Shoe troubles.

A little moonlight lit the landing. The stairs were dark and I was afraid to hurt myself by falling if I ran down the stairs, as I wanted. You might ask what was I doing in the middle of the night wanting to run down the stairs in the dark. The knocking on the door was now louder and I managed to call out, "Who is there?” No answer in words just the very loud knocking. I pulled back the two bolts one at the top of the door and one at the bottom unlocking the heavy lock I threw the door open. Standing on my doorstep was a Leprechaun. “What are you making such a noise for?” I angrily asked. “Let me in and lock the door,” he pleaded. Pulling him in through the open door, I slammed and re-bolted the door turning the key in the heavy lock.

Lighting a candle I led him in to the kitchen, there were still a few glowing coals on the fire so I filled the fire with fresh coal and put the kettle on the fire to make a cup of tea. The leprechaun looked as if he could do with a cup of hot sweet tea. Pulling up two chairs to the fire I motioned the Leprechaun to sit in one and I carried on making the tea. I would not let him speak before he had drunk his sweet tea there is nothing better for shock as sweet hot tea, and this Leprechaun was in a state of shock he could hardly speak. I soon had some cups and saucers ready and taking the sugar from the shelf and placing the dry tea in the pot, I waited for the kettle to boil. Soon we were drinking each a cup of hot sweet tea.

The Leprechaun started to tell me his story he was a maker of boots and fine shoes for Ladies and Gentlemen. His work was in great demand and he was working nearly day and night to finish off the orders that came pouring in. He tried to engage other Leprechauns to join him but they were not interested in earning money, most had a large pot of gold and were satisfied. A wizard heard of the Leprechaun shoemaker and gave him some magic leather and told him to drop everything that he was doing and to make him some boots with the magic leather. Not wanting to get on the bad side of the Wizard the Leprechaun agreed. A pair of good solid boots was soon on the shelf waiting for the Wizard to collect them.

The shoes were looking so smart with their highly polished black leather that the Leprechaun became curious and tried them on. A strange feeling went right through his body and the shoes vanished. They were still on his feet but try as hard as he could he could not take the shoes from off of his feet. He made a new pair of shoes hoping that the Wizard would not notice the difference. The Wizard eventually came for his shoes and tried on the ones that the Leprechaun had placed on the shelf instead of the ones that were now on the Leprechauns feet. The Wizard knew at once that the shoes were not from his magic leather. He threatened to do some very nasty things to the Leprechaun if on the morrow he did not get the shoes made with his magic leather.

The magic shoes had the advantage that the wearer was always one day in front of the wizard this meant that the Wizard would never be able to catch the wearer. The poor Leprechaun did not want the shoes he just wanted to get them off from his feet. The Wizard would never be able to catch him but at the same time he wanted to stay in his shop and make shoes for everyone. Showing me his feet I could see no way to rid him of the boots. Later on that morning after we had both eaten a good breakfast we made our way into the woods that was part of Fairyland.

I knew that only help from the Fairies could remove those boots. I called the fairies to me and explained to them the trouble that the poor Leprechaun was in and would they help? Out came a dozen or more fairy wands that were pointed to the Leprechauns feet. Nothing happened, try as they would the fairies could not undo the magic of the leather. Her Majesty Queen Feeana Queen of all the Fairies was asked by one of the Fairies if she could help. Her Majesty appeared in her usual blue flash with the small puff of smoke and I explained to her all that had happened to the Leprechaun since he had made the shoes from the magic leather.

Her Majesty took from her pocket her magic mirror and carefully looking into the mirror she studied the Wizard. He had, had the shoes made because he always wanted to be a day in advance in the world of the humans it would be to his great advantage to be one day in front of all other humans he could make enormous sums of money on the stock exchange. He would know what was happening in the world one day before it actually happened he would have a tremendous advantage over the rest of mankind. He Majesty decided to help the Leprechaun and with a wave of her wand the shoes disappeared.

The Wizard appeared before Her Majesty and was promptly turned into a very simple man that only knew about herbs and gardens. He was sent back to his own country and now works as a gardener. The Leprechaun still has his shoe shop but will only work with his own leather to make ordinary shoes for ordinary people. Both are still doing well and only the Leprechaun remembers his journey to me for help.

