Oak Tree.

An old oak tree standing right in the middle of Fairyland no one knows exactly how old the tree is, it has stood braving the weather for hundreds of years. Under its large leafy boughs, many an animal has found shade and shelter from the storms that sometimes rage over this part of the world. In the autumn the ripe oak seeds fall to the floor, some to be eaten by the wild animals, some that took root and another young oak tree was soon to be seen. This tree has a hollow stem that one can easily hide in when danger threatens. One day a forester came looking in the woods to see whether there were any trees that needed to be chopped down as some were considered to be dangerous. Two years earlier the woodcutters had chopped down some very old elm trees and that had been a sad blow for the fairies and other inhabitants of the woods. The news that the forester had again made his appearance and had marked the old oak for chopping down spread very quickly throughout fairyland.

A meeting was called and all of fairyland attended to see what could be done to save the tree. All were allowed to speak even the animals and all could understand what was being said. I as a very good friend of the fairies was also asked to be present. I know most of the animals and little people living in Fairyland and it came as a surprise that Her Majesty, Queen Feeanna had cast a spell so that we could all understand what each animal or person had to say. Most of the little people were in favour of saving the tree and there were many suggestions as to how to save it from the woodsman’s axe. One I liked was put forward by one of the young deer, It said the tree should be turned into a young tree again in that way no woodsman would dream of chopping it down. Many other suggestions such as the tree should become invisible to all that came into the forest.

Her Majesty called the meeting to an end saying that she would have to get in touch with Mother Nature to see whether Mother Nature could help. A week later the tree was different. The hollow had completely filled in and the tree was now as strong as it had been some three hundred years ago. Her Majesty had spoken with Mother Nature who agreed that it would be a shame to cut down such an old tree that had given such good service to the peoples and animals of Fairyland.

A month passed by and the woodsman came with his freshly sharpened axe. The Forester had marked the oak tree with a special paint. The woodsman looked and looked for the oak tree but could only see the young strong oaks. None of the trees carried a marking and the woodsman went back to the forester and told him that no trees had been marked and he could not find an oak tree that was hollow. The forester himself came into fairyland with the woodsman. He too could find no tree that needed to be chopped down. Her Majesty took pity on the forester and woodsman and they both saw an old oak tree that was hollow. The tree had the foresters marking on it and the pair of them were happy. The forester left the woodchopper with the marked tree and the woodsman swung his axe and chopped and chopped until the old oak tree fell. The woodsman chopped the tree into lengths suitable for burning in fire grates and went on his way.

The inhabitants of Fairyland smiled as they saw the woodcutter chopping away at what seemed to be nothing. Soon all was back to normal and the real oak tree is still the good hiding place that it had been for such a long time. The animals of the forest and the fairies still play or shelter under the branches of the old oak. Mother Nature herself sees to it that no storms or floods could damage such an old tree and everyone wants the tree to remain in fairyland forever and ever.

A Wicked Wizard.

Passing through Fairyland was a wicked Wizard,

every one that he saw he turned into a Lizard.

Fairies, Elves, Leprechauns, Trolls and Gnomes,

could not find there way back to their homes.

Soon there were Lizards all over the place,

each with a lizard’s body and a fairies face.

Luckily a Wizards spell it lasts only a day,

but so many Lizards got in each other’s way.

My magic Help was needed badly you know,

I made the Wizards footsteps heavy and slow.

Then I cast one of my magical spells,

the Wizard could only drink from wishing wells.

Wishing wells are scarce and very far apart,

he should have thought of this right at the start.

Then I had a brilliant and wonderful idea,

I took his magic away for exactly one year.

From Fairyland I banished him for life,

made him marry an old witch for a wife.

Now in Fairyland Lizards are not to be seen,

I explained the reason why to the Fairy Queen.

Instead of Lizards, Rabbits are to be found,

They burrow their nests deep in the ground.

