THE FAIRIES OF GREAT ELMS WOOD | longstaff-talltrees

THE FAIRIES
OF
GREAT ELMS WOOD

The Birth Of A Fairy

In the beginning was the egg, as is the way of life,
Into a flower it is confined, no labour and no strife.
The birth of a fairy, is the strangest birth of all,
The place of birth, a flower, by which ever name to call.
The feeding of the roots with crushed mushroom mycelium,
Nourishes the egg in the ovary’s gynoecium.
With nectar from the nectary and honey from the bee,
Water from the morning dew, until the surrogate sets free.

Dedication

I dedicate this book of verse

To my family past and present

To the special love I have for you,

To memories not so pleasant,

To the happiness that we have shared,

To the sadness we have known,

For the help that you have given me,

For the encouragement, you’ve shown,

I dedicate this book of verse,

With my never ending love,

To those of you, still by my side,

And those of you above.

Carole A.M. Johnson.

c.2000

Copyright 2004
Carole A. M. Johnson

To my darling grandchildren
With Love,

A Very Special THANK YOU, to VICTORIA,
for her SECRETS
and to EMMA,
for her
PREPARATIONS.

1

An Introduction

This is a book of fairy tales and once upon a time,
Every fairy story here, you will be told in rhyme.
It is entirely possible to memorise by heart,
A special fairy story, if with this book you part.
Read on now dear children, please do follow me,
I am your pied piper and I can let you see.
I will introduce you, to fairies by the score,
Use my eyes to see them, through imaginations door.

Be part of the enchantment, I will lead the way,
Follow me through childhood into the present day.
Come with me to Great Elms Wood, I will hold your hand,
Enter now, The Kingdom of Light, Enter Fairyland.
The veil of enchantment will hide us all from view,
Some fairies may be nervous if they see me with you.
Quietness is crucial, for noise makes fairies weep,
Follow me and whisper, follow me, now creep.

Obsidian and Columbine, the King and Fairy Queen,
Rule this fairy kingdom, are held in high esteem.
Meet Princess Delphinium and Princess Blazing Star,
Their home a crystal palace, is famous near and far.
Down below the Wishing Tree, hidden from mortal gaze,
A crystal palace bathed in light by sunshine’s golden rays.
It illuminates through branches, within no tree to see,
The Rainbow Glade is glorified by this wondrous tree.

I must introduce you and I must give fair warning,
All fairies are not good, some are nightmares before morning.
Avoid the thorny gorse bush, of purple flower beware,
They just may be enchanted, so really do take care.
It may not be a gorse bush, by the nature of that name,
It may be fairy Gorsethorn, for a gorse bush she became.
Her friend the fairy Nightshade, became a purple flower,
The Fairy Queen, she punished them, to end their evil power.

Nightshade, she was evil, she gave the children sleep,
Made to last a thousand years, to make their mother’s weep.
Gorsethorn, was so cruel, pricked children with a pin,
Not satisfied to see their pain, she fortified with sin.
Blackthorn, Gorsethorn’s sister, is as crafty as can be,
Will she end up as a bush or flower? Just you wait and see!
Their little sister Rosethorn, is very good to my belief,
Starflower the tooth fairy gives silver for lost teeth.

Crystaline the snow fairy, the Winter Fairy Queen,
Visits every Winter to decorate the Bluebell Dene.
Pimpernel brings laughter, to bring an end to tears,
Meadowsweet gives special love to put an end to fears.
Mischievous little Bluebell, would never do you harm,
Sometimes she can be naughty, but has a special charm.
Meet foxy little Foxglove, Larkspur and Tansy, too,
Sprightly little Harebell and the bull frog, Water~Lou.

Arach the great silk Spider, Tula his good wife,
And their very many children, they have a busy life
With Dandelion as timekeeper, you never could be late,
Pog and Bod the naughty elves, may get you in a state.
Beech Nut the guardian elf, guards the Fairies wood,
Keeps his eyes wide open, all to the fairies good.
Honeysuckle the flower fairy, perfumes the wild flowers,
While Melody, the song fairy, just loves to sing for hours.

Celandine and Teasel, could keep you happy for a week,
Those fairies are so funny, you may laugh,‘til you can’t speak.
In this enchanted fairy realm, there are many fairies more,
I cannot list them all for you, not one hundred score.
If you believe in fairies, then come, you know you should,
Meet some of the fairies of this old and great huge wood.
Be part of the enchantment, which no human, tall, can see,
Where only those with the child inside can truly ever be.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blackthorn and Gorsethorn

Beauty and The Beast - Pierre Belmonde

00:00 / 00:00

Great Elms Wood

As every child knows, there are fairies in almost every forest and meadow, or perhaps even your own little garden may be the home of enchantment. There is an invisible dividing line between their world and ours and rarely do the two paths cross, although some lucky children have a special awareness which will allow access into that magical world. It is a world where time is without meaning, where today is yesterday and yesterday is tomorrow. A world to which adult human beings very rarely have access because only a minute number, have the ability to see, hear or enter the world of the fairies.

Great Elms Wood is a huge and very beautiful forest with a high population of fairies, pixies, elves and other enchanting creatures. Mere mortals, such as myself will know this forest by a very different name, which I do not have the authority to divulge. I cannot give you the location because I have been given strict orders, that I must not, under any circumstances, disclose to anyone, the facts regarding its whereabouts. I can tell you, that it is probably the most beautiful forest in England and it is the greater part of "The Kingdom of Light," which also includes Dingleby Downs and various other smaller domains.
To understand the location of each beauty spot in the forest, you must think of a diamond, with green Waterfall Dell at the topmost point, Rainbows End Glade in the centre and Butterfly Knoll at the bottom. Gladeside Wishing Well lies to the left of Rainbows End Glade with Bluebell Dene on the right.

The tales which you are about to read were narrated to me when I was a child, by the flower fairy, Bluebell, when she was a young and sometimes quite irresponsible little fairy.

Fairies are flirty little creatures, rather like moths, in that they quickly flit from one place or subject to another. Bluebell told her tales in much the same higgledy-piggledy fashion, so that it has been quite a task to arrange the narratives into some semblance of order.
I was very privileged to be one of those lucky children who have the power of fairy vision and was even luckier to be accepted and trusted by Columbine, the fairy queen. In order that children will not lose that sense of enchantment, which is part of their childhood innocence and something which is so quickly lost forever, she has given me the sole rights to repeat these narratives as told to me by Bluebell.

First Contact

My first encounter with a fairy was many years ago, when I was about five years old. In the evening, previous to this exciting encounter, and after much pulling and tugging, I had lost the first one of my milk teeth.
I awoke to what sounded like the whispering giggles of a child in another room. I tiptoed to my parents bedroom door and could barely stop myself from exclaiming my surprise as I peeped into their bedroom.

Starflower

In the early light of dawn when dreamily asleep,
sounds like tinkling laughter gave me cause to wake and peep,
There on the dressing table, was the sweetest little thing,
the cutest little fairy and she wore mum’s diamond ring,
She wore it as a crown upon her head of golden curls,
and draped around her body was a string of seed pearls.
Dancing by the jewel box, then strutting up and down,
she looked into the mirror to pull a face just like a clown.

She leapt upon a perfume spray and bounced the rubber grip,
flew into the mist it made and was perfumed head to hip.
She chanted and she giggled and then began to sing,
if they could see this tooth fairy from their fairy ring.
If they could see me, Starflower, while I wear this crown,
the fairy queen Columbine, would truly wear a frown.
I can see my slender fingers, I can see my pretty toes,
I can put a little face cream on my tiny little nose.

The comb was far too heavy and she could not lift the brush,
so she puffed a little powder, then a tiny touch of blush,
She kissed an open lipstick, as she watched her silhouette,
then laughed at her reflection as she did a pirouette.
She then began to giggle as she gracefully did dance,
and then I saw that fairy, walk the catwalk prance.
She left the dressing table, just as it was before,
and dropped my silver sixpence at the bedroom door.

~~~~~~~~
4

Starflower had been so interested in her own reflection that she had almost forgotten to leave the newly minted silver coin. It is little wonder that some children sometimes have to put a tooth under their pillow, for three or four days in a row, before it is noticed by the tooth fairy. On the other hand, it could be that I had not gone unnoticed by the little fairy as I peeped around the bedroom door.
My tooth had been placed in a small china powder bowl on my mother’s dressing table but I have often wondered whether Starflower looked under my pillow before flying over to the dressing table in my parent’s room.

Green Waterfall Dell

The semicircular waterfall at Green Waterfall Dell is a breathtaking sight as it cascades down into Bluebell Dene. Ancient moss covered stepping stones lead into the Giants Corridor which lies behind the waterfall. The Giants Corridor is a cavernous chamber leading from the Mountain of the Red Stalagmite all the way through to Stalagmite Steep. Deep down below the Giants Corridor is the Royal Chamber, where no human foot has ever trodden, other than that of the great wizard, Meridian. The walls of the Royal Chamber are veined with natural gems of every description. Stalactites and stalagmites add their majesty to its stunning beauty, to give it a magical quality. In the centre of this glorious cavern stands a huge glistening red amber stalagmite which is so gigantic that it appears to hold up the roof of the mountain.
Three ancient and beautiful thrones sit beneath the shadow of the red stalagmite. The crystal throne of Meridian the magician stands between the exquisite hematite thrones of the green diadems. The two royal thrones each bear the royal seal of the emerald crown of the Kingdom of Light.
The crystal throne was made for Meridian by the Elves of the Dew, who, even to this day, still live in the mountain of Stalagmite Steep.
I could find no one who knew the history or origin of the magnificent thrones of the green diadems.

It was here, in Green Waterfall Dell, that the fairy queen, Columbine, cast a spell, which would put an end to the evil deeds of the fairies, Gorsethorn and Nightshade.

5

Gorsethorn and Nightshade

The Fairy Queen held council, in Green Waterfall Dell,
Fairies in their hundreds came from Gladeside Wishing Well.
Fairies, elves and sprites came from woodlands near and far,
To listen to a story told by Princess Blazing Star.
Sweet Primrose, spoke of evil and meddling with the senses,
While Pimpernel told a tale of dire consequences.

"Children’s temperaments are changing, some are very bad,
For naughty fairy Gorsethorn, is making children sad.
Innocent and three years old, she pricks them with a pin,
And then she puts a spell on them, to add a little sin.
She casts her spell of insolence, arrogance and cheek,
We must put an end to this, by the middle of next week."

Blazing Star and Pimpernel, were playing with a vole,
When Gorsethorn hid behind a tree with evil in her soul.
They did not see her creep into Green Waterfall Dell,
After following those fairies from Gladeside Wishing Well.
The tooth fairy, Starflower, she caught sight of her,
Her majesty said, "Pull her teeth and give that witch a stir.

Gorsethorn felt a sharp pain, her mouth was very sore,
All of her front teeth fell out, to show a gaping jaw.
She looked at her reflection in the pool beside the Glade,
Screamed, raged and ranted at how ugly she was made.
Her majesty said,"Now, when the children see that space,
They will surely run from your ugly empty face.

Blazing Star was told to spread, calming silver light,
On each enchanted child, in the stillness of the night.
The laughter of Pimpernel would give them happiness,
While Dandelion with her clock, blew a gossamer caress.
The children woke next morning, sweet, good and kind,
But that bad fairy Gorsethorn was of a different mind.

Fairy Gorsethorn was angry, her heart was full of hate,
To tell friend, fairy Nightshade, she just could not wait.
Comparing her to Gorsethorn, Nightshade was much worse,
She loved to hurt the children, and put on them, a curse.
Because the wicked Gorsethorn had failed so very sadly,
That very evil Nightshade would poison very badly.

Nightshade did not need Gorsethorn’s silly little pin,
She gave the children pretty sweets, with some poison in.
With these sweets she poisoned, both the body and the mind,
Leaving stomach ache, bad deeds and naughtiness behind.
Those very wicked fairies, as they plotted things together,
Could mean that little children would be troublesome forever.

Each and every night, Gorsethorn pricked with her pin,
As little children slept, she gave them each another sin.
Nightshade caused trouble, when and where she may,
Leaving poison sweets at night, to be eaten the next day
They could be any colour, such a very pretty pill,
You must never eat them, they will do you a great ill.

Gorsethorn and Nightshade soon stood before the Queen,
Who promised to forgive them, if no spells cruel or mean.
She told them,"You must never use spells for evil deeds,"
They laughed and said,"Too late now, we have planted seeds."
The Fairy Queen was angry, she cast on them, a spell,
To change their form forever in Green Waterfall Dell.

The Spell!

Such evil fairies, through and through,
must be removed and punished too,
From this day forward, you will be,
Gorsethorn, a bush, with thorns to see.
Nightshade, you’re poison, it is true,
That deadly purple flower is you."

Columbine’s Warning!

The gorse thorn is not deadly, but will not be enjoyed,
The fruit of deadly nightshade, is a poison to avoid,
Some of Nightshade’s poison pills my fairies failed to find,
She has hidden some so well, that some are left behind,
Deadly Nightshade’s poison, is still spread far and wide,
Danger! They are not sweets at all! Beware! That fairy lied!