Children.

Twenty children at my feet,

I had arranged that we meet.

I told them of the Fairy Queen,

And all the fairy things I'd seen.

Large open eyes followed my every word,

for I spoke of fairy things unheard.

Like the dragon fly with silvery wings,

and the stardust that the fairy brings.

Leprechauns that hide their gold,

In pots that are ever so old.

Winged horses that fly so high,

How the Fairies painted the butterfly,

Of fairy homes in the woods,

magic wands that produced the goods.

Names of the little people from over the sea,

Yes all of these things they heard from me.

Twenty happy children at my feet,

I am so glad that we did meet.

Now the children know of fairy things,

and all of the magic that a fairy brings.

Silver Flutes.

I went for my usual walk through the woods at the back of my house. The woods as many of you will know are part of Fairyland. I have had many encounters with fairies and leprechauns, pixies and all of the other little people that live and play in this enchanted piece of land. The woods are what one could call a mixed forest not like some of the forests on the continent of Europe where the trees are all of one variety. As I was walking along enjoying my daily walk I thought that I heard some music in the distance. I adjusted my hearing aids and yes there was some delightful silvery sounding music to be heard. The fairies were playing a strange yet somehow familiar piece of music. The music got louder and in the next forest clearing I saw them, there were six fairies sitting in a somewhat straight line, with one fairy in the front. As the fairy in the front put up one or two or three fingers they were the notes that the fairies played on their flutes. To make it even more mystifying the one in the front pointed first to one then to another fairy his fingers moved so quickly that my eyes could hardly keep up with him. The music playing is like water pushing through a stream one could imagine the fish swimming in tune with the music.

Suddenly a blue flash lit up the clearing and Her Majesty Queen Feeana appeared in her usual fashion. The Queen had on a dress that shimmered with crystals as if she had just stepped out of the water that the music inspired into my willing mind. “Children where did you get the flutes,” asked Her Majesty. “From the man that is over there looking at us,” came the answer and six hands clutching a silver flute pointed in the direction of an old elm tree. “Come out from behind that tree,” I had not heard Her Majesty use such a hard tone before. A man stepped out from behind the tree and asked Her Majesty what she wanted from him, he had done no harm. Just given the fairies some silver flutes because he like the sounds that such fairies could produce. Her Majesty waved her Magic Wand and the man stood rooted to the spot he could not move at all. Pointing to the fairy that had been directing the other fairies Her majesty asked him to give his flute to me. As a child I could play some small tunes on a flute but that flute in my childhood was a wooden flute not a silver flute that looked as if it was very expensive. I took the proffered flute and tried to play one of my old childhood tunes. All I could produce was the sound of a crow that was very angry. Her Majesty then told the other fairies to give me their flutes one after another. It was the same with all of the flutes; just the noise of an angry crow came from my lips.

Pointing her Magic Wand yet again at the man that had given the fairies the flutes she said, “You will now tell me the truth,” “Why did you give my children the flutes? It was not to listen to the music that they made.” Another wave of her Magic wand and the fairies played or tried to play the flutes again. This time it was as if hundreds of crows were flying overhead. The noise was terrible and looking up I saw that there were crows flying and looking for a landing place on the tree branches. Then the crows swooped down to attack the fairies. Her Majesty was even quicker as the crows took off from the branches they turned into rain; all that came down from the skies was rain. There was not a crow to be seen. Her Majesty turned again to the man that had given the fairies the flutes. “You will be punished, for the rest of your days you will be a crow and fly the heavens with all the other crows.” Her Majesty then turned to me and asked me what she should do with the flutes, should she destroy them or should she turn them into proper music instruments for the fairies. I was all for turning the flutes into proper instruments the fairies had played such delightful tunes and it would be a shame to destroy such instruments that were made of the finest silver. Her Majesty then waved her magic wand once again and each fairy had a flute in their hands. I smiled and asked the fairies to walk past me playing each their flute. As they walked past me each was playing his or her flute and I sprinkled some magic dust from my large coat pocket on the fairies and on the flutes. “No crow will ever attack a player of one of these instruments again.” Were my words as I said goodbye to Her Majesty and the fairies that played their delightful music until I could hear them no more? I even turned up my hearing aids to see whether I could get one last hearing of the magic music it was no good as my hearing aids are good for short distance but sounds from far away I cannot hear. I did see a lone crow flying in the sky it looked as if it was searching for its mates and I wondered whether it was the man that Her Majesty had turned into a crow.