The Fairies gave the rabbits the name bunny,

their hopping and jumping was ever so funny.

I soon had other things on my mind,

the money for a new car I had to find.

So I returned home to my large old house,

and talked finances with my family mouse.

A knock on the door in the middle of the night,

the Irish Leprechauns had heard of my plight.

They bought me twenty pots of their gold,

to buy a brand new car; mine was so old.

Now we go for runs in the countryside,

the little folk, family mouse we all go for a ride.

No more Wizards have in Fairyland been seen,

which is a good thing said the Fairy Queen.

Wizard Baker.

It was a good party. All of Fairyland was present. The Fairies and the Leprechauns. The Pixies and the Elves, It started at eight o’clock in the evening and went on till the early hours of the morning. Elderberry wine and sweet small honey cakes were for all of the little folk in plenty on long tables. One just helped oneself to whatever one fancied. There was a small but fine orchestra playing sweet Fairy melodies The musicians were Elves dressed in deep purple suits, all were wearing a headdress consisting of a wide floppy cap in which coloured feathers were stuck. The orchestra looked very smart indeed. Dancing on the forest floor were couples, the dresses of the maids were very colourful and the boys wore mostly forest green. The orchestra played the last waltz of the night and the couples slowly disappeared in all directions.

What the little folk did not know there was a hidden spectator watching all that had gone on at the dance. This spectator was a very powerful Wizard he was dressed all in black and had a cloak that made him invisible to all of the little folk. His reason for being at the dance was to find out how to make the sweet fairy cakes. He was very disappointed as the fairy cakes just appeared out of nowhere. As soon as one plate was empty it was magically filled again and again. In a terrible rage he left the forest and went back to his large cave hidden deep in the mountainside.

The Wizard slept for a little while then started to bake what he thought were fairy cakes. He used plenty of honey and flour, butter and nuts and other tasty things. These he mixed together in a large cauldron and filling some baking tins with the mixture he placed them in a hot oven. The first cakes that he baked were burnt he had used too big a fire for the oven it was too hot. The second batch looked like the fairy cakes but as he tasted one of them he spat it out it was much too sweet. He mixed and baked all of the day but it was to no avail the cakes were not fairy cakes even if they looked like fairy cakes.

The Wizard was an evil man and soon had a plan to get his fairy cakes. He went into the forest every night under the cover of his invisible cloak. He watched the Fairies closely for hours on end. He watched them painting the flowers and the leaves and all of the butterflies but he never once saw a Fairy making cakes. He decided to change his plan and went into the forest by day still under his cloak of invisibility. It was the same as at night except the Fairies played most of the day and soon their laughing and singing made him wish he was back home in his cave.

The Wizard then had another plan he would kidnap one of the Fairies and make her tell him how to make the cakes. Soon he was back in the forest and sure enough the evil man kidnapped a Fairy. Taking her back to his cave he put chains around her legs and told her to make him some fairy cakes. The Fairy thought that the Wizard must be a little crazy everyone knew how to make fairy cakes. She asked him for some flour and some honey, some nuts and some water and some butter. Then she told him that he would have to pick the petals off some special flowers and bring them to her. She needed the flower petals to give the cakes their special taste.

Going off into the forest the Wizard collected the petals from the flowers that the Fairy told him she wanted for the cakes. Back in the cave the Fairy took from under her dress her magic wand and cut the chains in half. She soon flew back to her fairy playmates and told them of her ordeal and what the Wizard wanted. When she came to the flower petals the Fairies all laughed out loud. There were no flower petals in fairy cakes they were made by magic and the taste one could not describe just perhaps that they tasted sweet.

