THE BUSH FAIRY'S FERN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 146, 22 June 1945, Page 3

THE BUSH FAIRY'S FERN

By DAPHNE WHITER (15) Long, long ago, before New Zealand was inhabited by mortals, all the fairy folk lived in the bush and deep forests that covered the mountain sides. Among these was a delicate little bush maiden who lived with her fairy parents in a hollow kauri tree. This fairy was apt, at times, to be disobedient, and would roam the forests each day gathering ferns, mosses and flowers.

Now, in her forest lived a wicked enchantress, against whom the bush maiden had been warned. One day she set out as usual and wandered into fragrant hollows, filling her skirts with native flowers. She then played in the river with the water sprites, who told her of a beautiful fern which grew up the river.

Our little friend wandered on, and on, penetrating further and further into the dark depths of the forest. Suddenly she espied, lying on the ground before her, a thick cluster of purple berries. "How pretty; I must have them," she said aloud to herself. Alas! Little did she know that, the nearby bushes obscured the enchcintress' cave, and that the wicked creature had just picked those rather rare berries for her midday meal. "So you would steal my berries, would you?" cried the wicked enchantress. The little bush maiden wheeled round, grasped the berries, and tried to run away. However, the enchantress was soon in pursuit, and her claw-like bony fingers caught the bush maiden's long hair as it streamed in the wind behind her. "Now," croaked the enchantress, holding her small captive by the end of her long hair, "What shall I do with you?; . The fairy screamed, and a friendly tui, flying overhead, heard her and came hurrying to her rescue. He quickly snipped her hair with his beak, and the maiden thanked the tui as she ran away with the coveted berries, while the enchantress was left with a long lock of hair in her hands. At this she flew Into a terrible rage and dropped the hair to the ground in a fury. She then muttered a spell and disappeared in a black cloud into the cave. Where the hair had been there grew out of the earth a delicate fern which has been called "maiden hair fern ever since.