~~~~~~~~

Some of the older fairies believed that the sudden disappearance of Nettlethorn and Corydalis had some bearing on the attitudes of Gorsethorn and Blackthorn. They were therefore rather unhappy at Gorsethorn’s fate. They did indeed believe that a severe punishment had been necessary but not quite so final a punishment. They had no such pity for Nightshade!
Evil fairies are quite rare and it is almost unheard of to find two such cruel creatures living in such close proximity to one and other. Most fairies have gentle sweet natures, like Meadowsweet, who positively thrives on her good deeds.

Meadowsweet was sitting on a toadstool, sipping nectar from a buttercup which Beetris, the queen bee had very kindly given to her. Suddenly she was startled by the sound of children, crying. She turned to see the unhappy but familiar faces of a family of mortal beings.

Meadowsweet and Ben

Meadowsweet sipped nectar from a golden buttercup,
Heard the sound of voices, stopped her sipping and looked up,
She saw four solemn figures, standing by the old oak tree,
Heard the father saying, "Dear old Ben is running free."
She had watched many times, this happy family in the wood,
They lived on the outskirts and rambled when they could,
They often picked the blackberries, or gathered bluebells.
The children laughing happily as they rambled in the dells.

Whatever were they doing? The fairy took a closer look.
The father, he was reading from a little black book,
"Ben is now in heaven, where he can feel no pain,
He basks in heavenly sunshine, shaking off the heavenly rain."
The mother held the hands of her little girl and boy,
But on the children’s faces, she could see no sign of joy.
Emmeline was crying, tears streaming down her face,
And Peter, looking very sad, was staring into space.

Then she saw the golden disk, hanging on the tree,
Read the words engraved thereon, "Ben, of Green Firs Lea.
That fairy knew already, dear old Ben would not be there,
Ben, with his long silky coat, brushed with loving care.
A tiny tear ran down her face, Ben he had passed on,
The tear was for the people for she knew where Ben had gone.
Then she flew above their heads, to sprinkle fairy dust,
She gave to them Bens memories, because she felt she must.

Ben, they saw was romping as a puppy by the stream,
They heard his little bark, as he watched the magic bream,
The mother was remembering, it seemed like yesterday,
When Ben was wandering in the wood, a loveable little stray.
She had said, "Are you lost? You had better come with me,"
Little Ben had wagged his tail, so very joyfully,
She took him home, to live with her, to be the family pet,
Where his pampered doggy life was as good as it could get.

His heaven is in fairyland, a place of love and peace,
Where he can live in happiness, no collar, chain or leash,
He lives among the fairies, that little doggy soul,
In his tiny doggy body, with his fairy doggy bowl.
Meadowsweet caught sight of Ben and gave a little call,
Poor Ben was looking very sad and just three inches tall.
He said, "Please make them happy, let them smile again,
Send a little love to them, to ease my family’s pain.

Meadowsweet knew what to do, she quickly flew away,
To sprinkle out her fairy dust and find a little stray,
The golden cocker spaniel, she needed a new home,
Her coat was now so dirty, three days since she did roam.
With the help of Meadowsweet as Goldie’s guiding light,
The family and the little dog, met before twilight,
With smiles upon sad faces, the children then did say,
"Please can we keep her, can we keep this little stray?"

Can we call her Goldie, I bet she came from Ben,
Meadowsweet knew very well, that Ben was smiling then,
Mother said, "My children, we must plainly see,
Goldie may be lost, missed by loving family."
Meadowsweet was certain that Goldie had no home,
She had been abandoned, from the highway she did roam,
She was a birthday present, with red ribbon in a bow,
Poor Goldie after six weeks, had lost her birthday glow.

Larkspur

Goldie was given a good and caring home while little Ben lives forever, in the land of enchantment with the fairies, which is just as it should be, because that is exactly where he was found, in the first place.
Ben was a very special little being! He was no ordinary dog, although that was the role he had played for more than sixteen years. He was one of those animals with a greater intelligence than that of the usual household pet. Apart from that fact, it was impossible to tell that he was a creature from the world of enchantment.
Sometimes, even good fairies like Meadowsweet, can be pushed into making a decision which is alien to their nature and poor little Larkspur was no exception, when pushed beyond all limits.

Larkspur had followed a beautiful Red Admiral butterfly for many hours and had strayed a considerable distance from Great Elms Wood. She was feeling very tired when she saw the girl sitting at a small wrought iron table in her garden. The girl was cutting out shapes from various books and appeared to be completely engrossed in what she was doing, until Larkspur, being a very inquisitive fairy, tried to take a closer look.

The Collage

A pretty paper collage of butterfly and flower,
A child with a hobby, in a garden rose bower.
A nosy little fairy, is resting in a tree,
She’s unaware of danger and curious to see.

Larkspur the fairy fluttered through the air,
The child in the garden, apparently unaware.
So sly was the act, when that fairy was netted,
And pinned by the wing, as she cried and fretted.

The butterfly collage was scorned and ignored,
As the unhappy fairy was pinned to a board.
With gleeful excitement and jumping for joy.
The child went for glue for her wonderful toy.

A pretty fairy collage would be sheer delight,
When framed on a wall, what a glorious sight.
While painfully wrenching, Larkspur was unpinned,
To escape from the table and run like the wind.

Larkspur’s Promise

Tiptoeing quietly, pretty feet bare,
What if the girl should see her there?
A sob escapes, but no one hears,
Alone at last she wipes her tears.
Larkspur looks at her broken wing,
Whimpering softly, "I’ll tell the king,
You broke my wing, you made me cry,
Pinned that wing and I cannot fly.

Unrepentant you naughty child,
This isn't a game and I feel wild,
I’ll cast a spell and you will see,
I’ll make you sorry for wounding me!
Because you’re cruel and so unkind,
Because you have a cruel mind.
No more will you be human tall,
My spell will make you fairy small.

Placed beside your pet cat’s dishes,
No fairy wings, no spells or wishes,
Of human foot you should beware,
You will regret this fairy scare!
You will be sorry for this day,
For you shall feel my own dismay,
A fairy spell for a broken wing,
Will more than make your conscience sting."

Larkspur has not yet carried out her threat, possibly because she thinks that the girl did not really mean to be so cruel but on the other hand, she could be just biding her time.

The Birth of The Wishing Tree

About five hundred years ago, according to legend, an exceptionally vivid and colourful rainbow was seen to end where a tiny sapling had taken root. From that day forward this very special place became known as Rainbow's End Glade, or for short, the Rainbow Glade and the origin of the legend of that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
The little sapling, as I am sure you have already guessed, is of course the Wishing Tree. It has the appearance of a huge old oak tree but unlike other deciduous trees, has never been known to shed its leaves in the Autumn. That fact of course, would make it very easy to find if you were to search for it in the Winter because it would look quite significant surrounded by the skeletal trees of Winter. This is not the case because whatever magic causes the tree’s interior transparency, also causes its Winter invisibility. The trunk of the Wishing Tree has a twenty foot span and the foliage is always lush and green. Apart from those facts it appears to be a very ordinary old oak tree until the moon blossoming. Those who are lucky enough to see the moon blossom transformation are sworn to secrecy.
The old Wishing Tree hides the Palace of Sol from public view. It’s entrance is a small opening with the appearance of gnarled and twisted roots in a shaded area at the base of the tree. Some of the great roots of the tree are hollow and have grown to enormous lengths, allowing the little people to travel unseen between the fairy dells and the palace .
The Wishing Tree is completely invisible from its interior, making the hollow trunk of the tree nothing more than a tubular window to the outside world.

The Wishing Tree

If you see the Wishing Tree, deep in the midst of the wood,
It will look quite ordinary, won’t show you what it could.
You will not see the radiance of the blossom of the night,
Before the dawn of daylight, moon blossom fades from sight.

Each flower a different colour with a heavenly perfume,
Foliage of emerald green to enhance each wondrous bloom.
It blossoms with the full moon, and casts translucent light,
The tree glows as a thousand stars on each enchanted night.

