The Stranger.

The weather has broken it is now raining softly all day. It looks as if we will get a night of rain. The weather forecast says rain for the coming week. I placed my Wellington boots ready for my daily walk through the woods. My Macintosh hangs on a peg on the inside of the back door. My hat is on the other peg. I like rain it brings many animals and insects to view that one Does not see in dry weather. I finished making my breakfast and after eating my fill I pulled on my Wellingtons pulled my raincoat over my shoulders and with my hat on my head I went out to brave the weather.

There was no one to be seen, the wild animals were either taking shelter or were hiding under the trees out of the wet. Salamanders were running on the floor of the woods and I saw a few frogs and a couple of toads. Apart from that there was nothing to be seen. No Fairies were out playing, it seemed as if I was alone in the world. I stopped under an old oak tree and kept my eyes open to see what if anything would be the first to cross my path.

 The first animal was a Doe with two young by her side. She the Doe kept throwing her head up on the look out for danger. The two young were constantly by her side. When the Doe was satisfied that no danger was around she nudged the young ones to drink. It was a peaceful scene one that I had often enjoyed in my quiet walks through the woods

A whistling, the whistler was somehow out of tune but one could make out the song he was whistling, broke the quietness. It was a happy kind of whistling as if the whistler was glad to be out in the wetness of the woods. Then I saw him, a small man with a rucksack on his back. He was quite wet but it did not seem to bother him. I thought that, like myself he liked the rain.

It was then he saw me under my old oak tree. “The top of the morning to you? He greeted me. I smiled and asked him to take shelter under my old oak tree. “Thank you I will,” came his quick reply. We held a long conversation about the weather about work in general and whether he would be able find work in my town. I asked him back to the house for a meal and he accepted my offer and the pair of us went back to my house.

In the kitchen I gave him a towel to dry his face and hands his clothing seemed to be dry and I got to wonder what kind of material it was that he was wearing. I prepared a quick meal and we sat sown to eat. The stranger had a good appetite and the food disappeared quickly from his plate. For Afters I had made custard and steamed treacle pudding. This also disappeared very quickly. After we had washed and dried the pots and pans and the plates and cutlery, I asked him into my front room where we could sit comfortably and asked him about his travels.

He surprised me with his first words. I am here because of my Grandfather. We are a family of Leprechauns and as we were talking about our travels my Grandfather spoke of you. You were a young man in those days either you or your Father, one of you helped him when he was in a rather bad situation. You or your Father helped him he stayed for over a week and he was fed and looked after by one of you.

“That must have been my Father or Grandfather, both kept an open house where any weary traveller was welcome to stay even if it was only for one night.” “ The tradition of hospitality goes way back in my family and your story does not surprise me.” “ I have interrupted your story please go on from where you left off.” “ My Grandfather says that such hospitality does not exist any more. People are more selfish nowadays and not willing to help strangers.”

“I, like my Father and Grandfather, will always hold an open house for the needy,” was my reply. “I know said the Leprechaun you have shown it by taking me in and giving me a meal. Now it is my family’s turn to do something for you,” “Come with me up stairs to the room where my Grandfather slept, I have something there for you.”

Going upstairs with the stranger who knew exactly where he was we went into the front bedroom. Going to the far corner of the room near the window he took from his pocket a screwdriver and prised up one of the floorboards. Reaching in he took out a leather sack, which he gave to me. “This sack was placed here all those years ago by my Grandfather it was his store of gold coins.” “I was sent here to either recover the coins or give them to the person that offered me hospitality”  “This is my Grandfathers wish and I gladly give you the coins for the hospitality shown to me and my family over the years.”

I felt rather bad about the coins but the stranger would not take no for an answer and the coins are still with me in my house and are used solely for the purpose of giving a helping hand where it is necessary.

Fairies and a Donkey.

I bought my mice a donkey today,

It really could do nothing but bray.

The fairies too all wanted a ride,

I had to walk by the donkey’s side.

I spent a lot of my time buying fresh carrots.

Sometimes I wish I had bought some parrots.

It is tiring walking beside a donkey all day,

If it were not for the fairies I would give it away.

The little mice are all well behaved you know.

They only say that the donkey is too slow.

I have a large problem finding it fresh hay.

I will give it some cooked potatoes today.

Tomorrow well I will just have to wait and see,

Perhaps you have some fresh grass for me.

Fairies, mice and a donkey are for me too much.

For myself I prefer poems, stories and such.

If you would like a donkey to call your very own,

Then please do come quickly to my old home.

The Fairy Queen would give it a new stall,

And I will give a new saddle just to top it all.

Please stop and hear my desperate plea.

For the donkey will be the death of me.

Cuckoo.

