s arms and ran across the table to sit by Fiona.
Fiona kissed her on her little pink nose, Betsy blushed and her nose turned red, everybody laughed and Betsy’s whiskers twitched more then ever.
Then there was a loud knock on the door and before Mrs Rabbit could reach it, it was flung open and it looked like all the creatures that lived in Fingles Wood had arrived in her front parlour.
Those that could crowded round the table, the birds flew onto the window sill, the crows perched on top of the grandfather clock, everyone was pushing trying to get a better look at the fairy that Molly had found on her washing line.
“Well I do declare I’ve never had so many visitors this early in the morning in all my life.”
Nobody said a word they stood there looking at Fiona.
 “ Hmm well I’m not sure if I’ve got enough cups to go round but I’ll see what I can find.” Molly pushed her way towards the kitchen, "Mary would you like to come and help me please, you can bring a bowl of water for the birds and put the kettle on?"
Then she was gone through the kitchen door. When she came back with a tray full of cups of all shapes and sizes, everyone was still staring at the fairy.
“You do know its very rude to stare, don’t you? “ She said quite harshly."Come on now everyone, settle down and have a cup of tea, then maybe the little fairy will be able to tell us what happened.” she said handing Fiona another thimble of honey and lemon.
Fiona stood up and stretched her wings.
“O-o-o-o,wow did you see that" said Henry batting his eyes.
Fiona gave a little laugh and flew on top of the honey pot. She laughed, “oh thank you all so very much.
And as if on a signal, everybody started talking at once.
“What are you doing here?"
“How did you get stuck on Mrs Rabbits line?”
“Where do you come from?”
Everybody asking questions all at once, Molly rang the little bell that stood on her dresser.
"Come now, come on all of you, you’ll frighten her shouting like that."
Molly gently moved Fiona back to the teapot.
“Right that's better, now let the fairy talk."
Fiona smiled, "my name is Fiona, and I live in the Dingle Dell.”
Fiona began to tell her story.
“It all began last night about 7'o'clock when we all went down to the Fairy ring to see if any messages had been left by the Elfin prince.
“Who? An the Elfin Prince?” blurted out Oscar the Owl, who was feeling a little put out. It was his job to know everything that went on in the woods, and here was a fairy, who knew about elfin princes and he’d never heard about any of them before.
Fiona smiled at Oscar, “well the Elfin princes are much bigger and stronger than us fairies and they fly around all the local woods in their kingdom to see if anyone needs our help," she took another sip from her thimble, wiped her chin on the cut down tissue and continued with her story.
 "If they do have things for us to do they leave a message under our stones then we collect them, read them and see what we can do. But as you know it was very cold and windy last night and we were all secretly hoping that no one would be needing our help." She sighed, "But alas there, underneath my stone, was a message. I unfolded the little message and read it.” She smiled down at Betsy and winked her eye.
"Oh what did it say?" Hatty spluttered jumping up and down on Molly's knee, "what did it say?"
“Well it said," she paused again, "it said, that there was a tooth to be collected from chestnut tree cottage.”
“Oh"that's us." the twins said together,
Fiona smiled, "so I collected my bag and flew over here to see if I could find the tooth,” she gave a little shiver.
“I managed to get here alright, I collected the tooth and left a silver threepence under the pillow in its place.”
“Look, look.” shouted Betsy holding up her silver threepence. “It was you who bought it for me, oh thank you, thank you.” she cried. .
Then you must be the Tooth Fairy.” Henry said nodding his head.
Everybody clapped their paws and cheered, Fiona blushed and wiped a tiny tear from the corner of her eye.
“Thank you so much." Fiona smiled. "It is so nice to meet some of the creatures I visit when their so small, it is my work you see to find all the baby teeth you lose and take them to the Pixies over yonder.”
 “Oh my.” squeaked Minnie the dormouse who had been hiding in one of Molly's cups, "Then it was you who took my tooth just before Christmas.”"The Pixies, the Pixies," blurted out Stripe the badger. “you'll be telling us next that they live in the woods as well?”
“Well, actually no they dont, Stripe, they live down by the river.” Fiona added with a frown.
“Oh do shut up Stripe.” said Colleen Chaffinch. “Let her tell it her own way.”
Fiona reached over to the side of the table and patted Stripe on his forehead, she gave a big sigh, "and it was then that it happened, just as I was leaving by the little window in Betsy's room a huge gust of wind caught my bag and I went spinning through the air and landed on the washing line, and there I was frozen solid before you could say Jack Frost.” 
There was a silence now as Fiona coughed and drank some more of her tea.
The silence was broken by Matty, "Excuse me but what I would like to know is, what do the Pixies do with all them teeth? I mean what does anyone do with hundreds of teeth especially those belonging to babies?"
Fiona laughed, it sounded like the tinkling of bells, as it was carried upon the wind by the breeze that was creeping in through the open door.