Dance around the Wishing Tree as Melody’s sings in tune,
A wish just may be granted in the light of the full moon.
It is the home of fairies and it hides the Palace of Sol,
Famous in the kingdom as the palace of the crystal troll .

That troll was a great nuisance, Obsidian made a plan,
And Groll became a threat no more, to fairy, beast or man.
That troll was turned to crystal, shrunken down in size,
He stands there as a trophy,
A real sight for sore eyes!

The Preparations

The blossoming of the Wishing Tree is the cause of a great deal of hard work for Willow and Rosemary Cornpoppy, who live in an old doll’s house in the garden of the vicarage, on the edge of Great Elms Wood. The fairies of the great wood depend on them to make certain that the celebrations go without a hitch. The festival is celebrated when the Wishing Tree is illuminated by the multicoloured moon blossom which blooms on the eve of every full moon. Every fairy, elf or pixie will dress in a colour which they believe will compliment the stunning colours of the moon blossom.
Fireflies, glow-worms and thousands of beautiful fire pops help to make each celebration a really spectacular occasion. Fire pops are the tiny equivalent of our own fire works. There is no fuse to ignite because they are made from fairy dust and they need only the correct chanted combination of words to ignite every firepop at any allotted moment in time.
Thousands of fairies congregate in Rainbow’s End Glade for each stunning festival. It is a tradition that although every fairy in Great Elms Wood is invited to the festival, they must have a special invitation. Rosemary and Willow prepare and deliver every invitation, except for the royal invitations of Columbine, the fairy queen, Obsidian, the king, and the princesses, Blazing Star and Delphinium. Each envelope which holds a royal invitation is made from the petals of a pure white lily and is sealed with the golden beeswax royal seal. Willow then calls for Ladymantel, the queens unicorn, who arrives in a flash and quickly delivers the special invitations to the royal family. The Cornpoppy’s then adorn Ladymantel with the first moon blossom petals and so the festivities begin.
At every celebration, Bluebells End Glade sparkles with light from the glow-worms and fireflies, while the firepops shower thousands of tiny stars, at regular intervals into the sky. As one hundred fairies fly gracefully above the Wishing tree, others dance below on a carpet of rainbow blossom. At this point Rosemary Cornpoppy gives each fairy a melody booklet, in order that they may accompany the beautiful singing voice of Melody the song fairy.

Ladymantel

Melody’s Wishing Tree Song.

Moon goddess shine your silver light,
illuminate this tree tonight,
Light up the stars in tree and sky,
as logic doth this tree defy.
When the blossom of this tree,
as prism lanterns we can see,
The Palace of Sol in its realm below,
with this wishing tree will glow,
And as it glows beneath this tree,
we will grant you wishes three.
One hundred fairies bathed in light,
will wish upon this tree tonight.

The Palace of Sol

The Palace of Sol, better known as the palace of the crystal troll, is secreted away in the base of the trunk of the Wishing Tree. Surprisingly it isn’t at all dark inside of the tree. From its interior, it appears as if the branches and trunk of the tree are transparent.
A small crystal statue stands in the palace grounds. It marks the destruction of Groll the Troll, who once terrorised the forest, after making his home in the grassy banks of the stream, which runs through Butterfly Knoll. The evil monster is remembered for the killing and maiming of the woodland creatures and for the children whom he had lured, kidnapped and imprisoned in the stinking cave which he called his castle.

Groll

Groll The Troll

Down in the valley of Butterfly Knoll,
trouble was brewing for Groll the troll.
He was the last and he was the worst,
with rotten black teeth and a hump fit to burst.
He raged and he roared for no reason at all,
was ugly with horns, the sight would appall.
Eating up the butterflies, tramping wild flowers,
tearing the petals from the wild rose bowers.
He had a strange odour, of rancid earth,
a plaited belt of rats tails, tied around his girth.
It was unsafe for children, for fairies and all,
even Mother Nature might tremble at his call.

The birds, the bees, they all were afraid,
if the troll caught them, a price must be paid.
His castle in the darkness, a dug out earthy hole,
a foul smelling barren place, not fit for a mole.
Groll was ever stalking, searching for blood,
Kidnapped the children as they played in the wood.
When the troll caught them, he whipped with rats tails,
locked them in the darkness, imprisoned them with snails.
Obsidian, then decided, a war must be won,
with a forestry alliance, something could be done.
The fairies, birds, all creatures great and small,
he told them to be merry, to sing, dance and call.

Groll the troll heard them, all part of the plan,
the fairies were chanting,"Catch us if you can."
That troll was so gullible, that all that he saw,
was a banquet for Groll and a little bit more.
An enjoyable banquet, such a great feast,
for he loved to eat fairies, the evil wild beast.
He roared and he pounced, as he barred his teeth,
ripping and clawing at the ground underneath.
Fairies, butterflies, all creatures great and small,
turned like a whirlwind, as Obsidian gave call.
They whirled all around, from his head to his feet,
his head was spinning, it was Groll’s defeat.

The ugly great troll, went into a trance,
as he crouched in the midst of the strange fairy dance.
Obsidian with his wand, then cast the crystal spell,
which ended the torment in every fairy dell.
He turned him to crystal, shrunk him down in size,
Placed him in a fairy ring, a sight for sore eyes,
Inside of the palace gate, the Palace of Sol,
Not nearly so fearsome, that ugly old troll,
Groll is forever an enchanted crystal charm,
Down below the Wishing Tree, never more to harm,
Renowned is the palace of the crystal troll,
that palace of light, the Palace of Sol.

~~~~~~~~~~

While their parents packed the picnic hamper after a very enjoyable day in the forest, Paul and Katie had wandered off into the darker depths of the forest.
Beech Nut, the guardian elf had heard the frantic calls of the parents as they searched for their children. The facts were immediately reported to Obsidian, who then called all of the woodland creatures together and with the combined efforts of the elves and the fairies, the children were found and Groll the Troll was forever, removed from the great forest.

The children had been missing for almost an hour when the fairies found and began searching the troll’s horrible dank den. Luckily, Groll was not there. The children were chained and shackled but the flick of a magical wand soon freed them from captivity. They then followed the troop of enchanting little creatures back to where their frantic parents were still searching for them. Needless to say, their parents did not believe the amazing fairy story and scolded them for wandering away into the dense forest.

Obsidian, had acted quickly when told of Groll’s latest escapade. He was very worried with regard to the safety of his eldest daughter, Blazing Star, who was known to wander away from the palace grounds at every possible opportunity.

Blazing Star

The iridescent colours of gossamer wings,
are translucent in the sunlight as Melody sings.
She flies through the woodland in search of Blazing Star,
singing, "Please little princess, tell me where you are."
Blazing Star has flown from her home once again,
Why won’t that little princess, at the palace remain?
She never does get lost, but she often won’t be found,
Blazing Star often strays from her home ground.

Melody’s sweet singing voice echoes through the glade,
"Come home little princess, once more you’ve disobeyed,
Your mother, she will scold you, if you do not come with me,
You are needed at the palace, leave the wonders that you see.
Come home little princess, you will make your mother cry,"
‘Twas then the fairy princess, appeared with a sigh.
Said, "Come and see this dolls house, in the cottage by the wood,
I fitted in so perfectly, just as I thought I should."

It was so really perfect, an enchanting place to be,
Please my dear Melody, won’t you come with me?
There are chairs, there are beds and little pots and pans,
Exactly like the cottage, please don’t put up bans.
Please come with me tonight when mortal beings sleep,
You will see so many wonders, if you please will take a peep,
Then Melody did promise, to follow Blazing Star,
While the little princess told her that the cottage was not far.

As Melody had promised, those fairies then took flight,
For the dolls house in the cottage, that very same night,
They searched until they found an open window up above,
Then flew into the tiny house which Blazing Star did love,
Back in Rainbow Glade, they stood before the Queen,
Told her of the dolls house, where Blazing Star had been,
It was then decided, that Obsidian, he must look,
At the little house of wonder, so the task he undertook.

Soon it was agreed, that Blazing Star should have one too.
A spell made by Columbine, produced a dolls house, coloured blue.
A perfect little replica of the dolls house in the wood,
Blazing Star was happy and exceptionally good,
She had no time for wandering away from Rainbow Glade,
Entertaining tiny friends in the dolls house where they played,
Columbine too, was happy, for her daughter did not stray,
And she knew just where to find her, at any time of day.

~~~~~~~~~

Tula and Arach

Bluebell Dene is one of the most picturesque areas of the great forest. It lies to the south west of Green Waterfall Dell, where the rocky terrain by the semicircular waterfall suddenly drops steeply into the small lake in Bluebell Dene. A sparklingly clear lake where the Rainbow trout swim happily together with the goldfish and the magic bream, and where Water-Lou, a huge old bullfrog, can often be seen sunning himself on one of the smooth rocks at the water's edge.
It is here up in the trees of Bluebell Dene, that the great silk spider’s, Tula and Arach have spun huge webs and where long ago, they had spun the silk which was used to make the "Veil of Enchantment," which Marguerite wore for her marriage to the great wizard, Meridian.
Although these spiders are seen only on the rarest of occasions, they and their enormous families have lived in Bluebell Dene for hundreds of years, spinning and weaving the silk for the fairy population. Silk for beautiful gossamer fine garments which are used only for very special occasions and which make a welcome change from the usual flower petal attire.

Dressmakers To The Queen

Arach and Tula, dressmakers to the queen,
Spun a very special veil, down in Blue Bell Dene,
Leaves from the Wishing Tree, their veins were used to spin,
Those veins were used with spinning silk, expertly woven in,
Those spiders dined on nectar from the moon blossom bee,
The basis of that special veil, came from the Wishing Tree,
It glimmers with translucent light, a coloured rainbow hue,
Shimmering white, gossamer light, with a hint of purple blue.
That veil of enchantment which was spun so long ago,
When used as a wedding veil, the bride did surely glow.

A wedding gown for Marguerite, in shimmering starry white,
To match the veil inch by inch, was made in just one night.
The veil was something old and the gown was something new,
A moon blossom headdress, bluebells were something blue,
With moon blossom petals neatly woven to each hem,
Marguerite, Meridian’s bride, so regally wore them.
Wedding guests assembled, relative, neighbour, friend,
Meridian’s world of magic in normality did blend,
Fairies, they stood human tall, in gowns of gossamer silk,
Invisible wings, mortal beings, no visible magical ilk.