It was the thirty first of June, Monday eleven fifteen in the morning, a fine sunny day that I heard the cry of the Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Putting my hand in my pocket I turned over my small change. Many years ago an elderly lady had told me that when one first hears the cry of the Cuckoo one must turn over one’s money. In this way one’s purse would never become empty. This old saying has stuck in my head and for years I always turn over my small change when I first hear the cry of the Cuckoo. My friend Shamus the Leprechaun asked me why I turned over my small change. I told him the story that the elderly woman had told me all of those years ago. Shamus broke out into peels of hearty laughter. “Perhaps I should do the same with all of my gold,” he laughingly said. “My what a rich man I would be today if it were true.” “Shamus, my purse has never been empty since I listened to the woman, perhaps it is true after all.” Shamus smiled a knowing smile and told me of the man that had heard of the Leprechauns saving their gold in iron pots or cauldrons. “All Leprechauns have a bank that they deposit their money in. How would the gold increase if it were left in an iron pot? No we all deposit our money in banks and wait for the interest on the money to increase that is how we get rich.” “But turn your money over if that is what you believe in. We Leprechauns know that when the Cuckoo calls she has probably laid an egg in a strange bird’s nest. The call is really her way of shouting her triumph that she has once again got the better of another bird.”

We both heard the call of the Cuckoo again. “Something is strange,” said Shamus. “The Cuckoo always flies away from the nest that she has just laid an egg in.” We both walked to where the noise of the cuckoo’s call is coming from and to our surprise sitting on a branch is a parrot the bright green of her feathers gave her away she is sitting next to a nest and is eating an egg. Shamus climbed on to a branch and called down to me,” she is eating the Cuckoo’s egg the other eggs in the nest the parrot did not touch. On a whim I called the parrot, “Polly come here I softly called and to my surprise She flew on to my shoulder. Shamus climbed down from the tree and we both smiled. The Cuckoo had laid an egg in a strange nest and Polly that is what I call her had taken a fancy to the egg and eaten it. I must admit that I was a little embarrassed at Polly’s calls of Cuckoo, Cuckoo as we made our way back to my home.

Polly now has a large room in my conservatory all to herself. Food and fresh water is given to her every day and I am in touch with a Pet Shop to buy a companion for my Polly. I think that I will call her companion when it arrives Cuckoo. After all if we had not heard Polly’s cries of cuckoo we would never have found her. I have stopped turning my small change over in my pocket since I have Polly and Shamus has returned to his home in Ireland. He still places his gold in a bank and is I believe a very rich man if not in money then surely in experience.

My new Parrot has arrived and comes to me when I call Cuckoo and Polly is not the least bit jealous and shares all of her food and water with her new mate cuckoo.

Fairyland Train.

The Fairy Queen herself has asked me to modernise Fairyland.

A train to carry passengers and goods would be just grand.

The idea she got from the old train set in my dusty old attic.

To build tracks and bridges, roads and level crossings automatic.

I would have to draw out a large plan for such an event.

Timetables to see where we are going and where we have went.

I bought from my local toyshop all the rails the man had.

Took them home, now the Leprechauns are all working like mad.

I also bought some new railway stations four altogether.

The man said they were waterproof and could be out in any weather.

I bought signals and coloured electric wire by the coil.

For the trains, wagons, and crossings I bought some tins of oil.

Now all of Fairyland is joining in building the roads and rails.

The earth removal is being carried out by some strong old snails.

My mice are busy helping to build the new railroad tracks.

They have even fitted carriers on the middle of their backs.

Rail fever has hit Fairyland today; it is sunny and very warm.

The little folk are all busy working; most of them are in form.

One bright red Station I built outside of my kitchen window.

Next to the flowerbeds where the chrysanthemums wildly grow.

I was very busy doing all of the electric wiring for the rails.

Some new engines and carriages I bought in the weekend sales.

I placed a station at the main points along the Fairyland route.

The station Masters were Leprechauns all dressed each in a new suit.

Soon we were finished the signals and level crossings were all laid,

The new rails, engines and coaches, from Leprechaun gold I had paid.

To open the railway I invited Her Royal Majesty The Fairy Queen.

She opened the ceremony she was calm and collected and very serene.

One of the four new stations now bears the name of Bernard Shaw.

I feel so terribly honoured and humble and that is for sure.

Now we have trains going regularly to the four points of Fairyland.

All of the little folk have a seat, no one, but no one has ever to stand.

There are no tickets to be bought the rides are all for free.

Why there is even a coach with my name that is reserved for just me.

Any of the little folk may drive the trains when and as they please.

It is a pleasure to watch them all as the trains slow for the trees.

Now I sometimes wake up with a start in the middle of the night.

The Fairy train has broke down and I have no electricity for light.

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