Fairy Idea.

My old house it is in a terrible state,

It must be redecorated before it is too late.

I do not really have the time,

to clean away the dirt and grime.

Then one of my fairies had a great idea,

He stopped the time for a quarter of a year.

Then together we redecorated my old house,

The fairies, me and my little family mouse.

New furniture I bought for all of the rooms,

Also dustpan, brush, and a couple of brooms.

Carpets I bought for the bedroom floors,

It might deaden my very loud snores.

Then we dug the garden new,

painted the flowers red, white and blue.

I pruned the fruit trees one by one,

I was surprised at the work we had done.

When all was finished a party I threw,

I even thought of asking you, and you.

My old house is now looking quite new,

All of the little folk came to the do.

When the Fairy Queen heard we had stopped the time,

For punishment she forbade me to write in rhyme.

I won’t be writing poems about fairies and my family mouse,

nor about all the improvements in my old house.

My next poem I will write in a day or two,

This solemn promise I freely give to you,

To tell the truth I am now lying low,

Don’t want to upset Her Majesty you know.

Fairy S.O.S.

I received an S.O.S from far across the sea,
A fairy from Australia was calling to me.
Help was needed by the Koala bears.
One of them had fallen down the stairs.
I packed my bag and left my old house,
The keys I gave to my little family mouse.
At the local airfield I boarded a plane.
Would I ever see my old house again?
We stopped over night at Singapore,
I had never been to this place before.
At the hotel a fairy visited my sleeping room,
He came through the window on a witch’s broom.
The Koala it seems was now getting on well,
The Fairy Queen had placed him under a spell.
His pain had now all gone away this I was told,
But to carry on as the kangaroos had all caught a cold.
So the next day on I flew to old Australia fair.
I was ever so pleased to be out of the air.
The Fairy Queen gave me an herbal mixture green,
I gave it to all the kangaroos that were to be seen.
Now I am very happy the kangaroos are all well,
I have asked the Fairy Queen for a new spell.
To magic me home to my comfortable old house,
where I could be in the company of my family mouse.
A flash of light, a whirling through outer space,
Now I am back in my own rightful place.
Happy to see my little family mouse,
Pleased to be home in my old house.

The New Magic Pen.

The Wife and I have been invited down into the forest glen.

The fairies have a present for me it is a new magic pen.

I have to fill it with a special ink of blue and green.

It will write the most beautiful poems man has ever seen.

All of the little folk will be there you know in full force,

Even her Majesty will come riding on the winged horse.

From all over the world they will come in one’s and two’s.

Most will wear their brand new blue and yellow fairy shoes.

The Leprechauns have been asked not to bring their pots of gold.

For in fairy land there is nothing to be bought or to be sold.

The Trolls and the Pixies all I know have promised to behave,

The Fairy Queen has threatened to send them all to the dark cave.

The dark cave it lies hidden in the forest’s deepest glade.

There is no bright light but just the forevermore shade.

My little family mouse have also been invited to the glen.

They are all a little excited about my receiving a new pen.

Finally the great day has arrived to my deepest delight,

I have not been able to sleep more than half of the night.

I have showered and shaved my silly old face once more.

My wife says I look really smart but I was not so sure.

We must not keep the Fairy Queen waiting so off we all went,

my Wife quite lively me with my old back all tottery and bent.

We wandered along the forests green floor to the forest glen.

We all slowly arrived at about quarter past of the ten.

There was an atmosphere of gaiety in the sunlit floor,

A thousand fairies or could it have been a few more.

All were singing and dancing, to the most modern of tunes,

Wine was served it had been made from the freshest of prunes.

Then Her Majesty the Fairy Queen arrived from out of the skies.

Bringing with her my New Magic Pen and lots of fresh fruit pies.

A right royal feast soon got under way down in the forest glen.

With fairy pomp and ceremony the Queen gave me my magic pen.

It was just after midnight that we arrived back at my old house,

My wife very happy I’m delighted and my happy little family mouse.

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