No bride did look more beautiful or ethereally serene,
With a radiance and a majesty to outshine the fairy queen,
Enchanting fairy bridesmaids in gossamer rainbow gowns,
Human tall and elegant had flown from Dingleby Downs.
Meridian the magician, married his young bride,
And celebrations over, he had something to confide,
As Marguerite removed the veil, Meridian said, " My Dear,
Your veil is a varioportus, we now travel unseen from here,
To a magical type of honeymoon, in a kind of time machine,
Into a world of magic, the like of which was never seen."

~~~~~~~

Marguerite

With the help of the varioportus, Meridian took Marguerite on a magical journey through time and space but sadly she was very frightened by what she saw and refused to believe what her eyes and senses knew to be true. She was further upset to discover that her beautiful wedding veil was a varioportus. To Marguerite, the varioportus was and always would be, nothing more than her beautiful wedding veil.
Although Marguerite made botanical salves, medicines and potions for her husband and taught her daughter Leonora everything she knew about herbal medicine and even love potions, she could never totally except the fact that her husband was a wizard and a magician. She never again travelled through time with Meridian.

If you are you wondering how the vicar and the wedding guests were able to see the enchanting beauty of Marguerite in her wedding day finery. The answer is, because a varioportus will never hide the beauty of any bride on her wedding day. Meridian, of course, had been very careful to see that Marguerite did not try the veil before the day of their wedding.

In the years which followed her marriage, Marguerite picked up her veil and lovingly fingered its fragile beauty many times but never again, did she venture to try on the veil of enchantment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bluebell Dene

'Twas on a sultry Summer’s day in human holiday season,
Beech Nut watched as picnicker's abused beyond all reason,
Climbing trees, dropping litter, pets which fouled the land,
Blackthorn laughed to see the mess and gave a helping hand.
Beech Nut is the guardian elf, he reported to the Queen,
Columbine, she was horrified, at the sight which was then seen,
Children fished for goldfish or teased the magic bream,
While others littered rubbish from lake to rippling stream.

Blackthorn snapped the branches, as children climbed the trees,
She did not care that they may fall, she loved to hurt and tease.
Columbine told the fairies, "Now please do what you must,
Oh! Such vandals in this place," she tutted and she fussed,
Remove them from my forest and use whatever spell,
I have not seen the likes of this, oh dear, what is that smell?
They leave litter, tins and cola cans, such rubbish everywhere,
And look at that disgusting mess, that animal did there."

She sent for Honeysuckle, in a temperamental dander,
To sprinkle evening fragrance, from her wild flower pomander.
As people bathed and paddled , fairy Teasel stole attire,
Which she dropped into the midst of a silly camper's fire.
Then it was that Celandine sent forth a besom brush,
To land folk in the water, with a hefty great big push.
Tula the great silk spider, who was watching from close by,
Then called for every spider, with a great disgusted sigh.

There were spider’s on the tablecloth's, scurrying all around,
Hundreds of those spiders in the trees and on the ground.
As they spun their silken threads to dangle face or nose,
People shrieked in horror for they could not find their clothes.
The fairies were invisible, it seemed the Dene was haunted,
Chaos reigned as panic struck, they did not leave undaunted.
Every Elms Wood fairy then did their special part,
To change that mess in Bluebell Dene into a scenic work of art.

Honeysuckle sprinkled fragrance as the sun began to wane,
Sweet Melody told the birds to trill their songs again.
Soon all was back to normal, every twig was in it’s place,
And everyone but Blackthorn had a smile upon their face.
Blackthorn is Gorsethorn’s sister, the other terrible twin,
What is it, with those sister’s, why so bad and full of sin?
Their younger sister Rosethorn is so different and friendly,
With wayward older sister’s, what effect is there to be.

Columbine guessed her future, took the fairy child away,
To live her life with Starflower, in the tooth fairy way.
She then sent for Blackthorn, a warning to foretell,
A punishment, a different bush and in a distant dell.
She showed her a future, of untold misery,
A sorry state, a scrawny bush, a thorny hawthorn tree,
Now little Fairy Blackthorn is being almost good,
She does not wish to end up like her sister, made of wood.

Blackthorn

Pretty fairy Blackthorn, was not the worst of three,
But like her sister, Gorsethorn, she was never trouble free.
She heard the words of warning from Columbine the queen,
That terrible awful punishment, if once more she was mean.
She must stop hurting children, as they played in the wood,
She had never had good reason, it was just because she could.
Could she be like Rosethorn, the most innocent of three?
She watched her play with Celandine wishing it might be.

Gorsethorn can do no harm for she has paid the price,
Enchanted by Columbine, when her heart had turned to ice.
She is the thorny gorse bush of Green Waterfall Dell,
Close by, is deadly Nightshade, enchanted there, as well.
Gorsethorn had been leading sister Blackthorn astray,
But losing her twin sister caused Blackthorn great dismay.
She was feeling very lonely while sitting in the wood,
Wondering, was it possible, a bad fairy might make good.

Celandine and Rosethorn were playing hide and seek,
When a furtive fairy, Blackthorn, into their game did sneak.
The merry little fairies, called, "Come join us in our play,"
But Blackthorn had then shouted at them both to go away.
She was feeling very lonely, and longed to join the games,
How could they forgive her, she was always calling names?
She watched the playful fairies, to them it was a joke,
When creeping up on Water-Lou, they gave a bull frog croak.

Celandine gave Water-Lou, a kiss upon his head,
Said, "Oh dear! You’re not a prince! I really was misled!"
The tiny fairy Rosethorn, was shouting, "Look at me,"
While riding on a grasshopper and laughing in pure glee.
Blackthorn was entranced as she watched the fairies play,
She had never danced or frolicked in her life before that day.
She tickled Water-Lou, and she frolicked by the stream,
Water-Lou the bull frog, was awakened from his dream.

He was a little shaken, could not believe his eyes,
Naughty fairy Blackthorn, must be wearing a disguise.
It soon became quite obvious, the fairies soon could tell,
Blackthorn the fairy had learned her lesson well.
Columbine, knew for certain, that a lesson had been learned,
As truly as her promise, Rosethorn, she then returned.
Without the fairy Gorsethorn to lead Blackthorn astray,
Blackthorn the fairy may keep her darker side at bay.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The Thorns

Corydalis and Nettlethorn had disappeared about three weeks before Gorsethorn began her cruel tirade. It was then, that Nightshade had appeared on the scene to begin weaving her way into the lives of the unhappy young fairies.
Sorrel, the mother of Corydalis, was very worried. She had taken care of her grandchildren since the disappearance of their parents and didn’t like Nightshade any more than she had liked her daughter-in-law, Nettlethorn. Her son Corydalis, was of a quiet and gentle disposition and in her opinion, was in no way the type to be attracted to the likes of Nettlethorn. She felt that her son had been bewitched and that he had no idea of Nettlethorn’s true nature.

Nightshade

Nightshade, she is evil and a witch in a disguise,
A pupil of the evil queen, whose evil deeds she plies.
She appears to be a fairy, she’s a lie before your eyes,
A temptress and tormentor and all goodness she defies,
Her web of destruction, built on spitefulness and lies,
She weaves it just for Nettlethorn, the queen she signifies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Almost a year after his disappearance, Corydalis returned to his family in Great Elms Wood. He was devastated to hear that Gorsethorn was lost forever and that Rosethorn had been fostered by Starflower, the tooth fairy, until Columbine thought it safe for her to be returned to her grandmother’s care. Sorrel listened to her son’s sorry story and then went to see Columbine to ask for help and forgiveness. She told of how she had nurtured the birth flowers in order that her grandchildren might be born without fault, while at the same time, she begged and beseeched Columbine to break the Gorsethorn spell.

Corydalis and The Dark Kingdom

The Dark Kingdom is place of dragons, banshees and hobgoblins. Thornmire Castle the central point of the Dark Kingdom and the home of the very beautiful but wicked witch, Queen Nettlethorn. I am told it is surrounded by marshland and is hidden from view by a great tangle of gorse bushes, nettles, brambles and wild roses. To search for the castle would be a great error of judgment. Even if found, the thorny barricade which surrounds the castle, would cause the adventurer great pain and injury. That is of course, if they had managed to slip past the pack of wolves which guard the entrance to the castle.

Thornmire Castle

In the marshy bogs and fens, Thornmire castle stands,
Nettlethorn is queen of darkness, and of the Middling lands.
Her castle can’t be seen, for the magic of her spell,
Even those beside its walls, would find it hard to tell.
Thorny plants and creeping bushes, gnarl, entwine and trail,
Any plant which causes pain, is part of Thornmire’s veil.
Dragons are its living gargoyles, guarding every tower,
Thorns, they are the ammunition, pain the ruling power.
It stands in all its ugliness, to enhance her vanity,
If you saw that evil place you might lose your sanity.
Will o’the Wisp and Jack o’Lantern, green and eerie light,
A haunted ugly satanic place, daytime or night.

~~~~~

Thornmire Castle is such a lonely and desolate place that at times, even Nettlethorn can feel lonely. So lonely, that when her pet dragon began to disappear for weeks at a time she decided that it was time to take a husband or companion. A magician might have outwitted the scheming little minx, or even tried to rule as her consort. She had no such fears with regard to Corydalis!