Back home in his cave the Wizard saw that the Fairy had got rid of her chains and left the cave. He was not particularly worried as he now had the petals for the flowers that the Fairy had told him about. He was busy mixing another mixture for his cakes when an earthquake started to shake the cave and all of his pot and pans his cauldron and all that was in the cave flew around as if they were alive. The Fairies who had secretly come to the cave were in fact controlling them. Satisfied that nothing was in its right place and that the Wizard had been taught a lesson the Fairies flew back to their games in the forest. The wizard moved to another part of the country and is still trying to make fairy cakes. He cannot make fairy cakes but he became a wonderful baker and soon his cakes were the talk of the town. His secret was not just that practice makes a master but he added flower petals to his cakes and that was the secret of his success.

Enchanted House.

The Fairies are now in my own house,

they were let in by a wee little mouse.

I saw them this morning using a broom,

This took place in my posh front room.

In the kitchen they have eaten my ham,

Buttered them-selves some bread with jam.

The wee little mouse they gave some cheese,

Bless you one Fairy said for I had to sneeze.

My bedroom they have taken completely over,

The wallpaper is now green and full of clover.

Strange happenings all over the house,

as they play hide and seek with the mouse.

I am enchanted with it all you know,

I shall be real disappointed when they go.

Down the banister they slide one by one,

The Fairies and mouse are having great fun.

With Fairy dust they have sprinkled my house,

I owe this all to the little wee mouse.

Grateful I am that they came my way,

For once again they have made my day.

Stranger.

One day in late spring the fairies and the other little folk of Fairyland came to me and told me of a strange creature that had been seen. Fairyland as you all know has a very strong magic boundary that separates it from the rest of the world and nothing could enter unless they were pure in heart or possessed magic powers. I was not very alarmed that a creature had found its way into Fairyland.

The Fairies and especially the Leprechauns insisted that I go with them to see this creature. I left my old house and entered Fairyland by way of my back garden. I followed the Fairies and the Leprechauns as they moved deeper into the woods. I always enjoy my strolls through this enchanted land. After an hour or so we came to one of the many grass clearings that abounded in this magic place.

Right in the middle of the clearing was a donkey an ordinary grey little donkey. On seeing this I laughed out loud, a strange creature indeed what nonsense. Then I looked at the donkey more closely. Strange was that its front hoofs were a pair of human hands and its back hoofs a pair of human feet. Apart from that it was a grey donkey. I immediately informed the Fairy Queen Feeana of this strange being. I sent my message with one of the many Robins that nested here.

An hour later the Robin arrived with Her Majesty the Fairy Queen Feeana. I told her Majesty about the unfortunate donkey that had two hands and two feet where its hoofs should be. The Queen agreed with me there was something not right in this our Fairyland. We gently spoke to the donkey and found that he was indeed a Royal Prince that had fallen foul of a powerful Sorcerer. The Sorcerer had muttered a magic spell and the prince was turned into a donkey.

The donkey explained that after a year of his wandering his hooves started turning back into hands and feet. It would be ten or more long years for it to become a Prince once more. The Queen cast a spell that was even more powerful that that of the Sorcerer and behold the donkey turned back into a Royal Prince. The Queen asked him if he would like to stay and rest here in Fairyland. The Prince agreed and stayed with me in my old house for one year.

I was very sorry when I heard that the Prince wanted to return to his own Palace and Land. The year he had been with me I with permission from the Fairy Queen Feeana taught him all the magic he would need to overthrow this evil old sorcerer. He set out at dawn one beautiful sunny day promising he would return and let us know how he had got on.

A year passed and one day a Robin flew into my window and told me this story. The Prince had returned home just on the day when his beautiful Princess was to be married to the Sorcerer. The Prince turned the evil old sorcerer into a black stone that stands to this very day. The Prince married his Princess and they lived a long and happy life. The Princess gave birth to two sons who, when they were old enough sent to me here in Fairyland to be taught magic. The Prince would have no sorcerers in his land.

I have been asked by Her Majesty Queen Feeana to tell you this story and to warn you not to trust strangers. You never know it might be one of the evil sorcerers in disguise. You would not want to be  turned into a Donkey or some other poor animal would you now?

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