"Why young Matthew, they make them into jewellery, and sell them at the fairs of course,”said Fiona, every one laughed and then went quiet. Pixies, Elves, Fairies all these creatures here in their woods it was so hard to believe.
Molly Rabbit broke the silence, "so that is how you ended up in my garden on my clothes line," she said shaking her head.
 “Yes,” said the Fiona quietly, and that's how you found me.” Fiona shivered again as she remembered how cold she had been. All the animals clapped their hands, and Fiona gave a little bow, then she sat down once more on top of the honey pot, but instead of smiling she began to cry again. 
“What is the matter now?” Ruddy the squirrel asked quietly.
Between her sobs Fiona managed to answer him. "It's my bag, Ruddy," she sobbed, "it was in my hand when I was blown on to the line, but I must have dropped it and unless I find it I won’t be able to get back to my fairy home.”
Fiona started to cry again, but this time it wasn't tiny sobs but huge tears which rolled down her cheeks and on to her dress, wetting all over again the pretty lace that covered her small chest.
“Oh come on now,” Mrs Rabbit said gently. “You’ll make yourself all wet again.”
She reached into the box for another tissue and gave Fiona another small piece which she ripped off.
“You just sit down here nice and quiet and we'll go and find it for you, it can’t be far away.”
Every one jumped up and made a dash for the door.
“Oh do be careful,” shouted Molly, “Your all going to hurt yourselves. A very loud voice boomed and everybody stopped dead in their tracks.
“Hold it, Hold it,” bellowed Basil the Pig. “You don't even know what it is you are looking for and if you all rush out, the little bag will be trampled into the ground and lost forever.”
"Firstly, Miss Fiona, what colour is your little bag, and how little is it please?
 Fiona smiled as the big wild pig took command of the situation. "Well, the bag is made of silver cloth with little moonstones on it, but i'm afraid to say it isnt that much bigger than this piece of tissue." She bent down and took a piece of tissue from the table.
"Oh my goodness, that is small," Mrs Lady Bird remarked pulling her children close to her side. "I think we would be better staying here to look after the fairy, I really don't want them getting lost again."
That's fine, fine, " bellowed Basil. "Now, are you all listening to me? First, the crows and ravens you can take the top of the trees, to check it didn't blow up there in this wind."
"Ruddy you take your squirrels and search in the lower branches.”
The squirrels all nodded in agreement, and worked out which trees they would search first.
“All you smaller birds can look through the bushes and hedges down near the bottom of the garden where the washing line is tied to the tree." There was a loud twittering as the birds flew to the window ledge to make ready there search.
"Now the rest of us can search the ground carefully, we will start at the front door so we don’t go over the same ground twice.”
I myself will stay here along with Flora and some of the bigger creatures for we are so heavy we might squash the tiny bag into the ground." He sighed, "Lets just hope that we didn't bury it when we all came in." He crossed his trotters behind his back and said a silent prayer.
The creatures left the house one by one, Fiona had wiped her tears and after rearranging  her wings, she flew over to the window sill so she could see what was going on outside..
“Fiona, would you like another drink before you leave?” Mary asked holding out the full thimble to her.
"Oh thankyou so much," she said. "You have all been so very, very kind to me."
Fiona had hardly finished drinking her honey and lemon when a huge cheer came from the garden.
“We’ve found it, we’ve found it.” chirped the birds. “ It was in the gooseberry bush by the front gate.”
“Hip hip hooray,” they all shouted as Mrs Sparrow flew through the window and gave the little bag to Fiona.
“Oh thank you, thank you all so very much.” she said checking inside the bag to make sure her tooth treasure was still inside. poor snail had only just made it to the front door on his way out.
"Hmmm," he sighed "I'm always last getting to anywhere." He grumbled.
Fiona placed the bag over her wee shoulders and her smile said it all, she was so happy. 
"I hope you won't think me ungrateful but I will have to go now."
"Oh must you go, so soon?" Betsy asked with tears in her little pink eyes.
"Yes little one I really must, I'm sorry I must leave you all but I will come again soon." Fiona said as she fixed her wing. “I shall never forget what you have done for me and how kind you all were.”
 Fiona stood on the window sill for a few seconds, then flapped her wings and flew off in the direction of Dingle Dell.
“Bye.” She shouted as she flew out of sight over the tree tops.
Mary suddenly let out a cry.
“Oh Mum, Mum I forgot to ask her where the Fairy Ring was.”
Mrs Rabbit smiled. “So you did little one.” she smiled down at her daughter. "Somehow I don’t think she would have told you anyway.” she smiled again.
“No I don’t suppose she would." Mary said quietly.
“Come on help me with all these tea cups, we have a lot of work to catch up on?”
And with that she bustled off into the kitchen. She smiled as she almost fell over the basket of washing, that through all the commotion was still sitting on the kitchen floor.
Dorothy Milnes Sinclair. 2007 copyright
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Thank you. Diddily Dee Dot xxxx's and hug's |
Rain Fairies.