Nettlethorn

Nettlethorn when feeling lonely, decided on a plan,
Changed her form from witch to fairy, to entrap a gentle man.
He’d be to her, a slave and servant, hers to rule and own,
Companion to the queen of darkness and her heart of stone.
The queen of Thornmire Castle, just like a butterfly,
Emerged as a fairy to let her evil form pass by.
In Summer’s early evening, she saw his fairy form,
Vowed that he would love her, in tempest, gale and storm.
Pretending and misguiding, as the masquerade began,
Bewitched, betrothed , she married into the perfect plan.
Sorrel guessed too soon, that something was amiss,
Guessed her son’s wife, was hiding darkness in a kiss.
Something was unknown, was not as shown to see,
Nettlethorn the fairy was not what she should be.
To all but Corydalis, she was scathing and disdainful,
As a thorn in the flesh, her sarcasm was painful.

~~~~~~~~

Corydalis was charmed and bewitched by his beautiful wife and when she decided she would like to have children, he was delighted at the prospect. She convinced him that they must have twin daughter‘s. Unknown to Corydalis, she began to brew a potion which caused the seeds of the Gorse and the Sloe to fuse together. The end result was a thorny bush which blossomed with tiny pale golden flowers. Each flower was much too small to house even one fairy but that was exactly what she had hoped and expected. A flower which was too small would cause her twins to be deformed and ugly.
Nettlethorn was a very vain queen who would do anything to ensure that her offspring would never rival her in beauty. She was convinced that everything would go to plan and therefore did not even bother to look at the hybrid bush which held her twin daughters.
Sorrel watched in horror as the babies began to grow and knowing that they would be too disfigured and twisted to ever walk or fly, she decided to help nature to take its course.

The Evil Seed

The season passed and changed, for the would be mother,
Preparing for a twin birth, she prepared as no other.
Soon there would be witches, born in fairy form,
Shadows of her evil self but ugliest ever born.
She concocted up a potion for wild flower germination,
That the gorse with the sloe begin a new generation.
Nettlethorn’s nature would be part of each princess,
But the evil seeds of Thornmire must have no loveliness.

Every evening when all was quiet, Sorrel visited the bedraggled looking bush, to feed it the correct combination of crushed mushroom stems and honey. Soon the bush began to thrive but of course the flowering blossom which held the twins was by far, too small for them to grow properly. Sorrel removed Gorsethorn from the birthing flower which held the twins and gently placed her into the head of the tiny pale golden flower which nestled so closely to the birthing flower. As time progressed, each of the two flowering heads was forced to expand but due to the loving care given by Sorrel, it was a much easier and gentle process.
When the time arrived for the birth of her children, Nettlethorn went back to the bush to find two very small but healthy babies lying at its base. She was absolutely livid to find the bush looking so much bigger and in such perfect condition. The sheer beauty of her tiny twin daughters so appalled her, that she threw what can only be described as a screaming tantrum. When at last she got over her shock she decided that there would be another new birth in the Summer of the following year.

Rosethorn

Nettlethorn eventually decided that sheer neglect would bring the forth the ugliness which she craved in her children, but Sorrel took great care to protect the briar rose which was bearing the tiny fairy. If Nettlethorn had not been such a lazy individual she might have succeeded in catching Sorrel as she fed and cared for the three tiny flower fairies.

The Briar Rose

In gossamer petals she did repose,
The fairy child of the briar rose,
Her beauty must fade as branches tire,
For Nettlethorn would starve the briar.

No need to hover, stand or stare,
No babe would thrive without due care.
Stunted growth for the fairy child,
In the parched and wilted briar wild.

Without that gentle bend and tilt,
Rosethorn will fall as rose does wilt,
As the starving briar must slowly die,
No one will hear her hungry cry.

Thorns will rip, wound and tear,
Rosethorn will scar, will not be fair.
Nettlethorn’s child when scarred and plain,
Would not outshine the cold and vain.

But the briar rose with its petals wide,
Loved the fairy babe inside,
No thorn could scar her rosy beauty,
For Sorrel had cared and done her duty.

Time past and the children grew and there was still no sign of the evil which was Nettlethorn to be found in her daughters. One night while feeling particularly outraged and homesick, Nettlethorn bewitched Corydalis into leaving his children at Great Elms Wood. Although the original idea had been to take her children too, their likeness to her was in physical beauty only and nothing and no one must be more beautiful than she.
Three days after Nettlethorn returned to Thornmire Castle, she sent her niece Nightshade, to Great Elms Wood, in the hope that Nightshade’s influence would mould her three daughter’s into the kind of little monsters that she had hoped them to be.

The Disappearance

She heard the she wolves calling, return again once more,
To turn the key of evil in Thornmire Castle’s door.
She’d played her role so well, played to sweet perfection,
Time was now accustomed to the change in her reflection.
To up and leave her children, to flee with he so fair,
Corydalis would be a king, but ruled and fooled by her.
She did not need her children, left them without thought,
To she without affection, as unwanted as a wart.

She coaxed then, Corydalis, hummed a haunting tune,
Sang, as she frolicked in the light of the full moon.
Crooked her little finger and Corydalis danced,
Danced in a daze as the cunning plan advanced.
She lured and she led the way, through the black dark wood,
Corydalis followed in a trance, she said he should.
His wife, the fairy Nettlethorn was now an evil stranger,
He had no will to fight and he could not see the danger.

They flew for many miles, flew until the morning,
Arriving at a barricade as days new light was dawning.
Nettles, thistles, thorny gorse, the wildest of wild roses,
These thorns have armour plating, Corydalis, he supposes.
A dreadful and a sombre place, no Summer and no Spring!
Petrified its garden trees, where never bird would sing.
She changed her fairy form, after leaping on his shoulder,
Corydalis fell and knocked his head against a boulder.

Nettlethorn the ruler, and queen of Thornmire Castle,
Then began her torment, her nagging screaming hassle.
Her nettles stung, her thorns were barbed, evil words were spoken,
Until at last, he sees the truth, her spell, it is then broken.
He sees his queen for what she is, a scheming witch and banshee,
He must escape, he must go home, she can’t see him, or can she?
She taught the art of masquerade, pretence and innuendo,
She’s taken in, as he escapes, she screams at a crescendo.

The Masquerade

When Corydalis had fallen and knocked his head against the boulder. Nettlethorn had cast a spell which made him human tall, thus making it impossible for him to return to his original size and therefore a prisoner in the castle.
It would have been quite easy for a small fairy to escape through the tangled thorn barrier but it was absolutely impossible for any human form. There seemed only one answer to his problem, he must beat her at her own game. He had learned the art of masquerade from Nettlethorn herself and therefore managed to convince her that he was still totally under her spell. As Nettlethorn began to let her guard down, he gave little treats to the dragons and hobgoblins and they in turn, began to treat Corydalis with some trust and respect. Treats, trust, kindness and respect, were things which they had never received from Nettlethorn.

The Flight

Corydalis was blind, danger was dire,
Held as a prisoner in Castle Thornmire,
An invisible robe was hiding the lie,
But truth will out and the lie will fly.
He opened his eyes to the terrible truth,
He vowed to escape, by nail or by tooth.

Her spell book was taken down from the shelf,
He read every page for the good of his health.
His masquerade was the perfect spouse,
His pretence was the frailty of a timid mouse.
The befriended dragons and all inside,
Were soon his friends and they did confide.
Their teacher was quite unaware,
She had taught them well, not to care.
Her spell had made him human tall,
A broken spell and fairy small,
And when with wings he could escape,
No wolf outside, his life could take.

With Corydalis reinstated as head of his family, there were no further problems!
Nettlethorn returned only once to Great Elms Wood, hoping to dig up and remove the enchanted Gorsethorn and Nightshade, but Columbine had already released Gorsethorn from her spell.
Gorsethorn will never again prick children with a pin!
Although Columbine had said the spells were unbreakable, she had the foresight to realize that one day she may need to reverse her spells and therefore had allowed for an error of judgment.
She had not reversed the Nightshade spell, for she believed that the time was not yet right. Nightshade had not learned her lesson, and she may never be ready to be released from the spell.

The Search

Shadow dark, in pale moonlight,
Creeping, in the dead of night.
Nettlethorn, her search in vain!
Digs at roots, with naught to gain.
Columbine has removed the spell,
A punishment, now remembered well.
No yellow Gorse of spiky thorn,
Nor evil seed of Nettlethorn.

Her rage it fires at white hot heat,
She removes the weed below her feet.
But Nightshade hangs there limp and dying,
The damp dark soil is death defying.
Cruel Nettlethorn, at last is beat,
She replants Nightshade, admits defeat.
With hands and knees in slimy moss,
She shrieks out wildly at her loss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gladeside Wishing Well

Gladeside Wishing Well is a very pretty fairy dell, where almost hidden from view is an ancient stone wishing well which was built in the middle ages. Superstition has it, that a wish will come true if a newly minted silver coin is dropped into the well. This is probably Bluebell’s favourite place. She is very curious with regard to the human folk who frequently visit the area in the hope that a special wish may be granted. Children often visit with their parents as was the case with Melissa and Louise, who were playing a few feet away from where their parents were enjoying the remains of a picnic.

Bluebell

Sprites and leprechauns, they can see the fairies,
Usually, no one else, though sometimes this rule varies.
So it was, with children, Melissa and Louise,
When Melissa heard the fairy, singing in the trees.
That little girl Melissa, was suddenly aware,
When she saw a shining leaf spinning in mid air.

Tiny fairy Bluebell, was sitting in the tree,
Twirling a silken thread, no human child could see.
She thought she was invisible, to any passer by,
As she leapt from a branch and flew into the sky.
Melissa didn't say a word but squeezed Louise's hand,
Then both of the little girls, saw that fairy fly to land.

The girls lay in the grass, completely out of sight,
But Bluebell disappeared, she vanished in blue light.
The fairy was gone, the girls looked all around,
Only a ring of toadstools, did they see on the ground.
No sign of her was visible! Was she there at all?
A search was interrupted when they heard their parents call.

Beech Nut the guardian elf, is all of three foot tall,
Most elves, like the fairies, are very very small.
Watch elf of the greenwood and proud of that fact too,
Something that tiny elves, simply can not do.
Beech Nut saw the little girls, as he patrolled the glade,
He must report the fact at once, it must not be delayed.

He spun like a whirlwind, to Gladeside Wishing Well,
Where the elves and the fairies were concocting a new spell.
He talked about the children, it gave them quite a scare,
When told of fairy Bluebell, who did not take due care.
Naughty little Bluebell, had given enchanted sight,
They may even see the Tooth Fairy, when visited one night.

The girls had seen one fairy, now they could see all,
It must be decided, for what measures did this call.
Melissa and Louise, kept the secret as their own,
A secret so magnificent, must belong to them alone.
When visiting the next day, for the fairy they did call,
To see her splendid beauty, so perfect yet so small.

Bluebell heard them calling, was hidden, out of sight,
But being so mischievous, thought, talk to them, I might.
She then came out of hiding, from behind a tall toadstool,
Although to speak to children was against the fairy rule.
She asked the girls their names, told them she was Bluebell,
That they must keep her secret or danger if they did tell.

The elves and the fairies, were watching from close by,
"Curiosity will be her end," the Queen said with a sigh.
"I must cast a spell on them, what else can I do?
For Louise and Melissa know, that fairy tales are true."
Suddenly it seemed, there were fairies, everywhere,
Flitting from each flower, whirling through the air.

The fairy queen, Columbine, in all her majesty,
Said they must forget this day, it must be fairy free.
When they leave this place today, they will never tell,
Tales of the fairies at Gladeside Wishing Well.
We will meet again one day beneath the Wishing Tree."
Where wishes may be granted, if good is asked of me.

The Spell!

Today for you, was great delight,
with elves, fairies and the sprite,
but you will fall asleep tonight,
with pixies to your left and right,
removing memories from your sight.

A day so full of wonder, they vowed not to forget,
Too soon it all was over with hope for better yet.
This was not to be, for the queen had cast her spell,
Great danger for the fairies, when little children tell.
When they awoke next morning, no memories left to spare,
No thoughts of Elms Wood fairies, no fairy knowledge there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victoria’s Secrets

When an icy frosting coats the bare branches of the trees, or the magnificent fir trees are heavily laden with snow, it is then that Bluebell Dene glows with the magical beauty that is Winter. It was one such cold Winter evening and just three days before Christmas, six year old Victoria first met, what she described to me, as her own very special Christmas tree angel fairy.

The snow was falling gently and a deep layer of snow blanketed Farfield Cloister, where Victoria lived with her parents and siblings. She snuggled into the warm blankets, her feet wrapped around her fur covered rabbit hot water bottle, watching the large snow flakes flutter like a million tiny butterflies outside of her bedroom window.

The Christmas Tree Fairy

I looked towards my window,
just too wide awake to sleep,
I thought I saw a fairy,
just as true as I did peep.
The snow was falling gently,
while translucent colours swirled,
I saw those angel fairies,
with their rainbow wings unfurled.

One tapped upon my window,
I was frightened and feigned sleep,
She sang a Christmas song to me,
as heartbeats three, did leap.
I could see that she was special,
was privileged so, to see,
That she was a Christmas fairy,
to enchant a Christmas tree.

She is my guardian angel,
and she told me this herself,
She said, "This is our secret,"
and introduced me to an elf.
She had tiny little fingers,
and such tiny little toes,
She carried a silver lantern,
with white flowers and a rose.

I can’t be sure what size she was,
she seemed to change at will,
That tiny little fairy,
standing on my window sill.
She sat upon my bed that night,
seemed almost human tall,
As she told her fairy stories,
I felt so very fairy small.

With burnished golden hair,
like spun gold, it was so bright,
Adorned with crystal droplets,
her halo of golden light.
She told me of her Blue Bell Dene,
her Christmas fairy land,
Brought snow fairies with her
and they circled hand in hand.

They carried me to Bluebell Dene,
to winter wonderland,
Where I danced with the fairies,
I was small in fairyland.
We danced among the snowflakes,
the length of Bluebell Dene,
Fir trees had changed to crystal,
lightly touched with green.

Icicles on frosted boughs,
holly bushes decked with snow,
I did not feel the icy cold,
my cheeks so warm, did glow.
Great snow mantled fir trees,
looked so regal and so grand
When topped by a snow fairy,
with a lantern in her hand.

Each fairy danced so gracefully,
ethereally serene,
As dawns new light was filtering,
we left the Winter scene.
Each Christmas I’ll remember,
that frosted Bluebell Dene,
And I’ll remember Crystaline
the Winter fairy queen.

~~~~~~~~~~

One dull wet day in the late Autumn of the following year, Victoria was to find a varioportus, a doorway to the past, the present and most importantly, the future. She had been staying with her grandmother throughout the half term school holiday and feeling bored, decided that her grandmother would be pleased if she were to tidy up the dusty attic room.

The Golden Compact

Attic Spring cleaning, she found could be fun,
on a cold Winter’s day, when the sky showed no sun.
Housework was stopped when among souvenirs,
a compact of gold, brought forth chuckled cheers.
She polished the dust from the golden compact,
engraved on the inside, was a mysterious tract.
The Tract

" Little magic looking glass, what is life to be,
Show now the road to take, you must let me see?
As you see my face reflect and you and I see me,
Give to me your magic power, let my reflection see,
Polish once this looking glass to see the road to take,
Polish twice and you will know which road you must forsake."

Victoria was astonished as she said the little rhyme,
Polished once, that looking glass, and saw a different time.
Stared into that looking glass, alarmed by what she saw,
Closed the compact quickly then, before she could see more.
She opened it again next day, was drawn to the unknown,
She saw the crossroads one by one, counted by milestone.

Upon each stone, a fairy sat, to warn or point the way,
The fairy of the first milestone, said, "Not for you today,
The roads of destiny, my dear, are dated "Yearly Peeping,"
Store this compact safely, in a place of secret keeping."
It points the roads ahead for you, as yet beyond your years,
In time it may prevent for you, life’s turmoil, tears or scares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victoria did as she was told and returned the little golden compact to its original place of safe keeping, in the old trunk in her grandmother’s attic, where it had lain since her grandmother’s childhood.

The Secret

Victoria had a secret, she vowed not to tell,
A secret with a doorway to a wooded fairy dell.
She had given her promise for the secret in a box,
The box in the attic with a key to golden locks.

Victoria and her best friend, they shared everything,
Tell me your secrets, her best friend would sing.
Tell me a secret, you know me so well,
You've known me forever, and I'll never tell.

She’d laugh and then giggle, begging some more,
She begged for a secret and all things before.
Then begged for the secret as a forever friend,
If secrets stayed secret, their friendship would end.

Victoria pondered over what she must say.
Would she tell her tomorrow, just one more day?
She opened the box that very same night,
Inside was the doorway, of childhood’s delight.

A box in the attic, her secret, her treasure,
A doorway enchanted, where time has no measure.
The magic divide with the perfect fifth season,
Beyond human intelligence and magical reason.

She followed her thoughts to the great wishing tree,
Where Celandine the fairy awaiting would be.
She told of the problem, asked what must she do,
But Celandine told her, she must be untrue.

When you have a secret, it is yours all alone,
If you tell the secret, your secret she'll own.
No secret to treasure, no memories of gold,
The key to your secret will rust and grow old.

If you tell her the secret, soon you shall see,
How great is your friendship, how long it will be.
Next day her best friend, she stood at the gate,
Said tell me the secret, dear Vicky don’t wait.

The secret was told, but a secret so wrong,
And soon that great secret was sung in a song.
It was sung from the rooftops, sung from the trees,
Her friend sang the secret, in one two's and threes.

Took the words, changed them, turned them about,
In no time at all the great secret was out,
It had no foundation, was no secret at all,
Like a wall without mortar, did topple and fall.

A lesson was learned and one not to forget,
Take care whom you trust, and you won’t be upset.
Keep each special secret, in each special place,
Treasure your secrets with a smile on your face.

The magic looking glass has remained untouched for many years. Victoria’s life is still the straightforward and hopeful life which should be the God given right of all children. One day though, she may look into that enchanted little compact once again, and that will be another story!

The Forces of Nature

The sky was blue, not a cloud in sight,
as fairies played in the bright sunlight.
A rippling stream, the fairies afloat,
with twig for an oar and a leaf for a boat.
The weather changed, the thunder crashed,
those fairies tumbled, as lightening flashed.

The leaf boat flipped and overturned,
Tansy slipped as her stomach churned.
Harebell was thrown into the air,
as a gust of wind caused quite a scare.
Although she searched, she could not see,
just where her little friend might be.

With Tansy carried off down stream,
daytime play, became a nightmare dream.
Bedraggled and wet, she could not fly,
for a wet winged fairy must be dry.
She had clung for life to the leafy boat,
fighting the current to keep afloat.

Her arms were tired and aching so,
eventually she must let go.
Poor Tansy fought to fight her pain,
but the stream had swelled in heavy rain,
A branch or twig then caught her dress,
lifting her into more distress.

Although from water she was free,
poor Tansy was stuck behind a tree.
When darkness fell, and daylight gone,
she was a frightened lonely one.
Tansy was trapped, could not be found,
he stalked the wood, had heard her sound.

Her wings were wet, she could not fly,
and out for the night was a cat called Pye.
Cold and wet from the now great river,
she must not move, nor dare to shiver.
As Pye approached her fear was mounting,
chest pulsating and heartbeats counting.

The violent wind, it swayed the trees,
the Elms Wood fairies felt the freeze.
The thunder roared, rain pelted down,
lightning forked as the queen did frown.
Harebell was safe, but Tansy lost,
she must be found, whatever the cost.

Fairies then did group together,
to search for Tansy in stormy weather.
Indeed a task when they could not fly,
for a fairy’s wings, they must be dry.
Lanterns flickered, glow worms helping,
each listening for the sound of yelping.

Poor little Tansy was not crying,
she dared not breathe where she was lying.
Lest Pye may spy his would be lunch,
for cats eat fairies and that’s no hunch.
She tried to move, to make no sound,
Stifling screams as his paws did pound.

Closer, closer, the end seemed near,
of the cat called Pye, she had great fear.
A paw, it caught her, pulled her free,
Tansy was horrified at what must be.
She screamed, but saw that it was not Pye,
but Pippet the rabbit from the warren nearby.

Pye stalked Pippet, but he was no fool,
Pippet’s front teeth were sharp and cruel.
Tansy was safe in Pippet’s warm fur,
She was carried away and Pye didn’t purr.
That cat was angry, had lost his prey,
with a lashing of his tail, he walked away.

Pippet took Tansy to her warren below,
where wings soon dried and gone was the foe.
The rain had stopped and fairies could fly,
they were calling her name from quite nearby.
As lanterns flickered here and there,
Pippet was thanked for her watchful care.

~~~~~~

The baby princess Delphinium, was also lost due to another act of Nature!

The Lost Princess

A time for celebrations in the heart of fairyland,
A late autumn ball, by the fairy king, planned,
To welcome his daughter, to the Kingdom of Light,
His baby Delphinium, wore a silk gown of white.
It sparkled with dewdrops, a snowdrop, her crown,
And the great spider Arach, spun the silk for her gown.

’Twas a ball for all fairies, at Rainbow’s End Glade,
Where the new baby princes was proudly displayed,
A princess so enchanting, so cute and so sweet,
From the hair on her head to the toes on her feet.
They prepared for her future, with each fairy’s new spell,
With gifts and enchantments, to wish her life well.

When the great ball was over the babe was alone,
Just for one second, in the glade, on her own.
Her cradle, a walnut, with silk of pure white,
Tipped as she gurgled and small wings took to flight.
A fraction of a second, that was all that it took,
The princess was gone, far and wide they did look.

The Kingdom of Light mourned its tiny princess,
Search 'til we find her, the king then did stress.
How did this happen, said the king in harsh tone,
Never for one moment should the princess be alone.
Meanwhile in a village, to the left of the wood,
A mother told her daughter, go to sleep now, be good.

On the child’s bedside table, was a box, not too small,
The child found a butterfly, when at play, she did fall.
She had lost her first tooth as she fell to the ground,
Princess Delphinium, the butterfly she had found.
Out of her cradle, the sweet princess had slipped.
When a great gust of wind, that cradle had tipped,

Though fragile her wings, the wind blew her away,
To be found by a child when she was at play,
So small was Delphinium, that the child did not see,
That her butterfly pet was a baby fairy.
As she played in the garden at the end of the day,
A call from he mother, brought her in from her play,

She asked for a box, for her pet butterfly,
With holes in the lid, for she feared it might die.
Starflower the tooth fairy called that same night,
Sweet Princess Delphinium was crying with fright.
She paid for the tooth and the princess too,
For it seemed there was nothing else she could do.

Delphinium was returned to the king and the queen,
No gratitude greater any fairy had seen.
Starflower was honoured and proclaimed to be,
High Royal Protector of the Royal family.
A little girl, next morning, she knew it was true,
Fairies did pay for lost teeth, and for butterflies too.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meridian

Meridian Witch-Hazel was a very old man, when he passed his responsibilities to his son Derillion.
The fairies were quite worried and upset that Meridian had left them in the care of Derillion, who as far as they were concerned, had shown no sign of his father’s natural magical abilities.
Derillion had lived in the forest for most of his life, spending a great deal of his time with his sister, Leonora, who had taught him the herbal remedies taught to her by their mother, Marguerite. Leonora knew Derillion better than anyone and this being the case, she was not unduly upset by Meridians revelations.
With the help of the veil of enchantment, Meridian was able to move backwards and forwards in time and because of this, his name is mentioned in every era of the history of the Kingdom of Light, this being the reason why some of the younger fairies believed he was older than time itself.
Meridian was twenty nine, when he met the very young and very mortal, Marguerite, who lived with her parents on a small farm, very close to Great Elms Wood. He met her for the first time at the annual Dingleby Downs fair and from then on, visited the little farm quite often. He showed no sign of his magical status and was accepted by her parents, who a few months after their first meeting, gave their consent to the marriage of their seventeen year old daughter.
Throughout the years of their marriage, Meridian moved backwards and forwards in time, so that Marguerite was rarely alone. In true fact Meridian was often away for many weeks at a time but with the help of the veil of enchantment, he was never away from her side for more than a day.
After their marriage, Marguerite moved into the log cabin in the woods, where she learned about the medicinal properties of the wild flowers and the herbs from Meridian.
One year after the marriage, their daughter Leonora was born and Marguerite, in her turn, taught Leonora everything that she had learned from Meridian.
Leonora loved the great forest, with the enchanting creatures who were her only playmates. She was quick to learn and would experiment with herbs and ingredients, until some of her little remedies became even more popular than some made by her delighted parents.
Marguerite was in her 46th year, when Derillion was born. His premature birth caused unforeseen complications and tragically Marguerite died immediately after his birth. Meridian and Leonora were with Marguerite until the very end but sadly there was nothing Meridian could do to bring back his beautiful wife. Even Meridian did not have the power of angels!
Leonora was twenty eight years old when Derillion was born and it was she who cared for him, until he began to show the power of his father, who then began to mould and tutor him in the avenues of magic.
It was only a few days after the troubles caused by Gorsethorn and Nightshade, that Meridian asked that all fairies be present for what they believed was to be another festive occasion. For the younger fairies, this would be their first visit into the stunning interior of "The Mountain of the Red Stalagmite," where Meridian’s jewel studded crystal throne is set between the royal thrones of the green diadems.

The Abdication

Meridian stood at the stately chair,
With his pure white beard and his long white hair.
The princess watched in quiet awe,
Not once had she seen the old wizard before.
While Obsidian shook the gnarled old hand,
The fairies paid homage to the sorcerer, grand.
Blazing Star asked of the sorcerer, old,
Who is the old one, I wish to be told.

Pimpernel whispered, he’s an ancient icon,
His magic so great, is second to none.
You know that fairies are as old as time,
Before the first fairy tale or the nursery rhyme.
At the dawn of the birth of the Kingdom of Light,
Meridian was born, that very same night.
The crystal throne in the midst of the two,
was made for Meridian, by the Elves of the Dew.

Studded with diamonds and twinkling gems,
in the midst of the thrones of the green diadems.
When Meridian sits on the central throne,
it will open the portal of crystal and stone,
where all fairy treasures are stored away,
where the gold from the end of the rainbow does lay,
where wishes are held in a fountain of light,
Meridian will open that portal tonight.

You know that a fairy does never grow old,
Not one silver hair in a crown of gold.
It is Meridians work, his fairy spells,
His fountain of youth in the fairy dells,
Meridian is come to the Kingdom of Light,
To be honoured in a great celebration tonight.
Fairies are coming from far and wide,
To be with Meridian, to stand at his side.

The fairies all gathered that bright starry night,
Down in the mountain of the Red Stalagmite.
Their wishes were great ones, wishes, not small,
For the fairies that night made themselves human tall.
Columbine was dressed in an emerald gown,
She was wearing the star of the emerald crown,
The mountain was studded with all types of gem,
In that mountain of light where good wishes stem.

Meridian held council, for silence, he called,
The words that were spoken, had the fairies appalled,
"I relinquish my right to the great crystal throne,
I’m old now my children, I must leave this time zone.
I pass down my powers to Derillion my son,"
In the blink of an eye old Meridian was gone,
There stood Derillion, young handsome and tall,
Meridians reason for the great fairy ball.
Young handsome Derillion was not of their choice,
No portal was opened, for they did not rejoice.
They each looked like angels because of their size,
but very sad angels with tears in their eyes.
They could not accept him, they gave no applause,
He must prove to the fairies a most worthy cause.
Meridian was saddened by the hostile reception,
He knew his son’s magic was beyond all exception.

~~~~~~

Leonora Witch Hazel

Poor Leonora was getting old and the constant cold and damp in the old log cabin, which had seen better days, was really causing problems for her. Her old arthritic legs were very painful, but still she hobbled around making the ointment which seemed to make better, any ache or pain, except for the pains of old age. She was wearing an old ragged dress which had been her mothers wedding dress. It was studded with semiprecious stones, which had long lost their fire.

Pod and Bod really were the most irritating little elves in the forest. They were always in trouble and never sorry. One day they decided to spoil the ointment which was so useful to the fairies. Instead of spoiling the ointment, they helped to discover a fountain of youth, which could transform the wrinkles of the body and mind and which could also rejuvenate all materiel things whatever the age or construction.

Leonora’s Trumble

Leonora Witch-Hazel was making her trumble,
Ointment for fairies, who have taken a tumble,
Pod and Bod who were looking for trouble,
Mixed lizard's tongue in the hubble bubble,
Leonora with sticks began to hobble,
She chased those elves, though her legs did wobble,
Back to her cauldron she then did stumble,
As the huge black pot gave a roaring rumble.

The contents were spilled, the hovel a shamble,
Spilled out of the door and into the bramble,
Splashed Leonora, her old legs felt nimble,
The old black cauldron, a golden symbol,
Her rags were as riches, a jewelled ensemble,
She reflected her youth as her body did tremble,
Outside of the door, huge berries on bramble,
A fountain of youth, for those who would ramble.

The young Leonora, not the hag who made trumble,
Was no longer poor, no more was she humble,
She needed no sticks, no more did she hobble,
No lines on her face that would make a goose gobble,
Her body was lithe, no more did she amble,
To maintain her youth, she would eat of the bramble,
For once, Pod and Bod, when looking for trouble,
Managed some good, when they stirred hubble bubble.

~~~~~~~~~

Leonora’s transformation soon became common knowledge and it seemed that almost every creature wanted to try the new version of Leonora's Trumble ointment.

The Lightening Strike

The lightening flashed, the thunder roared,
The lightening forked as a jagged sword.
The elm tree kindled and tinder did burn,
Tree Elf Lodge was a need for concern.
As the tree elves slept in the raging storm.
Their tree elf beds were exceedingly warm.

Chokecherry choked on smoke from the fire,
Toadflax woke as the flames licked higher.
Falling through branches as he tried not to stay,
Bruising and burning, bouncing all the way.
Cushioned from the fall, burned but free,
He landed in a bush, beneath the burning tree.

Hobblebush, leapt from his burning bed,
To run from the boughs of the embers, red.
Branches crackled and burned in the night,
As tree elves fought such a valiant fight.
Pignut shouted as he fought to be free,
"This way! Quickly! Please follow me."

As he leapt at a branch of the tree close by,
Hobblebush and Chokecherry seemed to fly.
They landed safely, as the rain did pour,
Sore and burned were the hands of the four.
With sore burned faces, singed short hair.
They asked Leonora for some Gumble care.

The tree elves had noted Leonora’s transformation and were sitting cross legged in a circle outside of Leonora Witch-Hazel’s, now very pretty log cabin.

When Tree Elf Lodge had been struck by lightening, the faces and hands of the little elves had been scarred in the fire which followed. The old Gumble had certainly healed their burns but could not hide the scars. Some young fairies, pixies and elves, have the same characteristics as some mortal children, this being the case, the poor little elves, were absolutely fed up of the name calling and bullying and had decided that perhaps some of Leonora’s new Gumble might hold the properties which would make them more presentable to their so called friends.
Leonora couldn’t help because the cauldron had fallen over, spilling the contents onto the floor and she had no idea why the Gumble ointment had change her life. She didn’t see what it was that Pod an Bod had mixed into the Gumble and they refused to tell her. Try as she would, she could not find the ingredients to make the new Gumble. She told the elves to try the fruit from the brambles, outside of her cabin. Sadly the bramble could only help by giving eternal youth and even then, it must be eaten at least once, every year.
Pod and Bod were fully aware of the wishes of the little tree elves, but positively refused to give up their secret, even though it was of no use to them, because they didn’t know what ingredients were used to make Leonora’s Gumble. Leonora reassured the tree elves, that one day, she would find the ingredient or ingredients which would restore their appearance. She told them that in her view, they were quite beautiful because beauty is in the eye of the and that Pod and Bod were the ugly elves because their goodness didn’t run deep enough to tell her something which would benefit others but was of no value to themselves.
As you can guess, it was not too long before Leonora found and added the correct ingredient to the recipe. A few smears of what Leonora called "The New Fountain of Youth Balm," restored the faces and hands of the tree elves to their original condition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dingleby Downs

Esmeralda Fennel, a white witch, but better described as a fairy godmother, lives in a quaint little cottage which is set in a small wooded area of Dingleby Downs. She makes a meagre living from her herbal remedies and is well known for her fortune telling skills.
A small group of noisy mischievous little fairies have made their home at Dingleby Downs which is situated within a half mile to the south-west of Great Elms Wood. They once lived in Great Elms Wood but were almost always the source of some prank or small misdemeanour and after one such episode, rather than face the music, they flew away from the great wood.
Although mischievous, the young fairies were not stupid and therefore did not take the short cut to Dingleby Downs but flew over the mountains of Red Stalagmite and Stalagmite Steep, to arrive safely in their new territory.
Columbine knew of their whereabouts and therefore had asked Esmeralda to keep an eye on her small subjects.
At times, this small band of fairies proved to be quite a handful for Esmeralda, who sometimes felt that she would never have a moment of peace. It often appeared to her that wherever she went, the fairies were not far behind her and even today, she is constantly covering for their outrageous outbursts because they tend to have no sense of danger where mortal beings are concerned.
The village of Dingleby Downs has a very large piece of common land in its centre, where each week a market is held. Dog shows and flower shows are commonplace and these occasions are renowned for their odd occurrences. Name tags have often been changed or mixed up! Flowers will move in their vases, while some have even been known to dance a jig. These strange happenings are usually put down to the demon, drink. The winner of the home brew stall is usually blamed because his barrel of ale is freely and liberally served to the public after the winner been chosen.
The dog show can be a real problem for the judges! For no reason at all, a really placid dog will suddenly begin to do all kinds of strange things. He may stand on his back legs with his paws over his eyes and sing a mad doggy song. There is no end to the escapades of the Dingleby Downs Fairies!
The highlight of the year is when the circus with other fairground attractions comes to the village. At each of these events you can be absolutely certain that the fairies of Dingleby Downs will be in the immediate vicinity.

Dingleby Downs Fair

The music resounded in Dingleby Downs,
laughter and merriment, painted faced clowns.
A white witch told fortunes, of good times to come,
a candy floss maker was making a ton.

The fairies were watching in Dingleby Downs,
watching the people from far away towns.
They danced under bushes to join in the fun,
danced to the music, they danced at a run.

The fairies were daring in Dingleby Downs,
Dancing and singing and mimicking clowns.
Merrillee frolicked and tickled the nose,
of an old drunken man, who lay comatose.

People kept jumping at Dingleby Downs,
hearing strange noises, some very odd sounds.
On turning around there was nothing to see,
the fairies were hiding and giggling with glee.

Marica was laughing and dancing a jig,
on the back of Rowena, the fat bellied pig.
Fairies pulled faces, made upside down frowns,
to oblivious people in Dingleby Downs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Middling Lands

About halfway between Great Elms Wood and Dingleby Downs, live the Slugslobber Goblins. The very sound of their name can make my stomach turn! Each goblin has a permanent frown on his evil little face and if ever a face showed the personage of any being, then the Slugslobber Goblins are a prime example. They each have a warty toad like complexion and whether they are fat, thin or indifferent, they are each endowed with a huge roll of flab around the girth. It is little wonder that they wear a permanent grimace on those horrible faces. They are probably riddled with jealousy when they see any other living creature because even the ugliest of creatures would be beautiful in comparison to a Slugslobber Goblin.
No being is safe from these horrible goblins, be it fairy, witch, or human being. Even the birds and animals stay clear of the area in which they live. Fairy folk are well aware of the dangers of the Middling Lands and therefore it is only in extreme circumstances that they will ever pass anywhere near to the silent dark marshy horrible place.
Columbine makes her visits to Dingleby Downs while the human world sleeps. She flies by night with an entourage of her most loyal subjects, via the Mountain of the Red Stalagmite and high over the mountain of Stalagmite Steep. It is a very tiring journey but safer by far than the direct approach, which would have them fly over the Middling Lands and chance running into a band of goblins.
I suppose you think that fairies and birds are safe because goblins can’t fly, but that is just where you are wrong! A Slugslobber Goblin can roll into a ball and then bounce onto his flabby rubber like stomach until he bounces high into the sky. He will then make a grab with his claw like hands at his next meal, which could be bird, bee, butterfly or fairy, or in fact any living creature.
Gronstooker, the green goblin, who for some unknown reason is a much darker shade of green than the other Slugslobber Goblins, is always creeping about in the Middling Lands, hoping to catch some unwary creature. Even if you were to manage to pass unseen, the stinking odour from that vile individual would make your throat heave and choke and within seconds he would be on your tail. In my opinion, the reason that he is a darker shade of green is because he is even more putrid and rotten than the rest of the nasty horrible things.

The Slugslobber Goblins

Beware of the curse of the Middling Lands,
Slugslobber Goblin’s are waiting in bands.
They would eat you for dinner, breakfast or tea,
Slugslobber Goblin’s are ugly to see!
Green warty faces and permanent frowns,
Don’t take the shortcut to Dingleby Downs.
Slugslobber Goblins have fat on their girth,
They roll into balls and bounce from the earth.

Ugly Gronstooker will wait at his leisure,
Doing great harm is Gronstooker’s pleasure.
He would relish a dinner of wee fairy folk,
Is rancid and rotten and makes a throat choke.
Five young fairies, just did not take heed,
Passed over that place and not at great speed.
Gronstooker and Trograg planned with each other,
To follow those fairies and cause evil bother.

Rhagen and Mogtrot they followed too,
They followed those fairies to pastures new,
To plan the invasion of Great Elms Wood,
Bouncing with glee, they bounced in the mud.
They followed the fairies, then soon knew the route,
Chased Leonora and off they did scoot.
Gronstooker returned to the Middling Lands
Prepared an invasion of Slugslobber bands.

~~~~~~~~~

The Invasion of the Slugslobber Goblins

Mayberry, Cornflower, Gentian, Buttercup and Lavender, decided to visit Esmeralda Fennel and the fairies of Dingleby Downs. They took the safe route and arrived without incident, where they enjoyed a few hours with their little friends, while Esmeralda kept a watchful eye on all of them.
They left for Great Elms Wood long before nightfall but then decided it would be better to take the shortest route home. Esmeralda had told them not to go anywhere near to the Middling Lands but it is in the nature of young fairies to disobey and therefore although quite fearful and wary of their surroundings, they were quite proud of themselves when at last they were safely back in Great Elms Wood.
Gronstooker and three other Slugslobber Goblins, Rhagen, Mogtrot and Trograg had been feeling very bored with their usual haunts. They had decided to bounce their way towards more appetising places, so that when they saw the little troop of fairies, rather than attack them, they had followed them. It was quite difficult to keep out of sight, but somehow the clumsy bouncing goblins had managed to do so, without being noticed. This was made possible because the playful little fairies kept stopping from time to time, to play games with each other.

It was almost nightfall, when at last they arrived at Leonora Witch-Hazel's pretty little cabin. Leonora was gathering herbs in the herb garden.
As the little fairies fluttered around outside of the window, Buttercup agitatedly, asked Leonora if they could go inside because she had noticed a really horrible odour which drew her attention to one of the Goblins as he tried to seek cover behind an oak tree.
While the fairies were speaking to Leonora, the goblins managed to make an entry via the chimney of the old cabin. Although the Slugslobber goblins can’t fly, the ugly little fiends can bounce, so it was no problem for them to get up onto the roof of the little cabin.
As Buttercup entered the cottage, a goblin made a grab at her and almost wrenched her wing from her tiny frame. Leonora, who had earlier been making her usual concoction of Gumble, very quickly, threw a half teaspoonful over Buttercup’s wing. It eased the pain considerably and immediately began to heal, much to the foul goblin’s astonishment. He pounced at Leonora but she was too quick for him. She ran as fast as she could through the door and into the forest. The fairies escaped through the open window while the three goblins were chasing after Leonora, who then turned and ran back to the cottage to get the veil of enchantment which had been neatly laid in the top of an old wooden chest. She then ran straight into the brambles, where her sylph like stature allowed her to slip through without too much risk of being scratched by the thorns. The fat goblins weren't so lucky because their huge girths impeded their progress and gave Leonora time to catch her breath. She found it quite hilarious to watch, the ugly little brutes screeching and screaming as they tried to free their fat masses from the tangled growth.
When Leonora caught up with the frightened fairies, she gently shook the shimmering silken veil so that it billowed above her head to fall softly over herself and the frightened fairies. They were immediately transported back to a safer point in time.
The little fairies flew off towards Rainbow's End Glade, in search of Columbine but it was too late to stop Gronstooker from returning to the Middling Lands. Realising that soon the adult fairies would be on his tail, he had decided to return home to inform the rest of the ugly little brutes, that he now knew the directions to Great Elms Wood!
There was great rejoicing among the goblins for they were quite partial to tasty little fairy morsels, it beat eating bluebottle salad any day! They did quite enjoy butterfly stew but butterflies were out of season.
Obsidian was very worried!
Normally, in a case of this nature, he would have had the assistance of Meridian, whom he had not seen since the night of the abdication. He had only Derillion and how in the Kingdom of Light, would he be able to help?

Derillion

Derillion stood tall, in Green Waterfall Dell,
Rolled out the parchment with plans, so to tell,
He told every fairy and elf he could see,
To sit on each branch of each outskirting tree.
To sit there and watch, with nothing to do,
But to chant out the words,"WE DEFLATE YOU!"
Derillion then picked up his wand with a swish,
And commanded each fairy to make a "WIN" wish.

Told them, "Don’t worry, you need have no fear,
Not one single goblin can enter through here."
With a swish of his wand he built a great wall,
A wall of blue light rising fifty feet tall.
It encircled the outskirts, encircled the wood,
The earth at its base, then turned into mud.
The goblins invaded, and oh, what a shock,
To run into light which was harder than rock,

No goblin could enter, each soon knew his fate,
When they hit the light, their girths did deflate.
Goblins were winded and goblins were panting,
A fortress was built as the fairies were chanting.
Derillion then spoke from a great orb of light,
His wand in his hand, in the dark of the night,
"No more will you bounce, forever you crawl,
You cannot make entrance, now grovel and fall."

~~~~~~~~

The goblins fell, squirming and wriggling in the mud, while the huge rolls of rubbery fat around their girths began to shrivel so that they would never bounce again. Defeated and humiliated, they retreated back to the Middling Lands where hopefully they will remain.
Derillion is now treated with the awe and reverence he deserves!

The End

A Carole's Cottage/Tall Trees Background
This Background Features The Imaginitive Encaustic Artistry Of Cynthia Adams.
Cynthia has given me sole right to use and publish her artwork to my website.
Her artwork is copyright and as such, may not be used on other websites without my consent and that of the artist.

Sketches of the Fairies by Carole A. M. Johnson

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